A weekend for the ages...

The beginning of October saw one of the coolest weekends of my entire life. The University of Alabama dedicated a plaza to my beautiful mom, and dozens of friends and family gathered to celebrate the weekend with us.

Mom made us cry with her sweet speech, but more than anything, I was struck by the lasting impact she has had - and that this Champions Plaza will have in the years to come. For the rest of my life, I will be able to walk around a space dedicated to my mom. That's a humbling moment for her - and for our family.

To make that incredible weekend even cooler? My sweet little sister, a champion in her own right, was elected to UA's homecoming court. She was one of the five outstanding women celebrated that weekend as well throughout homecoming pep rallies, parades and the halftime celebration. 

What can I say? My weekend was about the redheads in my family that weekend. I couldn't be prouder of them!

Weekends in the fall here are certainly magical, aren't they?

XOXO - and Roll Tide,

Mrs. Jones

Fall in Tuscaloosa...

There's nothing like fall in Tuscaloosa.

Football season. Friends. Family. Lot's of time on-the-go or playing host to visitors. It's not dull, that's for sure. The fun times running around with family are probably my favorite. You just don't get enough of it it seems like!

But all the time on the go? Totally makes me appreciate a lazy weekend like we just had. I didn't even leave the house once this past weekend. Not even for Starbucks.

With my mama bear...

Enjoying my NINTH football season sitting in the stands with this wonderful man....

I can't believe we have seen that many seasons come and go together! Roll Tide, right?

This town, and its campus are just stunning. Nothing like walking by this on a beautiful weekend.

One day I even got to hang out with Big Al on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

Love this so much.... 

He was hilarious. Something about mascots makes me feel like a little kid still!

And of course, EB has to get in on a little of the fun. Sometimes she survives for 10 minutes while I dress her up in gameday attire for a picture. But she's usually not as happy as this, so you can imagine how that goes!

Here's to a wonderful week!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

A little sunshine...

Sometimes you just need a little sunshine in your life, right? Well, I got 8 days of that gorgeous sunshine, sand and sea with my sweet family a couple of weeks ago. Talk about the perfect week. We slept in (a little), drank coffee listening to the waves, actually had some really great workouts, and enjoyed our days in the sun (and under the umbrella.)

We've only been home for a little over a week, and I'm already ready to go back. Wouldn't you be with this view though?

What beach trip would be complete without great food? And in Seaside, good food can be found in abundance. We really enjoyed doing takeout from the Shrimp Shack, and a nice family dinner at Bud & Alley's. The wedge salad at Bud & Alley's happened a few more times with takeout as well.... we couldn't get enough of it and the tuna dip!

We even snapped a few family pictures, so I thought I'd share one of me and my sweet husband. It was the perfect week of relaxing and having fun with our family. If only it never had to end!

I'm already counting down to summer vacation next year!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Just a little thought...

The truth in this statement? Is absolute. I hope we're all doing what makes us happy today.

I sure am.

Here's to a night out with my husband, and a morning with him having fun at the pool. I'm excited.

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Small-town Ohio fun...

So, I'm back for real! See? I'm back in the swing of it and glad to be here....

Anyways, back to my perfect weekend in Ohio. It even included a quick jaunt by a farm to meet my godmother's beautiful horses, Trojan and Blackhawk. Aren't the simply stunning? I haven't been around horses in quite a while. so it was fun to meet these two!

I also got to see massive amounts of corn fields, which I thought were beautiful. We don't really have sites like this in Alabama, so I was fascinated on our drive.

On our final day, we stopped for lunch at a cute little hole in the wall Italian place in a tiny little antiquing village. It was so picturesque, I took tons of photos! (And had the best calzone of my life.)

This might be my favorite photo from the day. I love the lamppost, and it looks so old timey to me. Perfect for Christmas. I need this outside my house, don't you think?

This is me in a nutshell....

The Shaker Box was a precious little store. There were a few purchases made here! 

It was just tiny, and fun to check out.

We absolutely hated to say goodbye that afternoon, as you can tell. But I did snag a Dayton-based gourmet coffee to enjoy as we waited for our flight, so that perked me up a little bit.

I'm so grateful for this wonderful weekend. Fun, family - and a new Kate Spade bag too. Did I forget to mention that? It was my gift when we went shopping.  I smile and think of our weekend every time I carry it!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

One weekend in Ohio...

My most anticipated weekend of the fall arrived, and flew by way too fast. I hopped on a plane with my sister and a friend on Friday morning and spent a beautiful weekend in Ohio with my godmother. I hadn't been up to see her at home in about six or seven years, so it was an amazing trip.

There was great food, amazing wine and drinks, shopping, and beautiful time outside together. It was such a treat, and we were spoiled rotten, as always. A short weekend trip to see ones you love really is amazing.... it's refreshing, it's precious. Especially when it's with people you aren't always able to see. You know what I mean? It's hard to put this trip or these people into words.

Our first night at dinner with pomegranate martinis and good wine...

There were seriously awesome goodie bags in our rooms upon arrival. I can't explain how spoiled we were. Philosophy shower gel, Christmas decor, Sephora gift card, a new mug... and my favorite item, this Fresh sugar lip trio. This stuff is AH-mazing. Just saying.

My sister loved to pretend she was driving the G-Wagon.

I had some heavenly lettuce wraps during our Cheesecake Factory lunch on Saturday, before we hit up Von Maur for a little bit of shopping. Ahem.

Yeah, it doesn't look as impressive as it was. But oh boy, did we have fun!

I'll share the rest of our trip ASAP!

XOXO,

Mrs. Jones

Life lately...

Life lately? It's been good. It's been busy. It's been fun.

That's about all you can ask for as we race from summer to fall, with holidays on the horizon. I'm wishing time would slow down just a little bit. It's my favorite time of the year, and I know the best is yet to come.

I got to see a dear blog friend turned IRL gal pal for dinner one Friday night about 45 minutes out of town. And yes, our dessert? Cookie dough egg rolls. You can't top that!

A little EB Instagram love.... my pup is the best, and she loves this cool weather!

We had a fundraising event to attend in early October, and I loved loved loved my outfit - and these cute pictures with my family. Really? It doesn't get much better than that I believe.

Hope everyone is well, and that I'm getting in the groove that will get us through the holidays! So much to do, so much to enjoy.... but that's when life seems to speed up. Here's to slowing things down and savoring each moment ahead!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Moments in the sun...

At the Alabama vs. Florida Atlantic game last week, I enjoyed the game, and cheered on the Tide. But halftime was the main event for us. It was incredible to stand there at the edge of the field, in front of 100,000 people, and watch my sister be honored with her team for winning a national championship. Those women deserved every cheer they got - and it was loud. It was an amazing thing to see.

When you look at moments, and freeze them in time.... I think these are the moments life is made of. This is what you remember. The hugs, the smiles, the tears... and thank heavens for the photos.

She got some beautiful bling, didn't she? I'm so proud of her. And I love the pictures of the two of us!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones

Simple celebrations...

Sunday, one year ended and another one began. I'm officially 27. I don't really like this number, but I think it's going to be an amazing year. I'm blessed with a wonderful husband, an incredible family and a truly precious puppy. What more could I ask for, right?

My day started with an incredible brunch - and a breakfast cheeseburger, OMG! It was delicious. It was fun. It was a first for that first day of a new year. We went to a local hotspot that we love, but that we'd never ventured to for brunch. It was perfect.

I spent a little time roaming Target and the craft store, and then I spent a few lazy hours at home. It even included a nap with my husband and EB. Isn't she precious? Our birthdays are just four days apart!

My parents had us over for a birthday dinner, and Mom pulled out all the stops. She pulled out the formal china and silver, and that made me smile. I love china. :-)

Dinner was a mix of my favorites. Steak, grilled corn, baked potatoes, salad.... Mmmmm!

Then, there's me and my sweet parents! We didn't take too many pictures, but I'm glad I got a few!

And that, my lovely blog friends, was my 27th birthday. I was loved on, spoiled, and surrounded by my favorite people. It was perfect. Here's to this year, and all that will come with it!

XOXO,
Mrs. Jones