And That's My New Philosophy!

Pin It In response to Sunday's post, I'm following in the steps of Jimmy John's and sharing my personal philosophy! What are some elements of your personal philosophy?

I believe...

• Everything happens for a reason, and everything ends up the way it is supposed to.
• That turquoise and sparkle are the happiest colors (yes, sparkle is a color in my book).
• 
• In marriage equality, and equal rights for ALL.
• That it's perfectly fine and acceptable to tap dance down grocery store aisles, and to burst into a random show tune or two as the mood strikes. Life's too short, y'all!
• That Starbucks Coffee truly tastes better than any of the other stuff. Plus, I like that little mermaid gal on the cups.
• In pumpkin spice lattes, cozy blankets, and a good read any day.
• 
• Fuzzy socks, year-round.
• In appreciating the humor in embarrassing photos from your awkward years.
• 
• The worst offense in the world of manners is tardiness. Buy a watch.
• Pearls are classy and an appropriate accessory option to wear with any wardrobe.
• In big hair. Ain't no thang!
• In sleeping in on the weekends. Abso-freaking-lutely.
• Siblings are best friends you were born with.
• 
• In "yes ma'am/sir", "no ma'am/sir", "please", and "thank you". ALWAYS
• In a good pedicure regularly. 
• In supporting local businesses.
• That there are few places happier than the following 3: Target, Starbucks, or the Starbucks within Target.
• In love.
• In being a crazy dog lady.
• 
• In being a life-long learner.
• In God.
• In the power of music.
• 
• In being overdressed rather than under dressed.
• In karma.
• That you can actually LOVE your job.
• In putting Christmas decorations out in the middle of November.
• In honoring your commitments.
• In the power of prayer.
• In planning and being a list-maker.
• In always saying "I love you" before going to sleep.
• In marrying your best friend (which I can't wait to do in 26 days!)
• 
• That a sign of a truly good friend is that person who you don't have to talk to or see every day, but when you do, it's like you never were apart and you can pick right up where you left off.
• That the art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.
• 

Wisdom from a Jimmy John's Sandwich

Pin It Holy crap! I have literally been gone for far too long. #epicblogfail

To be fair, I have been on the road for roughly 6 weeks on and off for work so time for blogging has been very slim.

But, I'm back. Let's get right down to business, shall we?

Last week I was in Jimmy John's waiting on them to finish my sandwich. In the meantime, I started reading a poster they had on the wall. It was basically their philosophy, or their "This I believe" statement. It was so thought-provoking, and inspiring, that I have to share it with you! 

I believe…

that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe…

that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe…

that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe…

that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe…

that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe…

that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I believe…

that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I believe…

that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe…

that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe…

that no matter how bad your heart is broken that the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe…

that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe…

that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.  And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe…

that you shouldn’t be eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.

I believe…

that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe…

that you should always leave loved ones with loving well wishes. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe…

that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I believe…

that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe…

that we don’t have to change friends, if we understand that friends change.

I believe…

that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe…

that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe…

that you either control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe…

that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, that passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe…

that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe…

that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe…

that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe…

that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe…

that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones who help you get back up.

Inspired by one of my favorite daily-blog-reads (who also did her "I believe" statements last week in her blog), tomorrow, I will be sharing my own "This I believe" statements!

Hope everyone has a fun and restful Sunday! 

Oh, how Pinteresting Wednesday!

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Linking up with The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

PS- what would our lives be without Pinterest?!

I loooove tulips, and this would be such an easy way for them to brighten the house!

I love this...I'm thinking about putting this on a cute little card in the Welcome Bags for the wedding.

I love this! :)

Healthy and delicious...stuffed peppers with brown rice, garlic, onion, basil, grape tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella

I'm always looking for more efficient ways to pack my suitcase! Wrapping all your tops and bottoms in pillow cases? SMART. That will also prevent wrinkling!



Um, hi "dream" home office! SO organized, and unique to the owner. Love it.


And again, I ask you, WHAT WOULD OUR LIVES BE WITHOUT PINTEREST?!
hAPPY hUMP dAY!

If You Really Knew Me...

Pin It Ok, jumping on the blogosphere band-wagon of doing an "If you really knew me" post. Whateverrrr.

1. If you really knew me, you would know that I have a serious problem with over-descriptive language. For example, the words "moist" and "tender" can send me into a tizzy. Just don't say them in my presence.

2. My least favorite house-hold chore is emptying the dishwasher. Hands down.

3. My favorite city in the world is London. My next dream vacation(s) are Italy and/or Bora Bora.

4. I never really mastered the art of riding a bike. I just was never into it, so I didn't care to learn. I'd probably fall off if I tried it.

5. If you want to make me flip my lid, please tell me that my height (4'11") qualifies me as a "legal midget". I will go from cordial to ghetto in 2.5 seconds. Not only is that statement inaccurate, and rude, but it's not P.C. 

6. I used to want to be a fashion buyer, until I realized how much math was really involved. Byeeeee.

7. When I was in 4th grade, I got a perm, which was the biggest mistake of my life. Not only was it a disaster, but my hair remained a disaster until it was completely grown out. #woof

8. DK and I have attended the same schools since pre-school. We were dance partners in choir in grade school, and I HATED HIM. He was super mean and would never practice, and would just go play his stupid drums all the time. We sort of ignored each other from the time I was in 4th-9th grade, and started dating when I was a sophomore.

9. I love to read, especially biographies and historical fiction. I'm fascinated by Elizabethan England, and I love Henry VIII, tyrant that he was. 

10. I'm a sucker for the Kardashian & Real Housewives series. Whatever, I love me some trashy tv.

11. If I could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, it would be JFK and Jackie Kennedy. But I would want to do them separately because I'd want to get to the bottom of JFK's nonsense, especially with that Marilyn Monroe character, and I'd want to talk to Jackie about how insane her life was, and to talk about her clothes, duh!

12. The best gifts I've ever been given were 1) my engagement ring and 2) my little puppy, Bean.

13. I always swore up and down that I would never ever join a sorority, and I hated the whole idea because I bought into the stereotype of sorority women. Then I actually gained an understanding of how awesome these women's organizations were, and I was absolutely changed. 

14. My idea of a dream job? My current one! I work for an organization that I adore, and support their mission whole-heartily, I get to help and empower women, I learn something new every day, and I get to travel.

15. I believe that my sister and I were raised exceptionally well. We were brought up to be polite and well-mannered, and to appreciate all of the blessings in our life. We were provided with an exceptional education, had the opportunity to travel, and raised to appreciate the importance of family. My parents were pretty strict, and I hated it then, but I really appreciate it now.

16. My childhood crushes: John Travolta (current sex-scandal, be damned!), Billy Joel (I wanted to be his "Uptown Girl", obvi), and Patrick Swayze (RIP, Patrick!). 

17. My favorite song of all time is "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel.

18. My favorite childhood memory is of driving around Springfield and looking at Christmas lights, then going to dinner at The Fair View restaurant every year during the Holiday season.

19. I have lots of best friends, but the two that I talk to every day are my sister, and DK. I love all of my other best friends, because I know that I could go days or weeks without seeing them, but when we do see each other, things are just the way they left off, like we never spent any time apart.

20. DK gets told he looks like Matt Damon all the time. I get told I look like Snookie almost daily. #fml

21. My favorite drink is a dirty vodka martini, with blue-cheese stuffed olives, in a short glass. Martini glasses are cute, but I hate sloshing it all over the place.

22. I love animals, and I absolutely die inside every time those Sarah McLaughlin-ASPCA commercials come on. They make my heart hurt.

23. I can recite nearly every line in Gone with the Wind, which is my favorite movie (and book!).

24. I took 4 years of french, and the only thing I remember is the following phrase: "J'ai un rendezvous avec David dans vingt minutes." It means "I have a meeting with David in 20 minutes". I don't know who David is.

25. I'm getting married in 74 days eeeeeekkkkk!!

Let's do the time-warp...AGAIN!

Pin It Well Happy Monday, kiddies. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I spent the majority of the weekend trying to catch up on DVR, sleep, and emails from when I was out of the (home) office last week.
    Despite lots going on in October (and thanks to a very abridged rehearsal schedule that meshed surprisingly well with work travels, wedding planning, and life) I decided to audition for The Rocky Horror Show: Live!  Friday evening. I was in the production last fall, and it was, easily, the most fun that I have had on stage in quite some time. As an added bonus, we had the incredible opportunity to perform the show up in Chicago at 115 Bourbon Street in December. So I decided to give it another shot, and I was cast! I'll be one of three Usherette's (my sister is one of the other ones!), so I'll be able to dance, sing,  rehearse, get married in Key West real quick, come home, and perform!
   If you aren't familiar with The Rocky Horror Show, do yourself a favor, and DO NOT watch the movie. It's horrible, and I don't get it. But DO do yourself a favor and go see a local production (preferably the one in Springfield, IL or Chicago, IL!) around Halloween. It is crazy, fun, entertaining, sparkly, and hilarious. I dare say that one of the main reasons I decided to audition again was because of the INCREDIBLE make-up and hair design for the show. Love, love, love me some false eyelashes and sparkles!
  Here are some photos from last year's production, featuring yours truly as Columbia:

Photo courtesy of Sarah Chatham, at Peek-A-Boo Photos

Photo courtesy of Jen Wallner

Rocky Horror Show: Live, 115 Bourbon Street, Chicago, IL
Photo courtesy of Ric Major

I'll be one of these gals this year, along with my sister! :)
Photo courtesy of Sarah Chatham, Peek-A-Boo Photos

Photo courtesy of Sarah Chatham, at Peek-A-Boo Photos

 

Let's do the Time-Warp again, y'all!

I'm baaack! High Five for Friday!

Pin It Happy Friday, friends! I'll totally own that I've been MIA for about a week...but for good reason! Last Thursday, I was up in Michigan for my annual Family Reunion, then Sunday-Thursday, I was at Mabel Lee Walton House, aka Tri Sigma's National Headquarters for a staff meeting/retreat. Needless to say, I've been a busy little bee, and I'm glad to be getting back into the swing of things. That being said, let's 

Our cousin, Phil, who we neeeeever see surprised us at the Family Reunion!  His wifey is going to have a baby any day now, so we did not expect him to come. A wonderful suprise!

It was so great to see all of my cousin's at the family reunion! We are almost never together, so this was really special!

Catching up with old friends. It was so great to get to catch up with my dear friend, Sigma sister, and bridesmaid Anna! Check her out here. Ps, don't mind our wicked pale-ness. It was December, ok!?

Our beautiful National Headquarters in Woodstock, VA. Who wouldn't want to visit?!

 

Has anyone tried this!? It will change your life! You can have it on apples, toast, ice cream, whatever! You can find it in the peanut butter aisle at the grocery store. It tastes just like the Biscoff cookies, but in spreadable form. DELICIOUS.

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

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                                  Linking up with The Vintage Apple for Pinteresting Wednesday...


So what's new in my Pinterest this week....

What is your acne telling you? Actually very interesting because it's allllways the same break-out spot.

Ummm...hi #1 reason to watch the Olympics. Make that probably the only reason I'll watch. #Murica

Essie Topless and Barefoot. I'm not really into the acrylic nails, so this may be a good wedding option.

Yeah, we're totally gonna be "those people" who have wedding artifacts all over our house. I aint even mad about it.

Gotta keep telling myself this...it's completely true though!