Morgan Family Staycation 2015 {Day 3 - Charlotte}

As well as lots of "staying" during our staycation, we also wanted to have a few adventures. Our first adventure was to Charlotte which is just about an hour or so from our house. They have a big mall (SouthPark) and a Cheesecake Factory so we knew it would be fun!

We set out early and Mason and I were backseat buddies! 

Although Mason has given up morning nap, that hour+ in the car just wore him out! :)

Ready to explore!

When we arrived at the mall, it was snack time! 

Okay, so this may be inappropriate but I couldn't resist the picture. Each of the department stores in the mall are HUGE and had HUGE bathrooms which were family friendly. Big plus! Anyway, the bathroom in Belk had this itty bitty short toilet. I had to take a picture! 

Mason LOVED this big fountain! We gave him a penny to throw in but he didn't want to let it go! 

We did lots of walking and we stopped in this amazing furniture store and I LOVED this chair. 

Next stop were stores with a few toys for Mason to play with while we browsed. 

We found a Curious George buddy for Mason. He already has one so we didn't buy this one but we liked it because it was fuzzy. :)

Mason loved the fish in Nordstrom. 

Our first visit to Nordstrom. It was a nice store but nothing remarkable. 

Next up, lunch at Cheesecake Factory which was AMAZING! Matt and I shared Louisiana Chicken Pasta and we got Mason some burger sliders. 

Then, we split Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple cheesecake!!! 

Matt got to look at a Maserati and that put both he and Mason into car heaven. 

Side note about the mall: Mason was walking some and he started walking backwards. It was so hilarious! 

On the way home, Mason fell asleep quickly and Matt and I stopped at 7-Eleven! 

On our way home, we stopped in Gaffney at a local donut place called Sunny's Donuts and got some AMAZING donuts! Seriously, best ever! 

When we got home, Mason had a bath and we let him run around naked for a bit which we never do. And then, he tee-teed which is exactly why we never let him run around naked. Lesson learned!!! :)

I got other pictures but this one doesn't show much so I'll share it but not the others! 

The two adults ended the night acting a little goofy. As usual. :)

Day 3 of Staycation was a BLAST! Go Team Morgan! :)

Morgan Family Staycation 2015 {Days 1 & 2}

Several months back Matt and I decided that we wanted to take a week of his vacation time and have a staycation. It was an incredible week and EXACTLY what we needed. I'll recap our 9 day staycation in the next several posts. 

The week before staycation, Matt worked nights so he had the weekend off. That meant Staycation started on Saturday. Matt slept in and then we headed to lunch at JinJin Chinese buffet. 

Cheesy mirrored window picture. Love those boys! 

Pretty sure if Mason could speak whole sentences he would say "Pictures, Mom? There's good chinese food right inside!!" 

Boy loves some Chinese noodles! 

Our next adventure was after we all three took naps (which you will notice in these posts was a trend for the week), we went to BigLots. One of my favorite "walk around" stores. 

After BigLots, we headed to BiLo for special treats for the week. Matt and I each got soda (which we rarely drink), Matt got a special coffee creamer, and we got a few other fun treats, too. 

When we got home, we played outside for a LONG time. It was cold but it was worth it! 

After dinner, we made indoor s'mores! 

Sunday morning, we went to church and then had breakfast/lunch at Bojangles. 

We made a quick stop for The Home Depot for a few items for projects. And then, we took naps, again. :) The rest of the day was so relaxing with us all watching movies in our bed. 

Said naps and movie time really did a number on Mason's hair! 

We took a quick break from movies and ran to Bi-Lo for a few groceries. Matt picked hot dogs and Mason LOVED them! 

Once Mason went to bed, Matt popped us some popcorn and we watched a few of our shows. 

Days 1 & 2 of Staycation was awesome and relaxing. Stay tuned! 

From This Day Forward by Craig and Amy Groeschel {A Book Review}

When I began attending Church of the Highlands in Birmingham nearly 7 years ago, one of the first guest pastors that I heard speak was Craig Groeschel. His sermons are something special and they have always drawn me in. Over the years, I have listened to many of his sermon series, tuned in online for his church's services, and read many of his books. 

I am always interested in reading books that can help Matt and I to maintain a healthy marriage and to help us during any tough times we may have. When I saw this book, From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage, written by Craig and his wife, Amy. I knew I wanted to read it. 

My husband and I read the majority of the book together and then because of time constraints with him working overnight, we finished it separately. We both agreed it was a great book. Several of the points were information we already knew and were incorporating into our marriage but there was definitely new information learned. This book will be a great resource for us in the future as well as anyone we know who is getting married or could use some encouragement in their marriage. 

Craig and Amy present 5 main points in the From This Day Forward that will help guide your marriage into being fail-proof. The points are: 

1. Seek God. 

2. Fight Fair. 

3. Have Fun. 

4. Stay Pure. 

5. Never Give Up. 

Each chapter is dedicated to one point and really goes into depth about that point. At the end of each chapter, Amy chimes in with her angle which is refreshing. It's not often you get both the male and female approaches in one book. 

I enjoyed this book and tucked away of a few of the points to help me grow my relationship with Matt. This is a great resource for any married couple or couple engaged. 

We will keep this and re-read in the future. 

Thanks, Craig and Amy!

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Empire of Sin by Gary Krist {A Book Review}

Gary Krist author bio

Let me start off by saying that when I saw Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder and The Battle For Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist for review, I was shocked that I wanted to read it. Let me explain. In general, I read mostly Christian fiction, marriage/parenting books and the occasional biography and children's book. This book is COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone yet I was intrigued for one reason: I grew up in Louisiana about an hour from New Orleans. I have been lots of time in New Orleans visiting a great aunt and cousins, we spent a few days of our honeymoon there and I just wanted to know what this book was all about. 

All of that being said, despite the fact that it took me nearly five weeks of off and on reading to finish Empire of Sin, I really loved it! Krist writes about the history of New Orleans from the 1890's to the end of prohibition. His writing is honest and straight forward and it really does show some of the parts of New Orleans that make up so much of the history but that most people don't want to acknowledge or talk about. 

I was most intrigued to read about the amount of prostitution that took place in that era in New Orleans. There were entire city blocks devoted to houses of prostitution. Immorality was on every corner and it was the norm. 

I also enjoyed reading what Krist shared about the law enforcement of that day. There was no DNA testing like there is now nor many other forms of investigation. So often it came down to "he said, he/she said" type of investigation and often money and bribes could get you out of anything. Same with  court cases, etc. 

I loved what Krist wrote about various families in New Orleans, their influence on the city and in return, the city's influence on them. 

I would highly recommend this book to any history lover especially those who enjoy reading about Louisiana. I'm passing on the book to my husband next and then my Mom. 

Well done, Gary! 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.