I'm still alive- Updates and a Fall Bucket List!

Wow!  It has been over 2 months since I have posted on here!  I just wanted to let you all know I am still alive.  I have been so super busy at work.  Over the summer they changed my role not once but twice!  It has been super stressful.  And when your work life gets out of control, your whole life seems to fall apart (since work is such a huge chunk of that!)

I don't have time to give a detailed update.  I wish I had time to write full posts about each of these items, but since I don't here is a summary of what's been going on lately:

- It's ironic my last post was about how this was the best season of Big Brother, because it has actually turned out to be the worst.  I ended up hating most of the people in the house and really don't think any of the final three deserve to win.  My summer without cable TV is over, but I think after this season of Homeland is over I may cancel my Dish account and strictly do online streaming and Netflix.

- I got a promotion at work.  But I'm not really over the moon about it right now.  It is challenging.  And there has been lots of other drama at work.  I really hope things get better.  I miss the days when I used to be excited to go to work and could say I love my job, because that is definitely not the case right now.  But I am thankful to still be there and hopeful that things will turn around soon.

- In August my cat had a medical emergency.  His urinary tract became completely blocked and I had to take him to the emergency vet.  He was in the hospital for 3-4 days and when he came home he was a hot mess.  I had to confine him to my spare bathroom because he was peeing everywhere.  So far it has cost me about $2500!  They wanted to do surgery because he had some crystals adhered to his bladder, but the vet has him on some special food to try to dissolve them.  I'm really hoping it works because the surgery would be another $1400!

- One of the girls from my small group moved to Iowa earlier this year and she is getting married at the end of this month and I am going to the wedding on her fiance's farm in Iowa!  I've never been there and am excited to go.  We are flying up early and spending a few days in Chicago and then driving down to Iowa.  I haven't been to Chicago since I was a kid, so I am excited about that too!  If you have any Chicago or Iowa must sees let me know!

- Speaking of small groups, I am starting one this week!  Ahhhh I am so nervous!  My small group had been together over 4 years and I love those girls.  They will always be in my life even though we aren't in small group together. So excited to see what God will do through this new group and what girls he will bring into my life through it!

- This weekend was pretty awesome.  I ran in the Electric Run on Friday.  It was the most fun run I have ever done.  Way better than the color runs with an awesome party at the end!  I will definitely do it again if it comes back to Raleigh!  We also had Church at the Ballpark on Sunday.  There were over 11,500 people in attendance and 530 of them got baptized!  God is so good!

- I'm so excited for fall!  This summer has not been the best so I'm kind of glad to see it go.  I only got to do a few things on my summer bucket list:

I love fall!  So let's try this again with a Fall Bucket list:

San Diego and Beach Month

Back in July I got to go to San Diego for a conference for work.  This was my first time ever to California and I LOVED it!  The weather was so perfect in San Diego and California was so beautiful!  I want to move there!

The resort we stayed at was amazing.  La Costa Resort and Spa was huge and so gorgeous! I was exhausted from not ever adjusting to west coast time and having super long days.  But it was so much fun!

My flight was delayed on the way there and then my connecting flight in Chicago had technical issues so I ended up getting there 5 hours later than I should have.  The guy at the front desk at check in took pity on me and upgraded me to a villa with an amazing balcony, fireplace, soaking tub, and waterfall shower.  It was sooo great!

The last day there I had a late flight so we booked spa appointments.  Their spa was voted #1 wellness spa in the nation by Spa Magazine.  The spa facility itself was amazing!  It had a private pool, a reflexology path, this waterfall thing that felt like getting a massage, a cafe, relaxation rooms, and so much more!  We laid out by the pool, tried the reflexology path and the waterfall and then had our treatments.  I got a bamboo massage (amazing!) and my co-worker got a body scrub (she said it was amazing too!).

The past 3 weekends I have spent at the beach.  It has been amazing.  We have a timeshare in Atlantic Beach, NC that I look forward to going to each year because it is so relaxing!  All we do is lay out on the beach all day and have a yummy dinner at night.  This year we also made a trip to the aquarium because they had penguins!  I LOVE penguins!  I wanted to steal one!

Last weekend I went to Myrtle Beach for an annual girls trip.  Last year was the first year I went.  It is an annual trip that 2 girls from my Bible study have been doing for years.  It has turned in to a mixture of different girls they have met from various stages in their life from college to work to neighbors to Bible study!  I had so much fun last year and even more fun this year!  Already looking forward to next!

And even though beach month is over, I get to go back to San Diego (and stop in Vegas on the way back) in just 3 weeks!  Yay! Life is so good!

Pinterest Inspired- Hunger Games

OMG y'all!  It's tomorrow!  I get to see the Hunger Games tomorrow night!  I'm so excited!

In case you didn't know the Hunger Games was filmed in North Carolina.  In fact a lot of it was filmed just right up the road from where I grew up.  The Visit NC site has an article with a list of 12 Places to Experience the Hunger Games.  They also have a Pinterest Board with pictures of some of the places.

Here are some of my favorite Hunger Games related pins:

Source: ponytaillove.tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

So excited just reading that!!!

Source: google.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I bawled my eyes out after I read that!

Source: weheartit.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I LOVE Peeta but DANG Gale is HOT!

Source: etsy.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Again, probably my favorite quote of the whole series!

Source: Uploaded by user via ncsuz on Pinterest

I wish I would have re-read the whole series because it's been a while since I read the books, but maybe that will make the movie even better??  Sorry for all the Hunger Games obsession.  It will die down next week, i promise!