Missing Girl in Myrtle Beach: Help Find Heather!

I'm sharing information about a missing female from the Myrtle Beach area. I don't personally know Heather, but whatever happened to her could have easily happened to me or someone I love. My heart breaks for her friends and family, and I hope and pray she is soon found safe and sound!

If you have seen or heard ANYTHING that might help authorities locate this young girl, PLEASE contact the Horry County Police Department at 843-915-TIPS.

Missing Female: Heather Elvis, 20 years old
Last Seen: Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
Reported Missing: Thursday, December 19th, 2013

Details About Her Disappearance 

Heather Elvis was last seen at 541 White River Drive around 2:30 am on Wednesday, December 18th. Earlier that evening, she had been on a date with a guy she recently reconnected with from high school. The date told law enforcement he dropped her off at her apartment around 2:30 am, and that her car was in the parking lot when he left. 

(The date has fully cooperated with the police, passed a polygraph, and has been cleared by law enforcement as a person of interest or suspect.)

Heather called her roommate, who was out of town visiting her family for the holidays, to tell her about the date and about the great time she had. It was reported the call made to her roommate occurred around 3 am and is the last known communication made to/from Heather. 

On December 19th, police found Heather's car--a 2001 dark green Dodge Intrepid--abandoned at Peachtree Landing in Socastee. When the responding officer ran the car's license plate, he contacted her father because the car was registered in his name. After several hours of unsuccessful attempts to reach Heather by phone, a missing persons report was filed.  

Several agencies have aided in a K9 search via foot, boat, and helicopter. The searches have focused on the land and water surrounding the area, as well as other remote areas in Horry County.

According to law enforcement, Heather's car didn't appear to be damaged and there was no indication she went in or near the water.

Concern grew among her family and friends when she didn't show up for her scheduled shift at The Tilted Kilt on Friday, December 20th. The Tilted Kilt is a sports bar and restaurant located at Broadway at the Beach.

Heather is 5'1" and approximately 118 pounds. She has dark brown hair and brown eyes. $30K is now being offered for any information that leads to Heather's whereabouts. 

https://www.facebook.com/findheatherelvis

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Hey, yaaaa'lllll.

I'm here to share a Pinterest recipe that is FABULOUSLY delicious!

It's an easy-peasy ice cream cake made with ice cream sandwiches, and the best part about it is that it only takes 5 minutes to make!

See the pinned recipe on Favorite Family Recipes' blog here.

What You Need:

24 Ice Cream Sandwiches 
1 Jar of Fudge
1 Jar of Caramel
Cool Whip 
Unsalted Peanuts, optional

Instructions:

1. Place ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of a 9x13 dish. You might need to cut some of the sandwiches into smaller pieces to fit the dish. 
2. Drizzle warm fudge and caramel over the ice cream sandwiches. I spread the fudge out evenly with a spoon.
3. Top the ice cream sandwiches, fudge, and caramel with Cool Whip.
4. Repeat the first three steps.
5. Serve with additional fudge, caramel, and peanuts (or any other toppings you choose).

I left the caramel out of my recipe because I forgot to pick it up at the store. I also chose not to use peanuts because I couldn't find any that weren't salted. Oh well, it was still delicious! 

I just love when Pinterest recipes work out in my favor because they usually fail miserably! :)

SELF-PRESERVATION

I experienced something very frightening that sent my fight-or-flight response into overdrive this weekend.

Ashley and I went to see the movie Now You See Me on Friday. The movie was nearly over when strobe lights began flashing in the theater aisles. Seconds later, a recording came over the loudspeaker that repeated, "ALERT! An unexpected emergency has occurred in the building. PLEASE REMAIN CALM, locate the nearest exit, and evacuate the building as quickly as possible." 

I jumped up out of my seat and was out the nearest door in five seconds flat! I had already locked myself in the car before Ashley even made it out the building. In all seriousness, I was TERRIFIED. I had never before felt the kind of adrenaline I experienced in those few moments. I could have easily ran 10 miles and I'm no runner.

As it turned out, there wasn't an emergency. Ashley walked over to the box office to get a ticket voucher and asked employees what happened. Apparently, the alarm was the result of a teenager pulling the fire alarm. 

I would not have been as terrified if the alarm sounded like an actual fire alarm. This alarm only stated there was "an unexpected emergency" and asked us to remain calm. The only thing I could picture in my mind was that lunatic shooter in Colorado. That's such a shame. Oh well, at least I know my fight-or-flight response is where it should be if a real emergency should ever occur. We just won't talk about the fact that it involves knocking over women and children, George Constanza style, in order to preserve my self. 

Heartbreak In My Community

My local community suffered a horrible tragedy this weekend when a condominium complex caught fire and burned 26 buildings completely to the ground. Unfortunately, the weather conditions on Saturday were perfect for the fire to flourish. It was warm with low humidity and very windy, which made it very difficult to contain the fire once it started. Not only did many residents lose their home and everything in it, some also lost their beloved pets. The good news is that no fatalities or injuries have been reported, and all residents have been accounted for. That's nothing short of a miracle considering how many homes were lost. Life can absolutely change in an instant.

photo source

I was so happy to see our community come together during this time of need. So many have rushed to the aid of those who have lost their homes and belongings. The response has come in the form of monetary donations, clothes, food, shelter, and discounts offered by local businesses. It has been overwhelming!  Please continue to keep those who are beginning to rebuild their lives in your thoughts & prayers. It is sure to be a long and heartbreaking process. 

photo source

Playing Catch Up

Here is everything you've missed over the last few weeks.

A little over two weeks ago, I decided to make it my mission to have "six-pack" abs by May. I did some research and found that it's an incredibly difficult thing to do. There are many people who do everything right and never achieve them because of their genetic makeup.

I have to be honest, hearing that was extremely disheartening. I wondered if I should waste my time. Did I really want to change the way I eat? Did I want to force myself to work really hard, knowing that even if I did everything right, I still might not end up with those highly coveted "six-pack" abs? I wasn't sure.

I stumbled across a book on iBooks entitled The Power of Habit. I highly recommend it. I was amazed to learn that nearly everything I do on a daily basis is based on habits that I've formed over the years. I was also amazed how easily those habits can be turned into healthy habits. It's definitely worth the read.

This book influenced my decision to give it a shot, and I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it so far. I'm doing crunches, push-ups, and planks on a daily basis. I have increased the number of exercises I do every day and will be adding cardio to my routine soon. In only 18 days, I’m already doing 60 crunches, 15 push ups, and a 50-second plank every day!

In other news…

My Valentine’s Day was lovely. Ashley gave me a gorgeous arrangement of Stargazer Lilies, a gift card to Ulta, and a gift card to Massage Envy! I’m super excited, and also a bit frightened, to get a massage because I've never had one before. Any tips for a first-timer like myself?

Vanity Organization

I've been making some headway with my organization goals. I still have a long way to go, but I've been working on one small area at a time.

The most recent completed project was my vanity.

Ashley surprised me when he showed up at my house with it one day. I desperately needed a vanity, and he knew I'd been eyeing one at World Market. He definitely gets the award for Most Thoughtful Boyfriend ever. 

I organized my hair accessories in this jewelry organizer.

I found it at Target a few years ago.

It sits on top of a rolling storage bin to the left of my vanity.

The mirror closes to hide my jewelry stash.

Above Vanity:

Jewelry Organizer

Are you impressed?

I AM!

Homemade Doughnuts

I made doughnuts in the shapes of stars and hearts this morning. After posting a picture of them on Twitter, Robin asked if I would post the recipe on my blog.




I wouldn't even call it a recipe because they are SO easy to make!
I must give credit to Chapell for showing me how to make them many years ago.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil or any cooking oil you prefer
Canned biscuit dough 
Granulated sugar and/or powdered sugar

Directions

1. Pour a significant amount of cooking oil into a small pot. You can also use a fryer if you have one. Heat vegetable oil at medium-high heat.

2. Flatten each biscuit and cut out a hole in the center with a knife. (For the doughnuts above, I used a cookie cutter for the star and heart shapes. I took the dough around the edges and rolled it into balls for doughnut holes.)

3. Drop a doughnut hole into the oil to determine if it's hot enough. It will float to the top if the oil is ready or sink to the bottom if it isn't.

4. When the oil is hot enough, drop each biscuit into the cooking oil. I usually cook one doughnut and two holes at a time. Depending on the size of the pot you're using, you can obviously cook more than that. Just make sure the doughnuts aren't too close to each other because they will stick together.

There's no hard and fast rule for timing when to flip the doughnut over. I eyeball it, and flip it with a fork when it begins to turn a light golden brown. This happens quickly! You also want to be sure the doughnuts aren't too thick and that you flatten them really well because they can turn out gooey inside.

5. When the doughnuts turn golden brown, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon or spatula. Place the doughnuts on a paper towel covered plate to soak up the oil. Allow them to cool for approximately 3-4 minutes.

6. Drop each doughnut into a Ziploc bag with granulated sugar and/or powdered sugar, and shake bag to coat doughnuts. You don't need a whole lot. You only need enough to coat them and I usually throw several in at a time.

That's it! You've made yummy doughnuts that taste like funnel cakes in only a matter of minutes!

Back to the Basics: Wordless Wednesday

I've been asking myself a lot of questions lately.

...what direction do I want to take my blog?
...what types of posts do people like to read?
...what do I have to offer that other bloggers don't?

The things I know for certain...
I don't want blogging to leave me bitter.
I don't want to think of blogging as a chore.
I don't want to dread doing it.
I don't want to sell out for a few dollar bills or a few free products.
I don't want to write about things that aren't interesting to me only because they are to everyone else.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,
I don't want to resent all of the time I could potentially waste in an attempt to make money blogging.

Lets be real here.
My mind changes more often than Taylor Swift's relationship status. So I've nixed the idea of trying to make money with this blog. I will continue to blog about things that make ME happy instead. I take pride in staying true to myself.

My true self knows that turning my personal blog into a business will make blogging a lot less fun for me. With that being said...
I miss my Wordless Wednesday posts.
I miss posting pretty pics that make me feel all fuzzy inside.

So, without further ado...

Chicago: Day 3

Sunday was our final day in Chicago. We tried our best to squeeze in everything we wanted to do on this trip and we did well.

The Quick Sunday Rundown:
Breakfast Buffet @ the hotel
Lincoln Park Zoo
Cloud Gate 
Virtual Fountain
The United Center/Michael Jordan Statue
Lunch @ Corner Bakery Cafe
Field Museum
Shedd Aquarium
Limo Ride!
Willis Tower
John Hancock Observatory
Dinner @ The Cheesecake Factory

PHEW!

We started our day at 8 am, which is really early for us. The breakfast buffet set us back $22 a person. That's INSANE!! We thought it was included with our stay until we received the check. I probably would have eaten a few more pieces of bacon if I'd known what they were costing me.

On the other hand, I couldn't believe the Lincoln Park Zoo was FREE!
My favorite animals are always the gorillas. I could sit and watch them for hours.

I also got excited about these camels:

They were HUGE! And, it was my first time seeing a camel in real life.

After looking at all of the pretty animals, we decided to go to the City of Chicago Store.

It's supposedly a huge souvenir shop but we never found it. The address I wrote down from a travel book took us to an information center. We looked up the address listed on Google and headed that way. That location ended up being the Chicago Cultural Center. We gave up at that point.

The cab ride to the cultural center wasn't a complete waste though. We were about to get another cab when we noticed sculptures across the street. One of them turned out to be Cloud Gate, which was on our list of things to do. 

I loved this picture.

The virtual fountain, AKA The Crown Fountain, was right next to it. The water is only turned on during the summer months so it just looked like a wall with changing photos on it. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool to see.

The statue of Michael Jordan was not to be missed, but there's not much else to really say about it.

After visiting the United Center, we met up with my friend Emily back at our hotel. Emily is the friend who came to visit me a few weeks ago for our friend's wedding. (See post here.) She lives in Decatur, IL, and took the train into Chicago to visit with us. She came along with us to tour the aquarium, Field Museum, Willis Tower, and John Hancock Observatory.

The Field Museum is the home to the most preserved and complete T-Rex ever found, Sue.

Shedd Aquarium is located directly next to the Field Museum.
We saw a cute dolphin show with the trainers, and we looked at all of the different Jellies. The sharks were quite a disappointment.

While waiting for a cab outside of the aquarium, a limo driver asked if we wanted him to take us instead. We thought why not? So we sipped on a beer in a limo during our ride back to the hotel. 

We dropped off a our souvenir purchases and headed back out. The Sky Deck at the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower was a lot of fun. The view of the city was amazing, and I'm so glad we waited until after dark to go. Here are a few pictures of us "out on the ledge":

We took a cab from Willis Tower to the John Hancock Observatory, which is essentially the same thing--a huge deck on top of a skyscraper. It had a slightly different view though, and it was cool to see the differences between the two.

After dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, we went back to our hotel and packed up to go home. Our flight left Chicago early Monday morning, and I arrived home around noon on Monday. I had SO much fun... but there really is no better feeling than home, sweet, home.

Chicago: Day 2

On Saturday morning, Ashley and I decided we wanted to eat breakfast at The Original Pancake House.

Little did I know that the restaurant was nearly two miles away, and we walked.

It's a good thing too! I was able to walk off the calories after eating this enormous thing:

The Dutch Baby

I was actually glad we walked because we took a stroll down Michigan Avenue and shopped for a while on the way back.

After shopping, we dropped our shopping bags off at our hotel and took a cab to Navy Pier. 

It was way too cold and windy for me to ride the Ferris Wheel--enclosed or not. We did some more walking around and enjoyed a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline.

We also had lunch at Harry Caray's. After checking in on Foursquare, I got a tweet back from the restaurant! FUN!

After lunch, we took a cab out to Wrigley Field for the last few hours of daylight. It was something Ashley definitely wanted to do while we were there.

We also took a stroll down Clark Street. I was really excited when we turned the corner and I saw this (especially since the game was about to start!):

A Clemson flag in Chicago!

After that excitement, we hailed another cab back to the hotel. We took a quick shower and walked a block down the street to watch the game at Houlihan's and grab dinner.

(P.S. Clemson beat Duke 56-20.)

After the game ended, we went back to the hotel and called it a night because we were pooped. I'll be back tomorrow for a recap of our final (and busiest) day in Chicago.