Tuesday, March 31, 2015

On My Mind | 4


Happy Tuesday friends!

So this is a little unusual for me to write two On My Mind posts so close together, but I have a lot on my mind lately.  I know you are all very familiar with upcoming graduation, but I have some other thoughts too!


Since graduation is coming up, Joshua and I have been looking at moving home.  This means that we have officially entered house hunting season.  Our dream is to own a farm in Westfield, but we are trying to figure out how to get there!  I don't have an after college job quite yet, so we don't really know what our finances are going to be.  This is fun though!  We have been looking at houses on Zillow, and comparing what we like and what we don't like.  That being said, we have found some houses we love and we have found some that need a LOT more love than we can give!!  Still, it is a process, so we are slowly moving forward!


I am so ready for spring!!  We had several warm days this month, but the past week has been a bit of a cold snap.  Like, 29 degrees cold snap!  Fortunately, it looks like the weather will be warming up soon, and I am so ready!!!  I am ready for the winter season to be over, and time is FLYING!!!  Seriously!!  Tomorrow is April????  So bring on the April showers God, so we can get to those beautiful May flowers!


I love, love, love being an aunt!  Technically, I am not an "official" aunt until I marry Joshua in October, but for his youngest nieces and nephews, I am already an aunt.  The older ones have jumped on the boat too now!  I love getting to see them, and see how they are growing up!  We just celebrated one of our niece's 8th birthday (above).  When I first met her, she was getting ready to turn 5!  That is a crazy thing to me!!  Our oldest nephew just turned 16 on March 16th, and his birthday officially marked the start of the birthday calendar!!  Our middle nephew will finish up the nieces and nephews in October!  They are just growing up too fast, but I am so glad I get to be their aunt!!  They are my favorite nieces and nephews (thus far)!!  lol


Joshua and I FINALLY made our first trip to Sunni Sky's this season!  If you have never been, Sunni Sky's is home of the best homemade ice cream in the state of North Carolina.  Located off Hwy 55 in Angier, it is a cash only, as many free samples as you want kind of place!  Joshua and I went almost every week the first summer he was in Raleigh!!!  lol  We LOVE it!!  I got sugar free coffee and strawberry cheesecake!  It was awesome!!  So many flavors and so much fun!!  It is officially marking the warmer season's coming!


Thursday, March 26, 2015

The Guy Behind the Blog | 2


Hello Friends!

March is almost over, but it wouldn't be complete without a post from Joshua!  Last month, I participated with the Peony Project for their Guy Behind the Blog linkup.  Super fun, and if you haven't checked them out already, you should go do so!!  I think Joshua had fun last month (think being the key word here), but I definitely enjoyed giving him a voice in this blog.  He is my #1 fan biggest supporter, so it is good to let him do some talking every now and then!  lol  Hopefully he enjoys it as much as I do!  So here it is: Joshua's post!

1 - Do you have a good luck charm or ritual? (like a lucky coin, or you always used to listen to a certain pump-up song when you played sports in high school or college?)

Can't say I do!  I got the good Lord on my side so I don't need luck!

2 - What is your favorite dish that your wife/fiance/girlfriend makes for you? Do you have any fun memories of a time when she tried to cook and it totally flopped or does she get it right every time?

Cooking?  She bakes!  My favorite are her pumpkin muffins.  The worst thing she has ever cooked was this red pepper soup.  It had a terrible flavor and I asked her to never make it again.

3 - What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A farmer because I just loved riding a tractor!!  Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted a farm!  That is in my school file!

4 - Which of the five senses is your strongest?

Feel or taste.

5 - Would you ever run for president?

Uh, yeah I would!!  Definitely!

There you have it!  A little more insight into the man behind the blog!!  Good job Joshua!!

How would your boyfriend/fiancé/husband answer these questions?
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,

Monday, March 23, 2015

On My Mind | 3


Happy Monday friends!

I mentioned Friday, that I have been having trouble finding things to write about.  I figured that the best way was just to write about everything that was on my mind!  

1 - The picture above depicts something extremely fun and addictive!!  Hunting for nightcrawlers!  My family has recently been working on starting a worm farm, which is super funny in my mind.  They have been out almost every night hunting nightcrawlers, and they kept talking about how much fun it is.  So Saturday night, I went out with them to "hunt" worms!  lol  SO MUCH FUN!  It isn't easy!  You have to do it when it is dark outside.  Sometimes the worms immediately disappear the moment they see the light of your flashlight.  Sometimes it takes two hands to pull them out of there hole.  It involves so much bending over that you are super sore when you are done, but so addictive!  I honestly cannot wait to do it again next weekend!

2 - My fraternity CERES just welcomed in three new girls!  It has been a long five weeks of pledge, but I am excited to see these new girls come into our organization and start to make it their own!  Always exciting when you see growth in a group!

3 - Graduation is seven weeks away!  This is super exciting and scary for me.  I have been a student in school for the last 19 years, so I am not sure what I am going to do when I am not a student!  I don't know what to do, other than find a job!  I am hoping to find the "dream job" and move home with Joshua and start planning out and living our lives, but I am sure God has his own plan for us!  Joshua just keeps telling me to trust in the Lord, and everything will be fine, so that is what I am doing!

4 - As if it is not crazy enough that I am graduating, in 193 days, I am getting married too!!  That means that between then and now, I will have bridal showers, a bachelorette party, and a bridal portrait session!  Plus I still have to finish picking out my bridesmaid dresses!  Always something!


5 - This spring weather is making me so happy!!  I love being outside on a warm, sunny day!  I cannot wait until it is here for good, and all the trees around my apartment go into bloom!  That is what I am counting on!  I definitely and looking forward to taking down my St. Patrick's Day decorations and putting up my spring/Easter decorations!  I will be sure to show y'all when I do, because they are going to be cute!  At least they will be as soon as I make them!!

It is always fun to sit down and look at what all is going on in my life, even for me!  These post are quickly becoming some of my favorite to write!  I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am!

What is on your mind?
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,

Friday, March 20, 2015

Springtime!



Happy Friday Friends!

I don't know about you but I am ready for the weekend!  I am ready for a chance to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds that Spring is bringing!  I mean, guys!  Spring is almost here and the world is coming alive again!  I love all the winter holidays, don't get me wrong, but now it is time for Easter and the world is waking up!  

I haven't posted much the last couple of weeks because I have been feeling a little under the weather, and when I felt better, I was out enjoying the weather!  As I am writing this now, it is raining, so I don't feel like I am missing so much.  The only time I really enjoy the rain is in the summer when we have those sudden afternoon showers and the air smells wet.  Spring rain?  I just like watching the birds play in it!  This past week has been absolutely glorious!  I have been riding around with my sun roof open, and my windows down!  The Rainbows have found their way out of my closet and on a spree, I bought a bright pink t-shirt the other day!  

Probably my favorite part of this Spring is the fact that graduation is less than eight weeks away!  This makes everything so much more fun!!  I am literally counting down the days (49)!!  With graduation looming, and midterm exams happening, I have actually been feeling a little weird.  This is my last semester as a college student, but that is so stressful because then real life starts!  What?  Yes!  Real life.  With jobs, houses, and weddings!!  Eeek!  I am super stressed and excited all at the same time which makes me feel like this:

Being as confused and stressed I am, I have been having trouble finding topics to blog about.  Y'all may have noticed that I am doing a lot of "weekly" or "monthly" prompts, and I like them, I really do, but I have felt a little less...bloggery.  I read so many blog posts about "what to do when you can't think of anything to write," but I am still a little lost on what to do.  I am also finding that my time is stretched pretty thin.  I just don't have a lot of it!  I don't feel like that is a good reason though because no one has time to blog!  Haha!  We all just make it happen!

Still, Spring is in the air, and I am so ready for the world to come back to life!  I love hearing the birds sing at the feeders, and I am excited to feel the warmth on my skin as I am driving down the road.  The best part?  Outside labs are a lot less miserable when the weather is warm and sunny!  The cold, rainy/snowy lab days were killing me!  Now, the butterflies are out and the birds are singing, and lab a little more bearable!  

Are you excited to see Spring?
Let I said, let me know!

XOXO,

  

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Ten Things | Songs I Will Love Forever

Hello Friends!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love music!  I love to sing, and dance!!  Most importantly, I love to listen and absorb the meaning behind the songs.  Sometimes you find pieces of music that speak to your heart and soul and it doesn't matter how much time goes by, these songs still speak to you.  These are some of my "forever" loves!  



1 - Let It Go/Vivaldi's Winter - The Piano Guys

Love love love this song!! I love the Piano Guy's version because it really plucks at my heartstrings. I can literally listen to this song on repeat for hours. It is one of my all time favorite song's anyway, but this version is the best by far! Obviously I don't have enough fun when I play the piano because these guys make it look too easy!! Sit back and enjoy watching them play as much as listening to them!

2 - Blown Away - Carrie Underwood

My all time favorite song!  I have loved this song since I first heard it on the radio a few summers ago, and I still love it!  Every time it looks like rain, I blast this song from my radio.  Every time I want to roll the windows down and feel the breeze, I blast this song!  I literally sing this all the time!  Love. 

3 - Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

I don't know if it is because I am from North Carolina, or because I currently live in Raleigh, but I love this song.  I first heard it years ago at camp in the mountains of Allegheny County.  It involved a guitar and a campfire, and now whenever I heard it, it takes me back!  I love music that can transport us to those simple moments in time! 

4 - Anytime - Kelly Clarkson

This is telling my age in a way.  I bought Kelly Clarkson's first CD, Thankful, and I played the snot out of it!  I loved this song from the first few notes!  It is a love that has only grown, and I feel like it is such an early 2000s song!  Beautiful!

5 - Used - Ashley Monroe

If you haven't discover Ashley Monroe, your life isn't complete yet.  I love her!  I also feel and understand this song!  I listened to it, and it spoke because sometimes I think about how "used" I was before I met Joshua.  Your heart gets "used" when you go through the bad relationships to get to the one that is right.  That is part of what speaks to me about this song!

6 - Children Will Listen - Barbra Streisand

Another old favorite!  My mom has the piece as sheet music for piano, and I love to play and sing it!  My mom loves Barbra Streisand!  She would listen to the cassette tapes (that is how old I am) in the car when I was younger and we would sing loud and proud!  This one is just a favorite of mine because it is so true!  Children seem to hear everything we say, even when we don't mean for them to!  Just remember, children are always listening!

7 - We've Only Just Begun - The Carpenters

This is such a sweet song!  It is about just starting out, and that is where Joshua and I are.  We have only just begun, even if it feels like we have been together forever!  We are just taking the first steps in our lives together, and this song makes me happy about it!

8 - A Woman Needs - Jessica Harp

I love Jessica Harp!  I was super disappointed when she decided to just stick to songwriting, because I love her music!  This song makes me want to run and dance and sing at the top of my lungs!  It is about being wild, and I like to think that I am a little wild and unpredictable (Joshua says I am not, but whatever)!!  I like to this that I have this free spirit, and this songs makes me feel it!

9 - It's Your Love - Tim McGraw

This is mine and Joshua's song!  We sing it all the time, and I love to hear him sing it to me!  No surprise, but this will be the first song we dance to at the wedding!  It is our song!!  That is why I love it; because I love Joshua!

10 - Boondocks - Little Big Town

Remember where you came from.  That is what this song says to me.  A lot of time in life, we leave what we grew up with, and we are so ready to be away!  But you are never away!  Where your from is part of who you are, and when you embrace that, you succeed!  Joshua and I came from a super small town (it's actually only a community), and we embrace it!  We talk about the "redneck" things we grew up doing, and still do to this day, but the knowledge we gained from our small town is priceless!  Embrace the boondocks!

What songs could you listen to forever?
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,



Monday, March 9, 2015

Currently | 1

Hello Friends!

Happy Monday!  This is a few days later than I originally planned, and I meant to post again last week, but I ended up spending the latter half of the week sick!  Like...super sick guys!  I felt yucky, and luckily for me, I have a super awesome fiancĂ© who took such good care of me!!  I am now feeling so much better, so on with this week!!  

I have been wanting to do this linkup for a while now!  A lot of y'all may know, but Dearest Love and  Anne in Residence do this thing called "Currently."  I really love the idea of just letting y'all know what is going on in my life and mind!  I realize that is what blogging is all about, but sometimes I forget that!  So here is my very first Currently!



Dreaming

I am totally dreaming about going to the beach!!  I am so ready for Spring and Summer and fun vacations and day trips to exciting places, most importantly the beach!   

Planning

Graduation!  I am so super excited!  My application has been accepted, and I am getting all my dates for everything organized!  I know it is a little early, but y'all...it is finally happening!!

Making

This super yummy garlic lemon roasted chicken!  It is my first roasted chicken and it turned out really well!  My tastebuds are still a little dull, but Joshua liked it and so that is all that matters to me!

Baking

These yummy garlic knots again!  These are quickly becoming mine and Joshua's favorites!  I just received a cookbook called "Make Ahead Bread" and I think I am going to try some of these recipes this week, so I will keep y'all posted!

Watching

Bomb Girls!  I have quickly become addicted and I am super sad it ended!  I think it is really good, and I am enjoying my drama-history clash!

Yay!!  I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did!  Also, if you want to participate in next month's Currently, the prompts are exploring, wish-listing, wearing, sipping, writing.  So if you haven't already, go check out Dearest-Love and Anne in Residence to see what they are into currently!

What have you been dreaming, planning, making, baking and watching currently?
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

5 Things | Oddest Purse Contents

Happy Wednesday friends!!

Today I am hooking up with the LYBS blog prompt!  I thought it would be fun, and I definitely agree that I have some strange things in my pocketbook!!  I hope y'all laugh, because you know it is awesome!


This is probably the strangest!  I have an empty Tic-Tac container that I filled with "Emergency" bobby pins!  I know you all are laughing at this, but sometimes, I put my hair up in a ponytail/bun, and my curls don't want to be tied down!  They will pop back up and curl crazy!  This is a great item to just tie down my hair!!


I realize that my beer-rebate expired yesterday but I could never find a good deal to use it on!  Here in North Carolina, you don't have the buy the beer in order to use the rebate, so I was looking to just save on some pistachios (which I never eat), but I just didn't ever find any!  Anyway, avid couponer, carries around beer rebate!  


I am a student through and through!  I spent six years in engineering, and old habits die hard!  I carry my trusty TI-89 with me everywhere I go, and I even use it in the grocery store!  I always have a calculator!!


You never know when you are going to have to look nicer than you do, so I carry earrings.  No makeup, but earrings!!  They are some of my favorites, because they go well with everything I own!  


Last but not least, my car/wall charger for my phone.  Joshua found this and got it for me, and I use it all over the place!  I can plug into a wall, or plug into a cigarette lighter in the car!  I have no excuse to have a dead cell phone!!

What are the oddest items in your purse???  
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,


Monday, March 2, 2015

March Goals


Times flies!!  

As of today I have 214 days until I marry my best friend!  That, to me, is crazy!!!  Anyway, I am actually on the ball this month (which was a pseudo goal), and I think that is a good sign as we review February's goals!

1 - Participate in LYBS Blog Challenges
This is a kind-of.  I did participate in the blog prompts, but I missed the Instagram, and I didn't do a whole lot of updating my website.  I did however make a blog button, so that is successful!
2 - Stay Organized (i.e., being on the ball)
I feel good about this one!  I stayed on top of what I needed to do, and I feel like I made really good progress!
3 - Eat/Live Better
Uhm.  No.  I made several more meals at home this month, which was awesome!!!  Butttsss, that being said, I ate a considerable amount of cookie dough, and drank a lot of soda (a major weakness).  I am going to call this a "No."
4 - Create Good Content for Blogs
This is a yes!  I posted for all of the LYBS prompts, and you can read them here, here, and here.  I also posted about things that matter to me, like mine and Josh's anniversary, and I tried to work more on my Weekend Snapshot!  One day, I would love to see this be a big thing that is weekly!
5 - Finish (at least) 2 Books
Yes!  I finished reading "Still Alice," which was very interesting to say the least, but also kind of sad. Then, I picked up "Where the Rainbow Ends," which is also called "Love, Rosie."  I haven't finished it quite yet, but I am well on my way!!

I totally want to be generic and put the same goals again, but that is not fun!!  So I am going to try to have some new ones!

March Goals

1 - Go to the Gym Once a Week
2 - Go to (at least) 1 Wine & Design class
3 - Cook (at least) 1 Meal at Home a Week
4 - Participate in LYBS Blog Challenge
5 - Have 2 Weekend Snapshots
6 - Aquire Some Sponsors (Maybe Even Host a Free Ad Month??)
7 - Make More of a Social Presence



So tell me friends, what are your goals this month?
Like I said, let me know!

XOXO,


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