Oh Boy!

I have mentioned before that my best friend is expecting her first baby in February. How exciting!
I cannot wait to meet my little nephew. Yes, he will absolutely be my nephew. If you don't get it, that's a you problem. :) Sorry.
I got together with her mom and we threw a fun shower. Nothing says "boy" quite like trucks, so that was the theme. Now for some photos of the festivities...

 

The parents to be. Even if she wasn't my best friend, I would still think she was the cutest prego ever!



I love some flag decor! :)

 

Cakes and cupcakes galore!

 

Sweet

 

Lots of friends  :)

 

 

And there you have it. A small snippet into the land of baby showers. :) This really was such a fun time. I love my friend, and I am sure I will love her sweet boy very much. 

 



What Matters

The tragedy in Connecticut is absolutely heart-breaking.  Honestly, since I heard the news, I have been trying to put it out of my mind and go on as normal.  Obviously, I pray, but I haven't done a lot of talking about it. Unfortunately not talking about it won't bring back the innocent lives taken and putting these tragedies out of our minds is part of the reason that things like this keep happening, and with more frequency. I still don't want to talk about the gunman.I will never understand the amount of selfishness and anger one must feel to commit such an act. That being said, I do want to talk about the victims. The family of this murderer, the first responders who will never live another day without horrific images haunting them,  the teachers and administrators whose first instinct was to protect kids that weren't their own, and of course the babies and parents who hugged goodbye for the last time that morning. I cannot comprehend the amount of grief that all of these people must be feeling. I pray I never will, and I pray that these families are able to find peace one day, although I'm certain that day won't come anytime soon. I hate that tragedy is what brings people together, that it takes other peoples' pain for the rest of us to remember what really matters.
I thank God for family, for selfless teacher's who have the biggest hearts and know just what to say, and for the ability to trust in Him even when I don't understand Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swag Swap Fun!

Earlier this month I posted about the swag swap that was going on over on Kassie's blog. If you don't remember I was matched up with a girl named Lindsay from Florida. She gave me some good clues as to what some of her interests were. I may have gone a little overboard with the pink in her swag bag, but I love a theme! ;) I'm so glad she seemed to like everything, since it was so much fun for me to pick out. You can see the goodies I sent her on her blog Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone. She's new to blogging like me, so head on over and show her some love.
Now, on to the important things. ME and the AMAZING treats that I got! Lindsay did such a good job that I think she might have a future as a psychic!

I arrived home to this bright, shiny, polka dot box. So fun! As well as a sweet note telling me why she picked what she did and some encouraging words. :)

 

I LOVE this scarf. It is so cute. I already tried it on, and can't wait to wear it later this week.

 

Next up were some foodie treats. Seaweed snacks,(I'm intrigued!) a protein Luna bar, and hint water.(Which is already gone. I didn't tell her this, but I am a HUGE fan of this water.)

 

This may be my favorite item in the box. I have been looking for a water bottle to take to work, but because I have issues am picky, I hadn't gotten one yet. This one is just perfect, and I adore the color.

 

Lindsay treated me to some coral(my favorite color!) essie nail polish. The color is perfect and I can't wait to give it a try! Now, on to the mascara, this is how I know Lindsay is psychic. I was in Target last week getting a few things when I remembered that I'd been wanting to try Mama Lauglin's favorite mascara because her lashes always look amazing! BUT, my phone was in the car so I wasn't able to look up what kind it was. I am so, so excited that it magically arrived right at my front door. ;)

 

Last but not least were these two little gems. She sent me some of her favorite seasoning from Florida. I am very excited to try it on my brand new spaghetti squash. Yes, she sent me a spaghetti squash in the mail. I actually laughed out loud because it was so unexpected and clever.

 

 

I hope everyone else was lucky enough to get a fun and thoughtful swag partner like I did! Thank you so much Lindsay! This totally brightened my day. I can't wait to use all my goodies!

In Pictures

Here is a quick glimpse into my Thanksgiving Break:

My dad and his beloved Bogie. Bogie LOVES to have his photo taken. All I have to do is show him the camera and he immediately stops whatever he's doingto "pose". Soon after this he jumped in the pool and went back to being his usual self.

 

I think what I loved most about our laid back Thanksgiving was taking off my make up and throwing on my stretchy pants and t-shirt before dinner dessert.

 

I went with a friend to pick out this adorable kitten. I'll share her name and more pictures of her out of her prison cell once she gets fixed and officially goes home to her owner tomorrow.

 

My best friend and her husband are having a little boy! His expected arrival is Valentine's Day. Fun, huh!? Today I took a few pictures to have out at her baby shower next weekend. I made them shirts and since her husband likes to fish, hers says, "Daddy's getting a new fishing buddy". This is one of the outtakes, but I think it's super sweet.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

Thankful

I have had a lot to be thankful for lately, so a special day dedicated to just that came at a very appropriate time. I start all my prayers with a 'thank you' and I say "thanks" in my day to day life pretty often. Still, I sometimes feel like that's partly just habit. I also need to remind myself that if I complain about xyz, just as much as I say I'm thankful/blessed/lucky to have abc, then what's the point? So, here's to living the next year with much more positivity! :)

What I've been thankful for recently:

My family. They really are the best. I've already talked about what makes them especially great in previous posts. The other day Steel told me he thought it would be fun to hang out with my family just based on stories that I tell him. He's right. :)

The new job! I would say that I'll shut up about this new job sometime soon, but I probably wont. I'm in love.

Mutt, Bogie, Lucy, Leon  Animals make life better. Everyone knows Mutt, and I have mentioned Bogie and Lucy before. Leon is my parents' cat. I like 'em all. One day I'll show you a picture of Leon...after he gets out of rehab for his catnip addiction.

Friends I have the very best friends. And I'm having much more fun now that I hang out with who I want to because I want to and not because I feel obliagted to. All of my friendships are different, but I cherish each and every one of them. (M, A, M, B, W, D, L, J) <------- Hi favorites! :)

Starbucks I don't know what they give those employees, but they are more than happy to make my iced, grande, skinny, vanilla latte, half decaf. Service with a smile.

I am thankful for so much more. But it would take me hours to list, and you've probably had enough by now! I hope everyone is enjoying their leftovers today!

Busy Bee

Buzzzzzzzzzz...I have been very busy with the new job this week. The holiday season is the craziest time of year for this company, so I jumped in head first. It has been fast paced, intense, very demanding, and I freaking LOVE it. Yes, I know it's only been a couple days, so no need to point that out and go rainin' on my parade just to make yo sun shine brighter. ;)
I'm sure there will be more to tell later on, but one last thing; my office does have a tray ceiling. This is only exciting to me, I'm aware. But, I thought maybe, just maybe I'd find my long lost soul sister who loves a tray ceiling as much as me!



Holly is hosting a little link up to talk about Thanksgiving. I thought I'd join in with my answers to these questions:


1. What do you look forward to more: the food, football or parades? Food (Would have said family if that were an option.

2. What is your favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving Day dish? Only recently have we started breaking tradition and having things like brussel sprouts. I'd choose brussels w/ bacon over that canned green bean casserole thing. (I'm sorry. I have a "thing" about casseroles. And canned green beans. But bring on those crispy little onions that go on top!

3. After dinner, is it football or a nap? It's time for 'Love Actually'.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Which is your favorite float? I like it to be on in the house while we're cooking. This is the first year that we are actually planning to eat Thanksgiving dinner at dinner time, but I'll still catch a glimpse while I'm getting ready in the morning.

5. Where do you go to celebrate and eat your big meal? Who is there (family, friends)? 20 minutes away. Lucky me! This year it will just be my mom, dad, and myself. I'm pouting, whining, embracing it.

6. What is your favorite turkey day dessert? stuffing.


Head on over and see how everyone else answered.  Lots of people are answering in the form of Vlogs. Fancy! :)

Permission

The past couple weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride. Mostly fun, kind of scary. The last week of October I got a call from a company where I previously had an interview. My first interview was over 6 months ago, and I didn't get that job for various reasons. Long story short, I did get the job this time around.(!!!)  Sometimes I have a hard time accepting, but absolutely do believe that everything happens in God's time.

In this situation, God was definitely saying, "Not yet", and now I can say I'm thankful for the delay. In the words of Steel, "You(I) used to be kind of a mess.".  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still a bit of a mess, but I'm on the mend. It has been a long time since I have given myself permission to believe that I honestly deserve all the good stuff in life. Still, I can't believe that I am getting this opportunity, but I DO believe I deserve it. Finally.

I did not find my dream job when I first got out of school. Congratufuckinlations to all of you who did. Bitter? Who, me? Kidding! I made my bed, and I laid. For a year and a half. Actually, I was pretty excited about my first "Big girl" job. I am grateful for the experience, but it just wasn't fulfilling enough for the long haul.

Of course, I never had any of these "tantrums".

 

I drove A LOT for my job. I kept telling myself that I would have a new job before I hit 50,000 miles on my car, and at 48,497 it happened! Sadly, that means that I won't be taking nearly as many pictures that look like this: 



The end of the car headshot era.

 

I am So, SO happy, blessed, lucky and overwhelmed by the new adventure I'm about to take. I am also very thankful to have so many people in my life that are happy for me.

 

Something I sincerely plan to do.

The Devil Made Me Do It

I had been saving this photo to post on Halloween, but alas, I wasn't able to.
So, go grab a candy bar if that's what you need to get back in the Halloween spirit, and check out Mutt in all her Halloween glory. She has quite a "personality", so the lil' devil costume was fitting. Embrace your inner cat lady and enjoy!

Oh happy day!

Blogger has finally decided to play nice and allow me to upload some pictures! I apologize in advance for the photo overload you will be experiencing in the next few posts. From now on, my "progress pics" will look like this:

 



If I can remember to stand in the same spot and find the same skin tight tank in the mess that I call my closet, I think it will help me and you(if there are any "you's" out there reading) track my progress a bit better. I lost nearly 5 pounds last week. (4.4 to be exact) I feel like I am finally making a dent in the GIANT number that haunts me and that feels good! I am especially proud since I consumed quite a few hundred gummy bears and pixie sticks last week in honor of Halloween.

Now that I am looking at the above pictures, I actually think I might look bigger in the more recent one. Hmm... I'm going to choose to trust the scale today, though.
I told Steel that I'd like to lose the weight in my boobs and belly, but he seems to think he can't control where the weight loss happens. Damn. Yes, I know that you can firm/tone/lose small amounts of weight when you focus on a particular area of your body. However, let's be honest. I'm not even close to that aspect of weight loss yet. I do lots of strength training so that when all this weight does magically (And by magically, I mean by busting my ass) fall off, I will have less to deal with when it comes to loose skin and such.

Anyway, Halloween was a great time! I always have grand ideas for costumes. I really wanted to be a Smurfette a couple years ago, but that plan fell through when it turns out I look like a drag queen when I wear a bright yellow/blonde wig. That went from cute to tragic real quick, and so now I focus on just being comfortable and having fun. Don't get me wrong, one year I plan to totally slut it up on Halloween when I'm hot and skinny. And I think it's super awesome that some people of the not-so-skinny variety rock the skimpy costumes, but that's just not me.

So this year, my Halloween-hating friend and I went as hippies!

You may be wondering, who hates Halloween? And my answer is that I have no idea. I've told her that she should seek help and figure out what childhood trauma caused this "issue", but since she's getting her Masters in Psychology, I guess I should just let her handle it.

Hippies smoked a lot of pot, because making your own clothes is a little stressful. I tie-dyed(Really fun!), I made a cute headband(Still fun!), I made bell bottoms(Not fun!) BUT, they turned out pretty cute, so it was well worth the hot glue gun burns. Oh, you thought I sewed them? No way, dude. I managed three stitches before I threw out the thread and got out the hot glue gun. Our group of friends really puts on a show for Halloween and the host and hostess of our party this year really went above and beyond. It was so much fun and really a great way to kick off the holiday season with a bang!

Speaking of holiday fun, Kassie over at Southern Girl Gets Fit is hosting a swag swap. I was matched up with a girl after my own heart who loves camo and hot pink. I'm super excited to pick out some fun things for her. I'll be sure to post all of her goodies over here once I'm sure she has received her package. Ta-ta for now!

 

 

 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Never fear, my head is not burried in a bowl of cheese dip. (Ok, it is. But only from 11pm-7am aka in my dreams) My absence over the past week has been due to some "technical issues." Blogger hasn't been letting me upload pictures and I'm just not clever enough to fill up all this space with plain old words. I have plenty of posts ready to go that are just waiting to be finished up with some photos. Including, but not limited to; ME 4lbs lighter, pumpkin carving, food, yada yada yada...(If you're a Seinfeld fan, I do not actually have any yada yada yada pictures to post. Sickos. ha!)

Until then, here are a few things that have been on my brain this week:

-Steel drinks carb powder. CARB POWDER. Who the hell needs carbs in powder form?! I assured him I could direct him to the nearest pizza place, but apprently that's not the same...

-Before I go to bed at night I think about everything I would like to write on my blog if my face weren't on it. Then I think, maybe I'll just write it anyway. Then I hear my dad say, "Don't put anything on the internet that you wouldn't want to be a permanent representation of you." Then I decide not to publicly call anyone out for being a "see you next Tuesday".

-If I were going to do the above, it would be completely justified. If you're wondering why, it's because being crazy isn't cool. And I'm not talking fun, crazy. I'm talking crazy, crazy. If you're wondering what the difference is, you are the latter. Sorry.

-The gym I go to is very odd. (This will get its very own post at some point) But for now, you should just know that a man changed out of his wedding dress and into a speedo and high tops and galloped around the gym for far too long on Thursday. (What is an apporopriate length of time for that activity anyway?)

-If I care about a person, even if I am really, really angry with them for some reason, and something horrendously shitty happens in their lives, I will immediately try and help them pick up the pieces. I won't know if I care about the person enough to do this until the horrendously shitty thing happens, though. So, it's best to just stay in my good graces. ;)

-I thought I was crafty. Maybe I am. But I can't sew for shit. And I'm not all that good with a hot glue gun either. More on that later.

I hope everyone has a very festive Halloween themed weekend!

Go forth and VOTE

On November 6, we will choose the person who will be our President for at least the next 4 years. Like I have said before, I have a lot of opinions when it comes to politics but I won't bore you with the majority of them. I would, however, encourage everyone that has the privilege, to go out and vote. I vote in every, single election. Even the boring ones, where most of the positions being filled are incumbents, so it could be argued that there is no point. For me, the point is that I get to vote, so why not? I like the whole process, from filling out the form, to casting my ballot, to getting the little sticker that said I voted. Plus, during elections like these, when we are picking the leader of our whole freakin' nation, I find that my palms get a little sweaty before I click on "my" candidate. I double, triple, and quadruple check to make sure I didn't accidentally click the wrong box, and I walk out feeling that no matter the outcome, at least I did my part. Our system may not be perfect, but I do think it's pretty cool that with so many of our freedoms being taken away, we are still allowed this opportunity to express our opinion in such a big way.

As a reward for reading that, I leave you with some shots of Mutt. She felt that she was not accurately portrayed in previous posts, and wants everyone to know that she has many more interests other than just eating and drinking. Like:

squishing herself into drawers.

taking a bite out of her saviors face.

and just being precious, in that, "Wow, she's so unique!" kind of way.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend full of fall leaves and pumpkin spice everything!

If oatmeal and greek yogurt were bagels and biscuits, oh what a life that would be!

I've mentioned before that breakfast just isn't my thing. However, I do know that I've got to eat it. I need it to avoid overeating during lunch, and to jump start my metabolism in the a.m. When I signed up on Lose It, I wasn't eating breakfast daily. By dinner time I still had over a thousand calories to use, jackpot! Not. I knew that my calorie count was given to me assuming I would eat before noon!
Soon I decided to buckle down and do it right. Now I don't just stay within my daily calorie allotment, I also eat better, more often, and always have something within the first 2 hours of waking. As a kid, I can remember sitting on the kitchen counter eating cold, leftover spaghetti for breakfast with my dad. I wasn't overweight as a kid, wasn't a picky eater, and never shied away from trying new foods, so the battle over breakfast just never happened with my parents. If I could, I'd still eat cold spaghetti and pizza every morning. But, I can't. (Technically I could, but not if I want to LOSE THE WEIGHT!)
So, when I wake up from my pasta and french fry dreams, this is what I've been eating lately:

I think I have mentioned my love for these convenient and tasty bars before!

I eat the Luna bars 2-3 times a week. I love the Kind bars, but I don't eat them nearly

as much. They are seriously delicious, but don't have the same staying power as the Luna bars.

 

 



The return of the overnight oats! The ones above are pumpkin pie flavored. Yum.

You can read ALL about overnight oats in a couple different posts from earlier this month.

Regular oatmeal would have made the list, but I don't have a microwave, so these are much easier for me to prepare. P.S. I'm not one of those people that think microwaves are awful. Actually, mine just croaked a few months ago and I quickly realized how much less crap I was eating without it, so I've decided not to replace it for now.

 

Greek yogurt. I added pumpkin spice granola to the top of this cup. What can I say, it's Fall, and I'm lovin' all things pumpkin! :) Some people love greek yogurt, some people hate it. I'm kind of indifferent at this point regarding the taste, but the amount of protein can't be beat.

 



I've been on a tea kick lately. I usually have a cup of the ginger pear when I eat breakfast.

I also have a cup of the ginger tea after dinner, and a couple cups of the Honey Vanilla chamomile, too. Maybe I'm a little obsessed. I'm not partial to any of these teas, except the honey vanilla, so I'm sure I'll change up the flavors when I run out of a box.

 

I also get Starbucks a couple times a week. A skinny vanilla latte, half decaf, with only 1 pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup. This is actually one of my more simple orders. Don't judge me. That's a $5 cup of coffee!

 

There you have it! A non-breakfast eaters guide to breakfast. After a week or so, I got used to eating breakfast every day, and now it's just part of my routine. Simple enough.

 

tat-tat-tatted up

I'm linking up with Melanie for her Let's Talk Tattoos link up. Love 'em or hate 'em, head over there and read about some other peoples tattoo experiences and/or why they aren't a fan of ink at all.

I love my tattoo, which is very appropriate since it is a heart:

 

You may be wondering who that other wrist belongs to. It's my mom. Yep, you read that right. This past Mother's Day, I took my mom out to do the mani/pedi thing, go visit Mimi(my grandmother),and of course get the obligatory Mother's Day tattoo. Oh. That's not normal? Well, neither is my mom. And neither is her daughter. Anyway, it may not be normal, but it's very "us".

My mom originally wanted the whole family to get tattoos together around the same time that my brother got married. I guess the rest of the family just didn't have the balls time, so I decided while getting lovely pink polish on my toes that we should just do it. I told her of my idea, she looked shocked, we drove around aimlessly for awhile as she went back and forth about whether we should really do it. As you can see from the picture above, we did it!

 

 

We almost had to leave because we couldn't follow the tattoo shop rules, and cried the whole time. Just kidding! It really barely hurt at all, in my opinion. I know that some people think tattoos are trashy or unnecessary. That's why I won't make those people go get one.

Sidenote: My dad told me he couldn't wait for me to write a political post. I have a lot of opinions, but they all kind of boil down to the same theme, and that is, do whatever you want. Seriously, just Do. whatever. the. hell. you. want. While I would prefer that you not use heroin, if you choose to, just don't ask for my money to send you to rehab or bail you out of jail.

Ah, what does that little rant have to do with my tattoo? I chose to get it. I will never regret it. It is one of the best memories I have with my mom. If a man doesn't like me because of it, or I miss out on a job opportunity by forgetting to cover it up, or if my wrists get even fatter and the heart gets really stretched out and weird looking, I promise I will never ask for your money to have it removed. Life is all about choices, and this is one that I feel good about.

Do you. YOLO. And always remember, "Haters gonna hate". Now get on with your bad(tatted up) selves.

 

 







This & That

 

Weekly picture time. Not my favorite day of the week, but one day I'll be glad I did this, right!? From now on I plan to make an effort to take these pictures in the same shirt each time, so I can be sure I'm giving myself an accurate portrayal of what's goin' on with my bod. According to my last weigh in,(Saturday)I didn't lose anything last week! Boo. Anyway, I'm not happy that I didn't lose weight. Not happy at all. But, I didn't say fuck it and grab some french fries for dinner like I might have done in the past and I worked my butt off in the gym last night, so I'll just have to see what happens next week. Fat is weird.(And gross, unattractive, and jiggly) Some weeks it flies right off, and I lose 5 pounds, then the next week, nada. I'm stepping up the work outs this week, and on Tues/Thurs I'll be working out twice a day. Hopefully this will lead to a happy weigh in on Saturday morning.

 

As promised, here is a picture of the overnight oats that I had for breakfast this morning:

 

 

They were very chocolatey! I'm not a big fan of chocolate(Shocking, I know) and I especially don't like fruit and chocolate combined, but for some reason the combo of the cold oats, the cocoa powder, and the bananas worked for me. I've already made a batch for tomorrow using pumpkin, vanilla protein powder, and pomegranate greek yogurt. I'll add some kind of fruit on top tomorrow, too.

You really can add anything you want to these. I've seen chocolate chips, peanut butter, caramel, etc! Sounds more like a sundae, sometimes. Speaking of, watch the calories on this if you are trying to lose weight. Luckily, it is really filling, because the calorie content doesn't really allow me to have a late morning snack. The number of calories vary depending on your "add-ins", but just to give you an idea, the oats above rang in at a hefty 429. They are all good for you calories, so I try not to worry about it too much.

 

 

 

 





Totes Magotes Oats

Ha! This movie is hilarious. I wanted to name this post "Slappin' da bass oats" but it just didn't have the same ring to it.

 

 

 

Moving on... I have been reading Julie's blog a lot. Her blog is really fun(and chock full of good info!) and I get a lot of ideas from her. I hope she doesn't mind! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. :) A couple days ago I finally tried my hand at her pumpkin pie overnight oats. This was the first time I'd ever had overnight oats, and after reading all about them, I knew that I was either going to be a big fan or hate them. Luckily, I was a fan. Not such a big fan that I would choose them over a delicious biscuit from Chick-fil-A, but they were pretty good. The thing I like about them most is that you can change up the ingredients so that the flavor is different each time you make them. As long as you can get down with the texture, you'll like these. Plus, they are pretty damn good for you, and will keep you full for a LONG time.

 

First, grab your main ingredients:        

1/2 a cup oats

1/2 a cup milk

1 tablespoon chia seeds

truvia(or whatever sweetener you like.) This is

optional, but I like a hint of sweetness in these.

3oz. greek yogurt

 

I made this before going to the gym this afternoon, and just ate the extra 2oz from the yogurt container. I'm sure you could add the whole thing if you're a big greek yogurt fan. Someone in my house definitely is:

 

Put all the above ingredients in a big cereal bowl.

If you don't have parents to steal some chia seeds from like I did,

I'm pretty sure you can find them at Whole Foods or any local health food store.

They help thicken everything up, and are supposedly really good for you.

I was informed to never leave these out, and since I'm such a rule follower(HA!),

I'm not planning to anytime soon.

 

Now try to decide what you're going to be in the mood for tomorrow morning,

pretend you're at one of those fun frozen yogurt places, and choose your add-ins:

To this batch I added:

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

 

Now mix it up!

mmm...doesn't that just look like a big bowl of mush delicious?

 

Lastly, cover it up and throw it in the fridge.

Don't really throw it. If you were really planning

to throw it in, you are the reason why there are ridiculous warning labels on things like hairdryers that say, "Do not use while bathing". So for you, I will say, place gently in the refrigerator.

 

 

Tomorrow I will show you the finished product. I already snuck a bite when I got home from the gym. I actually thought it was a little better than the pumpkin pie oats I ate this morning, so I'm confident in posting this version already. :)

 



 

 

 

 

 



Chicken Head

This morning I had plans with one of my best friends to go to a little festival in Lilburn, GA. I didn't exactly have high expectations for this event because I've never really thought of Lilburn as a happenin', artsy area of town. I still don't. (I am a little biased because I live in the coolest spot in Atlanta...however I also only occupy 600sq/ft of said coolest spot in Atl. Give and take people.) But, the festival was much better than expected! There were tons of vendors with all kinds of fun stuff! Everything from beautiful jewelry to a woman selling socks with black bottoms so you don't have to wash them. Um, gross.

Photographic evidence of previously mentioned festival fun.

We visited with my best friends brothers girlfriend.(Ya get all that?) This was our original reason for going since she had a booth set up for her photography business, Sweetpea's Lifestyle Photography. Her booth was really cute, and I entered my brother and his wife in a drawing for a free photo shoot with her. I'm using The Secret to ensure that they win. ;)

Obviously, I couldn't go to an event like this and not get some festival food. I did manage to pass on the funnel cake though, and instead I got an arepa. To me, it seemed like a Colombian version of a grilled cheese. I ate it right up, and forgot to take a picture. I'm new to this bloggin' thing. I apologize.

Afterwards I headed over to my parents house to check on their dog, as well as my dog niece since the rest of the fam is in the mountains for the day.

Lucy + Bogie = BFF

Lucy is a "labbie mix" and Bogie is a plain old black lab. They are both super sweet rescue pups with the most bizarre amazing personalities. You may wonder how I got them to sit still long enough to take a picture. Well, when I got to my parents I saw that my mom left a package by the front door for me. Apparently, they thought the box was filled with bacon because when I sat down to open it, this is what they did. 

Take a look at the goodies that were really inside:

These bars are great. They range from 170-230 calories per bar, which is a little high, but for a non-breakfast eater like me, they are perfect to use as a meal replacement in the morning. The Sesame & Peanut w/ Chocolate KIND bar is nearly impossible to find in my local grocery store. The box that holds them in the health food aisle is always empty. Womp. Womp. Luckily, I have a very kind mom, and she ordered me a whole box of 'em! Along with a box of the always delicious Luna Bar! I've never tried a Luna Bar that I didn't like, but Chocolate Dipped Coconut is definitely a favorite.

These are nothing like the chewy, artificial, protein bars of the past. Seriously, I had a PowerBar once and I thought I might cry. So if you've had a similar experience give these a try. Hmm...maybe these companies should be sending me these bars for free. If not for my ringing endorsement, then definitely for my rhymes. ;)