Maternity Wear Favorites

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I am by no means a maternity wear expert! I avoided buying maternity clothes for as long as possible. Most of the summer clothes are just unattractive to me, but the fall ones are pretty cute! Some of the clothes were so dang expensive for something I’d only wear for a season. On top of all of that, the virus meant that I couldn’t go try them on in person, which drove me crazy — my body is changing constantly so how should I know what size to pick out?!

So for a while, I wore dresses and rompers from Old Navy that had some stretch or were loose. One of the maternity wear sites said to order your pre-pregnancy size, so I wound up doing that for all of my purchases and it worked out really well. I got a few good recommendations from fellow bloggers and friends and started making purchases. Here are a few of my favorites for summer and fall.

SUMMER MATERNITY FAVORITES

I purchased all of these in my pre-pregnancy size. I think my absolute favorites are the tees because they’re so soft, the dress because of its fun pattern, and the shortalls.

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1. Ingrid & Isabel Maternity Crossover Panel Midi Jean Shorts | 2. H&M MAMA 2-Pack Jersey Tops | 3. H&M MAMA Jersey Romper | 4. Ingrid & Isabel Maternity Side Panel Midi Jean Shorts | 5. Ingrid & Isabel Printed Sleeveless T-Shirt Maternity Dress | 6. Gap Maternity Denim Shortalls | 7. H&M MAMA Ruffled Jersey Top

FALL MATERNITY WEAR

I purchased all of these in my pre-pregnancy size as well. They fit now, so I hope that they still fit through the third trimester! I’ve already worn the overalls and pants, but it’s just too hot right now.

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The Second Trimester

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My second trimester is coming to a close and I’m sharing that part of my pregnancy journey with you! First off, the difference in symptoms between the first trimester and the second is like night and day! As I mentioned before, I was constantly worried about whether or not Baby Heid was thriving in there, so when the symptoms started disappearing I had to remind myself that this was normal for the second trimester. More on those further down!

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THE 20-WEEK ULTRASOUND

The 20-week ultrasound was a high point for us! I went in to the appointment (alone, again — thanks, COVID), and the tech walked me through everything she was doing. She measured and documented every centimeter of Baby Heid and all of her organs. At first she was very stubborn about moving, but finally she uncovered her face and gave us that glimpse of her sweet little profile. Then it took about another 15 minutes of jostling to get her to show us the other side of her heart. At the end of the ultrasound, I was able to video call Mr. Heid so that he could see her and hear her heartbeat (FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!) — it was such a magical experience even if it wasn’t how we imagined it would be, especially for our first child.

They put her gender in an envelope for us to open together later and let me know that they had zero concerns over our baby’s development — everything looked and sounded great, and she was right on track for her originally estimated due date.

After the appointment, we drove over to our favorite bakery and opened the results in the car. As we slid the ultrasound shot out of the envelope, we saw in big letters, “IT’S A GIRL!”

We definitely thought we were going to be having a little boy because most of our friends who’d had kids recently had girls (though, two people in our family and one friend did just have boys haha). Needless to say, we were very surprised, but we are stoked regardless! All we want is a happy, healthy babe and so far she’s on track!

THOSE LITTLE BABY KICKS

Two days later, Baby Heid started kicking! The first night it happened, I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling were truly kicks, but after a few more times I was certain.

Nowadays, this girl is kicking, hiccuping, and rolling around — some days more than others — and I have an understanding of what other mamas meant about those bladder kicks *ouch* She seems to be on a schedule for when she’s awake versus moving around. We’ll see if that continues in the third trimester and out of the womb…

During week 24, I saw my stomach bounce from a kick, so I placed Mr. Heid’s hand where she kicked to try to feel it. As soon as I did, she stopped kicking. This happened several times until one night later that week he was finally able to feel it!

NEW THINGS THAT I STRUGGLE WITH

  • Anything that involves bending/squating and reaching down at the same time. What might those be, you may wonder? Oh, just buckling my own sandals, shaving my legs, painting my toenails…

  • Sleeping because of nerves in my left hip, but we’ll just call that practice, yea?

  • Purchasing maternity clothes. I want to try them on first and that’s impossible these days.

  • Breathing. I take a lot of deep, slow breaths because regular breathing feels like I’m not getting enough air.

SYMPTOMS I EXPERIENCED (WEEKS 13-27)

Let’s talk about what disappeared — my skin sensitivity has lessened, my nausea is gone, my boobs don’t hurt, that bad taste went away, and I’m waaaay less tired (though, it’s still hard to get out of bed in the morning and I’m ready for a nap by 2 or 3 p.m.).

New symptoms for me have included:

  • Heartburn (if I bend over, so I just don’t bend over — all squats now haha)

  • High body temperature (this kid + summer are warmer than warm)

  • Tailbone pain (still)

  • Upper back aches (hello heavier belly)

  • Belly itches (not often though, thanks to my moisturizer linked below)

  • Difficulty breathing (see above)

Thankfully, I haven’t had any swelling in my hands and feet or any high blood pressure!

PERKS I EXPERIENCED (WEEKS 13-27)

  • Learning the baby’s gender!

  • Feeling those baby movements!!

  • More cooperative hair — I know that may sound odd to some of you, but I have course hair that I get relaxed every few months to make it easier to manage. My hair has been even thicker than it already was, but has also held its smoother texture for longer — hype!

  • Building a registry

  • Nursery planning

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SECOND TRIMESTER STAPLES

  • Body Pillow | I read reviews on the pregnancy pillows and they were pretty unconvincing… I found great reviews on this EnerPlex Never-Flat Body Pillow. I took the advice of a few reviewers and removed some of the stuffing to create a dip for my belly and it’s been perfect!

  • Butt Cushion | I sit a lot for my job and my tailbone pain has NOT subsided. I found this Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion to put in my office chair and it has been extremely helpful — that and getting up more often.

  • Moisturizer | I received a few samples of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Massage Lotion in the baby boxes from my registries, and it is awesome. The moisture lasts all day — sometimes I get in the shower and wonder why my belly is so smooth already — that’s the lotion at work! It has more of an almond smell than a cocoa smell, isn’t greasy, and goes on super smoothly.

  • Face Masks | Guys, this virus is real and I’m not about catching it. I purchased the Wake Up and Fight Mask in Dark Chambray and Rifle Paper Co. Rosa Natural. Both are from Hendley & Bennett and have filter pockets (I use these). Protect yourselves, protect others — wear a mask.

  • Activity Book | My sister got me The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant Women as a gift and it’s hilarious! It has fun pregnancy anecdotes, puzzles, journaling sections, coloring pages and more. Great for moments of down time. Know a mama on bed rest or one whose family won’t let her lift a finger because she’s pregnant now? Pick this up for her!

  • Non-slip Socks | I’ve been rocking these Muezna Non-Slip Socks in the house because there are slick spots on our hardwoods and I’ve already slipped once during this pregnancy. These will come in handy at the hospital and after Baby Heid comes home.

  • Swimsuit | It’s summer, so it’s time to hit the water! I was hesitant about purchasing a maternity swimsuit because I didn’t know which route to go. After ordering several suits, I landed on this We Cuffle Ruched Tankini. The two piece factor means I don’t have to struggle with getting that wet swimsuit up and down for the bajillion times that I have to pee. I was going to go for a bikini top to really rock the bump, but then I read that too much sun on the bump can affect the baby, so I went for a tankini (anyone have differing thoughts/research on this??). The ruching on the sides allows me to adjust the top as my belly has grown. Side note, if you are considering this suit, know that it comes in Australian sizes (which is teeny weenie, so don’t be afraid of the size).

Overall, I’m super proud of what my body has done to grow a baby — it’s not easy emotionally or physically, but I’m here for it! I’m soaking in the last month of my practically symptom-less second trimester (by comparison) as I’ve heard the third trimester is a doozy.

xoxo,

K

The First Trimester

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OUR PREGNANCY STORY

Mr. Heid and I have been talking about what our future family might look like for years now. Sometime during our engagement, I asked him how long after marriage he wanted to wait to start trying for kids. I remember we were in a grocery store parking lot, but I don’t remember what prompted the question. He shrugged and said, “I dunno. I mean probably not very long…”

I was a little surprised, though I really shouldn’t have been — like I said, we’d been talking about family planning for years. On top of that, we’d been friends for 12 years, of which we’d been dating for five. We definitely felt like we’d had plenty of “just us” time. So we got married in October, began trying in January, and found out I was pregnant in March! I want to take this moment to say that I know it’s not that easy for everyone to get pregnant, and I hope anyone who has struggled or is struggling doesn’t become saddened or disheartened by this post. I used the Ovia Fertility Tracker while we were trying and let me tell you — I’m saddened and embarrassed to say that I learned so much about my reproductive system through this app and the research it prompted. The South Carolina sex education system is severely lacking, and that’s an understatement.

The morning I found out, I hit the mall and purchased a pair of baby Vans, made Mr. Heid a sweet note, and put it all together to gift him as an announcement. We called the doctor and were told we’d have to wait four weeks for an appointment because the ultrasound wouldn’t be able to detect anything that early.

Despite that making sense, I was still stunned at the amount of time I’d have to wait. Two weeks later, our state shut down for quarantine, and two weeks after that, I was able to see our little static fuzz of an embryo on ultrasound and that squiggly line that was a heartbeat. Mr. Heid wasn’t allowed to go in because of the new virus restrictions (more on pregnancy and coronavirus later). The rest of pregnancy was very nerve-racking for me — I don’t like not having control over my own body and I hated not being able to confirm that the baby was still thriving. Each appointment is a month apart (meaning a whole month between hearing those heartbeats) and you can’t feel baby’s movements until the second trimester. This, I did not handle well at. all. I constantly worried — going through thoughts of “Everything’s fine because I’m not bleeding...” to “But how do I knooowww??”

Here are some of my other first trimester experiences in a nutshell…

THINGS I HAD TO CUT OUT THAT I MISS

  • Runny eggs

  • Raw batter of baked goods (those pesky eggs)

  • Deli meat

  • Kombucha

  • Tuna sandwiches (though, I can have them occasionally)

  • Alcohol (which I hadn’t been drinking since just after our honeymoon in January anyway)

SYMPTOMS I EXPERIENCED (WEEKS 5-12)

  • Tailbone pain (yup, it’s real)

  • Nausea, but no vomiting (and my doc gave me a prescription to ease that)

  • Constant bad taste in my mouth

  • So many pee breaks

  • Insane levels of fatigue

  • Breast tenderness

  • Sensitive skin (my favorite face mask burned)

  • One really “fun” emotional spiral (it covered the virus possibly ruining my baby’s first Christmas, Mr. Heid losing his job due to the pandemic, me needing to eat more vegetables, what if the baby’s stopped growing, what if the vet can’t diagnose what’s wrong with our dog… like I said — fun.)

  • Zero fucks given about bullshit. Like I’ve lost a ton of patience and care about the stupid, unimportant things that others have chosen to make a big deal out of. There are too many other important things to focus on in my book and my family is at the top of that list.

AVERSIONS & CRAVINGS

The smell of the fresh peppers and just the sight of ham both make me gag. I craved cinnamon ev.er.y.thing. and the deli meats (minus ham) that I could no longer have. The worst part about that is one of my favorite local delis closed permanently during the virus *ugh*

I’ve incorporated a lot of water, veggie quiches, Raisin Bran, and Multigrain Cheerios into my diet.

I’ve always associated scents with memories. As it turns out, being under quarantine was not something I handled well. That coupled with constant nausea and a heightened sense of smell meant the body wash, hand soap, laundry detergent, and dish soap I was using were all offending me in the worst way. They had to go and I’ll probably never bring them back into rotation.

FIRST TRIMESTER STAPLES

  • The Ovia Pregnancy Tracker has been very useful in helping me keep track of how baby’s progressing, my symptoms, my doctor’s appointments, and my milestones. The app is pretty customizable and includes tools that explain what your and baby’s bodies are going through during each week, helpful articles, medical and food safety lookups, and more!

  • The Bump Pregnancy Tracker has most of the same information, but I enjoy their articles more and they have a really cool 3D view of how your body looks with baby inside. I don’t know how to explain it, you’ll just have to download it!

  • My 30 oz RTIC Tumbler has also been my favorite! I honestly don’t love drinking water, and it definitely has to be ice cold when I do. Having this tumbler by my side has helped me reach my water intake goals, keeps my water cold, and I have to refill it less often — win, win, win!

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THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • For the parents, we got RetroViewers from Uncommon Goods and had custom reels made to include photos of us as kids with our parents. Then the last two frames of each reel had a photo of my ultrasound and a photo of us with our positive pregnancy test. We came up with what we thought were convincing excuses to visit our parents during quarantine, and we gave them the RetroViewers as “early Mother’s Day presents” while we were there. My dad and mother-in-law didn’t believe our excuses and had a feeling we were going to announce our pregnancy.

  • We had recently gone through family photos while organizing some things during the quarantine. For my sister and siblings-in-law, we slipped a copy of the 8-week ultrasound in a stack of photos that we were giving them. Since my brother is out in Cali, we mailed him a copy along with a card announcement!

Stay tuned for the second trimester recap!

xoxo,

K

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A Playful + Rainy Upstate Wedding

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Mr. Heid and I have officially been married for six months and it’s been absolutely wonderful so far (minus this coronavirus pandemic). There are not enough words and expressions to explain the level of love and gratitude we felt on our wedding weekend. The pouring rain and freezing cold meant our big day went differently than planned, but our families, wedding party, and vendors went 👏 to 👏 work 👏 to make sure that our day was as perfect as we'd always dreamed.

A QUICK NOTE:

All photography by Anna Duncan Photography and Mary Hayden Photography. Please do not use these photos in any way, shape, or form. Out of respect for my loved ones and their privacy, I’m only sharing photos that do not give many details of their faces — trust me when I say that despite the rain and cold there are so, so many smiles.

Let’s talk about how our day was supposed to go.

The weather apps had all been predicting a beautiful autumn day of 70 degrees and sunshine! We would be married on October 19th in the middle of the afternoon in an open field under a large tree with our beautiful wedding banner hanging in the backdrop. The gentle breeze brushing our cheeks as we said our vows.

We had worked with our decorator and venue coordinator to make a rain plan just in case. I had even contacted rental companies to find out the latest date I could rent a tent — they told me one week’s notice was all they needed. Well exactly one week before our wedding there were zero chances of rain. Even further, the forecast called for no rain that week right up until two days before our wedding when it changed, calling for an 90% chance of rain and 40ish degrees for the entire afternoon on our wedding day.

We went out and purchased patio heaters for our guests. Just in case of a colder October day, I had already gifted my bridesmaids with blanket scarves, and my mom lent me her fur shawl. Our rain plan originally involved a tent, but we called around and no one had one. We made a new plan and hoped for the best. And then, the day before the wedding, we got incredibly lucky. My decorator walked in to a party rental business and happened to talk about the weather (as we all have been known to do). She asked them how many people they’d had to turn away who were looking to rent a tent last minute. The lady said at least a dozen, but that she’d just had a cancellation and now had a tent available. My decorator called me immediately, and we jumped on booking that sucker!

We went into our rehearsal in high spirits because we had a plan and a tent, and we were surrounded by our wedding party and family. The weather that day was beautiful (of course), so we rehearsed for both a sunny wedding and a rainy wedding while hoping for sunny. Then we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant for food, drinks, and good company on their patio. We even got a cake for two of our friends whose birthdays fell within our wedding festivities!

The next morning, the weather seemed okay, however, the rain started around 11 a.m. — right when my photographer arrived. Luckily, MH and I had previously walked the property to scope out the best photo spots. That, coupled with my trust for her eye, enabled us to make quick changes to our choices and I could not be happier with how all of our photos turned out.

The underside of our dresses got soaked, my bridesmaids’ white shoes got muddy, and our hair frizzed a bit. One of our ushers accidentally cut his thumb with the pocket knife he was given but managed to not bleed on anything. And then, before I knew it, I was walking down the aisle. As our officiant was giving his opening remarks and praying over us, the rain poured harder and louder. The amount of rain coming down during our ceremony was insane.

We exchanged the vows we had written, we said “I do,” we kissed, and then we were married! We ate delicious food, hugged our friends and families, hit the dance floor, cut our pie and smooshed it in each other’s faces, drank our sour beers, and partied the night away. The rain and cold didn’t and couldn’t phase us (seemingly it didn’t phase our guests much either).

It meant the WORLD to us that our friends and family took on the cold and rain to come out and celebrate with us. For weeks after, we literally couldn’t stop talking about how amazing our day was! Looking back on it still brings us laughter, smiles, warmth, and tears of joy.

We had the *most* fun and couldn't imagine a more perfect day. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it; we are grateful and blessed to go through life with you! We love you and appreciate you more than you know!

Everyone always says rain on your wedding day means good luck. If that’s true, then we must be the luckiest people around.

A huge shoutout to all of my vendors! Links included in case anyone reading this needs their services:

DRESS

Stella York from Tiffinie Bleu Bridal

BRIDESMAID DRESSES

White by Vera Wang

MENSWEAR

T.M. Lewin — Shirt

Gap — Pants

Heritage Wedding — Suspenders

SHOES

Vans

CATERING

Bobby’s BBQ

PIES

Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop

BAR

Growler Haus

FAVORS

My Mother-in-Law <3

Sharing a quick snapshot of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE KOOZIES BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’RE WONDERING!

Sharing a quick snapshot of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE KOOZIES BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’RE WONDERING!

Thanks for following along!

xoxo,

K

Friday Five.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEIKO | Guys, it’s my puppy-doge’s 5th birthday today! She leaves things in our house alone, but she is a beast when it comes to toys. She can chew through a “tough” toy (haha ha ha ha hahaha) in less than a day and a simple one in two minutes flat. Needless to say, her bin-o-toys is full of carcasses, unwound chew ropes, and bone nubs. So for her birthday, we’re clearing out her basket and filling it with ten brand new toys! Hopefully, it’ll take her at least some time to get into them all.

GALENTINE’S DAY | I celebrated my first Galentine’s Day this year! I got my local ladies together for brunch this past Sunday and it was so nice to chill and catch up. I think I’ll try to make it a tradition. Also, if you’re from Greenville, enjoy these hilarious local pickup lines from GVLToday readers.

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EAT YOUR VEGGIES | I spotted the perfect bunch of asparagus at Harris Teeter the other day — Mr. Heid and I like the really thin ones — so I looked up a simple recipe on Pinterest, made plans, and scooped them up. So I’ve been eating this for lunch all week and it. is. divine. So healthy, so clean, so tasty. You gotta like peas though… I also made mine on HT’s harvest grain bread. YUM!

NOT READING, BUT MIGHT | We still haven’t finished Infinity Train because we binged The Witcher and Locke & Key! I’ve never read either of them, but the trailers and descriptions looked promising and they did not disappoint. I’m ready for their second seasons! Also, I’m loving one of the characters’ names — Bode (pronounced Bo-dee) — how cool does that sound?

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HEY, SC — YOUR CRAZY IS SHOWING! | I don’t know about the weather where you are, but here in South Carolina we had 70-degrees and sunny, flash flood and tornado warnings, super cold with a day of snow, and rainy in mid-60s days all in one week. Thankfully that was last week, and this week has been a little more chill. But my allergies are going haywire.

How’d your week stack up?

xoxo,
K

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Friday Five.

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It started off snowing today and then quickly turned into icy rain. So I’ll be over here staying inside and wearing these slippers. And in case you’re wondering, they’re just as comfy as they look!

ONE | LIFE LATELY

A lot of time has passed between my last October post and my Thanksgiving post, and from there to now. So to catch you up — I GOT MARRIED! My ceremony was outdoors, it rained hard, it was freezing, and it was the BEST. DAY. EVER! We lucked out with a last-minute tent rental and we had rehearsed a rain plan the night before, so making changes was less stressful than I thought it would be. We had the best bridal party, friends, family, and vendors to make sure that everything still went beautifully. *UGH* tearing up just thinking about it — I digress! More posts on the wedding coming later!

My team and I completed a big renovation project at my day job — something I’ve been working on and toward since my first day four years ago — and everyone’s still talking about it! #proud I also went to a pottery class for the first time since college!

We bought rugs for our house, got a new couch, celebrated two baby showers, lost a family pet, and celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year, and went on our honeymoon (more on that later, too!).

We also celebrated our soon-to-be-here nephew!

Phew! Now you’re all caught up!

TWO | MARRIED BLISS

People keep asking me, “How’s married life?” To which I keep responding, “Great! Not much has changed.” Mr. Heid and I have lived together for years at this point. We adopted a dog together, moved back to South Carolina together, and bought a house together. We pared down our things so that we didn’t keep double of everything years ago. Not much has changed with our daily lives and I’m very happy about that.

But there are a few really exciting perks to marriage — hearing each other’s vows, saying them in front of our nearest and dearest, and knowing that I have someone to spend the rest of my life with; truly becoming part of each other’s family (though we’re both fortunate that both sides have been so welcoming and loving from the beginning); having a really big party with friends and family; and, of course, continuing our crazy adventure!

THREE | READING

Over the Christmas holiday, I read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the first time ever and loved it! I figured I would since I like most of the adaptations of it, but you never know!

Here’s my favorite passage from the book:

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

Beautiful.

I also picked up A Series of Unfortunate Events again. I started it when I was a kid, but never finished it because I found it to be tedious. In the books, Snicket constantly defines words and gives explanatory scenarios that I already understood/understand. I think perhaps his style would have been more helpful if I was even younger than I was at the time. So now I’m skimming through those parts and reading the actual story, and it’s morbidly cute. I’m on book six now, and I honestly don’t know how it ends.

FOUR | WATCHING

Since the wedding, Mr. Heid and I have binge watched season three of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season three of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and season one of Infinity Train. These are vastly different shows, but each one is high-quality TV in my book. We also finished both seasons of Gravity Falls (SO GOOD). When we finish this second season of Infinity Train, we’ll probably watch the final season of The Man in the High Castle. And I’m still slowly plugging my way through Downton Abbey. Mr. Heid doesn’t watch it, so I only watch it when he’s busy or not around (otherwise we’re watching things we’re both interested in), but I also don’t always choose TV during those moments so… BUT I’m finally watching the final season.

FIVE | COMING UP

You guys know I won’t promise to post regularly on here, but I do have some ideas to share on the blog throughout the spring — baby shower gifting (I think three showers in a row makes me a pro now, wouldn’t you agree?), wedding planning tips, and a few travel posts to name a few!

Until then, I hope you have a great weekend! I’m personally praying for snow or warm weather, nothing in between.

xoxo,

K

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Grateful Challenge 2019

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The other day, Mr. Heid and I were talking about a few things that we're grateful for and it made me want to put them down in a list (who saw that coming, right?!). So from November 1st through Thanksgiving, I honored those persons, places, or things for which I'm grateful by listing them within my Instagram posts.

Here’s what I came up with all compiled in this post:

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  • Nov. 1 | Weekends!

  • Nov. 2 | A visit from two good friends with whom we never fail to have a good time and around whom we never feel judged.

  • Nov. 3 | Our families — we are so very blessed to have amazing families! When we get together there are jokes, games, and good times! And when life gives us lemons, we're still by each other's sides helping one another get through!

  • Nov. 4 | Wayback Burgers’ Oreo Mud Slide milkshake. My throat was killing me! Turns out it was just sinus drainage, but their milkshake gave me sweet, sweet, icy, relief!

  • Nov. 5 | My right to vote for leaders and policies that will shape our future!

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Nov. 6 | A handy hubby who can fix our heat and HEAT (we were without for two weeks, waiting on a part)

Nov. 7 | Puppy snuggles

Nov. 8 | Fantastic co-workers who make work fun, hardworking volunteers who make our work possible, and an amazing cast of kids who put on a phenomenal first night of production and make everything we do so worth it.

Nov. 9 | My hubby’s gouda cheese grits on a Saturday morning!

Nov. 10 | My sore throat subsiding!

Nov. 11 | A day off to organize after the wedding AND our veterans who've fought for our freedom and security.

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Nov. 12 | My pilates classes! They’re always filled with jokes, discussions of dinner plans, life updates from all, tons of encouragement, modifications, and instruction on what you should and shouldn’t feel during each move.

Nov. 13 | Disney+ haha I spent a solid hour scrolling through each and every thing and already built my watch list.

Nov. 14 | A chance to share a drink and shop with a few friends during this busy season of life!

Nov. 15 | Cozy socks and blanket scarves (it’s dipped down into the 30s here)

Nov. 16 | A fantastic group of volunteers and a new team member to relieve my workload! In my day job, we plan so many events throughout the year, but Mr. Heid and I want to take more time for us so I’ve been working toward program and team changes to accommodate that.

Nov. 17 | Friendsgiving with my besties was filled with good food, so many laughs and stories, and most importantly togetherness. So so grateful for the chance to get away from work and spend time with them.

Nov. 18 | The barista at Cohesive Coffee who gently dared me to try oat milk in my iced Chai tea and promised to make me a free one with almond milk (my usual order) if I hated it. Guys. It did not disappoint and I’ve got a new order! I will always be thankful to this barista for opening up a new flavor for me!

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Nov. 19 | All of the autumn colors! I can’t get enough of them, and I love living in a place where my favorite season and the prettiest season actually exists.

Nov. 20 | The best boss, honestly. He believes in and encourages our team even when things don’t go as planned. We can joke and still be professional. He actually officiated my wedding!

Nov. 21 | A sold out weekend of shows at my day job! It’s so great to see that the things we line up are what’s the community actually wants!

Nov. 22 | For maintaining friendships with my girls from high school! When we get together it’s like we never missed a beat. I love them so so much and enjoyed celebrating one of them as she starts her chapter of motherhood!

Nov. 23 | Friends who recently moved to the Upstate, making it possible for us to grab a quick breakfast and catch up this morning.

Nov. 24 | The olive green Sk8-Hi Vans that I wore at my wedding and the fact that I can wear them anytime I want now.

Nov. 25 | Coming home to the smell of my husband making vanilla bean condensed milk, turkey gravy, and pie crusts (and the results - pumpkin left, sweet potato right in the picture below).

Nov. 26 | That my parents and in-laws live in the same city, making the holidays that much easier.

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Nov. 27 | All of my family and friends!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving full of laughter, love, good eats, stories, and togetherness!

xoxo,

Keira

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