What I've Tried Lately:

Spin class

It's been about five years since I took my last spin class, so on a whim (and with my new flexible day schedule) I decided to give it a try again yesterday morning. Let's just say that it wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but it also wasn't a great idea. I went to a 9:15 a.m. class on a Monday morning, so the class was made up of older people. Who cares, right? My ears, that's who. The only song I knew throughout the entire hour was 'Blame' by Calvin Harris. The rest of the playlist could only be described as 80s dance meets Enya meets Lion King. In addition, I thought it was a good idea to wear yoga pants. Note to self: if it's been five years since my last class, staying for the entire hour probably isn't recommended. OUCH, if you know what I mean.

Muffins 

Back in college, I used to bake quite a bit. Slutty brownies, Funfetti cookies, and mini chocolate chip cheesecakes galore. Then life got busy, and I got lazy, and I stopped. I've been trying to get back into the swing of things lately, so I've started to bake again. My current obsession? Muffins. I love making eggs and turkey bacon in the morning, but most mornings I wake up unbearably starving, and I need something to hold me over for the next 30 minutes or so. I've been looking up healthy muffin recipes, and made two over the last two weeks! Progress, people. These zucchini carrot apple muffins were a big hit in my book. They're not pretty (Ryan said, "what kind of muffins are these? They smell amazing but look like shit.") but they're delish. I also just made banana oat greek yogurt muffins on Easter, and I've been eating them as a mid-morning snack. 

Forever 21

No, guys, I haven't been living under a stupid rock. I've shopped at Forever 21 since I was, ya know, 16 but I abandoned it for awhile. To be honest, that store exhausts me. But I decided to give it another shot when I went shopping for L.A. with my sister...and it still exhausts me. And I didn't find anything. Okay, I lied. I bought an uber cute pajama set and a nude camisole. Maybe it's just the particular store I went to, but I had zero luck.

Try anything new lately? New store? New food? New way of life? Let me know about it!

Taking Chances.

This week has been a whirlwind of stress and anxiety. Some good, some bad. Yesterday was especially trying. Maybe it's because it's not a fantastic time of the month for me, thus making me extra hormonal, but I was ready to cry over spilled M&M's. No but really, if there was chocolate available and I spilled it on the floor, I think I would've legitimately been upset and described it as the "cherry on top of my awful day." Wah wah wah.

A few things are up in the air right now, in several departments of my life. I don't want to go into too much detail, simply because I don't want to jinx the good stuff! Having said that, by the end of this weekend, I may or may not have a furry counterpart. I'm crossing my fingers for a good connection and good luck, but I'm also trying to stay rational and understanding. If this furry counterpart isn't meant to brighten up my life, maybe it's because he's meant to bring beams of sunshine into someone else's. 

I've found that there isn't much point in stressing out about what you can't control - you can only take a chance, do what you can, and hope for the best! Not only that, but I'm trying to break away from having to ask everyone's opinion about every change I might make in my life. From asking five friends if "this dress is okay," to asking a server at a new restaurant which dish on a menu triumphs the other, to asking my parents what my next step should be. Growing up means taking control of your own life and trusting your decisions, and that's exactly what I intend to start doing.

Happy Friday! XO

A List of Happy, pt. 6

I've been wearing one of Ryan's t-shirts to bed...as a dress. It's so roomy in here.
Having lost almost six pounds in the last month. Small victories.
The last lick of cream cheese frosting from a slice of gourmet bakery made hummingbird cake.
Finally ordered my first package of frank coffee scrub.
When I come home to my parents' house and my dog, Micki, throws himself on the tile floor and demands his belly to be rubbed.
Discovering new music. If you're an active Spotify user and love acoustic music, check out their Afternoon Acoustic playlist under browse. On repeat.
24 days until our long weekend in Savannah. Errrmehgerrrd.
Coming to terms with my own personality flaws, and working toward overcoming them.

Welcome back, Friday.

I must say, my luck has really turned around this week. It's like the universe took one look at the past four work weeks and was like, "oh, I so sowwies" and gave me a quick turnaround. Who knows how long it'll last, really, but it's kept me in a chipper mood all week long. No complaints here.

One week from today, August begins. August. We are almost eight months into 2014. Blows my mind.

This time last year, I was enjoying long days at the beach and warm (okay, hot and humid) summer nights with the option to sleep in until 11 a.m. every morning. Obviously, that's changed a little. My trips to the beach are semi-often, and I don't even remember the last time I slept in past 10...even that's a rarity. I spend most of my nights trying to fit in a little relaxation time between my work days. This doesn't leave a lot of room for fun summer adventures.

You may recall my summer to-do list here. I figure it's only fair to hold myself accountable to see what I've accomplished thus far, and what is left to do:

1. Float down Rainbow River! This is an absolute must, hence number one on the list. Ummm, well, we tried to float down the river, but we got there too late so we just hopped in the spring...this only half counts.
2. Visit Disney's water park, Blizzard Beach. I've gone almost every summer since I was nine years old. The best.
3. Make homemade sangria for a poolside barbecue. 4th of July...check!
4. Have a blast in New York City with Ryan. This one is a given.
5. Take a bike ride some place cool. Either along Bayshore Boulevard, or along a trail somewhere.
6. Embrace my new outdoor patio space.  Growing some basil & swatting away spider webs as we speak.
7. Make a stronger effort to make plans with friends I haven't seen in awhile. Real plans. Sleepovers. You know, fun girly stuff. I think I've been getting better about this!

Living in Florida, I still have PLENTY of time for summer festivities. Probably until like, December. But I'm trying to be a little better about holding myself accountable, both in my professional life and my personal life. Hope everyone has a happy Friday and a bomb dot com weekend! XO

It's today, it's today!

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things."

Although I won't be talking about cabbages and kings, or why the sea is boiling hot or whether pigs have wings.

I feel like lately all I've been talking about and thinking about is money. About investing money, budgeting money, spending money - ugh, the word is just annoying to even look at!

What the walrus is talking about is - shocker - moving out. We get the keys TODAY (errrmehgerrrd) and I will officially be moving in this weekend. What comes with moving out? Fees on fees on fees. $250 to turn on electric...what do you guys do, like flip a switch or something? Let's get real. And then of course, rent. Get ready to roll your eyes but I've never actually paid my own rent before. Ouch. Oh and I just dropped another hundo on wall paint and painting supplies...for a rental. Who am I?

On top of that, I'll soon be paying my gas, car insurance and grocery bills. STOP ROLLING YOUR EYES AT ME, I KNOW. I was very lucky growing up and my parents insisted on paying for necessities while I was going to college. But I've been out of college for a year and now I'm moving out of their house and it's great because I want to be independent and I want to be able to pay for everything on my own, but ooooof why did I decide to move out the same month I'm going to NYC?!

Well, at this point I'm kind of rambling, so I guess I'll put you all out of your misery and stop. But I'll tell you what: July is going to be one monetarily celibate month for me. So please refrain from asking me to go out to dinner, go out for drinks, go shopping, whatever...because I don't have the willpower to say no. XO 

Summer To-Do List.

It's officially June, a.k.a. my birth month. 23, here I come. Whoopdy doo, Bazzle.

More importantly, June is the official start of summer. I mean, living in Florida, it's pretty much been summer since March but I like to put a title on it. Prior to working in the corporate world, summer meant endless beach days, vacations and drinks on drinks on drinks. Now, summer means that I may get to the beach a weekend or two per month, for a day, for a couple hours. With work, it's easy to let the fun stuff fall to the wayside - whether it's an issue with timing or extra cash, excuses are inevitable.

Well, no more, I say! I'm putting together an official to-do list for the summer...and I will accomplish everything on this list by September. No excuses allowed!

1. Float down Rainbow River! This is an absolute must, hence number one on the list.
2. Visit Disney's water park, Blizzard Beach. I've gone almost every summer since I was nine years old. The best.
3. Make homemade sangria for a poolside barbecue.
4. Have a blast in New York City with Ryan. This one is a given.
5. Take a bike ride some place cool. Either along Bayshore Boulevard, or along a trail somewhere.
6. Embrace my new outdoor patio space. 
7. Make a stronger effort to make plans with friends I haven't seen in awhile. Real plans. Sleepovers. You know, fun girly stuff.

That's all I've come up with so far. Number 7 is something near and dear to me, because I feel like I've kind of lost sight of making my own plans and sticking to them. And, you know, I miss my friends. With work and a boyfriend, life gets in the way, and it shouldn't. It shouldn't get in the way of summer fun, it shouldn't get in the way of quality time with my girlfriends, and it shouldn't be an excuse. XO

Barefoot blue jean nights ahead!

My sister is an outdoor enthusiast. And no, I don't mean she's outdoorsy in the sense that there's nothing she loves more than a good hike. Having said that, she's always down for a hike, but I digress.

What I mean is that she probably spends more than half of her day on her patio, will always opt for outdoor seating at a restaurant, bar or cafe, etc. I used to find this borderline annoying, but as I'm getting older, I'm discovering how much of an outdoor enthusiast I am.

Lately I've noticed how often I'd rather sit outside when I go out to eat, when I grab a drink at Starbucks or a fro-yo with my boyfriend. I've especially noticed how excited I am to decorate my outdoor patio at my new apartment. I've been actively pinning my favorite ideas (surprise, surprise) here and here. I even bought this bad boy last weekend:

Half the ideas on my "Perfect Garden" board are out of reach for a rented patio, but these are some of my favorites:

I love the idea of an outdoor rug. I think it's an easy way to make a small space look homey. Having said that, rugs aren't exactly a cheap thrill, so we'll see where I'm at on funds with that. I think the wine bottle lighting is an awesome idea - these are obviously pictured inside, but I think it would be cuter in an outdoor space. I'm also really into gardening lately...okay, so I have one succulent and a growing tomato plant which slightly resembles weeds. But anyway, growing an herb garden in mason jars sounds like the perfect DIY project. 

I'm so excited to see how everything comes together! Here's to plenty of summer nights on the patio! XO

So much to make it better this Monday!

Another weekend has come and gone and while I thought I was mentally prepared for work this week, this particular Monday is giving me second thoughts. At least I had a great weekend (see above picture of a mimosa...need I say more?), so I can't be too down today. Plus, I have loads of things to look forward to this week to "make it better." Ya know? 

1. Zumba tonight! I had to skip it last week, so I'm excited to shake it tonight. I'm really going to miss going every Monday night when I move. My instructor really is the bomb dot com; other Zumba classes don't even compare. Trust me, I've tried.
2. I'm taking my mom to get pedicures tomorrow night as a late Mother's Day gift. I think I need to start making professional pedicures a biweekly expense. I wear heels to work almost every day and it's taking a toll on my poor leetle feet. 
3. I'm going to my second Rays game of the year with my dad Wednesday night. It's his office's game night out, and he gets excited to show me off. He's such a fruit loop. I love me some baseball, so I'm pumped!
4. This weekend, Ryan and I and a couple of our friends are heading down to Venice Beach for a beer festival. Initially I was a little disappointed about missing a margarita festival in our own city, but I got over that in about two minutes. I'm so excited to spend Memorial Day weekend out at the beach with some really great people.

Toooo much to look forward to this week, and Monday's already almost over! Crossing my fingers for a speedy week, lots of sales, and another sigh of relief come Friday afternoon. XO

Friday Friday Friday.

My favorite things about Friday:

-Waking up with an extra pep in my step, knowing I only have eight to nine hours left until the weekend. I can change into my Casual Friday clothes with ease instead of fumbling with buttons and tucking and blazers and heels. Flat sandals and a maxi skirt for me, please and thank you.
-We break out the wine at the office. No, really. Around 3 o'clock, you'll find some of the managers with open bottles of wine on their desks.
-The relief of stress knowing I hit my goals that week. Well, this week. This week is really the only week I've hit my goals in awhile. I'm still behind (oh, the joy of sales), but it's a step in the right direction for me.
-That feeling of getting into my car, shutting the door, and knowing that I don't have to think about work or anything work related for the next 64 hours or so. Most Fridays I head over to Ryan's, so I start thinking about what we'll make for dinner, or if we'll go out, if I can get a margarita wherever we go out...basically I start thinking excessively about food and margaritas.

Here's to a great, ssssllllooowwwww weekend. Right? Right. XO

If I never hear the word 'couch' again, that'll be fine.

It's borderline embarassing how addicted I am to finding a living room set for my new apartment. It consumes probably 65 percent of my thoughts throughout the day. What do I spend the other 35 percent thinking about? Eh, who knows. Work? Ryan? Margaritas? I should start keeping better track.

ANYWAY. My issue is that I have unrealistic ideals for my living room. You can thank Pinterest for that. In a perfect world, I'd like a gray sectional couch with a tall back (NOT a back rest made up of pillows) and deep set cushions...you know, something I can actually curl up in - not just sit in.

Welllll, I haven't had the best of luck. Any gray sectionals I've found and liked are close to $2,000 or more, and the top of my budget is about $1,500. Even that is pushing it. 

So now I'm expanding my horizons. I'm looking into brown. Dark brown, light brown, tan, taupe. And now a whole new can of worms has been opened and my Apartment Ideas board has been bombarded with color schemes around a brown couch, thus turning my inspiration upside down. First World Problems, right?

I'm telling you - someone needs to take my iPad away from me. The Pinterest app is TOO addictive! I'll let you guys know when I decide...at this point, I'll probably just throw my hands up and end up with a pile of pillows on the floor instead. XO