Lovely Lauren Leigh

Lauren Gets Literal Button

2011-06-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

One more post about the book blog :) Christina made me a button and I would love for you to grab it and stick it on your blog! You can find the code on the side bar. Thanks for all of your support!! You guys are the best!

26 big ones

2011-06-20T02:01:00.001-05:00

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I'm pretty pumped, and it's best way to make a Monday not so bad (even though I don't have the day off and have meetings to go to). So on this day that marks 26 years on this planet, I have a little announcement for everyone. For your reading pleasure you can now see everything I have to say about books on my new site, Lauren Gets Literal. Yeah, you probably thought it

My Dad

2011-06-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

My dad rocks. I'm so thankful every day for him. He is so many things, but mostlyhe is the best dad a girl could ask for.Happy Father's Day!

They Say It's Your Birthday!!

2011-06-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

No, not my birthday silly. June is a big month around my house. There's Father's Day, Millie's birthday, MY birthday, and my sisters' birthday. Yes, you saw that right. Plural sisters, singular day. This always seems to throw people off, they are twins. Today happens to be that DAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY TWO BIG SISTERS!(Dude, you guys are 28. When did this happen, seriously?) In honor of

Book Trailer: Passion by Lauren Kate

2011-06-09T04:31:00.000-05:00

In my lovely opinion, book trailers are almost always cheesetastic, but I love them anyway. Next Tuesday, Passion by Lauren Kate comes out and I can't wait! So to get pumped up about it, I'm sharing the trailer. What do you think? I'm hoping it will be awesome. We were left with quite the cliffhanger in Torment so I'm rather anxious to see how this goes. Thoughts on Daniel? I pictured

Latest California Adventure

2011-06-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

I recently went to the wonderful state of California to attend training for work. How awesome is that? It was pretty darn awesome. I didn't get to do a whole lot, I was there for work you know, but I did get to squeeze in a few things that I'm going to share with you. OMG. First visit to In-N-Out. It was freaking awesome. I am pretty sure I won't ever be able to visit the state of CA without

Birthday Phenomenon at Cleverly Inked

2011-05-31T21:10:00.001-05:00

I normally don't post about giveaways. Mostly because I am pretty competitive and blogging just adds to the competition and I don't like it. However, I stumbled upon this giveaway today and it is seriously to awesome to pass up. You better check it out with a quickness!! It's the Birthday Phenomenon <-- there's the link, over at Cleverly Inked. And dude, it is awesome.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {7}

2011-05-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

Another Monday is here, so time to fill you in on what I've been reading! Here is installment 7 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Inspiration from Sheila, you can find her blog here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: The latest in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love Eric. That's probably what keeps me coming back for more. Dead Reckoning ended very abruptly, and

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {6}

2011-05-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! Here is installment 6 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Inspiration from Sheila, you can find her blog here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: I finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and it was awesome. For real. This is book was out of the norm for what I usually read and I am so glad I gave it a shot. I HAD to pick up Divergent by

Thin Girl Thursday {11}

2011-05-05T12:24:00.000-05:00

In hopes to get my hiney in gear, I got some new kicks. Now, I've never been a big fan of running and I still can't say I love it, however these shoes make running so much better! No lie. My thighs and calves are screaming at me, but no knee pain or shin splints in sight. Basically, these are what I needed to keep me from making some lame excuse for not exercising. So bring on the cardio!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {5}

2011-05-02T02:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! Here is installment 5 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Inspiration from Sheila, you can find her blog here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: This was the week for authors in the UK. Actually, Stolen and Numbers fall into this category as well. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. Honestly, I cannot put how that book made me feel into words. It was a

More olives...

2011-04-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

No book post today. After almost four months of reading non-stop I don't think I read more than 10 pages last week. Life gets a little crazy sometimes. So instead I'm going to share a story. It may not come as a surprise to anyone that I love olives. Give me a dirty martini with extra olives and you have a happy Lauren. Well, John and I went to Napa for our honeymoon which was completely

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {4}

2011-04-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! Here is week 4 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? I missed last week, so this might be a long one. Inspiration from Sheila, you can find her blog here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: I'm having to think back! I finished Shadowfever and was pleased. It was considerably longer than the other books in the series, but I did not mind at all! I would

A confession...

2011-04-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

You know what I have been thinking about lately? Babies. A whole freaking lot. I don't know why. I don't want a baby right now, like not even a little bit, but for some reason it has been constantly running through my brain for the past month or so. It's weird. It also creeps my husband out. I asked him yesterday if we could name our son Jace.... He said no. Again, I have no clue

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {3}

2011-04-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! Here is week 3 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Inspiration from Sheila, you can find her blog here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: This was a pretty crazy week for me! I had to fly on over to Cali for this thing I call work, so I had some serious airplane reading time. Of course I was super pumped about Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward #9 in the

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? {2}

2011-03-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

So here is week 2 of It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Inspiration from here and here. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: This week I read If You're Not Yet Like Me by Edan Lepucki and Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning. I realize that I am WAY behind on Moning's Fever series, but so far I'm pretty impressed. Darkfever jumped around and was a little difficult to follow

Novellas and short stories

2011-03-23T12:42:00.001-05:00

So, this isn't really a review, just some thoughts on the novella I just finished. Today I finished "If You're Not Yet Like Me" by Edan Lepucki. It was my second Goodreads giveaway win, holla! I can honestly say, I would have never picked this book up to read had I not won it. The sad reasoning behind that statement is the fact that I generally do not like novellas or short stories (

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

2011-03-21T11:44:00.000-05:00

I found this little meme on Amber's blog which then led me to Sheila's blog and I decided to play along. It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Just Finished Reading: This weekend I finished up The Keeping and The Finding by Nicky Charles. I got these plus The Mating all for free on my Nook! If you are a paranormal romance kinda gal like I am, then you should check them out. FYI- this is a

I am obsessed with Goodreads

2011-03-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

All of my social-networking or time on the internet has recently been spent on Goodreads as of late. I have abandoned Facebook, Twitter and even Blogger. I have also been reading a ridiculous amount of books. Remember when I said I wanted to try to read 25 books this year? Oh, well here it is not even a quarter of the way into 2011 and I've reached that goal. Which is pretty unusual for me.

A little bit of Munich

2011-02-22T12:11:00.000-06:00

Remember when I started telling you about my epic trip to Europe? Well, here is another installment. After Amsterdam we hopped on over to Munich. Have you ever been there? Because it rocks. Germany was my favorite stop during this trip. It was clean and beautiful and lots of yummy food, what more can you ask for? Our first picture in Germany. Also some of the final moments in which I still

Thin Girl Thursday {10}

2011-02-17T16:07:00.000-06:00

Why does it always seem that when we get ready to get on track with our health something always seems to happen? I've been sick this week and completely drained of basically all of my energy. When I'm not feeling well, I make up an excuse to not work out or not to cook because I just don't feel like it. Luckily, my sweet husband has stepped up and cooked dinner the past two nights, but I have

Thin Girl Thursday is Back!

2011-02-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I have worked hard to take charge in many areas of my life. So why is losing weight and getting healthy so hard for me to do? I'm so tired of not wanting to do things because I feel uncomfortable in my body. I've missed out on so much, because I'm not taking care of myself like I should. So let's do this for real this time, sound like a plan? I used

Oh, John...

2011-01-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

It's official. John has lost his wedding band.... I was waiting a while to say anything in hopes that it might appear, but it has not. He lost it January 9th, the day I went on travel for work. I was then gone six days and heard nothing of him losing it and of course I noticed it within minutes of getting off the plane when I got back. So my husband didn't even make it a month with his

I did :)

2011-01-13T20:03:00.000-06:00

So remember a little over a month ago, you know, when I got married? Because I did and it was awesome. Until I can go through all 977 of our wedding pictures, here's one so you can get the idea. Seriously, it was amazing. Being with John and having so many of our close family and friends there to share this special occasion with us made it the best! I'm so excited to call John my husband

Books in 2011

2011-01-03T06:05:00.001-06:00

Last year I did a lot of reading. Reading for fun, work and school. The only part anyone wants to know about is the reading for fun part though, I'm sure. I read 25 books last year which is almost a book every two weeks and I must say I'm pretty proud of that. I've always enjoyed reading, but I'm finally starting to make time for myself to read. So for 2011, I'd like to aim to read at least

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T10:07:00.000-06:00

Happy 2011 friends! I hope everyone is blessed with an amazing year! I rang in the new year with my hubby and some great friends :) 2010 is going to be hard to beat, I just hope 2011 can be even a smidge as good as the last year.

Excuses, excuses

2010-12-05T20:26:00.000-06:00

Geez... I've been away from the blog world for a while. I'm really just writing to let you all know it will be a little longer until I'm actually "back." In case you were wondering why I've been gone, I'm going to let you know. In October I finished up my master's degree, yes I am officially a master. About a week after I graduated, John and I signed a contract to buy a house. This whole

A little bit of Amsterdam

2010-11-07T15:40:00.000-06:00

So before I completely forget, I'm going to share a little about our visit to Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I lost my camera in Germany, so all of the pictures I have from Amsterdam have been taken from other people we were with. Hope you enjoy! First of all, I want to say that Amsterdam was such a neat city. It was so very diverse with all kinds of people and whatever food you could possibly

Adding to my crazy...

2010-10-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said that I'm crazy and need a hundred things going on in my life in order to function properly? Well, let me add to the list. John and I are under contract to buy our first house together! John is currently a homeowner, but I have never bought a house before and I am so excited/nervous/anxious all at the same time. I love that we are getting to start from a clean slate and can

I did it!

2010-10-13T00:39:00.000-05:00

What a crazy life I lead. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that's the only way I know how to live and even though you might hear me complain a time or two, I wouldn't have it any other way. I am beyond excited to tell the world that I have finished my master's degree! For those of you that know me, I was worried up until the last minute that something would happen and I would have to retake a class.

With tightly clasped hands

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, I'm Ashton from over at Ashton Dene's Antics (where I either blog a lot or a little...!) and I'm so excited to be guest posting here for Lauren while her and John have an amazing vacation. I know that most of you are gracefully welcoming the fall weather and all that comes with it (olive everything, jackets, riding boots, leaves falling, campfires), I however, am holding on tightly

Guest post from Carly!

2010-09-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! I'm Carly, Lauren's cousin [by way of her cousin Lee]. She's off on her awesome vacation and I'm...not...but I'm trying not to hate her too much for it ;) A few months ago I decided to go back to school to get my master's degree in education. I got my undergrad a few years ago in public relations, so to get my master's in education I had to go back full-time, which meant

Fall

2010-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey lovies, it's Vanessa from Caramel Covered Photographs. I am ecstatic to be guest posting for the beautiful Lauren while she is enjoying Europe. To keep my jealousy intact, I wanted to share with y'all some of my favorite things about one of my favorite seasons! Fall I don't know about y'all but I LOVE Fall. I could write a million things but I've narrowed it down to 5 main things I love

Love it with me Wednesday: Marriage

2010-09-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

“First comes love, second comes marriage…” Hello, Lovely Lauren readers! My name is Kimberly and you can usually find me HERE. Today, I am lucky to be guest posting for Lauren. I love Lauren so much, as I am certain that all of you do. It is because of the Blog-Twitterverse that I “met” the fabulous Lauren! One day we will meet and it will be glorious! So…over at my {poor, sad and neglected}

Poop Talk by Bff Jil

2010-09-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Yes. Poop. Poo. Crap. Dung. Cacka. Kids you drop in the pool. Texans you birth. Food babies. Bowel movements. Last but not least, the all encompassing, Shit. You read it all right…we are talking poop people.I know what you all must be thinking. That I’m disgusting, that ‘ladies’ do NOT talk about this, that Lauren is all kinds of crazy for allowing me to guest post this topic. Ok, well you may be

my universe is larcentric...

2010-09-18T06:00:00.008-05:00

Oh hey Lauren's blog...and Lauren's blog followers. I am Lauren's Bff Alex (why yes I did just coin myself her bff whatevs, this is MY post), I blog over at Always Alexandria. Why yes, I do have proof of said bff-ness...check it... Why yes, that IS me and the one and only Lovely Lauren Leigh. Lauren is all kinds of amazing. She basically is the person that the earth, moon, and stars rotate

Guest Post from Emma the Joy!

2010-09-16T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Lovely Lauren Leigh readers! My name is Emma from Emma the Joy and I'm thrilled to be here today! When Lauren asked me to do a guest post on anything I pleased, my mind automatically went to cupcakes. Baking is a favorite hobby of mine and there is nothing better than a good cupcake. Low-fat {yes!} Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: 1 1/3 cup flour1/2 teaspoon baking

Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir

2010-09-14T14:48:00.000-05:00

It's here, it's here!! My vacation is here and I am SO excited!!! I leave tomorrow for my epic vacation and I can barely think straight! Of course five million things came up at work today, but who cares? I'm going away for two glorious weeks! So I've decided I need some boots from Amsterdam (or maybe some diamonds... how should I drop that hint to John?) and a cuckoo clock from Germany. But

Wedding Shower Weekend

2010-09-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was showered with love by friends and family. It was absolutely wonderful, we had amazing food, great company and I couldn't have asked for anything more. I only teared up once and no crazy meds were needed, woohoo. So here are a few pictures from my shower. My sisters and two grandmothers did such an awesome job! (So did my mama, but she isn't in the picture) John's grandmother

Labor Day Weekend Festivities

2010-09-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

I went to Charleston, SC last weekend to celebrate this pretty lady's bachelorette party. This was my first visit to Charleston and let me tell you, it was amazing! Such a beautiful, historic Southern town with phenomenal food. Seriously, anywhere with good food steals my heart. The first night we ate at Slightly North of Broad (referred to as Snob which made it that much more amazing). I got

Shoes

2010-08-29T20:03:00.000-05:00

Since I've been trying to lose weight, I'm not buying clothes until I get to where I want to be (well, I did buy my first pair of skinny jeans today and a few things for my upcoming trip, but I will let those slide). However, shoes, purses and accessories are NOT included in that and I have been a little shoe crazy lately. I just wanted to share some of the lovelies that recently found a home

My blog is 1!

2010-08-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

A year ago today I started my blog. And what a crazy and amazing year it has been for me! I just think of all of the wonderful things that have come from starting this little blog of mine and it makes my heart smile. I have met some truly amazing people and you all brighten my day. So I just want to say a big thank you to all of you, I don't think you know what a blessing you are. I haven't

Remember that time...

2010-08-27T00:38:00.000-05:00

Remember that time, when I promise Jacki and Alex to do a post of me from high school? And then I never did it? But then randomly one night I did? Oh, well that time would be now. Apparently insomnia is great for blogging, who knew? So remember that time when I was in high school.... And this hung from my rear view mirror in my car.....And I won awards for being such a stellar math student.

Munchen

2010-08-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

As my upcoming vacation gets closer and closer, my excitement is getting out of control. I thought I would share a little today about our plans for the trip. We decided to go with a group of friends to Oktoberfest in Munich. How awesome will that be? Before this trip, I really didn't know a lot about Oktoberfest, but it turns out that it's like a huge fair with rides, lots of yummy food, and

Thin Girl Thursday {8}

2010-08-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

Whew, what a crazy week or so it has been! I have been majorly slacking on the blog lately, my apologies. Even though the title of these posts make it seem like I'm focusing on being thin, that isn't actually the case. I want to be healthy. I want to live a long, healthy life with my soon to be husband and our kids and grandkids one day, so I'm starting now. Long story short, I got sick had

Busy busy busy...

2010-08-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

Eeee! I recently registered for two classes for next term. Which means that in October, I will have a master's degree in Public Administration (assuming I pass the two I've signed up for... hey anything can happen). You can call me Master Lauren.... psshh not! I'm totally kidding. Of course, I will have one more class to take in January in order to complete a certification, but still that is

Guest blog for Ashton!

2010-08-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! No post for today, just letting you know I did a guest post for Ashton, you should go read it! Hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend!

Thin Girl Thursday {7}

2010-07-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry if these posts are getting old. It's all I've had time to post about lately other than a random post here and there. My school term ends tomorrow, so hopefully it means more time for blogging! Someone told me yesterday that I would go back to stuffing my face with cookies as soon as I was done with my diet. I quickly informed her that this isn't just a diet, this is a lifestyle change

Thin Girl Thursday {6}

2010-07-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

I got on the scale this morning and felt like crying. It wasn't because I was sad or upset about my weight. But it was because I am now down 10 pounds from when I started. It might not sound like a lot to everyone, but for me this is huge. I finally feel like I'm accomplishing something and I'm getting somewhere. That all of my hard work is starting to pay off. And can I tell you how

The needle on my record player has been wearing thin....

2010-07-14T00:19:00.000-05:00

I was laying in the bed in my hotel room and out of no where a memory flashes in my head. A memory I haven't thought about in quite some time, but it was so vivid, it was almost like it happened yesterday. I felt a flood of grief come over me and I realized that sleep simply isn't going to happen. It's about one month short of a year ago, when I was sitting almost exactly where I am now. I

Anyone?

2010-07-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

I have a question.... I know it's not for another 2 months, but I will be on vacation for 2 glorious weeks and not able to post on my blog. So I was wondering... would anyone want to guest blog while I'm gone? Anyone? I'm not picky, it could be about anything. Give it a thought or two and let me know. Send me an email or leave your email in a comment and we'll work it out. This sounds like

Thin Girl Thursday {5}

2010-07-08T10:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday all! I'm down some more pounds, which is freaking awesome if you ask me :) Today I want to talk about motivation. Sometimes we need that extra little umph to get us going. I know for me lack of motivation was one of the biggest issues I had in being successful with a weight loss program. I would start something and never stick with it. At first I thought getting married would

Bonjour!

2010-07-05T18:34:00.000-05:00

I have recently decided to learn some French.... John and I are taking an amazing vacation this fall and I want to be ready. We're flying into Amsterdam then heading to Munich for Oktoberfest and ending our trip in Paris. I decided to focus on learning French because John and I will be by ourselves in Paris and I figure we need all the help we can get! We're going with a big group of friends

Thin Girl Thursday {4}

2010-07-01T09:44:00.001-05:00

I have some great news today! I'm down another 2 pounds woohoo! I lost 2.5 last week and 2 this week. It's such a great feeling to finally be losing weight on a steady basis. Now I just have to keep it up. I really believe my recent weight loss is because of the change in my diet. Don't get my wrong, I've had some days where I wasn't good. Like this weekend when I had pizza and ice cream :

Eclipse!

2010-06-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

I went to the midnight showing of Eclipse last night. I'm not going to get into it. But I will say, I flipping loved it! I did wear this shirt with pride. I am aware I am ridiculous. I was slightly mortified however, when I saw the news camera pointing at me, and I blame the shirt. This experience was much different than New Moon. It's summer, so the tweens were out in full force. A group

What if?

2010-06-29T13:59:00.000-05:00

I am a horoscope reader. Many probably think it's trash, but I enjoy reading them. My sign is actually VERY appropriate for me. I'm a Gemini which is very fitting because many times I feel like I am two different people. There is the crazy, fun, outgoing Lauren and then there is the OMG I'm awkward and have serious social anxiety Lauren. It doesn't make sense, but it definitely fits in with

Thin Girl Thursday: Birthday Edition {3}

2010-06-24T12:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a lot of extra time for blogging or the internet lately, which makes me very sad. I am glad that I started Thin Girl Thursday, even though it's been my only posts for the past three weeks it is at least encouraging me to post something! So here it is... This is the birthday edition because I just had a birthday, duh. Sunday I turned 25. What a scary number that is. I don't

Thin Girl Thursday {2}

2010-06-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Thin Girl Thursday all! Today I want to talk about a nifty little tool I have recently started using. On my Droid, that I absolutely love, there is an application called Calorie Count. It allows you to track all of the calories and other nutritional facts that you consume during the day. I love me some food, so I think this tool will keep me in check of how much of my favorite foods I

Thin Girl Thursday {1}

2010-06-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

It's my first Thin Girl Thursday post! As you all know, I'm working towards a healthier, happier, and more confident me. I am loving that many others in the blogging community are doing the same, we can all use the extra motivation. As far as my weight loss for the week, I don't have much to report. I haven't been able to make it to the gym this week, so hopefully I can fit some videos in

Weird...

2010-06-03T14:57:00.000-05:00

I'm a pretty sound sleeper. I normally don't toss and turn, I pretty much stay put when I sleep. I can't even tell you how weird it was to wake up this morning laying across my bed. I was really confused when I woke up because instead of my feet being at the foot of the bed where they belong, they were on the right side, which happens to be where the alarm clock is. And Millie was laying at

Books!

2010-05-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

How lame is it that I have homework to do over the holiday weekend? In my opinion, it is extremely lame. So lame, that I'm having a hard time making myself do it. It will get done, just not right this minute. I've been writing a little bit about all of the books I've read this year, and I've gotten a little behind. So here is a little something on what has been on my nightstand the past

Shakeology Days 2 & 3

2010-05-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm done with my Shakeology cleanse! And let me tell you, it was definitely a challenge. I've never done any type of cleanse or fast and it was tough. But I feel great today. Day 2 was really hard. I tried changing up my schedule, which I don't think was as effective. I was pretty irritable and stayed hungry this day. I skipped my workout because I definitely wasn't feeling it. Day 3

Day One

2010-05-24T19:58:00.000-05:00

Day one of my Shakeology Cleanse/Challenge was pretty intense. I'm changing it up a smidge tomorrow to help with some of the issues I had today. I thought I was going to pass out after the gym, I think it was from my decrease in calories. After my grilled chicken and salad for dinner I felt much better, so no worries. Still going strong, I'll keep everyone posted on my next two days!

Shakeology

2010-05-23T17:53:00.000-05:00

I have recently become a lover of Shakeology. Don't know what that is? Click here or here to find out more. The lovely Beth, a Beach Body coach, is doing a Shakeology Challenge starting tomorrow and I am joining her and her lovely team. We are doing the three day Shakeology "cleanse" (I say it in quotes, because it's not your typical cleanse you might be thinking of) and I am really

Lazy Saturdays

2010-05-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

I've lost two followers this week, which is a lot when you only have 35. Sorry for being so lame. I do appreciate everyone that reads my blog and leaves me comments, y'all are great! I am being lazy today. Really, really lazy. I need to snap out of it, but all I feel like doing is bumming around. And catching up on some dvr, you know important things. I thought about helping John in the

Slightly Overwhelmed

2010-05-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

When did my life get so overwhelming? I feel like I am so busy with work and school and what little free time I have left is spent on wedding stuff. I don't have time to do a lot of the things I really enjoy doing. Like blogging, or reading, or sending emails to bffs. So right now I'm making time. I have about 10 other things I should be doing right now, but they can wait. It will all still

Weekend update

2010-04-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

I finished book number six of the year, Beautiful Creatures. It was pretty good. I think I built it up a little too much and ended up a little disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed it though. I started Evernight a couple of days ago, it's a little slow, but ok so far. The next Sookie Stackhouse book comes out soon, so I am really excited about it! It kinda sucks because I don't have as much time

I love my blog

2010-04-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

I am crazy busy right now. With work, school, wedding stuff and then regular life on top of that I am going non-stop. I needed a little break and the first thing I thought about was writing a blog post. This makes me smile, because I really do love this little blog of mine. It's nothing big or fancy or anything extraordinary, but it's mine and I love it. I love that sometimes it's my outlet,

Sometimes...

2010-04-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I sit and think of how truly lucky I am. Sometimes I do things for absolutely no reason and John loves me through it. Sometimes I am a total witch and John is still there for me. Sometimes I have no clue why he is as kind and loving towards me as he is. I really am blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life. He comes home in two days, I can't wait!!

Dreams

2010-04-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been having very vivid dreams. Which is not the norm for me. I mean, there is this one recurring dream where all of my teeth fall out and I wake up and immediately verify that all of my teeth are in fact there, but that's an entirely different story. So yeah, the past three night I've had crazy dreams and I remember ALL of them. Normally I struggle to remember a dream moments

Happy Tuesday!

2010-03-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I might seem fickle, but I changed my blog back to being open for all to see. I've met some pretty awesome people through my blog, so why limit the awesomeness that is to come? Let's just all play nice :) I bought this print from etsy seller DazeyChic because it made me smile. (I also bought the bird with a french fry print, she was having a buy one get one free sale!) I seriously love

Today...

2010-03-26T08:40:00.000-05:00

From Etsy Seller dazeychic What will you do today?

Next!

2010-03-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

So that was enough drama to last forever. My B. Anyway, I normally save this stuff for the wedding blog, but I really wanted to share this with y'all. Whilst in San Francisco I found my wedding dress. I know you can't wait to see it, so here it is!! The picture really doesn't do it justice. It was at a laundry mat in Castro. It's a gem, I only hope they still have it when I call :) This

A story about a girl that loves olives...

2010-03-23T18:20:00.000-05:00

Once there was this girl... a girl that loved olives. She loved them bad. And any time she ordered a drink or adult beverage that came with olives she would always be annoying and ask for extra. Then one day, this girl happened upon a fabulous brunch destination that had bottomless bloody marys. How exciting, you might be thinking, because now this girl will have countless opportunities to

The end of an amazing weekend!

2010-03-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in the airport, totally bummed that my weekend is over. San Francisco was amazing and I had the pleasure of spending it with some amazing ladies! I don't have the time right now to get in to a lot of detail because I'm about to board my plane, but here are a few pictures of the awesomeness you can be expecting!

The right side of the bed

2010-03-16T08:45:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure I got up on the right side of the bed this morning. Know why? Because I feel like my week long mope-fest/pity party magically disappeared. My attitude this morning was one that I feel like I can do anything. Anything in life worth having will take some work, so why not love the fact that you can get yourself there! So I'm going to list things to you that I have loved from my

Budgets are lame...

2010-03-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

I have to put myself on a budget. I've always been the type to just keep up with the numbers in my head, pay all of my bills first, put a little in savings if there is some left and regularly check my online banking and it's worked out just fine. Until now. I've recently been made aware of an unexpected expense that will set me back a good bit of money every month until the end of the year.

A little rant session...

2010-03-12T15:04:00.000-06:00

Ever have those days where you are so frustrated you could cry? Because I'm definitely having one of those days right now. And no, sister, I am not talking about you. Just making sure we are clear on that. I just don't understand why people aren't up front about things. If you have no intention of doing something or can't guarantee that you can follow through with something, please don't tell

29 days and counting...

2010-03-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

I took John to the airport this morning. He will be working in Egypt for a month. I won't see him again until April 8th. He's my world traveller :) This is John the last time he went to Egypt. He is the one in front riding a camel in shorts and deck shoes, silly boy. And yes that is a pyramid behind him, how awesome is that? These little breaks are a good thing for us though. Yes, a month

Sneak Peak

2010-03-09T10:59:00.001-06:00

I'm letting you all in on a little sneak peak of what I've been working on. John is leaving tomorrow, so hopefully I will have tons of time to finish up the bedroom makeover. So here are a few things I've been working on, the pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea... Before and After of the chest. John has had this since he was a little kiddo, and it's real wood. To go out and buy

Almost done...

2010-03-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

Remember that one time when I said I was doing all of these awesome projects that I couldn't wait to share? Well, I am still working on them. Who would have known that we would have freakishly cold weather in Florida to prevent me from painting and staining furniture for more than like 30 minutes at a time? Geez... I do have an update though. We have the last coat of stain on the dresser, it

a quick update...

2010-02-25T08:40:00.000-06:00

I am officially back in the gym. Yes, you've probably heard that a million times, but this time I mean it ha! My biggest issue with the gym is the whole cardio thing. It is so boring to me. Unfortunately, I am in some serious need of cardio in my life so I will just have to suck it up. Feel free to motivate me or give me a hard time when I slack on working out. Wedding blog is up and

'Ello

2010-02-22T14:29:00.000-06:00

It has been decided.... I'm going to start a wedding blog. Why, you ask? So my lovely followers that don't want to hear about wedding stuff don't have to. I aim to please :) So, being the uncreative person that I sometimes am, I have a request. I don't know what to name this other blog of mine, so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them! On another note, I have the worst

Prepare to be dazzled...

2010-02-18T21:41:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I try to make things a surprise. And most times I fail horribly because I immediately want to tell everyone. Which is basically what happened with my latest news.... I got engaged last night! Woohoo! I am so excited and ridiculously giddy I can't even begin to describe. Many have requested the story, so here it is. John and I are really laid back people. The to the point,

I'm so excited...

2010-02-10T12:40:00.000-06:00

Praise be! I am finally over being sick! Yes, it was only a little over a week, but I despise being sick. All I want to do is lay around with a blanket, drink tea, and read or watch SoapNet. I wasn't contagious so I made myself go to work, so I couldn't participate in any of my normal sickly duties. You see, I have ALL of my leave allocated for the year already, so no being sick for Lauren.

Happies

2010-02-03T17:53:00.000-06:00

So far this year I have read two books, which considering how much crap I have had to do for school is pretty darn good. You can read about the first book I read here. The second book was a big disappointment. I read Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen is normally one of my favorite authors. He is cynical and hilarious, I am normally laughing so much I am in tears. And until now, I have

Button Time!

2010-01-31T18:01:00.000-06:00

My weekend was awesome. Why? Because I didn't do anything. I needed a weekend of nothing. I read an entire book on Saturday and loved every second of it. I posted a little about it over here, so go check it out! I also had some yummy orange herbal tea with milk and honey. I am in love with hot tea, and really want to have a tea party. I have some big news, well big to me :) Amazing Amy

Trying something new...

2010-01-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

So the staining weekend wasn't a success. But, not because I am lame and couldn't do it, we had yucky weather with ridiculously high humidity which is not optimal staining and painting conditions. We did, however get a dresser and four chairs (for the dining room) stripped and sanded down. I also took a can of blue spray paint to some black and brown sconces I bought at the Salvation Army for

M.I.A.

2010-01-21T13:44:00.000-06:00

Hi... my name is Lauren. Many of you may have forgotten all about me because I have been super lame lately and neglected the internet. And as sad as it may be, I will be neglecting for a bit longer. Work and school are out of control and I'm a smidge behind in one of my classes, so I have GOT to get my shiz together. Which sadly means, a little more time away from the ole bloggy blog. For

One of those days...

2010-01-14T14:52:00.000-06:00

Ever have one of those days when nothing is quite right? It's not necessarily bad, more like a constant state of blah. Yeah, well that would be today for me. Everything is just kinda lame today. I'm just not feeling it. Sometimes I let my anxiety take over.... and worry about everything. Even the really stupid things. I hate being a worrier. And the part that gets me is that I really

Answers to Your Questions Part One

2010-01-10T12:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry if this is long.... amanda leeann asked... what is your & john's story? Back story. I graduated from college in May 2007 and moved back home after my dad had a cancer scare. I got a temporary job working for a DoD contractor in Panama City. John was currently working there, I met him at my interview and then didn't see him again for almost 2 months. He travels pretty regularly for

Answers to Your Questions Part Two

2010-01-10T12:36:00.080-06:00

More questions and answers for my loves. The spacing and font is lame and I have not the patience to try to fix it, my b. Amber asked... Are you originally from Florida? Why yes I am. I was born in Panam City, moved to Pensacola for college and am now back to my hometown. I absolutely love Florida and can't imagine living anywhere else. Would I move if necessary? Sure. But this is and always

Questions anyone??

2010-01-08T11:11:00.000-06:00

Hi 27 followers and anyone else who may be stopping by! I love you all! No lie, I am pumped that this many people actually read my blog (ok, well maybe not read it, but at least follow it). So to encourage some of you lurkers out there to stop by and say hello and let me know you are there, I am doing a question post. So many of my favorite bloggers have done these lately and I love them. So

2010 so far...

2010-01-06T21:19:00.000-06:00

My oh my... what a busy week this has been for me! If it's any indication of how 2010 will be I will have a very productive year! I will clue you in on some things going on in my life as of late.... Operation: Clean Up My Life When I say that I mean the actual organizing and decluttering of my house and eventually my car. I started right after Christmas, and silly me, I thought I would be

BBL Giveaway!

2010-01-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

Hello lovelies! A quick post to let you know about a giveaway! Busy Bee Lauren just opened her shoppe and is selling some amazing handmade headbands, they are fabulous, no lie. And to celebrate she is doing a giveaway of the super cute Zoe headband. Go check out her blog and enter!

Why hello 2010!

2010-01-01T11:16:00.000-06:00

So here it is, a new year. I think I've just decided my resolution is to be awesome this year, is that lame? I couldn't think of anything else. I mean, there are about a million things I want to do with my life, but I'm not sure they are meant to happen this year. So if I end up doing some of those things it will just be an added bonus, right? So every New Year's Eve from now on, I will have

I can't believe Christmas is over...

2009-12-28T16:39:00.000-06:00

First of all, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! I know I sure did :) Geez...I have been extra lame lately. This has been the busiest Christmas of my life! No lie. Which left me with no time to catch up with the blog world. My b... John and I spent Christmas Eve at his parent's house. His mom has a big party every Christmas Eve and it was a blast! I wore some awesome purple

Oreo balls!

2009-12-23T19:39:00.000-06:00

Well hello everyone! I am changing things around on my blog. Hopefully it will be finished sometime this weekend :) So after my last post I had several requests for a how to for these little balls of awesomeness. This is my first how to post, so I hope it is not totally lame. You will need: 1 package Oreos 1 8 oz package Cream Cheese Chocolate or Almond Bark Soften Cream

Christmas goodies

2009-12-19T17:37:00.001-06:00

To get ready for the holidays and have some yummy treats to grace friends and family with, I spent today baking. Of course I had to wear my fun and lovely apron. If you look in the background you can see my cute little hootie owl towel that matched my hootie owl pillow that was destroyed... First up was the cuppy cakes! Mini ones to be exact. I have found that people are more likely to eat

Smiles all around

2009-12-16T12:33:00.001-06:00

"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." -Marilyn Monroe This made me smile, I hope it does the same for you! This picture also makes me smile... While we were in Vegas John's parents kept our sweet little Millie. This was taken the day after we went to pick her up. I love how excited she was to see us. She is the one sleeping by his face, and Buster (his parent's dog) is