Why you shouldn't try to dump someone on April Fools' Day

Yesterday was just another day in my book. I'm glad to say no attempted to play any April Fools' Day jokes on me. I love a good prank, but didn't play or hear of any good ones. I did, however, have a part in a very unfortunate misunderstanding. This my friends, is a true story:

After going out on a few dates with a really nice guy, my roomie decided she just wasn't that into him. While at the gym last night, we talked about how she decided to break things off with him rather than dragging it out any longer when she wasn't interested. When he texted later in the night asking her out again, I told her to get it over with and respond by telling him she just wasn't feeling it. She joked about how she'd rather just phase him out but I insisted she be up front and honest. I even took over her phone and wrote out the text for her. It basically said that she just wasn't feeling a connection and didn't want to waste his time.

A little nervous about how he would respond, she asked me to hang on to her phone and read his response and let me tell you...it was a doozy. In all the time we took brainstorming a nice way to let him down, we failed to realize it was April Fools' Day. He thought she was playing a joke on him. 

 

We never saw this response coming and it had us in a fit of laughter trying to figure out how to respond. How did she respond? She just said, "Oh gosh. I didn't even realize it was April Fools' Day." It's the truth. The thought never crossed our minds as we talked about how to break it off with him. He took it well and told her he wishes her the best. Good guy. We did feel bad for him and he was right, it was just the weirdest coincidence ever.

 

And that, my friends, is why you shouldn't try to dump someone on April Fools' Day.

 

Tell me...

 

Were you part of any good pranks yesterday? Has this awkward scenario ever happened to you?   

Weekend Recap with a side of Ice Cream

Happy Tuesday!

I don't know what is with me but I can't stop thinking about ice cream. I had an ice cream sundae last night before heading to the gym...that was a big mistake. Now I'm sitting at my desk really wanting frozen yogurt or one of those cookie ice cream sandwiches. Why can't I have a celery obsession this week? Why does it have to be ice cream?

Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend. We spent the weekend at Jonathan's house and after waking up for an early morning run, we threw an impromptu barbeque on Saturday. I can always count on my Pinterest board for a last minute recipe and whipped up these babies with plenty of time to spare before anyone showed up:

Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies

These were super easy to make and were a big hit! We had a blast playing horseshoes, day drinking and hanging around with Jonathan's friends and family. Unfortunately for me, day drinking makes for an early bedtime. We were in bed by 10:30 and I didn't mind it at all.

With no plans on Sunday, we stayed in bed until about noon. Normally I would feel a little guilty about this, but it was absolutely glorious. It feels like we always have plans or a reason to get up at a certain hour when we are together, so it was nice to just lay around together. By the time we finally got up, we were able to squeeze in some bowling and a few games of pool before I headed home.

I should probably add that my boyfriend who is in a bowling league and is so legit with his own bowling ball and whatnot learned that I do not bowl well. I think after the first game his score was somewhere in the 180s and mine was 35. Yep. I also managed to throw a bowling backward on one of my turns. Luckily, no one was injured and Jonathan got to see just how bad I really am at bowling.

With Jonathan and I living about 40 minutes apart, I love spending our weekends together. It's nice to have the uninterrupted time together without driving back and forth to see each other and I love waking up with him in the morning. It's been interesting to see our relationship evolve as we spend our weekends together. I actually want to write a separate post on it because it's all so new for me.

Anyway, I'm already counting down for this weekend. We're waking up early on Saturday to head to the Ocala National Forest to go camping. We'll be roughing it with some of Jonathan's friends and my roomie for the night. I'm not super outdoorsy, but I've been dying to go camping for a while. I absolutely can't wait!

Hope your week is off to a happy start!

Sweet Treats and DIY Gifts for my Valentine

Whether you are single, married or in a relationship, I hope you are still celebrating all the love in your life today. You don't need to be in a happy relationship to enjoy today, just take a moment and think about all the wonderful people you've been blessed with and you'll realize you have plenty to celebrate.

I know a lot of people say they don't feel like there should be just one day to show the person you love how important they are, that it should be an everyday thing. Agreed. However, I do believe that if you happen to have someone special in your life, why not at least recognize the day?

With that being said, I don't make a big deal out of it. I don't expect Jonathan to make a big production out of it, either. I'm just looking forward to spending a nice evening together. I would hate to know that he stressed even a little bit over what to buy me, what to plan, how to surprise me, etc. I also wouldn't want to stress over what to do for him. I've always been a big fan of "it's the thought that counts" gifts and this Valentine's Day, that is exactly what I did...

I treat every holiday as an excuse to bake and Valentine's Day is no different. I swear, you just can't go wrong giving baked goods as gifts for your man. This year, I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe to give to Jonathan.

While I knew he would love this and it would be more than enough, I was feeling ambitious, so I also put together a gift basket of some of his favorite snacks and things. I thought this would be a good way to present the cookies and cupcakes, while also being a sweet, thoughtful gift that wouldn't break the bank. I bought the basket, wrap and gift tag at World Market (which is my new favorite store) and bought everything else separate so I could include what I knew he would like. There are so many different things you could include, but to keep it simple, here's what I put in Jonathan's basket:

-A random selection of beer
-A bottle of wine for us to enjoy tonight
-homemade cupcakes and cookies packaged in treat bags and a cupcake tin
-beef jerky (I will never understand it, but he loves this stuff)
-Sour Patch Kids, circus peanuts and gummy worms (some of his favorite candy)

 

To stick with the homemade theme, I also skipped the card aisle at Target and made him a homemade valentine. I could've found so many great cards to give him at the store, but I'm so much more excited to give him something made just for him by me. I'm not super crafty, so I kept this pretty simple, but I'm happy with how it came out. It was also nice to take the time to come up with a sweet message for Jonathan's card instead of something already written for me.

This is the front of the card. When we met for the first time,
I had a string of Christmas lights wrapped around me,
so I thought it'd be cute to play off that. On the other side, I wrote a sweet note 
basically telling him how thankful I am to have him in my life.

I've always loved the idea of homemade, DIY gifts, but I rarely put the thought and time into making them. I'm so glad I went this route for Valentine's Day though. It was fun to put all this together for Jonathan and even though it's a simple gift, I know he is going to love it. I can't wait to get over there tonight for a relaxing evening with my man.

I hope you all have a happy day and take time to appreciate all the love in your life.

Tell me...

Do you prefer homemade gifts or would you rather buy something ready to go? How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

Love found us.

Yesterday was just another day. Another wonderful day, but still...just another day. I absolutely couldn't wait to head to Jonathan's house after work. We didn't have elaborate plans...just to go for a run, go rock climbing...something active. Instead, when I got there we both decided we weren't up for all that so we relaxed for a bit and planned to see a movie later in the evening.

Later on, we got in my car to head to the movies. In the driver's seat, Jonathan sat there sorting through his mail as I texted my roomie something about how I was probably going to stay at Jonathan's for the night. There we sat in the driveway, me texting away not really paying attention to anything else...when out of nowhere he blurts it out..."I love you."

Before I share what happened next, I should probably tell you that I kinda already said this to him last weekend. I say "kinda" because (1) I had a few too many drinks downtown that night and (2) up until last night I wasn't sure if I had actually said it or I had simply dreamt that I said it to him. I hadn't said anything to him after the fact because I didn't want to make him uncomfortable if he wasn't ready or anything.

To be honest, I have been holding myself back from saying it for a few weeks now. What can I say? When I fall, I really fall. I've been falling in love with him since our first date when he knocked on the door of my favorite frozen yogurt place begging them to let me in after they'd already closed. I don't know the exact moment I went from falling in love to being in love...but I've known for a few weeks now that I'm absolutely in love with this guy.

I obviously didn't want to say those words to him too soon and certainly didn't want to drunkenly blurt them out, but there is no doubt about the fact that I absolutely meant it.

So back to the driveway...

He says it and I can't really believe what I just heard. I slowly look up from my phone and say "Did you mean to say that?" He laughs and says of course he meant to say it. "I love you." He said it again. Here we are on a Tuesday night just sitting in the driveway and this man manages to make me feel like I could stay here, in this car, in this moment, forever. I obviously tell him I love him too, give him a big, smiley kiss and we finally pull out of the driveway and head to the movies. Just like that.

A funny part of all this is that I proceeded to text Natasha right after this (I had been texting her when it happened) and the conversation that follows is seriously one of my favorites ever. We were both too excited to type apparently because this stops making sense at one point.

Yes, she is talking about my dog, Blake

Only a best friend gets just as excited as you do about this kind of thing. I love her!

For the record, I cleared things up later last night by asking if I drunkenly said I love you the other night and he confirmed that I did. I did say it. Of course I did. To be honest, though, I wasn't freaking out too much. After all, if I had said it, he didn't run away or anything so no harm done and I knew if anything, at least he would know where my head was at when he was ready to put his feelings out there.

I'm in love with someone who truly deserves my love and affection. The best part? This wonderful human being loves me right back. He doesn't just say this, he shows it and we show each other every day. I've never felt so safe and secure in love. I'm overjoyed beyond belief.

P.S. I promise to get back to other topics around these parts eventually. This relationship has overwhelmed me in the very best way, so bear with me while I soak it all in and I promise to start mixing it up soon.

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.

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.

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!

The Start of Something Good

I'm a little nervous to say everything I'm about to say because it is a little soon to be making bold statements about the new man in my life. I don't want to jinx myself because this whole thing is feeling too good to be true, but I just have to fill you in!

You might remember before the holiday I mentioned meeting a new man downtown after I ran the Tap n' Run. Last you heard, he brought me flowers, called me on the phone and we had a great time on our first date.

Despite me being at my parents' for a few days, we've managed to see quite a bit of each other since then. He lives in Lake Mary, which is about 40 minutes from my house. I drove out there last week for a movie night.

While at my parents' for Christmas, he called me every day to say hi and chat for a few minutes. What? Someone wants to hear my voice everyday? Someone who doesn't go days without contacting me? Someone who was counting down the days until I came home? Is this real life?

I showed him around my side of town last night and I'll be staying there tonight before hitting the road to Jacksonville in the morning. We've fallen into what feels like such a normal relationship so effortlessly. It just happens. There is nothing to analyze. No one is trying to play games. The feelings are mutual. There is a level of comfort that I haven't felt with someone in a long time. I think I've mistakenly said that before, but this...this feels comfortable. I can say what's on my mind whether it is too cheesy, too honest, or unreasonable without feeling like he is going to reject it.

 

I am totally surprised by this whole situation. I've never met someone in a bar setting that actually seemed like it could be a normal, viable relationship. I know it's so early to be saying all of this, but I can't help but feel giddy and optimistic. I don't know where this is going to go, but I feel really good about it right now!

Flowers & a Man Who Actually Called me on the Phone. Is This Real Life?

Hello world. I've been stuck in bed with a nasty cold all week, but yet somehow a lot has happened. This cold couldn't have come at a worse time. I still have Christmas gifts to buy, errands to run before my holiday trips and my workout schedule has been completely thrown off.

In the midst of all this, I absolutely need to post something here because things has taken an interesting turn in the last few days.

I met a really handsome guy downtown last weekend. If your single, you know that 9 times out of 10 when you meet a guy at a bar, the chances that (1) you'll actually hear from him and (2) that you'll actually want to get to know him outside of that environment, aren't very good. Nevermind the fact that you probably had a conversation about nothing at the bar and may not even remember it. Well this guy seemed a little different from the get-go. He bought me a beer and he asked about my job, my favorite books...not the typical "so, where are you from?" conversation most guys go with.

I was surprised to get a text from him Monday and even more surprised that he asked me out to dinner Tuesday night. Then something amazing happened. He picked up the phone and called me to make dinner plans. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to skip the weeks of awkward texting conversation that inevitably end up happening with guys I meet. I feel like so many guys (or maybe just the ones end up interested in) hide behind Facebook chat, texting...anything to avoid picking up the phone and talking like a normal human being. Getting an actual phone call from someone I had just met was such a treat!

Anyway, we met for dinner on Tuesday night and had a great time! Things that made me think I might like this one:

-when I walked up to meet him at the restaraunt, he shouted "You look beautiful!" I'm not one of those girls who needs to be told that all the time, but I've also dated too many people recently who couldn't even tell me they liked me, so it was nice to hear this from him.

-he brought me flowers. What? I haven't gotten flowers from a guy in years. We walked to his truck after dinner to get his jacket (which he made me wear because it was chilly and I was getting sick) and he pulled them out and handed them to me. It was sweet and thoughtful and not over-the-top cheesy. I didn't know how to react!

-I didn't feel like we were on a first date at all. The way he talked with me was like he had known me for a long time. It was comfortable and fun without the first date awkwardness that I am all too familiar with.

We ended the night with frozen yogurt and plans to see each other again tonight. I'm excited and pleasantly surprised by this whole situation.

I think I posted this quote on a blog post a while back, but it rings true for so many things in life including my relationships with people. I can't dwell on people who don't want to be in my life. I need to look forward and put my energy toward the people who want to be here.

I've had a tough time lately finally getting up the courage to speak my mind to people who haven't treated me fairly. I'm realizing when I stop putting my thoughts and energy toward people who don't deserve it from me, I make room for people to come in my life who do deserve my attention.

Unfortunately, this is a lesson I keep having to learn. I'll get it down eventually, but in the meantime, I'm excited to see what happens next. I just hope I'm feeling better in time for my date this evening!

Speaking up, Sea World, Being Crafty and a Runaway Blake

Hello friends. I have a lot I want to say this week and I don't know where to start. I guess I'll start by telling you about my weekend and figure out the rest later this week.

Sometimes when I reflect on the weekend, it's hard to believe I crammed so many adventures, mishaps, awkward moments and good times into such a short time. This weekend was definitely one of those weekends.

Saturday I spent the day at Sea World with The Dog Whisperer, his roommate and a lady friend of his. I hadn't seen and hardly spoken to The Dog Whisperer in a few weeks so I was feeling a little anxious. We had a really fun day and got to hit up just about every attraction they have. The dolphin show is by far my favorite show there and everytime I see it I am completely overwhelmed by how amazing it is. I also cry tears of joy everytime I watch it and this time was no different. Did our whole group think it's weird and hilarious that I cry? I think so, but oh well. Sea World at Christmas makes me ridiculously happy. They have fake snow and do Christmas versions of some of the shows. We fed sting rays, which if you've never done is really awkward because they basically suck the food out of your hand. We also spent way too long in the game area of Sea World and The Dog Whisperer walked away with a creepy amount of small stuffed animal prizes. It was a really fun day.

While I had a really fun day, I have to say that The Dog Whisperer treated me like nothing more than a friend all day. Because he's been sending such mixed signals, I've already backed off quite a bit so if he just wants to be friends, that's cool. It would be nice though if he would just say so instead of leaving me to figure it out on my own. It's exhausting.

My goals for Sunday were simple: at least start to decorate the house for Christmas. I'm saving the Christmas tree for this weekend when my roomie and I can go pick one out and decorate together, but I wanted to get some lights up, get the Christmas candles out and finally pack up the fall decorations. As I tend to do, I got a little overzealous and decided I was also going to attempt to make one of those adorable yarn wreaths I see all over Pinterest.

I wouldn't describe myself as crafty, but I used to scrapbook a lot and I can pull off pretty basic DIY projects. The problem is, that no matter what I do, I always end up spending 3x as much on the supplies and the project takes about 2 hours longer than the tutorial says it should. This is why my crafting days are few and far between. The good news is that I'm pretty happy with the result.

I didn't really follow any specific tutorial because there are so many online and honestly, this is pretty easy to make. Wrapping the yarn around the wreath is really more of a two person job (it took me about 2 1/2 hours and it is not perfect by any means), but other than that, it's pretty self explanatory.

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty exhausted and mentally checked out after the wreath was complete and I hadn't even gotten around to hanging any lights yet. This explains how I didn't notice Blake walking right out the front door somewhere between me trying to hang the wreath on the door and standing in my kitchen sink trying to hang Christmas lights in my front window (side note: you can't help but stop and laugh at yourself when you're using an ice cream scoop as a hammer for an hour before realizing you have a tool kit in the garage).

When I was finally finished, I realized I hadn't seen Blake in a while. He hadn't been feeling very well and I kinda figured he gave up on following this mad woman around the house and went to sleep on the couch. I walked through the house calling his name and he was no where to be found. I started to panic realizing he could have been gone for an hour or two at this point. I had been so wrapped up in what I was doing, I had no idea when he got out. I started freaking out, crying, calling his name and as I ran outside to look for him, my neighbor from a few houses down was walking up to the door with him.

I was so relieved and panic-stricken that I brought Blake inside and cried like a baby for a good 10 minutes. Before you judge my parenting, I am usually much more attentive. Blake is still a puppy, so I don't let him out of my sight most of the time. I honestly don't know how he got outside without me even realizing it and it really makes me worry about my mental health. He would've had to walk right past me to get outside when I had the door open for goodness sake! The good news is that thanks to my neighbor walking his dogs, Blake didn't go far and I didn't end up having to roam the streets hysterically looking for him.

So yeah, to summarize: Hot mess, party of one right here. I'll get it together soon, I'm sure. I do know that though I feel like I am kinda falling apart, it's making me say and do things that need to be done. I don't ever fall apart without coming out of it feeling better and more secure with myself. So, there's the bright side. Oh, and I'm sure you would all agree that succeeding in any DIY project can make you feel like you could take over the world, assuming you don't let your dog run away without you noticing in the process.

Holy cow that was long. Thanks for sticking around to read it if you did and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

It's Okay Thursday

Linking up for It's Okay Thursday!

It's okay that I ate a York peppermint pattie at 7 a.m. today. My sweet roommate left a box of them on my bed  this morning with a lovely little note. How could I resist?

It's okay that The Dog Whisperer has turned out to be a complete disappointment. I liked him, I tried to get to know him, but he seems to have completely checked out I don't have the energy to beg for someone's attention. I'm disappointed, but it'll be okay.

It's okay to be in a bit of a funk sometimes. I'll snap out of it soon, I'm sure.

It's okay to say what's on your mind and not worry about how the other person will react. I need to work on being more okay with this.

It's okay to be happy and independent on your own, but also able to admit that you can't wait to find someone to share your life with.

It's okay to walk back upstairs 3 times before leaving the house in the morning to make sure you unplugged the straightener, even though it turns off by itself anyway.

On that note, it's okay to have a slight serious case of OCD.

It's okay to be overly excited about signing up for the Tap n' Run 4K. An easy 2.5 mile race with beer waiting for me at the finish line? This is perfection beyond belief.

What's okay with you today? Link up!

Random Thoughts

Happy Wednesday! This post comes to you from my office where men are tearing apart the roof and it sounds as if someone is moments away from falling through the ceiling and landing on my lap. I obviously can't concentrate, so I'm blogging. One of the many reasons I love blogging is that it doesn't require concentration. I don't need to pick one thing to write about and stick to it. I don't even have to make sense. So today I bring you the thoughts that are going through my head right meow.

I heard an ad on the radio this morning announcing that a local mall is opening at midnight on Black Friday. I love to shop almost as much as I love getting a really good deal on something, but I can't help but feel sad that shopping is starting to overshadow Thanksgiving day. Every year it seems the stores start opening earlier and earlier and more people spend Thanksgiving day waiting in lines and fighting crowds than sitting around the table with family celebrating all they are thankful for.

My nana has been fighting cancer on and off for a few years. She is now refusing treatment and I'm going to visit her today. I haven't seen her in quite some time and I'm feeling a little anxious. I really just want to hug her and tell her I love her, and I'm just hoping I don't completely fall apart. I'll also be seeing my aunts and uncles I haven't seen in a long time. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.

Dating The Dog Whisperer makes me feel like I am in stop and go traffic. You know the feeling, when you think the traffic jam has finally cleared up and you start to cruise, only to come to a dead stop in 1/2 a mile. That's how I'm feeling. Whenever I see him, it's like we are cruising down the highway and things feel like they are going so great, then we say our goodbyes and it feels as though we are at a complete standstill until the next time I see him. I'm not saying this is a terrible thing because we are taking it slow and blah, blah, blah. It is what it is but it's new territory for this impatient girl.

Speaking of boys, I can't help but think they are so cute banding together during the month of November for No Shave November. I can't help but notice the irony: it's cute when the men in your life decide to dedicate a month to not shaving, but if us ladies decide to avoid shaving for a month, we've "let ourselves go." Trust me, I am not an advocate of going more than a day without shaving my legs nevermind a whole month, but still, I'm entertained by this.

I'm truly starting to believe children have a better grasp on life than anyone else. They are brutally honest and so genuinely optimistic. I'm loving these two kids' quotes:

Anyway, I hope you're all having a lovely day.

A Happy Weekend with a Side of Anxiety

Happy Monday!

Am I the only one who feels strangely energized thanks to daylight savings time? I woke up at 7 a.m. (which would have been 8 a.m.) on Sunday morning feeling like I had slept for days. The sun was shining through the windows and the birds were chirping. I felt like I was brand new. I woke up and immediately went for a 3.5 mile run outside which I would normally be in no rush to do. I even felt the same way this morning despite the fact that it's Monday. I don't know if it's because I'm well-rested, or that I haven't had enough to eat, or that I've had too much coffee, but my heart is racing and I feel way too energized to be sitting at my desk all day.

My weekend was lovely, although I can't say it was too wild and crazy. Saturday morning, Natasha and I participated in the Paws for Peace walk, which raised money for Harbor House, a domestic violence shelter, to build a pet shelter for domestic violence victims. The weather was beautiful and we were able to bring Blake, which was so nice. From there, we continued the walking and chatting and ended up walking several miles exploring the area and checking out the scenery. We ended the afternoon with brunch and mimosas, then frozen yogurt at one of my favorite places. I have to get cheesy for a minute and say how awesome it is to have a friend you can do anything with. It was such a nice day.

I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and taking care of a few errands. Sometimes you just need some time to yourself. It was nice and I'm glad I was able to get a good run in on Sunday. I recently discovered that I am down 10 lbs from August when I started working out again. This is exciting, but I'm even more excited that I am increasing my distance and continuously improving when it comes to my workouts.

If I'm being honest, I'm feeling a bit of anxiety in addition to all this energy. I had to cut a fun night out short on Friday because I started having intense back pain that is all too familiar. It's a kidney stone kind of pain and unfortunately, I know it all too well. I'm going to see my doctor Wednesday and praying that it isn't what I think it is. I'm thinking if I send good thoughts out into the universe, I will learn that the back pain is just a fluke. So yeah, no kidney stones for this girl. No way!

Long story short, even the most positive people have negative thoughts. The trick is, and I need to remind of myself of this, to not let our negative thoughts overshadow positive thoughts. Our positive thoughts have to beat out the negative ones. So, I'm feeling anxious about a few things, but now that I've gotten it out there, it's time for the positive thoughts to take over.

If I do find out I have kidney stones again, I am lucky to have a great doctor on my side who will help me take care of it.

If I do find out I have kidney stones again, I can rest easy knowing I have been through much, much worse and like I say everytime I get kidney stones, "This too shall pass."

I am lucky to have a good friend who when I looked at her on Friday night saying I was in too much pain, she rushed me home and took such good care of me. 

That was a lot of information for a Monday. Whew! I feel better, though I still feel like my heart might beat out of my chest. More coffee?

Halloween Snapshots

Good morning! It's 10 a.m. on Halloween and I already have a tummy ache from eating too much candy corn. Is that going to stop me? Nope.

I have Blake at work with me today for our Halloween potluck and we are heading over to The Dog Whisperer's house later this evening to hand out candy and enjoy the beautiful fall weather we are having. I'm a happy girl.

Since I should really get to work since we'll be slacking off most of the afternoon...here are a few of my Halloween snapshots so far.

My bumblebee costume. I wore this downtown Saturday night. Today I'm just rocking the wings and antenna since it's a little chilly today and my boss probably wouldn't appreciate this outfit too much.

Blake is a Wide Retriever today. I can't get over how adorable this is
and he doesn't seem to mind the shirt too much! 

Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
 made from scratch by yours truly :) You can find the recipe here.

I absolutely cannot wait to spend the evening with some wonderful people in my life. I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!


When you put a birthday hat on your dog and he becomes visibly upset

I'm sure if Blake could speak, he'd say he had the most wonderful 1st birthday yesterday. Since I was at work all day, he spent the day at The Dog Whisperer's house. When I showed up last night so we could all celebrate his birthday together, Blake was adorable. He was so happy and exhausted from his day of fun....

Then we put a birthday hat on him and he went from excited to shamed in an instant....

"Really mom?"

 

I can't say Blake loved the birthday hat, but he definitely had a happy birthday. In all seriousness, though, I am so thankful for all the joy this little 1-year-old has brought into my life.

We may have overcelebrated Blake's birthday by going bowling after all of this and taking a few too many shots. Note to self: Taking an excessive amount of shots doesn't make you any better at bowling. It does, however, make the attempt much more entertaining.

Happy Friday!

It's Okay Thursday

I really love this linkup. It's at the point in the week where I am ready for the weekend, where I start to wonder if I really have gone crazy...and seeing everyone's "It's okay" posts makes me realize I am at least not alone in my quirkiness. So here goes!

It's okay to be overly emotional about the fact that my child is turning one-year-old today. I can't stop looking at pictures from when I first took Blake home and remembering how tiny he was. I might shed a few tears at some point...and that is okay.

On that note, it's okay to have a full-fledged birthday celebration planned for him. We'll be celebrating with The Dog Whisperer at his house with his roommate, his dog and my roommate. There are birthday hats to go around and I bought Blake a special birthday treat. Is this overboard? Yes. It is necessary? Absolutely. Is this one of the reasons I start to wonder if I've truly lost my mind? Yes. But, it's okay.

It's okay that I haven't stopped listening to the new Taylor Swift CD all week. Really, though...listening at work, in the car, at the gym....I can't turn it off and want to twirl everytime "Holy Ground" comes on.

It's okay that it's only 11:38 a.m. and I'm already mentally checked out at work. What? I'm going bowling tonight with The Dog Whisperer and can't wait to show off my skills....or I can't wait to drink and attempt to bowl. Either way, it's going to be fun!

It's okay to stop overthinking everything and just go with it.

It's okay to take a random Tuesday off work just to go to breakfast with a sweet boy and shop for your puppy's birthday celebration. Totally worth every vacation hour spent.

It's okay to have random moments where you feel so alive, and so happy, and so happy to be living your life that you laugh and cry at the same time and and you kind of never want the moment to end.

On that note, I hope you all have a more than okay Thursday. xoxo

Miscellaneous

What's going on in my world right now:

I forgot to tell you all that Blake graduated from his beginner training class a few weeks ago. I really only share this with you because this photo is too cute not to. I am so glad I decided to sign him up for training when I did. He's almost a year old and while he is still very much a puppy, his behavior has improved so much and I'm so proud of him for catching on to the basic commands we learned so quickly. I'm pretty impressed that after 6 weeks of class I can get him to sit, stay, lay down, shake hands and drop toys or things he shouldn't have in his mouth.

I stumbled across these two quotes on Pinterest recently and I absolutely love them. I can't believe I still haven't read Eat, Pray, Love. I really need to add that to my Kindle.

In the last few weeks, I've started switching to morning workouts on the days I have evening plans. Depending on the week, I've been waking up at 5 a.m. 2-3 times a week to get to the gym. I know how awful this must sound, but I am finally at the point where it doesn't bother me too much. I used to hate it how I would get into a great gym routine, going 4-5 nights a week, but then a week would come where I had a lot going on in the evenings and I would hardly make it to the gym at all.

An active social life is no excuse to let all my hard work go to waste, so the only way to make this work was to workout in the morning on the days I have plans at night. I won't tell you hearing the alarm go off at 5 a.m. is a good feeling, but driving home from the gym at 7 a.m. feeling accomplished before I'd normally be awake is an amazing feeling.

I'm also super excited that yesterday I got up to a 4-mile run. This may sound silly to serious runners, but that is the farthest I've ever gone in one run. It took me 35 minutes and I seriously couldn't be more excited about this. When I started working out regularly and getting back in shape in August, I could hardly run a mile without struggling a lot. The fact that I've come this far in such a short time makes me realize that so much of our limitations are all mental. I'm not setting any specific goals, but this makes me so excited to build up my endurance even more.

 

Last but not least, if you don't watch Modern Family on ABC, you need to start. It's the perfect combination of funny and heartwarming. I'm obsessed with Phil's-osophy.

 

My favorite: "When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like "what?!?"

 

That's all for now. I hope everyone is having a great week!



Tell me...

Do you watch Modern Family? Who is your favorite character?

Do you prefer working out in the morning or evenings?