Tulsa Recap + Giveaway Winner!

Happy Monday all! I had a very relaxing weekend after the craziness of last week, so I feel pretty good about getting this week started!

First of all I am so excited to announce that the winner of the $25 Starbucks gift card giveaway is the lovely Nadine! Thanks so much to all who entered!

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This post is pretty much just going to be a bunch of pictures, mostly of food. Which should shock you not at all if you know anything about me.When we go to Tulsa we eat at all of our favorite places that we don't have in Jax.

This was my view for most of the drive to Tulsa:

He's not spoiled at all. 

We stopped for lunch in Memphis at our favorite BBQ spot there: 

Ate a few of our favorite things in Tulsa: 

El Chico :: Mazzio's Pizza :: Rocket Brothers 

Celebrated a VIP's birthday: 

And chilled with the fam:

Moved some stuff: 

Adam is like a wizard when it comes to fitting things together and maximizing space. 

Thank you Tetris. 

And drove back home. Hurley is getting his learner's permit soon. Otie is not impressed: 

And ended the weekend with a lazy, rainy Sunday, full of football, coffee, and craftiness.

Hey Y'all Hey

So remember how I said I would be kind of MIA in this post? That turned out to be more true than I thought it would be. We took a trip to Tulsa last week to help move my in-laws here to Jax! And it turns out we didn't have internet pretty much the entire time (which was kind of awesome actually).

I had a post planned for Friday and figured I would post at least on Monday or Wednesday this week, but since I didn't really want to write out a post on my phone that didn't happen.

 It was a total whirlwind of a trip. We arrived in Tulsa on Thursday night (last week), spent a few days packing the house and the moving truck, drove roughly 20 hours back to Jax, arrived in Jax late Wednesday night, and then unpacked the moving truck yesterday. I'm back at work today and while I feel surprisingly well-rested, I also feel kind of zombie-like.

ALL that to say, I know I have a crap-ton (yes, that is a measurement) of comments to respond to but I promise I will! I'm currently slogging through literally hundreds of emails (deleting most of them because they are junk) and I know I also need to announce a winner for the giveaway which I plan to do on Monday. Thanks for your patience in the meantime!

I also wanted to say a huge THANK YOU and WELCOME to all of my new followers! So good to see you all here, and I look forward to learning more about you! Cheers to Friday!

Confession Session

First of all, thank you for all of the sweet comments on my blogiversary post! You guys are the bomb.com.

And I prrrrromise I will be responding to everyone's comments as soon as I can! This week is kind of crazy for me so I may be kind of MIA, which I'm sure it breaks a cardinal rule of blogging to be MIA on the week of your blogiversary, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, my friends.

Now, I need to confess...

+ The other day I was in Target on my lunch break trying to look at something in the dollar section, and there were all of these kids in my way and I am thinking "Shouldn't all these children be in school now??" I think I have officially reached old lady status. #youthseverywhere

+ I have totally given up on trying to eat healthy for the next week or so. I have a plan to start fresh on my eating plan on a certain date (more on that later) and in the meantime I am pretty much eating all the bad food I can get my hands on. The problem is that it tastes great but eating like this I pretty much feel like crap ALL of the time. Darn you healthy eating making me realize how awful I feel when I eat crap food. I was blissfully ignorant before.

+ Has anyone ever cried at work because you are dealing with emotional crap (not work related) and then somebody comes by your desk and you have to suddenly pretend like you weren't crying and look normal, all the while knowing that your eyes are puffy and red and you probably have mascara running down your face? Yeah, me neither. #hormonesmuch? #i'mnotapsychoipromise

+ I really hate Facebook so very much (for a variety of reasons) but I still find myself scrolling through it absentmindedly anytime I'm bored or killing time and then I'm like WHY am I doing this to myself?? It has got to stop! #sendhelp

+ I knew I shouldn't have gotten a smartphone with all these new-fangled apps and jazz. I should have just kept my pink Razr from back in the day. Man, those things were cool.

+ We ran out of Scope mouthwash so I bought some Listerine to try since it was on sale. I got the green kind so I figured it would taste pretty much like Scope, only stronger. Yeah, no. It tastes like I gargled with a combination of Vick's VapoRub and a Eucalyptus plant, with maybe a *hint* of mint. And now I have a HUGE bottle of Listerine that I'm not sure what to do with. I mean I'll probably still use it because I can't just throw it away, I would feel guilty and super wasteful. 

That's all I've got today! Anything you need to get off your chest? I'm here, friends, I'm here. 

And don't forget to enter the giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you + A Giveaway

Well, well. I have survived an entire year of blogging. One year ago on this day I wrote my very first post (Don't laugh). 185 posts later, this is probably the most successful I have ever been at keeping up with any journal-type thing with any amount of consistency.

 I started this thing not really knowing where it was headed, but I could not be more thankful for all of the wonderful ladies I have "met" and gotten to know through this experience!

What keeps me coming back to this space is most definitely you, my lovely readers.

So thank you to every single one of you who have read and left sweet comments and become my friends! I am so amazed and thankful that anyone cares to come to this space and read my words. I know my blog is nothing special, nothing mind-blowing or life-altering or even "pinnable" most of the time. But I love this little space, and I love that we can share our lives with each other.

So all that to say, I just wanted to do a little giveaway as a thank you! I wish I could throw a party and bake cupcakes and invite all of you! But I'll have to settle for giving away a Starbucks gift card. ::shrugs::

The giveaway will run for one week! Good luck!


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Random Thoughts

My favorite kind of post, the kind where I just kind of blurt out whatever comes to mind. I know it's not very "pinnable" but meh. I'm kind of over that anyway.

+ I'm getting a pedi this Saturday!! I am so excited, it's been far too long. A friend got me a gift certificate to our favorite nail salon for my birthday so I will be meeting her and another friend and we are going to thoroughly enjoy the girl time! I'm trying to decide what color to get, we're still in Summer technically (although my thoughts have turned to Fall) so I feel like maybe a coral or bright pink? Thoughts?

+ My blogiversary is less than a week away (wow) and I'm thinking of doing a little giveaway as a thank you to all of my fabulous readers! Just have to decide what I want to give away...Hmmm...

+ Yesterday Target sent me a $5 off $50 coupon and while I have NO business blowing even $45 dollars on stuff I don't need, it is majorly tempting me. Darn you Target!

+ Planning a BBQ for the end of September and I was originally thinking it would be a "End of Summer" kind of thing, now I'm torn because by then my Fall decor is usually up, which makes me want to have some fall-ish food, plus their WILL be football playing on our TV (sorry, not sorry) so maybe kind of a "Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall" thing? Am I overthinking this? I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking this.

+ The other night I was at dinner with some friends planning a reunion for our church choir from back in the day, and I mentioned something about the BBQ I'm planning. One of the ladies was like "Y'all have a lot of parties!" I was like we do? Yeah I guess we do! We've done several get-togethers in the first part of the year, mostly because we've made a point to plan them and just do it, regardless of whether everyone can come or not. In the past we've tried to choose a time that works for everyone and that NEVER happens so you just have to pick a date and go with it! It made me happy to think about because one of my goals this year was to connect with my family and friends more face-to-face, and spend quality time, not just "see" them on Facebook.

+ Wow that last one was really long-winded, sorry.

+ We had a great anniversary dinner last night but DEAR BARBARA the carbs, and between the carb hangover, staying up a little too late, and an apparently epic amount of pollen in the air today, I pretty much feel like a truck ran over me this morning.

+ Have y'all heard of Sling TV? I'm sure you have, I'm usually the last to hear about things. But anyway it's an app that allows you to get a selection of cable channels for $20/mo., and it has ESPN and ESPN2, plus you can add an extra sports package for $5, which would give us ESPNU and SEC Network. PLUS you can cancel anytime so we could just get it for football season. This is pretty much exactly what we want! I think it's going to be a much better option than a cable package that we would have to commit to for a year.

I think that's all the random-ness I have today!

Happy Anniversary to My Love!

On this day 9 years ago, I married my very best friend. Cheesy, I know, but it's true! Happy anniversary to my love, I am so thankful God brought you into my life.

You are my husband, friend, confidante, sidekick, and my all time favorite person.

You have challenged me and helped me grow, encouraged me when I was down, rejoiced with me when I was happy, and held me when I was sad.

You have been with me through the highest highs and the lowest lows, through laughter and tears, and you have been my rock. I love you more than I could ever express.

Here's to many more years of loving and growing together.

Why I Love Football

I am SO excited for football season! We don't have cable but we are seriously contemplating getting it in the next few weeks just because football is starting. Yes, we are that hooked.

1. The Camaraderie

There's nothing quite like the feeling of being united in your love for your team with other fans and cheering in unison (or crying in unison, depending on the outcome). Regardless of how the game and season goes, you know you will always stay loyal to your team. This has, of course, been severely tested for Gators and Jags fans in the last few years (Ok, more than just a few years for the Jags), but the true fans love their team no matter what. #InAllKindsOfWeather

2. The Quality Time

I didn't always care much about football, but I started to get more interested in it a few years ago because Adam liked it. Instead of just watching the occasional game and just glancing up at the score, I actually started to understand the game better, and from then on I was hooked. It's become something we watch together. So even though we each have our own separate hobbies, football is one we can enjoy together and it's so much fun!

3. The Food

Obviously, the food is a big part of the fun. Chips and Salsa, Seven Layer Dip, Guacamole, Burgers, Cheese Fries, Chili, Hot Wings. All super healthy, of course.

4. The Tradition

Football is steeped in tradition, and I love hearing all of the stories behind each team, how they started, what records they have maintained, their rituals before each game.

5. The Athleticism

It's truly amazing what these guys are capable of, and it's so exciting to watch them run, throw, catch, block, and tackle with such precision and grace.

6. The Strategy

I love watching the plays and trying to figure out what their strategy is, how they plan to get the ball where it needs to go, and when things don't go like they planned, how they are able to (hopefully!) think on their feet and adjust.

7. The Clothes

Of course I had to include all of the fun clothes you get to buy in support of your team! I have a ton of Gator and Jaguar gear, and yet every time I see a cute shirt or PJ pants or a hat in the store I feel like I NEED it, because can there ever be enough team love??

Do you love football?

Linking up with Erin over at Love, Fun and Football!

Confessions

+ Scrolling through Pinterest and I pin all these cute things I want AND articles titled "How to Declutter Your Space" and "Ten lies you tell yourself about credit cards". The irony is not lost on me. #isn'titironic

+ Speaking of shopping for things I don't need, this shirt, I WANT:

I mean we're going to the mountains in October, so really it is a need, right? 

+ I have to say, I am loving the trend of really comfy, pajama-like pants. It makes wearing basically pajamas to work acceptable.

+ We're taking a trip to Tulsa in a few weeks to visit family and I already have a list of places I want to eat. There will be Tex-Mex. #allthefood

+ I recently said no to some sandals at Target because I was trying to be good and budget-y and now they're gone and I have non-shopper's remorse. #comebackprettyshoes

+ So I killed my succulent a while ago (who kills the most low maintenance plant EVER? Me, that's who), and I'm trying to decide if I want to try again. I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong, so maybe I learned from my mistakes? #blackthumb

+ I have watched this video at least 10 times and I can't stop, plus it makes me laugh every time.

+ I have had the same color on my toes for over two weeks, and part of me says "I should really change that" and the other part of me is really proud that a pedicure I gave myself is lasting so well. Not one chip!