Summer in SoFlo

With lots of time off this summer, I have been filling my time with walks on the beach, naps by the pool, lots of time at the gym and plenty more happy hours!

When Kyle and I announced we were moving to Palm Beach, everyone told me the summers would be unbearable.  I'm here to say though that Florida summers are pretty much the same as Virginia summers- hot and humid, duh, with lows in the 70s and highs in the 90s.

Here are a few specific highlights of my summer:

1.  My best friend got married and I was her Matron of Honor, yay!  This was a fun trip because Kyle and I roadtripped it all the way back to Richmond, Virginia and got to see friends and family while also being able to celebrate a wedding.

2. Celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary with a sushi date at the beach.  This year we treated ourselves to new Qalo wedding bands.  These silicone wedding bands are great for people who are outdoorsy and don't want to take the risk of scratching or losing their "real" wedding band.

  

3.  Went to a Frank Sinatra tribute concert with Grandma :-)

4. Visited my FAVORITE place in Jupiter...the Loggerhead Marinelife Rescue Center.

5.  Attended a wedding in Vermont and got to catch up with quite a few college friends, which was great because we don't get to see enough Hobart and William Smith grads.

  

6.  Multiple paddleboarding sessions of seeing manatees and sea turtles, so fun!

    

We have lived in Palm Beach for about 6 months now and we can truly say we LOVE it here.  Not only is the weather amazing, but it just fits both mine and Kyle's personalities better.  We are very excited to be in Florida and are looking forward to building our life and family here :-)

Cheers!
Lynn

First Week in Palm Beach

I It has officially been 1 week since we arrived in Palm Beach!  It has been a crazy week, but AMAZING!!!  I honestly don't know why anyone would ever live in a place without palm trees and more than 30 minutes from the beach!

We are renting a condo in the Legacy Place located in Palm Beach Gardens.  Living at Legacy Place is great because we can walk to the Publix GreenWise AND Total Wine- what more could you want?  Not too mention, it's very close to I-95 for me and Kyle to get to our respective jobs.

 

In true fashion, we woke up on our first morning and had to go to the dog-friendly beach in Jupiter, duhhh!  Here's my little family last Sunday morning:

To celebrate our moved, we went out on Sunday for drinks and dinner at Waterway Cafe- one of our favorite places right on the water.  Not too shabby!

 

Luckily, I had the first four days to adjust and help get us settled into the condo before starting orientation with The Breakers this past Thursday.  I have one word for The Breakers- WOW!  Thursday and Friday were both orientation days and getting to know more about the resort, it's values, goals and mission.  To sum it up, The Breakers is all about it's team members and truly operates like one big family.  I am so blessed to be part of this beautiful family!  Lucky for me, I have this weekend off and then I start my job-specific training at 7:00am on Monday, yay!
 

On another note, over the next few days, I will be working on finding a permanent gym that has classes.  Legacy Place has a gym, but I'm such a class freak, I need an instructor telling me what to do.  I'm thinking of joining Orange Theory Fitness- any other recommendations in this area?

Also, I'm really excited because I found out my transfer request from the Junior League of Richmond to the Junior League of the Palm Beaches was accepted, so soon I will be working on my committee placement.  Some of my current best friends I met through the Junior League of Richmond, so hopefully I'll meet new friends through this transfer.

Sorry for the short post, but I need to get back to unpacking!

XOXO!
LCM

 

Sugar and Spice R.A.L. Fundraiser!

With less than a week left in Richmond, I am trying to find and make time for family and friends and say my goodbyes.  It is hard to see everyone and still find time to pack and clean, whew!

So, last night I had a Mom/Daughter date!  We attended the Richmond Animal League's (R.A.L.) Sugar and Spice fundraising event at Willow Oaks Country Club.  It was an evening filled with a silent auction and sweet and savory treats from: Blanchard's Coffee, Brew Gastropub, Carytown Cupcakes, Continental Divide, Coriander, The Desserterie, Don't Look Back, Joe's Inn Bon Air, Nuevo Mexico, Red Eye Cookie Co., Rose & Eddie's, Sugar Shack, Tazza Kitchen and WPA Bakery.  Let's just say we had our share of delicious food!

Since my Mom and I both have rescue fur babies, we knew this event would be fun and perfect for us! 

I am the proud mommy to two rescue pups: Lucky and Lilly.  We adopted Lucky from the side of the road in November 2012.  He was tied up to a pole near Forest Hills Avenue.  He is the sweetest and most adoring dog I've ever met.  He and Kyle have the deepest bond I have ever seen!  Lucky is about 6 years old now.  We adopted Lilly in October 2014.  We call Lilly the "Kween" because she is such a diva and is the biggest nut ever!  We adopted Lilly from an organization who rescued her from a home in Spartanburg, South Carolina that was a puppy mill/hoarder with 160 dogs.  Lilly is almost 2 years old now.  She is the head of our house and definitely runs the show!  I don't know what I would do if I didn't have these two amazing pups- they bring so much joy and laughter to my life!

 

 

                                         Lucky                                                                Lilly

Lucky (left) and Lilly (right)

My Mom is the proud mommy to two beautiful black labs: Newton and Isaac (Ike).  Newton was a stray picked up by Richmond Animal Control and was in the pound for 90 days.  He was stressed and apparently "didn't show well" and the warden there recognized his potential and called Angel Dogs and they rescued him on the Friday before his euthanasia was scheduled on Monday, wow!  Mom says she serendipitously met his Angel Dog foster mom at a RAL pet event at Petsmart.  She says she saw his picture and she and my brothers fell in love with him at first sight!  Newton is about 9 years old now.  Ike was a stray in the Yorktown area and was picked up by Peninsula Animal Control who called Lab Rescue (LRCP) to rescue him from the pound and foster. At that time, my Mom was in the adoption approval process with LRCP and waiting to find the right lab for her.  She met Ike at his foster house with Newton for a meet and greet and everyone fell in love!  Ike is about 2 years old now.  Now that my mom is an empty-nester, with no (human) kids in the house, these two give her great joy and satisfaction and they truly are her fur babies!

 

                                    Newton                                                                 Ike

Ike (left) and Newton (right)

Last night, we got to be a part of a night aimed at raising funds to support the Richmond Animal League, which is a small shelter in Richmond, Virginia that helps find homes for dogs and cats.  They also recently opened a low-cost clinic, The Loving Spay and Neuter Clinic, which provides low-cost services to other shelters, rescue groups, and private pet owners, and free services for ferel cats.  While none of our 4 pups were rescued from R.A.L., it is still an awesome organization doing a great deal of work for the dogs and cats in the Richmond Community.

Mom and I got the chance last night to meet Charlotte who is a dog that is part of R.A.L.'s program called Gracie's Guardians, which is an initiative specifically focused on pit bulls.  Charlotte was definitely the star of the show with her cute tutu!

 

Take a look at us in the photo booth!  We had a great time together!

I highly encourage, wherever you live, to support the organizations and causes that you care about.  It will bring great reward and joy to your life!  My Mom and I were not only able to enjoy a great evening together, but also feel good about what we were doing and supporting!

XOXO!
LCM

Non-Dairy Yummy Soups

Non-Dairy "Liquid Diet" Soup Recipes

As many of you may or may not already know, about a week ago I had emergency surgery to remove a tumor near my ear...luckily for me, is was benign, thank goodness!  The surgery went well and I am recovering comfortably; however, I am on a liquid diet for about 2 weeks, ughhh.  At first I was relieved I was going to be on a liquid diet, considering I cannot workout for 3 weeks.  I figured this would be my diet while not being able to go to the gym, haha!  I quickly realized my options for liquid food were limited and boring. :-(

I decided though that I would take this opportunity to do some experimenting with some fun soup recipes.  I also have the added "complication" of the fact that I am lactose-intolerant, so I had to find dairy-free soups.  Here are two such soups I have enjoyed while in recovery...hope you enjoy them too!

 

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Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup

(adopted from Running on Real Food)

 

This soup was so delicious and fresh!  The spices used in this soup made my house smell AMAZING!  I was also so amazed by the beautiful orange color of this soup- ENJOY!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced (I cheated and did two spoonful's of the refrigerated jar of minced garlic)

2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced (I cheated here and used ginger from the spice section)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

10 -12 peeled and chopped carrots (Also, make sure you use full size carrots, not baby carrots- thanks Mamme for the tip!)

3 cups vegetable stock

1 cup coconut milk (If needed, add more once the soup is pureed to change the consistency.) 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic together.  Approximately 2-3 minutes, until the onion turns lightly brown.

2. Add the ginger and carrots and continue stirring.

3. Stir in the rest of spices and continue stirring and cooking a few minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk and vegetable broth and bring to a light boil.  Let simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.

5. Remove from the heat and using a blender, puree the soup until it is to the consistency you like.

6. If needed, add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve hot and garnish with fresh cilantro or fresh avocado.

 

 

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Sweet Potato Soup

(adopted from the Whole30 book)

 

This is one of my absolute favorite soups and it is delicious when you add spicy sausage, but for the sake of my recovery, I could not add anything that had to be "chewed."

 

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of cooking fat (I use coconut oil.)

5 large diced and peeled sweet potatoes

3 cups of water

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon (You can also use an apple spice mixture in place of the cinnamon.)

1 cup coconut milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

 

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the cooking fat over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom on the pot.

2. When the fat is hot, add the sweet potatoes stirring to coat them with the fat.

3. Add the spices and continue to stir for 30 seconds.

4. Add the water and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

5. Simmer until the sweet potatoes become soft, which about 15 minutes.

6. Remove pot from heat.

7. In batches, puree the mixture to the desired consistency and return to the pot.

8. Serve hot and garnish with salt, pepper and cinnamon, or any other spices.

 

Like I said before, once the soup is cooked, feel free to add any pre-cooked meat.  I highly recommend spicy sausage, but according to the Whole30 book, the following are delicious in the soup as well: grilled chicken, ground beef, bacon, or scallops.

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

Hope you enjoy these soups are well- they are both delicious and have made my "liquid diet" a little bit more manageable and fun!

 

XOXO,

LCM

BIG NEWS: We're moving to Palm Beach!

WE ARE TAKING OUR TALENTS TO SOUTH FLORIDA!!!

Over the holidays, while visiting my husband's (Kyle) grandmother in Jupiter, Florida, we officially fell in love with the Jupiter/Palm Beach, Florida Area! I mean, really though, what's not to love?

Here are some fun facts about Palm Beach County:

• Palm Beach County is located in southern Florida and is included in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area. 
• It is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes from Orlando, 1 hour from Ft. Lauderdale and 1 hour and 30 minutes from Miami.
• With a population of a little over 1.33 million people, Palm Beach County is the third-most populous county in Florida. 
• The second largest county in Florida, Palm Beach County itself is actually larger than two states: Rhode Island and Delaware. 
• The average winter daytime temperature is 74 degrees and 90 degrees in the summer.
• It is the spring training home of the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals, who train at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. 
• Lilly Pulitzer was founded in Palm Beach!  Read her story here.
• Palm Beach County's Beaches are the some of the most densely nested beaches in the United States for sea turtles. 

We are moving where the black star is on the map above.

Anyway, enough about the facts, let's get down to the details about our move to sunny Florida!

Kyle received an awesome opportunity from his current employer to transfer to the area, which then left me to figure out what my future employment would look like, ekkk!  Luckily, I'm in the in hospitality and event industry, which is huge in the south Florida area, especially in Palm Beach County.  I applied and pursued, and to my surprise, was offered a position at The Breakers in Palm Beach!  This is a dream come true for me, as The Breakers is one of THE BEST and MOST EXCLUSIVE venues in the country, not to mention it's literally the inspiration for the Lilly Pulitzer brand!  I will be an Event Supervisor there and I will be working the private events that take place at the resort.

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Breakers, read more about it here!  Sophia Vergara just got married there in November 2015- check out more here!

This is a photo of the entrance to The Breakers Resort.

 



As many of you know, I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, so while I am very sad to be leaving all my friends and family in the area, I know I will always have roots here and I will be back to visit frequently, I promise!

Living by the ocean and in warmer climate is something that Kyle and I have always discussed, but we didn't think it would happen for us this soon.  However, both of our opportunities are ones that we just CANNOT turn down!

So, we have been busy bees cleaning up our house, putting our house on the market and getting ready to migrate south, whew!

We enlisted the help of a fellow Gertie Girl and mom of a good friend of mine, Meg Traynham, with Long & Foster, to help us sell our house!  Check out Meg's website here- she's great!  If you live in the Richmond, Virginia area and need a realtor, I HIGHLY recommend Meg!

We had no idea what to expect in terms of selling our house, as our current house is the first house we've owned.  Meg has been great through the whole process and guiding us along.  Lucky for us, we are currently under contract, yay!

Kyle started his new job in Florida this past Monday and is loving the area and people already!  I start my job at The Breakers on March 3rd.

I will keep everyone updated as we make our transition from Richmond, Virginia to Palm Beach, Florida!

Love,
LCM

2016 Monthly Goals

I know, I know, I've TOTALLY been slacking on my blog posts, ekkkk!  But I figured I'd try and get one posted to celebrate 2016!

My husband and I spent the holidays in Jupiter, Florida visiting his grandmother in paradise- literally paradise!  We woke up Christmas morning and walked to the beach with a cooler and Bloody Mary's in our hands, not too shabby! 

We rang in the new year in Orlando at the Universal City Walk big outdoor party- it was a blast!

Now, it's time to make new year's resolutions and celebrate another year of life- don't let them pass by without celebrating!

I've decided that rather than make overarching goals for the whole year, that I would create 12 individual monthly goals to focus on each month.  I haven't quite figured all 12 of them out, but here's a start:
1.  Become a Certified Meeting Professional (January)- COMPLETED!  I took my exam on January 29th and found out I passed, yay!
2.  Focus on transition and celebrate the ability to handle multiple priorities (February)
3.  Total focus on my career...ME! ME! ME! (March)

When setting goals, it is important to always be able to measure them and have a way to hold yourself accountable.  It is also helpful if you have a partner or buddy system to have someone hold you accountable.  Just as it is important to make goals, it is also important to CELEBRATE them when you achieve them!  So, when I passed my CMP exam, my hubby and I went out for sushi and drinks to celebrate!

Like I said, I haven't quite completed my 2016 goals, but I have the first quarter figured out and that's a start!  What goals did you set for yourself in 2016?  Please share!

Happy 2016,
Lynn

I'M BACK...and happier than ever!

I'm so sorry for my ridiculously long hiatus from blogging- this crazy little thing called "LIFE" got in the way.  Pshhh, how dare it!

Anyway, my goal is to be more consistant with my posts to keep everyone aka myself busy and entertained.  While I can't promise weekly posts, let's hope there will at least be monthly posts.

So, if anyone follows me on instagram (@lcm9687), you'll know that on January 1, 2015 I started a daily instragam for #365daysofhappy.  I did this because sometimes you go through the day and can get sad or lonely or depressed and you forget all the happiness and fun things you have in your life.  By making it a point to post something every single day that makes me happy, I can honestly say I am much happier day to day with me life.  I highly recommend, even if you don't post pictures of what makes you happy every day, at least think of something- I promise you it will bring a smile to your face and remind you how blessed you are.

Here are the recent happy things that have happened to me:

• I bought a 2010 Final Edition Volkswagon Beetle convertible, woohoo!
• My husband and I are currently doing the Whole30 diet (I find it fun and helping my mood)
• I've enjoyed multiple bakyard pool sessions in our $15.00 redneck blow-up pool from WalMart- best $15.00 I've EVER spent!
• My husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Virginia Beach.
• Two of my friends had babies, ekkkk!
• My brother-in-law graduated from college.
• My brother graduated from high school and is attending VCU in the fall...GO RAMS!
• My husband and I took a trip to Hawaii!

What are some things that have happended to you recently that made you happy?