live. laugh. love.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Help!! I need advice!!

Graduation is in 63 days!!

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I am going to do and where I am going to go after I graduate in May. I honestly have no idea where to even begin!! Help! A good part of me wants to just go and move somewhere completely new and on my own for once! But then there is a little part of me that thinks that is crazy and wants to stay in my comfort zone...aka move back to Jacksonville. What do I do!?!?? Also where the heck do I start in going about looking for a job? I feel so lost and clueless and I don't like it!! I feel like I am currently very limited in my options because I have no money to just go somewhere without having a job lined up. My parents completely support me (even though I do work part time) and I am completely used to it. I only have a few more months to figure this all out!! Ok I am like having a little freak out right now...but so much has been on my mind lately! So overwhelming! HELP!!! Anyone have any suggestions???

XOXO

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Busy Week!

I just realized that I haven't posted since Sunday. Oops!! I have had SO much school work to do this week that it has been pretty much impossible to squeeze in posting. I don't really have much to say right now (shocking I know!), but I will post the rest of the birthday pictures that I mentioned the other day! I promise to post something more interesting in the next day or so, once I can get school work off the brain and get creative!







My parents are driving through Tally tomorrow morning on their way to Biloxi! I get to have breakfast with them, can't wait!

XOXO

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Birthday Weekend Recap!

I had such a fabulous birthday weekend!! My birthday was Friday and my parents came in town for my birthday! My parents took me and my roomie Katy to lunch at Gordos (soo yummy!) and then for pedicures! It was great! Then me, my parents, Meghan, and Katy went to dinner Bonefish. I got a pomegranate martini and the tilapia with mango salsa and steamed asparagus...it was delicious! We then went to Cafe Cabernet for drinks and about 10 of my friends showed up..it was a lot of fun! It was definitely a great birthday!

Saturday I spent shopping and relaxing for the most part and then my parents left and went back to Jacksonville. Then last night a group of us went out. We decided to go to Level 8 Lounge at Hotel Duval. It was awesome! By far the nicest bar in Tallahassee! It is super upscale and fancy, they have a strict dress code, it is on the 8th floor of the hotel and overlooks downtown Tallahassee. It has a great view and it is half inside and half outside. I loved it. I can't wait to go back!! Here are some pictures from last night...











I'll be posting some pictures from my actual birthday in a few days once I get them from my friend's camera!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

XOXO

Friday, February 19, 2010

I'm 22!!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! I am soo excited for today! It is going to be a fantastic day! About to head to the gym before my parents come into town and the fun begins!

Y'all have a great day!

XOXO

Thursday, February 18, 2010

I Can Hardly Wait til Tomorrow!!!!

Even though tomorrow I will be 22 and not the cool age of 21 anymore, I am still super excited for my birthday! Tomorrow will be a great day! Here is what I have planned:

Birthday Plans:
Go to the gym at 9.
Parents come in town around 12:30.
Lunch at Gordos w/ my parents and Katy.
Shopping & pedicures with the girls at 3.
Dinner at Bonefish at 7 with my parents and roomies (Meghan and Katy). Yumm!!
Out for drinks at Cafe Cabernet or some other bar with a bunch of friends!

Can't wait to spend the day with my Mom and Dad and my awesome friends!! Pictures and details from tomorrow's events will come this weekend! :)

I've had a great week! I started going to the gym on Monday and have gone every morning this week and I feel fantastic!! I love it! Never knew I'd ever say that! All I do is the treadmill for 45 minutes (mix of speed walking and running) and then weights for about 15 minutes. So far so good! I definitely see myself getting into the habit of going every morning! I did have to make a sneaker purchase this week...my other shoes were way too small. I ended up getting Nike Air Tri-Ds and I love them!


I am not Catholic, but I am Methodist and we give up something for Lent. I decided to give up fast food for Lent.That should be tough, considering I am so used to just pulling through Chick-fil-a on my way too work or grabbing something quick between class. I think it will be good for me...help me on my quest to be healthy and also help me save money! Did any of you give up anything for Lent?

Since my weekend starts tonight...I will go ahead and say that I hope you all have a great weekend! I will try to post something this weekend!

XOXO

Sunday, February 14, 2010

V-Day cupcakes!!





I decided to try and make Diet Coke Chocolate cupcakes and they turned out great!! Soooo yummy!!!

Recipe:
1 chocolate cake mix
12oz. Diet coke
4 tbsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can of chocolate icing

Servings: about 24 cupcakes

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Mix box of cake mix with 120z. diet coke. Pour mix into cupcake pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes.
Let cool, frost, and enjoy!!

XOXO

Happy Valentine's Day!!



In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd tell you some of the things that I love. Here it goes...

I Love...
~my family & friends
~handwritten letters
~lazy weekends
~anything pink & green
~talking to someone for hours effortlessly
~kids...especially my kids at work
~thinking & day dreaming
~driving with the windows down
~good manners
~being super girly, yet loving football at the same time
~making people smile/laugh
~dancing

I have had a very productive day so far...went to church, signed up at the local gym, worked out, and went to the grocery store! Go me! I feel great! I am spending Valentine's Day doing things for me...I am going to watch my favorite movies, make myself a nice dinner and bake a delicious relatively healthy cake! I have a feeling this week is going to be a great week!! I have tomorrow off, no major assignments due, only one day of work, and my birthday on Friday!!! Ahhh sooo excited!!

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day! Make sure you show everyone you love how much you love them! :)

XOXO

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Delicious Discovery

Today I was craving something sweet, but still somewhat healthy. Well I was out and about and I drove past Chick-fil-a and saw that they have parfaits. I decided to give one a try. Oh my goodness...it was SOOOO yummy!! This could be trouble considering I pass it everyday on my way to work! I got the cookie crunch one, doesn't it just look delicious? It is creamy, strawberry, cookie crunch goodness!


Just thought I'd share my delicious discovery with y'all! :)

XOXO

Friday, February 12, 2010

TGIF!! Brrrr, it's cold!!

I am SO happy that it is finally the weekend! It sure does not feel like Florida outside....the high was only 36 here...and we had lots of rain with little bits of snow. It was crazy at work...all the kids were hyped up on sugar and had so much energy from being stuck inside all day, it made it almost impossible to keep them all entertained tonight. Also I was stuck running car pick-up outside from 5:30 to 6...I was so wet and cold..not fun! I plan on spending my night in bed watching a movie or the Olympics opening ceremony!

I made some very exciting purchases today at One Kings Lane! Can't wait to get them! Here are my purchases...

Bees Knees Stationary Set..


Yea Baby Address Book & Pen Set...


I love all things Lilly! I am so excited to use the stationary and address book! Did any of y'all make any purchases from One Kings Lane? If you aren't a member...sign up! Oh and don't forgot about the sale coming up at Rue La La!

It's Valentines Day weekend...and I don't have a Valentine & all my roommates are out of town, so it looks like I will have the apartment to myself. I plan on relaxing, watching some movies, and cooking. I have a few recipes I want to try out, so I think for V-Day I am going to cook myself a nice meal and also bake myself a cake! But...I am super excited for next weekend!! It is my birthday next Friday and my parents are coming to town! I can't wait!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend and a great Valentine's Day!

XOXO

Who knew?!



You read that right....SNOW in Tallahassee, FL! Not much, but it was still snow!!! So cool! I thought the weather channel was joking with me, but then I took a peek outside and saw the flurries!

Even though it lasted all of like 5 minutes, I thought it was cool! I just had to share this with y'all!!


XOXO

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Shopping Spree!

Today has been a great day! I decided to take a mental health day and just relax..also the cold weather deterred me from going to class! (oops!) I ended up venturing to Target with the intention of just browsing...yea right! haha. I made a few purchases (books and videos) which I am pretty excited about. I bought....

Something Borrowed


Freakonomics...(I'm an Economics major hehe)


I plan on reading those books at some point...in between all the reading I have to do for my classes. Might take me a bit longer than normal.

Cook Yourself Thin Faster


I'm looking for different healthy recipes to keep things interesting...this book looks like it has some great recipes! I plan on trying a different recipe every week. I'll keep y'all updated on how they turn out! :)

And two workout videos...can't wait to use them!




Has anyone used any of those workout videos? I am excited to give them a try! I am going to start going to the gym tomorrow...and plan on starting the videos in a week or so. We shall see how it goes!!


XOXO

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Proud of Myself!!

I just need to say how proud I am of myself so far this year! This is the best I have felt in a LONG time. The reason why I am so proud is because I have stuck to my resolutions "to a tee"!

My resolutions for 2010....
1. Manage my money well.
2. Change my eating habits, eat healthier and cook more.
3. Stay on top of my school work, don't slack off this last semester.
4. Go to church regularly.
5. Have a positive attitude everyday and don't get upset so easily.

How I have stuck to my resolutions...

Managing my money: I have tracked all my purchases to see where I spend my money and become more aware of when and how much I spend. I also keep and organize all my receipts and try to stay within a budget. It has worked out great so far...I haven't been as stressed about money.

This budget book has been SO helpful!

You can find it here...along with other great tools!

Changing my eating habits: I track every little thing I eat, it has made me much more aware of what I am eating and deters me from eating when I am not hungry. I also have quit eating out as much...I try to only eat out 1 or 2 times a week and cook a lot more. Planning my meals ahead has definitely helped in deterring me from driving thru somewhere or going out to eat! Also I reward myself with a trip to YogaBerry on Saturday if I have eaten well and stuck to it! In just a week of tracking and eating better I have lost 7.5 pounds! Talk about motivation! Soon I will be starting a workout routine...I hope to join the gym in the next week or so. I feel so great...I think it will be easy to stick to what I am doing. The true test will be my birthday weekend, which is coming up!

Staying focused on school: I am trying to avoid getting the "senioritis." So I have made it a goal to motivate myself to not miss any class and study and stay on top of my assignments! So far so good....I got an A on my first exam, so it has rewarded me for my hard work! Only 2.5 months left...I can do it!!

Go to church regularly: Since I have been in college I have never really been regular with going to church. But my roomie and I have decided to go every Sunday together...so far we have only missed a couple times, due to going home or whatever. But I feel like it has been a great way to end the weekend and start off the week. So glad we have stuck to it!

And finally... Have a positive attitude everyday!: I'm not saying that I didn't have a positive attitude everyday, but I would let one "bad" thing ruin my day...I would get upset over things easily. Now I have learned to brush things off and not worry so much! It has had a tremendous impact on how I feel all the time...I love it! I am much more relaxed and feel great! I definitely plan on keeping this up!

I know that was long, but it felt good to write it all out and share! Maybe it will even inspire someone to work on improving something about their life!

More fun and interesting posts to come later this week...promise! :)

XOXO

Saturday, February 6, 2010

25 Things about ME! :)

I thought I would post something for y'all to get to know me...here is a list of 25 random things about me...enjoy!

1. I am terrified of thunder and balloons, and cotton balls gross me out. Don’t ask.

2. I am obsessed with country music, I could listen to it all day everyday.

3. I love anything pink and green, preppy, and all things southern!

4. I am a senior in college yet I have not completely decided what I am doing after I graduate and it kind of scares me, but I have faith that I will find what I'm supposed to do and where I'm supposed to be.

5. My favorite number is 5, always has been and always will be.

6. I laugh wayyy too easily and frequently I laugh so hard I look like I’m crying and end up getting the hiccups.

7. I am addicted to Diet Coke. I really think I am, I have to have at least one each day.

8. I love kids. I have like the best job, getting to work and play with kids everyday. No matter what they can always put a smile on my face.

9. I am very clumsy and pretty ditzy...but I just laugh at myself. :)

10. I have a hard time saying no to people who matter to me, but I’ve decided to start doing what makes me happy even if it means saying no.

11. I love sports. Come fall, college football is my life every Saturday and I love it! I plan my weekends around college football.

12. I am a VERY talkative person, yet I absolutely love to just sit and listen to someone talk to me.

13. I tend to over think things, which then causes me to worry. That’s just how I am, get used to it.

14. I love my family and my friends, they mean everything to me. They are crazy and I love them to death!

15. I love to make people laugh and smile ....or at least try to.

16. My best friend is Caitlin and we’ve been best friends for like 19 years…we have sooo many stupid inside jokes it’s ridiculous. But I love it.

17. I love watching any type of dance, especially Ballet. I would love to one day see The Nutcracker in NYC at The Met.

18. I also love musicals and Broadway shows. Every time I go to NY i must see a show on Broadway. My all time favorite musical is Phantom of the Opera in the Majestic Theatre…it’s beautiful!

19. I am an only child, if you didn’t already know that.

20. My favorite place to go is St. Augustine…I love everything about that city, the beach, downtown, the people, restaurants, shopping and of course beaches.

21. I danced for 14 years and loved everything about it.

22. I do a lot of embarrassing things and am very clumsy but I never let it bother me and laugh at myself.

23. I love all the classic Disney movies, I feel like a kid again when I watch them.

24. I tend to be too nice and sometimes that’s a problem.

25. I have very strong morals and values and no one can convince me to change.


Old picture of me and my best friend :)


XOXO,

Friday, February 5, 2010

Thank Goodness it's FINALLY the Weekend!!

I am EXHAUSTED!! I literally just finished a really big paper that is due tonight...so glad to be done! I pulled an all-nighter last night to work on perfecting it. Bad idea. I don't like coffee (I'm weird, I know hehe) so it has been so hard to stay fully attentive and awake all day.

But the exciting part of my day was work...if you don't know, I work at an elementary school as an after-school counselor with about 200 kids and I absolutely love it. I love those kids so much! Well anyways...today at work, it was DJ Day...so literally form 3 til 5:15 we just had a huge dance party! It was AWESOME!! I got to bust out my mad dancing skills and have a great time with the kids! Dancing and being around kids sure can make any day a million times better! :)

You have no idea how happy I am that it is the weekend! This week SO stressful with papers and tests. So glad to finally not have to spend my weekend worrying about school and studying the whole time! I plan on taking advantage of this freedom from school work! So my weekend plans are as follows....

Saturday
*Sleep in!
*Go to the grocery store.
*Cook a delicious meal.
*Get YogaBerry :)
*Go see Dear John! (I have been wanting to see it for months!)



Sunday
*Church
*Watch a movie
*Read
*Do a little pre-birthday shopping! :)

Just realized that I only have 2 weeks left of being 21!! Wow...has the past year flown by!!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I hope to post something this weekend...catch y'all later! Muah!

XOXO

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Lucky Chinese Tag



I loved this, so I stole it from Whitney's blog! Thought I'd give it a shot...enjoy!

8 TV Shows I Watch:
19 Kids & Counting
The Bachelor
Sex & The City (re-runs)...that show never gets old!
Grey's Anatomy
Law & Order: SVU
Nip/Tuck
True Blood
Glee

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink:
The Fox
The Brick
Bonefish
Saltwater Cowboys
Panera
Mr. Roboto
P.F. Changs
Cheesecake Factory

8 Things I Look Forward To:
My birthday!! Feb. 19th!! :)
Graduation!! (May 1st can't get here quick enough!)
DJ Day at work tomorrow!
My parents coming to Tallahassee to visit for my birthday weekend.
Seeing the Dear John movie.
Yogaberry on Saturday with my friends! (have to get my weekly fix!)
This stupid paper I am working on to be done! Thank goodness it's due tomorrow night!!
Tomorrow. I look forward to everyday!

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:
Went to my 9:30 class.
Went to work and played with the kiddos.
Did a craft class with the kids at work.
Cooked dinner.
Skyped with my best friend! :)
Studied for my health economics exam.
Worked on my Media Analysis paper.
Took a relaxing bath!

8 Things I Love About Winter:
Wearing jeans
An excuse to buy cute scarves.
Boots
FSU Basketball games.
Florida winters are perfect for spending outside.
The long walks to class are enjoyable...not sweating like crazy!
My birthday is around the corner.
Get to wear my cute sweaters and jackets.


8 Things on My Wish List:
Followers on my blog!
Canon Powershot Camera SD980 with 12.1 MP
A job after graduation!
A boyfriend! (hehe)
David Yurman ring.
Pandora charms.
Cover for my new MacBook.
New Lilly bedding.

8 Things I'm Passionate About:
God
family
friends
life
my education
working with kids
college football
shopping :)

8 Words/Phrases I Use Often:
Seriously!?!?
....but whatever...
That's cool.
Yes/No Ma'am
Yes/No Sir
Y'all
You have got to be kidding me!

8 Things I've Learned From the Past:
Don't try and please everyone...it is pretty much impossible.
Make yourself and your needs a priority.
Stay close to your family.
Always try your best.
Make sure and laugh everyday!
Smile. They are contagious. :)
Be you. Don't try to be someone you are not.
Go after what you want and don't give up easily!

8 Things I Currently Want/Need:
A relaxing day.
Mani/Pedi.
Hair cut.
Take a trip home to Jax.
Reconnect with a few friends.
Workout.
the weekend!!
New jeans.

XOXO

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sweet Tooth Fix!

I have been trying to eat a lot healthier lately and I have a major sweet tooth which can be hard to resist sometimes. But the best sweet tooth fix ever (at least to me) is this....

Take one chocolate chip rice cake and toast it for about 20 seconds...


Then spread just a little bit of peanut butter on it...



And top it off with a scoop of frozen Fat Free Cool Whip...


IT IS SOOOO GOOD!! It is warm, gooey, cool goodness! mmmm!! I think I'll go make myself one now...

XOXO