YourDailyGrace

Well. Yesterday I turned 23. And I’m going to go ahead and say it. There isn’t really anything all the great about turning 23. But I did get two margaritas and an iPhone 5. So I’ll shut up.

So pretty! Before I covered it in an Otterbox that is.

My first week at work went swimmingly. It is only my first week though and there is so much to learn! Plus with my Mom training me I feel a lot less stressed than I would if it were a stranger. I’m not afraid to ask her questions. Which is really a blessing when there are so many small in’s and out’s of my new job. She is also amazing and brought in Birthday treats for me on Friday! And made my day a little cheerier!

The Lemon Pound Cake and fruit was delicious!

That being said… thanks to FedEx and Verizon I didn’t have a great start to my Birthday weekend on Friday evening. I wasted two hours of my night trying to pick up my phone from FedEx. It didn’t exactly set the tone for a great weekend. The rest of my night was spent watching all my favorite shows on Hulu and devouring some amazing BBQ Mushroom Pizza!

Like I said earlier nothing all the exciting comes with turning 23…and to go along with that my birthday was pretty low key. I took a walk in the morning and caught up with lots of family who were calling to wish me Happy Birthday. I picked up my phone from my parents house after it was dropped off my FedEx and I may have eaten more pound cake?

Later that night we went out to dinner at Clancy’s Cantina on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach to celebrate though! 

My first margarita, the Pink Cadillac. My second, unpictured but prefered margarita was the blended Georgiarita!

Queso!

The boys were clearly enjoying their dining companions. not.

Mahi Mahi Enchiladas!

We also celebrated Jose’s Birthday! He turned 50 today!  

My little “nephew” Jackson joined us for dinner! But he was a little shy!

After dinner my family and I walked down Flagler Avenue to the beach! The boys played frisbee and the girls walked and took pictures! After looking back at the photos I noticed they showed a little bit of everyone’s personality! So I give you…my family ( or at least part of it because it’s huge!)

Beautiful sky.

Mom and Mr. “I don’t smile for pictures” Dunn.

My sister, Nicole. This picture says it all.

My brother, Michael. He’s a little different.

And then there’s Rob and I. Yeah, that’s us.

Today, after sleeping in way too long, I decided to be productive and do some cleaning and organizing. But I had a pretty relaxing night again. Rob and I picked up some ice cream at the Dairy Bar, before taking a stroll on the beach and then having dinner at DJ’s Deck.

Looking like a cute little hillbilly on our walk.

Blackened Fish Sammich. But let’s be honest my favorite was the hushpuppy!

The Emmy’s just wrapped up and I’m afraid my weekend is now over. I have to be at the orthodontist and then work bright and early. Ready or not it’s time for week #2!

Early Friday morning I packed into the car with Aunt Jen & Crew to leave Boca Grande and head to Dothan, Alabama for MK’s ASA Softball State Tournament, which her team the Bolts won!

The Champs! Mk is #23!

I didn’t spend too much time at the softball games…I beat the heat with Josie and John David at the hotel pool!

And yesterday after the winning game we were on the road back to Birmingham. Which is why I can say home sweet home…sort of, because I’m not at a rental or a hotel but a real home! Just not my real home…wait I don’t really have a home. *Warning I’m about to get emotional* I’ll be moving everything out of my apartment and into Rob’s sister’s old bedroom. After over a month of travelling and what feels like constant motion it makes me really yearn for the comfort that comes with having your own space. The realization that I will not have that nor is there even a timeline for when I will have it again is unsettling. But I guess for now unsettled and unsure is my reality. And once I start to think about it, panicked can be added to that list as well.

*Second Warning, I’m going to get more emotional and talk a lot about “feelings”* In addition to feeling somewhat homeless I’ve been playing the poor me card for lots of other things. I’ve been struggling with acne which makes me feel much less than beautiful if you know what I mean. I cannot open my mouth all the way still, since March(!), and it is becoming more and more painful to eat and resulting in headaches. I’ve been eating terribly. I have been running terribly. Basically I’m not feeling quite like myself and acting more than a little bitchy. Or as Jen’s kids say I’ve been being my alter ego “Stacie” a lot more than I’ve been being Grace. It’s hard to feel like anyone even likes you  or wants you around when you’re not feeling like you even like yourself.

I just feel like I’m going through a weird struggle and I just want it to be over. I was looking through some old photos and I look so healthy, acne free and happy. And I know it’s easy to look at the good times in the past and forget the struggles that went along with them but I just want to be me again.

I’m open to any and all advice and suggestions! Because honestly I don’t know what to do but try…and my recent attempts haven’t been great. But as usual Pinterest has provided me with some inspiration…

*Emotional Rant Officially Over*

Now for some lighter material how about a recap of my 4th of July!

 Our day started early with the Inaugural Boca Grande 4th of July 10K! Uncle Dave made the map!

Carol, Dabo’s mom, & Aunt Jen were our masters of ceremony. They drove the golf cart in circles around us and handed out waters! 

The race started at the lighthouse at the south end of the island, here’s the whole crew!

Kath was my running partner for about the first 2 miles but she is super steady & on pace…and well I’m not. 

Amy Jane hadn’t run in a whole year and agreed to “walk” which means out run me for the first 5 miles and then walk with me for the last mile! She was amazing! 

Aunt Jen snapped a picture of me right after I finished. Someone needs some muscle tone!

The race finished at the other lighthouse at the middle of the island!

Later that day it was time for the annual baseball game! Complete with National Anthem!

Our team lined up to bat!

John David at the plate!

And Josie Wosie!

And of course then there’s the most uncoordinated person in the world at the plate! I think they pitched like 5 balls to me! It literally looks like I’m finishing up a golf swing.

After the game we only had time for a quick dinner before it was time to hit the beach for the sunset, a concert, dance party and fireworks!

The sunset…

The sky was beautiful yet ominous. 

Aunt Jen & I!

Everyone gathered around!

The neatest thing about fireworks on the beach is that you can look up the coast and see all the fireworks going off for miles!

John David was the center of the dance party with everyone chanting, “Booda, Booda!” Can you guess what dance move he is doing?

Everyone is doing the Call Me Maybe dance the Swinney boys made up!

The next day was O\our last day on the beach! After that the girls and I went shopping in town!

All the adults, which I’m included in(!), went out to dinner at The Temptation. Uncle Dave & Aunt Jen looked gorgeous!

I was the only non coupled diner that night though:(

Aunt Jen’s Signature drink of vodka, pineapple juice and a splash of cranberry kept me company though!

Kath bought Aunt Jen her hat…they were a big hit and everyone tried them on as the night went on! It was an amazing leisurely dinner with lots of laughs and stories to go around! 

The food at The Temp is to die for! The bread with garlic herb butter, Lobster & Corn Chowder, Strawberry Balsamic Salad, The Temp’s Signature Snapper with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Shredded Brussel Sprouts, Coconut Cream Pie, and Peanut Butter Pie! Whew literally every bite was amazing and of course in the extreme low lighting and with some alcohol in me every photo except this one didn’t turn out!

I apologize if I got a little emotional in the beginning of the post. I think I’m in a post-grad funk and wanted to share my “feelings” and obviously felt the need to use the word “feel” 60 times in this post! I hope I made up for some of the seriousness with my photo recap though!

But seriously if you have any advice please feel free to share your “feelings”!

Have a nice night! Hope everyone’s Monday went well!