I'm going to be a....

When I woke up Thursday morning, I thought the highlight of my day would be seeing Luke Bryan that night. Which was nothing compared to what happened in my kitchen that morning as I got ready for work. I'm ironing my clothes, hair in a horrible bun, oversized camo shirt on, and soffee shorts that I'm beginning to wonder if they ever fit properly, when my mom walks in looking weird. She had this look on her face like she had a secret. My first thought? Oh, gosh, she hit my truck. But close behind her follows my very best friend, Samantha. 

Sam and I met on the very first day of 9th grade. I'm sitting in homeroom with my new outfit hoping it was the right choice, my new billabong purse on my desk with my highlighters (in rainbowic order), trying to hold down my breakfast. As Sam slid into the seat next to mine and plopped her purse down, I noticed, she had the same purse with her highlighters in order, too. This was just the beginning of our "telepathic" friendship. We spent the next nine months sharing old bay covered chicken fingers, coloring pictures and writing notes to each other during class, and meeting up after 4th block to talk about our current crushes. I knew when I started 9th grade that I would only be there for a year, a new high school was being built closer to me, and I'd finish the next three years there. I never imagined that leaving 9th grade would be hard. I was scared that not going to school with Sam anymore would be the end of our friendship and while I never really cared about that sort of thing before, I couldn't imagine the rest of high school without her. 

Luckily, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Our parents spent the next year and a half graciously carting us back and forth every. single. weekend. to each other's houses. Once we got our licenses, we were free women (as long as we were home by 11). This started a new chapter of life that included stalking the hot boys' houses, wondering why the heck her truck is parked in his driveway, countless Rita's trips, more Mcdonald's double cheeseburgers than we'll ever admit, buffalo wild wings literally every weekend, and never being more than 17 minutes (for me, 13 for her... lol) away from each other when we needed our other half. We spent holidays together, took family vacations together, double dated, and basically were known by our families and the rest of town as a package deal. When she left for college, I was devastated. More than devastated. A lot of things happened in college. A lot of times we were there for each other and a few times we weren't. A lot of things changed. A lot of things seemed different. But when you show up on the first day of 9th grade, twinning with a girl you never met, you don't let her go. Ever. 

Thursday morning, Sam asked me to stand next to her while she marries the love of her life. After nine years of planning our dream weddings time and time again, this is actually happening for her. And I want to cry and scream and hug her and tell everyone I know all at the same time. She is going to be the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. She and Hayley will have a gorgeous wedding because the love that is shared between them is one of the most true and precious things I have ever witnessed. I am so happy that they are allowing me to help make their day special. I am so excited to start my bridesmaid duties and pray that I can do whatever I can to make this day perfect for them. Congratulations, my best friend. You deserve all the happiness in the world! 

Here's a couple of my favorite pictures of Sam and I over the last 9 years: 

xx

Harbor Fest

In my opinion, nothing quite beats Harbor Fest. Everything about Harbor Fest is appealing to me-- the hot weather, the crowds, the food, the boats, the fireworks, the vendors, the concerts. It's the kick off to the summer. 

Although the festival seemed smaller this year, it was still a blast. I got to wear my new sailboat Lilly (obsessed with RRR!), I won tickets to the racetrack, met a sorority sister of mine all the way from Florida, and I got to meet a real life mermaid! It was such a great day. 

Harbor Fest is the biggest and longest running maritime festival running for three days on the Elizabeth River. It celebrates nautical history and provides fun for the whole family. Historical ships are brought in from all over the world and attendees are given the opportunity to explore the vessels. Booths upon booths line the downtown Norfolk waterfront selling everything from homemade jewelry to nautical home decor. Companies rent spaces to promote their brands and products through fun games and activities. That's how I won tickets to the racetrack! Food vendors line waterside drive selling delicious fried foods and even more tasty drinks. There's various concerts, shows, even a performance by the United States Coast Guard to keep you entertained throughout the day. To top the day off, a beautiful fireworks show illuminates the Norfolk sky. If you've never experienced Harbor Fest, you have to add it to your 2016 Summer Bucket List! 

xx

Eat Your Way Through HR: East Coast Tacos

Name: East Coast Tacos 

Location: Suffolk, VA

Day & Time Visited: Friday 7:00pm 

Type: Mexican 

Price: $$

Rating: B- 

Last Friday, the bf and I decided to conquer a place off of our Restaurant Bucket List. We decided on East Coast Tacos for an early Cinco de Mayo. 

The drive was about 25 minutes to downtown Suffolk, not bad. Plenty of parking on the next street, if you're into parallel parking... bless the bf for this one. Quick walk around the corner and you're there! 

The food was your normal, everyday mexican restaurant type stuff: chips and salsa, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, etc. I ordered the tacos (I'm in search of the world's best taco) and the bf ordered a huge burrito. The only thing that really stuck out to me with the tacos was that the taco shell was unlike any other taco shell. It was thicker and I kind of liked it more than a normal, easy to break taco shell. The bf enjoyed his burrito but agreed that it wasn't amazing. Unlike most mexican restaurants, his burrito came solo dolo. Which for him is fine, he's not a fan of rice and beans. Personally, I think it makes the price tag worth it when it comes with a side. 

The price was okay. It ended up being around $30 for us (no alcohol or appetizers), which is more than we usually pay at our neighborhood mexican restaurant.  

Overall, we say this place was a B-. Everything about it was mediocre. Service, food, atmosphere, price... ehhh. It's not some place that we would drive all the way out there again for, but if we were already in the area and looking for a quick bite, we'd go. 

Hopefully you've enjoyed this review! Check back next week for the next episode of Eat Your Way Through Hampton Roads! If you know of a place that we should try, leave it in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by! 

xx