Fall Cara Box Reveal

I've absolutely loved participating in the Cara Box swap; I've definitely made some amazing bloggy buddies since I first joined up in March!  This time around, Kaitlyn redesigned the Cara Box program to be a seasonal, 3 month friendship, and I am so happy she did!  I had so much time to get to know the two ladies I was paired with, and they were both SO amazing.  I know our blogging friendships will continue long after this month is over.
In September, I was paired to send Madi a box and receive one from Annalee [who you might already know from her guest post last week!].  What I loved about this 3-month cycle was getting to know so much about these ladies before it was time for the actual Cara Box.  Both of them are newlyweds, so their support in my wedding planning process was definitely the most valuable thing I took out of this fall swap.  
Here is what I received from Annalee:

 

A notebook, Lake Champlain dark chocolate salted caramel bar [MY NEW FAVORITE CANDY BAR EVER!!!], peppermint facial mask, Gatorade energy chews [in my favorite Gatorade color flavor Cool Blue], a hand-crafted wedding countdown frame, and a Victoria's Secret "Bride" robe! 

I have to say that opening this gift was the first time a Cara Box almost brought me to tears.  Everything was so personalized and fit me so well - even with my wedding colors and for my favorite hobbies.  Thank you so much, Annalee!
Here's a sneak peek of what I sent Madi - head over to her blog to see it all!!

To sign up for the winter Cara Box, visit Kaitlyn's blog!

August Cara Box Reveal

This month was a really fun Cara Box theme.  Instead of a gift theme, everyone was paired by their life stage.  I was paired with two amazing ladies, who I feel I got to know really well!  
Chloe at All That Good Stuff sent me a great box.  She loves cupcakes and pink, just like me!  From her, I received a fantastic, wonderfully personalized, package.  Check it out!

 

Hershey's for s'mores and loving the nail lacquer!

I also sent a box to Ginny over at Buttergirl Diaries.  She is a beautiful lady from North Carolina, who is currently engaged and loves photography, fall, and her English Bulldog, Mr. Truck!  I can't wait to get lots of tips from her about wedding planning!
Here is a sneak peak of what I sent her.  Head over to her blog to see everything!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my family over the last few days.  I can't even tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

July Cara Box: From The Sea

As you probably know, my hometown is right on the Rhode Island shoreline, so I had SO MUCH FUN with this month's nautical theme!
For this month's Cara Box, I was paired was two great ladies.  I was lucky enough to receive a box from Sammie over at From Chunky To Funky.  I really enjoyed talking to her and encouraging her as she looks for a teaching job - I'm praying for you!

Can we just look at this amazing package??? I would have to say my favorites so far are the Aquafina Hydrating Lip Oil, Yankee Candle car vent sticks, and hand sanitizers :)

Additionally, I sent a box to a beautiful and talented lady named Kristal over at Atutudes.  Seriously, you need to check out how amazing this woman is.  Just look at her Etsy shop.  She left her 9-5 job in favor of following her dreams and creating tutus that have even been featured in Hollywood Celebrity Gift Lounges.  Seriously, how cool is that?  Not going to lie, I am pretty obsessed with her life.   We also both share a love for cats, Disney, Instagram, and everything girly.  
As you can imagine, I had by work cut out for me, trying to keep up with her creativity.  Here's a little sneak preview of what I sent, but to see more, check out her blog!

Thanks again to Kaitlyn for setting up this great swap!

Cara Box: Take Me To The Fair

I had a great time getting to know my Cara Box partners this month!  I loved shopping for Ann Marie this month [especially after we learned quickly that we share a love for deep fried Oreos - and what a perfect fair food!].  I also was paired with Sheri, who sent to me.  She is a great lady who just celebrated a birthday and anniversary!
Here is what I received was spoiled with:

snacks: animal crackers, fruit snacks, cracker jacks, cotton candy, chocolate; a snack caddy; cupcake wrappers; fun straws; cotton candy cookie mix; kitchen gloves; balloons; a candle, perfume, and hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works

Come on, you know when a Cara Box comes wrapped like this, it's going to be good!

How cute is all of this? I CANNOT WAIT to burn the Summer Boardwalk candle!

Roxy is obsessed with the balloons!

Of course, I HAD to try out the cotton candy cookies last night! And, yes, the only non-Christmas cookie cutter I have is a hippo :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHERI! You definitely did your homework on this one!!! Here's a little sneak peek of what I sent Ann Marie, head over to Royalty Sparkles and check everything out :)

PS, new hairdo photos coming tomorrow - promise!!!

Random Life Goings On

Yeah, I know that's not a real word, but I wasn't sure how to describe this post haha...
Last week I wrote that I would be playing in a golf tournament.  It didn't go so well.  I played the front nine on the first day really well, then I hit two bad shots on the back that resulted in me hitting off a curb and two tree roots and reaggravating an injury I've had since high school.  It's a long story, but I basically have permanent nerve damage in my elbow and wrist, and all you need to know or probably care is that it stinks.  So, I had to withdraw [if you follow me on Twitter or IG, you probably read ignored my whiny posts] and now I'm out of commission for a couple weeks.
I got a new phone last week!  And a new plan!  Now [thanks to Verizon] I get cell service in my house.  Yes, it's a big deal.  Before, I could only make calls from my driveway... that was a pain in the neck in the winter.  I got a Samsung Galaxy S4 and am OBSESSED with it!  There are sooo many cool features: 13 megapixel camera, tons of camera modes, eye scrolling and recognition [basically if I'm watching a video and look away, the video pauses... yeah. cool.]  Oh, and I also bought a pink Otter Box and insurance so I hopefully won't break it when I drop it constantly.  

Said goodbye to my Evo that survived three long, hard years.  Good work, little buddy.

And some of the first new photos with my Galaxy!  Mike's goddaughter was Poppy Princess in the Memorial Day parade, and the second one is an action shot of her swinging - good quality, right?

In the last Cara Box I participated in, Anissa sent me some seeds.  Well, they're growing!  How exciting is that?  These are photos from the past month:

Mike and I saw The Great Gatsby this weekend.  It was fantastic!  We've done this thing for the past few months where we see one movie that was a preview in the previous movie we saw.  First [and yes, this was the first movie we saw in probably a year] was Les Miserables, then Identity Thief, and now Gatsby.  Seriously, go see it!  We loved it! 
Remember when I did that Titleist photo shoot last month??  Well, my dad texted me last week that I made it onto their website!  I'm sooooo excited!  Now I just have to buy every golf magazine all summer and look for myself ;) I'm so humble, right?

That's me in the background [purple polo] on the top second photo, my back to the left of that [in purple], and me looking far too serious next to that!

I'm also soooo far behind in blog reading!  What have you been up to?  Got something awesome for me to read, link me up :)

Cara Box: Go Green!

I know I'm writing this a bit early since the linkup is tomorrow [Monday], but I'm just so excited to share with you!  Plus, I have a new "project" I'm starting tomorrow on the blog, so I can't wait for you all to read about that as well.

I had a lot of fun with this month's box.  As you might have read on Heather's blog when we swapped, I try to stay green in my daily life, but I was very excited to send/receive a box full of goodies to help stay even green-er!  

I was paired with Anissa at The Beauty Phanatic.  She sent me a great package of green goodies.  I am most excited about the window sill plants, and am hoping to have some tomatoes, strawberries, and sunflowers this summer!  

straws, sponges, plants, a portable coffee cup, a produce bag, and a green cleaner

Enjoying some morning tea in my great new cup!

I also sent a box to Holly over at Back Home Again.  I put a lot of pressure on myself because Holly was one of the ladies who came up with this month's theme!  I hope she enjoys everything!  To me, going green isn't just the environment, it's reusing things you already have as well as buying things that will keep our planet happy.  I tried to give Holly a little bit of all of those:

- I bought her a little green cactus while I was in Las Vegas [to add to her garden], a reusable cup, and some Neutrogena Naturals lip balm.

- I reused a cleaning wipe container to make a plastic bag holder [with some of her favorite colors].

- I cut up some corks I had been saving [because I knew she loves wine] to make a photo frame [and she loves photography!].

Here's a little sneak peek... check out Holly's blog to see everything :) 

Thank you again, Kaitlyn for another great month of the Cara Box!

My First #CaraBox: My Name Is...

MEGHAN!

[That's my name, in case you were wondering ;) ]  

I saw a few friends participating in Kaitlyn of Wifessional's #CaraBox last month, and I just had to join in.  If you haven't seen this exchange yet, check out this link and join in next month!

I have to say I that I had a great experience.  This month's theme was "My name is..." and we were all paired by our names.  It also worked as a round robin, so I got to meet two great bloggers instead of just one!  I gave a box to Mallory at Mal's Miles and received one from Megalin at Turquoise Lollipops.  Each box had a theme of the letter "M" since we are all M girls!

Now about what I received from Megalin: as many of you know, it's been a hard month for me.  Megalin seriously could have just sent me the beautiful note she wrote me in an envelope and I would have been more than thrilled.  It was so heartfelt.  I have it in my planner and look at it everyday :)

Well, she did send me more, and boy did she splurge!  And she wrapped it all so beautifully too!  Muffin Mix, an "M" for my room, Milano Melts, a Meghan Mug, Magnets, and KitchenAid Measuring spoons were all so Me!  I guess our 30 something emails back and forth helped her out a bit ;)

[the mug says "Borrowed Heaven" on the other side too]

Here are the items in use!  Making muffins, the measuring spoons and mug match my kitchen perfectly, the M looks great in my bedroom, Roxy wants to share my Milanos, and I especially love the honey magnet :)

Here is a preview of what I sent Mallory; go check out her blog to see what M goodies there were! 

So, today, I'm linking up with Kaitlyn to reveal my Cara Box and the usual ladies for Wednesday Walkabout!

Hometown Hop: The Ocean

"We are tied to the ocean. When we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or watch - we are going back from whence we came." - John F. Kennedy

Simple photos of the ocean.  That's what I will be sharing this month for the "HomeTown Hop."  I am from the Ocean State after all.  I had originally planned a post on the food particular to my town, but today, the tranquility and beauty of the ocean are what I'm craving.  

For those of you who do not know, I grew up in a small oceanside town in Rhode Island.  It was a wonderful town to spend 18 years, but as I went to college and found a job after college, there was nowhere I could follow my passion in this remote place.    Now, I live a couple of hours away, and unfortunately, I cannot have the same relationship with my family and friends in RI.  

That's why my second family, Mike's family, has been so important to me over the last couple of years.  Please keep them in your prayers, especially his mother who is the strongest, most positive, and kindest person I have ever met.  I have been spending a lot of time with them recently, so please excuse my absence.   

Now for some pure beauty:

 I love Rhode Island sunsets

And a few photos from past beach days:

Mike and I when we first started dating, 3 years ago

Me and two of my college roommates on a summer trip - the one in the middle is actually Mike's sister [Have I ever mentioned that?]

Sandcastles [or turtles] with my best friend growing up

Three pieces of "housekeeping:"

1. If you haven't yet, you should link up this month with HomeTown Hop.  Heather is a great blogger friend, and I look forwarding to following Ashley, too!

2. I'm so excited that I just received my #CaraBox matches for this month.  The theme this month is the first letter of your name, and Kaitlyn matched us all by name.  I will be sending to Mallory and receiving from Megalin "M" boxes.  The encouragement part is what I am most excited about this month, and these ladies seem fantastic!

3. And of course, because it's Wednesday, linking up for Wednesday Walkabout!  I'm sponsoring Jane this month, so definitely make sure you stop by and say hi :) And surprise, my Cara Box partner Mallory is mystery hosting today!!

I hope to be back to blogging more regularly soon, and I hope you all have a nice week!