Flashback Friday

{look at this picture and know that we have changed quite 

a bit from the ones that follow... thank God}

This one goes out to the one, the only, best roomsiepoo for lyfe. While chatting today, she mentioned what she really wished we were actually doing (instead of being 24, at work, in separate but equally frigid cities).

{one of the many fun times in 1014}

As she began her scenario, it wasn't difficult to completely transport myself out of my cubicle on Tennessee Street to the warm, sunny patio of 1014 Oaks Drive, Birmingham, Alabama circa 2011. 

There we were. Two college girls, completely unaware of the luxury of having absolutely nothing to do in the middle of the afternoon, we ate at O'Carr's, grabbed baby bites, and ate them on our porch while drinking wine at 2 p.m.

{our very first picture together in feb/march 2009... we'd known each other hours at this point, so to say we're freakishly linked is an understatement}

It was one of those times we both remember, but aren't quite sure why. We didn't talk about anything super specific that we can remember, but we do remember it was fun. Which is what I think of when I think of my time at Sammy U with quite literally the best friends a gal could dream of. 

So today, I'm flashing back to my wonderful college experiences and the smile those memories bring. Road trip anyone?

{circa spring break 2009... the dreaded ride home from the beach.}

Happy Friday!

Witchy Woman

Post title is a shout out to all my ADPi sistas since it's Step Sing season and a perfect throwback Thursday was my freshman year when ADPi put a spell on everyone with their performance. 

{AHS: Coven}

I must say, witches are having a moment. Not that they ever haven't, but I'd go as far as to say witches are the new vampires. Yep. I went there. My adult obsession with Hocus Pocus (which was originally rooted in absolute fear when I was a child. I literally couldn't even see the VHS tape cover without nightmares for weeks) might have tipped a few of you off, but I'm weirdly fascinated by the idea of them. With Wicked (my all time favorite musical) in town, Katy Perry's magical performance at the Grammys, and last nights Supreme reveal (click here, or here to find out who it was) on American Horror Story: Coven, I think the fascination is here to stay. 

Excelsior

"If you're ever gonna find a silver lining, 

it's gotta be a cloudy day, it's gotta be a cloudy day. 

If you wanna fill your bottle up with lightening, 

you're gonna hafta stand in the rain, you're gonna hafta stand in the rain."

-Kacey Musgraves

My apologies for not posting for a few days; I seem to be burning the candle at both ends and sleep has become the priority (when I can get it). But I have had a few mantras, if you will, that help me keep on keepin' on. If you're schedule is anything like mine lately, that means it's hectic and often leaves you feeling exhausted. Hopefully these nuggets of advice will mean as much to you as they do to me, and keep you not only moving in the right direction, but hustlin' too.

The first is a Kacey Musgraves song that I may or may not have on repeat in my car. Helps me remember that (much like in Silver Linings Playbook) good can come from the bad, and "if you're ever gonna find a four-leaf clover, you gotta get a little dirt on your hands."

If that is a little too mellow to make you think you're gonna have to work for what you want, there's always this little gem. Because let's face it... sometimes you just gotta remind yourself that if you want something bad enough, you gotta work, bitch (shout out to Sara Nunnery who keeps this as her motto for med school, and life). If I learned anything from high school economics, it's that there's no such thing as a free lunch (cough, TINSTAAFL).

So when "lemonade keeps turnin' into lemons," "work, bitch."

Happy Friday.

Shine Bright, Shine Far

...don't be shy, be a star!

Eve

They're baaaaaaccccckkkkkk! I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. But, yes, they really are back, according to Tyra Banks, herself.

Before LiLo had plastic surgery, tattoos, or a mug shot, Disney movies included the likes of a wholesome, young ginger named Lindsay, and all was well with the world. For everyone who secretly wished their Barbie (er, Eve doll) would come to life, too, get excited.

This gives me hope. Happy Tuesday, everyone. 

It started out just like any summer...

Those true "Now and Then" fans know when the title line starts to play (hint: right before credits role), and felt every.single.one. of these at some point or another (click here for further proof of my love of this movie). Molly still says "hey remember that time you made me watch the movie with the seance?," and Mere and I could have literally killed each other over who got Devon Sawa in our ideal future life (c'mon... Little Giants, Wild America, Casper......until we saw what he looks like as an adult..yikes). 

But no matter which character you identified with or how hard you "ugly cried" when Crazy Pete saved Sam, this one's for all the '90s girls, and our model for true friendships.

 Click here for the article.

Starburst

{photo via T and J Designs}

I love all jewelry, and never turn down a fun new piece (as proof see yesterday's post for how I store just my "everyday" jewelry), but by admission, I'm a ring gal. Some people only wear earrings and some are bracelet bangle babes, but I never leave the house without at least 2 rings on.

{photo via T and J Designs}

I came across this ring a few days ago, and have been eyeing it for my collection ever since. It's the perfect amount of fun and girly while still being practical enough for everyday or as a statement piece with a neutral outfit. 

{photo via Sequins & Stripes}

Special thanks to Liz of Sequins & Stripes for showcasing the find so beautifully (here and here) that I couldn't take my eyes off of it. 

Oh, Deer

This post has been a long time coming, but I held off until I could give you the most bang for your buck (pun intended), so to speak. I noticed that Taylor Sterling was styling her home office/nursery with one of these precious ceramic deers (seen here and here), and didn't think much else of it. Until Christmas. 

My wonderful aunt, Mary Jane, had been paying attention to how much I loved Glitter Guide and Taylor, and she did her homework for a perfect Christmas gift: the coveted deer head. 

Now, the story goes that she "accidentally clicked the 'order' button twice" but either way, we all got deer heads for the holidays -- guys included. This seemed like it might be tricky, since not everyone was quite sure how to use theirs, but it turned out to be a lesson in creativity. A "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type thing. 

If you follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that my Aunt used hers as part of her Christmas decor, complete with Peabody the Elf perched atop its antlers for optimal "watching" capabilities.

I use mine to hold and display my jewelry, instead of leaving it in a giant mess on my counter. It's proven to be very handy and quite cute, in my opinion. 

JT has his standing guard atop his china cabinet to add a bit of modern/fun manliness to an otherwise semi-girly piece of furniture (in that it holds fine china, but one look at the bar cart full of whiskey and you know, without a doubt, it's a man's dining room). And Emily plans to use hers in a book shelf for Bebe T's nursery incorporating hues of blue, cream and white. Adorable!

I love these little things so much, I'm contemplating reasons/places I could put these fun friends (click here, here, here, here or here for the fun friends I'm talking about). And bonus, these cuties are on sale currently. So pick up one (or three) of these stellar stags and unleash your creativity of where and how you can use yours.

Botox in a Bottle

{the coveted bottle that travels between my bathroom and my mom's}

I think Emily Maynard said it best when she said she'd be "living under a bridge wrinkle free" when it came to spending money on skincare. You only get one crack at your skin... so I think it justifies spending a little extra moola on the good stuff, and this, my friends, is the good stuff. 

I was first introduced to Nerium AD when my sweet baboosh, EZ E, brought it on our Memorial Day beach trip. She said she'd found this ah.maze.ing. new cream we all had to try. Everyone was skeptical, but me being a junkie for anything beauty-related, I gave it a whirl. I remember saying it smelt like apples. Not bad, eh?

After the trip, I didn't think much of it until I started noticing my forehead wrinkles grow increasingly more visible. I'm one of those lucky gals that has overly expressive eyebrows anyway, and that, paired with arching them every day when I put on my mascara started to take its toll at the age of 23. yikes. 

Then, a funny thing happened. I started noticing Nerium AD pop up everywhere. Molly and Sally swear by it on A Piece of Toast, Catheirne Giudici of the Bachelor even has people wining cars selling it! I was 100% sick of looking like grandma wrinkles in my 20s and decided to give it a try. Baboosh was sweet enough to send me a bottle to try (fo free). I used it, and instantly fell in love. I've recently gotten compliments on my skin, and my mom said she noticed that my forehead wrinkles had nearly disappeared, even when I raise my eyebrows! 

This stuff is that good. I'm even sharing with my mama to see what kind of results she gets.

I agree with Molly when she says this stuff is truly "botox in a bottle," and I'd be willing to guess it's less expensive and more natural-looking than it, too. 

So, maybe I'll living under a bridge since I spend my paycheck on skincare and beauty products, but at least I'll be wrinkle free... and in good company (cough, Emily Maynard).

Happy Friday!

TGIF. I've been dragging this week and getting my days all out of order (Wednesday felt so much like Tuesday I nearly forget my scheduled appointments, and yesterday was a definite Friday...or so I thought). Thankfully, tomorrow really is the weekend, and this calls for some fun!

Happy things:

I went to bed last night singing this for some reason; so there's that.


This newly caught my eye since the ladies of PLL (while annoying because after 4 years you'd think they would've learned to not venture into a dark alley/wooded area/basement/ or warehouse alone) display excellent fashion sense while hunting for clues. Now you, too, can find their wardrobe pieces. 

Speaking of fun wardrobe pieces, how fun are these bright blazers (here, here, and here are my favs from GMG's blog post today)?! I'm always looking for ways to make my work wardrobe reflect my youth/fun side while still being appropriate.  

February's InStyle mag has the "15 Best Beauty Apps" listed in their print issue (with the fabulous SJP on the cover), so please excuse me while I download and try them all. 

Happy weekend, y'all!

Bebe (T) Blue

{inspiration: Kate Middleton's Jenny Packham cornflower blue dress that sold out 

in a nano second after her reveal}

While reading my usual blogs, I came across this post from Gal Meets Glam. I have been obsessed with pastels recently, but the blue in particular caught my attention. Since my big sister is preggers with a handsome fella that we plan to shower with gifts in a month, the post got my wheels turning for what I'd like to wear to said event. I also am obsessed with the idea of semi-matching with mom and sister for a bebe shower like Jessica James Decker did for her baby girl's shower (as seen here). 

With that in mind (and know what my sister will and won't even consider trying on), I found a few options to consider through a basic preliminary search. 

For the mommy-to-be, my sister:

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Above click here

For the auntie-to-be, nana anna:

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Left click here // Right click here

Next step, find a fabulous outfit 

for lulu with blue accents. 

I'll try anything once

I'll pretty much try anything once, whether it's food, a style trend, or in this case, a healthy habit. I've seen people post about various tricks and thought to myself "hey, I could do that." Well, that thought turned into action last night as I was wandering through the organic foods aisles of my neighborhood Kroger. Partially because they were fresh on my mind, and partially because I was just plain curious (and the aloe water was on sale) I tried two of my "what ifs."

Aloe Gloe:
After seeing this instagram from the oh, so lovely Hilary Duff I was nearly obsessed and searched high and low for the ingredients for this healthy skin shot (since her skin is near flawless as seen here and here). But, like most things do, once out of sight it was out of mind. Until I stumbled upon this variation yesterday. They were 2 for 1 and I thought what the heck/what could it hurt. It can't be any worse than the coconut water everyone raves about (yep, tried that too, many moons ago. It was grotesque). 

I tried the white grape flavor last night, and to my surprise it was actually good. Really good. And obviously it's too soon to tell if it gave me glowy skin yet (fingers crossed), but hey the placebos don't hurt.

PB2
I've seen this stuff everywhere, and honestly was mildly freaked out that peanut butter can even ever be a powder. But, in an attempt to get healthy, I bought the chocolate kind (I doubt anything with chocolate in it will be bad) for my afternoon snack with carrots (don't judge... I found I liked the combo wile on le cleanse).

Any other goodies I should try? I'm game!

Tone It Up Tuesday

It's not exactly a secret that I have been attempting a healthier lifestyle (even before the new year when it seems like everyone is). But sometimes (okay...often) I need a little extra motivation to get out of my cozy, plush bed and brave the arctic temps to warm up my car and head to the gym to get my fitness on. 

I honestly find motivation in the strangest yet simplest places, and wanted to share a few with y'all (in case you're a mere mortal like me, and healthy/fit life is a constant battle of not eating the cinnamon chips or pack of starburst but still wanting that adorable bathing suit that's on sale).

The Bella Twins:
I admit it, I fully enjoy Total Divas, and not only to I watch it faithfully... I use their instagrams (Nikki's here and Brie's here) to keep me motivated. See here, here, here, here, or here for motivational images of them to inspire you. It's easier to do 5 more minutes on the stair master when you know Nikki is essentially squatting with the weight on a semi-truck on her back. At least for me anyway...

The Tone It Up/Toned Up girls:
Special thanks to Merebear for telling me about them b/c now that Total Divas is on hiatus, I need some female fitness motivation (not the scary kind that is what I tend to think weight training does/not at all what I want my end result to be [for example: this terrifying image]). Katrina and Karena have a successful web-series turned Bravo tv show where they help normal average ladies feel good about themselves and set fitness goals -- all while being fabulously quirky much like Mere and me (as in they text each other from the same apartment to tell each other night when they already said it 5 seconds ago anyway... guilty as charged). Their instas are full on motivation (examples here, here, here, and here) to eat a spinach salad instead of the above mentioned bag of starbursts (again, guilty as charged).

So, with the help of these motivators, I'm finding it a little easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle instead of chasing a number on a scale or feeling bad about a glass of wine after work.

Any other fitness role models y'all have out there?? I'm always looking for others.

Happy First Friday!

{leave it to GG to say it perfectly}

Happy Friday! Starting off the first Friday of 2014 a little braver, and a little more resolved to fulfilling my resolutions:

-To be more consistent with reading my Bible, the gym, and keeping a clean house.

-Be kind. Show unconditional love to others so that my faith is seen in my actions.

-Learn to make clean eating/healthy recipes. (I newly crave veggies, as a result of my cleanse, I'm sure.)

-Stay up to date on changes and developments within industries I'm passionate about. 



  

My Year in Pictures

I fully understand that I've been a delinquent blogger over the holidays, but it was (gasp!) totally intentional. For once, I didn't have any work or freelance pieces or research and just wanted to unplug and be with my family. And may I just say, it was fabulous!

Now, it's been over a week since I last blogged and have at least 6 ideas for posts I wanted to share, but left my MacBook in its black and white striped pouch instead. Get excited for what's next, because I certainly am. 

But today I wanted to share some of my favorite memories. NYE 2012 to NYE 2013:

2012: JT made me a filet... the start of a new NYE tradition.

I went on my first press trip to South Walton, Florida.

And met Jessica Cayne.

Gambled at Tunica for the first time.

Experienced my very first Mardi Gras in it's birthplace...Mobile, Alabama.

Complete with fancy Mystics of Time ball.

First TNB reunion of the year in Birmingham.

Helped JT make his new house a home.

JT became a Godfather to Cache Frazier.

Celebrated the graduation of my bebe wheata woo

Met my FAV Grizzlies player, QPon.

Wheata woo graduated!!

Second TNB reunion in Pawley's Island, SC.

This guy turned 89.

Showed this one my old stomping grounds (and introduced him to baby bites).

Some of the besties met the bf, and celebrated Luke and Barbara Jane's wedding.

family beach trip.

Took JT to the family home place: Friendship, Arkansas.

Updated my "grown up" room at home.

Wheata woo carried on the legacy of Delta Gamma for mom and MJ.

Watched the braves in STL.

Saw the Tigers win a home game.

Celebrated Ann Marie and Neal getting hitched.

Ran my first 5k with this one's help.

Found out I'm going to be an aunt to a handsome fella.

Last TNB reunion in ATL with the whole gang to celebrate 2 engagements!

Tiger Basketball, year 2 of season tickets.

Fell in love a million times with these goofballs.

Took priceless family portraits.

Saw JT in concert with my (the one and only) JT.

Hung out with these little cherubs.

Celebrated a the tackiest of Christmases.

Annual family bake.

2013 NYE selfie after the tradition of home-grilled steak dinner.

HAPPY 2014!