Top 5 Tuesday: Vacations

Happy Tuesday! My professor let us out an hour early from class tonight, and I am in a great mood! And, I could also use a little motivation to get me to Spring Break, so why not link up with Rachel over at Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday in which today's Top 5 just happens to be vacations!

I love to travel and have been lucky to be able to do a good amount of traveling in my life, and I still have SO many more places I want to go! Kyle and I are currently saving for a South-American last- hoorah before we have children...don't worry, that's still a few years away! Even though we won't do too much major traveling before then, we'll at least have some pretty amazing memories of some pretty wonderful vacations to get us through until our next!

1. France & Italy for our Honeymoon
This is by far one of my favorite vacations ever (as it should be!), and I spend many a days dreaming about the amazing Italian food, the thrill of being at the top of the Eiffel tower, riding a bike through the Louvre at sundown, and walking along the beautiful beaches of Nice!

2. Bimini, Bahamas...Another favorite! After I graduated high school, all of the seniors in our youth group spent a week on a catamaran in the gorgeous, deep blue ocean! It was seriously one of the most amazing trips of my life. We stopped somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with no land in sight, jumping off the boat. We snorkeled around an abandoned ship, spent our days laying out on the boat....oh what I wouldn't give to do that again! And, let's not forget the amazing water-balloon fight between the two boats...priceless! It was the typical post-graduation trip...the perfect way to start the summer before college! The bad news...I didn't have a digital camera at the time, so all my pics are hard copies that are still at my parents house! Boooo me :(

But here are some pics that I found on facebook from a group that went a year or so after us...I'll just pretend these were mine!

3. New York City
Some friends and I went to the Big Apple for our Spring Break during our sophomore year! It was SO much fun! We had a big group because we went as part of a Teaching Fellows enrichment experience, and some days we all did stuff together, and others we split into smaller groups! I remember how proud I felt of my bff, Ash, and I when we navigated the city all by ourselves to do some great shopping and hit up the Met...did I mention that it snowed!? Crazy times!

4. Jamaica

Our youth group went on a wonderful mission trip to Jamaica and spent a week in an extremely impoverished area, building a church and leading a vacation Bible school. It was an amazing experience and extremely humbling. We also got to spend the weekend at a really nice resort, which now that I think about it...is a little crazy to go from one extreme to the other, but our youth group always liked to add in a little something special on the side for these trips! I cannot believe I'm going to show you guys this picture because it is totally embarrassing...and please remember that I was only in 8th grade and it was before I realized that bangs were totally not cool and that a hair straightener can go a long way!

My 3 best friends (Kristen, Julie, & Michaela) and our awesome Bible Study leader, Ms. Amanda!

5. Any of my family summer vacations around the US!
Did I ever mention that my family and my mom's sister's family spent 6 summers traveling all over the US together!? Those are some of my favorite trips from all times, and we are forever bonded for life over these experiences together! We've done pretty much every national park, historical sight, big city, you name it in this country, and I could not feel more blessed to have had these experiences! Again, the lack of photos that I actually have is frustrating, but I promise there are a ton on my family's computer...must upload to mine ASAP! Here are the only 2 I have...which actually do no justice to the amazing things we've seen! Oh welllllll....

Florida!

Los Angeles!

Oh yes, there have been some great vacations! So glad I got to take this little trip down memory lane! Here's to the next 5 great vacays!

Weekend with the Kiddies!

I am still grinning from ear to ear as I write this! I just got back from watching two of my favorite girls from my first class at their junior cotillion ball, and they were so beautiful and precious and all things adorable! They had to get all fancied up in white dresses, wear gloves, and dance with boys!

But, the best part, was that one of my girls, Roxanne, won the "Best Mannered Teacher" essay contest, and guess who she wrote about. Yours truly! I got a call a couple of weeks ago letting me know that Roxanne had won, and they wanted me to come to the ball because she was going to be reading the essay and they wanted me there with her! I seriously got teary eyed when I heard this because I've only been teaching for two and a half years, and it was so reaffirming to know that despite the stress, long hours, and endless paper work that it's so worth it because of the relationships I build with my students! I love my kiddies like they are my own. I dream big for them. And I try my best to keep those relationships after they leave my classroom, which is another reason why this was so special...I taught Roxanne two years ago...and I know the teacher's she's had before and since me, and they are amazing. I feel so honored that she wrote about me!

Kyle and I got all gussied up and headed downtown to watch the ball until it was time for the essay. We had such a good time...awkward boys who are way shorter than the girls, all of the youngin's looking like they would rather be anywhere else than there...what's not to love!? Roxanne did such a great job reading her essay, and it was just an all-around great night!

And this wasn't the only shin-dig I went to for my students this weekend. 3 of my current girlies all play on a basketball team together and really wanted me to come watch, so I was excited to make it out to one of their games on Saturday. I asked Kyle to go with me, and he cracked me up, saying, "Oh yeah, you know I'm such a big follower of 3rd grade women's basketball," but of course he came! We had a great pre-game date at Panzanella and even took a trip to Maple View Farms to indulge in their homemade ice-cream and waffle cones...amazing! The girls were super excited to see me at the game, and we cheered hard for them! Again, if you really want to be entertained, might I recommend childrens' events? There was a game of Kindergarten boys on the court beside the girls, and Kyle and I just died watching them! Too stinking cute!

I love my job. Enough said!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Friday's Letters

Hello, Friday! So glad you are here! It has been another super busy week, and I haven't blogged since Tuesday (insert slap on the wrist!), but I feel like I've gotten a grasp on all the work that's been stressing me out, and I am loving the free weekend I have ahead!

I'm trying a new link-up today...Friday's Letters over at Adventures of Newlyweds!

Dear Class, thank you for keeping yourselves under control while you shoved cupcakes down your throats and sang "Happy Birthday" at the top of your lungs just two seconds before the bell rang today...next time we won't wait until 2:20 to start that celebration!

Dear Weather, please make up your mind. I cannot have this whole "snowing on Monday, 73 degrees on Friday" business. It's too confusing, and I don't know how to dress appropriately. Pick one. Preferably Spring!.

Dear Shutterfly, thank you for always offering amazing promotionals! Thanks to you I will never be short of address labels...I just can never move so they don't go to waste!

Dear Kyle, thanks for making me laugh so much before we go to bed each night and for helping me try to stay positive during this crazy semester of grad school. You make my heart smile!

Dear Ben, I'm over your season of The Bachelor. You and Courtney deserve each other. Is it time for Emily's season yet!?

Dear Precious Student, it is so sweet that you think the NBA should apply our school's "You can't say you can't play" rule and not make players sit the bench. If only you knew how the real world works...

Dear Pajamas, thanks for being right there ready for me to put on at 3:30 today...I know it's Friday, but the weather is dreary and it's been a long week....it's definitely a movie on the couch kind of afternoon!

Dear Bloggy Friends,  I heart you all, and I hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Q & A Vlog

Hope everyone had a great Tuesday! I saw this Q & A Vlog on Sarah over at Simply Sarah's blog and decided this was the perfect post for today considering I have nothing substantial to write about other than the fact that I am completely overwhelmed with teaching and grad school, which is nothing new! 

Apparently the original link up is over at Shasta's and Megan's blogs and is usually on Mondays, but per usual in my life these days, I'm getting to it a little late! C'est la vie!

Warning: I have NO clue why, but the sound isn't matching up to the video, so don't look too closely or you'll get frustrated like me! Or, you could just watch the video like I'm doing now without my contacts in...then you won't be able to tell!

Now it's your turn! Just answer these questions...

Here are the questions!

1.   What is the best advice you've ever given and received?

2.   Type of music you like most?

3.   Shoe size?

4.   Who sent the last text message you received?

5.   If you could meet any one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?

6.   Have you ever been fired or “let go”?

7.   What's under your bed?

8.   Do you believe in love at first sight?

9.   What is your middle name?

        10.   Do you think that you are a good singer?

Yay! Can't wait to see your Vlogs!

Weekend Recap

Again, another Sunday night where I sit here and wonder what the heck happened to make the past 48 hours go by so quickly! At least tomorrow is a Teacher Workday, so I don't have to be ready to teach...just sit in long meetings about the Common Core...come to think of it, I'd rather be with my kiddies!

And as I was sitting here typing this I got some fabulous news...2 hour delay tomorrow! Yay for getting to sleep a little bit later tomorrow! I for sure need it!

We had a good but super busy weekend, and I am exhausted today, not to mention not feeling my best at all...I was supposed to have lunch with 2 of my college girls but had to cancel because my booty needed to spend the day laying on the couch and warding off the nasty germs floating around my classroom!

On Friday we rushed over to the bank to get our taxes done...greatttt way to start the weekend! I tell ya, I do not understand taxes and how to do them AT ALL and consider it a small miracle that I even was able to supply the correct documents! Luckily, Kyle seems more in the know, and had us all prepared for the nice man to file them for us! Oh the joys of being an adult! The good news was that we got to go meet Kyle's parents and our friends, Stephen and Abigail, for a delicious dinner at a restaurant called 18 Seaboard. I'm down for any chance to get amazing cheese grits as a side dish, and they did not disappoint! Wish I had remembered to snap a pic!

Kyle's work ended up getting tickets donated for a snazzy little box at the NC State vs. Florida State basketball game on Saturday! It was so nice and even had free food and drinks as well as a private bathroom...let's just say I could definitely get used to watching games in this way! I had two good reasons for wanting State to pull off a V-- 1) if State had won, then UNC would just be tied with Duke for first, instead of Duke and Fl. State and 2) the Wolfpack still have a big place in my heart and needed a morale booster after that devastating loss to Duke on Thursday. Unfortunately, in true State fashion, they just couldn't pull it off....soooo disappointing.

We rushed home from the game so that we could meet our friends, Anna and Matt, for tennis at the park near our neighborhoods. We ended up playing for 2 and a half hours (after walking the mile to get there!), so we were super beat when it was over. And super starving! We all decided to go grab dinner after we cleaned up a little, and ended up having to wait over an hour for our food (at least they didn't charge us for it!). Despite the annoying wait, we had such a great time with them and are feeling so blessed by this new friendship!

I knew that I was going to pay today for packing so much into yesterday, and I predicted correctly. I spent the day in my pj's on the couch. The weather outside seemed to match perfectly with the way I was feeling...dreary. Luckily, my sweet boo has been taking care of me! We may be getting some snow tonight, and I am secretly hoping it's just a false alarm...I dread driving on icy roads!

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend!

Fab 5 Friday!

I think I've come to terms with the fact that on Fridays the only type of post I can muster up the energy or creativity to write is going to have to be from a link up in which I am told exactly what to write about!
Hence my decision to do my first Fab 5 Friday link-up with Crystal and Emmalee!

This week's Fab 5 has to do with the 5 products or items that helped you make it through your week. Well, I can tell ya, it was one crazy week, so I shouldn't have any trouble thinking of things that helped me get through it!

Let's see...

1. Google Talk-- this amazing feature helps me get through just about EVERY week because it's a super easy way for me to communicate with Kyle throughout the day! We're not allowed to be on our cell-phones at school, which I totally understand, but this let's Kyle and me just quickly say "hey" while I'm on my lunch break! I also love that I can be on Google Chat during grad class and still totally be tuned in! I'll be having a convo with Kyle, one of my bff's, Ash, and other teacher friends all the while looking like I'm taking really good notes...which I'm certainly not! Shame on me!

2. Wholly Guacamole 100-Calorie Packs-- I LOVE guacamole, and I especially love the brand Wholly Guacamole. But, it was always frustrating because I'm the only one who eats it but the packs were so large, and I never even put a dent in them before they started turning brown! That's why I was super stoked when Valerie posted about the fact that they now have 100-calorie packs! I ran right out to the grocery store and stocked up! Even better, they were on sale! Woo-hoo! I take one to school every day for my snack.  So yummy!

3. Roses from my Valentine-- Who doesn't like flowers!? And, I've heard having fresh flowers in your house helps boost happiness! It was definitely nice to come home to these pretty roses from Kyle on Tuesday!

4. My Uggs-- Say what you will about Uggs (I feel like people either love them or think they're absolutely hideous), there's no denying the fact that they are extremely comfortable and extremely warm! We had a huge drop in temperature earlier in the week, and when you're forced to stand out at car-line at the end of the day (or if you have to cover recess), you're going to want some warmth on your feetsies!

5. My Camelback Water Bottle-- I take one of these with my every day, and I have never been happier with a water bottle! I love that I can leave it on my desk or near my computer and know it's totally OK if one of my students accidentally knocks it over (you'd be surprised by how often this happens!). I like how easily it fits into cupholders and tote bags and how durable it is! If we're being honest here, I have to admit that I actually have about 7 of these...1 for every day of the week! Love, love, love them!

OK, so I know none of these are really hot, new products/items, but this is what came to mind so work with me! 

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC weekend!

Heart Day Shenanigans!

I just love Valentine's Day! I especially love Valentine's Day at school because all the kiddies are just buzzing with excitement, and I always try to plan activities that relate to whatever activity we're doing...it's just a super fun day! I don't even make my students wait to pass out their Valentines...as soon as they walk in the door, it is pure madness  organized chaos! I totally dressed for the part yesterday, sporting my new TOMS with baby pink hearts (love, love, love them!) and my heart headband! I tell ya, that's why I became a teacher...love the excuse to dress silly!

I'm so lucky that my TA likes to dress up too! Heart Mrs. W!

Love my lil' heart TOMS!

After an hour of grad class that seemed like it would NEVER end, I was finally able to hurry home to my Valentine, and I walked in the door to find this precious sight...

 Kyle did it up for our dinner! First time we used our china!

We had a delicious meal cooked by Kyle, including steak with his special marinade, pancetta-wrapped asparagus, and the most amazing potato au gratin with rosemary pie...I die!



I am SO posting this recipe soon!

I told you guys that I had found some of our old Valentines from when we were first dating in high school...it was so much fun to take a little trip down memory lane! We tried to remember all of our Valentine's days together, but this one was number 9, so that's a lot to try to remember! At least we remember the most important one...our first one together which was the first time we said "I love you" to each other! Some of the Valentines are super cheesy but in a cute, puppy love kind of way! It appears that we used to like to do scavenger hunts for each other...here are some of my favorites!

First V-day...my first clue for him!

 I did not write this poem!

 Even on our first Kyle knew I loved gifts!

Oh my! I cannot believe I did this...this is from Senior Year!

 This is my favorite from Kyle...all my SATC fans know exactly what this means!

I have to say, it was one of my favorite Valentine's Days...probably because it wasn't all glitzy and glamourous...just a nice home-cooked meal and relaxing evening with my love! Happy sigh :)


Hope everyone had a day full of LOVE yesterday! 

Get Your Blog Out There!

I love Neely's link-ups and was super excited for her latest "Get Your Blog Out There" that I totally forgot that'd already written this post and had it saved up...hence the 2 posts in one day! If you're interested in finding new blogs to follow and connecting with some new bloggers then you should totally check out this link-up!

I'm Laura, the gal behind this little bloggy here, Life of Lu. My best friends from college nicknamed me Lulu, and the name stuck! When I started this blog, I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know my real name, but when I kept getting responses to my comments addressed to "Lu" I decided I needed to clarify that Lu is just a nickname!

About My Blog


One of my college besties, Ash, started a blog, and I loved reading it and kept thinking how special it was going to be for her to get to have all of her memories documented on her blog! I apprehensively started one, got a little slow start, had some commitment issues, and sometime this past summer, things just clicked! I've been going strong ever since! I find so much joy in blogging! It's a great outlet for me, and I've connected with some wonderful blogger friends!

I blog about anything and everything-- my life, shopping, recipes, reality TV, books, relationships, aa new product I'm loving, family, teaching, and whatever else is relevant at the moment!

About Me


I am a Carolina girl who married her high school sweetheart in 2010!

 I LOVE to travel and have so many places I want to go...with my favorite travel companion, of course!

I'm all things girly and pink but can totally hang at any and all sporting events! 

I teach the most wonderful group of 3rd graders and am getting my Maters in Education (Literacy)...which means I pretty much have no energy on the Monday and Tuesday nights that I have class!

I grew up on the coast and love being near the water! I'd give anything to go back to the summers in middle and high school when I'd literally spend all day long at the beach every day!

I'm a total shopaholic, and my closet (or 2!) shows it! And, I watch way too much reality TV!

I love to read, bake, have game nights with friends, and do anything active!

My family and my friends are my everything!

Happy Monday and thanks for stopping by!