Weekend Recap!

Helllllooooo my darlings!!! I trust all of you had a splendid weekend?! For those who commented on Friday's post about my dog bite, I promise, promise, promise I will respond soon and I am not ignoring y'all!!! Life is getting busy with the increasing warm temperatures and home improvement tasks and I can honestly say I did not check my e-mail once this weekend! I did instagram per the usual so here's a recap of our weekend through my IG photos!

Friday evening was our typical relaxing evening in! When I got home I headed to the gym to get in a hard workout! I clocked a one mile run on the treadmill, one mile on the elliptical, and three miles on the bike! I then came home and made Poppyseed Chicken {minus the poppyseeds because we were out of them} while the hubs spent the evening doing an online driving improvement course {Can we say too many speeding tickets?!}. After dinner, Baby Reef crashed, the hubby studied and then studied some more, and I got started on painting some wine glasses! It's funny how Friday nights are so different than they were several years ago! I certainly wouldn't trade them now for anything.

Our Friday Night! 

Saturday, the hubby woke up early to cover some more driving improvement lessons. While he studied, I went for a refreshing one mile run. Early afternoon consisted of going to watch the hubby coach a baseball game! Sadly I didn't take any photos! I took Baby Reef and while he was on his best behavior and I was so proud of him for being calm, keeping my full attention on him made it hard to whip out the camera and take photos of the game! 

The hubby and I decided after the game that we would treat ourselves to dinner out which we hadn't done since February {due to lots of family get togethers}. We had a gift card to a somewhat new restaurant in my hometown, Suffolk, named Harper's Table! It was a super cute place and the food was amazing!!! We started with Pork Belly Biscuits and shared a Fuji Apple Salad. For our entrees Todd had the Sea Scallops with roasted cauliflower, thompson raisin puree, pecans and brown butter and I had the Chesapeake Bay Flounder with fennel, new potatoes, peas and a chorizo vinaigrette and we shared a side of hand cut fries & bacon mayonnaise! For dessert we had a homemade donut with a maple glaze and buttermilk ice cream and corn pudding! It sounds like A LOT of food but they are smaller portions which I love {not tapas small but the correct portion small}! This restaurant reminded me of the restaurants we ate at while in Charleston, SC last summer! I loved everything about it and the fact that I felt as though I was on a mini vacation but I was only thirty minutes from my home! After dinner we came home and crashed from a legit food coma! 

Beautiful Morning sky during my Saturday morning run! 

When renovating and creating Harper's Table, they found this original painted ad that was covered up by a border wall! 

Yesterday, we slept in a bit later than I would have liked, however I know I needed the extra sleep! One thing I love about my hubby is that he is a master breakfast chef! He can whip up any breakfast related dish and it's always fantastic! He treated me to fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and bacon! The pancakes were to die for! Seriously, I'm not sure if it's because I haven't had any in some time, but holy moly they were amaze balls!

This is the hubby's plate as I devoured my pancakes before even thinking about snapping a photo! 

After our late breakfast, the hubby headed to take his driver improvement test! This allowed me to start working on things around the house: laundry, dusting, straightening up, creating the grocery list and starting the removal of the wallpaper border in our kitchen! Once the hubby came back home {with a A on his test} he gave our yard some close attention with some good ole dandy yard work!

Starting to remove the '80s wallpaper border!

Later in the evening, I headed to good ole Harris Teeter to do some grocery shopping and was so excited to pick up some pretty tulips to brighten the coffee table as well as some scrumptious fresh fruit! Strawberries and Watermelon scream warm weather and I love that I can add them to my breakfast routine now!

Watermelon, Strawberries, and Tulips! Gloriousness!

After putting the groceries away we decided to head out for a nice evening walk with Baby Reef! We don't walk him often because in the past he would pull and drag me along {even with the gentle leader} but after seeing how well behaved he was Saturday at the ball game we figured maybe he has matured a bit! To our surprise he most definitely has matured! The walk was great {and over a mile long} and I loved being able to do it as a family! Maybe I will be able to take Baby Reef on my runs here sooner than later! 

What did y'all get into this weekend? It was beautiful here in my area and I'm beyond thankful for it! The house is still a work in progress but I feel accomplished on what we did do this weekend! Here's to more fantabulous weekends! Cheers! XoXo!  

A Bit Distraught!

Bare It All Friday is on hold for today as I am suffering some minor emotional issues! Okay so I'm joking, kind of! If you are a Facebook friend of my personal page or you follow me on Instagram, well than you may know why I'm horrifically scared for life now. If you don't follow me on either, allow me to explain.

Please understand that I am a HUGE dog lover! I am not biased towards dogs, except for my own, but seriously, I love ALL dogs! Teacups and Minis to Huge and Heavy! ALLL dogs! I have never had a bad experience with a pooch. I'm not a fan of barkers and yappers buuut I've never encountered an actual mean vicious pup.... until last night!

I decided that I would take a nice run yesterday evening and forgo the gym since the weather was so nice and I knew today would be rainy. I got my gear on, put my head phones in, start my Nike Running app and got to stepping! Mind you I don't run in my neighborhood. Since we live in a townhouse development it takes close to 3 laps to complete a mile. I HATE running past the same things more than once, so I've been running in the neighborhood behind my own. Lots of streets and different directions to go but they all lead back to the same place. Needless to say I've enjoyed running it A LOT!

I have to cross an elementary school football field and some baseball fields on the way to the neighborhood! Tons of kids and parents out playing on the swing sets, basketball court, and even some baseball games going on at the fields. Once I got to the neighborhood I noticed lots of folks doing yard work, loads of children bike riding, folks walking, I even saw another runner! It was a typical suburban neighborhood on a gorgeous Spring evening! Side Note: I love seeing kids out riding bikes and playing considering it seems so many of them are stuck indoors playing video games on their own iPads!

I decided early on I was only going to run one mile for the evening and at my half way point things took a turn for the worst. I was running, minding my own business, jamming out to Matt & Kim when I noticed up a head a young kid on a bike.... being chased and barked at by a small yippy dog! The kid looked a bit scared, threw his baseball cap at the dog and called out to his dad who was walking up ahead of him. The dog ran off into a yard. I ran by during all of this still minding my own business! All of a sudden I see this little black furry thing dart at me from the corner of my eye. I don't balk at dogs and figured with his size he was harmless and if I just kept running he'd leave me be. Oh how I was wrong. I couldn't hear his yapping as I still had my headphones blaring, but I did see him circle me {and almost trip me} and then I felt it, a sting on my ankle. I thought he was jumping on my leg as I ran and scratched me, so I just kept running. Then I felt it again, a longer drawn out sting, and it hit me, THIS DOG JUST BIT ME! I dropped an f-bomb and stopped to look at it. Blood. Really?! This little pipsqueak dog just bit me and drew blood! I looked up to see a grown man standing in the yard looking at me with this dumbest expression I had ever seen. Seriously it was a "duh da duh" face. Not even trying to retrieve the dog, he proceeds to yell at me "Are you Okay?" in the most unsympathetic way. I responded with "I assume so, hope he's up to date on his shots"! His answer "Oh yea, he is" to which I replied "You better be glad I like dogs"! I continued running and about 30 seconds into it, I started to cry! Not from pain but from utter disbelief! I have NEVER been bitten by a dog or felt threatened by one and here this little 10 pound rat just bit me for no good reason! I cried as I ran and then I cried when I hit my mile mark and began my walk back home!

I really had no idea what to do. After posting about it on Facebook and Twitter people were telling me to report it, but I felt it was silly. The dog was tiny and I felt like I was being a baby about the whole incident, but then I kept thinking about that boy on the bike the dog was chasing after. What if he had been walking?! The dog most certainly would have bit him! I headed to my neighbors house to see what she thought. She suggested just going back to the house and asking to review the dog's rabies records! She then proceeded to clean up my wound and her youngest son, who I like to refer to as my boyfriend, bandaged me up with a little bandaid! Best neighbor award goes to them, no doubt!

After getting my neighbor's advice Todd and I went to the house where this dog lives! I kindly but sternly asked to see the dogs rabies information. From there I learned that the man, who I assumed was the owner,  is not the owner! The man and his wife are staying at the home and caring for his wife's parents who are elderly. The dog apparently belongs to his brother in law who was conveniently not there. The wife went inside to ask her elderly mother where the paper work was, but her parents were apparently asleep. She did say several times that she knows the dog is up-to-date on his shots but that she just doesn't know where her mother keeps the paperwork. She then offered to have the information for me sometime today. I reaffirmed that I would be back later today for the information and that I needed to see it for my own well being! I took down their name, address, and phone number to call later today. After I took their information the husband then chimed in that the dog likes to escape from the house and backyard and that this isn't the first incident this week! Yes, the dog has bit other folks this week!! I don't want to be the reason someone has their dog taken away, but jeeze! To know I'm not the only one he has attacked this week and they aren't watching him more carefully, pisses me off!

By the time it was all said and done I felt it was too late to call the police about it, however, if these people can't supply the shot records to me today, I will be filing a report. Thank goodness I know to take photos and such, as I did after it happened and once it was cleaned up! Regardless of the size of the dog I'm still in shock over it! Part of me really thinks I am "over reacting" that it's just a small peasize dog who has Napoleon syndrome  and whose bite marks look and feel like scratches. The other part of me is like "holy crap I just got attacked by a dog! A freaking dog bit me, while I was running". I think because of this incident I am going to be really apprehensive around dogs for some time. Not around Baby Reef of course, but definitely around strange dogs I don't know. And I won't lie, if he comes at me again while I'm running, I may possibly punt him down the street! I love animals and don't condone cruel behavior towards them but mean dogs like that need a lesson and some home training.

I will of course keep you updated on the outcome of this situation. Meanwhile, check out the mark that little punk left!

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend! XoXo!

Bare It All Friday!

I'm still debating whether I want to start this series or not. It's been in the works for some time now and I'm hoping, that if I stick with it, it will turn into a link up for the rest of you to participate. I'm keeping it solo right now to see how I feel after opening up to all of you on some of my insecurities, fears, doubts, hopes, and dreams. There is a lot I always want to say or explain about myself, but it comes at a cost. The cost of baring it all to the public. Everyone knowing the inner battles I struggle with is not what frightens me, it's more of the judgmental attitudes and scrutinization some will give.

My hope for this series is that it will allow you all to be inspired to always be honest with yourselves! I find, here in blog land, that many writers portray their lives in a certain light, a very positive light, which I think is great! However, for me every now and then, I'd love to see some raw emotion and honesty. That is what I hope to bring to you who come, read, and support my daily rambles. Life isn't always rainbows and butterflies but what is life without storms and rough seas? It's pretty damn boring would you not agree? 

As you all know, if you frequent here a lot, I have really been "working on my fitness" since January! The age of thirty is right around the corner for me. A little over a year and a half if you want the actual countdown! It's scaring the bejibbas out of me and I am noticing changes everywhere in my body! More cellulite, drooping breasts, flabby underarms, and a slew of other things I find disheartening. It's enough to make me want to go get some nips and tucks that's for sure! {side note: Nip/Tuck? Best show there ever was!}

Ever since I was young {as in early elementary school} I was ALWAYS "chunkier" than my peers! I wouldn't say I was fat, but I had a pooch that would put a beer gut to shame. All my peers?! Yea, they had flat little tummies without an ounce of chub! Just call me a cherub! I'm pretty sure my insecurities started at the age! 

Then there was middle school, where I had to change out for gym, in front of other girls, who were all thinner than me. Granted non of us had boobs or anything of the like to which, I'm pretty sure a rumor was started that I stuffed my bra with scrunchies in the 6th grade! Talk about scared for life?! If I still remember it, obviously it did a number on me way back when. 

Next was high school and of course I was still chubbier than all my friends! I was a base on the cheerleading squad for crying out loud. If that doesn't scream, I'm a "bigger" girl, I don't know what does. Although it did mean I was a "strong bigger girl" so that was a tad bit of a confidence booster! It still didn't help however, when I was called a "fat bitch" by certain mean girls. By the way, bullying has been around for years.. it's nothing new! There should have been anti bullying campaigns 10 years ago! As in middle school, if I can remember it, I still have scars from it! The other worse part about high school? I gained the college freshman 15 my senior year, before I ever went to college! 

My original college experience was a great one. Original as in, I did the whole go off to college for a few years thing, but then I transferred to a college closer to my hometown later and no longer lived on campus or close to campus for that matter. More on that in a different post. My first two years were great and bullies didn't exist, BUT the opinions of young men did! It would sting when a potential date would chose the skinny friend over me! I'm pretty sure that during the Spring of my Sophomore year, after going on a low carb diet and losing 20 pounds, one guy in a drunken stupor told me I was not skinny enough for him. This of course  also being after he lead me on for a few weeks! Luckily as a confidence booster I had other guys who were interested, but of course I ruined all of those because, let's be real...what girl wants to date the nice guy who thinks she's beautiful?! None! At that age, we want the douchebag jerk who tells us we aren't good enough! Oh my, if I could have known what I know now! 

I wish I could say since I started dating my now husband and have gotten married that I am comfortable with my body. Honest truth, I'm not! My hubby tells me I'm beautiful and perfect and wonderful and, well I'll spare you the rest of the mushiness. While I would like to believe it all 100%, I don't! My weight has continuously fluctuated since we've been together! Skinny and confident one year, chubby and down the next. This last year is a chubby down year for me as I just can't make myself feel good about my body or appearance! The last time I felt absolutely flawless was my wedding and honeymoon. Why?! Because I was the skinniest I'd been in a very long time! I had a jawline, neck bones, and my stomach was the flattest I think I had EVER seen it. How'd I get to that point?! I took over seas diet pills that you could only order online and that were probably really dangerous for my health. Why not take them again?! 1. I did, you can now get them in the states but the formula has changed to make them legal in the US, and they didn't work. 2. I know that's not the solution for long term healthy living! 

Long term healthy living is my ultimate goal but I do want to lose weight! I know exercise isn't the only way and that diet plays a HUGE role as well! While I haven't turned every meal into rabbit food, I am slowly making some changes! My love for food is a constant battle. I just want to get to where I was 2 years ago! I was happy with my body and how I felt in a swim suit! Now I'm embarrassed to even think about putting one on! I've lost my sexy and I need to bring it back! Even when I did have my sexy back I knew I wasn't as small as my friends and always held on tight to those insecurities when they were around. I still do! I don't know if I will ever truly rid myself of my weight insecurities, if I will ever truly think my body is attractive. Maybe if I went from Carrie Underwood American Idol days to Carrie Underwood now I would love my body, but let's be real, the girl works out like six hours every day! That's unrealistic for my schedule! 

I wanted to share this with you all because it is a very large insecurity that I posses and to let you know that if you feel this way too, you are not alone! I very much feel a lone as many people I know either, lose weight very easily or just don't talk about their insecurities of it! One reason I don't speak much of it is because I don't want to hurt other peoples feelings! There are bigger gals than me who suffer these same insecurities and may look at me like I'm crazy for feeling this way! I know when thinner girls than me talk about themselves being "fat" it makes me want to slap them across the face! HOWEVER, I have to remind myself that we are our own worst critics! I can't judge a thinner girl for having the same insecurity about her body as I have. Just as a larger girl shouldn't judge me for my insecruity. Either way, I wanted you all to know that I am here to listen or offer advice or to be an accountability partner for your workout routine! Support is one of the best ways to reach a mighty goal! 

I really do appreciate y'all reading my blog! It is my goal to help make women feel empowered and stronger as females, individuals, and spouses {married or not} one honest bare boned post at a time!! Thank you for reading today and have a glorious weekend!!! XOXO! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Alrighty loves, I'm not going to lie, this is going to be a short and sweet post! I have my monthly migraine and I'm really just not in the mood for staring at the computer for too long! What am I loving this week?! Certainly not this headache!

1.  I ran 2 miles yesterday! Yes, you read that correctly! I, Lauran, ran two miles, nonstop yesterday! I'm pretty positive that was the first time I've EVER run two miles straight! I may have ran it in high school but I can't remember so it definitely doesn't count! I'm still in utter disbelief but I'm also super proud of myself! On another plus side, my hip isn't bothering me anymore either! Bring on the miles!!! I've already clocked 4 miles total for the 30 Miles in 30 Days link up!

Nike Running App! Some of the red spots signify me running in place for passing traffic or slowing down. I did not stop or walk at all! 

 2. The Dashing Dish Blog! I ran across this blog yesterday while doing some research on "clean eating". This girl has it going on! Loads and loads of amazing recipes and a whole tab dedicated to clean eating! She has the most amazing faith in God and watching her video promo and listening to her story is inspiring!! I can't wait to try some of her recipes and hopefully share them with y'all!

3. The Origami Owl necklace my momma gave me for Easter. Even though I told her I didn't want one she couldn't resist buying one for me and filling it with little treasures! An "L" for my name, a heart to represent her love for me, my birthstone, and a dog paw for Baby Reef! She also added a pearl charm as well! I'm looking forward to filling it with more sentimental goodies!!

My sweet necklace!

4. Baseball is officially back! If you are a fan of baseball you know Monday was Opening Day!! Baseball is HUGE in our home. My husband played his entire life, played in college, and now coaches at his high school! I like to refer to baseball as his "other wife" but when I'm annoyed with it I'll usually refer to it as his "mistress"! From now until the playoffs in October, some kind of game will be on nightly. It's such a familiar sound; announcers, the cracks of bats, and the roar of the crowd! I'm praying the Braves have a great season and I foresee they will with the Upton brother's joining the roster this year! You know they are from my neck of the woods right?! That makes me love them even more!!!

5. The home next door to us and the home two doors down are for sale! I hope I don't have to eat these words later but I really am excited about the possibility of having new neighbors!! The townhouse next to us has been empty for about two years now. An elderly woman, who was sweet as pie, lived there but she ended up moving in with her daughter and the house has been empty ever since {it's also the house where I scored that awesome vintage tufted ottoman I told y'all about here}. The town home on the other side of that one just went on the market yesterday! That home has been a rental and has seen its fair share of tenants! I'm looking forward to the possibility of some nice young families moving into both of them! Fingers crossed that they will be as awesome as our neighbors across the street! So, who wants to be our neighbors?! Seriously, if you are looking in the Hampton Roads area add them to your list!

For sale signs! Come on and be our neighbors!!!

Happy Hump Day!! I'm off to pop some more exedrin in hopes this headache goes away!!

On a side note, if any of you follow Perfectly Imperfect Jenn than you know she lost her beloved pup child Daisy on Monday! I am planning to do something nice for her to show her that all of her blogging buddies care deeply and are heartbroken for her! If you would like to partake please let me know!!! I'll be putting a group email together to send out the details later this evening!! 

XoXo!

It's Warming Up and So Are My April 2013 Mini Goals!

Greeting April means a plethora of things; warmer weather, opened toe shoes, opened windows, and more mini goals!! I really can't believe we are saying hello to the month of April! It seems just like yesterday we were celebrating New Years! I am beyond excited to see what this month has in store for the hubby and myself, hopefully a list full of completed goals!!

Via

1. Complete at least one Pinterest project that I posted about here! I'm hoping painting the front door will happen this month, however, I have some serious crafting to accomplish for my cousin's Bachelorette festivities at the end of the month. I know I will be busy trying to complete that, so I may work on something a bit smaller that will be easier to tackle and finish! I certainly do not want to set myself up for failure before I even get out of the starting gate!

2. Arrive on time to work, every morning. Y'all know about this goal, so no need to explain! If you are new to the blog you can read about it from March, February, and January! At least I know I'll get there on time this week as it is Spring Break and traffic was a breeze this morning!

3. Buy a scale. We have not had a workable weighing scale in our home since we moved into this house over 3.5 years ago! I don't like weighing myself because I am usually very disappointed by what it tells me! However, I've been working on my fitness since January and I really wish I would have started keeping track of my weight at that point. Now that I have added running into my fitness routine, I really am hoping to see a drop in weight and the only way to track that correctly would be through using a scale! It's not something I hope to use every day, maybe just once a week so I can see a significant change! Anyone recommend a good scale? I haven't done my research yet and would love recommendations!

4. Host at least one family lunch, dinner or activity. I have said it more times than I can count, how hard it is to divide time between all of our families. We don't do a lot of random, just because get togethers because there are often birthday celebrations or holiday's traditions we participate in! I wouldn't mind hosting a dinner or lunch for some of the family or even an activity of some sort, like visiting the local zoo! I'll have to get creative on the activity but you get the point!

5. Accomplish the 30 Miles in 30 Days workout plan. Nikki over at The Pink Growl did this last month and I think it's a BRILLIANT idea!! The point is to clock at least a mile a day, whether it's running, biking, walking or the doing the elliptical. If you miss a day or two, you have to make it up in another day! I am reeeeeeally excited about doing this and hope adding this to my fitness routine will help me see more good results with my body, energy levels, and stamina! I've already started clocking miles with running a few days a week but I love the option to use other methods to clock miles as well! I plan on hitting the bike or elliptical after my Pilates class tonight to clock my first mile!



6. Figure out if blogging is really something I want to do and stick with! I'm not going to lie, blogging is exhausting me. I stay up incredibly late creating posts the night before. I mean like midnight to 1 a.m. which has really taken a toll on me! I don't feel like I'm forming solid relationships either, because I can't seem to show many readers and other bloggers the attention they deserve! It's hard to juggle this with a full time job and an active home life! Seriously, I'm dying to know how some of you do it, especially those of you with children!! I hope to really reflect on this for April. I don't necessarily want to leave the blogging world, because I do love it, but if I don't learn how to juggle it correctly, I'm going to end up dropping balls in other aspects of my life and I just can't sacrifice those things for this little piece of the Internet world.

7. Start working on renovations in the kitchen. Being that we've been in our home for so long now, I have no idea why we really haven't tried harder to complete the kitchen! It really is the one room in the house where we haven't done ANYTHING, except for replacing the dishwasher and the oven. Our goal is to replace the flooring, refurbish the cabinets, add new hardware, paint the walls, add back splash, install new faucet, purchase a new refrigerator and replace the counter tops! It seems like a lot reading it but our kitchen is small enough that it's not going to be a crazy project to take on, as long as we do one step at time! First step?! Take the hideous 80's wall paper border down!

8. Try harder to prepare better for birthdays and other special events! I will always promise that I will never show up empty handed for a birthday or other special occasion celebration! However, I am HORRIBLE at waiting until the last minute to buy a gift! I would loooove it if I could think so far in advance that we can purchase something more sentimental and personal! I'm a lover of ANYTHING personalized, but I never seem to treat anyone to those kinds of gifts because I'm a crazy procrastinator! I also want to utilize Etsy for more unique and thoughtful gifts as well, which also involves thinking far in advance! I just need to reference my planner more frequently! What's the point of having that if I don't use it?!

9. Develop the attitude of "It is what it is". Here's your shout out Taylor! My little sister and the hubby have this mindset which is very different from my own! I tend to worry about everything, to over analyze everything, and to try and fix everything and sometimes that adds an unnecessary amount of emotional stress to my life! I don't want to adopt this attitude completely, because I feel that my personality allows me to express my compassion on a greater level, but I do want to rid myself of emotional stress beyond my control. It is what it is, there is nothing I can do to change it, therefore I must accept it.

10. Secret goal! As much as I want to share this, for my well being I can't. If things change from this goal I will, without a doubt, publicly tell you about it, but at this moment I have to protect myself and certain parts of my life. I'm including it on this list, because if I write it down, I tend to stick to it!! If your curiosity is getting the best of you and you would like to know what it is, shoot me a comment or email, I'm totally okay with sharing it privately!

As always, some of these are a bit easier than others! I brought a few over from last month but I am really excited to have added some new ones to the list! Any of you trying new goals for the month of April?! I'm looking forward to what this month will bring, including warmer weather, though the forecast for this week isn't looking too swell in the warmth department!

Be sure to check out my April Sponsors to your left in my sidebar!!! I am beyond thrilled to add them to TRYHOSOVA Family!

XoXo!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Howdy Hoo everyone!!! I hope you're having a stellar week so far! I am still trying to figure out how to maneuver through this crazy schedule of mine! Working a full time job, spending time with my little family, working on my fitness, and blogging regularly, as well as trying to do 50 billion other things is starting to take a toll on me! I don't know how some of y'all do it, but I give you mad mad props for doing it!! My sleep is suffering but I keep chugging a long! Maybe this is just training me for the future when we decide to have a wee one! None the less if you have any advice on how to juggle it all and keep your sanity, let a girl know! Other than not loving the fact that I'm losing sleep, here is what I AM loving this week!

1. That Easter is this weekend!!!! I love family dinners, lunches and brunches and we will have our fill of them this weekend! My mom is hosting a large family lunch on Saturday and Sunday we will be having brunch with Todd's family! I really do love spending time with all of our families and would love to do it more, not just on holidays! I'm also looking forward to reflecting on my God who is forever forgiving, faithful and understanding and who has blessed me beyond what I deserve.

2. The New/Prospective Member Jr. League event I attended Monday! This was the second event I have attended as a prospective member! The first one was nerve-racking being that I was "new" but I had my friend Tatiana there and we stuck together like glue! The only bad part about that was we stuck pretty close together and we didn't branch out as far to meet other ladies! We did meet a couple of gals and carried on some fun conversations that night but I think we missed some opportunities to gain more information about the group from actual members! I was able to do that Monday night! Why?! Because I was by myself and didn't have a friend as a crutch! Even the two members I do know weren't able to attend, so I was really on my own! Now if you know me, you know I do love to talk, but you also know I am very nervous about meeting new people, especially females! I'm not one to just walk up to a stranger and start a conversation and I'm certainly not one to join in on conversations already happening, so sometimes I end up standing awkwardly by myself! I made a greater initiative to walk up to different women and begin conversations and truth be told I really enjoyed it!!! I met some really great ladies who were funny and full of personality and who shared their Jr. League experiences with me, which makes me want to join this group 100x more than I did before! I'm already looking forward to next month's event!

3. My fitness accomplishments! If you follow me on IG you know that last Wednesday I ran my first mile {all the way through, mind you} in YEARS! On Saturday you learned that I went to the gym at 8 in the morning {yea, call me crazy, I called myself crazy} and Monday, well, I ran 1.25 miles during my lunch break! If you're new to my blog you should know that I've never been a fan of the gym or running for that matter {though I have been active my whole life} so this is a HUGE deal for me! I've been going to the gym regularly since New Years and I know that this hard work will pay off! Nonetheless, I'm proud of myself that I have stuck with it this long and that I am actually loving it!

4. Bates Motel! I hate admitting this, though I'm not sure why, but I am totally addicted to the new Bates Motel television show on A&E! I've never seen Psycho so once I read up on the plot of that movie it gave me a better understanding of the show! It's ridiculously odd but the kind of odd you just can't look away from! It's creepy, dramatic, strange, thrilling, peculiar, and heart wrenching all at once! In layman's terms, it's a freaking emotional roller coaster but it's a spectacular ride! I'm really looking forward to learning more about Norma and Norman and this town they are living in! To say their relationship is strange is an understatement!

5. Being told that I am an inspiration! Yea, you read that correctly. Someone told me Monday that I've inspired them to get back into the gym and work out! I still can't wrap my head around that and I won't lie, it makes me incredibly emotional! When I told the hubby about it, I couldn't even finish the sentence because I was crying! Crying because I feel incredibly honored that someone is changing their lifestyle for the better, because of little ole me, who hated the gym and working out my entire life and who has battled with weight loss and body issues for just as long! I don't feel worthy enough to be told that I am inspiring but I know one thing, a comment like that keeps me going! It gives me the inspiration and determination to continue to better my body, my mind, and my soul.

See you fabulous folks tomorrow!!! XoXo! 

Don't forget... The Give Away Contest ends Friday! Enter here!!! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Yea, Yea, Yea, so I know I said here and here that I created a new series for my Wednesday's posting and here I am writing, yet again, another WILW. Well, that's because I'm going to keep WILW and move my new series to Friday! Yes, Friday will be the new day with the new posts!! I still plan on making it a link up so others can participate if they would like! Stay tuned, I'm really hoping to kick it off in April! Now... on to the good stuff!

1. Befriending someone who I had a rough first encounter with! E-mails suck when trying to  communicate clearly and effectively and unfortunately E-mails were how this new friend and I were first communicating! It didn't go very well, one because we are both passionate about what we were conversing about and two, because we were communicating passionately through an email! Over the last several weeks we've learned that we have more in common than we thought and decided this week to start fresh! Clean slates are good! Here's to a flourishing friendship!

2. Enjoying the gym for the first time in my life! I was always active as a child; dance, horseback riding, swimming, cheerleading, soccer, and the list goes on, but I have never enjoyed actually working out or going to the gym! Since January, I've been going to the gym every week and have even added a third night into my week! I'm thinking about adding a Saturday morning as well! I've been told my whole life how working out can make you feel great but never really enjoyed it until now. And while I'm not seeing results quite yet I am feeling them! Not to mention I just feel plain good about myself! I like these new feelings and hope my new found love for the gym and keeping my body going is something that doesn't fade!

3. A BLT! This sandwich could be why I'm not seeing results quite yet from the gym! Ha! Granted I had my first one last night in what seems like forever! This has to be the best sandwich on the planet, probably because bacon is involved!!! Toasted bread, a little Dukes Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato {depending} and some good ole Bacon! Yummmmm!

4. People talking to me in person about my blog, who actually read my blog! In the last few weeks I've been approached by BOTH of my boss's husbands on how they actually read my blog! I couldn't help but laugh thinking these grown men are reading my girly rambles {whether it's out of boredom or interest} but while laughing it also made me feel humble! I realized my words reach A LOT of people and a variety of people at that! Sometimes I really do forget that people actually read this thing and that I'm not just writing to myself!

5. Baby Reef's Daycare! Baby Reef goes to daycare once a week! Usually Wednesdays so that he can get his mid week energy out! Some folks may think we are nuts for taking our pup to Doggie Daycare, but we believe it's one of the best things we can do for him! Reef isn't a crazy lab! He doesn't tear up our home or mess with things he shouldn't. He listens well and is ridiculously calm for a 20 month old yellow lab! Because of his calmness we don't "see" the point in walking him. We know it's good for him but he never begs to go or needs to "get his energy" out! He is that calm and he enjoys just hanging out in the back yard! We enrolled him in Doggie Daycare to help with his social skills around other dogs and people and so that he could have a day to play, play, play! And goodness gracious do we love that day! He is always so worn out when I pick him up! He sleeps on the commute home, eats dinner  as soon as we get home, and then curls up on his couch {our loveseat that he only uses} and passes out for the rest of the night! It's glorious! He literally remains like that for the next two days! He gets so excited about going and seems to know Wednesday's are the day! We can't say "School" around him or he will totally freak out and run to the door, hoping and skipping, literally. We he sees me open the closet for his leash,  he knows what it means and makes a beeline for the back gate! When we turn the corner on the main road this Doggie Daycare is on, he starts pacing in the back of the car and whines with excitement! I love how he knows where he is going and has so much fun that he can't wait to get there!

Baby Reef is the Giant One ;)

It's Hump Day and the First Day of Spring!!!!!!! Hope you are having a fantastic week so far! Unfortunately, I've been suffering from a migraine for the last 24 hours and the workers who are cleaning up the town home next door left the radio on FULL BLAST last night, which I could hear clear as day in our bedroom, so I am running on empty! A 5 Hour Energy maybe in my near future! XoXo!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am crazy excited that I finally decided on how I will be changing up my Wednesday posts {Remember I kind of chatted about it last week here?}. There are still a few things I need to do in order to get it finalized and ready for sharing, like creating a button and setting up the link-up for y'all to join! I think it will be a way for my readers to get to know me on a more personal level and hopefully relate to me even more than they may already. This probably won't get underway for a few more weeks so until then I will continue with the "What I'm Loving Wednesday" series!

1. I am in love with Daylight Savings Time!! Okay... maybe not in love with the fact that I lost an hour of sleep, I'm still trying to catch up,  or that it's still pitch black when I wake in the morning, buuuuuut I'd trade pitch black nights for longer sunshine evenings any day of the week! It's the first sign that warmer weather is around the corner and who doesn't love that?!

2.  Attending my first official Pilates class on Monday night! I'm actually pretty excited and proud of myself for going! I switched my gym schedule around to Tuesday and Thursdays, however because I had my monthly YAAA! meeting last night I decided to go to the gym Monday night and try out Pilates! Holy Moly, if you think it's easy, you are in for a rude awakening! I've done it with at home DVDs so I knew it wasn't a cake walk, but I didn't realize just how much it was really going to work me! I've been quite sore in areas I very rarely work, and it's a darn good feeling! I'm really thinking about adding Monday night to my gym schedule and upping my workouts to three days a week!

3.  Celebrating lots of Birthday's this month!! March seems to be a pretty huge month in our lives when it comes to celebrating birthdays! There is my mother-in-law, my stepfather-in-law, my stepbrother-in-law, our nephew, my close friend Tatiana, my awesome boss Jen, our dear friend Matt, and a slew of other friends of ours! Lots and lots of celebrating going on around these parts!! 

4. Having my first cup of coffee in almost a month! I'm not a coffee addict whatsoever. I've been a one cup a day drinker for forever and can function fine without it. I actually like the taste of coffee, however. about a month ago I noticed I wasn't enjoying the taste of it much anymore so I gave it up and started drinking tea! Lots of green tea, chai tea, and herbal teas and even using my Starbucks giftcard for Chai Tea Lattes instead of fancy coffee beverages! This weekend while at my girlfriend, Whitney's house, I had my first cup of coffee in almost a month and boy was it yummy! I don't think I'll be going back to drinking it every day but I think it would be a nice pick me up on an extra lagging day - say like this week when I'm trying to adjust to this Daylight Savings Time! 

I found this really interesting!!! 

5. Working on our taxes! To most this is probably a daunting task but this marks year number two that we have done our taxes ourselves with the help of TurboTax. Since we don't have a ton of "extras" to worry about like second properties, self employment, or rental income we are able to do them ourselves! It's usually a few day process as I like to, obviously, make sure they are 100% accurate before filing them! I won't lie though, I am always completely nervous when hitting that submit button! It's a great feeling seeing what we should be getting back from the government during the entire process! I'm quite satisfied with the figure we've been given! These suckers should be completely finalized by weeks end and we will be on our way to get our little check back and this will be another task I can cross off our "To Do" list! 

Happy Hump Day my darlings!!! Hope you all are having a wonderful week so far and didn't miss me too much yesterday!!! XoXo! 

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I love short work weeks because Wednesday is always upon us before we know it which, in turn, means we are closer to Friday! I enjoy the half-way day of the week! Here is what I've been loving so far this week!!

1. My Nanna being Okay! I know many of you were curious as to why I needed serious prayers for my family! Sunday evening we received a phone call notifying us that my Nanna was at the hospital! She had suffered a mini stroke but I didn't want to divulge too much information publicly until we knew exactly what we were dealing with! Because of your prayers and countless others, Nanna is fine! They kept her in the hospital for two nights and ran numerous tests on her only to find nothing! It very well could have been a small amount of plaque passing through that caused the stroke. Regardless of what it was, I am beyond relieved that she is okay! Honestly, I'm not prepared for her to leave anytime soon! She is a HUGE part of my life and I can't ever imagine her not being there! I know we have to prepare ourselves for the days when the ones we love will no longer be with us, but I would much prefer the whole "ignorance is bliss" when it pertains to my Nanna! I can't thank y'all enough for the prayers, the texts, the private messages, and the comments! I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and I know everyone rallying behind our family was what allowed her to heal perfectly!

2. These shoes I ordered yesterday! I just happened to be checking out Julianna Hough for Sole Society on the Nordstrom website and ran across these beauties for sale - IN MY SIZE {which NEVER happens}!! The plus side?! Free shipping too! You may now find me sitting at the front door waiting for their arrival!

Via

3. The Cardio Dance class I attended last night! As I've stated before, I normally attend Zumba at the gym on Monday nights. With this Monday being a holiday I was preoccupied doing some things around the house and didn't make it. I decided I would go to the Cardio Dance class last night so I could have my beginning of the week work out and boy am I glad I went! The instructor kicks our booty non-stop for an entire hour! I left the gym literally soaked! I'm pretty sure I am going to start attending this class on Tuesdays when my Zumba instructor starts a Thursday class in March! That way I can be sure to get two workouts during the week! I am also entertaining the idea of a personal trainer, but I'm thinking I'll revisit that option in the coming months!

4. The 3rd Annual YAAA! for a Cure Black Tie Bowling Event being held on March 2nd! I am so excited to be a member of YAAA! {Young Adults for Alzheimer's Awareness} and to help out with this amazing event! There will be tons of bowling, a silent auction, prizes, food, flowing beverages, and FUN FUN FUN!!! If you are local to my area and would like more information on attending let me know! The event sells out EVERY year so you'll want to act fast if you would like to attend! 

5. Jackson Rathbone on last nights episode of White Collar! It's no surprise that I am a Twilight fan and it's no surprise to you that I am a White Collar fan! Put the two together and I'm a happy camper for sure!!! It was really fun seeing Jackson play a character outside of Jasper! He pulled the Bonnie and Clyde esque couple very well!! I still prefer him as Jasper but this character was different and I enjoyed watching it. 

What are you loving this week?! Make sure you stop by tomorrow to meet a very special guest of mine!  Have a fantastic Hump Day my darlings!!! XoXo! 

January 2012 Mini Goals Roundup!

Whoa! Hey month of LOVE! It's quite fantabulous to see you! Normally, I share this current post on the last day of the previous month, but I wasn't about to give my sponsor the boot just to update y'all on my January goals! Instead, I decided I'd do it today! It's my blog, I'm grown, I do what I want! *wink, wink*

So how'd I do on my monthly goals? You tell me!

1. Get back into the gym at least twice a week! TOTAL WIN {with the exception of this week 1. because I was sick and 2. because I had a new member organization meeting last night}. I started back to Zumba on Monday nights! Thursday nights I usually would go to a Cardio Dance class, however they moved that to Tuesdays so I started doing an hour weight class! That class doesn't seem to have a huge group of followers but I've enjoyed what I've done in it so far {except for last week when they didn't have it}. I also added one day of power walking during my lunch break on Wednesdays! There is a neighborhood right next to my office building and I've clocked in 12.5 miles the month of February!

2. Purge and Organize the house, one room at a time. HALF WIN/HALF FAIL and I say this because it is an on going project that is never ever ending! Progress is being made but not nearly enough for my liking!

3. Bring/pack lunch everyday for work - no eating out. WIN {for the most part}. I brought my lunch to work every day except for 4 days this month. One lunch was spent at a meeting where I had to buy something for my famished tummy. Second lunch was because I left my good ole Lean Cuisine on the kitchen counter at home. The third lunch was because I had a lunch date with my mommy! And fourth lunch? Well that happened to be yesterday! If you follow me on Instagram {if you don't you should!} you know that my hubby informed me Wednesday that Burger King brought back their cheesy tots! My absolute weakness, so that is what my fat-kid-at-heart-self had yesterday for lunch! I hope to continue this in the month of February but incorporate actual lunches MADE at home and not the frozen meal crap!

4. Continue to work towards a career in PR, volunteering my time to businesses and organizations for hands on experience - DON'T GIVE UP. HALF WIN/HALF FAIL. I toned down the job hunt mainly because I am full blown revamping my resume. I have literally torn it a part and I am slowly putting it back together to showcase more of my talents, knowledge and education. Once my resume is finished I plan to start applying for more opportunities. I just joined a new organization in my area {I plan on doing a post about this soon} and have already been added to their PR team! I am really excited to help them more with their PR needs, gain some more experience, and network in the process.

5. Schedule actual planned date nights with the hubby! FAIL. I feel terrible I failed this one particular goal! We did have several date nights this month but they were mainly just dinners! We had a few jam packed weekends which didn't really give us date nights and when we did decide to grab dinner it was last minute thinking! Here's to hoping we can get more creative in February!

6. Book our June trip to Jamaica. FAIL. All this entails is us figuring out which days we will be headed down there and calling the travel agent to book the trip! Who knows why we weren't able to get this taken care of! This has now become a more urgent goal!

7. Have at least one girls night with any or all of my gal pals. HALF WIN/HALF FAIL. I consider this half because I did spend a day thrifting and antiquing with my girlfriend who lives across the street! Now I just need to make sure I spend some quality time with a few other special gals in my life! I will say it can get difficult with some juggling kids, work, husbands, fiances, and even school and then I am juggling all of my crazy life too! I also live about 30 minutes away from my closest gal pals which can add more insult to injury when trying to get together! Planning girl time really is important to me and I hope to work on this more this month and to show my girlfriends I really do appreciate and need them in my life!

8. Send out Thank you cards for both Birthday and Christmas gifts. HALF WIN/HALF FAIL. I sent out all my Birthday Thank you notes early in January. I  currently have half of the Christmas Thank yous written and waiting to be mailed and will finish the rest this weekend!

9. Arrive on time to work, every morning. HALF WIN/HALF FAIL. Literally I was on time for nine mornings, late for eleven mornings, I went in just for the afternoon one day and had one sick day. If you knew my track record for getting to work on time, you would know this is actually really impressive for me!

10. Keep Blogging! WIN! This was a huge win! I blogged every day and I set up new guest posters/ sponsors! I will admit, blogging is time consuming and I would really like to plan out my posts better and create them more on the weekends to save some precious time during the week nights. I'm starting to understand why some bloggers like to be paid for this hobby, at time's it seems like a second job! Nonetheless I hope to continue as long as it doesn't interfere with quality time with my little family!

All in all I am pretty proud of what I did get accomplished this month! Of course since I'm an over achiever and beat myself up a lot when I don't do my best, I think I should have done better! However, that's why there is always next month right?! I just can't give up, not even on the little things!

**Also, I am still planning "My Favorite Things" give-a-way, but had to order a few special things which won't be shipped till later this month {would've been nice to have had a heads up on that}! I promise once I get those items the contest will be underway, but more than likely won't occur till the end of the month! I appreciate all of the support and fellow friends who helped me get to 200 followers! And thank you all for following me, seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! **

Friday's Letters!

Boy am I happy to see today! I thought last week was a long week, but this week totally topped it! By golly I thought today would NEVER get here! It has been a rough week for me. I haven't been in the most stellar of moods and the weather has been far to cold for my liking. Side Note: I hate complaining about 32 degree weather when some of you readers think that is warm. Kind of like how I laughed last week when all of California was freezing at a nice 55 degrees! Are you kidding??! I had to sit back and tell myself that they just aren't used to those low temperatures just as I am not used to 20 and 30 degree temps for an extended amount of time! Anywho, I've been highly annoyed this week and have a feeling I will be posting about it on Monday. So if you are at all curious - stay tuned! As for today, I'm trying to stay positive and look toward the weekend - the blistery cold weekend! Joy!

Via

Dear Organizational and Get Things Done thoughts, Yes- I think up all these great plans to organize the house, purge all the unneeded crap, and clean, yet my mind can't seem to actually make my body do it! I usually think the weekend would be a great time for such projects and then the weekend arrives and I'm lazy as {insert 'f' word here}. My mind is crazy motivated but the rest of me? Not so much! I've made lists, I've filled in calendars, I've put reminders in my phone and yet still can't seem to get much done! It's enough to drive me bat shit crazy! I really do believe I will be working on motivation as a February goal. Dear Lush Fresh Homemade Cosmetics, I am beyond thrilled that we have your store in one of our local malls! Not that I am some huge advocate for using all natural handmade products, however I am becoming more conscious of what I put on my face, skin, and in my body! I already use the Oil Cleansing Method to clean my face but I felt something was lacking, like a mask and spot treatment. That's where you come in my dear Lush. With your Mask of Magnaminty and Grease Lightning cleansers, you have added more to my skin care routine! More cleanliness and clearness! All without harsh chemicals and ingredients! Dear Gym, I am finally motivated to come visit you twice a week and you thank me by not having my weight class last night. You thanked me even more by allowing the employees I spoke with to have NO clue about what was going on nor did they seem too eager to find out for me either! I am extremely disappointed that I woke up able to walk this morning and make it down the stairs easily {unlike last week}. Now I feel as though I didn't work out on my own very hard. Do you know how long it has taken for me to get to the point of actually coming to see you regularly and enjoying it?! 28 years! Don't ruin it for me now by skipping classes I actually come to take! Dear Marshalls off of Independence, You are the best dern Marshalls in my area! Seriously! I am so glad I was able to buy some new work out gear from you yesterday! Two pairs of yoga pants, two bright tank tops, and two neon sports bras! I, no doubt, will look like a human highlighter while rocking out in Zumba! I wore one ensemble last night and LOVED it! Knowing that I saved a few bucks on the Nike and Jockey gear rocks even more! Oh yea, and I appreciate that you had some killer pieces of clothing on display, yet I was strictly there for gym attire, therefore I could not partake in your fabulousness! Maybe next week, maybe next week. Dear Hubby and Puppy Child, Is is possible at all for Momma to have some room to sleep in our King size bed????? I might as well be sleeping on a two by four with the way y'all hog the bed! And don't even get me started on the covers! I understand it's cold outside but do y'all need to cocoon yourselves up in the blankets and leave me with a square inch of sheet? I don't even want to talk about when I try to nudge either one of you, you both are dead as door nails. Awesome. It makes me super comfortable knowing someone can move you and you not wake up. I guess if someone were to ever break into our home I'd have to protect us all since you both would sleep through it! Must be nice to sleep like a rock!

Hope you darlings {I told y'all I was going to use this word more!} are having a fantastic Friday so far! No big plans for us this weekend however I am looking forward to the snow that is supposed to give us an inch or two! Plenty for Baby Reef to experience his first snow! Definitely will be working on a few things I will be sharing with you all later and of course gathering that motivation to get some serious organizing and purging completed! I'm going to leave you with this quote I came across last night! The Lord must have known I needed some encouragement and support! More on that Monday!! XoXo!

Friday's Letters!

Has anyone else noticed this week was a bit slower than the usual or was it just me? It may have been all the Holidays off that spoiled me with three and four day work weeks. A girl can get used to that... and well... this girl did get used to that!

Via

Dear 1 hour weight session last night at the gym, Thank you for allowing me to wake up with jello for arms! I couldn't even lift my toothbrush to clean my pearly whites and I had a really difficult time slapping on my makeup! If anyone sees me today and notices I look like a clown, it's because I started crying while blending and gave up trying to raise my arms to finish my makeup application! Dear Hubby, when have I ever brought a basket of unfolded clean clothes upstairs and set them in the hallway? Never. So why would you assume the basket of rumpled up clothes in the hallway were clean? Thank you for making me rummage through my dresser trying to determine which clothes were dirty and thank you, my love, for making me laugh endlessly when you tried to blame it on me! Oh how I love you and your humor! Dear Weekend, I am really looking forward to you and the warmer temperatures you are bringing! I see organizing, cleaning, redecorating, antiquing, thrifting, and even possibly beach going with Baby Reef in the plans! Dear Brent Musberger, I don't believe you were out of line, what-so-ever, for accusing Katherine Webb of being BEAUTIFUL! What female wouldn't want to be referred to, on national television, as beautiful!? You were only stating the obvious and I am appalled at the backlash you have received for such statements! If Katherine has declined your apology and sees nothing wrong with what you stated, than the rest of the world needs to get over it! What is with the general public these days? Damned if you do, Damned if you don't! You can't even say something nice or compliment anyone anymore! Lastly, who cares if you said it while commenting the game, Notre Dame was having their behinds served up on a silver platter and your comment was more exciting than the umpteenth touchdown Alabama scored. Keep being a gentleman! It's definitely more becoming than the douches that complained about your comment! Dear Flash Sale Websites {Joss&Main, OneKingsLane, HauteLook, GroopDealz, etc.}, You make it really difficult to save money! Each day your little daily sale e-mails appear in my inbox AND they always contain something I'm looking for! Like Vintage French Decor, a Sideboard-Buffet, sexy kitten heels and the perfect accessory to complete ANY outfit. Not to mention all the little extras that I sit and drool over! Maybe if I wasn't having so many taxes taken out of my paycheck, I'd feel less guilty about buying all of these awesome finds!

All my loves, I hope you are having an extra fantastic Friday! I'll leave you with this photo I found yesterday of my man, Matt Bomer and Ian Somerhalder at the People's Choice Awards Wednesday night! Considering these two are rumored to be in the running for Christian Grey, which would you prefer!? Y'all already know where my heart resides.... Oh Mr. Bomer. And while I'm at it, did any of you by chance see the confirmation of the rating the movie will carry?! I'm going to have to have y'all research that for yourselves as typing it out makes me blush!

Via

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's here, It's here, the middle of the week is here!!! Already we are flying through the month of January!!! Where is time going and what am I loving today?! Check it out below!

1. Getting back to the gym! Monday was my first night back in MONTHS! My Zumba instructor even said "Hey girl! It's been awhile"! Why yes, yes mam it has! What a great work out I had too. It felt good to sweat, to get my body moving, and to feel that much better leaving the gym knowing I just did something good for myself! I'm hoping to head out for a two mile walk on my lunch break today and hit the gym tomorrow night! I certainly don't mind the sore feeling the next morning either! It's a reminder of the good I am doing for myself!

2. Using up my Flex Spending Account before it runs out! Long story short, when I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled, I asked the Dentist office to run the numbers so I knew what price tag I was going to be looking at. I was looking at a $1,000 procedure, including my insurance, or so I thought. Great. Dandy. Fine. To help with the cost I opened up a Flex Spending Account at work with the total amount of the teeth extraction. The only intended purpose of the card was to pay for the wisdom teeth removal. After the dental procedure, I had to pay for the service. Duh. Well, the receptionist tells me "That will be $94.00".... Excuse me?!... $94.00 is FAR from a grand! It's unclear where the mistake was made when the dentist first ran those numbers but now I've had to come up with ways to spend the rest of the account before it runs out in March! The list provided is limited to mainly band aids and pregnancy tests! Literally everything else needs a prescription! Can you imagine.... $900 worth of First Response tests?! ha! Anywho, since I now need glasses {that's a blog post all its on} I have successfully spent the majority of the card! Now I have no fears of eating $900 at the end of March!

3. The Duchess of Cambridge's 31st Birthday today! Yes, the gorgeous and oh-so-classy Princess turns 31 today!! I hope she has one of the happiest of birthdays yet! I'm excited to read about how she spends her day, sans alcoholic beverages of course! More so I'm excited to see what she decides to wear to celebrate her birthday!

4. My second sponsor post for tomorrow! I can't wait for y'all to meet Jill! She has some of the best fashion sense of anyone I know! And yes I know her in real life! I wish I could pull off half of the creative ensembles she creates! Not to mention she has the sweetest personality too and I know you all will love her!! She's a Boston native now residing in D.C. and living the whirlwind newlywedded life! Be sure to stop by and meet her tomorrow!

5. White Collar starts back in two weeks!!! The best part is I've gotten the hubby hooked on it so now he can enjoy watching it with me! I don't know why I considered couch/TV time important, but I think its great when you can sit and enjoy the TV program together! I'm not a fan of watching TV in separate rooms or being in different rooms while you are both home for that matter!

What are y'all loving today?! That the work week is half way over?! Yep, add that to my list too!

No Resolutions, Just January 2013 Goals!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 
I hope none of you are suffering from tooooo much fun last night, but none-the-less I hope you rang in the New Year doing something spectacular! I am so ecstatic to see what 2013 has in store for me, my family, friends and all of my fans!!!

Via

I'm not one to make New Year Resolutions! I don't like writing a list of items to do or not do throughout the New Year because usually in the end I fail them all! I don't like disappointing myself! Instead, I make monthly goals! They are more reasonable to work with and I usually do far better at meeting the goals for the month than meeting them for a WHOLE year!

This is what I am hoping to accomplish and maintain for this new January!

1. Get back into the gym at least twice a week. I was doing really well with my gym visits a few months ago. We then became really busy and I started to fall off the work out train. I can tell! I don't have as much energy and I've put some serious weight on! It's time to get serious again and maintain a healthy lifestyle!

2. Purge and Organize the house, one room at a time. Somehow in the last 3+ years we have accumulated A LOT OF CRAP in our home! Part of it is, I can be somewhat of a closet hoarder. I look at EVERYTHING with sentiments, therefore it is very hard for me to toss things! For instance, cards, I don't throw cards away! I feel the the giver of the card spent valued time picking it out just for me {or us} and I hate the idea of throwing away such kind words and thoughtfulness! That is just one of our many cluttered problems! We are running out of space and EVERYTHING looks a mess even when it is all put away! It is driving me bonkers! I plan to go from room to room and work on organizing and getting rid of items we no longer use or need! I'm actually really excited about this because I think it will help with my nerves and stress at home!

3. Bring/pack lunch everyday for work - no eating out. I did really well with this when I was doing well with my gym routine. After the gym went out the window so did my work lunches and I started ordering out A LOT! Thai food, deli sandwiches, large salads with copious amounts of dressing! All bad. All full of sodium. All making me feel gross! Treating myself every now and then is okay, maybe once or twice a month, but everyday is DONE! I will also partake in a 3 day juice cleanse to help clean me of the crappy food I have allowed myself to eat! I need to use 2013 to really focus on my health and I intend to start NOW!

4. Continue to work towards a career in PR, volunteering my time to businesses and organizations for hands on experience - DON'T GIVE UP. This is probably one of my most important goals! I know I have shared with you all how very career oriented I was when attending college. After graduation I settled for a job I did not end up liking and this HAS to change. I refuse to spend the rest of my life being miserable at work. Considering I am at my place of employment the majority of day I have to like it! I was meant to work in PR, I know that, and I am not giving up on that!

5. Schedule actual planned date nights with the hubby. We do date nights quite often, but usually all it consists of is dinner. Not that there is anything wrong with that but sometimes it lacks excitement. I want to work on planning at least one to two date nights a month that actually consist of us doing an activity of sorts. I'm thinking of a cooking class, beer/wine tasting, ice skating, or even batting cages! I like the idea of doing something fun and different! It keeps you from being so repetitive and predictable.

6. Book our June trip to Jamaica. My cousin is getting married in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the end of June, which also happens to be our 2nd wedding anniversary month! We could not be more excited for this vacation and celebration!!! However if we don't book the trip soon we will not be going ha! Not funny at all! We have to book it this month and that's that!

7. Have at least one girls night with any or all of my gal pals. This is something I am terrible at and I need to make more time for my girlfriends. Whether it is a wine and movie night with my neighbor across the street or dinner with several friends, this needs to happen! I spend a lot of time with the hubby and I wouldn't trade that time for the world, but I also need to show my girlfriends how much I still appreciate them. To say I've been lacking with this is an understatement and I'm disappointed in myself for that!

8. Send out thank you cards for both my birthday and Christmas gifts! You already know I send thank you notes for EVERYTHING! If you are new to the blog, well now you know! Anywho, I need to get to writing and thanking everyone for some amazing gifts!

9. Arrive on time to work, every morning. It never fails. I am always 5 to 10 minutes late for work every morning! Granted I have to go through a tunnel and over a bridge to get there and my 17 mile commute is usually 45 minutes to an hour, but I need to really make sure I wake up on time and leave my home on time. It has kind of become a joke between my bosses and I, but it really is unprofessional and that needs to change!

10. Keep blogging! I really enjoy blogging! It is a creative outlet for me that allows me to share my life, ideas, struggles, etc. with others! I hope to really continue to post regularly! I am really looking forward to taking my little part of the internet to new levels this month and this year! I hope you all stick around to enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!!!! From us to you!

How do y'all feel about New Years Resolutions?! Do you have any HUGE goals you hope to accomplish this year?! I'd love to hear them!

Be sure to check out my new sponsors for the month on my side bar!!! They will be feature posting throughout January and I can't wait to introduce them to you all!!!