2 Years.

yikes...
where has the time run off to?

I have been totally slacking in blogland lately huh?

You know it is bad when your friends text you and ask if everything is all right due to the one rouge post you scrounged up in the last 2 weeks.

Yes.
Everything is great.
Y'all are so sweet to reach out.
mwah!

So, today is our 2 year wedding anniversary and I cannot believe how fast it has just flown by.
I was mentioning this to a random stranger the other day and they commented,
 "time flies when you are having fun".....
 I immediately and secretly rolled my eyes in judgement of that said comment, all while holding a perfect smile and answering "so true!"

Don't get me wrong, I think the quote has a lot of validity, but it's not reality.

Reality is...
 Being married is the most amazing thing I have ever done.
But I also think it is really hard work.
Reid and I work hard at it every single day.
There are a lot of smiles and laughter,
but we have our fair share of tears, tension and disagreements.

It is hard to be the best version of yourself for your partner at all times.
But even at our worsts,
Reid is still the person I choose to walk through life with.
 The person I call home.

The person who challenges me, protects me, encourages me and irritates me.
The person who I choose to stand beside me when things are tough and more importantly when things are amazing.

The person that loves me for me.
The person who I secretly love to pick a fight with.
The person who makes me want to put him first.
The person who tells me I am beautiful when I'm not wearing an ounce of makeup and have my unruly curly hair rocking.
Above all, he is the person that is mine.
My husband.

So happy anniversary husband of mine.
We have a lot to celebrate and even more to look forward to.
I love you even if you blame me for hiding your laundry from you.
I could not ask for a better person to call mine.

Get ready to see these two mugs all over the blog over the next few days....cause I am recapping our winter winery wedding!

See y'all tomorrow!

xoxo,

CAD

*Photography all courtesy of the amazing Eva over at PhotoLadyLove* 

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3 years ago today...

Reid asked me to marry him,

 and I said yes,
of course. 

There were no pictures, no fancy outfits. 

Just me in my glasses, pjs and pony tail,
our dog Sampson,
 and Reid,
all trimming our Christmas tree,
 in our little rental house on Patterson Ave. 

This picture was a reenactment for our Christmas card that year....circa 2011

The propsal was just so us, 

and I cannot help but giggle when telling the story. 

But that story will have to wait for another day when I have the time to give it my full and proper attention. 

So in lieu of a fancy celebratory dinner,
we are off to our fav Mexican hole in the wall and then over to the local YMCA to pick out a tree.
A tradition that has served us well for 3 years and many more to come I suspect.

I am so happy that Reid decided to break down and ask me to marry him 3 years ago.
 I simply cannot imagine life without him.
mwah!

So here's an idea loves.
 Since Reid and I got married before the blog, would anyone like a recap next week of our winter winery wedding to celebrate our anniversary?
 I have never really gone into full detail on Virginia Sweet....
let me know your thoughts.

xoxo,

CAD

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A Christmas Dress, #tbt style.

I am a firm believer in buying a dedicated Christmas dress every year.
I am sentimental and cannot help it.
I blame my mother for this.

and I am am simply in love with what I found this year.

This ritual and life event of finding the perfect Christmas dress stems from cherished childhood memories. I distinctly remember as a child being able to open two presents on Christmas Eve, both revolving around church. One was a toy that would keep me quite and entertained during the service. The other was my Christmas dress with matching hair bow. I would immediately put it on and prance around the house.

My mother took such pride in finding the perfect, smocked, monogramed dress clad with huge paper white collar and perfectly tied bow in the back. You know the dresses I'm talking about. The ones that make all southern mamas swoon. And my mother was no exception. She has a true talent, some would call it a calling, for finding the perfect children's clothes. Just ask any of my friends who have little ones. She can also tie the perfect bow, I don't know how she does it but she does.

yes, that is little ole me in one of my said dresses.
 and check out those bracelets.
girl knew how to accessorize even back then.
and is it sad that I still have the same damn haircut?

I really had not intended to take a trip down ole memory lane when I planned this post. But while I was home the other weekend visiting my parents, I stumbled across these and could not help myself.

All of my old Christmas dresses from my childhood. 

My sweet mother has been keeping these pretties tucked safely away in hopes that one day I might have a daughter of my own to play dress up. Not only had she kept these babies in pristine condition but she also had a slew of my classic Lilly shifts stashed right along with them. I am not sure that I can think of a sweeter gesture than this... my mother is a gem I tell ya! 

Ok, let's fast forward to present day and let me introduce you to my classic, yet chic, 2014 Chirstmas dress. 

|| dress || shoes || watch ||

I am in love with her. 

She was bought on a whim, when I had exactly 15 minutes to find something and boy does she deliver. Plus she looks fab with my way to expensive rehearsal dinner Badly Mischka shoes that I never can find an excuse to wear.

I have already rocked her once to a Galla for Longwood but plan to wear her to my company's holiday party and Christmas eve at church. 

I am totally loving black this season and just think this dress is something else. 

So versatile and so easily wearable to a holiday party or wedding. 

Swoon.

Do yourself a favor and go buy the dress now, she is a keeper and one to wear over and over again.

photo creds go the amazing lady over at Newlyweds:North - duh, I could never do this myself.

xoxo Steph. 

gotta shout out to Annie over at Home of Malones for hosting her Thoughts for Thursday Linkup - thanks lady!

Have a fab Thursday and cheers to one more day before the weekend.

xoxo,

CAD

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Grateful for Friends.

Are y'all ready for things to get all serious and mushy on a Monday morning?
This post today is coming straight from the heart.

So it's mid November and Thanksgiving is truly right around the corner.
For me, this time of year serves as a gentle reminder to stop, and take a moment to express my gratitude for the amazing things in my lives.

Today my heart is overly grateful for my friends.

I desperately need to pause for a moment and give thanks to the amazing women who I am blessed to call my besties.

I need to acknowledge those ladies in my life that continue to lift me up when I fall but also slap some sense into me when I truly need it.

Who know who I really am and still love me.

The same ladies that have held my hand through breakups, stood by side at my wedding, held my hair back during some not so proud moments and laugh with me.

The ones who were my roommates, confidants, life coaches and reality tv watching buddies.

Who never let me doubt myself and truly want what is best for me.

The ones who loved me at my darkest moments and who were so truly proud of me during my wins.

Who sit in my office and listen to me vent when days just seem too overwhelming and who pat me on the back when I deserve it.

These are the ladies who loved me before I knew who I was.

These are the ladies I need to thank.
 And I do, from the very bottom of my heart.

It is not easy to admit, but I do a poor job of keeping up with these amazing women. I let life get in the way too often and neglect the ones that mean the most. Work, sheer laziness, travel are all excuses I lay out as to why I suck so bad at keeping in touch.

Reality is that relationships change as we get older, and I struggle with how to handle that. I find it harder to hold on to what we used to have and transition to what we have now. It does not mean that I love these ladies any less, in fact I love them more. It just means that I am learning how to balance being a wife, friend, professional and myself all at the same time. And that is hard.

Over the last couple of weeks, my friends have just shown me so much love, in so many ways. Whether it be through texts, chats over wine, girls night out, or a much needed phone call. Having these amazing women in my life restores my faith in myself. And that is something you just cannot get from anywhere else. Your kind words, kick in the pants and no judgement has been a life saver for me.

So to my dear sweet friends, you know who you are, I love y'all more than you will ever know and I am truly grateful everyday to have you in my life.

So, now that I got the sappy post out of the way, I have got some pretty things up my sleeve for you this week.

Have a great Monday loves and give send your besties a little love today.

xoxo,

CAD

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Find your Voice.

So, I have to tell y'all...I had a whole other blog post planned for today but I just could not get what was going on in in this little pea head of mine to translate on paper (or blogger). 

So that post will have to wait till another day.

|| headboard || curtains || watch || leggings || similar shirt ||

So instead let's chat about finding your voice.

 your blogging voice. 

and I think I am still finding mine actually. 

Ever since this post and this one too, I truly feel like my writing and voice here on Virginia Sweet has been the most honest and true sense of myself yet. It feels good to not hold back and really use this blog as a platform to be as candid as I choose to be. 

This new found voice is something that I work hard at. I feel silly admitting that to y'all but it is the honest truth. Do y'all know how hard it is to type just like you talk and not hold back? It's scary to put yourself out there to people who only know you through your blog. 

There have been several times here on the blog where I had to put my big girl panties on and just hit the publish button. I was doubting myself. Doubting that I would come across wrong or silly. But the more I put myself out there, the more I learn that this type of exposure is what makes me relatable. 

And if I have learned anything over the last year of blogging, it's that being relatable is one of the most important things. I try to be as genuine as I can and not sugar coat what my reality really looks like.

So here is my advice,

 because clearly I am such an expert, 

find your voice and stay true to who you are. 

write like your talking to your bestie and remember to not over think things.

and that's all for me today.

I promise for more fun and frank convos next week. 

Oh, and I gotta give shoutouts to my fav guest co hosts of Thoughts for Thursday link up, Stephanie at Newlyweds: North and Laura at Happily Ever Parker

xoxo,

CAD 

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