A Whatsup Willmans Wednesday on a Monday!

Whats up with those Willmans?! I've been writing this post for two weeks hoping to get some pictures in here so it isn't so jam packed with just all those words down there ... yikes.

Work is good. I've been bouncing around so much that I've really gotten to know a LOT of the kids at our center. It seems that I'm usually in a handful of the same rooms so that's kind of nice. I have been in an infant room every few days for a lot of last week and I've gotten to know their schedule and how things work ... it's not my favorite but I don't feel so overwhelmed or lost by any means. 8 infants under age 1 is no joke. They'll kick your butt even if they're sweet! It's an assembly line in those rooms! Phew!

We have gotten out our fall decor and I love it. I love the shelves Jeff made me ... they make our whole first floor feel more like a home. I've also officially been obsessed with Yankee Candle products for more than a year now. They just had a $10 off no minimum purchase coupon and I went nuts with that thing. I got a wax warmer for dirt cheap, and a TON of easy melt cups for free at the PX and Bed Bath and Beyond of course. We don't have a Yankee Candle here but they'll take the coupons, score! I love having the house smell great .. especially the fall smells. (Obsessed with the apple one right now!!)

I've started volunteering with the USO and I'm loving it. They always have a reason to bake something and I love baking. I've made birthday cakes for Marines in the barracks at school here and Halloween cookies for a Halloween party they were hosting for the kiddos. I've also been working the USO at our airport and I am really loving that too. Giving back is such a great feeling and I feel like what I'm doing makes a difference to someone. If I wasn't at the airport, those Marines would be sitting on the benches at the airport and without snacks. I know how nice it has been for us while we were traveling to stop at a USO.

A few weekends ago, my friend Nicole gave me some free tickets to the NASCAR race in Charlotte ... it was a BEAUTIFUL day. We had a blast. It was my first NASCAR race and Jeff Gordon's last race in Charlotte. It was such a fun time, but I always say ... Jeff and I could have the best time in the most boring of places, anyways!

Recently I put myself out there and met some girls in our neighborhood. I'm so happy I did because I met my friend Mae. Shes so sweet, would do anything for you and is super fun. She also has a pup a little younger than Duke so we meet up at the dog park and hang out while we let the dogs wear themselves out. It's perfect really :) Sadie is a little smaller than Duke, but now that they know each other she really holds her own!

Jeff and I spent the week before Halloween making our costumes. This year we were Wyldstyle and Emmet from The Lego Movie ... It was a long week, but we had SUCH a fun time handing out candy at our house in those costumes, I can't even explain! The kids were SO excited and they knew exactly who we were, so we must have done a good job! :) After we finished handing out candy (Approx 150 kids!!!) we headed to a Halloween party with all the guys Jeff works with, which was a blast too.

Last Wednesday, I started back on Weight Watchers. It's what I know. It makes sense to me .. and it's been what I've been successful with in the past ... so I'm back. I've also started "C25K" which is the couch to 5k program. It's eight weeks and it is interval training that helps you end up running! Yesterday I finished day three of week one. I've been really focusing on my breathing and I think that's helping me. Jeff running with me is helping me too. Just knowing hes running next to me is so much more motivating than just running by myself. I like that it's something productive we can do together too. I've got to do SOMETHING .. I'm glad I've finally snapped back into reality. So, I'll hopefully update on this. Today is my first day of week two, so I'll be running and walking longer intervals. HOPEFULLY in 8 or so weeks I'll be able to run a 5k (haha that just sounds ridiculous to me ... hopefully I can stick with it!)

This past weekend we attended our second Marine Corps ball ... we had a great time. We traveled just under two hours away and got a hotel room for the night. When we got into town we got all dolled up and headed over for a delicious chicken and steak dinner, along with a nigh of tradition ... and of course drinking :) You know how Marine's get down.

Now begins our countdown to the happiest place on Earth! Jeff hasn't seen his family in eleven months, so it will be awesome to see him reunited with his momma :) We can't wait. We LOVE Disney and we haven't been back since we got engaged there in 2012!

In case you forgot :) 

I was just thinking about this yesterday, check it out:

November 2012 - Engaged - Disney World, Florida
November 2013 - Jeff was at USMC Bootcamp - Parris Island, SC - I was working 4 part time jobs.
November 2014 - We lived in Twentynine Palms, CA - I had just gotten one part time job.
November 2015 - We live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina - I have an almost full time job.

Funny what can happen all in just a few years, huh?

I want to write.

I want to write but I don't have a lot to write about, so we will see where this leads us.

Lately I've been getting into a better cleaning routine and I'm much happier with the way that our house is being kept up. I actually chose a cluttered place in our house every day last week and organized and went through it (closets, under sinks, in junk drawers ... ) Who wants to read about that? No one. It's not fun or exciting.

I have been at my job now since August 31st and I really like it. It's not what I was expecting and honestly I'm a bit disappointed that I don't have the same class room every day, but I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. I am meeting lots of new people that work there. I'm meeting a lot of kids and seeing a lot of classrooms. I'm working in all age groups .. so hopefully someone see's that I'm good at all ages and thinks I'm valuable eventually. Mostly good news?

Jeff and I are on a weird schedule. Usually I get home just after 5:30 from work (Because I work like 6 mins away!! woo hoo!) and he heads to the gym. Sometimes I like it. I like coming home and having a little time before he gets home. I can just hang out on the couch or start dinner ... but other days I hate coming home to an empty house (even if Duke is here). There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how I'm going to feel each day, so I try not to make him feel bad he has to work out.

Something kind of fun we've been doing is watching all sorts of super hero movies together. I've officially seen all three Batman movies, all three Iron Man, and one Captain America movie. We are making our way to The Avengers. I know these aren't super hero movies but we also watched all eight Harry Potter movies too. (Don't worry, I'm talking over quite a few weeks ... although, not as many as you'd think) We've been digging the series movies lately... and I've liked seeing them all in a row, and all movies I've wanted to see.

Duke is done with his doggy classes. I don't think we will be signing up for another one - but he did really well in this one, since I had pretty much already taught him everything. We went to the dog park yesterday in the evening for like an hour and a half and he was so good. He played and wasn't too rough with anyone's smaller dogs ... He isn't aggressive at all but he just wants the other dogs to play with him so bad, and they don't always have the same idea. He still think's he weighs 20 lbs too ... He has no idea how big he is. Anyways, he had a blast. Not exciting .. but this is my life.

Here's something a little interesting, but more sad than anything. The other night we had a terrible accident outside our housing area. A man crashed his car into a tree and the firemen who work at the firehouse down the street from my house responded. They got him safely out of the car and into the ambulance ... Jeff and I were so taken back watching them work that I wanted to bake them cookies, just so that they knew someone appreciated them and all they do. This past Sunday I baked them chocolate chip cookies while Jeff and his buddy watched the Lions game. I think the guy in the accident is going to be okay. The news always reports the tragedy and doesn't tend to post a follow up story on how they're doing.

I applied and interviewed with our local Jacksonville USO last week. I want to volunteer with them in some of my spare time. I always said that I would have wanted to volunteer with them at the airport in Palm Springs if we had been closer. Now, we have one in our town and they host a lot of local events. I'm not sure where I'll start with them, but I do know ... I'll be baking a lot of Christmas cookies this year, and I won't have to eat them all ;)

Well, that's where I'm at these days. Maybe something new and exciting will happen soon!

Eight Happy Things!

I have many happy things happen to / for me in a week ... but isn't it awesome when they all seem to come at once? It's one of my favorite things. When you have good things coming and you can't even help being happy or excited!

Here's eight happy things! Happy Friday!

My weekend started last night! Thursday night was my "Friday night"... I never drink on a week day but I had a glass of wine with my dinner and knew that Friday was a bonus day for me this week :) I even did my Friday work out yesterday so I could have all of today to myself to do whatever I wanted!

TGIT recorded for me last night ... Which means I get to watch "Grey's Anatomy" today while Jeff is at work ... and when he gets home we will watch "How To Get Away With Murder" at some point this weekend. Probably sooner than later, because we are both soooo hooked already! (SOME PEOPLE are mad at the whole "TGIT" thing ... listen .. ABC did the whole TGIF thing so I'm not even mad about it ;) It's not like they stole it from another station!)

More TV you ask? YES. "Hart Of Dixie" season 3 was uploaded to Netflix this week and I'm THRILLED to have those to watch ... I'm going to get caught up so I can watch the next season with the rest of the world #obsessedwithTV #seriouslyivebeenwating6months

This one is happy for US and not so happy for other people .. so I feel kind of bad being happy about it ... My paycheck will be a little extra this week because they needed me a few extra hours. WHY they needed me a few extra hours is sad ... but I'm trying to be happy about it! :/ Is that wrong? :/

I have a four day weekend. Jeff has a three day weekend. THAT is happy! Columbus Day is Monday so Jeff has a 72! YAY!!! I love having him home with us a little extra :) :)

SUNDAY we will be married six months already! Man, time flies huh? So ... Saturday night I have a fun little surprise for Jeff in Palm Springs. I've been looking forward to it for a week and a half. I hope it's everything I have in my head!! :)

My dress came!! I officially have my dress for the Marine Corps Ball in November .. pics to come once we go!

I signed up for this tour of the commissary thing called Cooking Matters yesterday during the day before work. It was all about tips on prices and healthy options to chose at the commissary (translation: grocery store). Things to avoid, things to look for .. etc. A lot of it was basic information, but I can totally appreciate. They actually were completely booked all day, which makes me so happy! People "into" learning about eating healthy. Then at the end ... they said there was a $10 challenge. Umm .. if you know me, I have a love/hate relationship with grocery store challenges :) So, they said you have 10 minutes to get all the things to make a meal with what you learned AND you had to have something for all the food groups. Dude, I nailed it. $5 and some change and I had yogurt, eggs, whole wheat toast, a banana and a potato. Well ... what they didn't tell us what that you get to KEEP what you picked. They paid for our groceries! I did TOO well and they sent me back to spend my other $5!! HAHA!! So funny! I went back for two packages of turkey bacon because I knew they were on sale for $2 each .. and we eat a lot of turkey bacon in my house! Free healthy groceries? Yes please! Check it out:

Okay that's all for now ... What are you happy about this Friday? Have a great weekend!

Where Were You On 9/11?

Where were you on 9/11?
Where were you when the first tower was hit?
Questions that has been asked many, many times.

Everyone knows where they were at that exact moment on September 11th, 2001.

{via}

I was 14 and a half years old. I didn't even have my drivers license yet.
It was a Tuesday.
I was ending my second hour math class at my high school.
I remember the teacher.
I remember the kids who sat in front of and behind me in that class.
But most of all I remember watching that plane hit the first tower on replay over and over.
My mind couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.

The class was over and we switched to our third hour. I had computer class next just down the hall. I remember the buzz in the hallway was different this day than any other day. I still couldn't comprehend what was happening. I understood ... but didn't. The TV was turned on and we watched the second plane hit and it finally clicked in my heart. I needed to go home.

My memories are gone until it's fifth hour. I was in History class, and we went to the library to watch the coverage.

Finally I got home and found my mom on the back porch holding two of our daycare babies. The babies on her lap were nervous and frazzled. It was crazy to see how it effected them .. even not knowing and understanding the horror going on that day. My mom said she had been strong all day, but they still knew something was wrong. My dad got home and hugged my mom and she finally cried.

This is what I remember of September 11th. I was scared beyond belief when I finally let it all sink in. I didn't know anyone in New York at the time. I wasn't scared for someone in one of those towers. I just was scared for what this meant for our country. Our always strong, stand tall country.

Please remember your day. Remember to never forget. Remember those first responders, the people they saved, tried to save ... and all of their families. Remember those who didn't make it our of those towers and all they gave for our country, without even knowing it. Please also remember all of our men and women who have ever served over seas, as a direct result of 9/11.

I didn't write this today because I am a Marine Wife now ... I write this today because everyday I see the signs that Marine families hang on the fences and post along the streets welcoming their heroes and their Marine's home from being overseas .. and those "Welcome Home" signs touch my soul in a way I can't even explain. On September 11th ... and for all the years there after, there are so many families who can't hang a welcome home sign for their loved ones...

#neverforget #godblessamerica

Missing Michigan, Loving California

We all knew it was inevitable. We knew it would hit. Here's my (short version) list:

- My family (Thank God for FaceTime)

- My friends

- My daycare babies

- Downtown Plymouth

- Fall Fest (I missed Fall Fest this weekend!)

- Jimmy Johns ('nuff said)
- Cidermill cider and donuts!!!! Our favorite fall treat and one of our favorite date nights!

- Having people stop by house, all the time

- Going to my regular classes at LifeTime

- LifeTime fitness classes with SUE

- A kitchen full of food that my mom bought :) 

- The fact that my mom had everything I could possibly need for just about anything I could be doing. Tape? Yep. Meat hammer thing? Yep. Every spice ever? Yep. 

- Everything being close to where I lived

- Target (omg)

- My own church with MY church family

- My paycheck! (Although, I got a job.. that's good news!)

- Not missing my husband every day and night, finally! I'm with him!

- Being a real Marine Wife

- Beautiful sunshine and heat almost all the time

- Exploring new places

- Setting up our house (& decorating!) 

- Keeping our own house the way we like

- Cooking in my own kitchen
- Keeping healthier foods in the house without anyone else bringing goodies in to tempt us

- Having people I know at the pool all the time

- Making new friends

- Seeing the mountains everyday

- Amazing sunsets over the mountains

- Stargazing in Joshua Tree National Forest

- Being close enough to see Jamie for a weekend

- Getting a puppy! I couldn't have done that living in my parents house in MI!

- Blogging more! I have the time and new stuff to talk about! 

So there you have it ... reasons I miss Michigan and reasons I'm loving California ... 

I Always Forget To Name These Posts

Have you been nominated to do the #ALSIceBucketChallenge ? I was by my dear friend, Angie:

Jeff did the breaks on the truck .. We have this place on base called the "auto skills center" and they have all kinds of tools, lifts and lots of really cool stuff you can use for cheap. I'm so thankful to have a husband who knows how to do this kind of stuff on his own.

I made chicken gnocchi soup with a recipe I found on Pinterest. It's good ... but not nearly as good as Aunt Judi's. I can't wait to go home at Christmas for like, a million reasons but this will be one of them! Gnocchi soup and Uncle Steve's oven subs :)

Monday started daycare at home ... GOD is it hard not being there. Thank God for FaceTime.

Here's all my little friends :) I miss them :(

I've started lifting weights and doing all sorts of things at the gym I've never done. I'm still working on a solid routine though. Here's the stairs of death .. they lead to the pool and the gym. It's pretty killer when your legs are sore. [PS check out that BLUUUUUE sky!]

I tried a recipe for carrot, apple, zucchini bread. I prefer regular zucchini bread I think.. but it's yummy!!

Still working on my August Goals (one of which was finishing this book!!!)

Last night I made "Slow cooker Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken" 
I'll definatley be making this again!! Super simple too. Turkey bacon, chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and apples. Nice and easy!

More FaceTime with the kids :) She was so excited to see me, it melted my heart! She started waiving and blowing me kisses ... so so sweet. 

Just finished doin' that weight thing ... lol that's a fake smile cuz I'm sore!! :)

Jeff has a 96 this weekend (which means 96 hours / a long weekend) which is AMAZING. I can't wait. I swear since that weird couple of weeks we are still making up for lost time. It's going to be so nice to sleep in and relax and just do whatever we want with no real plans for a few days, together. Hopefully there is another "great shake" in my plans for this coming weekend ;) just don't tell my body I'm eating junk food ;)

Palm Springs + Movie Night

I think I've mentioned before that Palm Springs is about one and a half hours away. #realcivilization #theyhaveTARGETthere #andPanera

Ok, Ok enough hash tags - I just this its funny. But they do have the closest Panera, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond etc.

Friday night we went down the hill to drive our friend Hoffman to the airport. We stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond to exchange some things :) I got a salad spinner / mandolin / cheese grater {all in one} which I am really excited about. We also got more drinking glasses. With all the things I returned I got this stuff for $3 which was also exciting.

Jeff wanted to go to Harbor Freight, which was less exiting for me, but I'm not complaining. It's give and take.. and we don't ever have a chance to go to stores like this anymore, what with living in the middle of no where.

We had dinner with Hoffman at Applebee's before taking him to the USO to stay for the night. The people at the USO were SO awesome!! They wanted to give us a whole tour of the place.. they had recliners and couches, pillows and blankets, TV's, computers, a whole kitchen full of meals, snacks and drinks. It was really amazing. I told them I'd volunteer there, if we didn't live so far!!

Saturday morning, Jeff worked on a friend's car so he was gone. But the boys stopped by. They brought me "cream of tartar" which there was a whole discussion about ... They thought it was soup (disclaimer: I told them it was a white powder in the baking aisle) They bring me whatever ingredients I need to bake, and I bake them goodies :) It's a win win agreement really.

Snickerdoodles were on the menu this week!

While I was baking, they were helping around the house finding things to do. They fixed my laundry room door:

Marcellus put together the other two kitchen chairs we bought and left in the box:

They don't know I took these pics, so hopefully they don't ever find this post ;)

Saturday afternoon we headed back down to take our friend Mackinen to the airport. I had one more thing to exchange at Bed Bath and Beyond, we ate Panera for dinner and then walked around Downtown Palm Springs. It was SUCH a cool place! I really want to try Matchbox, a restaurant that overlooks the strip on a giant balcony. They also had a fun looking 50's type diner I want to try too, called Ruby's I love anywhere with a theme, a burger and a milkshake ;)

We grabbed a beer with Mackinen at the Greek Islands .. which is so small it doesn't even have a website. It was such a cool place. It was wedged between two small buildings, mostly outdoors and it has lights all strung up here and there. We walked in and a table of what must have been 35 people were having a giant family dinner together and had taken up 80% of the restaurant. I think everyone working there was Greek and it was just a cool little atmosphere. We didn't eat there, but the boys said the food is great too.

Ummm .. wait, speaking of milkshakes before:

#yesthatsadonut
We found this place called "Great Shakes" while we were walking around ... "great" is an understatement. This is their Oreo Caramel shake made with real ice cream and home made caramel. THERE IS WHIPPED CREAM, AN OREO AND A DONUT HERE ... I'll prob go back every time we hit Palm Springs, no joke. Luckily, we split it... because I could have eaten 5 of these things. YUM.

We hit Target with a gift card we had and bought some movie night goodies for when we got home..

A movie night in our own house .. on our own couch .. with my husband .. It was seriously, the best.

This weekend hasn't been a very diet friendly weekend, but it has been some awesome quality time :)

Sometimes, that's all that matters.

No More Pop! Let's Celebrate 1,096 Days!

Today marks the celebration of my 3 year anniversary ... anniversary with WHAT you might ask?

The day I gave up pop.

Disclaimer:
I accidentally had ONE root beer float ...
I had ONE root beer float on purpose... ;) 
But that's in THREE YEARS!

I went from drinking 6 Diet Coke's A DAY ... to none at all.

People ask me:

How did you do it? The answer is simple. I just stopped. Yes it was still in the house. I just decided one day that I wasn't comfortable with the amount of pop I drank .. and that it couldn't be healthy. I also didn't like that I somewhat relied on pop to function in my day to day life. 

Did I get headaches at first? Yep. I drank unsweetened iced tea for caffeine which helped a TON. Your body isn't used to going from a TON of caffeine to NONE .. so the iced tea was a way for me to get the caffeine, avoid the headaches, cut back and also avoid all the sugar and chemicals. 

Did you  lose weight because of it? No I didn't, but I hear of other lucky people who did.

Is it tough to stick with it? It was at first. Diet Coke was my answer to everything. If I was hungry, Diet Coke. If I was thirsty, Diet Coke. If I needed a break from work and couldn't get away from my desk, Diet Coke. If I was mad, Diet Coke. So for that reason, it was tough. Pop was my friend ... BUT when I put a plan in place for what I'd do when I wanted one, it became easy. I drank water and tea when I wanted a drink. I curbed the headaches. I brought water and tea with me to parties .. you WOULDN'T BELIEVE the number of people who host and only offer pop.

What the heck DO you drink? Water (sometimes with lemon juice, MIO flavoring or by itself). Iced Tea (unsweetened). Wine ;) 

Do you miss it? No. I was surprised by how quickly I got over the need for pop. I actually had a sip of my moms a few months after I gave it up .. by mistake and I couldn't believe how gross it tasted. I was a DIET Coke girl .. and after going without for a few months and tasting hers, it tasted like regular, but very thick and syrupy. Gross. I will tell you ONCE in a blue moon I'll have a craving for a Diet 7 Up or Sprite type drink. That's funny to me, since I didn't drink that.. but whatever ;) 


I challenge YOU to give up pop. Maybe it's not controlling your life, but it's just not good for you.

• One can of pop can have up to 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. The recommended daily intake for sugar is SIX ... which you're probably just getting from your FOOD.
• The phosphoric acid in pop makes it difficult on your body to intake calcium which leads to the softening of bones.
• There is no nutritional value to pop at all.
• Heart attack and stroke risks increase with daily pop drinking.
• All the sugar in pop can cause plaque build up and cause you problems in your teeth.
• Studies have shown that you actually eat MORE when you drink pop.

There are many reasons, these are just a few .. really, you just have to choose yourself  and your health over pop. You can do it.

Jeff's 25th Birthday!

Hey Guys!

Monday was Jeff's 25th birthday ... twenty five, I can't get over that twenty five will be my next age too ... but back to the birthday:

Warning: I told my sister this list of fun things I put together for Jeff's birthday and her reaction was as follows ... "Geeze way to make the rest of us look bad lol". But honestly, I had a blast doing it all.

• Snuck into his truck (after hockey) and put a birthday card in his truck to find in the morning.
• Put alerts into his iPod that went off one in the morning and one in the afternoon that said fun things like "it's your birthday" and "happy birthday babe, hope your having a good day" honestly, I can't remember exactly what they said .. but you get my point.
• Brought his favorite cupcake from the Cupcake Station to him at work
• Snuck into his house and tied balloons everywhere
• Invited all of our friends and family to his hockey game (which was on the night of his birthday) as a surprise
• Designed beer labels on beerlabelizer.com saying Happy Birthday Jeffs, with a picture.. for after the hockey game. it was our buddy's birthday on the same day too.

After the game all of us went out to a local diner and snacked. I can only hope he had as much fun as I did :)

I did so much sneaking around that I didn't have time for pictures ... do you believe that? I do. Sorry guys!

Shop 'Till You Drop!

Has anyone been Christmas shopping? On "Black Friday" perhaps? 

Friday morning around 6:30 AM Me, my Mom and Jeff all headed down to Cabela's to check out their sales. We saved tons of $ moolah $ , got a few presents for my Dad and stood in a very long line to check out. To my surprise, they had us in a line that wrapped around the whole store and still got us out of there in about a 20 min wait time. AWESOME! Kudos Cabelas.

Later in the day (much later) we went to Target, Old Navy and Kohls to see what deals they might still have. I was SOO happy with Target's deals .. I probably saved over $100 right there. Then Old Navy had the jeans that Jeff and I both wear HALF PRICE (which to me says: BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!) and so we got some jeans that we both really needed. Kohls was a major disappointment. I was shopping for one item of clothing in partciular for my sister (which I can not name because she might be reading haha) and it was only 20% off ... apparently they didn't get the memo about Black Friday.

Overall, I was REALLY happy with the experiences I've had shopping ... I didn't run into any crazy mace spraying people or see anyone get trampled so all in all a good day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are so many things to be thankful for this year .. and every year that it's a shame we don't think about it more often. But non the less, it is Thanksgiving and we are oh so grateful for everyone and everything that we have in our lives. 

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the strange and yet awesome gift of having my parents to myself for the day. With Emma & Jimmy living in California we decided to have a small Thanksgiving together, just the three of us. Mom and I have been cooking, cleaning, prepping and I can't wait to eat. It's a low key Thanksgiving this year and I'm enjoying every second of it.

Here's hoping you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families.

"Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us"

 From The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley.

Thought For The Day...

(even if it means you don't have a Project Life Tuesday post for today? Yes, even if you don't have a Project Life Tuesday post for today.)

It's Been A While

It's been a while since I've written ... sorry about that!

This weekend was great ... busy, but great. Friday night Jeff and I cleaned the whole house getting ready for his mom's surprise 50th birthday party on Saturday. Saturday morning I had a show (awesome ladies and of course brunch). The show went great, I made about $300 ish (Woo hoo! My car payment!! ) and got to give the same to my hostess which is always super fun. 

After that I came home and got everything in order to do my show on Sunday. Then I headed to Jeff's to help set up for the surprise and was there until after midnight enjoying the party. We had TONS of food, desserts and "appetizers" ... I put this is quotes because the term was debated all weekend long. Snacks? Munchies? Appetizers? Hilarious. I would estimate about 45 people being at the party, it was great. Rose was so surprised - (Are you reading this Rose? haha!!) She came in the door and was looking down for the dog and said "HI SCRUFFY" as she walked in ... then noticed all of us! She was so surprised .. which I can't blame her for! The poor lady thought we all ho-hummed her birthday LAST MONTH ... when really we have been planning this for just as long ha ha!

Do you believe I didn't take any pictures? BLAH! Slacking .. I know. I'm so sorry!!

I slept in Sunday and then had another show. A smaller one but it was more laid back with friends I don't get to see much so it was nice.

Now I'm researching a bridesmaids dress. Whats that? I didn't mention?? MY BEST FRIEND JAMIE ASKED ME TO BE IN HER WEDDING!!! AHHHH! I'm so excited. She is marrying a wonderful guy by the name of Brad. I have known him since high school and they have waited a long time to finally be together, with going to college in two different states. On to the business: I need to wear a Bari Jay design (style 766) ... but first I need to find one. I Do Too can order it for us, but I need to try it on before I can order it ... which gets me thinking! Jeff's aunt owns Elizabeth's Bridal Manor - Maybe I'll ask him to take me!

Here's the dress!

That's enough random ramblings for now ;) Hope you all had a super weekend too!

Love,

Tara

I Want To Be Better At ...

The past week or so, I've been on vacation ... and while it was beautiful, sunny and relaxing - it's still good to be home.

Getting ready for school and daycare to start again .. and with all my extra vacation thinking time, I've been thinking a lot. I have made this list of things I would like to be more aware and strive to be better at ... or start doing, now that we are about to be starting a new time in our lives again. First it was summer - now it's school/daycare/fall. 

I want to be better at:

- Getting the things on my lists done.

- Swearing less.

- Stop drinking pop. I'm giving up pop tomorrow. (Insert scream here)

- Drinking more water.

- Being more aware of all the things I have to be thankful for.

- Being a more understanding person.

- (Start) An exercise routine, even if it's a little at a time.

- Having less STUFF and CLUTTER. (Go through things)

- Thinking before I talk.

- Having a more positive outlook.

- Making more calls for work.

- Being on Facebook less. (gasp)

- Managing my time better.

- Keeping my Project Life Album more up to date.

It's a start for now. Things I need to think about being better at, more often...

(Inspired by this picture below - in a store while shopping on vacation)

Tara's Favorite Things

My favorite things? You got it! Here's a list of some things I love love love.

Disclaimer: I said things, not people.

1. My Iphone 4

It's unnatural that I use this one tiny phone for so many different things. My schedule and calendar, Internet, emails, texting, pictures, maps, contact information, baseball scores, paying bills, Ipod, games, video chatting, alarm clock, weather

... oh yeah and the phone calling part of it too.

2. My Monthly / Weekly Planner

Not only is this planner completely functional, but mine ... is adorable. (Green and white fabric). Franklin Covey has like one million options to make sure you have exactly what you need. Mine has a month at a glance as well as the weeks. The inside of the planner has multiple pockets and they are perfect for holding my business cards and a bigger one for mini catalogs, address stickers etc. LOVE IT. I just hope I can find a refill for this bad boy.

3. MaryKay Makeup

I love MaryKay products .. it's in my blood. BUT - I especially love these three things:

- Mascara: So comfortable to wear. LOVE the Lash Lengthening Mascara and for just $10 you can't beat that.

- Cooling Bronzing Stick: Seriously, try this you'll love it. Get it now, it's limited edition!  It's a bronzing stick but it has really awesome sparkles to it too. To quote MaryKay's website: "A cooling sensation and a refreshing touch of moisture make it a cool new way to wear a sun-kissed glow all year long." Just $20!

-Cream Eye Color: LOVE how easy this is to put on and love the way it looks all day. Apricot Twist and Glacier Gray are my favorite colors.

PS - you know how great this stuff is when I hardly ever wear makeup anyways ;)

4. Old Navy Clothes

Of all kinds. Especially their capris and shorts. Also starting to fall for their Fall Lines of sweaters ... adorable! Check them out!

5. Facebook!

How did I get all the way to number 5 without mentioning Facebook? I am on Facebook countless times a day. From my phone or from the computer - it doesn't really matter! I really enjoy using it for tons of different reasons. I like connecting with people that I wouldn't otherwise have the ease of keeping up with. I like being able to let people know the fun things I'm doing. Of course this goes without saying, but I love sharing pictures! (duh!) I also use it for business purposes too - Offering deals and letting people know how awesome of a company I work with (Premier Designs Jewelry)

6. Sony Cybershot

I love this point and shoot camera. It's small enough to fit into my purse but takes good pictures at the same time. The only thing I DON'T like about this is the format of the camera card. This takes a Memory Stick Pro Duo which I think they may have changed for later models ... I prefer the normal SD card because it fits directly into my lap top.

7. Dell Inspiron 6000

Yes, I bought this laptop years ago but it's great. It's still kicking I love the 17 inch wide screen too! It's large but still portable!

8. Blogger.com

I LOVE TO BLOG - But more than that, I love to read blogs. Here are some of my favorites that I love to follow:

~Peterson Stories - My cousin's blog. She is a Project Lifer too. Love the way she sets her posts up and of course how she writes.

~Becky Higgins Blog - If you don't follow her, you should. She's the founder of Project Life! She's great for product updates, sharing inspirational stories, projects, giveaways and much much more.

~Sunny Side Up - Love the stories out of this blog. She is a stay at home mom in California who loves to organize and spend time with her kids. I am always excited when there's something new on here - just for the fun of reading.

~The Mom Creative - Jessica Turner is a catch all. She hosts the Project Life Tuesday link ups which usually keep me inspired to get last weeks projects done. Not only that but she always posts information on deals - most of them mom deals .. and since I don't have kids they don't apply to me. BUT shes GREAT, crafty and loves a good deal and or freebie!

~Ali Edwards Designs - She has a blog, she has a week in the life project, she does Project Life Tuesday, she also produces digital files for purchase - this girls amazing.

last but not least -

~Eighteen25 - Lots of projects and giveaways on this site. These women are so crafty and love to give links for free printables and fonts. LOVE IT!

9. Tivo!
I realize now that I am spoiled and want to know WHO it is that chooses when things will be on TV. I would like what I want to watch, when I want to watch it and nothing else. Thank you very much! Life without Tivo ... is just NOT the same.
Might I add: Commercials? NO Thank you!!!

That's all for now because, well ... I have to get to bed. What are you favorite things?!

:) Thanks for reading!

Tara

One Post At A Time

Do you ever wish that you didn't have so much going on in that head of yours? I do sometimes. 

Heres the list right now:

• I am so blessed to have the people that I have in my life.
• Life is weird though, bringing people in and taking people out..and sometimes back again.
• I try really hard to be a good girlfriend ... but it's because he deserves one.
• Daycare is out for the summer.
• Today was Maddie's last day at daycare. Ever.
• Wondering who am I going to do the "Spring Chicken" dance with next week, if the kid's aren't here? (Bubble Guppies - Flap your wings, Get your feet a kickin .. move that beak, you're a spring chicken)
• Emma and Jimmy will come home from being Up North and only be home for ONE day before heading to Cali, then reality will hit ... and I won't be ready. (Monday -  Tuesday)
• Mom's surgery.
• Mom's recovery.
• The huge list of things that need to get done before Mom's surgery.
• Relieved that there was no more drama with the neighbors this week.
• I can't wait to turn the dinning room back into a real dinning room for the summer.
• The bathroom needs to be cleaned ... badly.
• The lightbulb has been out in my bedroom for 3 days & I can't bring myself to go find a bulb and put it in.
• I hope the pool deck is finished soon.
• Photoshop is a pain in the butt sometimes.
• I wish I knew stuff about Photoshop.
• Wine.
• I can't wait for Angie's bridal shower and Haley's grad party next weekend.
• I love my job.
• I hope Jeff and I can go to California for the 4th of July.
• I am excited for my "summer of organizing the house".
• I have pretty amazing parents.
• I should have bought that Old Navy Groupon .. you know I'll be going back, even though I say I won't.
• I need to re-schedule Kathleen's show.
• The Tiger's are losing now that they are close to / in / tied for first place. Irritating.
• I should have been the one to clean the kitchen tonight.
• It's a scarry place, inside this head of mine.