Full Steam Ahead

Has it really been TWO MONTHS since my last post?!?!? My life is just getting away with me...what with church, job, volunteering, going out, dating, traveling, exploring, cooking, EATING....it's a wonder I have time to sleep. I think the pictures are the good stuff (and I can tell you more about what's going on in my life with them) so here we go!

Gloria and I have been hanging out A LOT and staying busy...poor kiddo gets tuckered out!

NEW HAIR!!!!! I'm loving the red :-D

Babysat the kiddos...and got serenaded with select tunes from "Frozen." Oh joy.

Hahaha this little guy is awesome

I made coq au vin and roasted brussel sprouts for Community Group and maaaaaaan was it good

New piercing! I've been wanting a second one for years...finally got it

What could this be....?

A surprise gift on my first date with Sean! Homemade chocolate chip cinnamon loaf

Om nom nom

My roommate, Danny, went to Japan for a vacation a few weeks ago and brought back about 10 different flavors of Kit Kats. Green Tea was my *favorite* and I immediately ordered my own bag off of Amazon Prime

To celebrate 6 months of being matched, Gloria and I had a sleepover! She is such an awesome Little Sister!

Sleepover breakfast of champions - chocolate chip pancakes and bacon

This girl can color...when given the option, she always chooses doing arts & crafts

That night, my church (Aletheia) hosted their first volunteer appreciation dinner

Pretty!

And fancy!

I was actually nominated for my work with the kid's team! I felt so incredibly special :-D 

On my walk to work...

*Life Event Alert* - the boyfriend, Sean (he makes me so happy!!!)

<3 my momma - she still sends me Easter baskets!

Bahahaha baby Theo is a hipster

For Easter, Aletheia hosted a community Easter egg hunt

Spreading out the eggs...

And the crowd goes wild!

This mom was using her baby's carrier to hold as many eggs as possible...it cracked me up (pun intended...get it...?...eggs...cracking...oh nevermind...)

Sweet Theo

Babies everywhere! This little guy fell asleep in nursery during church

Latest foodie obsession - Commonwealth...they served Marky Mark and the Funky Brunch on Sundays ;-)

Their bacon-topped sticky bun - big enough to feed a small army

I *crave* their chicken and biscuits - reminds me of home! Made-from-scratch biscuits topped with creamy sausage gravy, moist fried chicken, fried egg, and perfectly-cooked bacon. Oh. My. Gosh. I'm salivating right now.

Sean opted for the more traditional '18 Wheeler' breakfast plate

Awwwwww :)

This cracked me up!

I recently started working at a new company and we just moved floors...so this included pranking our boss while he was on vacation during the move

tee-hee

It's all coming together....

Finished product! Muwahahahaha

I visit Sean at work quite frequently...it still amazes me how different his science-y world is from my business-y one.

Walking home...the flowers are blooming!

Gloria and I are cooking our way through the major dessert groups...we've done cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and now a layer cake (her choice)!

Date night with my honey - bowling and arcade games. He's really good at both! Hate to admit it, but he beat me at everything we tried....but he's had more practice and I was just warming up, so NEXT TIME...

View on my walk to work - I love my Chihuly umbrella! So cheerful on a rainy day...

Dessert for community group - assorted goodies from Modern Pastry 

Love my job! We know how to unwind and have fun after hours

Attended my first ever poker tournament with church friends...

Part of the group

Starting out...

It's growing....

Dun dun dun...I came in 2nd place! $50 in winnings for me! 

Beautiful spring flowers

He makes me smile... :)

On our first date, Sean and I were supposed to meet up at LA Burdick but that ended up not working out...so we did a 're-do' at the scene of the crime :) 

SO. MANY. CUTE. BABIES. I can't take it...

Date night - we both discovered our favorite roll is the Las Vegas roll, so we doubled up 

Isn't he handsome??? :)

Someone went a little crazy with the froyo...

Fun new glasses case!

My little work area...yes that's a UNC fleece. Yes it's on my exercise ball.

HA. HA. HA. So true.

How does one mess up the name 'Sean'???

Girlie night with Sarah! Dinner (at Sip) and a movie (The Other Woman) made for a perfect relaxing evening

Surprise!!!! Sean left for a missions trip to Peru this past week, so after we said goodbye before he took off in Boston, I didn't expect to hear from him again until he got back in a couple of weeks...but (omg THANK YOU TECHNOLOGY) he got wifi at a Starbucks in Lima, Peru, during a layover and was able to FaceTime with me! It made my day to hear from him and know he made it there safely.

Beach trip with these two gorgeous ladies - Blonde and Shameyka

It was *PERFECT* weather.

Shameyka was brave enough to test out the New England waters...and she came shrieking out because it was so cold!

:)

Beautiful Blonde 

Twirling in the sand

Running away from the icy cold water...

I'm so sneaky...caught them deep in conversation

We headed back to Newburyport for a bite to eat - tasty Mexican food!

That night, Gloria and I went to a community orchestral concert - she did so well! I'm increasingly amazed at how mature she is for an 8-year-old...

Best friends/tender moment (my heart melted as Lilah started stroking Marin's hair as she hugged Elise)

And here we are to this morning - I woke up and went on my first run in AGES and because it was so nice out, I sat on my front steps to cool off and do my daily devotions and prayer journal. What an *awesome* way to start my day/workweek! 

And there ya have it folks! I wanted to get all these pictures up before...I HEAD HOME FOR MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!! I haven't been home in over a year and I am SO STINKIN' EXCITED to visit Chapel Hill and hang out with old friends and to spend some much-needed time with my family. Check back soon for pictures of all the different BBQ and soul food I will have eaten ;-)