a note to my readers...

Thank you. Thank you for faithfully pausing your mindless scrolling through your various social media accounts to click on a link to a post on my blog. Thank you for checking back each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to read up on me and my life. Thank you for pinning, or sharing, or commenting on my posts.

I've had this blog, Starting Out Southern, for just over three years. It was a way for me to begin documenting my adult life as I graduated from college. It's been a place for me to document my DIYs, my date nights, my heartaches, and my celebrations. There are some of you that have been here since the very first post {hi, mom!}, and some that have just discovered me in the last few months.

In January, a few of my very close friends and now husband encouraged me to really begin to focus on the blog and invest in a future with it. It's been hard at times, coming up with consistent content and learning the ins and outs of a DSLR camera during my spare time, but it's been one of the most rewarding things I've done in a really long time. My readership has tripled in the seven or so months, and I've begun making a few dollars here and there which is surprising added bonus! I couldn't have done it without the constant support of my close friends and family, and the random "Oh, I love your blog!" comments and posts from those I don't see every day. 

So in return, I ask that you keep reading and checking in. If you are a regular reader, but haven't commented before, please do! I love keeping in touch with friends {new and old}. Subscribe with your email in the box to the upper right side of the page to get posts delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram Pinterest {all social media accounts are @piperellice} so that I can follow back and keep up with your life and see what inspires you! You're an active part in helping me grow this hobby into something bigger, and I appreciate it!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Summer 2016 Bucket List

How are we already halfway through June? Christopher graduates from pharmacy school this weekend {cue the Hallelujah Chorus}, and will be on a graduation trip next week before starting his job full time. Then we'll have July 4th followed by Amanda's wedding the next weekend, and summer will be halfway done!

It's feeling like it's all kind of escaping me too quickly; wasn't life supposed to slow down after the wedding? So I thought I'd sit down and come up with a list of things I want to accomplish, some fun and some not so fun, before life gets truly hectic again later in the year.

1. Spend some time at Jekyll Island | Christopher has never been, and I go each year for work trips. It's wonderful! Great beaches and great food, with plenty to explore: new and old! 
2. Clean out {and clean up!} the wedding and Christmas rooms | yes, I have one for both. Although, the Christmas room has become the dumping ground for all of Christopher's things as he moved his stuff in the week before the wedding. I've been working through the wedding room, sorting all of our lovely gifts and finding a home for each of them, while trying to create an office/study space for Dr. PharmD. 
3. Move the curio cabinet in | My grandparents gave me a large curio cabinet for my birthday almost 15 years ago {sounds so funny--15 years?!} that I displayed dolls and mementos in. I've never moved it out of my mom's house because it's giantly heavy, and I also didn't live anywhere that accommodate such a large piece of furniture. Now that we are living in an actual house we have enough room, and so many beautiful wedding gifts and serving pieces to display in it!
4. Host a summer soiree | Another great thing about our house is giant yards to have fun in! I'd love to invite our friends over for a cookout with our new grill and the cornhole boards Christopher made for our wedding...that we forgot to put out on the day of...oops. We'll have to wait for the evenings too cool off a little though...it's in the 100's here this week! 
5. Make at least one new recipe a month | this is kind of a goal for our first year of marriage, too. It's so easy to get into a cooking-rut {we had tacos four times in a week earlier this month}, so I want to be intentional about expanding my cooking skills and filling my monogrammed recipe box from my bridal shower! 
6. Financially plan for a new car | I want a new car. Pretty much anyone around me has heard of my desires for a third row, specifically a 4Runner in white, with tan leather and a sunroof. I've never bought a car myself, and don't want to run out there all willy-nilly and buy the first one I see. I've test driven one and loved it, so I know what I want, but I need to wait for the right one at the right price. I also don't want to put any unnecessary stress on our financial status as a couple by making such a big purchase too soon! Money is one of those things that we agree on 99% of the time, and we enjoy working towards our goals together. We can really focus on our finances once Christopher starts working full time, and I'm excited to do this as a team!
7. Spend more time with family | I've not seen my family since we got married, and that was almost two months ago! I can't believe how time flies. I'm hoping to see them all more, and maybe take a trip to North Georgia to spend a few days with the grands, too. 
8. Plan trips | we had the absolute best time on our honeymoon; I literally think about it every day! While we have a few trips planned in the upcoming months for weddings and things, I really want to plan a few couples trips and maybe even a family vacation for us to go on! Spending time together as a couple, and also as a couple with our families is very important to me. First on the list? A long weekend at Disney to celebrate both of our 25th birthdays in the fall! Then maybe a Christmas family vacation? And something special for our one year anniversary in the spring! Any ideas? 
9. Try new restaurants | Christopher and I love trying new places with amazing food. We've covered a lot of the Savannah staples, but there are some gems out here "in the country" that we've yet to hit.
10. Learn to make fancy cookies | my bestie and I are obsessed with every royal iced sugar cookie we come across. We're constantly tagging each other in those oh-so-soothing Instagram videos of cookies being decorated. She's attempted some on her own, and now I want to try! I love the fancy cookies!

What's on your summer bucket list? 

Weekend Recap: Amanda's Bach Wknd

Our weekend souvenirs: monogrammed
Tervis, tank top, sunglasses, and temporary
"Bride Tribe" tattoos!

This weekend I went to Lake Oconee to celebrate one of my bridesmaids who is now the bride! Amanda is getting married next month, and I'm thrilled to be one in her wedding, too. We celebrated her upcoming nuptials at the most beautiful lake house that had a pool  {complete with swim-up bar!} and hot tub overlooking the lake.

Once we all arrived Friday evening, we had a pajama party and lingerie shower for the bride after spending a couple of hours in the pool. One of my favorite treats from the weekend was the pink princess popcorn which was popcorn, white chocolate {plus a few drops of red food coloring}, and rainbow sprinkles all mixed together. It was delicious, and was the perfect PJ party treat!

Saturday consisted of an all-day pool party with a variety of the coolest pool floats around. The bride lounged on her white swan, and I tanned on my way bigger than expected giant pink flamingo float. I bought these pink flamingo floating koozies for everyone, too! We had a pineapple, cupcake, everything bagel, beer pong, and pizza float in the pool. It was too fun, and the best way to keep cool on such a hot weekend.









Saturday night we went to Athens for dinner at a sushi/karaoke bar {who knew this kind of thing existed! It was a blast} before hitting the town with our bride-to-be. Even though it was so hot, we had a great time hopping from place to place. My favorite was definitely the rooftop Georgia Theater bar. It was beautiful!

 After Sunday morning breakfast, we cleaned the house and loaded up to head out. I couldn't bear to totally deflate my giant flamingo float, so it road home with me in the backseat with all the seats down, half deflated. I bet all the other drivers were surprised to see a giant pink bird riding down the interstate!

Month-In Musings

It's official: our first month of marriage is in the books. Even if he claims "it's the same!" I totally think being married is way better than not. The month has flown, and we've laughed a lot and learned a lot as well!

What's Different
We see each other every day. For years, we've only seen each other on the weekends, and the occasional mid-week meet up for dinner {usually at Cheddar's...buff chick wrap, yum.}. We've also never been very good phone talkers, so actually catching up each evening is refreshing. Some days, we even have lunch together at home, which is lovely. Some of this will change as Christopher starts his real job in a few weeks and is commuting more, but it's been a great way to start off the married life.

There is honestly a lot more cleaning than I expected. Another person means more dirty clothes and dishes, and as "the clean one," it can sometimes feel overwhelming. But we've done pretty good about working together to get organized and stay on top of the house chores.

What's the same
We still cook together. This is something I have always loved: that Christopher is an excellent cook, and that it is something we both enjoy doing together. We also still grocery shop together; these are two things I hate doing by myself, so it's wonderful to have the regular company.

Our habits. Of course those don't change overnight, and I didn't expect them to! But it is funny to see them a little more up-close and personal than before.

What I did expect
A fight. Maybe that's really negative of me, but I just assumed that moving in together and figuring out life together would instigate some kind of fuss. Of course there has been a few times where we've gotten annoyed at each other, but I've seen both of us take a step back, breathe, and reevaluate how to handle the situation. It's refreshing to see how far our communication and problem solving skills as a couple has come.

What I did not expect
Having to figure out how to incorporate my phone time with friends/family. I hate coming into the house on the phone when he's already there waiting on me. It just feels rude in a way. And my commute is literally three minutes long, so there isn't much phone time in the car. Before getting married, I would spend hours a day talking to friends and family at night when I got home. I'm definitely working on learning how to balance all that.

The Bachelorette. Well, not really The Bachelorette per say. But I guess how easy it has been to spend time together every day. Again, going from doing 100% my own thing everyday to incorporating another person, 100% into my daily life...I just wasn't sure how it was all going to work out!

The first week back from the honeymoon, there was one evening where I said, "Is this what we're supposed to be doing?" as we're sitting on the couch looking at our phones. And there are nights where Christopher {my little social butterfly} says, "So what do you want to do?" and I'm thinking, "Go to bed at 8 p.m., what do you want to do?!" But we've really gotten into a great rhythm, and have enjoyed just watching TV together {like The Bachelorette...I've finally convinced him to watch it with me! And Fresh Off The Boat...go. Watch it NOW. Hilarious, and I am the mom.} and weekly dinners with friends, and working on projects around the house together.

I know we have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. I know there will be hard days and trials, and days that are just days. But I love that we both are on the same page, working towards the same goals, putting 100% into our relationship each day. We are incredibly blessed, and love being married. It truly has been great for us individually and as a couple, and I am thankful for this relationship everyday!

Bachelorette Decoration Details

I wanted to share a few of the little crafty details from my bachelorette last weekend! Months ago, after we decided on a beach destination, Kirstie my Maid of Honor, spotted these white drink sand spikes at a Walker Boutique close-out sale. They were blank, and her sister has a vinyl cutter, so we decided to make  monogrammed sand spikes for all the girls as my thank you gift to them! I glittered little wine bottles with Mod Podge, and included striped paper straws. 

Aren't they just precious in my "M" galvanized bucket? We did three different beachy colors for the monograms: pink, teal, and yellow. I think they turned out so cute! 

The girls got my fabulous bachelorette sash from JG Creations by Jenna Green on Esty. Check her shop out here!

Kirstie also did the vinyl for our tank top cover ups. All the girls got pink tanks with white monograms in the top corner, while I wore a white one with my new monogram in a fabulous gold glitter. I'm obsessed with it! 

Kirstie made koozies for everyone too, using her vinyl cutter. While it takes a little more time, I've been in awe of how cost effective it makes all these items! On one side of the koozie it says "Piper's Bachelorette" and on the other it says "Where my beaches at?"

Niki, my matron of honor and soon to be sister-in-law, found these cute decorations at TJ Maxx! I love getting unique paper products and party supplies from the Teej.  

On Saturday night, everyone picked a "nautical name tag" to wear out! I loved how "punny" they were. This was another cool cutter project! I'm so thankful to have such creative friends that are so willing to work hard to make this the best time of my life. I can't believe that trip is already a week behind us, and I've got three weeks left until the wedding. Time flies when you're having fun!

The Bachelorette Weekend Playlist

Click the image to listen to the complete playlist!

Everyone has that one friend who changes the radio station halfway through every song, skips through the Pandora freebies too quickly, and has stacks of CD's in Ziploc bags in every corner of her car. Oh, that's just me?

A road trip is not a road trip without a playlist. Or a mixed tape, or a burned CD. Whatever you prefer.

Bachelorette weekend is here! I'm loaded up with the gal pals, and headed to Florida. While I may not have burned a CD for this trip, I did come up with a list of the most bee-boppity fun singalong dance-party songs I could find that would appeal to all tastes {we are an eclectic bunch}. Also, please excuse my love for middle school dance music...

#2015bestnine

2015 has been such a whirlwind of a year. Today, I'm exactly four months away from getting married and with New Year's Eve tomorrow, it seems like the perfect time for reflection.

2015 Best Nine Memories

My best memories of this past year don't exactly align with my most popular Instagram photos of the year, but they're pretty close.

1. Engagement pictures--this was something I had looked forward to for such a long time. We had a great day with the perfect weather, as well as an excellent photographer who helped me relax and perfectly captured our relationship. Christopher and I both talk about how much fun we had on that day, and how excited we were to look through the pictures only a million times. 
2. Dolls Do HHI--The first of hopefully many annual college girlfriends weekends during the last weekend of July on Hilton Head Island. Too many memories from this weekend to count, and too many we may not remember...oops. 
3. Georgia Southern football games--something I look forward to every year, but this year was by far the best. We got into a really good groove, and I loved having my regular weekend visitors stay with me!
4. My best friend's wedding--Niki's wedding was a definite reoccurring theme throughout 2015. Weddings seem to provide extra opportunities for fun times together, which I love. We had a great time going on her bachelorette in Chattanooga, and her wedding was perfection. 
5. Wedding planning--Once we settled on a date in early spring, planning my wedding truly began! Finally! It's been something I've really enjoyed and has been relatively stress free. I've had a while to cultivate a vision and feel for the day, which has helped the other events like showers and things come together seamlessly as well. Of course, I couldn't do this without my mom and Maid of Honor, as we hash and rehash everything a million times each night on the phone! 
6. Moving into my new house--I moved into a new house at the end of February which I am incredibly thankful for. It has been a place of serenity for me, as well as a home full of laughter and love, filled frequently with friends and family. I'm thankful to have the space to share and time together. 
7. Starting Therapy--maybe this isn't the cool thing to talk about, but starting to see a therapist regularly has been life changing for me. It's something I look forward to, and something I've grown from. Most people know that my life over the past two/three years has been tumultuous at best. After keeping a strong front, I finally wore down and could not handle the stress any longer. After working through some bigger, overarching issues, my sessions focus a lot of self development and being an emotionally healthy person. My goal from the beginning has been that I want to be my best self for my marriage. I feel like therapy has helped all of my relationships so much, but also my own personal sanity and physical health as well. If you're questioning it, don't--just find someone you're comfortable with and trust. It's life changing! 
8. Phi Mu--I've become an advisor for my Phi Mu chapter this year, and have also taken on an important role in the chapter's housing corporation. It's been challenging, but so very rewarding. I love spending time with the girls that were mine when I was the new member director, as well as learning from the alums that are still involved 60+ years after graduating.  
9. Friendships--My friendships have evolved a lot this year. I've also needed my friends more this year. It takes a while to transition from seeing your friends everyday in college, to incorporating them into your daily life postgrad in an intentional, real way. I've also developed more 'adult' or 'professional' friendships that I enjoy.  I'm thankful for the reconnections, the closeness, and joy that I've experienced in these relationships and can't wait to celebrate together in the coming months. 

Thankful for an amazing 2015, but I know 2016 is going to be even better...I can't wait!

Weekend Recap: Game Day Getups

I just don't want to talk about it. Our last game, that is. Unfortunately the Eagles didn't pull a W for the last regular game of the season, but it was perfect weather for my oversized, golden cableknit sweater.

To be honest, I pick out almost all of my game day outfits for the whole season in August. That may seem weird, but I try to pick out my outfits on Sunday for the week ahead too, if possible. Here's a quick recap of the game day outfits I've loved this season, and where to get some of the pieces:

Crown & Ivy Spring 2015 dress 

Cheeky Bliss Statesboro dress 

Pixie pants in "gold miner" and gingham boyfriend popover from Old Navy
Navy vest from Entourage 

Dress & vest from Entourage

Dress from Entourage
Monogrammed crossbody purse from Marley Lilly

Cable knit sweater from Talbots, color 2014.
Similar in cream, here.
Sunnies similar, here. 

Weekend Recap: #NikisNoogaNights

Swoozie's Bachelorette Decor, found here. 

This past weekend, I traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to celebrate the bride-to-be! A weekend full of mountain fun, we started things off right by staying in a beautiful three story home in downtown Chattanooga. I think that was easily one of the best things about the whole weekend--exploring all of the beautiful old details, amazing clawfoot tubs, and the magnificent art decorating the home.

Friday night started off with decorating for a "Pancakes and Panties" themed lingerie shower/pajama party for Niki. While she and another bridesmaid went off for cooking supplies, the rest of us decorated the house.

I made these cute bride/bridesmaid badges myself--
Idea from Pinterest/Etsy 

Bride's glitter monogram tank top. The maids all got blue tanks
with gold glitter monograms. Glitter customizable sash
can be found here. 

Decorated kitchen for "Pancakes and Panties."
Who doesn't love a pink kitchen?! 

I made this sign using black foam board and a gold
paint pen.  

Plain, chocolate chip, and funfetti pancakes. 

After making dinner together and putting on our cute pj's, we moved to the living room for the lingerie shower and spent the night chatting about all things wedding.

"Pancakes and Panties" Lingerie Shower 

Bridal Sash and Crown 

Saturday was spent exploring Chattanooga. We had brunch at The Blue Plate before spending the afternoon walking around and visiting the DeBarge Winery and the Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery.

Brunch at The Blue Plate. I highly recommend the Grilled Portabello! 

Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery Tour & Tasting 

 Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery Tour & Tasting

Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery Tour & Tasting

Wine Tasting at the DeBarge Urban Winery 

Saturday evening we went back to the house to get ready before heading to dinner at the Flying Squirrel {serious yumminess}, and a stop at Sing it, or Wing it downtown. Listening to karaoke is always fun, but I have to say I am super proud of myself for getting up there with the bride to sing Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody!" 

Beautiful Bride!

Selfie Stick 

Sissers-in-law-to-be!

Making Whitney Proud

I think we all had a great weekend, and I can't wait to celebrate the Carters in just 27 days at their big day!