Five Truths You Didn't Know About Me!

A few weeks ago I was tagged by the beautiful Natalia over at All the Things, Etc. to admit some truths to my readers!!! I've done a few of these "types" of truthful-bet-you-didn't-know posts in the past but they were usually linked to some kind of blogger award. There is no award for this one, no rules, no have to dos, just honesty, and while I would love to just copy and paste Natalia's, because the majority of hers were me to a T, I can't! So here we go with some honest secrets about me that you may find interesting, funny, or down right strange!

Via

Truth One:

I am a horrible housekeeper! I'm not the worst out there, but I am pretty terrible! If you notice, I don't take many photos of the inside of our home because I'm ashamed of its condition! We always seem to have stuff piling up every where, crap on the desk and dining room table, dirty clothes piles waiting to be washed, and don't even get me started on all of the dog hair! It's literally everywhere! It's gross, but I feel like it's so bad that I just can't even get motivated to vacuum and mop regularly! It basically has to be a daily chore. The hubby and I have discussed trying harder to keep it up instead of hiring a cleaning service and I'm hoping to come up with some kind of cleaning schedule to help tackle this disaster! Admitting this secret just inspired a new Bare It All Friday post and I can't even believe I'm thinking about doing it! You'll probably want to stay tuned! 

Truth Two:

I cried on my wedding day and not just happy tears! Only a handful of people know this as they were standing with me when the tears came, but it's something I'm not ashamed of and don't mind sharing to outsiders. Our wedding was one of the best days of my life because I said "I do" to my hubby and to the rest of our lives, we became one and I would never be ashamed of the day that all happened. To say it went off without a hitch or drama, well that would be a lie. During our reception, my feelings were incredibly hurt and with all kinds of emotions already running high, it wasn't long before I ended up in tears. Luckily I had some awesome bridesmaids who stood with me afar from the party, in the middle of my childhood home front yard, and snapped me back to reality with hugs, a cigarette {yes I used to smoke}, and a touch up of makeup! Even though I still remember that moment, it's a foggy distant memory because it didn't matter! At the end of the day and looking back on it, our day was perfect for us and that's what matters! 

Truth Three:

I do not own anything by Lilly Pulitzer! I know, I know, this is almost a crime! I was so sadden to hear of Lilly's passing yesterday. Her designs have been so classic and timeless, which are the types of designs and styles I go for! Without a doubt I loooooove anything and everything Lilly Pulitzer, but I've never owned an LP piece! Part of it is my inability to spend money on myself {if you follow me you know this is an "issue" I'm working on} and part of it is there are only a few stores in my area who sell her items and they're not in the most convenient locations for me to get to - and before you say shop online, the answer to that is NO! My body type is too wacky to shop online! I just ordered some shoes not too long ago that I ordered in a 9 {I wear an 8.5} and had to send them back for a 9.5 because they were too small! Seriously, if I have issues with shoes I most doubt will have issues sizing clothes!

Truth Four:

I can't listen to a lot of country music! I love being from the "country", I love riding horses, I love my southern twang, but Lord knows I don't love listening to country music! Don't get me wrong, I love love love country music. I actually love ALL genres of music, but I DO NOT LOVE listening to country music. It's extremely emotional for me! For instance, I happened to have it on one morning last week and "I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice came on and before it even got to the chorus I had tears streaming down my face! Miranda Lambert's recent song "Mamma's Broken Heart" gets me all teary eyed, even with it's upbeat chords, because where I come from, it's the truth. Been there done that with a broken heart but you never forget how it made you feel! Crazy, lost, revengeful, and the list goes on just like Miranda describes! Don't even get me started on all of Toby Keith's songs about our soldiers and America! I lose it every time he sings about his American pride! I'm beyond grateful and blessed to say America is my home! I cried watching the ACM's last night.. yea.

Truth Five:

I used to love eggs, now I find them hard to eat! I have no idea if it's a texture issue or what, but I can't eat eggs unless they are scrambled and dried out. If they have any moistness or sliminess to them at all I will gag. I used to love love love deviled eggs but now it takes great effort to eat them! I got through two of them at Easter but had to cut them up in small pieces! They tasted great and the whites weren't slimy so I was good to go! Egg whites on a fried egg make me gag as well and I can't eat a hard boiled egg so save my life! The reason I can get through a deviled egg is the mayo and mustard that is mixed with the yolks! I can't even put hard boiled eggs on my salads anymore or enjoy egg salad! This saddens me because of the protein I could get from eating them but I guess I'll just have to enjoy it's momma more...actual chicken! 

Did you learn anything new about me today??!! Hope y'all had fantastic weekends!!! I enjoyed the beautiful weather, had my hair done, enjoyed a manicure and pedicure afternoon date with the hubby, did a few house things,  perused Home Depot, planted an herb garden, worked on YAAA! obligations, spent time with some family, clocked 3 miles total this weekend, and had a photo shoot with Baby Reef. All in all a pretty darn good weekend if I do say so myself! 

Happy Monday! XoXo! 

Four Favorites - Link Up!

Today, I'm linking up with Let it be Beautiful and Fancy Things for Four Favorites! Check out what I am digging this week!!

1. Faux Rabbit Beret

2. Nikon 1 J1 Compact System Camera

3. Remington Curling Wand

4. Katy Perry's Grammy Dress

1. I am a huge fan of fur coats, well allow me to rephrase that, I am a huge fan of faux fur coats. Not that I am an animal activist but I do become overwhelmed with emotion when I think about being draped in rabbit fur! Therefore I think faux fur is the way to go! I am dying over this faux fur beret! I'm not sure if it's worth the splurge considering it doesn't get THAT cold here, but it's still adorable for winter! 

2. We purchased the Nikon 1 J1 Compact System Camera this past weekend! I am really excited to learn to use it! I've already snagged some great photo's of Baby Reef! I am also pretty stoked that I now have a camera small enough to fit in my purse again! 

3. I finally purchased this Remington Curling Wand after not being able to find the one here after Christmas! I played with it tonight and I am thrilled that I now have a wand to give me waves in no time at all! 

4. Katy Perry's Grammy Dress! I've heard mixed reviews about this dress, but I have to say I LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Despite the excessive cleavage it still looked classy because the rest of her ENTIRE body was completely covered! If she had any inch of skin showing in any other place it would have looked inappropriate, but the fact that she covered everything gave it a smooth sophisticated look! I would seriously love to know what kind of spanx she had on as not one little dimple, roll, line, or imperfection showed! She looked simply fabulous! 

Wishing my darling fans a wondering Wednesday! The weather is less than stellar today so I have to forego my power walking today! Boo. This does leave me some extra time to take care of other obligations! Baby Reef is at Doggie Daycare and dinner is already in the crock pot at home! I have a feeling tonight will be one relaxing evening with a pooped out pup and an easy dinner! Very much looking forward to the relaxation! Happy Hump Day! XoXo!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Why does it seem that Wednesday's always creep up on me?! Not that I am complaining! I just feel like I did last week's What I'm Loving Wednesday post yesterday!!! What am I loving this week?! Take a look!

1. Not having bought my lunch in over two weeks! Yes, I am proud of this! One because I am not eating bad fast food or junk food. Two because I know I'm saving some money! Maybe I'll actually be able to put some money into savings since I'm not spending it eating out!!

Currently what my lunches consist of and left overs too!

2. Virginia Tech winning their season opening game Monday night against Georgia Tech! I was avoiding watching the game there for a bit, but our Hokie boys did us right and won the game in over time! Poor hubby fell asleep during the game, but no, not I! I stayed up watching it, quietly yelling at the TV, throwing my hands up and literally almost jumping out of the bed at points! College football is serious in our house, especially Hokie football!

3. Organix Moroccan Argan Oil. I've been using this on my hair for about two weeks now and can definitely tell a difference! My hair is softer, not as frizzy, and seems to cooperate a bit better! I don't know if it's really fixing my split ends, as I believe they are so far beyond repair, but I like the silkiness that it's giving my tresses!

4. Hearing my favorite songs on the radio during morning rush hour traffic! There is just something about hearing some of your favorite songs while in the car! It makes for better travels when you're stuck in traffic! It relaxes me and always makes the commute a more pleasurable experience!

5. A sweet text from my neighbor! My neighbor is much more than a neighbor! She is a friend and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know her over the last 3 years! She texted me this morning thanking me for a few things I helped her out with this past weekend! It wasn't just the text that made my day, it was warm fuzzy feeling I had knowing I helped someone who needed it!

Hope y'all are having spectacular Wednesdays!!!!

XoXo,

Three Day Weekend Recap!

Happy Tuesday - May the odds be ever in your favor! Ha Okay Okay I'll admit I finally read The Hunger Games trilogy and now I will never every forget the line! More on the books a little later in the post! How was everyones Labor Day weekend?! Ours was a mix of housework, fun, and relaxation! Honestly, quite a perfect 3 day weekend, if I do say so myself!!

Friday evening we went to dinner with my hubby, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece! Jen and Marin were visiting from NOVA since my brother-in-law and nephew were having a boys weekend in Baltimore at a car race! It gave us a chance to celebrate Jen's birthday a little early, as her birthday was actually yesterday! We had dinner at my old serving stomping grounds, California Pizza Kitchen, and were actually lucky enough to have Jonathan {a very close friend of ours} wait on us! I hadn't been there in so long and it was great to see old familiar faces! Dinner was great and the company was even better! Marin will be 4 in a few weeks and she is seriously one of the smartest children I know! She ordered her own drinks and dinner and made us color for a solid 10 minutes. If we stopped she informed us to keep going! She's too precious though and if a child like her asks you to color... well you do it, no questions asked, even if you're reaching across the table to do so!

My SIL and My precious Niece! 

Saturday, HELLO SEPTEMBER 1st, I slept in later than normal. I may or may not have been up late reading and finishing Catching Fire! Once we got up and moving I celebrated the first day of September with my very first Pumpkin Spice coffee! Ohhh the smell... Ohhh the flavor... ignites so much excitement for the arrival of fall! After being lazy for a bit, the hubs and I decided to do some yardwork! We cleaned off our patio, picked up debris from the roofers, cleaned out the shed, cut the grass, and pulled weeds! It was actually quite productive and we even threw away junk that was taking up room in the shed! After our hard work we ate a late lunch, lounged a bit, and then got ourselves together for our typical Saturday night date night!

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin! 

The Oceanfront was hosting their annual American Music Festival this weekend and since my uber awesome boss gave us a residential neighborhood parking pass we decided to check it out! We had dinner at Prime 103, which happens to be the restaurant of an old high school friend and then ventured out to the beach! We knew Carbon Leaf was playing a free concert and since I knew who they were, that's where we went! While we were out, my neighbor called asking if we would let out her dog, Aldo, who happens to be a chocolate lab, because she wasn't going to be home during the night. I told her we wouldn't just let him out, we would let him stay with us, so he and Baby Reef could have a pup sleepover!

Listening to Carbon Leaf

The pups watching TV before bedtime! Yes, Im aware we need a new TV in the bedroom, but I've had that one for 20 years!!!! And it still works! I can't get rid of it until it dies! 

Sleeping at the Sleepover! 

The pup sleepover was a hoot! They played and played or more like Baby Reef harassed and harassed and eventually we got them to calm down. They both jumped on the bed to watch TV with us, or more like Todd, as my nose was now stuck in Mockingjay! They did finally go to sleep, only to wake us up jumping on the bed at 8:00 in the morning! My future life flashed before my eyes as I knew this was what it would feel like to eventually have real children! Jumping in the bed, waking us up early on a Sunday! Ohhh Joy! We spent the rest of the day being pretty lazy, ordering pizza, and watching TV.

"Mom we want to play... NOW... it's daylight! "

Yesterday, the hubby had to work but was home by 9:30 a.m. so we had the whole day together, which really consisted of another lazy day, not that I have any arguments! I paid bills, worked on my blog, washed clothes, meal planned, went to the grocery store, snuggled with Baby Reef, watched the Virginia Tech game and finally finished Mockingjay! And can I just say, that I was kind of disappointed in how it ended! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, just in case you haven't read it, but I really was hoping for a sunnier ending! Regardless, the books are an emotional roller coaster and I couldn't help but feel protective over Katniss, much like some of the other characters in the book! The hubby has Fall baseball stuff going on this week, so I'm hoping to Red Box the movie and relive book one! I hope it meets my expectations as the first book was really awesome!

My Whole Life right there! 

Anywho, enough of my rambling on about my three day weekend! I hope all of you had stellar ones as well! Even though we didn't do a TON of stuff I really appreciate the days when we are able to relax. I know in a few years we won't have that luxury so I want to soak it up as much as I can!

XoXo,

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I love having Monday's off because it makes the work week even shorter! I mean look ~ we are already at Wednesday!! A few more days and it's the weekend once more!! Here is what I'm loving today!

1. Our spread in the Suffolk Living Magazine! I think the photo turned out fabulously!!! The hubby begs to differ, but I think he looks beyond handsome! Seeing it in person was really strange! I mean that's us! In a magazine! Granted its a small town magazine but still!!

2. The band Passion Pit. Y'all know I'm a music junkie and that I have a pretty eclectic taste in music! I listen to just about ANYTHING and right now I am hooked on Passion Pit! I could listen to these guys ALL day long! They currently have a hit on our local alternative station titled "Take a Walk" but I suggest downloading "Moth's Wings" {my favorite} and "Sleepy Head" too! I promise you wont be disappointed!

3. Fifty Shades of EVERYTHING! Holy Moly what a great read! I started the first book last Wednesday night and finished the third one yesterday on my lunch break! I haven't been that engrossed in a book since Twilight! Ridiculously intriguing! I can't seem to wrap my mind around the obsession we ladies have over it! Is it the want to have a "dark" side? A need to take care and love someone who is broken? The yearning for complete abandon passion? Seriously what is it?! I have yet to truly figure it out for myself! All I knows is after closing the third book I felt sad! I felt like I said goodbye to close friends that I won't see again {until the movie comes out}! Speaking of, when thinking of Ana and Christian, I like so many others have to "cast" the characters to visualize them! This is my Ana and Christian:

Matt Bomer

Lucy Hale

4. Booking our Love Photo Session for our Charleston Anni-moon! After searching and inquiring with a ton of talented photographers in Charleston and the surrounding area, we finally booked the photographer of our choice! My first choice is going to be away on vacation during our time there but she recommended her second shooter! Hello Dana Cubbage Photography! She specializes in pet photography but started doing weddings and engagements this year! She is working on building her portfolio and we couldn't be more excited to help her do that! I just wish we could take Baby Reef and get some sweet shots of him being his little puppy self!!

5. Finding out what my anniversary gift is! The hubby finally had/decided to let me in on his little anniversary secret! I was pretty accurate in what I thought it was! Sooo let the SUV searching begin! So many decisions to make! The one thing I know for sure, it has to be black! And while I have my hopes set high for a Volvo XC60 or XC90, I'm not discounting other makes and models! Bring on the test drives!!

XC60

XC90

Hope you all are have a fantastic "Hump" Day! It's quite rainy here but considering I've been in a stellar mood here lately at work, I'm not letting a little rain ruin my day!!

XoXo,

30 Days to Go!

Today is May 11, 2012! Yes, this is a pretty ordinary date {unless you were married on this day OR it's your birthday}! For the hubby and I, this is the start of the 30 day countdown till we reach our 1st Wedding Anniversary!! It is hard for me to fathom how quickly the past year has flown by! I can't wait to celebrate this first year nor can I wait to celebrate the next 50 years of our life together!

In honor of our 30 day countdown, I wanted to share our first dance song with y'all! We actually had a hard time picking a song for that infamous dance! I liked many songs that were popular at the time like "Smile" by Uncle Kracker and "Hey Soul Sister" by Train, but I felt they were too "poppie" and didn't express our taste in music or style. Somehow {and I can't remember exactly how} I ran across what would end up being our song. The lyrics really fit us to a "T", like the lines, "You give me life my dear, you give me strength to beat the odds and overcome my fears", "You make me feel like I belong under the sun", and "And you know that you got my tomorrow baby, today and yesterday"! Simply perfect for us and it really expressed our feelings and emotions towards one another.

Take a listen!! Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we did! I could literally listen to it everyday ALL day {a wee little secret: I pretty much do}!




Hope everyone has a fabulous Friday and does something super special for the mother's in their lives! I know we are!! Can't wait to share all the details with y'all!!! See ya on Monday!!

Xoxo,

Today's Playlist

I’m quite positive I’ve told y'all before how I am able to listen to my headphones while at work! The type of position I hold requires very little human interaction therefore I’m able to jam out while I’m flipping through files! Sometimes it’s a Pandora kind of day and other days, like today, I listen to my playlist on http://www.playlist.com/. Either way, I wanted to share what I am listening to today!

Trojans – Atlas Genius

They – Jem

Soft Shock – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Big Jet Plane – Angus & Julia Stone

Sleepy Head – Passion Pit

Glad You Came – The Wanted

The Funeral – Band of Horses

Drop the World – Lil’ Wayne ft. Eminem

Lights – Ellie Goulding

Foundation – Kate Nash

Hang Me Up to Dry – Cold War Kids

Float On – Modest Mouse

Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit

Heaven – OAR

Never Let Me Go – Florence + The Machine

Such Great Heights – The Postal Service

Swallowed in the Sea – Coldplay

Disintegration – Jimmy Eat World

Tongue Tied – Grouplove

Young Folks – Peter, Bjorn, & John

Beautiful World – Coldplay

Let Go – Frou Frou

Midnight City – M83

Closer – Kings of Leon

Brand New Colony – The Postal Service

I Don’t Know – Lily Allen

Hearing Damage – Thom Yorke

Daylight – Matt and Kim

3 Libras – Perfect Circle

Aqueous Transmission – Incubus

Title and Registration – Death Cab for Cutie

Sparkle – Rubyhorse

Kissing the Lipless – The Shins

Unconditional – The Bravery

A Little’s Enough – Angles and Airwaves

District Sleeps Alone Tonight – Death Cab for Cutie

Scream – Chris Cornell

I know it’s not a huge post today but I’m running on “E”!!! Check out some of these songs and add them to your playlist!! They all are pretty rad! Be sure to let me know if you dig them or not!!!

Hope you all are having a fabulous Tuesday and week so far!! See y'all tomorrow for What I’m Loving Wednesday!

XoXo,

Music Junkie

I have always loved music! As a child I was dubbed the "Commercial Jingle Kid"... still am to this day! And I've been told more times than I can count that "You know the words to EVERY song that has come on tonight"... Music is just in me, its a part of me, it moves me. It is very nostalgic, too. I can hear a song and immediately go back to a time and place in my life and remember the good and bad moments! Music can make me cry, it can pump me up, it can relax me. Music is very much a huge part of me!

So for today, I'm going to leave you with my top 5 favorite songs that never get old to me! Download them to your Ipod... they are awesome! Starting with #5:


5. Death Cab for Cutie - Tiny Vessels


4. Matt and Kim - Daylight


3. Coldplay - Fix You


2. Brand New Colony - Postal Service


1. Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise



There are a TON of other videos/ songs that I would have loved to post... maybe I will on another day! For now, enjoy my loves!!!


Until next time my Real Young Housewives!

xoxo