Five on Friday vol. 1 – hurricane Florence, prepping for fall & more

Hey y’all! Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA this week – between prepping for Hurricane Florence to the tragedy of a friend passing away unexpectedly and a few things in between, it’s been quite a chaotic, emotional week! Today I wanted to share five (random!) things with y’all! I hope y’all have a great weekend. We’ve got our “hurricane snacks” ready and are prepped for the rain and wind that’s upon us.

1. HURRICANE FLORENCE | It feels like just yesterday that friends and family were dealing with the after effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. There was devastation, a lot of damage, and plenty of work in those days, weeks and months after the hurricane. This time around, Hurricane Florence has NC and SC battening down the hatches for the next few days as it takes it’s toll on our state(s). This whole week has consisted of scrambling to prepare for the impending storm. Here in Greensboro we’re supposed to get a lot of rain, flooding, and possible power outages – which is nothing compared to how some will fare.  My sister goes to UNC Wilmington, so she headed home for the week after they cancelled classes Monday morning. My SILs both live in Wilmington – one has evacuated and the other works for the hospital so she’s on “storm duty” there until further notice. My parents have a beach house in SC one block from the ocean, so they’ve attempted to prepare as much as they can but it’s still scary not really knowing what will happen to it… It’s been pretty crazy to watch the news, see coverage from other hurricanes over the years, and attempt to prep for something that you’re not sure about. I’m thinking of those in Florence’s path and am praying for minimal damage and destruction! My friend Zelle lives in Wilmington and did a post on the hurricane as a local and I think she worded it both honestly and beautifully. You can read her full post here.

2. PREPPING FOR FALL | It’s mid-September and up until earlier this week it has still be miserably hot! The impending storm has brought some cooler temperatures, so I’ve taken advantage of being able to wear jeans out ha! I got a few good things for fall recently, so I’m sharing those below!

3. FALL RECIPES | When it comes to seasonal cooking, fall might just be my favorite! I love breaking out the crockpot, eating those good, hearty meals, and of course making delicious game day apps! A few of our go-to game day apps include buffalo chicken dip, sausage dip, sausage balls & potato skins. We would love any new app ideas or even fall dinner meals for when we feel like we’re in a rut!

4. CURRENTLY READING | I am about halfway through with Mary Kubica’s newest book When the Lights Go Out and while I’m enjoying it, it hasn’t been my favorite of hers that I’ve read. It’s taken a bit for the back story and to piece some things together, but just as it was really picking up last night I put it away so I could get some sleep haha! Otherwise I would have probably stayed up all night reading it. Up next I’m going to read Christina Lauren’s newest book Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating. Both of these books are part of BookSpark’s Fall Reading Challenge, which I’m a part of, so I’m excited to share some of fall’s most anticipated books with you this season.

5. Q&A WITH FRIENDLY SHOPPING CENTER | I’m so excited to be working with our main shopping center in Greensboro this fall! It’s a place where I have shopped since moving to Greensboro and have many memories there over the years. I was excited when Sarah, their marketing director, wanted to do a Q&A video for part of our collaboration! While I’m still new to Youtube (go easy on me haha!) I really enjoyed working on this!