Fifty Shades of Grey

One of my friends recommended this book to me. She let me know that multiple people hada suggested it to her so I felt pretty confident that I would enjoy it. 

A few days later, I saw them talking about it on Chelsea Lately and even saw it on E! News. I knew that I had to give it a shot. Lucky for me, it was my turn to pick our next book club book. 

Well I started last night and, let's just say, I'm officially hooked. I'm only 33% complete and already this book has a hold on me. Unlike most books, the beginning doesn't drag and you immediately feel connected with the characters. I'm wishing I didn't have to work today, I'm wishing I didn't have lunch plans with a friend, I'm wishing I had anytime at all to sneak in even a few more pages. It's extremely intense and definitely not the type of details I typically like to read, but there is something about it that captivates you. Actually, I suppose it is similar to being in the presence of Christian Grey. Thankfully, it's a trilogy so I get to read a few more books before having to say goodbye to Ana and Christian, at least I hope so. 

If you're looking for a great book, I would suggest Fifty Shades of Grey. It's extremely graphic so I would read the synopsis before diving in. it's one of those books that you can't put down and that's always a good sign.

That is all for now :)

What has the time gone?

In honor of the fact that it's Friday, I decided to update you on my last 2 weekends :)

Not his past Sunday, but the Sunday before, we went Pontoon boating on St. Johns River. Here are some shots from that lovely day :)

Monday it was time to go to Happy Hour to meet my friend, Steph's, new twins. And, we're not talking babies girls ;)

Shots were in order, obvi.

Kate and I headed to Kickball immediately following Happy Hour. Not the brightest idea, but we did stop and get like 6 32-oz Bud Lights (in a can, may I add)

Friday we had Loco. We pregammed in the car before. Total high school moment. 

The entire day was an absolute blast. We played volleyball, hung out with co-workers, flipped canoes, and then took the canoe out for a little ride. Unfortunately, we got stuck in a HUGE rain storm once we got 30-minutes out from the nearest human, complete with massive thunder and lighting strikes. Half of me was scared out of my mind, the other half enjoyed being caught in the rain in the middle of the woods. 

My sweet angel being perfect, as usual. The next JBiebs right there ;)

This past Monday I went to Happy Hour again with Steph and her twins. They gave her a sample in the cutest wine glass that we just loved! :)

Wednesday night we went bowling with a couple of friends. We're joining a league which I'm SUPER stoked about. Call me lame, but that kind of stuff excites me :)

Last night we went out to celebrate a friend's last day of college. Little did I know, I would be taking 5 shots and a few buckets. What's with me this week? I didn't make it sleep until around 2AM, but it was worth every second. 

I may or may not have played Call Me Maybe in the jukebox more than once ;)

Cherry bombs to celebrate!

 They switched to Rasp Lemon Drops and I stuck with old faithful, Cherry bomb :)

There ya have it. I've been a pretty busy bee lately. Immediately following work at 4PM we are going to Katie's first dress fitting. YAY! The wedding is exactly 2-months and 3 days away :)

Happy Friday!!

It's OK Thursday

Linking up with Amber and Neely for It's OK Thursday!

It's OK..

.. that today is only Thursday and not Friday. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll love ya tomorrow, it's only a DAY away :)

.. that I didn't use the recipe for the meal that I attempted last night. It still came out delish! FYI: I love pepper ;)

.. that I'm nervous about grad school. The entire process is stressing me out. I've sent out letter of recommendation requests and about to get started on my personal statement. It's all just a bit overwhelming, due to the fact that I know there is a huge chance for rejection. That just doesn't sit well with me :/

.. that my nails are chipping and I just painted them  yesterday. This is something that can definitely ruin my day. Sad but true.

{FYI: The ring I'm wearing is what my Papa gave my Mema on their 25th anniversary. She gave it to me a few years back :)}

Speaking of my Mema..

It's OK..

.. that my Mema had a second bypass surgery. The only reason why this is OK is because she is doing fabulous and is currently all settled in a rehab facility where she will continue to recover for a couple weeks. Last night was her first night there and they had an amazing looking buffet with wine and beer. We took advantage of the wine, of course ;)

.. that my friend from college is moving to Dallas this weekend. We are going to lunch today but that will be the last time I see her. We don't get to hang out all that often, but she became a close friend quickly. We're so alike it's scary. We have the same viewpoint on life and she just gets "it". If you know what "it" is then you get us, too ;) 

Note: Must book ticket to visit her soon.

.. that I haven't put up pictures for the last two weekends yet. I promise to do that very soon :)

.. that last night we went bowling with another couple and I had a jager shot. Who am I? I was at the bar waiting for a pitcher and these guys offered me a shot, I was like why not? I'm still young! ..then they ordered Jager, lol..  Oh well, I survived :) 

What's OK with you today? Come join us!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm back to regular posting with What I'm Loving Wednesday. Participating in this post always makes me look at all the positive things in my life, rather than the negative. You should join us over at Jamie's blog :)

I'm loving that today is already Wednesday. I feel like this week is going by so quickly!

I'm loving that I have the song Lips of an Angel by Hinder playing on repeat today. It's an oldie, but definitely a goodie. I love when songs can bring you back to a certain time in your life.

I'm loving that I finally did all my laundry last night. Hallelujah! Something about having that done makes my life feel a bit more organized. 

I'm loving that I'm making this delicious looking meal tonight :)

I'm loving that my Mema is being released from the hospital after having a redo bypass surgery last Wednesday. They are bringing her into a rehab facility literally across the street from my apartment. Much better than the 20-minute + drive to the hospital, not including times of heavier traffic. I got a text from her this morning that said "I love you much feeling better". So her words are a little slurred, even through texts, but that just means they still have her doped up on pain meds, which equals no pain. Fine by me ;)

I'm loving that we are about to go get Jimmy John's in t-minus 6 minutes. My order never changes: Turkey Tom, no mayo or alfalfa sprouts, add oil & vinegar, with Salt & Vinegar chips. DELISH!

I'm loving this quote

I'm loving this beautiful weather we are having in Orlando. If only we could get these cold fronts once in awhile during the summer, I'd be one happy girl! Last night it was 47, today it's back in the 80's. How does that happen?

As always, I'm loving my gorgeous Nephew, that I can't wait to go see after work. 

What are YOU loving this beautiful Wednesday?

Sometimes and Always

After reading Megan's Sometimes & Always posts for awhile now, I've made the decision to finally join in this week :)

Sometimes: I feel unsure about where I am in life today. There is so much that I still want to accomplish in life, yet I want to do it all before a certain age.

Always: I'm proud of what I have achieved and look for new goals to set daily. 

Sometimes: I worry about my Nephew on a daily basis, his safety, future, eventual heartbreak and anything that involves him being unhappy. He is so young and I just want him to be the happiest kid in the world. He is off to a good start, that's for sure.  

Always: I'll take all the worry in the world just to be able to have him in my life. He definitely makes every day brighter.

Sometimes: I feel like I'm running on empty. There are never enough hours in the day, days in the week, or weeks in the month. Unfortunately, I don't have one close knit group of girlfriends. Instead, I have close individual friendships with a bunch of people. This makes for plenty of girls nights in a one-week span. 

Always: I'm grateful that I have so many people that I can call friend. The lack of sleep and piles of laundry calling my name are all irrelevant.

Sometimes: I wish that my parents were able to provide me with financial assistance during my college years, such as tuition, car, rent, etc...   

Always: I'm happy that I learned at a young age that I had to work for everything that I wanted. If it wasn't for learning that so early, I don't know the type of work ethic I would  have and where I would be.

Sometimes: I crave an ice cold Coke, even though I gave up soda back in December. I didn't stop cold turkey, I still allow myself a soda once a month or so, but that's a huge decrease to my 2-3 daily Coca-Cola's.  

Always: I'm thankful that there is a little thing called Publix tea. I purchase both the sweet and unsweet and mix them together. Finally brought a cup to work with me today and I'm in HEAVEN :)

Sometimes: I stress about so many small things that occur on a daily basis.

Always: I try to be positive and think about all the good things I have in my life.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Lacking motivation

Great weekend in the books. Lots of pictures to come later from both last weekend and this weekend. Unfortunately, the laundry that I needed to get to last weekend is still not done. That makes 3 weeks since I've done laundry? WOW - I'm horrible.

More in the "I'm a slacker" department...

The GRE is today at 1:00. I'm taking a half day from work in order to take the test before the deadline to apply to grad school. Well it's official, I didn't study more than an hour for the entire test. I don't know the format, the time constraints, the formulas or anything. 

Last night I got an email from the grad department at UCF saying what I needed to shoot for and it's about 40 points higher than I originally thought, which is one of the main reasons I slacked off on studying. But, let's be serious, the real reason is that I just didn't want to. I lacked motivation and I'll have to pay the price. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try my hardest, but realistically it's near impossible. However, nothing is completely impossible so here goes nothing.

To bean or not to bean..

.. that is the question!

I'm way late because it's almost summer and there is no way I can wear these in the hot Florida sun, BUT.. I need to know how these people look so darn cute in these beanies.

I have a small collection of them that I have been mounting over the years, but I've never taken the plunge to actually wearing one. 

Of course, I try them on and all but unfortunately, they just don't look like this on me. 

Any tips you guys might have would be awesome blossom! :)

LOCO

Just when I thought I wasn't going to make it through this long week, it's finally Friday. And this week, Friday means that Loco is today, YAY! 

To fill you in, Loco is another reason why I work for the best company in the world :) Every quarter we have a company wide off-site fun day. We all leave the office at noon to get the party started.

Today, we'll be going to Wekiva Island to lay out in the beautiful sun, canoe rides in the springs, play corn hole/volleyball, have a cocktail, or six. You know, the usual fun in the sun activities.

{Wekiva Island via the internet}

What a great way to kick off the weekend. I honestly have  no other plans as of now, except for spending time with my Landyn and my Mema.

P.S. Mema is still doing fabulous. She should be out of ICU any day and moved to a regular room. So proud of her :)

Relay for Life

My Mema did great during the surgery and I couldn't be more thrilled. Truth be told, I had a horrible feeling about it and was scared to death. I ran up to the hospital on my lunch break and got to see her right after she came out. She was able to communicate by nodding but I know that the anesthesia is still wearing off. It hurts my hear to see her like that, in pain and all, but I'm SO happy that everything went well. The ICU has very strict visiting hours so I'm hoping they will allow me to see her again tonight after HH.

Now that I can stop worrying, I can share some fun news with you. Tonight, my work is hosting a fundraiser for American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Our company will also be participating in the overnight walk next month, but this is a Happy Hour function downtown. Everyone is welcome :)

Fundraiser's really touch my heart, even when I don't know the person it's for or anyone that has suffered from a particular disease. The thought of people joining together for a good cause just makes me feel happy. And, who doesn't love being happy?

Looking forward to having a drink with my co-workers, celebrating my Mema's surgery success and relaxing after a stressful few days.

TA-TA :)

Please Pray!

Sorry for my absence, I've taken a little blog hiatus. 

My life feels a little busier than normal. My weekend update will just have to wait. 

Today, my Mema is going in for a redo bypass surgery. She had bypass surgery in 2004 to clear out blockage, along with many other surgeries to clear blockage in other areas. Two days ago she went in for a heart cath to check the blockage. Unfortunately, she was totally blocked and they ordered the bypass for the next day. They decided to run tests yesterday and pushed off the surgery until today.

{Mema & Papa}

More than likely she is being put under right now. They said it would start around 6-6:30, but there was a lot of prep involved. I'm just praying that everything goes well. I've been spoiled and still have all 4 of my grandparents. I've never had to go through the pain of losing one of them. Without a doubt, my Mema is the closest of them all and I just don't know what I would do if something went wrong. 

Please keep her in your prayers today and the coming days.

Friday Confessionals

Today I'm linking up with Leslie over at Blonde Ambition for some confessions.

1.) The GRE is less than 2-weeks away and I haven't gotten up to the courage to really study. I've looked over things here and there but I haven't sat down and truly tried to learn anything. Confession: I think I figured out why. Perhaps my huge fear of rejection is trying to trick me here. If I don't study and do terrible, I can blame it on something. If I study a ton and get a horrible score then I'll feel as though I failed. Although it's not a sports event, I should go by the quote "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

2.) I get extremely excited when I gamble. We are doing an office pool for The Grand National that takes place tomorrow. We each paid $2 and picked a horse out of the hat. I got #14 ShakaLakaBoomBoom. Could that be more awesome? I think not. Confession: Honestly, I don't get excited about the winnings, just winning in general. 

3.) I have what some people call an unhealthy obsession with my Nephew. Confession: I don't care if they think I'm psycho for wanting to hang out with him so often. There is nothing in the world that makes me happier. I try to see him at least once a day and if I don't, I swear I feel a bit off. He's just so dang cute. I mean, can you blame me?

4.) My taste buds have a mind of their own. Confession: I'm one of the pickiest eaters I know and I can't stand it. Cheese is one of my least favorite foods - always has been. Proof: Picture of what was left of the Mozzarella Sticks after I got a hold of them the other night at Chili's. 

5.) This week I started trying to eat better and I've done okay. Not great, but not terrible either (minus the hershey bar after lunch yesterday - oopsies!). We're going to lunch today at the place that I believe has the best Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and fries on the planet. Confession: If I step foot in that place, I will order it and eat every last bite.

6.) I don't have plans this weekend, but I have a few things in my head that I have to do to consider it a successful weekend. 

1. Hang out with my bestie, Landyn.

2. Study for the GRE

3. Complete some kind of DIY craft

4. Get some sunshine, preferably next to a pool, lake, etc..

5. RELAX :)

Confession: I have to do laundry too, but that's no fun so I'm not included it.

Thanks for stopping by! Anything you would like to confess? Join us here!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What I'm Loving Wednesday with Jamie!

I'm loving that after today there are only 2-days left in the work week.

I'm loving this fabulous giveaway on Jasmine's blog. It's Stella & Dot. Need I say more? Head on over and check it out :)

I'm loving the Miller 2 Sandal by Tory Burch. I'm fairly certain I've already had this on a WILW post, but I can't help it, I REALLY love them. I would honestly entertain the idea of purchasing these bad boys if I could pick between tan and black. Luckily, I can't decide :)

I'm loving that I'm joining in on yoga today at lunch. Our office supplies a yoga instructor every Wednesday and I've never tried it. I hear it's amazing, but I always had an excuse. Well the time has come. Yay!

I'm loving that I've been taken Biotin for a little over a month and I can honestly see the difference in the length of my hair. I got my hair done this past Friday and my hair dresser said the same thing so I know I'm not delusional :) I highly recommend using it!

I'm loving that I have spent the last two nights hanging out with my nephew. I mean I hung out with him the entire weekend also, but there is something so special about doing getting to do the everyday things like giving him a bath, eating strawberries, watching Barney and 'relaxing' with him.

I'm loving lace shorts for spring similar to these two cuties.

I'm loving all pastel & neon clothing. Gimme!

1/2/3/4/5

I'm loving these nails. Too cute!

I'm not loving this story, but I'm loving the outcome. After six months of pregnancy, a woman gave birth to a baby girl. Unfortunately, the doctors informed her that her child died of unknown cases during the birthing process. Since she was sedated at the time she gave birth, she wanted to see her baby before she was buried. The little girl was kept in a refrigerated room in a drawer of a morgue in Argentina. When her parents came to give their farewells, they noticed signs of life. They thought they were hallucinating but the children was indeed alive. She was born on April 3rd and is currently in good condition. Shame on the doctors who allowed these parents to believe that their child was dead and for their lack of judgment. I get that everyone makes mistakes, but you have got to double & triple check yourself when it comes to human life.Honestly, this is one of my biggest fears but I'm so glad that this unfortunate situation worked out for the best. 

What are you loving today?

Help Find Us!

1.) Michelle Parker

The 33-year old mother of 3 young children disappeared from Orlando, FL on November 17, 2011 the same day she appeared on 'The People's Court' with her ex-fiance, Dale Smith, Jr. The last place she was seen was dropping off her 3-year old twins to her Smith's home at around 3:30PM that day. Her car was found abandon a few days later with all of the bumper stickers removed. A month after her disappearance her phone was found by a dive team in Lake Conway. To date, Dale Smith, Jr. is the prime suspect in the case.

2.) Lisa Irwin

On October 3, 2011 10-month old baby Lisa was abducted from her Kansas City home while she slept, according to her mother. After a night of drinking, her mother explained that she couldn't remember if she had checked on Lisa that fateful night. Both cell phones that were in the house were taken when baby Lisa disappeared. There were also two separate reports of a mystery man on foot around 1AM holding a baby that was only wearing a t-shirt. Could this man be involved in her disappearance? 

3.) Lauren Spierer

This young college student was last seen on a surveillance camera leaving a friends apartment on June 3, 2011 at 4:30 AM. After a night out drinking with some friends, Lauren was seen walking back to her apartment barefoot at the intersection of College Avenue and 11th street in Bloomington, Indiana. A person of interest in the case is her friend, Corey Rossman who says that Lauren helped him back to his apartment after he was punched in the face and suffered memory loss.

This is surveillance photo taken of Lauren on the night she disappeared.

If you have any information on any of these cases, please call the tipline at 1-800-423-TIPS!

Easter Weekend

My Easter consisted of a much needed 3-day weekend.

Thursday night I did a whole lot of nothing and it was incredible. Just hung out with my nephew, ate mass amounts of Popeyes (I know, I know) and just relaxed. 

Friday, I gots my hair did, finally got my eyebrows waxed (those dang things were going on 5-weeks, AHHH!), ran all my errands and babysat for the remainder of the day because my little monkey wasn't able to go to daycare since he was sick.

Later that night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a bite to eat and to catch up with some family. We were supposed to go downtown Friday night, but my nephew had to go to the hospital so I just wasn't in the right mindset to go out anymore.

Saturday, my boyfriend and I went shopping & had a delicious lunch on the patio at Bahama Breeze. Then, of course, hung out with my nephew for a few hours! 

He tried on my boyfriend's hat. How perfect is he?

Later that day my Mom, Sister, Nephew and I all drove up to St. Augustine to spend Easter with some of our family.

My night consisted of a midnight jeep right on the beach, vodka/h20, trying to assemble my Easter basket and being kept up all night because my nephew WOULD NOT sleep. It's OK, he's worth it.

My 1AM, alcohol induced Easter basket. Before you see how horrible it looks, let me point out that I had way too many items for this small basket so it's just all piled on top of each other. You can't even see all the fun goodies.

 Landyn's favorite - the mini basketball hoop, no surprise there! My little man got 4 Easter baskets this year, pretty popular fella!

After eating a delicious breakfast concoction that my Uncle made, it was time to find the Easter eggs! Landyn loved this. I was rather surprised at how much he enjoyed finding them.

 My sister, Landyn and I

 My world

After all that, Landyn got his first ride in 'DA JEEP' as we headed over to the inter-coastal to go paddle boarding.

My Mom, Sister, and I had never been so we were convinced we we were going to fall and come back soaked, hence the picture taken before I left.

 Look at me go! It was so beautiful and relaxing to be out there on the open water!

My cutie pie

 As I tried to paddle away from my second attempt, Landyn ran in the water and chased after the board because he wanted to come with me. After going once, I was practical a pro but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. This is me about to at least attempt it, but I quickly realized it wasn't going to work.

After a nice lunch out in the beautiful spring air, we headed back to Otown. The weather in Florida this weekend was perfect.  If only it could stay this way forever.

Last night, I had Easter dinner with Justin's family and finished up by watching the Master's. The entire time, I wanted Bubba to win but then starting feeling really bad for rooting against Louis. After seeing Bubba win, I'm SO glad it was him!

How was your Easter weekend? I'd love to hear!