Another Photo Dump For Ya!

I know I said What I'm Loving Wednesday would be back this week but in the light of recent events I'm just not super thrilled about much this week! Emotions are at an all time high and I'm honestly speechless with the events happening in our nation and world. The only place I've been able to find comfort or understanding is in the arms of my hubby with Baby Reef in my lap. It's a place I never want to leave.

Since I don't have much to share, for today I'll post photos from our Easter lunch at my mom's house! My mom did a fantastic job as usually with her tablescapes, food, and our annual Easter egg hunt {that I did not take photo's off because I was too busy participating in it}! Enjoy!

The Drink Station! Love a good ole Mason Jar! Country Living! 

Tablescape with Carrot treats! 

My mommy and Cousin Mason have bunny ears! 

This was our first furchild together! His name is O'Neil and he is the size of a baby lion! He now lives at GiGi's (my mom) house where he can roam the woods and fields and hunt like the lion he is! 

My Momma, My Nanna, and Me! 

The hubby playing on Mason's scooter! Never gives up the chance at being a kid! 

Mom and her baby TinkerBelle have the same hair style and coloring! 

My everything!

Baby Sister was able to come after work!!! Can't believe she graduates from high school in 2 months! 

Hope everyone has a splendid day! 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!

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!

March 2013 Mini Goals Roundup and a WINNER!

Via

First off,  I have to admit this because I find it sad and hilarious! For my January and February Goal Roundup posts, I labeled them 2012 instead of 2013!!! Apparently I was trapped in last year! Oppps!

I would like to think that my March goals went well but that is really yet to be decided! I'm updating y'all on them today as the last day of the month is Sunday, and well.... I don't blog on the weekend! I do still have a few days to get some more wins in! Nonetheless, how did I do?! Let's review!

1. Continue to purge and organize the house, one room at a time and donate all to Goodwill! WIN/FAIL! This is forever ongoing, but I was able to donate a huge load of stuff to Goodwill a few weekends ago! I didn't get much organizing done, but really hope to tackle our guest rooms in the coming weeks!

2. Finish reconstructing my resume. WIN! I'm saying win because there are only a few things that need to be finished and the end of the month isn't technically here yet! The goal is to finish it this evening! So far I think the presentation of it looks great and highlights my assets a heck of a lot better than my dated resume ever did.

3. Arrive on time to work, every morning. FAIL! I made it to work on time ONCE this month! I know, I know, I know, it's terrible! I just can't seem to get up out of bed and out of the door on time! Not being a morning person is becoming an issue for me! How do I become a morning person?!?!?!

4. Stay off of the phone and computer on evenings we are both home! FAIL! With March Madness happening this month, several surf competitions occurring, and my addiction to Instagram, neither myself nor the hubby did really well at this! I think we just need to make more of an effort to put the electronics away when we get home!

5. Update our iPhones. FAIL! However, the month isn't over yet. While I'm finishing my resume this evening there will be some updating of iPhones too!

6. Keep a better track of our expenses! WIN! I joined mint.com and we have saved all of our receipts from everything we purchased this month. This weekend I hope to tackle them all, organize them into a spread sheet and find out where we can cut some corners! I also want to be able to start using the checkbook register and balance it every night! Hopefully once the expenses from this month are organized it should be simple to do so!

7. Work on my reactions when others are rude to me. WIN! Basically, how I look at this, is that I need to act like I don't even notice it! Though this week, because of PMS, most rude people just made me cry! I guess crying is better than being ugly! This is an ongoing goal of mine. I'm a firm believer in killing people with kindness when they are ugly to you! As easy as it is for us to say something snarky in return, saying something nice says a lot about the person you are! I definitely want to have more self control and continue to work on my reactions and expressions when I've been offended!

8. Find a cobbler/shoe repair shop to spruce up some of my damaged heels and to put life back into my Tory Burch's! WIN! The heels I took were too far gone to save but they polished my TB's and made them look like new!!! All for $8 bucks! Read about my experience at the shop here! I'll definitely be going to a different cobbler in our area next time!

9. Keep writing true honest posts for my readers! WIN! At least I think it's a win! I've even created a theme/link up that focuses on honest posts and I plan to start it next Friday!!! I think it will really give me a chance to share more about me as a person to all of you!

10. Try to arrange at least one family lunch/dinner! WIN/FAIL! While I didn't arrange any family lunches or dinners this month, we have had and are having {this weekend} many family gatherings! I didn't think about Easter and all the family birthday's that were part of this month when I made this goal but technically it worked out nicely!

That's 5 Wins, 2 Win/Fails, and 3 Fails! That's actually the same count as last month's roundup! At least  I kept it consistent!! The motivation was lacking this month but I am really thrilled I was able to keep the Wins going! Some of these will, for sure, roll over to April!!!

**************

Now for what ya'll have been waiting for... The Winner of A Few of My Favorite Thing's Give Away!

And the Winner Is........

Chris Williams from Chubbette Tales... Life after Spanx!

I'll e-mail you for needed information so I can ship this too ya as soon as possible!!! Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated!!!

I hope y'all have a fantastic weekend and a beyond blessed Easter! It's a great time as ever to reflect on our Lord and Savior's resurrection and all the blessings he has bestowed upon us!! Pretty powerful if you ask me! 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!!! 

Friday's Letters!

Whoop Whoop it's Friday!!! I may be just a little excited! Heck, I'm always a little excited when Friday is here! It welcomes two days that I don't have to go to work! That's worth being excited over!

Via

Dear Google Reader, Apparently, according to all the Bloggers I follow and the person I know who works for Google, himself and announced this on his FB status before the rest of the world, you are disappearing in July! I don't really care as I didn't use you to begin with. Yea, sue me folks, I'm not a Google Reader user! However, since everyone is posting about an event that happens in 3.5 months I guess I'll familiarize myself with BlogLovin'. I never said I was good at being a blogger or educated in blogging 101. I guess it's time I take the crash course and get with the program! This techy stuff is for the birds! Dear Low Tire Pressure, Let's hope you aren't more of a problem than need be! Last time your notification came on in the car, the dealership had to patch a hole in the tire. If there is another hole, I will be 100% ticked off! Now it was common in my old car to run over nails, where they came from I have no clue, but I'm pretty sure those tires were patched a few times a year. Can we NOT carry on this tradition with the new car?! That would be pretty stellar! I guess I'll find out the problem later today as you are at the dealership now being checked out! Dear 96X Vintage at Noon, This one hour in the middle of my work day makes the rest of my day literally fantastic! The majority of the songs you've been playing take me right on back to middle school, high school and even my early college years and they remind me of my much younger years!! Some of these songs are my absolute favorites too! Like ANYTHING by Blink 182, A Perfect Circle, Rise Against, and even Crazy Town {You know... the Butterfly song!}! Thank you for reminding me I need to dig through my old CD collection and add these to my iTunes! Dear Bow Flats, I really want a pair of you!!! You are really popular amongst bloggers and I am seeing them EVERYWHERE!!! It doesn't help that I love anything with a bow on it, which I blame on my past cheerleading days. If any of y'all know of where I can find a reasonable priced pair, preferably pointy toed or peep toe, let me know, and don't saw J.Crew! I'm too hard on my shoes to spend that kind of money on them! You should see my poor Tory Burch's! I'm so ashamed of their condition, hence why I need to get them to a cobbler asap! Dear Complainers, I'm not saying its wrong to complain! We all do it, though some more than others, and there really is nothing wrong with it. However, try to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are complaining too. Maybe you've complained that you are fat to someone who is larger than you. Maybe you've complained that your car sucks to someone who does not even have a car. Maybe you've even complained that you hate going to work to someone who is having a hard time finding a job. These are just examples, as my recent personal experiences have gone waaaaay deeper than this and while you may be innocently complaining it may still sting the other person. Just keep that in mind. As I said, we all have been guilty, myself included, of doing it but we could all stand to be more positive in life and lift other people up instead of knocking them down.

See y'all Monday, my dear darlings!!! 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'm currently in the process of brainstorming a new regular post for Wednesdays! As much as I enjoy, "What I'm Loving Wednesday" I want to create something more my own. Something that could possibly turn into a link up and something a bit more substantial. Until I can come up with the perfect theme for my future Wednesdays, here is what I am LOVING this week! What are y'all loving??!

1. I am, hands down, totally in love with this Subaru commercial! If the hubby and I have a little girl when the time comes for us to extend our family, I know he is going to be this kind of daddy! He tries to be so manly and tough now, but throw a little girl in his life and she will have him wrapped around her little finger! This commercial makes me a tad bit eager to see my soul mate as a daddy! This commercial also makes me cry!



2. Last nights season finale episode of White Collar. HOLY CRAP! As always they leave you wanting more and now I have to wait until THE FALL for season 5! Really?!?! 6-7 months?!?! Oh well, looks as though GraceLand may become a great substitute this Summer! White Collar may be over for now, but that's what seasons on DVD are for, right?! And what's not to love about that?!

3. The YAAA! Black Tie Bowling event this past weekend! It was a pure blast!!! I learned that I am a HORRIBLE bowler, old ladies love my hubby, and we seriously have some pretty stellar friends!! The hubby and I can't thank the rest of our team enough for joining us in helping raise awareness for Alzheimer's! How cute were we all?! If you are at all interested in YAAA!, Please visit www.alz.org for more information on how to join and/or start a chapter in your area!

4. That I am reverting back to my twelve year old self and attending a slumber party this Friday night! My girlfriend, Whitney is hosting a little girl night at her home and I am super duper excited! This has been written in my schedule for over a month and I've been counting down the weeks and days! I need some girl time and this will be perfect! 

5. Winning Baby Reef a BarkBox!!! A friend sent me an email notifying me of a give away a blogger was hosting last week! Rebekah received two Bark Boxes {think Birchbox but for a dog} and decided she wanted to give one away! Baby Reef was chosen randomly which made this my first blogging contest win!! The BarkBox arrived yesterday and Baby Reef made out with some fantastic treats and a few new toys! I may just do a post on the whole box next week! 

Hope you all are surviving this week well! Unfortunately, due to uncontrollable circumstances, I'm a bit bogged down at work but the fun of this upcoming weekend is getting me through it! If you could, please say a small prayer for a dear friend and co worker of mine, I would greatly appreciate it! XoXo my Darlings! 

Betsy's Great Advice for Y'all Daydreaming of Summer!

I'll be honest, I have no idea how this sweet little lady and I became blogging buddies! Isn't it funny how some people enter your life and you simply can't recall how or when? Yep, that's pretty much how it rolls with Betsy and myself! I'm crazy excited to share her and her post with you today, as I have no doubt the majority of us are daydreaming on the regular of the warmer months that lie ahead! Sit back, sip on a pina colada {or pretend to} and enjoy this southern gals advice and be sure to visit her and say hi! She's currently planning her wedding and trying to juggle life while doing so! 

Hello everyone! I'm Betsy and I blog over at Simply Southern! I'm so happy to be over here in Mrs. Lauran’s corner of the world today.

 

Today I am going to talk about summer…I am so ready for it to be here, now!

We are going on vacation {to the beach!!} in about two months and I can barely stand the wait.

I am going to show you some of my must haves while at the beach.

First up is Burt’s Bees Chap stick – I love this stuff. I have it on me at all times, especially when out in the sun.  It does the lip wonders.

Next is a hat. Now not just any hat, you need the cute floppy one. There are all different styles and colors to choose from when picking out a hat. Here are some examples that I like…

Then of course, you can’t forget the monogram ;)

If you’re like me, you bring a lot of stuff with you to the beach, and you don’t want to be lugging all that around in your arms, so you need a beach bag, a cute beach bag. I found these two on Etsy {love that place!}

Large Chevron Beach Bag

Love the color of this one too.

Canvas Beach Tote Bags

I also carry this little thing with me too.

ID Case

It is easier than carrying a whole purse along too. And it has enough room for your ID, your debit/credit card, and some cash too. 

Then of course you need something to lay on…and you don’t want some measly old towel that you have had for forever. You need something that will withstand all that sun bathing you will be doing, ha!

I love this color combo and size of this towel from Target.

I found this website that will monogram just about anything on their website for only $5. And yes, that includes beach towels.

{ See a theme here? What can I say, I am a southern girl, and we southern girls like our monograms! }

Now wouldn’t this one go perfect with that chevron beach bag? I’m just sayin’.

Here is another must have in my book…a cooler.

Beach Cooler

You will need something to keep your snacks and water beverages cold while you are out having fun on the beach.

You might also want a pair of sunglasses to shield your eyes from all the…hotness. 

I have a pair similar to this by Steve Madden, and I love them! I have had them a few years now and they are still my favorite pair.

Now when I head to the beach, I will also have my Nook in tow with me, as well as some magazines and anything else that I will need to keep me entertained as well as WJ too. He is so not a beach person, but loves me so much that we are getting to vacation there! 

Now I know I probably got your hopes up with this post and you are probably ready for summer as much as I am not. Sorry not sorry. C’mon summer!!!

Thanks for having me Lauran, I really appreciate it and ladies feel free to stop by anytime! :)

  Isn't she just a doll?! I'm pretty much obsessed with everything she posted especially the floppy hats and the monogrammed beach bags! As she stated, monograms are a must for any southern gal but you other nationwide gals can and should join in the monogram fun too! What are your must haves for the beach, pool, lake, or river?! I pretty sure Miss Betsy covered it all except one thing!! Don't y'all forget that sunscreen ;) Keep that skin safe and beautiful! Be sure to visit Betsy's blog, she has a fabulous give-a-way going on with all of her favorite things! You will definitely want to enter to win it!  XoXo! 
If you missed my post Tuesday, please take a a moment to read it here! We are still accepting donations and would love for you to assist in helping us raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer's! Follow this link and just click on the green donate button!  Every little bit helps! Even if it's $1.00! 

Four Favorites - Link Up!

I'm linking up today with Let it be Beautiful and Fancy Things for the four things I am obsessing over this week! It's a random mix of awesomeness that I think y'all will be obsessing over too! Allow me to just cut to the chase!

Macaroon Ring Box*Jennifer Lawrence*Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pastry Crisps*Fascinators

1. This Macaroon Ring Box! How flipping precious is this?!?! And what a fun gift they would make for your gal pals! I'm simply dying over their cuteness! Ordering one is definitely on my agenda. Now, if only I could decided on what color to choose?!

2. Jennifer Lawrence is most definitely my girl crush! She's actually been a girl crush of mine since I watched her in The Hunger Games back in October! She is so laid back and humble! I love love love her Hollywood innocence! She really has no idea how huge of a star she is and I believe her fabulous gold man won't even allow her to realize that she's made it to the big leagues! Love the girl! She can do no wrong in my book! And falling while walking up stairs?! It makes me love her even more! She's real and honest and flawed and she's not afraid to admit it! She is genuine to the bone. What's not to love about her?!

3. Kellog's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pastry Crisps. I am a huge fan of Pop-Tarts but they are not the most healthiest treat to eat! My most favorite flavor is Brown Sugar Cinnamon and I literally jumped for joy in the middle of Harris Teeter when I found this box of Pastry Crisps next to the Chocolate flavored ones I was looking for! I feel like I've hit the jack pot! Brown Sugar Cinnamon 100 calorie pastry treats that taste JUST LIKE POPTARTS!? Talk about guilt free!!! Pick your own up at your local grocery store!

4. I've always loved the English. The accents, the Monarchy, and the hats! I would love nothing more than for American women to start wearing hats and fascinators to formal events and not just the Kentucky Derby! I'm starting the trend or at least trying too by wearing one to the YAAA! event on Saturday! I can't wait! If you love fascinators and hats as much as I do, you should start wearing them as well! Take photos, lets blog about wearing them, and start the American trend!!!!

Have a fantastic Hump Day my dears!!! Just think, half the week is already finished and we have half to go until the weekend! Wooohooo! XoXo!

If you missed my post yesterday please take a read of it here! We are still accepting donations and would love for you to assist in helping us raise money to help find a cure for Alzheimer's! Follow this link and just click on the green donate button! 

YAAA! Young Adults for Alzheimer's Awareness!

I've talked a bit in several past posts about the volunteer organization I have joined this year. Towards the end of 2012 I was put in contact with the PR VP Chair of YAAA! Young Adults for Alzheimer's Awareness, in order to help assist her with any PR needs the group needed. After talking with her and the President {who I have actually known since I was probably 6 years old} I decided it would be a good idea to join! I wanted to serve and be a part of a group that was doing good in the area, the nation, the world. During this time of my decision to join, the hubby and I lost his grandmother's husband to this debilitating disease!

Pappa Ted is in the standing top row, second from left in the light blue polo! This was Todd's Grandmother's entire family in 2010. 

I was lucky enough to have met Pappa Ted before he succumb to the evil grip of Alzheimer's. When I first started dating the hubby, Pappa Ted had been diagnosed with dementia. He was still functioning normally, with minor spouts of memory loss, however over six years we watched him deteriorate to almost nothing until he lost the battle the week of Thanksgiving! Not only was it painful to watch him slowly lose the battle but it was equally hard to see my husband's grandmother slowly lose her loving husband! She cared for him as much as she could until it became so hard she had to have assistance in their home with around the clock care for him. Simply heartbreaking and I hope that I never have to experience that myself or have other loved ones suffer from this disease!

If you are local to my area PAY ATTENTION: This Saturday, March 2nd, YAAA! is hosting it's Third Annual Black Tie Bowling Event! This event is a fun, black-tie inspired event with black-tie on top and anything goes on the bottom! It will take place at the AMF Chesapeake Lanes, 112 East Medical Parkway, Chesapeake, VA from 7pm to 11pm. The event will be emceed by local D.J. phenom and member, Jeremy Branch. In 2012 the event drew over 240 people and sold out! We are really hoping to engage the same amount of people to the event this year!

With that being said, my hubby and I have started a bowling team for the event consisting of the two of us and 4 other close friends of ours! We have a team page set up and are currently taking donations from anyone local AND afar who would like to commit any monetary amount! I'm not one to ask much from my readers but I am going to ask, that if it is laid upon your heart to give to our organization and team, please do! Please visit this link and click on the green donate money to help our team reach our goal and beyond for this event!  You really will be contributing to a great cause and helping to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research and education!

If you are unable to make a donation in money, please considering looking into local volunteering organizations in your area to donate your time to a good cause that you care about! I promise it will change your life for the better and will give you a sense of fulfillment! If you are in my area and would like more information about YAAA! please, please, please let me know! Also, be sure to check out their Facebook page for more information as well!!!

Thank you again for donating to our team and organization! I owe you all so much, more than I ever may be able to repay! XoXo!