Favorite Things June Edition

Today, I am linking up with Ashley from Dancing With Ashley for her first Favorite Things link up.

I love so many things about June. I love that it's actually the first month of summer (even though I think summer starts in May), I love the warmer weather, I love the BBQ's, I just love everything about June. 

So... here are some of my favorite things from the month of June. 

1. The Weather

 I don't know about you, but to me 80-85 is the PERFECT summer weather. Last year, it seemed like it rarely got above 75 and I pouted wondering if we were ever going to have a summer. This year, it has already reached 100 here twice, which is very rare for the area I live in. I will take this weather over hot, sticky Missouri any day! Last time I went back to Missouri in the summer, I thought I was going to die of a heat stroke!

2. Kombucha

  If you haven't heard of Kombucha, you are missing out. This stuff is seriously A-freaking-mazing! I used to drink at least one cup of coffee every morning and at least 1-2 diet pepsi per day. This week, I've had 2 diet pepsi total and NO coffee. This stuff gives me natural energy, which is way better than any caffeinated drink. It also helps suppress my appetite. I am not very hungry and when I do eat, I get full really fast. 

3. So You Think You Can Dance

SYTYCD is probably my favorite reality competition show. I look forward to this show all year and as soon as it starts, I know summer is here. For some reason, SYTYCD is the sound of summer to me. So You Think You Can Dance... Dance... Dance... Dance... I feel sorry for Jeremy having to watch this with me (he actually really likes it), I jump around the room and twirl around pretending (keyword pretending) that I can dance. 

4. This Picture

    My friend Dianna and I watching Lonestar at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. I absolutely LOVE concerts, and summer is full of great concerts in the bay area. There's just something about being outside, listening to live music with a beer (or two) in my hand. 

5. Fresh Strawberries

  Fresh strawberries from the fruit stand here is one of my favorite summer treats. Growing up, my grandma always made strawberries and pie crust. That was her version of strawberry shortcake, and it is definitely my favorite way to have my strawberries.

What are some of your favorite things from the month of June? Can you believe June is almost over? Head on over and link-up with Ashley. 

I may or may not be going to see Magic Mike with my MIL today. :)

Happy Friday!!!

My mom always taught me...

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all! 

Lately, I've been in a funk. I've been choosing to see the bad in things instead of the good. I realize that I need change this and change it fast! I know that once I do, my marriage will be better, my friendships will be better and I will just have a better outlook on life. 

So... I'm going to use today as Thankful Thursday and make a list of some of the things I'm thankful for. 

1. I'm thankful that I have a loving, faithful husband who puts up with my crap.

2. I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head. 

3. I'm thankful that I have a wonderful family that always supports me.

4. I'm thankful that I have some pretty amazing friends.

5. I'm thankful for my mom. I don't know where I would be without her. 

6. I'm thankful that I have such amazing in-laws.

7. I'm thankful for all four of my little fur babies. 

8. I'm thankful for this blog and all my blog friends.

9. I'm thankful that I get to see my mom in September.

10. I'm thankful that God loves me. 

From today on, I'm choosing to see the good in things instead of the bad. I'm going to wake up each morning with a positive attitude and just be happy for the great things and people I have in my life.

Happy Thursday!

7 Questions & Pinteresting

First up is my second edition of 7 Questions with Gentri Lee. 

Funny Photo: I just love these ladies

1. If you could be any princess - which would you be and why? 

Hmmm.... It would be easy to say any Disney Princess, but I'm going to go with Kate Middleton. I know her title is Duchess of Wales. But... she married a prince, so that makes her a princess in my book. I absolutely love her style and the fact that she isn't afraid to be seen in the same outfit twice. I also love the way she carries herself. She seems like someone who knows how to be proper when she has to be, but would also know how to cut loose. 

2. Do you have any odd habits? 

I can't stand for my food to touch. My mom has always told me that it all goes down the same, but it does not taste the same going down. I don't know if it's a habit, but I have to shave my legs every day. I can't stand to rub my legs together and feel prickly hairs.

3. What's your "go to" outfit?

Right now it's sundresses and maxi dresses with sandals or wedges. In the fall/winter, it's a cute top, skinny jeans and boots. 

4. Do you have any siblings? What are their genders, ages, order of age, names, etc? 

I'm an only child. Yep, just me! I do have a brother-in-law and sister-in-law now who I've talked about a lot. Randy is 31 and Christina is 26. They are the best BIL and SIL I could ever ask for! 

5. What's your favorite precious stone? 

Aquamarine... I love my birthstone. 

6. If you had a check in your hand for 1 million dollars, what would you do with it? 

Pay off all of our debt, buy a house, take a trip to Missouri to see my family, go on a vacation with the hubs, go on a $1,000 shopping spree and then save the rest. 

7. What do you love most about yourself physically? 

My legs. I was blessed by my dad with fairly skinny legs. And years of cheerleading, tumbling and track kept them pretty slim and toned. 

             

 

And now, Oh, How Pinteresting with The Vintage Apple.

This week, I'm going to share some of the funny (at least I think they're funny) things I've pinned lately. 

All of these pins and many more can be found on my Just For Fun board.

 

 

Head one over and link up with one, or better yet both of these wonderful link ups. 

 

Happy Hump Day!!! 

Work it out

I have been trying and trying to get back into working out, but I've been having such a hard time. For about a month, I was doing the Zumba almost every day. I was motivated by a photo shoot I was doing for Jeremy's birthday. I was losing inches, sleeping better, feeling more energized and really starting to like the way I looked. However, as soon as the photo shoot was over, I stopped. Now, I am constantly making excuses to not work out: I don't want to drive to the gym, parking sucks, I have a headache, etc. Last week, I did go to the gym and I was pretty proud of myself for spending an hour/4.5 miles on the treadmill alternating walking and running. But... the next day I was kicking myself for pushing myself so hard on the very first day. I should have just eased into it. So, it's been almost a week and I have not been back to the gym. I don't know why I'm lacking the motivation, I just am! 

Yesterday, I was on facebook and saw a before and after picture of a friend who had just completed a 30 day challenge. She looked great to begin with, but after this 30 day challenge she looked AMAZING, a little thinner and a lot more toned. I had to know what she had done to look so great after only 30 days. She said diet wise that she just cut back on soda (limited herself to 2 per day) and stopped eating so much chocolate. Just those simple things helped her shed a few pounds. For exercise, she did a quick 20 minute workout she found on Pinterest at least 5 times per week.

found here

After I saw this, I thought how hard can this be? Sounds super easy right?! And only 20 minutes! So... I decided that I would start this 30 day challenge. I'm only allowing myself one diet soda per day and only having dessert 3 times per week. I'm also going to try (keyword try) to drink 100 oz of water per day. After setting my goals, I started the mini workout. First set, super simple. Second set, a little harder. Third set, I could barely hold myself up on that last wall sit. I pushed myself and made it through! I finished feeling like I had hit all the key muscles I want to tone. Today, I am super sore! I did not expect to be so sore from what seemed to be a simple 20 minute workout. The soreness combined with my friends results actually really motivates me and excites me to see how my body will change from these simple changes.

Anyone want to take this 30 day challenge with me?! Come on... we can help keep each other motivated!

Roommates Forever

The other day, I was watching reruns of Friends and the episode "The One on the Last Night" where Rachel is moving out so Chandler can move in came on. It may have been my period, it may have been that I seem to be getting more sentimental with age or maybe I'm just missing my friends and family in Missouri, but I cried like a little baby! It reminded me of leaving my apartment to move to California. Leaving that apartment was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It wasn't that it was a spectacular apartment or anything. Although, it was a brand new 2 bed/2 bath apartment when we moved in 2 years earlier. It was that I had the BEST roommate in the world and I was leaving her. 

Tresh and I met through ex-boyfriends (at least those boys were good for something) when I was 22. We became great friends very quickly and had so much fun hanging out together. At 24, I was getting over the break-up of the guy who introduced us and Tresh was engaged to a major cheater (he had cheated on her quite a few times with the same girl). I convinced her that she needed to leave him and we decided to get a place together. I introduced Tresh to her now husband, Anthony and they started dating shortly after we moved in. We had so many great times in that apartment! So many fun wine nights, the best BBQ ever, spending hours at the pool, cooking dinner, sharing clothes, etc. We rarely ever had a fight or disagreement. 

Moving out was one of the saddest times of my life. Tresh was getting ready to get married and I was moving 1800 miles away. Tresh had already moved most of her stuff, so there was barely anything left in there when I said goodbye. My mom and her boyfriend came over really early the Saturday morning Jeremy and I left for California and said goodbye. I tried not to cry when I said goodbye to them, because I knew it would just make my mom even sadder. As Jeremy and I were getting ready to pull out of the parking lot, I realized I still had my key. So, I went upstairs and unlocked the apartment for the last time. I looked around and it just hit me right then that I was really leaving. I walked through our empty apartment and just thought about all the great times we had there. I left my key, locked the door for the last time and went to the truck and started bawling.

Tresh and I have been through so much together; break-ups, lost friendships, marriages, my mom being sick, and so much more. She is one of the few people that no matter how long it has been since we have last talked or seen each other, we will pick up right where we left off. I know that I have a forever friend in that girl. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding and she was a bridesmaid, promoted to Matron of Honor (long story) in my wedding. When I go home to Missouri, I make sure to spend as much time with her as possible and her and Anthony always welcome me into their home with open arms.

Thank you Tresh for being one of the best friends I could ever ask for! Love my Tresh The Dish! Even though we are 1800 miles apart and the tornado took our apartment, we will be roommates in our hearts forever!

Munchkin Land

Yesterday, I spent the day with my friend Katrina and her two adorable kiddos. We played baseball and golf in the backyard, watched Tom & Jerry, took a nice walk to lunch, played the piano, kicked a bouncy ball and Katrina and I had some good girl talk. Katrina asked if I minded babysitting the kids for a little while so she could shower and get ready, so the kids and I played in the playroom for awhile. Kaiden and I were kicking the ball back and forth and I kicked it right into his face! He fell to the floor and sprawled out like he was dead. Luckily, it didn't hurt him. When Katrina came back out, I told her I kicked the ball right into Kaido's face. Can you say BEST BABYSITTER EVER?!? Who wants me to watch their kids? 

Happy Friday!!!

7 Questions

Today, I am linking up with Gentri from Gentri Lee for 7 Questions.

1. What do you do when you're sick? (Do you act like a baby? Tough it out? Have any weird cravings? Cry?) When I'm sick, I cannot stand to be in my bed. I have to lay on the couch for some reason. I pretty much always want Chicken & Stars soup. That's right, chicken & stars, not chicken noodle. 

2. What do you do to find motivation when you feel you've lost it? It depends on what kind of motivation. If I need motivation for the every day things, I call my mom. She has always been my biggest motivator for many reasons. 

3. Do you wish time away or do you savor every moment? I am so bad about being excited for the next big thing that's going to happen that sometimes I forget to just cherish the day.

I just pinned this yesterday to remind myself to not wish the time away. 

4. If you could be any mythological creature, what would you be, and why? I actually had to look up a list of mythological creatures for this one. I'm gonna go with a Pixie. My cousins and I used to pretend like we were Tinkerbell when we were little. One day, we kept using baby powder as pixie dust and jumping off the bed swearing we got higher and higher each time. My aunt came home to a bedroom full of baby powder, she was not very happy. 

5. What is your current biggest weakness and are you working on fixing it? Lately, I've been lacking motivation to workout and eat healthy. Every day, I tell myself I'm going to go to the gym and every day I come up with some excuse not to go. Right now, I should be going to the gym, but instead I'm sitting here blogging. I try pinning healthy recipes, but then I always end up using the most unhealthy recipe. 

6. How do you greet someone when meeting them for the first time? If I've never talked to the person before, just a handshake and a nice to meet you. If it is someone I've talked to many times, but never met before (many of you bloggers) you can bet it would be a big ol hug! 

7. How do you grocery shop? (Do you write up a list? Go in with no idea what you're looking for? Have meal plans? Bring your own shopping bags?) I usually decide what I want for dinner, make a list and then head to the store. I've tried many times to make a meal plan for the week and go shopping on Sunday night, but then for some reason we only end up having half of what was planned and food ends up going to waste. 

 

 

Ok, now I'm really getting up off this couch and heading to the gym! 

Bauble Swap

Shanna at Because Shanna Said So is having a little bauble swap. What is a bauble swap? You send a new or gently used piece of jewelry to another blogger chosen by Shanna and you get one in return. It's a great way to get a new piece of jewelry and also make new blog friends. Who doesn't love new jewelry?!? And, who doesn't love new blog friends?!? 

Here are a few pieces of jewelry I'm loving right now

This adorable ruffle necklace from Adie's Lovelies

This pretty little gem from Neon & Nude

This fun cuff from Forever 21

These cute earrings from Gypsy Affairs

I can't wait to see who Shanna pairs me up with! Head on over and join in on the fun! 

Wild Weekend

I bet from the title of this post, you thought that I had some wild, crazy weekend. Wrong! It was a low-key, very relaxing weekend. Friday night, Jeremy and I had dinner and watched the movie New Years Eve. Saturday, I went shopping with the MIL and then got my hair highlighted. I added more blonde ombre and a couple purple streaks. I've tried and tried to take a picture of the purple streaks and for some reason they just don't show up very well in pictures. Saturday night, Jeremy and I had no idea what we wanted to do or what we wanted for dinner. Jeremy kept asking what I wanted and I kept giving him my usual response of, "what are my options???" He finally threw out Sonic as an option. I LOVE Sonic, but the closest Sonic is about 35 minutes from here. So, at about 8:45 PM Saturday night we drove 35 minutes just for Sonic. Sunday, we had breakfast at our favorite breakfast place Beyond the Glory with Jeremy's parents, went and looked at new cars for the heck of it, went to lunch with Jeremy's parents and then played cards. It was a great weekend!

 Snuggle puppies

Gorgeous sunset

Sonic!!! 

You can see the purple a little here

My lil Buddy

Is there a truck in this picture???


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

From Blog Life to Real Life

Dusty over at Girls Love Fried Pickles tagged me in this little link up and I thought it would be the perfect way to give a shout out to some of my favorite bloggers and also find some new blog buddies. Who doesn't like finding new blogs to stalk read daily?!? 

All you have to do is answer these questions and then let the people you mentioned know that you mentioned them. Easy peasy, right?!

The Questions: 

1. Do you have any real life blog friends? Yes, I have quite a few that I talk to on a regular basis and a couple I know or have met in real life. Lesley from in every season, is my beautiful cousin and Chantal from B in the Bay and I met up for a blate. 

2. Which blogger are you just dying to meet? Oh goodness, I can't choose just one! I would love to meet every blogger! Let's pick a place, a date and a time and all meet up, ok?!

3. Which bloggers closet do you want to raid? Shanna from Because Shanna Said So, this girl has some seriously great style. She proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to look absolutely freaking adorable! 

4. You are stuck on an island. Which blogger would you want with you to help you survive? I'm gonna go with Twiggy from The Dirt Life. I've haven't talked to her much, but she's Shay's best friend and Shay is the shiznitch, so Twigs must be too! Twiggy is a die-hard hiker, so I think she would be great with survival skills.

5. The first blogger you remember meeting and connecting with? Hmm... Ashley from Dancing with Ashley. She's beautiful inside and out! We had barely even became blog friends when I went through a little rough patch. She would always email me asking me how I was and lifting my spirits. I definitely consider her one of my blogger besties. Love her!

6. Any blogger that you admire and look up to? Shay, most definitely Shay from red lipstick and melodies. Knowing Shay, she will probably laugh at me for choosing her, but go ahead and laugh on and "chop me up". She has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life and still has a great outlook on life. She can be having the worst day ever, but she will still listen to you ramble on about your problems. She always puts others first. 

7. Who is the craziest/funniest blogger? Dusty from Girls Love Fried Pickles, she says things like "children's benadryl makes me high as a giraffe's ass" and "hot snot" along with many other hilarious things! If you haven't checked her out yet, do yourself a favor and head on over and you'll see what I mean. 

8. There's a reality tv show for bloggers, who would you want to be casted with you? Pretty much every blogger I follow! I think we would all bring something different to the show. Ashley from Dancing with Ashley and I were just talking about this last week, so I'm definitely including her. Also, Dusty from Girls Love Fried Pickles and Shay from red lipstick and melodies, because you would never have any clue what was going to come out of their mouths. There are so many more: Tiff from The Coffeehouse, Justyn from Thoughts by a Petite Brunette and Natalie at he, me &them just to name a few. 

9. Some bloggers have really cool jobs, anybody you'd like to swap careers with? I would have to say both Jenna from The Life of the Wife and Morgan from Momma to Binks&Bubble because they both make and sell amazing jewelry

10. Favorite blog design? He, me & them. Natalie is constantly changing up her blog design and it always looks fabulous!!! She is also the one who made my blog design and I must say she did a lovely job! 

I love each and every one of the blogs I follow and am happy to call y'all my friends! Just because I didn't mention you here, doesn't mean I don't still love ya! There would be WAY to many to mention if I wrote about every blog I love. Now head on over and link up! I can't get the little link up button the right side, but head on over to Lovely Little Things or The Magnolia Pair to link up.

Happy Friday!

The Last Thing Thursdays

I've been slacking on linking up for The Last Thing Thursdays! I started blogging almost 3 years ago. My first few posts were really easy, I blogged about my wedding and honeymoon. After that, I had writers block and felt like I had nothing to say or nothing exciting to talk about. I blogged off and on until March of this year, that's when I found Jenna and The Last Thing Thursdays. Having a weekly link-up helped me keep on track with blogging and it actually made it easier to blog regularly. Thanks Jenna!

The Last Thing I...

Said that made my husband laugh: I've been having a terrible time with allergies this week, so I decided to take some Benadryl yesterday. That stuff makes me LOOPY!!! And sleepy, I pretty much slept all day yesterday. Last night, we were watching SYTYCD and there was a girl on there who said she felt like a powerful force had taken over her body and made her dance. So, Jeremy asks me if I want a powerful force to take over my body and I said, "A powerful force has taken over my body and it's called Benadryl!!!" He cracked up! I love making him laugh. 

Got excited about: Getting my hair done this weekend! I'm going in for a trim and a little more ombre highlights. My stylist said she learned a new technique with fun colors like purple and asked if she could try it on me. So I think I'm gonna go all Katy Perry and have some fun colored streaks for summer. 

Created on Polyvore that I really want: I created a favorite summer outfit for something that Natalie at He, Me & Them is doing. I want this outfit in my closet right now!

Made for dessert: Fresh strawberries and pie crust. Growing up, this was my grandma's version of strawberry shortcake. I've had many versions of strawberry shortcake and this is my favorite. I decided to try to make it myself and not to toot my own horn, but I did a pretty good job! I had it for dessert one night and then for breakfast the next day. I think I might have to hit up the fresh strawberry stand today and make some more. 

Bought and can't wait to get: These lovely earrings from Morgan's etsy shop Adie's Lovelies. 

Head on over to The Life of the Wife and link-up!

 

 

Happy Thursday!!! 

Oh, How Pinteresting

I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for her weekly Wednesday (yes, I just said Wed-nes-day as I was typing that) Pinterest link-up. 

 

 

FASHION

  Source: http://chicisimo.com/ via: Dominique on Pinterest

I absolutely LOVE this color and the tribal skirt.

HAIR & BEAUTY

 Source: realbeauty via: Liz on: Pinterest

I actually tried this yesterday and it turned out soooooo cute! It was super simple. 

 

DIY & CRAFTS

  Source: thephobia via: Stacey on: Pinterest

I'm already planning on making these as Christmas presents for my fellow coffee loving friends. 

 

RECIPES TO TRY

  Source: saltntumeric via: Sarah on: Pinterest

I made these last night. I definitely did not think they tasted like Red Lobsters, but they were still pretty good. 

 

QUOTES

  Source: tumblr via: Hannah on: Pinterest

JUST FOR FUN

 Source: someecards.com via: Erin on: Pinterest

What are some of your favorite pins this week? Head on over and link-up!

Bloggers Coast to Coast

Does anyone else hear about blog meet ups, blates, retreats, etc and wonder if any of these happen anywhere in your area?

Well... you're in luck! Shane over at Whispering Sweet Nothings is making a directory to help bloggers meet other bloggers in their area. What a great idea, huh?!? Head on over and link up! 

Cheers to the freakin weekend

My friends Lacey, Dianna and I love to post random things on each others facebook walls (who doesn't love doing that). We post things like "cheers to the freakin weekend" (and then we post back and forth lyrics to the song), "It's pink like me cuz I'm a girl!!!" (Jenna Marbles quotes take up half our posts), "Would you look at that?!?" (Ed Bassmaster videos are hilarious), etc. Well, Lacey's dad is on facebook and he told her one day that he did not understand half of the things we were saying to each other. She told him that they were inside jokes or songs or videos we've watched. He then asked her, "What does cheers to the freakin weekend mean?!" So now every time I hear that song or start singing that song in my head, I think of Lacey's dad. 

We are going to get our country on tonight and hit up the country bar here for some line dancing and two stepping. If you ever go line dancing, do you feel the need to dress "country"? I sure do! I'm already trying to figure out what I'm going to wear tonight. I'm thinking a sleeveless denim button up, white shorts and my Frye boots. If the outfit turns at as cute as it is in my head, I will definitely share pictures. 

It's going to be another gorgeous weekend here. I LOVE summer, absolutely love it! Another trip to the beach might be in order this weekend, or maybe a trip to Sonoma. Hanging out on the patio at Lagunitas for the first time this summer is definitely in order! It just seems like there is so much more opportunity to get out of the house and do things in the summer. What are some of your favorite things to do in the summer? 

And since this post has been ridiculously random and most likely very boring, I will leave y'all with a funny video to start your weekend. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

CMT Music Awards Best Dressed

Did anyone else watch the CMT awards last night? I am a HUGE country fan, but I'm also a sucker for any award show. The hosts, the performances and especially the clothes!!! The ladies of country music sure know how to dress for an awards show. I loved the short, sequined dresses and the understated hair.

Here are some of my favs from last night:

Carrie Underwood

It is hard for this girl not to look gorgeous! The length of this dress is perfect for showing off her amazing legs. I sooooo want her legs! 

Kellie Pickler

I'm not always a fan of the plunging neckline, but she rocked it. I love the color of this dress. 

Jana Kramer

Better known as Alex Dupre from One Tree Hill. I am absolutely loving her music and her style. 

Kristen Bell

   I loved all of host Kristen Bell's dresses last night, but this was my favorite. 

 

 Kristen Bell auditioning for the Pistol Annie's

    "I've got Pistol Annie tattooed on my fanny. I'm nice to men, but I'm mean to my granny. I'm not crazy, but let me have your baby. Ok, maybe I'm a bit crazy." Seriously, how cute is she?!?

 Luke Bryan

 I know he's not a lady, but he sure makes my speakers go Boom Boom! 

What were some of your favorites?