2 great companies y'all should check out!

I wanted to share with y'all a couple of companies that sell accessories that I love. The first one is Alex and Ani. They sell rings, necklaces, earrings, etc. I personally really like the bracelets. They are great bangle bracelets that look fantastic when you combine a few of them. Some of the pre-assembled bangle collections are a little too Bohemian for my taste, but I like the ones you can buy individually and combine yourself for your own unique style.

A fleur-de-lis (perfect for NOLA or Saints girls!)

Y'all know how I feel about anchors. LOVE.

They have tons of other designs too. My friend Amanda has a skeleton key one that is adorable as well as the Crazy Love design. Hers look great combined with a few plain bangles. So cute! Mixing and matching is really fun with these.

The other great company is my shout out to Rhode Island, Kiel James Patrick. I am pretty much in love with everything on his website. Bracelets, headbands, earrings, a new line of belts...it's all so preppy and fun! And of course I love the nautical/New England influence. I also love that KJP uses all local vendors. I'll take one of each please!!

I've had my eye on this for a while, the Sterling Brock Hollis headband. I love it!

Going back to my anchors...these are so cute. There are also seahorses, whales, lobsters. So cute.

This is one of the Cape and Brighton Beach style bracelets. Again, tons of colors, designs, patterns, everyone can find something great they love.

Wouldn't this be perfect for a South Carolina girl?!

Check out these websites! I'm sure you will love them as much as I do!

Later y'all!

I received no compensation for these reviews. These are my own opinions.

Catch up of the 30 Day Blog Challenge

Day 15: A person you admire

This is my friend Caitlin. She is originally from New York but ended up in Mississippi because her husband is in the Air Force. He is currently deployed for 6 months. Caitlin and I work together, go to the gym together, hang out together, and she is always positive and upbeat. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be so far away from my family and have my husband overseas. She is also one of the hardest working people I've ever met. And thank God she gets my butt to the gym!

Day 16: A Song that makes you cry

The song that always gets me is "I Feel Home" by OAR. I'm not even a huge OAR fan but I love this song:

There are few things pure in this world anymore,
and home is one of the few.
We'd have a drink outside,
maybe run and hide if we saw a couple men in blue.
To me it's so damn easy to see
that true people are the people at home.
Well, I've been away but now I'm back today,
and there ain't a place I'd rather go.
I feel home,
when I see the faces that remember my own.
I feel home,
when I'm chilling outside with the people I know.
I feel home,
and that's just what I feel.
Home to me is reality,
and all I need is something real.

Feeling alright, heading out tonight,
maybe out to a dark driveway.
I say now some feel bored,
and some are looking for more.
Well, we all just decide to stay.
We got nothing to do,
and I look at you
I see something that I know and love.
and with the crack of a smile we all stay a while
we know from home there ain't nothing above.

Well in the end we can all call a friend
well that's something I know as true.
And then a thousand years and a thousand tears
I'll come finding my original crew

cause to me throughout eternity
there's somewhere where you're welcome to go
I said it's something free that means a lot to me
when I'm with my friends I feel home.

I feel home,
when I see the faces that remember my own
I feel home,
when I'm chilling outside with the people I know.
I feel home,
and that's just what I feel.
Home to me is reality,
and all I need something real
Home to me is reality,
and all I need something real

I feel home.

Day 17: An art piece

I love this picture. It represents the spirit of State.

Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive

Running on Jacksonville Beach

Days 18/19: A talent/hobby

Everyone always says they love my cowbells, so I think it's a talent of mine. Haha! I also think it's fun to decorate cowbells, so I would consider it a hobby too.

Go State!!

Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people

I know this is weird, but my food can't touch. I will eat all of one thing, then all of another, and so on until I'm done eating. I can't combine food/flavors. I accept that this is weird.

Happy Wednesday!

Incredibly Big Catch Up!

I hope y'all had a great weekend! Friday night I went to the gym with Caitlin, then went over Liza's later! Saturday I went shopping with Mary Catherine, we had lunch with Liza, then shopped some more. I went to the gym for a quick workout, then MC, Liza and I went to supper at a great Italian place named Old Venice!

Here we are dressed up for girls night! (I look weird in this picture...sorry about that!)

We always seem to run in to people we would rather not see while we are out! But we put on big smiles and were as sweet as could be! After we finished our food, we came back to my house and chatted until 1:30 in the morning! I had such a great time! Sunday was a low-key day. Sleeping, cleaning, gym...nothing special. Overall a great weekend!

Leslie gave me this blog award last week!

The One Lovely Blog Award! I'm so excited! Thank you Leslie!! Leslie has such a cute blog and she always puts up lots of great pictures! For this award, you have to share it with people who have touched/changed your life (in a good or bad way!) and why.

I wish I could give this award back to Leslie because she totally would have been one of the bloggers I picked!

First, Blair at Reasonably Swanky. I love how absolutely funny her blog is, and I can relate to her easily. Love her blog!

Next, Gracie Beth at The Engineer in Heels and Pearls. I love the fact that she is another woman engineer!

Next, Brittany at Unexpected Surprises. She always leaves the sweetest comments and has the most adorable little boy Aidyn!

SEC at Summer Wind. A preppy girl after my own heart! Love her blog.

And last but definitely not least, Same Sweet Girl from Same Sweet Girl: Memoir of a Southern Belle. She was one of my first followers when I started my blog, and I've even had the opportunity to meet her when we were in Gulf Shores! I'm so glad to have her as a friend!

I wish I had time to pass this on to all of y'all!

So this morning, I had jury duty...everyone I've heard of having jury duty always says they never have to go because they are students. So when I got the notice, I called up and said "I'm a student." They were like umm...that's great but you still have to show up. The judge will probably dismiss you though. Ok?! So I went this morning and when it came time for excuses, I told the judge, I'm a full-time student and I also get paid hourly, so I can't afford the time off work (I can...but...I don't want to! Haha I work hard and I want to get paid! Especially because I'm going shopping in Gulf Shores and I have rent to pay! Don't judge). I was also mortified during this time because everyone in the court room is staring....and I'm shy. Haha! I hate situations like this where everyone is staring at me. Anyways, the judge told me I was actually selected for the grand jury, which met today for a few hours and then not again until January, when I'm expected to be there about a week! UMMM I'm trying to graduate in MAY! I'm getting my master's in chemical engineering (which a few of you asked me about). It is a research based degree where I have to defend a thesis by March. So for me to lose a week of lab time (not to mention class) in January could potentially destroy my hope of a May graduation. I promise you I am not exaggerating in the least. It would be the worst possible timing for a week away from school. I'm going to write a letter to the judge and explicitly state why I can't participate in the grand jury and pray to God he dismisses me. Otherwise....I'm kind of screwed. Plus I wanted to be like hey pal! You went to law school! You know how grad school is! Anyways...any of y'all have any advice on how I can get out of this?

Also-I want to make a blog button...but I don't know how! haha! Any suggestions?

Later this week I'm going to get back on the 30 Day Blog Challenge so I can finish that up, as well as 2 amazing companies I want to share with y'all, and a great recipe!

Happy Monday night/Tuesday!

Restore the Gulf! And a very happy birthday to Amanda!!

Happy Friday y'all! First I want to wish a VERY Happy Birthday to my fabulous friend Amanda!!!! I love her to pieces and wish I could celebrate her birthday with her but she lives in Rhode Island!

Here we are in Orlando

At Aquatica

On a cruise

Drinking wine on said cruise

Kayaking in Jamaica

On the beach in Key West

On my graduation day from undergrad (she sat through the whole 5 hour ceremony! What a trooper!)

And here she is when she came to visit me in Mississippi!

As y'all can see we've had a ton of adventures together and I'm sure we will have many more! Happy Birthday Amanda!!

Also-please do me a favor and go to the Restore the Gulf and sign the petition. The Gulf Coast needs everyone's help! Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida need the country to stand behind them during the Gulf Coast cleanup! Help our coast!

As a side note-I love this video!! Sandra Bullock, Blake Lively and Dave Matthews!! Some of my all-time favorites!

Have a great weekend y'all!

A place I would like to visit

So for day 14 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge, the place I would love to visit is Santorini, Greece. After seeing the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies (haha!), I just thought it was the most breathtaking place and I would LOVE to go there!

I love all the pastel houses with blue roofs

Just gorgeous!

Have any of y'all been to Greece? I think it looks like an amazing place to visit! I would love to go for a boat ride around the islands and swim in the Mediterranean! And of course eat Greek food :)

More of the same from Mississippi today...sorry for being so boring recently! Just working a lot in the lab and hitting up the gym after work! I'm trying real hard to look good in my sundresses for tailgating season! Last night I dyed my hair a light brown color...trying to match my natural color before I highlight again. If my hair gets too light it doesn't look good with my skin tone so I occasionally dye brown to prevent having too-blonde hair! I have some great recipes for y'all too so I'll post those soon!

Later y'all!

Days 12 and 13 of Blog Challenge and Updates!

Hey everyone! I've been having a crazy busy week so I apologize for the sporadic postings! First, Day 12 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge: A song you want played at your wedding:

The song I chose was "In my daughter's eyes" by Martina McBride. This is the song I want to dance to with my dad!

My parents and I on the day I graduated from undergrad, May 2009

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero

I am strong and wise and I know no fear

But the truth is plain to see

She was sent to rescue me

I see who I wanna be

In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal

Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace

The miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak

I find reason to believe

In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger

Oh it puts a smile in my heart

Everything becomes a little clearer

I realize what life is all about

It's hanging on when your heart has had enough

It's giving more when you feel like giving up

I've seen the light, it's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future

A reflection of who I am and what will be

Though she'll grow and someday leave

Maybe raise a family

When I'm gone I hope you'll see how happy she made me

For I'll be there

In my daughter's eyes

Next: Day 13 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge: A guilty pleasure

Well y'all know I Love these:

M&Ms! They are definitely my guiltiest pleasure! I eat them every dang day!

I also love watching reality shows on MTV. I know they are dramatic and ridiculous at times, but I can't help it. I'm addicted!

Jersey Shore Season 2 starts next week! I'm so excited!!

I also LOVE Teen Mom. I watched the premier last night!

I'm looking to get a new bag for when class starts up again (4 weeks from today, ugh). I love nautical things and I can't decide which one I want to get!

This one I think is really unique. Seabags makes their bags from recycled sails with rope handles and has a nautical design. I love the anchor one so much! I also love the knot ones, the sail ones...the list goes on. They are great for anyone like myself who loves to be on the water.

I also love this nautical knot tote from Vineyard Vines. They too have so many cute nautical designs! I could even get an anchor one! So cute! I'm also loving the sailboat design and of course, the sleeveless pique polo which I am wanting to get for school!

In the lab, I'm currently finishing up the project I've been working on for the past few months and starting the project I'm going to use for my thesis. Between work and the gym, I've been really busy this week! Sorry for the lack of posting...I have been keeping up with y'alls though! Tonight, I'm going to get my hair dyed back to my natural color (brown) but only temporarily. I've been highlighting my hair for years, but every couple of months I need to dye it brown for a week or so before highlighting again because it gets too light! I definitely will have highlights again probably over the weekend; I like the dimension.

Happy Wednesday!

Day 11: A picture of you taken recently

This picture was taken on my 23rd birthday which was July 5!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Friday I had BBQ with some friends, Saturday I went over Caitlin's and made pizza (her pizza is amazing) and watched a movie, and Sunday was a very lazy day...but I did make it to the gym! I also did some cleaning. How was y'alls weekend?

Today I'm very busy at school so I apologize for the short post! Later this week I'll put up a longer one I promise!

Later y'all!

Day 10: A picture of you taken over 10 years ago

Here I am at 14 months old-my first trip to Disney World!

I hope y'all have a great weekend! I'll be doing some lab work, but also laying out by the pool and getting supper with friends! Happy Friday!

Later y'all!

Day 9: A picture you took and random updates

Day 8 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge: A picture you took

I took this picture last fall at a night game...I believe it was Mississippi State vs. Alabama. The sun was almost gone and it looked amazing behind the stadium!

51 Days till football season!

I don't really have any interesting new news! I've been working at school on a new research project and trying to finish up the old one, going to the gym, and working at night (or watching tv haha). Hopefully this weekend will have some good stories for y'all! Is this week dragging on or is it just me?

Later y'all!

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life

Day 8-A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life

Dear L,

Thank you for breaking my heart. Without you, I have become more independent, a successful graduate student, and have amazing friends. I also don't sit around the house anymore waiting for you to break your promises. While I do care about you and hope that you are happy, I have stored the memories we had and MOVED ON. Now I know I am a smart, happy, sweet girl and not the raging bitch you made me out to be. I love my life, my friends, Mississippi, and actually experiencing grad school and new adventures. I am much happier now. So thank you for being a lying jerk and in turn making me the best person I can be without you.

A

Wastin away again in Gulf Shores: Concert for the Coast and 30 Day Blog Challenge!

This past weekend, I had the most amazing time at Jimmy Buffett's Concert for the Coast!

I had originally planned on traveling down to the Gulf Coast on Saturday (it's about a 4-5 hour drive from North Mississippi), but due to some car issues (and a VERY sweet boy!), I made it Sunday about 11:30 am! My friends and I had lunch and then went to the beach to wait for the concert to start! The beach opened at 3 and the concert started at 5. During the wait, we got t-shirts and had some Landshark (which is bottled in the best city in the country JACKSONVILLE Florida! I'm not biased or anything haha).
Here is our view of the stage. We had pretty dang good seats! Since no chairs (or coolers or cameras) we allowed, we spread out some beach towels.

Here I am waiting for Jimmy! The funny thing about the crowd-it looked like a big "which SEC school are you a fan of?" competition! There were TONS of Alabama, Auburn, LSU fans...and quite a few Florida State fans. Look closely and you can see I repped my Gators with my huggie!

I heard there were about 50,000 people at this concert! I'm not sure if that's true but there sure were a ton of people!

Here I am with Same Sweet Girl from Same Sweet Girl: Memoir of a Southern Belle! She was SO SO sweet to send me an extra ticket she had! I had such a blast at the concert and I was so excited to meet her!! She is such a sweetheart!

Jimmy Buffett!!!

I didn't see or smell any oil on the Gulf Shores Public Beach where the concert was, but there are tar balls a little farther down the beach. I follow BP Oil on Twitter to keep up to date on the oil response.

Now on to Days 6 and 7 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge! I had of work to catch up on so I couldn't blog yesterday.

For Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive...the first time someone, we'll call him J, said "I love you". St. Augustine, Florida on a dock overlooking the river while "Fishin' in the Dark".

"You and me going fishin' in the dark

lying on our backs and countin' the stars

where the cool grass grows

Down by the river in the full moon light

we'll be fallin in love in the middle of the night

Just moving slow

Staying the whole night through

Feels so good to be with you."

Day 7: 5 Things you can't live without:

I picked material things for this...obviously I would pick my family and friends first!

1. My BlackBerry Storm. We are BFFs and attached at the hip haha!

2. My sunglasses...so many pairs...it's a problem. But no matter which pair I'm wearing that day, I'm never without them.

3. The beach. It's where I feel happiest and most alive.

4. College football season...it's my favorite season!

5. My ipod touch that holds all my tunes that I rock out to in the truck haha!

I hope y'all had an amazing weekend!