jessica obsessed

Ohhhh lawd... I have an obsession with Jessica Simpson heels and boots, and I found the hottest Jessica Simpson heels slash boot for late summer/early fall. Classic looking leather boot with a peep toe.

I'll take my own picture soon, but I was so excited that I had to put it on here.

Seriously though, I feel amazing in these heels. My boyfriend LOVED them. He thinks they are "so hot."

i volunteer... for animals.

I love animals. Any kind, especially dogs.

This is why I volunteer at Project Pet.

Their mission is to save and help animals in kill-shelters around the Columbia, SC area. The non-profit agency rescues as many dogs and cats as the shelter can hold or they can find foster families for. I feel the need to help any helpless animal that can't escape their circumstances.

Since I have two miniature dachshunds, I can't take on another animal (my boyfriend says so), so I volunteer as my way to give back to neglected, amazing creatures.

Today we bagged loads of dog food and cat food for 2 1/2 hours that will be given to families that can't afford to properly take care of their animals, but they don't want to send them to a pound (and we don't want to see the pups or cats in the pounds aka kill-shelters, either). 

It feels great to help furry little creatures. :)

4th of July disaster...

July 4th weekend was a success.  It was like a vacation in my own city.

However, we experienced a huge fright on Saturday night. We left our dogs (Rosco and Waylon) with Michael's parents at their lake house while we met up with some friends on the lake. We had been gone for a few hours when around 9:30pm we got a call from Michael's mom saying that they had lost Rosco.  He is terrified of fireworks and when he heard them, he freaked out and bolted out of the house (the door was left cracked open). 

Michael finally found him about a mile from the house in the woods. He spotted some eyes with a flashlight and, sure enough, it was Rosco.

It's amazing how a dog can become like a member of your family, and in this case, our child.

the 4th of July festivities

Who's excited it's July 4th weekend?? I AM! I love this holiday weekend. It's like Christmas in July, but you don't get presents.  I'm really excited about all the holiday weekend festivites and hanging with our friends. On tap for this weekend we have...

Friday: Movie night w/ my wonderful boyfriend, Michael. (We watched The Book of Eli.... SO good.)

Saturday: Cookout all day at our friend Wayne's house. He's cooking a pig, chickens and some other bird. It's going to be a huge get together with a pool, fireworks and live music, courtesy of our friend, Jason Dalton. Michael has also been requested to play. yay :)

Sunday: Lake Murray all day and Michael's parents' cookout at their lake house around noon. I'm excited to see his family... especially his new nephew, Jesse, the newest addition to the family.

Monday: Lake Murray ALLLLLLLLL day. 

I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday! Be good, be bad... be careful.

saint maarten

So, I suppose I'm seriously craving a vacation right now, and then I saw my pictures of St. Maarten while I was browsing though my pics. These are just a few of my favorite pics I took while I was there.

If you ever have the chance to visit St. Maarten, go.

fish please.

Every once in a while it's nice to be taken to a place that reminds you of your childhood (assuming it was a pleasant one, of course). 

Last Wednesday, my boyfriend and I went on a Striper fishing trip that we gave his dad for Father's day.  It's usually really hot down here even on summer mornings, but this particular morning it was just right...  The wind held a steady breeze. The fish were biting. We saw the sunrise over the lake. It was beautiful.

The trip took me back to a place (mentally) that I hadn't been in a long time.

I grew up Striper fishing with my little brother and my parents in Smith Mountain Lake, VA. We had friends that were Striper fishing captains there, and they took us out often. Many of my favorite memories from growing up are centered around some sort of fishing.

I hadn't been Striper fishing in about 10 years, so I was stoked. It was everything I remembered... even beating the boys in catching the biggest fish.

Oh yeah... that's 9lbs in all its glory.