NYC

She said YES to the dress

Mother of the Bride, Shawnee - Whit - Mariel - Auntie of the Bride, Shirley

With the biggest day of my life quickly approaching, our trip to New York was nothing short of surreal. I couldn't have chose a better place, with better people by my side to find my special dress. Before visiting New York to find my gown I must say it was a bit intimidating, so I wanted to share a few tips for shopping for your big day. We visited NYC in search of the perfect wedding gown, and that is EXACTLY what we found!

Tips:

1. Early bird gets the worm! We scheduled the first appointment of the day and had the luxury of choosing all the gowns first. We also scored the biggest room!

2. Know what you like: You know what looks good on your body more than anyone. Don't forget while choosing your dream gown, it displays your personality.

3. Seasons/Themes: Your dress needs to match the vibe of your wedding. For example, you wouldn't want to pick a couture gown for a  'summer bohemian' wedding.

4. Do your research: Before going to any bridal boutiques, do your research and make sure you like their style dresses. I knew Kleinfeld Bridal had a ton of dresses that I would love. 

5. ENJOY it: This was one of the best trips I've ever been on. I had my best friend, my mom, and Aunt Shirley. Being bridezilla is so last year. Be positive! Don't lose sight of what's really important - You and your husband becoming one with God as your leader.

6. Don't Tell: Once you've found your dream gown, delete the evidence off your phone. Don't give any details so everyone can be surprised. The dress is a statement and you can't make one if everyone knows. The style, material, brand, and price is 100% confidential. 

Kleinfeld Bridal NYC 

Things to do in NYC?

Central Park Pedicab Tours are a must-do. We laughed so hard and had the best view of the city. Instead of taking a taxi to Central Park, we rode in the Pedicab to the park and did the 1 hour tour. Put this on your bucket list! 

Central Park Pedicab Tours 

Besties by the Friends Fountain 

XO

Whit + Mariel 

WEST COAST PART II

ARIZONA & CALI

Racing Tank by Live Love Gameday / @LiveLoveGameday 

If you ever visit Arizona, you have to climb Camelback Mountain. It's a pretty good hike up a steep mountain and a killer workout. It's more of a rock climb than a trail and I wouldn't recommend if you're scared of heights. However, the views are amazing so it's worth it. We took our time and it took us about two and a half hours to go up and down.

My racing tank is from Live Love Gameday. They have the cutest racing tanks, crop tops, koozies, and hats.  

We we're so pumped to see the Lakers play the Clippers in L.A. We put that on our vision board this year so thats another thing checked off the list. We still can't believe it. It's such a cool experience. 

We were only there for two days so we spent the other day shopping and sight seeing. There are so many boutiques and different malls so we chose Melrose Avenue, Rodeo Drive, and the mall next to our hotel.

We stayed at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. It's in the heart of downtown and close to everything. 

And of course, the views of the Hollywood sign are gorgeous!

Race Day 

We had so much fun meeting the WAGS and their hubbys. We had the whole crew hanging out with us on Sunday for the race. Stay tuned for the NASCAR segment for WAGS on E! News. 

Hanging out with Barbie Blank, Natalie Halcro and Olivia Pierson

WAGS

Austin Dillon and Whitney, Auto Club Speedway 2017

XO
Whit + Mariel 

West Coast Adventures

First stop, VEGAS!

Vegas kicked off the West Coast swing! I loved my red cha cha crop top and shorts from Top Shop. The red fringe shoes were clearanced out for $30. Shoes are from Top Shop as well.

The white jean jumpsuit is from Bebe. 

Suits by Stitched / @getstitched / Located in the Cosmopolitan in Vegas 

I have to take a moment to brag on my future hubby. He's always showing up and showing out, and I love it. AD rocked his custom suit by Stitched to the drivers meeting.

I'm the proudest future wifey in the world. He's the most incredible person inside and out.

Vroom Vroom

If you've never rode razors in the desert, you've gotta do it next time you go out West. We had the best time riding with everyone. We rode for about an hour and a half and stopped midway for snacks and drinks.

We also went to see the Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay. We loved it and highly recommend going to see it. 

XO

Whit + Mariel 

Belly Burning Foods

Belly Burning Foods + Tips

Photography: Bo Timmons / @bosphotonc / www.bosphotography.com

First things first, your diet is more vital than you think. If you want to get fit, you have to eat right. Foods high in nutrients fuel your bodies and leave you feeling fuller longer. The vitamins from these foods help you become stronger, healthier, and more energized throughout the day. 

Quick tip: Eating foods rich in fiber will reduce belly fat. Choose red fruit over green, for example, red apples instead of green. 

Here's a list of our top belly burning foods:

Oats
Nuts
Beans
Berries
Grapefruit
Eggs
Avocado
Celery
Lean Protein: chicken and fish
Sweet Potatoes
Salmon
Green Veggies
Green Tea
Watermelon
Apple Cider Vinegar
Pineapple

XO
Whit + Mariel 

Kettle Bell Workout

Monday Motivation

50 clean + press (25 on each arm)

Sprint (run .2 miles)

40 clean + press (20 on each arm)

Sprint (run .2 miles)

30 clean + press (15 on each arm)

Sprint (run .2 miles)

20 clean + press (10 on each arm)

Sprint (run .2 miles) 

10 clean + press (5 on each arm)

Sprint (run .2 miles)

Walk until heart rate cools down

Stretch

Happy Monday!
XO

Whit + Mariel

Daytona Week

Recap of Daytona 500

Whit + Mariel standing by their favorite car! 3 Team!

I have one of the BEST stylists! My BFF, Miss Mariel Lane, helps me kill it on the track every week. We wanted to really bring it to Daytona. It's the biggest race of the year. Plus, it's a new year so we wanted to do 'not to typical looks' I usually do. 

Saturday, I did my hair crazy for AD. He loves my hair braided and big/messy. Mariel braided my three braids. I scrunched the rest with mousse and added Chi extra hold hair spray to keep the hold. We call this my Viking look (because we're so into the show and they have the best braid inspo).

I wore a black jumpsuit with gold accents. I added black strappy suede heels to keep the cool casual look. 

Jumpsuits and rompers are my jam. Clearly, because I wear them almost every race. So, if you're like me and love certain looks - Here's how you can switch up your go-to style. 

Switch up your hair! I always keep mine down with wand curls and Austin loves it when I do something different. It can change your entire look! Try a messy pony tail, high pony tail, bun, or braids. 

Pre-race is the best in our bus

Xfinity Race: Daytona

Jumpsuit: Bebe

Heels: Revolve

Earrings: Diamond Studs

Hair: Braided + scrunched + triple barreled 

Daytona 500 Race

Jumpsuit: Revolve

Heels: Revolve

Earrings: big hoops - Beauty Supply Store

Hair: High Pony

Mariel Lane with boyfriend, Paul Swan, Rear Tire Carrier for the #13 team

Mariel Lane and Brittany Logano in Victory Lane

You can always find Mariel by the #3 car on Sunday as well as Victory Lane every race! Here's a recap of her filming for FOX with the girls. We're so pumped for NASCAR 2017! Monster couldn't represent the brand any better. See you at the track!

XO

Whit + Mariel 

Big Booty Kale Smoothie

Health Benefits

This is our favorite go-to kale smoothie. It's energy boosting, fresh, and delicious. 

We all know that greens are healthy and our body needs them but we don't fully understand the health benefits.

Greens contain powerful antioxidants that have cancer-protective properties. It also works as a natural detox for the body.

Kale is so good for the skin, eyes, and bones. It lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer!!!! Thats right people, cancer!!!!! Plus, there are so many vitamins in kale it's kinda crazy. It's rich in Vitamin A, C, and K, calcium, potassium, folic acid, and antioxidants. Wow! 

Fueling Our Bodies The Right Way

My dad always says, our bodies are like cars. A car can't go without fuel. Well, the same goes for our bodies. If you deprive yourself from food, you won't have enough energy to make it through a workout. It seems silly but I can't tell you how many people I know that count calories. 

I'm not saying we need to eat ice cream and pizza to fuel ourselves. But, our bodies were designed to be fueled with the right things. Here is a great option that will be filling for hours.

XO

Whit + Mariel 

Winter X Games

Winter X Games 2017

Mariel Lane and Whitney Ward 

Monster Energy Girls with boss Kelly Louch

We were beyond excited when we were given the opportunity to work the Winter X- Games this year with Monster Energy in Aspen, Colorado. We want to give a HUGE thank you to our bosses Kelly Louch, the director of the Modeling program, Anayansi Ramirez, and Monster Energy for turning this dream into a reality. 

Celebrating its 15th year in Aspen we got to work one of the biggest X-Treme sport's events of the year. The nationally televised event showcased not only over 200 of the worlds most amazing athletes but musical showcases of our favorite artists! 

XO

Whit + Mariel 

Freshly

Happy, Healthy, and more free to pursue your passions

With the new year in full swing, and new year resolutions being at the top of our concern, we are beyond excited to partner with Freshly!!

Freshly was created to make eating healthy easy, no matter what life throws your way. It was a perfect solution for us and our lifestyle because we live on the go! 

Instead of worrying about what's for dinner, come home to a delicious meal cooked by one of their famous chefs. 

Every Freshly meal saves you at least an hour that you would’ve spent shopping, cooking and cleaning. Spend more time doing what you love, with the people you love.

If you love conveniency as much as we do, you’ll love Freshly. All meals are ready in 2 minutes. Less time than it takes to preheat the oven. 

All meals are gluten free, high protein and low carb. Everything is all natural with no processed sugars.

If you act now, you can get six meals cooked by their chefs for as low as $39.00. Check out Freshly.com and let them know Whit + Mariel sent you!

Cheers to a better you!

XO

Whit + Mariel

Let's Race Magazine

In The Media: Let's Race Magazine

We are so blessed and thankful to be featured in Let’s Race Magazine. Let’s Race is a Christian magazine that’s all about racing. I hope you love our story as much as we do. We truly appreciate this magazine for giving us the opportunity to tell others how God worked through our lives. 

Whenever we tell people our story we become emotional because it is so apparent that each step was orchestrated by the Lord. We love you guys!

Check out the entire article here: http://letsracemag.com/4thQuarter/mobile/index.html#p=1

Thank You Jesus.

XO
Whit + Mariel

Creamy Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder    
3/4 cup white sugar         
1 pinch salt         
1/3 cup boiling water         
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

3 teaspoons of ‘coffee mate’ French Vanilla Creamer (liquid kind)
Whip Cream
Marshmallows
Chocolate Syrup

Recipe: 

Add the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a pan.

Mix all of it in the boiling water.

Stir and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Add 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat very hot; DON’T boil.

Next, remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour into individual cups.

Add the cream and French Vanilla Creamer

Drink up!

XO

Whit + Mariel

More than just Best Friends....

"She's the David to my Jonathan"

For the ones who need to hear this, I hope it hits home. Mariel and I are spiritual partners; prayer warriors! We believe whole heartily God brought us together for a bigger purpose. We like to refer to us as Jonathan and David in biblical terms. Mariel is Jonathan and Whitney is David.

The bible talks about how David was wild and made tons of mistakes. It also talks about David as being the one after 'God’s own heart.' You see, David was quick to repent, regardless of the mistakes he made.

Jonathan, on the other hand, was extremely wise. He had the the knowledge and David had the guts. So put these two together, and God took them further faster. All through His will.

These two were good men. They were men of God! But, they were much better together. They were a force! They did good on their own, but when God brought them together, He used them for a much greater purpose. They truly complimented each other!

Remember the famous book in the bible where David defeated Goliath? David was the LEAST qualified to take on the giant. However, God doesn’t call the qualified. God calls the unqualified and QUALIFIES them!

So to the ones reading this right now…. You need to know that God has a GREATER purpose for you. He has a David or a Jonathan waiting for you. He has something so spectacular up his sleeve, you wouldn’t believe it if he showed you. All you have to do is put FAITH towards God. Believe that He is the God Almighty! Trust in Him! His way is ALWAYS better than our own. Let go of whatever it is that’s bringing you down.

Open your eyes. You have ONE life to live. Life is SO short and YOU have the power to change lives. You have the power to leave people better than you found them. All through Jesus Christ!

God changed our lives in INCREDIBLE ways.. and He will do the same for you. 

Have a little Faith! 

Thank you Jesus. We love you guys.

XO

Whit + Mariel 

Must-Have Wines This Holiday Season

Cheers to family, friends, and fine wine

We’re smack dab in the Holiday Season and you know what that means, it’s wine time! In our world, it’s always wine time, but it’s the perfect time of year to take a breather and ENJOY yourself, your family, and especially the holidays. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everything we forget to slow down and enjoy ourselves. These wines will keep you going ALL Holiday season!

Rex-Goliath: This hearty cabernet is sure to give you all the flavor without taking all your cash. This is a cost efficient wine that we always keep on hand. Bold, dark, smooth, and intense, you can never go wrong with Rex- Goliath at $5.88 a bottle. 

Apothic Red: This is another cost efficient red wine that will not leave you disappointed. This is one of the best kept secret wines you’ll buy. Filled with flavor, Apothic Red will keep your pallet begging for more. 

Apothic Dark: If you dare to go bolder, while staying in the Apothic family, this one is PERFECT! A winter favorite that will go hand in hand with your more carnivorous meals. 

Childress Vineyards Three Red Table Wine: Childress Vineyards has tons and tons of wines you have to try but we really love the red table wine. It’s a smooth blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec. Slightly sweet this bottle is around $12.99.

Cakebread Cellars Cabernet: This is de-E-licious. It’s on the more expensive side but if your budget allows this one comes highly recommended. We visited the Cakebread Winery in California and we’ve been sold ever since. 

Belle Glos Pinot Noir: Around $50.00 a bottle, this is sure to be a hit. We love love love Belle Glos. This red wine is velvety smooth with red cherry, sweet baking spice, and plum balanced by bright acidity.

Caymus Vineyards Cabernet: Standing tall at $77 a bottle, this wine is pure bliss! With the scent of dark cherry and blackberry, subtly layered with warm notes of vanilla, this wine is an explosion for the palate.

XO

Whit + Mariel

Comfort Foods For The Winter

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Heat up this winter with our favorite spicy tortilla soup. Not only is it a party favorite but it’s delicious and nutritious. Thanks to Whit's mama for the family recipe!

Recipe:

1 x rotisserie chicken

1 x bag of frozen corn

3 x cans of diced roasted tomatoes

3 x cans of rotel

3 x cans of black beans

3 x cans of kidney beans 

2 x packets of spicy or hot taco seasoning

2 x boxes of chicken broth

1 x diced onion

Toppings for soup:

1 x advacado

1 x sour cream

1 x bag of shredded cheese

1 x bag of tortilla chips

*add everything into a large pot. Cook on medium to high heat and serve! :)

XO

Whit + Mariel

6 Things We Can All Be Thankful For

There is always something to be thankful for! Life is so much more worthwhile when you take the time to cherish the moments in life. Life is short, and full of ups and downs, but it’s up to you to make the best out of this journey. 

1. Second chances:

No matter who we are or where we come from, we’ve all had a second chance to get it right at some point in our lives.

2. Revelations:

Turning points in our lives. The “Ah-Ha” moments where everything that God has been trying to reveal to you comes together and makes sense. 

3. Health:

If you’re reading this you are blessed. Not only because you have internet access, but you are alive and breathing, and have a second chance to get it right.

4. Spiritual Growth:

Spiritual growth is when you are accepting these “second chances” and “revelations” into your life. God only works in you as much as you allow him. It’s always a choice.

5. For all the things money can’t buy:

Your friends, families, girlfriends/boyfriends, significant others, unconditional love, a genuine smile, an understanding heart, a heart-felt touch, reassurance, a support system, the voice of someone you love.

6. Trials:

Be appreciative of your trials. We’re all afraid of going through life’s ‘downs’, but how can you truly know how far God can take you if you never experience trials. These are the moments that shape you, help you grow, and change you for the better. Tough times always reveal how strong you are, and how much God has your back.

Be thankful now! If you’re young, appreciate your youth. If you’re old, appreciate the years that God has given you to cultivate memories. You’re here in the now. Appreciate the now! Don’t always be looking for what’s going to come, appreciate whats going on in this very moment. So go hug your mama. Go kiss your grandparents. Make it right. Love while you can.

Happy Thanksgiving!

XO

Whit + Mariel

HOW HE ASKED

HOW WE MET

Austin and I met through mutual friends. He was in North Carolina and I was living in Nashville. Austin is a NASCAR driver and he wanted me to come watch him race. So after a few weeks of texting, me and my best friend Mariel went to watch him. The race was at Kentucky Motor Speedway which wasn't far from Nashville so I figured I'd go see what this was all about. It was my first "date" I had been on in a long time so this was a pretty big deal.

I was so impressed with how detailed Austin was with me. He made sure to get me a rental car so I didn't have to drive my own car. He made sure that we had a place to stay for the weekend. Everything down to a tee was so thoughtful and planned out. Even on race day, all the way up until he was getting into the car, he was checking on me making sure I was okay. I finally said go race, I'll be fine. He made it all about me and was a complete gentleman. I loved those qualities!

After the race, we ended up going back to North Carolina to spend the rest of the weekend with his friends and family.

We had so much fun together. When I met his family, they were absolutely amazing. Everything just clicked and worked perfectly. I remember meeting his mom that weekend and telling her about the devotional book I recently finished called "Breakout" by Joel Osteen. Everything I was telling her was everything she had been praying about for Austin. We literally burst into tears because we knew. We knew this was a divine connection put together by God. We didn't say it at the time because it sounded so crazy, but when we talk about it now, we were feeling the exact same thing.

Everyone felt it. After Kentucky, the rest was history and everyone who truly knew and loved us, knew it.

God had a purpose for our lives before we ever had a plan for ourselves. Little did we know, God was preparing us for one another. Sometimes your plans have to fail, so God's purpose can prevail.

I just want to say that God is SO good and His timing is perfect. As I'm sitting here reminiscing on our love story, it's a very emotional and humbling moment for me. I want to give all the Glory to God for bringing us together in His perfect timing. Never forget, God's way is always better than our own. GiiC - which means God is in Control.

HOW HE ASKED

Austin races 36 weeks out of the year so during the off weekend he surprised me with a trip to the Bahamas. We stayed at the One and Only Ocean Club, which is known for their romantic and secluded property.

He told me he planned a dinner on the beach which is kind of our thing, so I wasn't surprised. One thing about Austin, everything he does is BIG. He's always gone above and beyond since the very beginning. 

I'm always saying, I wish we had a photographer to document all of our fun adventures, so he surprised me with a photo shoot before dinner. I was pumped!

We were walking towards the ocean admiring the beauty of the Bahamas and the photographer is directing us on what to do. He told me to turn around and look at Austin, and when I did he was on one knee. Austin is literally the most confident man I know - speaks in front of thousands of people like it's nothing - and he was shaking.

I was stunned. I knew it was coming but it still blew me away. Its funny because I didn't respond the way I thought I was going to. I didn't cry or have an over burst of energy. In that moment, I was calm. I was happy. I was speechless. 

When we sat down for dinner, he told me what my dad said when he asked him for my hand in marriage. I lost it. Austin did what most men don't do, he asked my mom for her blessing. I can't even say enough about my parents. They are pure gold. My mom was crying and my dad talked about how they always prayed, even before I was born, for a Godly man to come into my life one day. My dad went on to say that he would be honored.

August 9, 2016 marked the day of an incredible journey. I cannot wait for the future. GiiC.