A Few Things on Friday

Happy Friday, friends and happy October! I love October. I feel like our lives kick into high gear every fall with lots of events, travel plans and family fun. I just love it. So much to look forward to, so much to enjoy. I've got a few random things worth sharing with you all on this beautiful Friday, so let's get to it.

You've gotta try this recipe for sweet potato hash.  I get a huge kick out of treating Jonathan to breakfasts like this and I had the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a try a few weekends ago. I do recommend trying to do some prep the night before because it took a bit of time to put together on a Sunday morning. Totally worth it the effort but still, a lot of prep for breakfast. You've gotta make this one. It's delicious! 

I'm a huge fan of any posts on marriage and relationships and these two posts, well they rocked my world this week:

• Stop Treating Marriage Like Damaged Goods by For the Love of Tuna
• What Marriage Means to Me by The Girl Who Loved to Write 

We're heading to Tampa this weekend to see Aziz Ansari and tons of other comedians at a comedy festival and I can't wait! I love little getaways like this because they involve minimal traveling but tons of fun with my husband. Perfection. 

I also have my sweet friend, Laura's bachelorette weekend coming up and at the end of the month, we're hosting a birthday celebration for my sister in which I've planned an old school field day and bonfire. I told you, October means lots of fun to look forward to. It's gonna be great!

I've had the latest issue of Real Simple sitting on the counter for weeks now just waiting for the perfect time to lay in the hammock and soak in every last bit of Real Simpleness but sadly, it has yet to happen. It's funny because every month I read Real Simple and it gives me the best ideas and I keep reading it because I just love the ideas but I never actually do them. Yet I will never stop being a huge fan and saving special time to read the issue for that month. Anyone else? 

I started reading All the Light We Cannot See and even though I'm enjoying it, it's been a little hard for me to get into. Then I saw Mindy Kaling's new book was out and right now I'm just resisting the temptation to start it. I don't like moving on until I've finished a book and from what I've heard, I know All the Light We Cannot See will be amazing. The good news is that I love having some really great reads in my near future. 

Cheers to Friday! I hope your weekend is full of whatever you're craving - fun, food, rest -- enjoy it!

A Few Things on Friday

Hello and happy Friday :) 

I really wish I had brilliant thoughts or stories to share but apparently a week of hospital visits, surgery, pain meds and sleep, lots of sleep - doesn't provide much in the way of riveting blog material. 

The good news is that my 2nd kidney stone procedure of the week went well yesterday. They were able to blast the stone and break it up so I can pass it. I'm still a little uncomfortable but I'm hopeful today is my last day of being confined to laying around all day. 

On that note, I do have a few random thoughts to share. 

One. As a result of all this down time, I've become hooked on Parenthood. How am I just now discovering how great this show is? 

Two. I think it goes without saying that I've felt like quite a hot mess lately but having my nails polished always makes me feel somewhat like I have it together. This color has been my jam lately. 

Three. Someone tweeted this yesterday and it really spoke to me. It's a miracle if I don't screw up an omelet. 

Four. I don't have anything planned for the long weekend and i just feel like that's not okay after last weekend was such a bust. I've just been so busy living it up in bed all week I forgot to make some plans. Oops. 

Five. Between my birthday and the kidney stone invasion this last week, we've had an abundance of sunflowers in our home thanks to sweet family and friends. I have to say having my favorite flowers all around the house has been a delight. 

And I think that's a good note to end on. Cheers to sunflowers and sunshine and all good things this weekend. 

New Blog Design (Yay!) and a Few Other Things on Friday

Oh hey there. It’s been quiet around here this week, I know. I’ve been a little distracted and I have been working on a few posts for next week -- but in the meantime, Sarah has been working on this amazing new blog design for me and I’m so excited about it!

If you visit here often, you know what this space looked like before and oh my goodness is this a huge improvement or what?!?

Guys, really. I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years and I finally decided it was time to ask someone who knows what they’re doing to design my space here. I’ve been using what little design skills I have and just making the best of it but I’m so glad I finally asked a professional for help.

For the record, Sarah is great. I think we all know that by now but it had to be said. I had very little idea of what I wanted this space to look like when I first contacted her and somehow she turned the very little bit of guidance I gave her into something so perfectly me. Isn't it so pretty and happy and just absolutely wonderful?

We are still finalizing a few minor details, but I can't say enough about how excited I am to share the new design with all of you!

A few other things:

- Life has been hectic lately and I find myself craving a date night at home like woah. We’ve got this brand new hammock on the back patio, wine on hand and the fixings for a delightful dinner at home tonight. Our Friday night is shaping up to be just what we need.

- I read The Girl on the Train this week and finished it in oh, two days. Most of the books I've read this year I've heard about through this awesome blogging community and I just love that. This book definitely lived up to the hype if you ask me!

- I really really want to order the May Kindness Box. I became aware of this box a while back and I follow the Instagram account. If you haven't heard of it, the goal of these boxes is to send a little happiness. Each box comes with 4-5 items to uplift and inspire you. Every month when the new box becomes available I forget about it but this month, I really want to order it. Early birthday treat for myself maybe?

source

-  Joining the women’s bible study at church is probably the best decision I’ve made this year. We finished Beth Moore’s Breaking Free study in March and this month, started Lisa Harper’s Hebrews study. I genuinely look forward to Tuesday nights – the fellowship, the conversation, the time dedicated to growing closer to Jesus. It’s been such a blessing!

- I just watched last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy. Yes, I still watch this show. I'm not going to admit to sitting in bed sobbing throughout the entire episode, but I'm also not going to deny it.

On that note, I should really get moving and do something productive with myself. Cheers to new blog designs and weekend fun! 

A Few Things on Friday

Hello friends and happy April!

I've been a busy little bees this week prepping for Easter brunch and it feels good to take a break and pop in for a few things this Good Friday. I hope you had a wonderful week!

This is our second year hosting and we’re expecting about 30 guests – it’s going to be amazing. This means any free time this week is being spent baking, cleaning, putting together baskets for all the kids, shopping for food/fixings for the bloody mary & mimosa bar and prepping plastic eggs for the Easter egg hunt. It’s all coming together quite perfectly and will be so worth it when we’re basking in all the love and joy in our home on Sunday.

The thing I love about Friday posts is that I can just list out some random things I feel like sharing which is good because I'm pretty sure that is all I'm capable of at this point in the week.

(one) I completed Erin's #1800MinuteChallenge on Tuesday and it felt pretty awesome. I actually finished at 1,811 minutes and it's cool to think how throughout the challenge I kept forgetting about the possibility of winning a cash prize if I completed the challenge. I was more focused on keeping myself accountable to get my 30/day of exercise in and while winning some cash to top it off would be great, I'm just really excited and proud of myself for finally getting into and sticking with a fitness routine. Yay!

(two) Jonathan has been slammed with work the last few weeks so I've been trying to get as much of the Easter prep done as I can myself without adding to his list of things to do. The other night though, he took a break and sat down to fill 100+ plastic eggs with candy for the Easter egg hunt we're setting up for all the kids on Sunday. This is great because I was starting to wonder when I'd have a chance to do it and he was so sweet chatting with me about where we'd hide the eggs and all. It was nice to watch him relax and step away from work for a bit.

(three) After seeing a handful of blogs raving about acai bowls, I decided I had to see what all the fuss was about so this morning, I traded in my usual egg white omelet and tried to put one of these together. I'd say it was a success and absolutely delicious. I probably could have added more frozen fruit to the blender because I think my mixture could have been a little thicker. Let me tell you though, this was a delightful way to start my day. It's cold, crunchy, fruity and left me feeling full and energized through lunch. The best part? I don't think you can really go wrong here with ingredients. Obviously you need the acai smoothie pack, granola and frozen fruit but the possibilities are endless for toppings and other add-ins. I'll share how much and what ingredients I used for my bowl next week but if you haven't gotten in on this goodness yet, you should probably give it a try.

(four) After blogging on and off for years, I am in the process of getting a custom blog design for the first time ever. I've always tried my best to design my blog to the best of my abilities but this year I realized that just wasn't good enough anymore. I want a space here I am proud of so Sarah is working on something for me and I can't wait to see it!

(five) In just a few hours, my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephews will show up on our doorstep and I can't wait to hug them! They're driving down from Buffalo and last night when I got in bed, I got this text from my sister.

Alyssa is my eight-year-old niece and a few years ago when I was up for a visit, my sister and I took her to Build-a-Bear for a girls day. She named her bear Alena and every time I spoke to Alyssa after that, she would give me updates on Alena and whatnot. It's been a while since we've even talked about her teddy bear but I thought it was the cutest thing that she worried I would be upset if she didn't bring it down with her. I love that little girl!

And that concludes all the thoughts I can form into words today. I have a bit more baking to do before the fun starts later. I hope you all have a happy Easter and enjoy time with family and friends!

A Few Things on Friday

I've got more than a few things coming your way today.  I guess that's what happens when you try to fit the last two weeks into one blog post. Here we go -

(one) I've made this Paleo chicken salad recipe 3 times since I found it on Pinterest a few weeks ago. I can make a bowl of this on Sundays and get several lunches out of it for my and Jonathan through the week. It includes a recipe for Paleo mayo and while it isn't quite like real mayo, it does the trick. I don't do the wrap, just the salad with some cucumbers works for me. 

(two) I'm still on track to complete Erin's #1800MinuteChallenge by the end of this month. I have almost 1200 minutes of exercise under my belt since the beginning of the challenge on February 1st and it feels good to know I'm following through on it! 

(three) Over the last two weeks, we've completely transformed our home and I couldn't be happier with the results. I am going to put together a before and after post eventually, but right now we still have a few minor things on our to do list. We still need to finish repainting base boards and doors and I am in the process of restyling the table in our entryway. After weeks of going back and forth on the perfect gray paint color, we are pretty happy with the color we settled on. Last weekend, we knocked out painting the living room, kitchen and entryway and it turned out amazing. I can't wait to show you all more photos, but for now this is all I've got. 

Taylor has been hanging out up here a lot since we moved the birds to the living room. I like to think she feels left out and wants to be part of their group. 

(four) We're hosting Easter brunch at our house again this year and I'm just getting around to planning out the details. I finally called to set up the table and linen rentals and I think I've settled on what I want to make this year. I'm most excited because all our nieces and nephews will be here. We'll have six littles ones running around our house on Easter which means we'll be setting up an Easter egg hunt and I've already started putting together little baskets for all the kids. If all goes well with my limited design skills, I'll hopefully be sharing some Easter printables soon. 

(five) I'm going to be a bridesmaid! My dear friend Laura is getting married in January and I received this in the mail from her earlier this week. My answer was an absolute yes and I'm so thankful she wants me by her side through this process! It's going to be fun!

(six) I started a part-time schedule at work this week. I've been feeling quite lost career-wise for a while and after a lot of discussions with Jonathan and a lot of prayer, I presented the idea of me going part-time to our leadership last week and thankfully, they were willing to give it a try for a while. We decided on a Monday-Wednesday schedule and while we're only one week in, I feel really good about it. This opens me up to help Jonathan as he is looking to grow his landscaping business and is launching another business this month. I also have things I want to pursue myself and while I'm not ready to share the details, I am excited to have time to devote to this new venture. Who knows how long this will last or if it makes sense for the long-term, but right now, I am going to make the most of it. 

That's all I've got for you today! I've got a long list of things to take care of today but before that, I'm off to the gym to make sure I get my workout for the day in before I get distracted with other things. 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

A Few Things on Friday

Happy Friday! Believe it or not, I'm showing up here for the third time this week and I'm feeling pretty good about it! There were a few weeks in a row last year where I actually posted on Fridays and even stuck to a format of sorts. I changed it up week-to-week sometimes sharing a quote, some of my favorite online reads from the week and random things that happened to be on my mind. In an attempt to bring this back, today I'm sharing a quick rundown of this week.

Highlights of my Week

• Getting my new Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. I'd never considered using a heart rate monitor while I workout before but after trying out a free session at Orange Theory Fitness last weekend, I realized how helpful they are to ensure I'm getting the most out of my workouts. I really enjoyed my experience at OTF and loved how they provide heart rate monitors and the workout is designed around keeping you in the target zone you need to be in to maximize the results of your workout. I couldn't quite justify signing up for a membership as the prices were way out of my league, but the next day I ordered myself a Polar FT4 so I could start paying attention to my heart rate and learn what workouts are most effective for me. I've used it twice this week and I'm absolutely loving it- super easy to use and really helpful!

• Attending my first volunteer training session at Ronald McDonald House. Before I can start volunteering on a regular basis with RMH, I have to complete two 2-hour volunteer shadow sessions and 2 training sessions at the house. I completed my first session last night and I loved checking one of these off my list and learning the ins and outs of how the house runs. It feels good to be making progress on this and I'm looking forward to becoming more involved.

Favorite Online Reads

• Sarah's post on The 5 Things You Need to Know Before You Super Bowl 2015. Believe it or not, I actually knew most of these already but I just loved this post! 
• Becca shared this post on on Facebook earlier this week and I'm so glad she did.
• Amber's post on blogging without sponsorships 

Favorite Meal 

This Cilantro Lime Shrimp recipe from SkinnyTaste. This was actually the only dinner I cooked this week as we've rarely been home for dinner in the last few days but it is one of my favorite quick and healthy dinners to make. 

This Made Me Giggle

I'm looking forward to a relaxing night at home tonight with my man after a hectic week for both of us. I'm planning on starting my Saturday with some writing and bible study homework and making sure I get a workout in before we head out for the afternoon to visit family. We're having one of my very best friends and her boyfriend over on Sunday to watch the Super Bowl (Go Pats) with us and I am super excited! It's going to be a good one! Wishing you all a happy weekend, too! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! We stayed up way too late last night finishing season 2 of Orange is the New Black and it was so worth it. Has anyone else finished it? I’m happy to say season 2 did not disappoint. It definitely wasn’t our intention to watch the complete season in less than a week, but we just couldn’t help it. The good news is that we don’t need to find time this weekend for binge watching, which is good because it’s looking like it’ll be a busy one.

I’m spending tomorrow with my friend, Sarah for some much-needed girl time while Jonathan works, then tomorrow night we’re attending my 10 year high school reunion. It’ll be fun, although I have felt somewhat indifferent toward the whole event for some reason. I guess with Facebook the whole mystery of what everyone is up to since high school is a thing of the past, not to mention that my best friend isn’t attending. I am looking forward to it, though! It’ll be fun to catch up with everyone and have a fun night out with Jonathan.  

Sunday I’ll be heading to my parents’ house to celebrate Father’s Day. On that note, today’s Friday Favorites are all about this man I’m lucky enough to call my dad.

Photo by Lora Rodgers Photography

one. His dance moves. I told the story of how my dad just recently debuted his dance skills and just this story alone is one of my favorite memories with him. Read it for yourself, but the short version is that his approach to dancing is on point.

two. His strong conviction. For my sweet father, no matter what the topic, there is no gray area. He either loves it or hates it and he doesn’t sugarcoat it when it’s the latter. President Obama? Don’t get him started, seriously. The Boston Red Sox? He doesn’t miss watching a game. Irish Car Bombs? Loves them.

I have strong opinions for the most part, but I can be very indecisive and all too often, I see both sides too clearly to take a strong stance on something either way. I love that my dad has such strong beliefs and that he stands by them.

three. He freaking loves his family. I know, this isn’t out of the ordinary for dads as a group, but I admire how much my dad genuinely enjoys being with his family. Ask him and he will tell you his favorite vacations have been the ones where we are all together. We all have such a good time and you can truly see the joy he feels when we are together. Growing up, he put our family first and he made sure we all learned to do the same. It’s why my siblings are my very best friends and they always will be, because we all learned to stick together and be there for each other.

four. Him and my mother raised 5 children, 4 girls and one boy. I don’t know how he survived my sisters and I going through high school one after another. We certainly didn’t make it easy on him and he was tough on us at times, but I know my siblings would all agree that he has always been our biggest supporter and even when he was hard on us, we always knew he had our best interest in mind.

five. He speaks up. My dad isn’t afraid to give you his honest opinion. He’s not afraid of speaking up when he doesn’t agree. He’s always reminded me to do the same without being afraid of what people might think of me. There are so many times I think of him when I don’t know how to handle a situation and I know he would tell me to speak my mind. There have been so many times when I could’ve kept my opinion to myself but instead, decided to speak my mind and in those times, the situation has always worked out for the best.

There you have it; just a few of my favorite things. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! It's been a busy work week and therefore my plans to blog all week have been sadly pushed aside, but it's Friday and I'm determined to make time for a quick post. What better way to do that than to join Amanda's Friday Favorites link-up? I'm excited to share my favorite things from this week and check out some new blogs to follow!

Celebrating this hunk. Today my dear husband turns 26-years-old and I can’t wait to spend the weekend celebrating with him. I’m so grateful I get to share my life with this man!

Sore muscles. I successfully got my butt to the gym at 5 a.m. three times this week and if you know how much of a struggle that has been for me lately, you’ll understand this is nothing short of a miracle! I joined Living in Yellow's 1,000 minutes in 30 days challenge this month to help motivate me and it feels great to be getting back in the fitness groove!

Hulu Plus. I mentioned we canceled cable several months ago and we’ve never looked back. This week, we finally made the move and signed up for Hulu Plus. It’s been pretty sweet catching up on Modern Family…we are several seasons behind and I forgot how much I loved the characters in this show, especially Phil.  

Our new addition. I never thought in a million years I would be blogging about how adopting a cat was my favorite part of the week, but here I am, doing just that. She seems to feel at home here and is just really sweet and calm. I’m so very glad we decided to bring her home. You could say Jonathan is in agreement…

Feeling like a new woman because I finally got my hair trimmed and highlighted this week. I was way overdue so I’m feeling like a million bucks now that I ditched the roots. Speaking of hair, I’ve been on the hunt for a good dry shampoo and after trying several without any success, I’m kind of liking Herbal Essences dry shampoo. It’s the best I’ve found so far, but if you have a better suggestion, please share it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! What are you favorites this week? 

A Few Things on Friday

Hello and happy Friday! It's been quite a week! My birthday dinner on Monday evening was so much fun! For a sort of last minute decision, I was thrilled so many of our friends and family were able to join us. I've been feeling more grateful than ever for the network of caring and supportive people we've been blessed with! This week has been busy and a little overwhelming...in all the best ways, of course. A few things on this Friday...

A Few Thoughts from This Week

• To be honest, doing 28 Random Acts of Kindness to celebrate my 28th birthday this week has proved a little easier said than done. I've done a few here and there, but I have a long way to go this weekend if I want to reach my goal. Again, if any of you have suggestions, I'd love to hear your ideas!
• Work has been challenging and exciting lately. It's taken me a few months to get settled in and it's still a work in progress, but I'm feeling more comfortable lately and I'm pretty happy about that. There is an exciting work-related development in the works, too and I can't wait to fill you in that when it's official!
• I've reached a point in my adult life where I genuinely look forward to a free Saturday so I can give our house a good cleaning. Life seems to get so hectic during the week and we always seem to have fun stuff planned for the weekend. Unfortunately, this means our little home gets neglected and I start to feel like it's out of control. This Saturday morning is all about regaining some control over our lives. #adulthood
• I've had this on my mind after reading a post yesterday on the topic of religion and while it was well written and I completely respect her opinion, it's been on my mind ever since. The writer was commenting on how she doesn't believe God has anyone's life planned out for them, that anything happens because of him or that their destiny is out of their control. I respect her opinion and her choice to were about it and the whole post was actually interesting to read despite the fact that I don't share her views, but this specific comment stuck with me all day. See, I think there is a disconnect here. She kinda paints a picture and brings up an image I think a lot of nonbelievers have of a lazy individual sitting back thinking God is going to give them what they want whether they put in the effort or not. I can't speak for all Christians, obviously, but I'm certainly not sitting back making zero effort in my life saying that God will give me this or give me that or not working my ass off trying to accomplish things because God will make sure I reach my goals. When I pray to God, I'm not praying for him to take care of it all, although I do have faith that on his time, he will provide the answers in some form. When I say that I have faith and trust in God's timing and his grace, I'm not leaving it all up to him to provide for me. On the contrary, when I pray to God, I'm praying for his guidance to help me find my way through, I'm praying to him for his love to bring me strength, patience or peace through whatever I'm facing or to give others guidance, strength, patience or peace through their trials. I do this all knowing that his timing is always right and that he will provide in his way. Having faith in God doesn't mean we are standing by waiting for him to put the pieces into place for us, it just means we are relying on his wisdom to guide us through and that it's his will and his timing we can trust in.

I didn't mean to go on a rant, but hey, this is what's on my mind at the moment. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. What are your thoughts on this?

A Few Snapshots of Our Weekend in St. Augustine

Our Bed & Breakfast! I can't say enough about how wonderful this was. If you're ever planning a visit to St. Augustine, I highly recommend this place. The service was phenomenal and the rooms were super cozy!

Our first night in we went out for a few drinks and were craving a late night snack. This place was just about to close down and they invited us in and made us each an individual slice of pizza (not even something they offer on the menu). I can't get over how kind these people were to us for absolutely no reason other than "we looked like a really nice couple." 

A Few Plans for This Weekend

• Get my butt to the bank and change my last name on our bank accounts and whatnot
• Clean our house for goodness sake
• Knock out a bunch of wedding thank you cards
• Get myself a pedicure while my hubby works on Saturday (this was his sweet suggestion and after some convincing, I just can't say no)

What's on your mind this week? What are you up to this weekend?

A Few Things

I've been slacking lately with this blog. It's the usual reasons...I have so many ideas but don't do a good job of developing those in time to post. I've also really wanted to write, but haven't been able to get my thoughts out clearly. Either way, here I am today ready to chat.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I"ve been trying to cut out or on not-so-good days, at least cut down on carbs. It's been going well, although I did fall off the wagon on purpose to enjoy our Easter Sunday brunch spread. I may have also snaked on Cadbury Mini Eggs for a few days after that. BUT I've been back on track this week and I feel like I've gained control again. I've even started looking for paleo recipes because I know those are safe and I've found some really great meals I'm excited to try. I even successfully attempted (and succeeded) to make spaghetti squash for the first time this week. I can't believe I've been missing out on this gem for so long because it was delicious. I served it with these Paleo Turkey Pesto Meatballs which were so freaking delicious. I will absolutely be making this meal again soon.

Anyway, Happy Friday!

A Few Words of Wisdom on My Mind

A Few Paleo Recipes I Want to Try

• Ground Chicken Burgers
• Cauliflower Pizza Crust
• Chicken Curry Stir Fry
• Cauliflower Fried Rice

A Few Things on my Mind

• We just booked our room at a Bed & Breakfast in the middle of Historic St. Augustine for my birthday weekend next week and I am literally counting down! Neither one of us has stayed at a B&B before and we could really use a weekend to get away and spend some uninterrupted time together, just the two of us. 
• I'm having the hardest time getting back the motivation to work out. For a while, I wasn't being consistent, but at least I was doing something but lately, I haven't had the motivation for even that much. I know the key to success for me is early morning workouts, but I'm struggling to get those started again.
• The month of April was super busy for us with back-to-back out of town weddings, hosting Easter, family visiting and plenty of other activities keeping us on the go. It was all so wonderful and I try to embrace the chaos of our busy life, but I do have to admit I'm looking forward to May because we don't have near as many things going on this month.
• We started watching Dexter on Netflix last weekend and we are hooked. I'm excited to have a new series to watch together but it's so addicting and we can't just watch one episode. I also recently got into Revenge and while I'm on my own with this show, it's equally addicting. Basically what I'm saying is that Netflix is both terrible and wonderful at the same time.

What's on your mind today?

A Few Things on this Good Friday

Happy Good Friday! I have been looking forward to this weekend so much I can't believe it's finally here. On Sunday, we're having 20+ family and friends gather in our home to celebrate Easter. We've been prepping for this brunch for weeks and I'm absolutely thrilled to be hosting such a special holiday in our home. Jonathan and I were talking about the weather forecast for the weekend and how we're supposed to get rain most of the weekend, but that it's supposed to clear up in time for Sunday, to which my husband said something along the lines of, "of course the weather will be nice; it's the resurrection...the weather is always perfect for the resurrection." Have I mentioned lately how much I love this man's soul?

I'm pretty anxious to get this weekend started, so let me share a few things and soon enough I'll be home baking some adorable Easter cupcakes.

A Few Words of Wisdom on my Mind

A Few Thoughts from this Week

• I'm still eating very low-carb and I'm thrilled to say I'm already down a few pounds. It's crazy how hard it is at first but how quickly you adjust to new habits. I'm loving it.
• With that being said, I'll be pushing pause on this whole thing for Sunday. Our brunch menu is shaping up to be too delicious for me to miss out on all the goodness. Cadbury mini eggs will be enjoyed and it will be well worth it. Then Monday, I'll be back at it.
• Speaking of food, over the past 6 months or so, I've turned my baking hobby into a bit of small business on the side and within the last week, I finally came up with a name for the little thing of mine....what do you all think of this?

• It's just a fun little thing for me to do on the side for now, but I wanted to at least have a name for it and I'm in the process of creating a small flyer to send with any orders I get to spread the word. Fun stuff!

A Few Links Worth Reading

• The Silver Lining of Awkwardness  (via Relevant Magazine)
• A Good Friday (via Landing on Love)

A Few Things I'm Super Excited About

• Giving our niece and nephew the Easter baskets we put together for them
• Baking vanilla cupcakes with  Nutella buttercream frosting tonight
• Joining our families together to celebrate on Sunday
• Relaxing with my main man later tonight
• Cleaning our house tomorrow (I know this isn't exciting to most, but we've been busy and it's way out of hand. Can't wait to get control over the chaos!
• Our present...our future...this amazing life

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend! 

It's Friday Already?

How is it Friday already? Last weekend was so full of fun and I never even got a chance to blog about it this week. That could be because I didn't feel recovered from the weekend until Tuesday and next thing I knew, it was Friday already. We're heading to Baltimore tomorrow night for yet another wedding celebration and then we come home in time to finish prepping to host 20+ family and friends in our home for Easter brunch. It's all exciting stuff, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit overwhelmed with everything going on. Since I never got to post this week, I've got quite a few things to share today:

A Few Words of Wisdom on my Mind

A Few Thoughts from this Week

• As I write this, I'm finishing up day 4 of a low-carb diet. While I don't know how long-term it will be, I know it will be a great way to kick start my goal to lose a few pounds. After just 3 days, I feel a whole lot better already!
• Last weekend was the first wedding we've attended since tying the knot and it while it would have been an absolutely beautiful wedding either way, I feel like we enjoyed it even more as we are loving every second as newlyweds. It made me so happy watching my cousin and his new Mrs. as they celebrated knowing how surreal and joyful your wedding day is.
• Like I said, we're off to Baltimore this evening for another wedding celebration. Life has gotten a little out of control lately, so instead of reading, sleeping or drinking during our flight, we'll be working on writing our wedding thank you cards so we can finally get those in the mail. Okay, there may be a few drinks involved...I mean, let's not get crazy. 

A Few Links Worth Reading

• A Call to Celebrate (via Two Martinis)
• To Know, And to Know (and why they aren't the same) (via Stay Blonde Ski Local)
• Seeking One Personal Delusional System (via Mr. Thomas and Me)

A Few Photos from Last Weekend

Jonathan was hired to DJ a Great Gatsby themed party on Friday night.The music was awesome (obviously), the costumes were great and the amount of fringe I had going on with my dress was perfection.

Saturday we headed to Naples to celebrate my cousin's wedding. We had the most fun with my family and the wedding was just gorgeous.

I'd love to stay and chat but I've got lots to do before we get going in a few hours. How was your week?

A Few Things on Friday

I'm not even going to lie...I'm glad to see this week come to an end. I haven't felt great all week and we have what's going to be an amaaaaazing weekend coming up. I'd like to start doing a weekly round-up sort of post on Fridays and I'm gonna go ahead and tell you right now that the format is inspired by one of my very favorite bloggers, Lisa from Two Martinis. I've always enjoyed her weekly posts, which follow a somewhat similar format. It's my new way of pulling together my thoughts and things I want to share with you each week.

A Few Words of Wisdom on my Mind

A Few Thoughts from this Week

• Not that it's a new news or anything, but it's been bothering me this week how judgmental we've become as a society. I couldn't stop thinking about it after reading this article about how SELF Magazine published an article making fun of a cancer survivor for running in the LA marathon wearing a tutu. The article was criticizing the tutu trend in general, but included a photo of the woman, which she gave them permission to use not realizing how she would be portrayed. Who cares what someone else chooses to wear when they run? It isn't our place to judge that or anything other choice others make. We need to stop judging and criticizing others for choices they make, big or small that have absolutely zero impact on us.

• In the Starbucks drive-through earlier this week, I remembered I wanted to start getting back in the habit of Random Acts of Kindness, so I told the friendly drive-through employee I'd like to pay for the car behind me and he got super excited. He then told me that the previous day, someone did it and 88 cars in a row continued to pay for the car behind them. How cool is that? 

A Few Links Worth Reading

• What Research Tells Us About the Most Successful Relationships (via LifeHacker.com)
• 32 Things I Hate More Than April Fools' Day (via Venus Trapped in Mars)
• 53 Thoughts Every Girl Has While Shopping at Target (via BuzzFeed)
• When You Don't Have a Job You Love (via Relevant Magazine)

A Few Things I'm Excited About

• Tonight my handsome husband is DJing a Great Gatsby themed party and for once in my life, I planned ahead and rented an outfit that is going to be just perfect. From what I've heard, the music is going to be awesome and I can't wait to see everyone dressed up!

• Saturday morning we're heading to Naples to celebrate my cousin's wedding. I grew up in Florida, but have never been to Naples and I'm pretty darn excited for a few days away at the beach.

• It's still a few weeks away and I'm sure it's going to be here before we are really prepared, but I absolutely can't wait to host everyone at our house for Easter brunch. 

What's on your mind this week?