2019 at The Masters and DIY Round Up

Happy Masters weekend, friends!  Last July, I received one of the most amazing emails ever: I was selected for the random Masters ticket lottery.  If you haven't heard of it before, this is how tickets are distributed for the tournament; someone in your household can enter the free lottery in the spring, and in the summertime, you hear if you were accepted or not.  Well, we were selected for 4 Tuesday practice round tickets, and I've been looking forward to this week ever since.

We arrived before the 7am gate opening (even though every website will tell you 8am, you can actually get in an hour earlier to go to the gift shop, concessions, and practice range before access to the course opens at 8am).  We ate chicken biscuits, shopped for ourselves (and all of our families), and checked all of our purchases to pick up later.

As you can probably tell from my first few photos, it was a rainy morning, but we made the most of it and got great seats in Amen Corner to watch the couple of groups come through.  While Mike drank a couple beers, I had the famous Stand 12 punch (lemonade, blue powerade, and Sprite) along with plenty of sandwiches and peach ice cream sandwiches.

 Around 11am, we did get kicked out for a couple of hours as a line of thunderstorms was in the area, but at 12:45 when they let us back in, the sun came out and the rest of the afternoon was perfect!

I'm unsure if we will be back next year after our little dude is born, but we will definitely still be entering the lottery, just in case!

Whether or not you're headed to August this weekend, if you plan on celebrating this weekend, click on the photo below to visit my post and get in the spirit!

 

 

March Review

Happy April!  Last year, I loved doing these monthly reviews, and I hope to continue them this year, especially as life gets a little crazier in less than 2 months with Baby Boy.  I cannot believe I'm already at 32 weeks!

This month started with Mike's 33rd birthday!  I swear he doesn't always dress like that, but his birthday fell on "pirate day" for kickball theme weeks.  Of course, I made the same cupcakes I've made for Mike for the last 5ish years: inside out cupcakes.  They're otherwise called black bottom cupcakes, but we call them "inside out" so that I don't feel as bad when I don't frost them;  we count the chocolate chip cheesecake filling the frosting, and trust me, you don't miss the frosting on top - they're so sweet! 

Speaking of sweet things, we also visited the newest hotel in Charleston with the best French bakery.  Hotel Bennett's La Patisserie is amazing!  Mike got an apple and pear turnover, and I got a chocolate banana croissant (plus a toffee brownie to go - haha). 

The following weekend, we went to Disney World for the weekend to spend time with Mike's family.  They were spending a long weekend down there, and being only 5 hours away, it seemed like to perfect excuse to see them.  We stayed at the Grand Floridian for the first time as a little babymoon treat to ourselves, and it was amazing being on the monorail.  We also visited all 4 parks in 2 days and tried some of the new Disney food, including that "Up!" Dole Whip cone in the second photo.  The mango soft serve was so good!  Plus, it was Flower & Garden festival in Epcot, and it was amazing to see all of the topiaries and colorful blooms.

Halfway through the month we started celebrating St. Patrick's Day (and that went on for a good ten days!) including my last game of kickball before maternity leave. 

This month also finally brought the Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.  I literally bought tickets for this show a year and a half ago, so I've been looking forward to it forever.  I loved getting to see Elton one last time, and his energy was amazing!

Last but not least, we started with our nursery prep and got in plenty of walks around the city.  Roxy has become our little shadow every time we go into the nursery, and we have the crib and some of the furniture!  The nursery is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in the house!

Oh, and the month ended with more birthday celebrations for Mike.  One of our friends thought we hadn't spent enough time celebrating yet, so we surprised him with birthday dinner, cake, and bowling - because why not?!  He's the best and deserves it!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!  A couple of weeks ago, I stopped at Colonial Lake for a walk before work.  The Peggy Martin Roses on the palmetto trees that line the Rutledge Avenue side of the park were in full bloom and just asking to be photographed!  This time of year in Charleston could not be more colorful and beautiful. 

Springtime in Hampton Park

Today I'm excited to share what is probably my favorite spot in all of Charleston this time of year: Hampton Park.  Located on the Charleston peninsula, next to The Citadel and the Ashley River, Hampton Park has some of the best walking/running trails in the city.  The entire park is so well manicured, and the park volunteers take care in curating seasonal displays of flowers in every corner of the park.

This time of year, the main draw is definitely the Confederate Jasmine arch, located near the Southeast corner of the pond.  Seriously, how stunning are these white blooms?!  I wish you could smell them, too.  They're just magical!

Not to be outdone are all of the blossoming magnolia trees and planted annuals between each path.  If you're more of an art fan, the park also has fantastic installations and sculptures across its 60 acres. 

Between March and September, the roads around the park are closed off to traffic on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:00-8:00pm) as well as Saturday mornings (8:00am-noon) so that even more people can walk, run, and cycle around the park.

There are parking lots at each entrance of Hampton Park, and if you don't feel like going for a run, bring a lunch to enjoy at the picnic tables scatted around the park, under the live oak trees.

Shop my look: Glade sunglasses in Turquoise Ice ||| workout tank ||| 2-in-1 compression shorts ||| sneakers

No matter what you're in the mood for, Hampton Park has it!

An Afternoon in Beaufort

This weekend, Mike and I visited Hilton Head Island to see my in-laws who were vacationing there, and on the way back, we decided to stop in Beaufort for the afternoon.  Right in the middle of Hilton Head and Charleston, this adorable little city is located just far enough off the beaten path to have its own identity.  

We started our day at Waterfront Park, right on the river.  The swings were so adorable, and it was the perfect place for a walk. 

After the park, we stepped into Scout Southern Market on Bay Street to cool down.  They're famous for their sweet tea floats (iced tea with lemon sorbet), and it was so refreshing!  I seriously wanted to bring everything home in this sweet little store. 

After we left Scout, we walked all up and down Bay Street.  The art galleries in Beaufort are fantastic, and I loved all the shopping. 

Our last stop of the day was for a drink back on Waterfront Park.  Unlike Charleston, I love how much riverfront dining there is, and I even met the sweetest little cat outside.  How adorable is Chester?!

We can't wait to go back to Beaufort to explore even more.  Here are five more things to do in Beaufort, SC that we will definitely be adding to our future travel plans:
- Climb Hunting Island Lighthouse
- Stroll through Point neighborhood
- Indulge at The Chocolate Tree
- Visit the Old Sheldon Church Ruins
- Kayak or paddle board through Beaufort waterways