This

"Thank God for all I missed, 'cause it led me here to this."

That's a line from a Darius Rucker song called, "This" that I love. It's basically about being glad for the opportunities you missed, relationships that didn't work out, things that didn't go your way, because it led you to something better...it led you to this. Well, I can certainly relate and I'm thanking God every day for the ups and downs that led me to this....



You ladies have heard it all here. I've fought hard to keep disappointing men in my life, I've gotten my heart broken, I've completely wasted my time and energy on the wrong people, I've made some bad choices. Throughout all of this, I knew deep down that I would find someone. Not just any someone...but someone that would be the right one for me...someone that would show me why it didn't work out with anyone else. I knew that someone would make me let go of any frustration, disappointment or self-criticism I felt over the journey I took to find him. Well, I did find him and it really is true...the road I took to get here is of no concern to me. It was all worth it because if I had done something different, what if I hadn't been downtown acting silly on a random Saturday in December to spot this wonderful man sitting at the bar? I wouldn't have met him and I sure wouldn't be falling head over heels right now for someone I am quite positive is the perfect person for me.

What I'm really trying to get at here is that I am falling for that handsome guy up there. The best part of this? He is falling, too. We are in this together...we're on the same page...we're two peas in a pod...okay, you probably get it by now. I'm well aware of how early it is in our relationship to feel this way, but I am more confident in my feelings knowing we are on the same page.

I always knew I would meet him eventually. I'm so glad I found this. So very glad.

What I'm Doing Right

I only made one New Year's resolution and I don't have a handwritten list of goals I want to accomplish and when I want to accomplish them by (although maybe I should).

I do, however, have things I know I want to improve on and I get really excited when I feel like I am headed in the right direction. I'm also not perfect and there are things I know I need to get better about like waking up earlier in the mornings and budgeting.

I could constantly stress about the things I want to do, fix, change, etc., but today I want to talk about the things I'm doing right these days. Yes, it might be less than a month into the year, but I'm celebrating these successes so far:

- Cooking. I feel like every year I tell myself I am going to start cooking more, but I never actually follow through. This has a lot to do with Jonathan, as we've been facing the kitchen together to make some really successful dinners, but I'm finally starting to cook more often. I love the quality time and fun of cooking with my man, but it's also helping me stick to a fairly healthy diet and helping me find recipes I can make on a regular basis on my own.

- Taking my vitamins and supplements. In the past, I have been absolutely terrible at taking my vitamins on a daily basis. I don't have the strongest immune system, so I really should be doing anything I can to keep my body healthy. Earlier this month, I stocked up on daily women's vitamins and B-12 supplements (after my doctor told me I had really low levels of this) and so far I've been great about taking both of these after breakfast each day.

- Staying in shape. Against all odds, I was able to keep up a somewhat regular workout routine during the holidays and whatnot. Normally, that's when I completely fall of the wagon and don't seem to make it back on after the holidays. Even though I've lost a little bit of my momentum, especially when it comes to my running, I've still kept it pretty regular and my weight is still down drastically from August when I started working out regularly again. Working out and staying active is still a priority and I'm especially glad that Jonathan and I are incorporating this stuff into our time together. I haven't ever really been with someone I worked out with, but it's nice to be able to get quality time together by going for a run or bike ride.

- Being less frantic. This was my one and only New Year's resolution and I can honestly say there hasn't been one time I've been frantic all month. I feel like a strange sense of peace has come over me. Don't get me wrong...I still have too many things I'd like to do each day and I still get overwhelmed (in a good way) and excited about little thing. I just dont let myself stress myself out and rush around frantically. I'm being more realistic about what I can do each day, how long it will take me to get ready to go somewhere and reminding myself that it's okay to slow down and do the best I can.

- Saying what I feel, want, need, think. This has a lot to with the fact that I am finally with the right person for me, but I have been able to say whatever is on my mind, to Jonathan especially, without fear of being rejected, shushed, ignored, etc. I can tell him that I miss him, that I'm worried, that my feelings are hurt, that I think he is the most amazing man and he doesn't panic. He doesn't shut me out or disregard my feelings, no matter how cheesy or unreasonable they might be. He actually wants to hear what is on my mind. The best part is that he is the same way with me. We communicate and because of that, there is a comfort and closeness between us that I have certainly never experienced. This might be why I feel so peaceful these days...I don't have thoughts floating around in my head that I am afraid to vocalize.

Getting a few good things like this in place can only motivate me to keep it up and work on improving other areas. 2013 has started off on such a bright and positive note and I can't wait to see what else is in store.

Have you ever had this strange feeling that everything in your life is settling perfectly into place? Like you were always happy and things were always good, but suddenly everything was beyond your imagination? It is such a wonderful feeling. I'm overwhelmed in the very best way.

Tell me...

What are you doing right so far this year? How are your resolutions coming along?

It's Okay Thursday

It's been a while since my last It's Okay Thursday link up but first of all, how wonderful are these?

Okay, now on to what is more than okay in my world today...

It's okay to celebrate an awesome 3 mile run with a huge bowl of ice cream.

It's okay to have a minimal winter wardrobe when you live in Florida. It's not quite so okay when you are going to Buffalo for the weekend in the middle of winter.

It's okay to wear dresses to work even though I can wear jeans everyday if I want to. It feels nice to switch it up sometimes!

It's okay to believe with all of my heart that J and I could live happily ever after.

It's okay that I'm looking forward to 3 days of doing absolutely nothing in Buffalo. The quality time with my sister, parents, niece and nephews is going to so wonderful.

It's okay to be counting down the hours until 5:30. I'm reuniting with my girlfriends from college tonight and I can already tell this is going to be absolutely perfect.

It's okay that I plan on drinking too many mojitos and eating too many slices of banana pizza for dessert at Cafe Tu Tu Tango tonight. So worth it.

It's okay that I haven't been making it to the gym quite as often as I was in the fall. I'm still working out regularly, which is all that matters.

What is okay with you this week? Join the link up!

You can never have too much happy.

You'll have to excuse the excessive optimism I am giving off lately. I am over the moon happy and I'm loving every minute. For example, I've found myself smiling for no apparent reason and I shed a few happy tears simply sitting at my desk daydreaming about how wonderful my weekend was.

I feel like I could go on for days about all the simple, magical, wonderful moments of pure joy I've felt over the past few days, but I'll try to simply cover the highlights here.

I packed a bag for me and a bag for Blake on Friday and we headed off to spend most of the weekend at J's house. This was my first time bringing my puppy love to Jonathan's house and we both weren't quite sure how he would hit it off with J's cat, Money. I'll cut to the chase and say they didn't hit it off. At all. Blake wanted to play. Money was scared for his life. It was a nightmare and we had to keep them separated all weekend. I only tell you all of this because I have to say...if this is the biggest issue with our relationship so far, then we are pretty darn lucky.

Moving on...we had a great Friday night enjoying a home cooked dinner with Jonathan's sister and his friend, then heading out for a few drinks. I love that we can go out on the town and have a great time socializing, but I love it even more that this man can't wait to get home so we can enjoy our time alone as well. We had such a fun and relaxing night and ended up staying up until 3 a.m. talking about everything under the sun.

Saturday morning we went on a bike ride to the farmer's market and took Blake along with us. I wish I got a picture of Jonathan riding his bike with Blake running alongside him, but here is one of me. It was so nice to start the day off this way.

I ran The Color Run yesterday (I'll get to that soon!) and had to make a tutu to match the rest of the girls on my team, so we spent the afternoon out and about getting the materials I needed, meeting up with J's parents and sister for a late lunch and headed home to attempt a homemade tutu. I can't find words to express how special it is to have a man who not only helped me with this, but was happy to help and be a part of it. I'm not the most crafty girl out there and had no clue what I was doing. Even shopping in Joann Fabrics to get the supplies was a task. But he helped. With everything. He cut strips of tulle while I tied them on the elastic. Then he helped me tie and finish the tutu. When we were about to crawl into bed that night and I remembered I wanted to cut a little length off of it, he had me put it on and twirl while he cut it for me. We are a team and I love that about us. I also have to mention that I am falling for his family, as well. They are so welcoming and easy to get to know.

After our tutu project, we spent the evening hanging with a few of his good friends I hadn't gotten to meet yet. I planned to go back to my house and sleep there since I had to get up early for the race, but I honestly couldn't leave him. Laying in bed that night, we talked until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. We talked about how happy we were with each other and when then he asked me to promise we'll always be positive for each other...always lift the other person up instead of bringing them down. When he said all of this...I just closed my eyes and thanked God for everything that led me to this wonderful human being.

Needless to say, I am absolutely overwhelmed in the best way possible.

Speaking of happiness overload...

The Color Run was an absolute blast! It really is the happiest 5K on the planet. If you have a chance, I definitely recommend signing up if it comes to your city. It's so much fun!

Before and after the race with Laura

Seriously...have you ever seen someone this happy after 3.1 miles?

To say I'm feeling blessed is a huge understatement. One thing about life I love: whether I'm doing something new and exciting like The Color Run or simple things like riding bikes and taking Blake for a walk, with the right people, every minute is absolute perfection.

Why I Think We Should Stop Being so Hard on Taylor Swift

I am a Taylor Swift fan. This isn't news to any of you, I'm sure.

The big news this week is apparently that her and Harry Styles called it quits. Now, I don't know who Harry Styles is and I'm quite satisfied with that. It makes perfect sense considering I am not a tween and don't still have an unhealthy obsession with boy bands at my age.

We all know Taylor Swift uses her many, many short relationships as inspiration for her hit songs and she gets a lot of criticism for that. Everyone knows by now (especially after he whined to Rolling Stone about it) that "Dear John" was so obviously about her relationship with John Mayer and "Back to December" is apparently about Taylor Lautner.

People all over the Internet are commenting on how many men she's been with, how short her relationships are and of course, making jokes about new songs everytime she splits with someone. Don't get me wrong, as a huge Taylor Swift fan (I think if we knew each other in real life, we would be really good friends), even I can admit to the laughing at things like this:

And if I had to guess, even I'd say that T. Swift is probably a little clingy with a side of crazy, which could be why she has so many short, failed relationships.

But to everyone criticizing her, I do have a few things to say.

• I have also had a series of short-lived romances. In many of these situations, like Taylor, I probably made too much of the relationship and turned it into a bigger deal than it was. I've fallen too quick, been more upset over someone than I should have been and been way overdramatic when it didn't work out.  
•  I've used those relationships for inspiration. Instead of writing a song about them (trust me, you wouldn't want to hear my singing) I just happen to record my thoughts on this here blog. Like I'm sure writing songs helps Taylor, writing helps me sort out feelings of anger, confusion, sadness when a relationship doesn't work out. Because of this, a lot of my blog content ends up being about...you guessed it, relationships.
• I, too, have dated a lot. I have friends (and sisters!) who have met the love of their lives and didn't date much, if at all, on the journey to find that person. I'm so happy for them and you if you have experienced this. It's important to remember though, that not everyone finds their someone like this. For some, our search is a little more...extensive, to say the least. Do we deserve to be criticized for trying to find love? No ma'am. We just know that we aren't going to meet the love of our life if we sit at home and think about it. So we go on dates...lots of them. We have short romances that make us wonder why we were ever interested in that person. We might kiss more guys than than we ever wanted to during our search for the one. Don't judge us for this. We are just trying to find what we are looking for.
• I sure can relate to a lot of Taylor's songs. I should add that I don't just relate to the ones about breakups. I can also relate to "Mean," which she wrote about a music executive who said she couldn't sing, "Everything has Changed," which is about the wonderful feelings we experience at the start of a new relationship and especially "Never Grow Up," which is about growing up and wishing you could go back to your childhood when things were simple. I'm sure if you listen to some of her music, you too would relate to many of her songs.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is this:

Taylor Swift and I are one in the same.

Just kidding.

I'm saying to give my girl Taylor a break. She's 23-years-old and writes about love, breakups and relationships. What do you expect her to sing about?

Tell me...

It seems everyone either loves or hates Taylor Swift. Where do you stand?

Smitten Kitten

I seem to be having a bit of trouble getting out of bed this morning afternoon. See, I've spent the last 36 hours with Jonathan and ever since he left this morning, I've just been sitting here basking in the peacefulness and joy I feel right now. 

On Friday night after discussing the fact that neither of us were seeing anyone else, we were laying in bed when he said, "So, are we exclusive then?" I obviously said yes and can't put into words how relieved I was to know that he wants what I want. Like everything else with us has been so far, this conversation was easy, natural and comfortable. We proceeded to spend the most delightfully relaxing weekend together shopping for a new dog bed for Blake, him helping me fix a few things around the house and cooking dinner together last night. The comfort and happiness I feel doing normal, everyday things with this man makes me feel so good about us.

I am absolutely smitten and so happy to say I am in a relationship that was so worth the wait.

I hope you are all having a fabulous Sunday, too! Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

A Happy New Year Indeed

Happy new year! I know I'm a little behind the times on my New Year's post, but better late than never, right?

You see, I don't really love the idea of making New Year's resolutions. I can't explain why, but I usually shy away from it. This year, however, I would like to try and be less frantic. I want to stop trying to squeeze too many things into days I don't have time for them. I want to be more realistic about how long it will take me to get ready so I'm not always running late and therefore rushing around to get ready.

I was off to such a great start after spending a few fun and relaxing days in Jacksonville last weekend for my cousin's wedding. I had all day on NYE to get things done (i.e. go to the gym, take down the Christmas tree, make cheesecake filled strawberries, etc.) before heading over to Jonathan's NYE party. Unfortunately, I knew it would be a little unreasonable to attempt to squeeze in time for blogging that day. I would've ended up frantically trying to get a post up and in honor of my resolution, decided that a January 2nd post would have to do.

My weekend in Jacksonville was absolutely wonderful. We squeezed a lot of run and relaxation into just two days. My cousin's wedding was simple and absolutely beautiful.

Everyone is so happy :)

The wedding was in Jacksonville Beach.
Beautiful location!

Mom and I were basically twins that day :)

We got home late Sunday, just in time to get ready for a fun NYE at Jonathan's house. Ringing in the new year with Jonathan, his family/friends, my roomie/wife Natasha and even my sister and her boyfriend, was an absolute blast. I loved meeting and having fun with so many new people that night, but also having my best friend and sister with me for it.

A few weeks ago, I never would have expected to be celebrating a new year with a new (and wonderful!) man. As I typed this, a memory from last NYE flashed through my mind. I was at a party with my boyfriend at the time and as the crowd counted down the seconds to midnight, I couldn't find him anywhere. I hardly found him in time to kiss at midnight. This year, my boyfriend announced to the whole party that I was going to be his first kiss of 2013. He was so cute and so proud to be telling everyone this. He put down the mic and ran over to me with plenty of time to spare. It was so silly and adorable. I don't mean to be overly cheesy, but I haven't been with someone so proud to be with me in a very, very long time. Let's just say my midnight kiss was full of hope, excitement and lots of sparks.

The night consisted of lots of dancing, more kisses and at one point, me drinking vodka straight out of the bottle. If that night is any indication, 2013 is going to be full of joy and love.

Smitten :)

the ladies!

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the new year! Here's to a joyful 2013!