Party of One

It's Ok!

2013-05-16T14:55:00.001-04:00

Hey loves! Happy Thursday! Since "It's Okay" with sweet Amber is winding down, I've decided that I HAD to link up with her before its all over! I'm posting this from my phone so I hope it comes out okay! Probably won't be pretty but hopefully it'll be read-able! Oh, and I apologize (actually I don't!) for all my Bloggy Bootcamp references this week!

So, without further adieu....

IT'S OKAY!

That my posts this week have been rather meaningless. More or less just me rambling. It's nice to have something as a break from the seriousness of life.

That I'm SO SO SO excited for the Bloggy Bootcamp Girls Weekend...which technically starts tonight at dinner with Ricci & Rebekah!

That I still haven't packed anything for the weekend yet....it's 1pm. I've got four hours!

That the post is going live at the most random time!

That "cleaning" my apartment for the weekend means throwing all my dishes in the dishwasher and pressing run!

To be kinda sorta nervous underneath all the excitement of this weekend!

To take a seriously long time picking a color EVERY TIME I get my nails done. Especially when it's shellac! Oh and even worse when

That we've totally already started planning restaurants for the next few days...yum! Ps- calories don't count this weekend.

To be annoyed that I haven't received something in the mail yet that I was counting on being in my possession yesterday....grrr!

To be compulsively checking my email for some good news...

To have lost complete sense of what day of the week it is...#funemployment!

To be stressing about what clothes to pack for this weekend!

Alright, off to pack I go! \
What's okay with you today?!

Screaming Goats!

2013-05-15T06:58:00.001-04:00

Hey Y'all!

Happy, happy Wednesday! I don't know about you but I'm so glad that this week is flying by! I'm counting the days (we're almost to hour countdown now!) until Bloggy Bootcamp in Charlotte, NC! I know that if you've been around here at all lately...you've heard me talk about it before. I cannot wait until Friday afternoon in Charlotte. This weekend is going to be just fantastic!

I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to write about today, so, I figured I'd join my lovely friend Shanna for another round of Random Wednesday AND Ms. Michelle for Oh, How Pinteresting!

Totally Random....

*Whenever I eat popcorn before bed I end up having the craziest dreams! It used to happen to me as a kid, too. I'd have the weirdest nightmares. Apparently, that still happens!

*One of my favorite things about my current employment status? Reruns! Friends, Full House, Reba...I'm always entertained!

*My closet is currently a disastrous mess! I feel like it typically corresponds with my life...crazy messy closet=crazy messy life. Which one comes first though?!

*When I get a late night craving for something it's so intense! I want that and only that! Lately, I've been waking up wanting cereal...like every night. Its just multigrain Cheerios and almond milk but when I want it I want it! I'm thinking it's gonna be badddd when I'm pregnant someday!

* I saw Great Gatsby this weekend. LOVE IT. It was so good and I'm LOVING the soundtrack. Also, there was a trailer for the 2nd movie in the Hunger Games series (even if the theater only had the audio on and not the picture during the trailer...BOO!)...I can't wait!

*For the first time in my life, I was watching FRIENDS and the whole Ross/Rachel story line just irritated me! That has never, ever happened before. WHAT does it mean?!

*Another great thing about my current employment status?! I've been spending some quality time with Pinterest...here are some of the things I'm LOVING.

Alright, there is my ~~crazy~~ random for the day! Oh, here's a little laughter for your Wednesday! Enjoy!

It's My Prerogative...BC Style!

2013-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

All thoughts and opinions are my own, I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to tell my story as part of this sponsored campaign from Bedsider.org

Hey Y'all!

I seriously feel like this little blog is making big leaps and bounds talking about all kinds of personal things. Health issues, job loss...now...birth control!

So, in my {humble...ha!} opinion...birth control is an issue that the majority of women- especially women our age- need to address, be well educated on and know what their options are. This, though, is all because I'm a big proponent of Women's Health and making sure that you take care of yourself. Talking about your 'women' health issues, birth control and the like are things that we shouldn't feel ashamed or worried about it!

We're lucky, lucky ladies to be living in a time and place where we have the option to be healthy and to protect ourselves! We have the ability to take our health into our own hands- and we should take advantage of this!

So, you all can imagine how excited I was when the SITS girls contacted me about doing a post for an incredible site... Bedsider.

This website, Bedsider, provides us with the tools that we need to make educated decisions about our birth control and personal health.

One of my favorite things about this website? It's not funded by any sort of pharmaceutical companies nor is it government funded. What does this mean for you? YOU get unbiased, objective and personalized information to learn what YOU need.

Browsing the website, this had to be my favorite part...The Method Explorer.

Ever wondered what a diaphragm, sponge or a cervical cap was?! You can find your answers here.

Have you always wondered about and IUD but your just not sure if it's for you? You can get the facts here.

This website is an INVALUABLE resource for today's women.

So, here is where I get PERSONAL. I mean, if I'm such a big advocate for birth control...that had to start somewhere AND I have to be on it, right?!

Here's the truth. I've been on birth control since I was 13 years old. Yep, 13 years old. 8th grade. Before you go making assumptions about me...I have had AWFUL, HORRIBLE, SUCKY cramps every month since the 8th grade. They made me physically ill for 1-3 days every single month. My mom, having experienced this herself, took me to a Gynecologist at the age of 13 where they put me on the pill.

I'm 25 now & I've yet to stop taking birth control. I've been around the block...I've been on birth control for a good 12 years.

I've primarily stayed with the pill...which is my current method of birth control. However, I've tried the shot, too. For me, the shot was great...the first 6 months. LOVED it. However, the 3rd shot (and the 3 months following it) I had horrible side effects. Weight gain, bloating, emotional like crazy....PS- I was also going through that breakup during this time...that had A LOT to do with it.

Now, though, I take your standard run of the mill pill. Nightly, I pop it in my mouth and I'm done with it. As long as I can remember to take it- easy, peasy!

Speaking of remembering to take it...that's another great feature of Bedsider. The reminders function! You can set up reminders with them to help you remember to take your birth control via text or email- how awesome! You can also set reminders to schedule doctors appointments-you've got to get those yearlies in! I think this is just awesome and even though I'm pretty good about remembering to take my medicine now, I still set up a text reminder for every day! Better too many reminders that to forget, right?!

I really, really hope that you'll check out Bedsider! Find a new birth control learn more about your current method or just explore! It's a great site with a wealth of information for you!

Okay, so want to know what makes Bedsider even more amazing?! They are giving you an opportunity to win some pretty awesome prizes! We all LOVE Pinterest and this contest is all about Pinterest!

Here are the rules...

Follow Bedsider.org on Pinterest.

Create your own Pinterest board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?”

Repin this rules pin found here and at least one Bedsider’s 15 contest images found here from their board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?” Be sure to tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.

Pin at least 5 additional images to represent your ideal bedside drawer. Tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.

Share your board’s URL on the Bedsider’s Facebook page here. Make sure to enter by 11:59 PM PST on May 29, 2013!

Want to see whats in my bedside drawer?! Check out my Pinterest board here!

I hope you all enjoyed this post {even if it was a little different than the usual!} & walked away with SOMETHING new!

What kind of birth control do you use?

How do you remind yourself to take your birth control?!

Have you had any really great or really bad experiences with BC?

Every girl has that bedside drawer that holds the bedroom essentials: their Kindle, a pair of reading glasses, sexy lingerie. – whatever fits their personality. No matter what your drawer says about you, there’s birth control that will fit right in. Find the best method for your routine and style at Bedsider.org.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.

Fail, Succeed, Repeat

2013-05-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends!

I hope that your weeks are off to a great start! I can't believe it's Monday...already!

I've gotta say I'm okay with this Monday for a couple reasons. One, since I'm not at work this morning (silver lining!) and two because this is THE WEEK that I get to meet my friends at BBC Charlotte! Ah!

Be prepared to hear an overload of information about this for the next few days...weeks...you know. I just cannot wait.

You guys also know that I kinda sorta like Monday...if that's possible...because Jessica and I host our weekly linkup {5 for Five} on Monday!

(PS- Jessica is one of the lovelies I get to meet this weekend. SO. EXCITED!)

New around here and want to know more about {5 for Five}?! I hope you do! Start here with Jessica's guide to {5 for Five} then make your 5 goals for the next 5 days, grab a button & link up with us!

Alright, so last week I told y'all that I was going to have a rough week ahead of me. Yeah, well...I wasn't quite prepared for just HOW ROUGH the week was going to be. I talked about it here. Yeah. I don't want to re-hash again, so, if you're interested...just check it out.

Anyways, with the distraction of all that. I kinda sorta really failed on my goals last week. BIG TIME FAIL.

1) Be Up at 7am everyday

2) Drink 2 meal replacement shakes a day

3) Be in bed by 10pm every night

4) Do cardio 3x this week.

5) Find a positive thought or quote to reflect on daily.

Alright, so yeah. 3 failures, 1 halfway and 1 success.

Here's the deal. It's okay. I'm going to kick butt at my goals this week. The thing is, after Monday 2 of the 5 goals didn't really matter (1 and 3) and I just didn't have motivation to do number 3.

It's a new week. I'm starting over and I'm gonna be successful this week!

1) Go to spin class on M/W!

I really want to try out spin again! I'm excited about this!

2) Drink 2 meal replacement shakes a day!

It's going to happen! I'm committed to kicking my butt into shape and this is one way to start.

3) Go to yoga class on T/TH

I (now more than ever!) desperately need to get back into my yoga routine!

4) Find a positive mantra for each day.

This is just a really, really great habit for me to follow.

5) Schedule my days and follow it!

No 10am wake up calls (at least not everyday) and 2am bedtimes. I've got to keep myself in somewhat of a routine even though it's not actually necessary.

Alright, friends. This is where I need your help.

Please, please, please hold me accountable to be successful this week!

I hope you'll join us!

Here's to a GREAT week!

Word to Your Mother

2013-05-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy, Happy Mother's day to my sweet Momma.

I don't have much to say this time because I said it all here just a few weeks ago.

Thanks for being my best friend.

Love you more!

Oh, and to all of my blogging friends who are mommas...you all are amazing. I admire, respect and am amazed by each and every one of you. I only hope to one day be the mother to my children that you are to yours. Love you all. Enjoy this day and I hope your get some extra special momma treatment.

Enjoy your Sunday, sweet friends!

Funny Ha Ha

2013-05-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FRIDAY, LOVELIES!

So, since I've been all about the heavy posts this week I've decided that I need a lighthearted, #backthatazzup-ing, funny Friday post.

Also, it's Thursday night...I'm drink, drank, drunking and it seems like a good idea at this time to just be ridiculous.

Alright, sit back and laugh...at least I hope you do.
If you don't, I'm not sorry and you must be missing part of your soul.
(Blame on the a, a, a, alcohol if I'm being a B)

(source)

(Source)

(source)

Oh, and so I don't seem like such a Debbie Downer...
here are some things in my life that I'm actually really, really loving.

The amazing cuteness that is Big Bruce my friends new puppy. He's the best.
Seriously, I'm kind of obsessed with him.

The advice my Mom gives me when I'm stressed out beyond belief.

Lime-a-Rita, Corona-Rita, and tequila in general.

Lime-a-Rita and beautifully manicured red nails.

You're welcome.

Now. Now it's time for #Backthatazzup with Yoga Pants.

Yep, I'm playing this card and going with this little gem below...because...I'm searching for a Sugar Daddy to buy me a drink after yesterdays sad, sad state of affairs post.

I might be having a pity party for myself. So sue me.

(Seriously, who the eff am I?)

Buy you a drink by T-Pain on Grooveshark

Wanna buy me a drink?!

Happy Friday, Sweet Cheeks.

Oh and word to your mother.

You know...for Mother's Day and all.

Peace.

Warning- Heaviness Ahead

2013-05-09T18:14:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday Eve, Y'all!

So, I rarely ever post in the evenings...this is weird. I'm not sure if I like it. I guess will see.

I don't know about you, but, for me this week was a pretty atrocious one. Well, for the most part.

As the title of this post warned...this is a little heavy for the almost weekend. You know, it's funny...I write these totally personal/bear all/this is the most real I've ever been on the blog type posts (see Tuesday for an example). I think I've TOTALLY opened up on my blog. I think "Oh, I've shared like everything and anything with the blog world" and then BAM! something else happens in my life and there's even more real to get.

I'm debating talking about this. It's a tough one for me. It isn't pretty and I'm not proud. Deep breathe in and let it go.

I was "let go" from my job on Monday afternoon.

So, there it is.

The cat (have I ever mentioned that I really don't like cats?!) is out of the bag.

It's a long story. There are a lot of details...a lot of stuff that I just can't get into on the blog. If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know that I'm very open about my personal life (especially the bad and ugly details) on this blog. Very open.

However, I think, personally, that I have to draw a line when it comes to work. I need to keep things professional. You never know who will get their eyes, ears & hands on this little part of the inter-web! Plus, when you DO KNOW some of the people who have their eyes on your blogs...you tend to censor when necessary...like now.

Anyways, I was let go from my job. Honestly, the more I say it...the more it sinks in.

It's bad for obvious reasons.

But, you know what? I'm starting to see the good in things to. My little mind is spinning a million miles a minute with ideas how I can align my personal happiness with my job. I'm young. I'm only 25. Things like this happen and people rebound from it all the time.

I'm going to come out ahead- even if it takes me some time to get there- and I'm excited (with a dash of fearful) for the things to come.

Thank you, thank you, thank you as always for listening to my rambling. I'm so grateful to have this outlet of my own to say just what I want and what I'm thinking. Even when it's not fun, even when it's not easy & even when I may not want to...I'm grateful to have a chance to air my opinions.

(source)

Halfway there...I'm almost halfway there.

Words on a Wednesday

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday, Y'all!

I hope that your weeks are all flying by & great things are happening!

My week has been tough, however, not in the way I thought it would be tough. Things haven't played out like I've planned & I've been a bit of a mess. More on that another day, though. Today is reserved for Oh, How Pintersting with Ms. Michelle &I've been saving up some fabulous pins to share with you lovely ladies!

I've had a lot of THINGS on my mind lately. A LOT of WORDS running through my brain. Some how, some way...Pinterest seems to sum them up for me oh, so well.

So, just sit back & enjoy just what I've been pinning as of late!

This pin just makes me feel better about things. I look at it and breathe a sigh of relief.

This question makes my head spin & gets me going.

To each his own with being sad and grieving.

Applicable in oh so many ways.

Such truth.

We know what we want.

If only I could always remember to do this.

Power of positive thinking.

This one just makes my heart swell.

Have a happy, happy Wednesday my sweetheart friends!

OH! Can y'all please, please, PLEASE do me a favor and go here to vote for my mom and I to win tickets to the Mother's Day Tim McGraw concert?! I'd be so thankful if you'd vote and keep us in the lead! I appreciate it in advance, friends!!!

By the way, it's the picture below you're looking for and it's on page 2...

It's a Pain in the...

2013-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today, well, today I'm going to talk about something that I have never, ever discussed on my blog before.

It has been burning in my brain...

WHEN will I bring this up?

WHEN will I let the people who read my blogs (some of my great friends!) know about this part of my life? WHEN will I share this part of me?

See, it was NEVER a question of IF I share this all with you. It's always been a question of WHEN.

Why? Well, as an accident, this blog has become my baby. It's become a huge part of my life. Something that I love to do and a hobby that I don't know how I've lived without. I've made friends with girls who I never would have known if it weren't for our blogging connection.

I digress.

What I'm going to share with you today is about my health.

A few months back, I started to not feel well...all the time. I was exhausted, I had regained some of weight that I had lost, my body was constantly aching and paining, I just never felt "good" or even "okay", honestly.

I let things go thinking it was winter blues, seasonal depression, just being out of shape. I ignored it.

I ignored it until I passed out on my apartment floor while getting out the door to work one morning. That day I went to Urgent Care & had my blood work done, had tests done...the works. They found nothing except for nothing that I was (somewhat) vitamin D deficient and my liver count was slightly elevated.

I started taking supplements, didn't feel any better but life was...live-able...I could get by.

That was until one morning. I woke up very, very early (I estimate it was about 4AM because I fell asleep with HGTV on in the background and it was on infomericals when I woke up sooo...) and stumbled into the bathroom where I proceeded to get violently ill and smack my head on the toilet before collapsing to the ground.

Flash forward to HOURS later. I start to wake up to hearing a man's voice loudly say "HELLO! HELLO?! JENNY?!" Of course, starting to come to, I panicked. I opened my eyes when someone touched my back and woke up to my mom and dad in my apartment, standing over me while I was laid out on my bathroom floor. I freaked out even more. It was 12:30pm and I had been lying on the bathroom floor (asleep or passed out- not sure) for the past 8 or so hours. EIGHT HOURS.

Of course, at this point I was completely a mess. Since I never made it into work that day- luckily, my manager called my mom at work saying that I had never come into work that day and asking if she had heard from me. Everyone, coworkers and my family, knew that I had been having some "fainting spells" so it freaked all of us out.

My mom took me to emergency room right away where they gave me ALL sorts of tests. I checked out fine! CT scan was good, tilt table tests were good, I had all the feeling in my fingers and toes, my EKG was fine, blood test was again normal. There wasn't anything that they could see wrong with me. I was grateful. Grateful that there was nothing GLARINGLY wrong. Grateful that there was nothing that the doctors seemed to worried about.

I resumed life as normal. Living a bit more cautiously than your average 25 year old, checking in with friends/family at all hours of the day and night & trying to eat healthily and take my supplements.

I was just so exhausted.

I was physically (and emotionally!) in so much pain.

Several times I got up from my bed or the couch, I fell to the ground. It was like I couldn't rest my body weight on my legs.

I knew something was off- I just couldn't figure out what it was.

I was referred to a neurologist to further asses my situation. I visited a local doctor (I was able to get in very quickly) and he evaluated everything that was going on. He preformed a lot of the same tests as the ER doctors and once again, I was fine. A-okay! He told me that more than likely, I was suffering from one of two things- migraines or Epileptic Seizures.

Talk about a moment that I freaked out. Not only were these two conditions on two opposite ends of the spectrum...what if I did have epilepsy?!

I was stressed. I still didn't feel well. I was still one giant mess. I tried the migraine medicines that they had given me during one of the "spells" and it did not help at all. In fact, it made me feel worse and even more unstable.

I had my EEG done, waited two weeks, went back to the doctor...where he told me nothing was wrong. I didn't have any unusual brain activity during my EEG that would lead them to believe I had seizures. I hadn't been able to alleviate my symptoms with the migraine medication. I hadn't passed out in over two weeks. His exact words were "You're probably just a fainter...ha, you could put that on a resume!" Yeah, great.

I left the doctor fuming. I was trying SO hard to be positive. To be happy that there was nothing more serious going on. I just couldn't shake the feeling though, that there was something more. I know my body and I knew it wasn't acting normal. Things just weren't right! I was still tired, fatigued, stressed and in extreme pain.

It was all I could do to get up, go to to work, come home and go back to bed. I felt absolutely horrible. The more I thought about it the more stressed I became. The more stressed I became...the worse I felt. It was a viscous cycle.

I was irritated that I was living in fear of having another "episode" where I passed out. I was upset that my quality of life was suffering. I was frustrated that I kept throwing money at doctors but still couldn't find help.

A few weeks after the neurologist, I went to my mom's general practitioner to have a complete physical blood work, etc. I told her all my symptoms, my whole story and what I was currently feeling. Much to my surprise...she was extremely helpful. She listened. She cared. She wanted to make me feel better.

She handed me a picture of a human body, had me draw on it where I was having pain and once we started to review where I felt pain- it was in all of the almost exact trigger points for Fibromyalgia pain.

I had done a lot of research online. I had read about Fibro, but, I didn't think that could be the root of all the evil going on in my body.

To be safe, she still ran several blood tests to make sure that I had no other serious conditions, checked my thyroid but of course, just like every time before that one, my blood came back perfectly fine.

As she was just a GP, she didn't feel comfortable officially diagnosing me with Fibromyalgia and definitely didn't want to give me any medication for it.

I was worried. I was freaked out. I was relieved.

I was so happy that SOMEONE finally listened to me. SOMEONE finally helped me to find a path to feeling better. I was still scared, but, I felt like there was hope.

This doctor referred me to another doctor (if you're keeping track I think we're on to doctor number 5 at this point... I should have made this a drinking game!) This time I would see a Rheumatologist who would ultimately determine if I was or was not suffering from Fibro.

I was so lucky. I called the doctor on a Thursday (March 28th to be exact) and they were able to squeeze me in for an appointment the next morning (March 29th) which I already had off from work.

I got to the office super early- 7:30am (earlier than I'm typically at work)- and sat anxiously awaiting the doctor.

Sitting with the doctor, I explained (yet, again) all of my symptoms. I told her what every doctor I had been to had said. She touched my "trigger points" and I winced with each motion of her hand. My eyes welled up with tears of just feeling horribly. She soothed me.

Eventually, she stopped touching me (I WAS SO GLAD) and she told me that yes, it did look like I had fibromyalgia- fibro as I call it.

As she told me all the symptoms, it just clicked in my head. There was a "reason" behind all of my feeling horribly for the past 3 months.

While, the fibro didn't exactly solve the problem of or answer the question of "being a fainter"- that symptom had since stopped and wasn't as severely concerning me. I read a lot about "stress fainting and/or seizures" and think maybe that was the culprit (who knew stress has a negative effect on your quality of life?!).

Maybe it was the severe pain from the fibro. No one is too sure- I'm certainly not.

So, now I've been diagnosed. I've been offered medication...and I'm sitting here thinking...where do I go from here? What's next? How will I let this NOT control my life and everything about it? How will I manage this (at the young age of 25) for the rest of my life?!

A million thoughts swirled around in my head, followed by a million Google searches, followed by many restless nights.

Why share this now? What made me bring this up at this point in my life? Well, May 12th is Fibromyalgia national awareness day. So, I've decided to spend May doing a few things...

First, I'm going to be, obviously, sharing about this part of life with you all.

I've also decided that I want to KNOW more about what I can do for me.

Thankfully, the internet has provided us with countless resources to learn about things we otherwise may not have known. I've decided to take a bit more control of my life and learn about other ways that I can care for me.

How am I doing? What am I doing? How am I treating myself? What's next? Every Tuesday in May, I'm going to be sharing what I find with you! I hope that you'll support in me in the month of May to make myself, and others, more aware of Fibromyalgia and all that it entails!

Oh, and if you read to the end...all these details of my long strange trip...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love, love, love y'all.

Back To Life

2013-05-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all!

Well, here were are. Monday...again. Is it just me or do the weeks seem to be getting longer and longer but each weekend flies by more quickly than the last?

Yeah, I figured it wasn't just me! I feel like that happens when the weather warms up!

I'm BACK to BLOGGING this week! I hope you all enjoyed my lovely guest posters last week! They are some of the sweetest girls and I'm so grateful that they all agreed to post for me! It was SO NICE to have their posts, my tweets and everything planned out a week in advance. It was one less thing to stress about- that's for sure!

(Speaking of last week! There are still two giveaways going on at my blog! Check them out here and here to get your entries in!)

Well, this week ahead...it's going to be a tough one. I'm going to survive it. I'm going to make it through. I just know that it isn't going to be easy. I'm facing some challenges in my work life (may or may not discuss these someday...) and it's going to be a hard week for me, work wise.

That said- I feel like I need my {5 for Five} in a BIG WAY this week! When I get stressed, emotional, worn down, fatigued, you name it!- it becomes really challenging for me not to wake up just barely in time to get to work, make it through the work day, come home and crawl back into bed. It's just what I do. It's my 'defense mechanism.'

I'm determined that I will NOT have one of those "just getting barely getting by" weeks, though. I'm not. I'm going to have a thoughtful, successful and motivated week.

Won't you join sweet, sweet Jessica and I in our {5 for Five} linkup?! We'd love to have you!
Just grab a button, write up your goals for the week ahead and link up with us below!

New here and want to know more about {5 for Five}? Check out Jessica's great post on on it here! Just promise me you'll come back to my little ole blog when your done checking out hers!

{5 for Five}

1) Find a positive thought, quote or mantra to focus on every day.

Thanks to Pinterest...finding these quotes are NOT that hard. I want to have a thoughtful & focused day every day this week!

2) Be in bed by 10pm every night- no exceptions!

I really need to do a better job of sleeping 10pm-7am with no naps, no sleeping in and no getting to bed late!

3) Complete 3 days of Couch to 5K.

Plain & simple...I'm trying to bring cardio into my life! I need it..badly.

4) Drink 2 Herbalife Shakes a day.

I'm on a mission to loose some weight- shed it finally!- so I'm planning to do 2 meal replacement shakes a day.

5) Be up by 7am daily.

I need to be at work earlier than I have been. I want time to get up, drink one of my shakes, get ready for work and be at the office with some time to spare. It's just a good practice to get in to!

Well, that's my week & what I'm striving for! Help me out with my goals! Tweet me, comment on my posts, email me...check in to make sure I'm doing these 5 things that I've said I'm going to do! I'm counting on YOU to keep me accountable!

Have a great, great, great day & I'll see y'all tomorrow!

Best Week...EVER!

2013-05-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends!

How were your weeks?!
I hope that everyone had great ones!

So, every week I really, really hope that you'll join Ricci, Allie and I for the Weekly What linkup..but..this week I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hoping that you'll link up with us!

If you've been reading my blog at all this week, you know that I've been away this week and haven't had time to catch up on my blogs! My bloglovin reader count is at an all time high & I'm planing to spend some time being lazy, drinking coffee and reading blogs this weekend!

So, won't you make it easier for me & linkup so I'll have all of your posts from the week in one place?! I think it sounds like a LOVELY idea!

Grab a button and join in the fun!

I started off the week with some inspiration from Nikki! She shared some great pins to motivate us for the week ahead- I also hosted the {5 for Five} linkup...which I can't wait to get back into next week!

Ms. Megan stepped in to talk about ~~her~~ our love for planners! Yes, multiple planners- this is one of the MANY reasons I love her. Also, she even gave you the chance to win a planner {of one of our favorite brands!} of your very own!

In celebration of May Day, the lovely Jessica took over my blog! She shared about some of the FABULOUS things that are going on in the month of May! Check it out...you may have some of it to look forward to, too!

Jane and I hosted a really, really exciting (if I do say so myself...) giveaway for y'all! We teamed up to bring you a brand new blog design of your very own!

I turned the blog over to Rebekah who shared some fabulous makeup and skincare tips with y'all! I grabbed a lot of ideas from this post & I'm sure that y'all did, too!

What did YOU blog about this week?!
Linkup & let us know!

Have a fabulous weekend, dear friends!

Making Up is Hard To Do

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Morning Lovely Friends!
HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today is THE LAST day of my trip which means I get to come home today! YAY! For YOU it means that you get to have one more fabulous guest poster from me this week!

Rebekah from All That Glitters is taking over my blog today and y'all will just LOVE her. I know you will! Me? I'm counting down the days until I get to meet sweet Rebekah for Bloggy Bootcamp- Charlotte! So close!

Enjoy reading some fabulous skincare and makeup tips from Rebekah! Make sure you check out her blog and leave her some love!

Hey Party of One readers! Isn't Jenn the BEST?! She's so hilarious & super sweet all at the same time! She is going to be out of town for a bit, so I'm going to take over today & hopefully share some fun ideas with you about one of my favorite past times...MAKEUP! And I will include some skincare, too! Oh, and btw, I'm Rebekah & I blog over at All That Glitters. Three things you should know about me: I LOVE Pink, I LOVE Glitter, and I am southern to a T!

I live in a part of the US where there is 100% humidity just about every day starting in March and going through September. That pretty much screams streaky foundation & eyeliner/mascara that runs. It can be a disaster really. Well, not that I am old or anything, but it has taken all my 25 years on this great Earth to figure out what makeup works & what makeup does NOT work.

First, I HAD to find an everyday skincare routine that works. I am stressed in pharmacy school 24/7, so I tend to get a couple of random breakouts (nothing exceptional), but I like to minimize those by using Clinique's 3-step system twice DAILY. (Let's be honest, I'm lucky to do it once daily!)

My skin: Combination II. This is determined by my loves at Clinique & means that at the end of the day I have an oily t-zone but dry, tight cheeks. (In the winter I have to have some extra moisturization, but that's common.)

Step 1: Cleanse

Step 2: Exfoliate

Step 3: Moisturize

*Now this was for my skin, so I don't know what yours would be! BUT Clinique is awesome to help you pick out stuff at their counters!*

Next, foundation/concealer is the key. BUT where do you start? Liquid, mineral, powder, BB cream, CC cream! It can be crazy! But here's what I've found that combats humidity & stays on well:

1. Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation

2. Clinique Blended Face Powder

3. Benefit Fake Up Concealer

Next up: Bronzer & Blush! I use an all-over face bronzer followed by one of two blushes.

VS Baked Mineral Bronzing Powder

This provides just enough color without looking orange. It also brightens my face to make me not look as washed out & tired.

Stila Convertible Color Blush

Yes, the color is WOW. But it changes shade to match your face. Pretty scientific ;) Now this blush I would not wear with bright pink shirts, because it's just too much...that's where this comes in...

Nars Blush

I'm intentionally not putting the name of the blush on here...but it's the top left. You'll see why! But for real, this is the perfect everyday blush!

Lastly: my favorite: EYES! I like to blaze through my makeup routine & spend some time on eyes. That's the fun part :) Since this is made to be an everyday makeup routine post, I'll show you what I wear everyday to class. BLAH!

1. Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

2. Benefit BADgal Waterproof Eyeliner

3. Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara

The Naked2 palette is awesome & totally worth the money. You can mix & match colors and it will last forever! And this eyeliner & mascara is so great that you will have to use an eye makeup remover to get it off! NO running in the humidity or rain! THANKS Benefit!

I hope y'all have enjoyed getting a peak into my makeup bag & seeing what my skincare routine is like each day! I would be happy to talk to any of you about any of these products! Just send me an email at rebekahelizblog (at) gmail (dot) com! And don't forget to come check out my blog!

Thanks to the lovely Jenn for having me! AND I can't wait to meet you SO soon!

Designer Style

2013-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

HAPPY THURSDAY!

We've ALMOST made it through the week- thank goodness!!

Today, I have a VERY special treat for y'all! First, take a look around my blog. See the gorgeousness that is my blog design?! (Yes, I can say that- I didn't create it!) It was designed by my dear friend Jane who recently opened up a blog design shop of her very own- Poppiness Designs!

Well, I was lucky enough to WIN this custom design! I'm so glad I won, though, I was planning on 'employing' Jane to design my blog even if I didn't win. THAT is how much I loved her stuff & how much I adore HER, too.

I loved her design so much...I just HAD to purchase a twitter design, facebook cover photo AND business card designs from her, too.

Okay, enough of my rambling. Check out what Jane has to say below! Make sure you pay close attention....you could have a chance to win a new blog design, too... #justsaying.

Love y'all!!

Hi lovelies over at Party of One! I'm Jane and I blog over at Poppiness. Jenn was sweet enough to let me take over her blog today! I call Hawaii home, with my wonderful husband and two rescue dogs. It's always an adventure. His deployment lead me to blogging and my love of blogging lead me to my newest venture, Poppiness Designs!

Blog design was always a passion of mine from day 1 when I took hours to try and figure out how to make my blog pop. After hemming and hawing for a couple years I finally decided to nurture this passion and see where it could go. I took some graphic and web design classes and opened up my doors in February.

It's been such a blast! I've gotten to work with some of my favorite bloggers, like Jenn!

For being so awesome, Jenn teamed up with me to give away a full custom blogger design for one of her awesome readers!

Enter below for your chance to win a FREE blog makeover by Jane! a Rafflecopter giveaway

May Day, May Day!

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Ya'll!

As I shared yesterday, I'll be turning over my blog to a bunch of lovely, lovely guest posters this week while I'm out of town for work!

Today you have the pleasure of hearing from Jessica from Fantastically Average. She's the best! I know that a lot of y'all know her already because she co-hosts the {5 for Five} linkup with me every Monday!

Make sure you go check out her blog after you read what she has to say! Have a wonderful Wednesday, actually, May Day (!) and I'll talk to y'all soon!

Hi, friends of Jenn! I'm Jessica, and I blog at Fantastically Average - I blog about my life, which is (as the title of my blog implies) average, but pretty darn fantastic at the same time!

Me, husband Andrew, and our dog Avery.

I'd love it if you stopped by sometime to say hello. Especially on a Monday... which is when Jenn and I host our weekly 5 for Five linkup!

If you've been reading Jenn's blog for a while, you probably already know all about this, and hopefully you've joined in, too! And now that I've promoted our blog baby, I can move on with the guest post.

Today is May Day, which is a day to celebrate spring.

When I was in college, my sorority would give flowers to the other sorority to celebrate May Day. Since I no longer have a "flower budget" (yes, we actually had one of those), I'm going to celebrate today by making a list of all the things that I'm looking forward to in the month of May:

It's the last full month of the school year! All of my fellow teachers are doing a happy dance, too.

It's also my last full month in North Carolina. My husband and I will be moving in the fall, so I'm heading to California to spend the summer with my family in San Diego.

The return of So You Think You Can Dance. Tuesday, May 14th, on Fox. Get ready.

source

Mother's Day is coming up! I love my mom.

Bloggy Boot Camp is also this month. I am SO excited to meet Jenn and many other amazing bloggers in person at this conference in Charlotte! Jenn, Allie, and I are going to be hotel roomies, and I cannot wait. It's going to be legen-wait for it-dary.

source

Good movies will be returning to theaters. I'm ready for some summer blockbusters! Especially The Great Gatsby in just 9 days!

source

Memorial Day. America, grilling out, and a day off of work. What more can a girl ask for?

So grab your Maypole, dance around it, and get excited, because this month is going to be AMAZING! What are YOU excited for?

Oh, and before I go... thanks so much for having me, Jenn!! I can't wait to meet you in person in about two weeks! Everyone else - I'm looking forward to meeting you online! And if you'll be at Bloggy Boot Camp, too, make sure you come by and say hi to me!!

"I'm a Planner Person..."

2013-04-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday, my friends!! I'm currently en route to Orlando to go spend my next 3 days sitting in conference rooms & freezing my butt off while wishing I was actually ENJOYING sunny Florida! Don't feel too badly for me. There will be some downtime in the sun. Since what I'm doing is ~~so not at all~~ NOT exciting, I've got some FABULOUS guest posts lined up for the next few days! Ya'll are in for a REAL treat this week...with a couple giveaways popping up- what?! To start off the fun week.... I have my great friend Megan form Growing Up Is Actually Kind of Fun! taking over for me today!

Love, love, love Megan & I know you will too! I don't know HOW we "met" but Megan was one of the first bloggy friends that I ever made. She and I share a love of all things discounted & organized. Yes, she and I both have MULTIPLE planners...it's a common bond I'm so glad we share!

Oh, you love planners too?! Well, PERFECT. You must continue reading. And make sure you check out Megan's blog. I don't know about you, but spring is always one of those times of year where I want to purge stuff and get organized with my life. Maybe it's because the sun is finally out and the temperatures are rising, or maybe the "spring cleaning" bug is a real thing. Spring cleaning to me means more than just cleaning the house. It's getting rid of things, re-evaluating my workout plan and finding something to train for, checking out how well I've been eating and cooking for B and myself, making sure we're still on budget with our finances, and the like. I like keeping my house and my life as organized and uncluttered as possible, but sometimes I need help.

I've said it before, and I'll say it forever. I'm a planner person. I have MULTIPLE planners floating around for different aspects of my crazy life. I have to write things down or I'll forget them. And this isn't just datebook planners. It's meal planners. It's workout notebooks. It's everything. This means I need cute notebooks to compartmentalize my life, and that can get expensive. And then one day Jenn introduced me to MayBooks. Cute, soft cover notebooks of various themes for an incredibly affordable price. And they are completely customizable. I have collected multiple at this point for various reasons.

Here's how I use all of my MayBooks: * Work Planner * Since I'm the sole athletic trainer for a 5A high school, I have a LOT of games to cover. This helps keep me straight! * Calorie Journal * It's discreet and not as complicated as an online one. You just track what you've eaten, how much water you drink, and your exercise. It's a good basic tool for food-journaling. * Meal Planner * I love how this has a week long menu on one side and a grocery list on the other to make shopping trips easy * Exercise Notebook * I am NOT creative when it comes to my workouts, so I find ones I like from past bootcamp classes, Pinterest, etc and store them here for easy access. I keep this in my gym bag. * Flat Note Cards * Perfect for thank you notes and quick hellos! They also have budget planners, address books, wedding diaries, baby diaries, and plain blank/lined/dotted notebooks. This company is great, and they ship quickly too! And because I love them, I want you to have a chance to work with them, too! Just enter via the Rafflecopter below to win a $25 giftcard to May Designs! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Motivational Monday!

2013-04-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday Y'all...said no one...ever!

One positive thing about Monday? It's time to linkup with Jessica and I for {5 for Five}!

Wait, what is {5 for Five} you're asking?!

It's a linkup that Jessica and I host each Monday to encourage ourselves (and y'all!) to set 5 goals to accomplish over the next five days. Typically, I post about last weeks goals, how I did/didn't do & then share the 5 new goals that I have for the week ahead!

This week, though, is a little bit different for me. I'll be out of town for work, traveling and just plain crazy so I've asked some of my blog friends (who you've likely see on my side bar!) to guest post for me.

Well, Nikki (she doesn't know this yet!) is here to provide you all with some MOTIVATION and (p)INSPIRATION for your Monday morning goal setting!

Alright, y'all! Read some inspiring words from my girl Nikki, link up with us for {5 for Five} and have a successful, goal accomplishing filled week!

See you next week to set some new goals for myself!

Hey Friends!

I'm Nikki and I blog over at My Life My Way.

Today I wanna talk about a pin I saw on none other than Pinterest.

This pin got me thinking and I want it to make you think.

Just stop and think about this for a second if you could do anything and NOT fail what would you do?

Powerful right?

We are all afraid to fail but ya know what?
Failure is GREAT!

Failure means we are on the brink of success. With that I challenge you to go out and try something you are afraid to fail at. GO OUT AND SUCCEED!

The Week in Review

2013-04-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all!

I hope that your weekend is off to a fantastic start! It's time for the {Weekly What} with myself, Allie & Ricci!

Just what is the {Weekly What}?! It's a linkup allowing you catch all of us up on your blog posts from the week gone by! It's an easy way to spend some time on the weekend catching up on what you've missed in blogland during the busy work week!

Here is a super quick recap of what I posted about on the blog this week!
Go check out the post to see more details!

On Monday, it was time to link up with Jessica and I for {5 for Five} to set your goals for the week ahead!

I shared with you one of my favorite (and easiest!) adult beverage recipes- The Pink Drink!

By far my favorite post of the week! I shared a little something about the anchor in my life and wished my mom a happy birthday!

The big reveal for the Stepping Into Summer swap I hosted with Ricci, Allie and Brin! Check out the goodies that were swapped!

Friday letters and #backthatazzup!

Enjoy your weekends, ladies! Be sure to link up your weekly recap with us below!

When Google Fails You...

2013-04-26T13:57:00.001-04:00

Thanks for nothing, Google. This post was scheduled to go live HOURS ago...but then again...I did schedule it for 8pm and not 8am....so I guess it's my fault...

I am in a complete fog today.

I feel like I never got to have my caffeine, but, I did....and then some.

Dear Friday,

Oh you. Thanks for FINALLY SHOWING UP again. You took forever and a day to get here. I hope that your counter part "weekend" lasts as long as it took you to get here.

Dear Work,

I have no words. Actually, I have many words..but..I don't want to say them. I hope that next week is good. That's all.

Dear Mom & Dad,

Have a great time at the beach this weekend! I'm so, so jealous.

Dear Candy Crush,

Why are you so addictive? Seriously. I can't stop playing. It's awful/wonderful.

Dear Self,

I'm proud of you for going to Target TWICE this week and not spending everything you have. Way to go. Though I hope you learned that buying clearance gum is typically a bad idea. It tastes bad and makes your desk smell like medicine. Stick to the full price.

Dear May 17th,

If we could just fast forward to you- I'd be oh so happy. I'm so looking forward to a weekend away, learning and meeting some lovely ladies.

Dear Gym,

I promise...I'll return to you next week...actually the week after. It'll happen eventually. Sooner rather than later as bathing suit season is almost among us.

Dear Cramps,

If you could go easy on me this time...we'd all appreciate that. By we all...I really mean everyone and anyone who has to interact with me. Possibly TMI...

Dear Snapchat,

I'm not sure WHY it took me so long to discover you butttt thanks for making my days better by letting me sending ugly selfies to my blog friends.

Dear Nose,

Feel free to STOP STUFFING UP so that I can breathe.

TMI (again)? Don't care....

Dear Laundry and Suitcase,

If you could DO yourself and PACK yourself that would be cool. I have no motivation to pack when I'm not even going somewhere exciting.

Thank you to all parties above.

Love,

Jenn

Oh, and don't forget to #Backthatazzup with Whitney Yoga Pants because it's Friday and...why WOULDN'T you want to #backthatazzup?

This song is angry....but I promise I'm not.

I don't know what my deal is but I can't get enough of Alanis Morsiette lately. It's part weird but I'll be honest, it's mostly awesome.

This is not exactly backing that ass up music, but, it's what I want sooooo take it!

You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette on Grooveshark

Happy Weekend, Y'all.

The Big Reveal!

2013-04-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all!

So, today is the BIG REVEAL of the "Stepping into Spring Swap" with me, Ricci, Allie & Brin!

So, I had a FABULOUS partner. Someone I consider to be a close bloggy friend...but...real life got the best of us (it happens!) and BOTH of our packages are delayed. I felt horrible! It's always better, though, when you BOTH delay!

Love, Love, Love Elle & I'm SO sorry that I didn't get my act together sooner. You WILL have a package from me soon if it's not there already- PROMISE!

Hopefully, you got your package last week or this week! If not, NO WORRIES. We'll have the linkup open ALL week! You can link up anytime from now until next Thursday.

We can't wait to see what goodies you got! I know I've seen some pretty fabulous things out there! Can't wait for the reveals!

My Anchor

2013-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

"Be The One To Guide Me But Never Hold Me Down"

Today is the birthday of my anchor.

She has been there more times for me than I can even begin to count.

She has loved me through my craziness.

She has taught me to be strong and stand firm but has given me the gift of love and compassion

She's the woman who gave me the smile that people remember.

She walks into her job and makes people smile just by smiling herself.

She's the one who befriends the custodians and the lunch ladies at the school.

She's the one who talks to strangers in public.

She introduces herself to the lady in the restaurant who "looks like someone I went to high school with!"

She's the one who will bend over backwards for me.

She's the one who has shown me tough love and told me to "put the phone down."

She's also the one who welcomed me back into her home (more than once) with open arms.

She is the one who tells me that my roots are showing, that those jeans are too tight, that I have too much makeup on or that my hair needs to be washed.

She's the one who comforts me when I cannot be consoled. She's the one who accompanies me to the doctor because I can't do it alone.

She's the one who has encouraged me to go, do and try but loved when I came back.

She's my best friend.

She's my rock.

She's my mother.

Dear Mom,

Happy 50th Birthday!

I'm only telling people how old you are because you don't look 50. Also, because people say that you're pretty young to have such an old daughter- I think that's an insult to me, but, I'll accept it as a compliment to you.

Thank you for encouraging me to try new things, taken new risks and to spread my wings. When things fall apart and my life was a mess- thank you for letting me run home.

Thank you for all of the times that you've talked me down. I just know that if it weren't for you, I'd have gone FULL crazy by now.

Thank you for being my best friend. For being fun and silly with me, for letting me tell you everything...all the gross stuff that no one really wants to hear too.

Thank you for consoling me so much (and I'm just talking about years 16-25...).

Thank you for giving me a heart to help others, a heart that loves deeply and a heart that does silly things to encourage other people.

Thank you for going through everything you have been through so that you can help me through my turn.

Thank you for encouraging me to pray/making me pray/praying for me...even when I really don't want to.

Thank you for being the mom, wife and friend that I want to be.

I am so happy to be home to celebrate with you this year. I look forward to Mexican tonight...and no, you cannot drink that margarita!

I love you, momma.

Happy Birthday.

That Pink Drink

2013-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all!

I'm so excited to linkup with my sweet, sweet friend (and my first ever blate!) Nicole for her 'Cocktail Week' that she's hosting!

When I saw her announcement about Cocktail Week last week- I just knew it was something that I had to join in on!

Today, I thought I'd share with y'all a yummy recipe that I shared over on Kim O's blog a few weeks back.

It's what I like to call The Pink Drink.

This recipe is one of my MOST FAVORITE drinks. I make it on special occasions, when I need a nightcap...anytime really! It's a great beverage because you can make it single serving which I love!

The recipe?!
SUPER easy...3 ingredients!

1oz Vanilla Vodka (Whatever brand you enjoy!)

3oz Moscato Wine (Flip Flop is my 'go to' it can be any brand)

1oz Strawberry Soda (Yes, I bought the cheapo soda for this!)

Here's my 1oz of Vanilla Vodak & 3oz of Moscato!

(Y'all, I don't have a jigger to measure alcohol and couldn't find my measuring cup so I was totally eyeballing these measurements! I mayyyyy have been a little 'loose fisted' with my pours!)

Once you've got all your alcohol measured out...give it a good shake!

(Common sense...but...make sure you shake BEFORE you put the soda in. Just saying!)

Pour in your 3 (or so!) ounces of strawberry soda & VOILA you've got yourself THE PINK DRINK !

Now, ENJOY this little delight (and of course, drink it responsibly!)

FYI- this recipe was adapted from here. I must give credit where credit is due!

(A few months back- in the fall actually!- Kim did a FANTASTIC guest post for me on Apple Cider Sangria so if you're looking for another yummy drink post check that one out here!)

Thanks to Nicole for a fabulous idea!

Oh, and I'm also joining the lovely Stephanie and Chelsee for my first time linking up with...

Go check it out for more fun recipes and party ideas!

Have a great day, lovelies!

Starting Over...again...

2013-04-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hey Y'all!

Happy (is there even such a thing?!) Monday!

I hope that you all had fabulous weekends! I'm back form my (semi) blogging hiatus and I'm feeling refreshed, rejuvenation and that bought of writer's block that I was dealing with...gone! You can expect me to be fully present in the blog world this week! I'm HAPPY to be back!

Since it has to be Monday (blah) at least there is one good thing happening today! It's time to link up with Jessica and myself for the weekly {5 for Five}!

New around here or just want to learn a little more about what this weekly linkup is all about?! Check out Jessica's recap here. We really hope you'll set some goals, grab a button and link up below!

So, since I was around last week I don't have any updates to report or successes/failures to share with you. Sometimes, though, that's okay. It's nice to just START fresh and clean. Brand new slate and a chance to succeed in the week ahead!

These goals may seem a little bit familiar- yes, I'm pulling them from the week before last! While mundane and on a little bit of repeat- they are great goals for me!

This week I will...

1) Be up at 7:30am (or earlier!) every day this week!

I'm giving myself a little extra time on the days that I don't necessarily NEED to be up earlier.

2) Make it to a yoga class this week!

I'm going to make this happen! I need it!

3) Some sort of cardio 3x this week!

Again, I've just got to make this happen. It shouldn't be so hard to find 90 minutes out a WHOLE WEEK to dedicate to "me time" at the gym.

4) Find a positive quote or thought to reflect on every day this week.

I need to keep my chin up and my thoughts happy, cheerful and motivational.

5) NO NAPS after work this week!

My sleep schedule has been all messed up lately. I'm deciding no naps because I'm SURE that'll get me back on the right track. This kind of goes with 1, 2 and 3 too! If I'm going to the gym after work then I won't be coming home and napping...and I'll be able to sleep better at night meaning I'll be able to get up earlier in the morning!

So, what are you striving for this week? How can I encourage you to accomplish your goals?! Link up and share! We look forward to reading your posts!

Weekend Reading

2013-04-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Weekend, Friends!

I hope that y'all have had FABULOUS weeks. You may be wondering why the hell I'm linking up for the Weekly What when I haven't posted but once, well twice, this week. Yeah, me too....

Kidding!

I'm doing things a little bit differently this week! I figured I'd give you a chance to read something good this week, so, instead of linking up MY posts from the week- I'm going to share with you some of my favorite posts from my lovely blog friends this week!

Jessica, sweet, sweet Jessica held the fort down on Monday for {5 for Five} since her (bad!) co-host was not on her game this week.

Rebekah shared about her (and Ricci's!) Sunday Funday!

One my most favorite blogs to read is BACK in action! Jade got real on Tuesday. It was deep, it was thought provoking and it was so, so good.

Jane celebrated her blogiversary! She's giving away a sweet prize to one lucky reader, too! Go check it out for sure! Oh and while you're there, make sure to look at her new design company. (She did this one!)

Oh, it was time for the infamous ODE (Online Dating Exposed) with Allie. Seriously- you must read this post. You'll even get to see one winner that I passed on the opportunity to go out with....

This post made me cry. It was the sweetest and so heartfelt. Nikki shared some 'signs' that make up such a touching story. Heartwarming read- that is for sure.

Melissa shared an amazing sounding recipe. Get this....Feta & Sundried Tomato Pringles. WHAT?! You KNOW that I'll be trying this out sometime soon. YUM.

My sweet friend Ricci talked about contentment. This post seriously hit home with me...and I don't know a 20 or early 30 something that this post wouldn't touch. It seriously got the wheels spinning in my {little} brain and I walked away with A LOT to think about!

Beer for wine lovers?! WHAT?! Megan talks about what us wineos might enjoy in a good beer! This girl knows here beer so I totally trust her...and might even given one of these a try this weekend!

Um, as a side note...I 'discovered' some pretty fantastic 'new to me' blogs this week, too! I'd HIGHLY recommend you get yourself on over to That's What She Read and Hang on Honey. These two girls? Wonderful!

What are you waiting for?! Link up your Weekly What post with us and THEN go read all these fabulous posts by some incredible ladies!

Have a fabulous weekend, lady loves!

Goodbye Sweet Molly Girl

2013-04-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a quick break from my 'blog break.' (Confused? Yeah, me too.)

This blog has forever been my outlet. My journal. Where I document day to day things. It's not novel or important. It's about what's going on with me.

I knew that I needed to pay tribute to my sweet dog through this outlet. For whatever reason, it provides some kind of closer and some sort of "time capsule" for all of the emotions I'm feeling right now.

The world got a whole lot less sweeter yesterday afternoon when my sweet, sweet dog Molly was laid to rest. I never understood the pain of loosing a pet or someone who was so much apart of my family- not until yesterday.

Molly lived a LONG life- she was almost 15 years old! We adopted her my freshman year of high school. She made the journey with my family all up and down the East Coast. She visited more states than a lot of dogs ever do- she was a traveling dog, that's for sure!

ONE of my many memories of Molly always makes me laugh. For a while, we were living a in small space while waiting to move into our new house. My brother and I were in school all day and my parents were at work all day so we needed Molly to have some sort of space to run around. She attended "Doggy Day Care" every day for those few months. At the end of each day when we picked her up, they would give us a 'report card' on how she did that day. She was always very, very good except for one day. That day her report card documented that she had been good- but- the firemen had to come...because Molly had jumped up & pulled down on the fire alarm.

That story always makes me laugh.

She was a huge part of our family and will never, ever be replaced.

I know that MANY of you have already seen this through Instagram, Facebook and text message...and I THANK YOU for being such a support to me & for all of your kind words. I'm blessed beyond belief.

Love you, Molly Girl. Enjoy your peace in Doggy Heaven!

Adios & Vaya Con Dios

2013-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've decided to take an impromptu blog writing hiatus this week.

I'll be back- don't you worry- probably next week, but, for this week...I just need to spend some time off the computer and in real life.

Sometimes, we have to step back and live. Right now, it's just what I need to do.

I've got about 10 million thoughts running through my head and I just need some time to process.

(source)

Talk to y'all next week- or before!

Adios & Vaya Con Dios