This or that

Bought these

Watched these

Thrilled with this (reppin NC well! Garner pride!)

Baked these

Overwhelmed by this

So in love with my small group class studying this (life changing!)

So grateful with my bf leading Latria Worship tomorrow night for Jesus doing this

As we do this

And after my NCLEX on Tuesday, I'll do this

Wilmington

As promised (and a day late lol!) I wanted to compile a list of my favorite things to do in the Port City! I lived ideal -- only 5 miles from Wrightrsville Beach, 13 to Carolina Beach, and keep driving another 2-3 miles for Kure Beach. As I was making up the list, I realized that 99% of what came to my mind was food! Typical.
So to make things more cohesive, I'm going to break them down by category.

BEST BURGER, FRIES, & GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH

Without a doubt or hesitaton -- PT's Grille. Amazinggg. I sometimes dream about those fries. And if you are a fan of an amazingly juicy cheeseburger -- that is it!! When you walk in they have a pad of papers with all the toppings and each item on there and you circle what you want with a pencil, hand it to them, and they call out your order by name. Located across from UNCW and on Military Cutoff Rd on the way to Wrightsville Beach.

BEST PIZZA

Mellow Mushroom. I know this is a chain, but it is amazingggg. Best crust ever. Located on Oleander by the mall.

Slice of Life. This is only a Wilmington-based thing, as far as I know. And it's open all hours of the day and night. SO so good! One downtown on the waterfront, and another beside the PT's on Military on the way to Wrightsville.

BEST DESSERTS

Britt's Doughnuts. Hands down the BEST ever! It's a super tiny store at Carolina Beach on the boardwalk, they only serve doughnuts, coffee, and soda, have no phone or website, and an old cash register. Lined all along the walls are articles from all kinds of magazines and newspapers everything from GQ to Vogue, and its voted #2 best doughnut in the US! It's a total hole in the wall, but the doughnuts cannot be beaten. This CANNOT be missed! The parking lot is always jammed pack, and it's NOT about the carnival rides!

Coastal Cupcakes
such AMAZING cupcakes! so much that one of my bffs (and fellow blogger) used this instead of a wedding cake for her wedding. a group of us would go there before or after nursing class each week. so so good! One located downtown on the waterfront, and another right before the bridge to Wrightsville Beach.

Apple Annie's = wonderful! They have one right across from the college and I could always ALWAYS count on them for amazing baked good. I'd get some crazy craving like carrot cake and then stroll on over. They also have amazing uncooked pasta that they make daily that you can buy and bring home to cook. Located across from UNCW, and by Mayfaire on the way to Wrightsville Beach.

Brewster's Icecream. SOOO GOOD! I always get one of their flavors of the day ...aaand then devour it before I even get home haha. So so amazinggg!

Rita's. Icecream, custard, and shaved ice! All year long!! So so good.

WATER FRONT DINING

Dockside. An uber-popular spot. Every college student owns a tshirt of theirs (just like they own Berts Surf Shop, Sanitary Restaurant, AB Surf Shop, and Salty Dog Cafe)! I have two haha. A really great seafood/steak/chicken place, with great sandwiches and a good lunch menu. Make sure you eat outside and see where the 'dockside' -- people pull up their boats and order and eat on them. Beautiful views. Located right before the bridge on Airlie Rd overlooking Wrightsville.

Bridge Tender Definitely a little on the high side, but they have the BEST food! Order whatever their special is, and you won't be disappointed!! Directly across the way is Blue Ocean Restaurant (with a bright blue roof) that some people rave over, but this is definitely better! Also great views! Eat outside! Next door to Dockside.

Oceanic. The other two were docking boats views, but this is OCEAN view. So so beautiful, you eat on the pier with umbrellas. You MUST get the crabcakes, I dream about them!! Everything they have is good, but definitely split your meal! The portions are huge! Located on the right far end of Wrightsville.

SHOPPING

Redix. There are plenty of good chain stores, but I just love this place! They have bait and tackle, beach decor, etc. but also name brands like Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, Southern comfort, Guy Harvey, etc. I always end up buying Matt's gifts here -- golf embroidered belts, shorts, shirts, Tervis tumbler glasses, etc. Located on the right as you go over the bridge to Wrightsville. Blue Ocean is nextdoor.

MOM & POP RESTAURANTS

Sweet and Savory. SOOO AMAZINGGG! It's a restaurant and a bakery (hence Sweet and Savory haha) and I haven't ever had a THING that was bad, EVER! Their breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all great and you should ALWAYS get their special of the day, a soup on their soup of the day list, and a sweet treat on your way out! They even bring out their home fresh bread assortments before the meal,a nd people always swing in to get some to take home. I get their beef stew, cheesy chicken, and bacon/egg/cheese crossaint for breakfast. Their mashed potatoes are to die for!! Located right before Wrightsville Beach right before the bridge. We all went here with our clinical instructor on our last day of clincals for breakfast.

Causeway Cafe. Loveeee their breakfast! Located next door to Redix, its a place all the locals go! really good! Great waffles and egg platters, but I love their shrimp and grits!

THINGS TO DO

Besides visiting all the beaches, you can ride the trolley or horse and buggy downtown, run the loop around Wrightsville Beach, and shop outdoor at Mayfaire or the mall.

Fried Pink Tomato's Giveaway

http://friedpinktomato.blogspot.com/2011/05/vera-bradley-nautical-necklace-and-bird.html#comment-form

She is giving away a gorgeous nautical necklace, Vera Bradley glasses holder, and best of all -- an art print from Etsy shop, Bird Avenue!!

Once I flipped through the prints -- a variety of cute sayings, gorgeous colors, and great things for an entrance or baby room -- but his speciality (in my opinion) is his cities!! Once I saw the one with Wilmington on it, I knew it was perfect!! What a fantastic way to remember my time in that city, with it hanging on my wall in my place back home? I just moved back yesterday and this couldn't have been a more perfect time for it!

and since this is Carolina Crown, this is one of my fav prints as well -- James Taylor's Carolina On My Mind print!

Please go to her website (the link is at the very top of the page) to see how to enter her giveaway!! Let me know if any of you guys gets it!!! :)

Updates

First off, I am so thrilled of my followers!! FIVE! yayy! I think when I get to 20 (which may be in like ...5 years hahah) I'll do a good giveaway!

Also, I know I'm a HUGE slacker as of lately -- but I'm currently spending my last week here by my school, and we're doing an all-day-long-stab-your-eyes-out 8am-4pm NCLEX review class Monday through Thursday and it is KILLING ME. and my free time. Between that, coming home to pack things all up, and studying for my pharm/math entrance exam for the hospital on Friday, I am getting frazzled. Also, the girl teaching the class is like mid-20's, southern drawl but insanely too peppy for 8am's. She is way too loud and hyper and it's semi annoying. Except she's from Alabama, uses Roll Tide in sentences, and name drops Greg McElroy, Mark Ingram, and Nick Saban too often for me to ever hate her!! ROLL TIDE! :)

I set my NCLEX boards for May 31st, so please please please pray!!!

Also, I FINALLY got to resume reading for fun again!! I was giddy as a school girl!!! I honestly haven't read a single thing for fun since before I started nursing school, and that was August of 2009! My bf got me a kindle for graduation, and after I semi-pouted (without trying to hurt his feelings), slipped it back in its bag, thought to myself "doesnt he know me at all!?!?" (to which I instantly knew he DID, because he's heard me complain incessantly about wanting to read read read without the heavy weights of my textbooks) and put it under my bed for about a week (I am TOTALLY against electronic books!!! I want pages to flip, and a bookmark for my place, the smell of an old book, the weight and binding to feel!) I pulled it out and decided to give it a chance. A small, weak one, but a chance none the less. If Jesus can, I can. And while I'm not shouting by the rooftops by any means, it is tolerable til I can go to the library. It's a wierd concept because it's not touch screen (my cellphone and ipod both are) and it's different to navigate, but books are only 5 bucks for Kindle on Amazon, and I don't have new releases/one time reads all cluttered on the floor that I'd feel the need to keep. But we will see how it goes. I still hide it because I'm ashamed of using it and hurting real book's feelings. Not even kidding. I'm thinking of buying one of those book look alike covers for it, so it'll be incognito and I'll still look studious. You know.

Currently I'm reading The Hunger Games, and hating every minute of it. It better end good. I have been having panic attacks and crying spells from it. I am ready for it to be over!! It's one of those books where you can't put it down, but you don't want to keep reading either. Depending on the ending, I may finish reading the trilogy. Next up is The Help and Water For Elephants -- both with great reviews.
Also apparently the Hunger Games begins filming next week in Catawba county in NC!

Now I am off to buy a new bobble and get something to eat before I resume studying. Note to others -- never NEVER put hot water in your bobble -- mine shrunk and shriveled all up and is unusable now!! :(

This Friday I'll be listing out my favorite spots (and least favorite) of Wilmington -- my home for this past 5 years! Giving you all the details on what not to miss in this Port City I'll be leaving!!

(All actual photos of Wilmy!)