I'm Baaacckkk!

Hi friends!  I am back from a five day vacay in the City of Brotherly Love.  My husband's family lives in the area, and we were able to spend some quality time with his brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece.  I got caught up in all the fun that I didn't take a ton of pictures, but I will share what I did.

Wednesday
We arrived in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, so the 4th was spent relaxing and going to dinner.  It has been over a year since we have seen his brother and family, so most of the day was consumed with catching up on lost time!

Thursday
We took the opportunity to travel another hour to see Bradley's grandmother on Thursday, as well as one of his childhood friend's from the area.  We traveled around the city on I-95 to get there and I snapped a few pictures along the way!

Philly skyline

Ben Franklin Bridge

After a nice visit with his grandmother, we met Todd for lunch at Steve's.  Steve's is a local small chain that has amazing philly cheesesteaks!  

Cheesesteaks the original way!

YUM!

Friday

I think we brought the South Carolina heat with us on our trip to Philly.  Friday's record highs topped 100.  To keep cool, we all took a trip down the Brandywine River on a tubing adventure.  The scenery was gorgeous and the water was nice and cool.  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures because I didn't want my iPhone to take a dip in the water either!

Wilderness Canoe Trips

After our trip down the Brandywine, we cleaned up for some fun at the ball park.  Bradley's brother got a few of his company's season tickets for the Phillies game!  I had never been to a game in Philly, and this was Bradley's first time at Citizen's Bank Park.

Citizen's Bank Park

Bradley and I with the Harry Kalas Statue

If you have never had their crab fries, you are missing out!

One of my favorites, Ryan Howard, came off the DL list just for us :)

Hot and sweaty, but still having a blast!

Phillie Phanatic- best mascot in the MLB

Saturday

We were so worn out from Friday's activities that we laid around on Saturday and rested.  Bradley's niece and I painted our fingernails, and the boys played ball.

Sunday

As sad as we were to say our goodbyes, we packed up and hit the road at 5 AM Sunday morning.  We had a great visit with family and friends, but boy were we excited to see the sign for our home state!

Home Sweet Home

Diva Half Marathon & Mini Vaca Recap

It's back to reality today, and I must say I wish I was laying on the beach!  My sister and I had a great weekend filled with shopping, eating, and spending some much needed quality time together.  Here's a little recap of our mini vaca to Myrtle Beach.

Friday:     My sister arrived at my house on Thursday night, so I was able to get up and fix us pancakes Friday morning before our drive to Myrtle Beach.  It was such a yucky day in Charleston, and unfortunately was the same when we arrived in Myrtle.  We spent the afternoon shopping at the outlets and had a nice seafood dinner at the Chesapeake House.

{our hotel- Breakers- ocean front}

Saturday:     Much to our dismay, Saturday was cloudy, gloomy, and chilly- definitely not a good beach day.  So how did we entertain ourselves you might ask?  We stayed in the bed all day watching movies and eating snacks.  As sad as we were that we couldn't soak up some rays, it was pretty nice to relax.  That afternoon we showered and got dressed and headed to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center where the SalonCentric Hair Show was being held.  This was my sister's second year attending the one in Myrtle Beach- vaca and work even all in one!  We walked the floor and scored some awesome deals on hair and beauty products.  Then, we treated ourselves to dinner and some shopping at Broadway at the Beach before turning in early.  I knew 5 AM would come way too quick!

{loving my J. Crew Bubble Necklace found on eBay!}

{my sassy, beautiful sister}

{nothing like Ben & Jerry's for dessert!}

Sunday:     RACE DAY!  I was up and out of the hotel by 5:30 AM.  My sister had classes and seminars all day, so I took the car to North Myrtle for the Diva Half Marathon.  It was nice because there were only about 3,500 runners.  It wasn't too crowded, and I was surrounded by some pretty awesome, strong-willed women!

{before the race at the start line}

{afterwards with my Diva loot}

Before we crossed the finish line, there was a station to get a pink boa and crown.  I thought this was so unique and pretty cool for finish line pictures.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get my crown to stick while I was running so I completed the race with the boa and crown in my hand.  Once we crossed the finish line, firemen were lined up to award us with the awesome "bling" medals.  Seriously, it weighs a ton!

When I returned back to the hotel, the weather was too nice not to enjoy the sun.  I put on my bathing suit and headed out to the pool to catch a few rays before picking up my sister from the hair show.  That evening, we enjoyed another delicious seafood meal and then met up with my friends Jon and Nicole at The Boathouse for a free concert!  It was a great way to end the weekend and celebrate the completion of my 2nd half marathon.

{Ash, Myself, and Nicole enjoying the music}

Monday:     It was sad to have to leave the beach on such a gorgeous day knowing that it was back to work this morning, but I am thankful for the time away and the chance to spend some quality time with my sister.  Counting down the days until the next mini vaca (which is this weekend I might add- YAH for Memorial Day next Monday!).