Planning, Dresses & Purple Pens: Some Favorites

I got up this morning (even when I really super didn't want to), and did my early morning run of 2.5 miles. And it felt rough. But at the end, I felt good because I have now completed week 5 of my 5K training, and we're just under a month away from race day! Holy crap that's crazy! But I'm excited and ready and I can't wait to have a blast actually running a race...weird!

Today, in honor of completing week 5, I'm sharing five of my current favorite things for "5 Fave Friday."

ONE - Cute, snuggly little boys. Every night for the past two weeks, I've been reading a book to them out loud, and every night they come and snuggle up next to me, and sometimes fight about who's turn it is to sit closer to me. And it's just so stinking sweet. It kinda makes my heart almost burst it's just so sweet. I really do love them, and I'm incredibly blessed to be able to inherit these these precious boys as my step-sons!

TWO - Gems with Friends. It's one of those Zynga games for your phone (like Words with Friends and all those others), but this one is definitely my favorite of all of those. And I'm more than a little obsessed. The problem is, almost no one I know actually plays it, so all of the 'friends' I play with, are just anonymous opponents. So some of you lovelies should get it and then we can play together :) My username is Halez88...

THREE - Buying new dresses, in smaller sizes. It seems like almost all of my clothes are now at a point where they're just getting too big to still be worn. And hello - obviously that's exciting! But my favorite is buying new dresses for work at Target, and instead of buying an XXL (I have a couple of those from a few  years ago), I'm now buying just an L. Definitely a favorite.

FOUR - Wedding planning. Duh. I was going to try not to talk about wedding planning on this list since I talk about it in just about every other post it seems like...but I've got serious "Bride Brain" right now. Soooo #SorryImNotSorry, but planning my wedding is definitely a favorite.

FIVE - Writing in cursive. I know that's a really weird one, but I'm just trying to share 'the real me' with you guys, as nerdy as that real me might be sometimes...But seriously. I started doing it a couple of months ago, in order to practice my cursive handwriting, so that it would look pretty when I hand address our wedding invites. Well now, I just do it all the time! And I really have gotten better, so at least I accomplished my goal of improving. I'll be addressing the envelopes next week, so hopefully I make each one look so pretty!

This awesome purple pen is also my favorite....

And that wraps up five of my most random favorite things right now! Hope you guys liked this little glimpse into some of my weirdness ;) Sometimes I try to keep the weird stuff to myself, but sometimes I just gotta let it out and share it. Today was obviously one of the sharing days. Don't hold it against me though, mmkay?

Tomorrow we take the boys back to their mom, and we won't see them again until our wedding. (Whoa that sounded weird and crazy.) It's been a great six weeks with them this summer, and we've had so much fun together! We have to wake up super early in the morning to hit the road, then drive five hours to North Georgia. Then Jeff and I will head over to Atlanta, to spend one night at his best friend/best man Adam's house. Tomorrow is also our two-year anniversary! But we're putting the celebration on hold for a few days, and we'll go out one night next week. Sunday my whole family will get together for lunch to celebrate our two August birthdays, and then I'm hoping to get some wedding planing or wedding crafting done in the afternoon/evening.

Definitely going to be a busy weekend, but I'm still of course looking forward to it! Hope y'all have good Friday's, and fun weekends as well!

Much Love,
Halie

Pulling Myself Out of This Funk

Today is a day to just tell you how I feel..........

I feel really disconnected from this blog lately, and from blogging in general. I think mainly, it's because I have just been sooo legitimately busy the past few weeks. I started a new job back in the beginning of the month, and since then, I really have zero time to read other blogs. I can't even tell you the last time I just sat down and read a bunch of blogs for the fun of it! And I miss that.

I've also been very busy with all sorts of wedding planning. We're now only 67 days away from the big day, and there's still just a TON of stuff that still needs to be accomplished. Like whoa. I'm doing my best, but it's just hard to stay on top of it all. And planning a wedding is definitely fun - don't get me wrong - but I'll also just be glad once we get past it, and I feel like I can breathe again.

The boys (Jeff's 7-year-old twins) have been here a lot this summer, and that's been great. I really do love them so much and I'm so excited for us to officially become a little family in October. I'm so thankful for the time we have with them during the summer months, since they usually live 9 hours away from us - but it's hard having no time to ourselves for so long. (I really hope that didn't sound like the most horrible, selfish thing to say...please know that's not how I meant it.)

Workouts now happen at least five times a week, with three of those occurring before the sun is even fully in the sky. I wake up early and go to bed late, and I never quite get enough rest. And even though I'm working out so much and running my booty off, I continue to not eat as healthy as I should, so I'm just barely maintaining my weight, rather than losing anything. And of course that's frustrating, but I know it's no one's fault but my own. I just need to get it together...

Basically, I'm just ready for a break. I'm ready for a vacation. I'm ready for some me time. And the great news is that I'm going to be able to get that come October 6th! I'm so excited to marry this man whom I love so much, and who loves me even more in return. But I'm also just really excited to go on a vacation with him once it's all over :)

Today just feels like it's off to a rough start (I had some serious issues on my run this morning that seem to have set the tone for the day), but I'm working on Pulling Myself Out of This Funk, and I'll be Positive Patty once again in a few hours. For now though, I just wanted to write it all out and kinda get it off my chest a little bit. Thanks, blog friends, for lending a listening ear, and always offering encouragement and kind words. That's one of my favorite things about this blogging community we're in!

Position With Benefits

GUYS!!!! Anyone know what happens tomorrow? Well, probably not because I haven't actually mentioned it yet here on the bloggy-blog, buuuuttt....I START MY NEW POSITION TOMORROW! And obviously I'm quite a bit excited about it. Can't you tell? At least a little bit?

Anyways, I currently work for the State of Florida, doing assistant/clerical kind of work, which I've been doing for two years and seven months. My old position is OPS (Other Personnel Services), which means that I am still paid by an hourly wage, I don't get benefits or any retirement options, paid vacations or any holiday/sick time. So basically it kinda sucks, as far as all that goes. Well, about a month ago, I interviewed (and had to do a test!) for a new position in my Department, in another section, and after waiting around for literally four weeks, I just found out last Monday that I was selected for the position!

This entire week, I've been training a girl who will be taking my place, and that's been interesting.... I'm having to try to teach her everything I've learned in almost three years, in just three days. And y'all, that's a TON of information to try to tell somebody! Luckily for me, she seems to be a pretty smart cookie, and the training hasn't been too difficult. I've just been running my mouth nonstop trying to go over every possible little thing, in hopes that I'm making some sense to her!

So today is my last day of training her about my old position, and then tomorrow I will report to my new supervisor to begin training with her. Then I'll be learning and training with her for at least a week, maybe two depending on how quickly I can catch on, and then finally I'll move on and start all my new duties on my own.

But y'all wanna know the best part of this deal? Well actually, there's lots of perks with this new position. The first one is that I'll move from OPS into Career Service, which means I now have a salary (like a big girl!), and I'll get paid vacation days like Labor Day and Veteran's Day and Christmas and all those fun kinds of days. I'll also start accruing annual and sick leave hours that I'll get paid for if I need to use those to be out of work. I'll also get my own benefits and insurance now.

But now let's actually get to the best part - I will have my very own office! It has four walls and a door...and a WINDOW! This is the real deal y'all, not just some desk out in the open where everyone passes by me 4,271 times a day. This will be my very own office! And I'm stoked. (Once I get some cute stuff set up in there, I'll share some pictures of the new space.) Yes, my new position is definitely going to be much harder, and I'll actually have to put more effort into work each day, but I'm OK with that. I got too settled into a mediocre job before for too long, and it led to basically nowhere. It's definitely time to invest a little bit more, and work at being a real grown up.

So here's the deal though, I ummmm, used to blog from work (please don't tattle on me for that one), but that's definitely not going to be an option anymore, or at least not for quite some time. So my plan right now is to blog at night and schedule them for the next morning, but who knows how that will work out. Some weeks you might get five posts, some weeks you might get two. So just bare with me for a while, and I'll do my best! Because I love blogging too much, and I love y'all too much, to just give it up all together, so I'm not going anywhere.

Well actually, I'm moving up five floors to my new office, but don't worry, I'll still be here in my same little corner of the internets, blogging about my little ole life :)

Part of the Youth Group No More

I've been going back and forth about whether or not I want to or should write about this, but I think I've finally come to the conclusion that I just want to get it off my chest. So even though I'm still a little hesitant and reluctant to do so, I'm going for it anyways, and hopefully I feel OK about it in the end...

Most of you probably don't know, because I haven't talked about it in over six months now, but had two jobs for a very long time. One was with the State of Florida, and one was with my church. Here's the super vague, 'Reader's Digest' version of the story...

I had been working with the youth group since I graduated high school in 2006 whenever I could during college. Then when I graduated and moved back in 2010, I worked with them as much as possible, and was even brought on as a paid staff member. Then the youth pastor resigned and I ended up doing it all by myself for about a year and a half. (And now here's where we get even more vague...) Then in December 2012, I found out that as of January, I would no longer be on staff, and instead they were hiring someone else to be the full-time youth pastor.

I was heart-broken. I literally cried about this for weeks, probably a full month, because I was so sad about it. I had wanted to be the full-time youth pastor, but I was told we didn't have the money. And now they were kicking me out to bring someone else in. I had been working with our youth group for seven years, and now this happened. It was devastating. The group of kids that were seniors, were the same group that were just in 6th grade my very first year of volunteering. I had been with them all through middle and high school, and now I wouldn't be a part of it for their final semester. Yes, I could still be a part of their lives, but I wouldn't be a part of their youth group.

So now the reason I'm finally talking about what happened this week, is because my youth group is on our annual mission trip to Miami to work with the kids at Touching Miami with Love, and I'm struggling so much with not being there. This is the first year since 2006 that I haven't gone, and I hardly know what to do with myself. I log onto Facebook, and see pictures posted of them with the kids down there, and I miss them all so much. I miss my youth, and I miss the kids from Miami. And I miss just being a part of the youth group as a whole.

All pictures from last year's TML trip, in June 2012.

Yesterday I was in a funk all day, and I didn't realize why at first. But I eventually figured out it's because I was missing TML so much. One of the first things I saw yesterday morning was a picture of my kids down there, and I think it just made me miss it all so much, and then made me kinda sad the rest of the day. And then when I saw another one last night around 10 pm (after a long, rough day and a headache), I just kinda lost it. I curled up with my head on Jeff's chest and just cried about it for a while. And writing this this morning, I'm getting a little teary-eyed still.

There's really no moral to this post or lesson I've learned or anything like that, I just needed to write down how I'm feeling, and get it off my chest a little bit. I think this whole week will be rough still since I can't be down there and be a part of it. I'll see more pictures, and read status updates, and continue to miss everyone and everything so much. I know I'll be OK, I know that. But it still just sucks so bad sometimes, ya know?

Last year's TML group, on field trip day.

I know God has a reason for everything He does, so I know there's a reason I wasn't mean to be there this week, or even meant to still be on staff on church. I get that. But that doesn't mean it's easy to deal with all the time. I know this is God's plan, but it still makes me sad. I still wish I was down there with them. I wish I was singing those silly songs over and over again, and constantly having to tell kids and youth alike to stop acting like crazy people. I still wish that I was playing Ultimate Frisbee with them before dinner, and then card games and 4-men-on-a-couch for hours on end before bed time. Those times from the past meant a lot to me, and it's when I formed some great relationships with some of these youth. I know they're all having a blast and loving their week so far, but I sure do wish I was there with them.

Perfume, Pictures & Plans (Currently I'm...)

Thursday. One more day before Friday, and then the weekend. Ahhh it's so close I can almost taste it. Right?! Anyways, I love doing these "currently" posts, and it's been quite a while since I've done one. So guess what? That's exactly what I'm going to do today. (Big surprise right? Not like that was actually hard to guess or anything.)

- Wishing: that I didn't have to work today. Jeff took today and tomorrow off to hang out with the boys, and I wish I could have done that too. But I'm OPS (hourly, not salary) so I don't get paid if I'm not working. And I need to get paid...

- Wearing: the pretty pearl necklace my sister gave me as part of my bridesmaid gift last month

- Listening: to Lady Antebellum's newest album 'Golden' on repeat allllll the time. It' so good!

- Missing: my friend, old roommate and bridesmaid, Bridget! She lives in Ohio, so it's not like I see her often, but we have a phone date scheduled for tonight, so I'm excited for that!

- Obsessing: over Gems with Friends on my iPhone. Seriously guys - I think I might actually be obsessed with this game. Get it, and then add me to play: Halez88.

- Craving: sushi again, and I just had it last night. (Not low-carb, I'm aware, but I don't care....) But that's what seems to happen with me though - once I eat it, I crave it again and again and again. Oh, but this was a new place we tried, and liked it a lot. Great prices too, especially for dinner-time sushi. Definitely will visit this place again.

- Planning: a wedding, duh! No but seriously, once the boys go home for 2 weeks, that's 2 weeks full of go-go-go wedding planning time.

- Ignoring: the huge stack of mail that I need to go through. I hate getting junk mail, and I hate having to go through it. I know there's some bills in there though too, so I guess I really do need to get on that.

- Anticipating: Going back to the pool on Saturday for some water and sunshine, and Wild Adventures on Sunday!

- Loving: that the new camera we ordered finally came in last night! We had talked about getting a new one for the honeymoon, and when we saw a great deal on Groupon, we snatched it up real fast. Can't wait to test it out later tonight!

- Reading: 'The Hobbit' and really liking it so far, although I'm only about 50 pages in. I've seen the movie a couple time already though and loved it, so I'm pretty sure I'll like the book too.

- Procrastinating: laundry. I always hate doing laundry. Hate it so much.

- Feeling: dumb because I locked my keys in my car last night, again. This is probably my worst habit - I get to where I'm going, but I'm not ready to get out quite yet. So I turn off the car, and pull the keys halfway out of the ignition. I sit for a minute or two or gather up all my stuff, and then exit the car, lock the doors, and leave the keys still hanging from the ignition. I've got to figure out a way to break that bad habit. (Luckily, I have the greatest fiance ever, and he drove over to my house with his spare before work this morning.)

- Smelling: same as last time I did this in January, my favorite perfume - Versace Bright Crystal

Well that was fun and easy, just like usual. And look at me go - I even had relevant pictures to accompany the post this time. (Granted, I took one of those at my desk this morning just for this post. I'll let you decide which one that was...But still, better than nothing.) We're taking the boys swimming again tonight, at one of their church-friends' houses, so I'm looking forward to that. All I have to do is make it through the rest of the work day first. Blah.

So what are you currently up to? Have any other fun 'ings' to add to my list? Happy Thursday friends :)

Places To Go & Things To Do

I haven't shared a good "About Me" style post in a couple of months now, and my blog has definitely grown a lot since then. So today I've decided to give y'all a little more insight into my life! I've seen this in blog-land before, so I can't take credit for it, but I have no idea who came up with it to give them credit....Oh well. It's gonna be fun anyways :) So here's a reverse pyramid of getting-to-know-Halie facts.

10 Favorite Foods

Pizza - just about any toppings make me happy

Pasta - I like the 'short' noodles best, i.e. penne, rotini, bowtie, elbow...

Popcorn - at the movie theater is best

Buffalo Chicken Po'Boy -or anything buffalo!

Chicken Pot Pie - homemade by my Mama

Chocolate cake - or anything chocolate!

Chips & Salsa

Pretzels

Big juicy burgers from restaurants

Cupcakes

(Note: these are my favorite foods regardless of how healthy I'm trying to eat. I try to limit them, but I still love them anyways.)

For the record - Jeff & I split that and made it into 2 burgers. I didn't eat that whole thing...

9 Favorite Movies

The Sound of Music

Pitch Perfect

Pirates of the Caribbean

My Girl

How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days

The Little Mermaid

The Princess Bride

the Harry Potter series

The Holiday

(Note: I have sooo many favorites, narrowing it down to 9 was difficult!)

8 Favorite Musical Artists

The Civil Wars

Carrie Underwood

Gavin DeGraw

Rascal Flatts

Kelly Clarkson

The Band Perry

Lady Antebellum

Walk Off the Earth

(Note: Again, I have so many different ones, and they're constantly changing, but this is good for now...)

7 Things I Love Right Now

The sunshine

Avocado

My Polar Watch

Vine (find me! - HalieRenee88)

Bike Rides with Jeff

Learning how to play my ukulele

"The New Girl"

6 Places I'd Love To Visit

Italy - let's be honest - to eat my way all over the country

Switzerland

Cincinnati, Ohio - to visit Bridget!

Any tropical island (really, I'd take just about all of them)

California

Paris, France

5 Favorite Games

Catch Phrase

Pictionary

Quelf

Golf (the card game, not the ball & putter game)

Phase Ten

4 Things I'd Like To Do Again

Take a trip back to NYC

Go on another cruise

Take a cross-country road trip with my college girlfriends 

Go snorkeling in the Keys

(Seems like all the things I want to re-do are all travel-related!)

3 Things I'd Like To Do in 2013

Visit a new state

Ride my bike 500 miles total (Only 7 down...)

Read 24 books (So far, I'm only on number 6)

2 Facts About Me

I get really easily creeped out - random things give me the "heebie-jeebies" all. the. time.

I've never broken a bone or had surgery or had braces

1 Meaning Behind My Blog Name

It's just three of my very favorite things - that just all happen to start with the letter "P!" I also really just like alliterations wherever possible, so that's one reason I did it that way. And for those those haven't noticed, every single one of my blog post titles starts with a "P" as well! (Full story of when/why I started my blog HERE.)

And that does it for the about-me stuff!

This morning, I did day 2 of the 6 Week Six-Pack, and was able to keep up a tiny bit better. Not completely, but better. By the end of this thing, maybe I'll be able to stay with her the whole time!? I'm feeling pretty great though, and it was a good way to start off my day, despite the fact I did not want to wake up that early to do it. But I'm glad I did :)

I'm only working a half day at work, and then leaving at noon. Then, the Family & Child Sciences department (my sister's major) is hosting a reception for the graduates and their families, so we'll hit that up this afternoon. Then our whole family is having dinner together and finally heading to the Civic Center to watch my sister and my cousin both graduate from Florida State University! Yay!! Tomorrow, myself, my Mama and my Aunt Suzanne are going shopping in Jacksonville (mother-of-the-bride dress for my mom for Meg's wedding, and wedding dresses for me!). And then Sunday Jeff and I have planned a beach trip to St. George Island for the afternoon! Definitely looking forward to that. Hopefully the weather cooperates!

I hope y'all have wonderful Friday's, and even better weekends! Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!

Prompt 1 - My Life in 250 Words

Back with a second post today (my weigh-in was posted earlier this morning), because I want to share my super quick auto-biography, in 250 words or less. (Mine turned out to be 249! Bam.) I just found this fun idea today, and I can't wait to join in the rest of the month. I doubt I'll be able to do every single prompt, but I'll do what I can, when I can. If you want to join in on the challenge to Write Every Day in May, visit Jenni's cute blog HERE.

I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. For a long time, my little family was “broken” and so my mom took care of my sister and me basically all on her own; then my parents divorced when I was 12. Even through the trials though, my Mama raised us in a Christian home, and we know that our faith in the Lord is what brought us through some of those tough times. Luckily, my Mama got remarried to an amazing man when I was 16, and he loves us as his own. I was a cheerleader in high school, and was also involved in a ton of groups and activities in both school and church. I went to Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, for college, and made an incredible group of friends who I love dearly. I am so grateful for all of them! I am now living in Tallahassee again, engaged to an amazing man and planning our wedding for this upcoming October! Jeff and I love riding our bikes and going on adventures together. Besides blogging, I like to learn new recipes, try new crafts, and attempt cute nail art. I’m also on a journey to become healthier and lose weight, so that’s a big part of my life now too. I’m very positive and organized, and somewhat outgoing. I love smiling and laughing and playing games with my friends. I am a blessed woman, and I thank the Lord for what he’s given me! 

Photo by Phil Pullen Photography

Pasta, Pizza & Bread Should Have Zero Calories

Tuesday there was a fun link up floating around, but I didn't participate because that's also the day that I host my own link up. But it was so much fun reading everyone else's responses, that I figured I'd just jump in a couple of days late and join in as well. So today I'll be participating in Holly & Jake's "Finish the Sentence" link up! They're having a small contest for the funniest ones, but I'm not really a "funny" writer, so I'm just going to answer them normally :)

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat... every slice of bread, bowl of pasta, and piece of pizza I could possibly shovel into this mouth of mine. I'm a sucker for any kind of bread and carbs.

2. On my prom night... I danced a whole lot more with my friends and no one in particular than my actual date. He thought he was too good for some dancing, so I decided I didn't need him anyways...

3. When I go to the store, I always buy... bananas definitely, and all sorts of veggies.

4. Family functions typically...  are very loud, but lots of fun, and we almost always end up talking about something really gross, too personal, or just plain weird.

5. I think my blog readers... are some of the coolest ladies, who are so sweet and encouraging of this crazy weight loss journey I'm on! And have also become some great friends as well :)

6. I'd much rather be... laying on a beach, enjoying the smell of sunscreen and salty air wafting around me, the warm sunshine beating down on my skin, with a book in my right hand and a snack in my left.

7. I have an obsession with... dresses. Seriously - I own over 40 I'm sure (and I actually wear almost all of them! Maybe only like 6-8 that I don't), and I still buy new ones pretty frequently. I can justify that though, because I wear a dress 5 out of 7 days a week, so I'm definitely getting good use out of all of these! I loooove dresses :)

8. My work friends... are kind of nonexistent. The guy that works closest to me drives me absolutely INSANE with his stupidity and loud eating and teeth sucking and smacking noises, so he's definitely not my "friend." And the rest of them are all older-ish ladies. I mean, they're nice and we get along just fine, but I'm not buddy-buddy with any of them.

9. When I created my Facebook account... it was my last semester of high school and I was getting ready for college, so I finally had a college email address - back when that mattered in order to sign up for Facebook. And I definitely thought I was so awesome.

10. My least favorite word is... fester. Ick. Also, crud and crevice.

11. I really don't remember... not too much. I have a crazy memory when it comes to dates, events, places and such. I'm really observant, so I remember super weird details about almost everything.

12. Justin Bieber... isn't my favorite little fella, but I gotta admit some of his songs are incredible catchy, and I find myself singing along and groovin' a bit, despite the fact I will claim I don't like him.

Well now I just hopped over to Jake's blog, only to find out that the link up is actually closed...womp, womp, woooomp. That's stinks. But oh well, because this baby is already written, and so she's getting published anyways. Whatev's.

And on a completely unrelated note, Jeff and I finished the entire series of Fringe on Tuesday night, and I literally cried for the the last 20 minutes of the episode. It was so good! And so sweet, and awesome, and I was clearly very emotionally invested in these characters and this show. It was an awesome show, and I'm so glad we watched the whole thing over the last few months! But now what do we watch? Anyone have a favorite show to suggest? (That we can find on Netflix or Roku or Amazon Prime?!)

Happy Thursday ladies, only one more day until our ever-beloved weekend!!

Post, Comment & Friend #1 - First Things First

Hello to y'all on this Tuesday morning! Like I've said before, Tuesday's are always fun for me here in blog-land, because Tuesday's always mean the First Things First link up! This is actually our 11th week of this link up, and the third week of awesome co-hosts. And of course today's co-host's are no exception. Today's co-hosts are Jenna @ Life is Sweet and Kristyn @ Carolina Fireflies! I feel special connections with these two, because Jenna lives not too far from me here in Florida, and Kristyn attended FSU and is a Florida State Seminole's fan like myself!

And our first topics for today are all blog-related:

First ever blog post

First ever blog comment

First ever blog-friend or friends

First ever blog post:
I first started "blogging" in college, when I had to write a couple blogs as part of class assignments. (My degree is in communication.) So I actually had three other blogs before I started this one. ("Serving in Love" - about doing mission work and serving others; "Song & Verse Connections" - trying to find deeper meanings in 'secular' songs; and "My Digital Imagination" - was for my photojournalism class. I still add pictures to this one very rarely.)

Anyways, I knew about blogging and how to blog, but didn't have one of my own. Some of my friends from college did though, and I loved them. Then while on an amazing 10-day road trip with some of my bestest girlfriends, they convinced me that I really could and should start a blog. So the day after we got back, and went on to Blogger, and created yet another blog - but this time it was personal. (That sounded like I was talking about a threat or something...) My first post was just something short and sweet, stating that I was (obviously) starting a blog. To me, I can't decide whether that post makes me sound really dumb/silly or whether I still sound exactly the same...? Real exciting stuff nonetheless. At least I've gotten better since then, right?

However, it did make me realize that I've still never talked about that awesome vacation - the GART - which stands for Great American Road Trip. So I most definitely need to do that sometime.

First ever blog comment:
This first ever comment I got on this blog was from my Youth Pastor turned mentor turned employer turned friend turned who-even-knows-what-exactly-to-call-him-now, back just a few weeks into this blog. I had posted about ordering my first pair of TOMS, and he commented on that post wanting to know if I ever gotten them! I did of course, and loved them right away. Then for months and months and months, I really only shared my blog with my friends and family. And all of them were so good about commenting all the time! And I loved knowing they were reading my blog too. (Kaley, Maggie, Dani, Christina, Nicole, Megan, Amanda, & Rae).

Then the first comment I ever got from a "stranger" was just last March, on this Picture Every Hour post from just a little over a year ago, from Jesse at Well, It's Okay. She said she loved all the things in my blog title, and loved looking at the pictures from my trip! I was overjoyed and excited with this first comment from a stranger! I hardly knew what to do with myself. Then a few more months went by with just comments from friends and family, and then finally I started to really get serious about this blogging thing last September. Since then, I feel like it's just blown up and I love how this blog has taken off lately. Love it! And love making friends with all you wonderful ladies! :)

First ever blog-friend or friends:
Ummm....I'm think my first ever blog-friend was probably the lovely Hallie at Life: Oceanside!! I'm not sure which one of us found the other one first, but we were so excited, because we are so similar! Our names are really close, obviously, we both live in Florida, we both love the Seminoles and we definitely love the beach. She was the first one I ever "guest posted" for, with a super yummy pumpkin cupcake recipe. From then on, we exchanged lots of emails and comments and bloggy-love, and eventually, we even started this very link up together!! (For those that are new, she's taking a break from co-hosting for a couple months, because she's super busy getting ready for her wedding, which is now just under two weeks away!!)

Then some of the other girls who I made connections with around that time were: Syndal at Synfully Delicious, Amy at Positively Amy (formerly Not Your Average Baby Blog) and Lauren at Outside the Frame.Since then, I have made seemingly countless friendships here in the blog world! And that is something I am seriously soooo thankful for!! Not that I think I will remember them all, but here are some other awesome ladies that I'm so glad I'm blog-friends with now: Angie, Erin, Robin, Kaitlyn, Gayle, Ricci, Jenna, Kayla, Jess, Whitney, Aunie, Veronica, Bri & Rachel. And of course Jenna & Kristyn! Glad to have you ladies as part of my blog-life, and my real life too! :)

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing! Can't wait to see all the new link ups this week, meet new friends, and read y'all's posts!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics

2. Please follow me, as well as this week's co-hosts, Jenna & Kristyn.

3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog

4. Link up with us! (Link will appear on all three blogs.)

5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!

6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

Tweet

And if you'd like to prepare and get ready for next week's First Things First link up, start by checking out next week's awesome co-hosts,  Veronica @ Passion, Pink & Pearls and Jess @ Jess Is More.  Next week's first topics will be about the beginning of our college days, with:
1. First roommate(s)
2. First time living away from home (when/where/why)
3. First college dorm room (we want to see pictures and read explanations!)

Pretty Jewelry & Magazines - First Things First

Hello again loves! Today is of course another Tuesday, and that of course means another round of First Things First. I'm still having sooo much fun with this link up, and I'm loving the new girls that join in and link up each week! And I'm also really loving having awesome new co-hosts every week, and this week is of course no exception. (Did I really just say "of course" three separate times in just three sentences? That was redundant and unnecessary. Oh well. You can't expect me to be a perfect blogger all the time, right? Hahaha)

This week my fun new co-hosts are Carrie @ The Carrie Gland and Allie @ Tales of a Twenty Something!

And this week, the 'first' topics we're talking about are:

First magazine subscription
First real piece of jewelry you owned

First time staying home alone

First magazine subscription:

Um, I'm not sure I remember exactly, but I think back in the day I used to have a subscription to Highlights. Please tell me y'all remember that one?! I'm sure it's still in every pediatrician's office in America. It always was when I was little at least! I remember reading about animals and other countries and 'travel' (because what 8-yr-old is really out travelling?), and lord knows what else. But mostly I was in it for the hidden object challenges! 

And then in my early teen years, I was able to make the move up to Seventeen Magazine! And let me tell you - I thought I was the cat's pajamas when I started getting this one, even though I was only thirteen! (I think I was under the impression you had to actually be seventeen...) And I'm guessing it was filled with things that teenage girls deem all-important, such as shoes, make-up, clothes, boys, boys and more boys.

First real piece of jewelry you owned:

Well I used to have lots of lockets, necklaces and stuff from my early high school years. And I also remember receiving a few real-ish rings for Christmas when I was younger too. But, I'm not really sure how 'real' any of those were, and plus, I don't have any of it anymore. So if it would have been completely real, I probably would have kept up with it better.

So, I'm gonna go with the ring my parents bought my for my 18th birthday present! I actually knew I was getting it,  because they had let me go to the store to try some on and pick out a few of my favorites. I didn't know I was getting this exact one, but knew I was getting one in general. So when I opened this one, I was in loooove with it! And really, I still am! I have worn it every day since they gave it to me, which means I've been wearing it for seven years! (Well, except for two weeks a couple of summers ago, when the pink heart had to be put back in and get everything tightened.) I personally think it's so very pretty, and I still get so many compliments on it actually :)

I still wear it every day, although now it's on my right hand, obviously!!

First time I stayed home alone:

I don't think I really remember this one either! I remember having a couple of babysitters when I was younger. One of them was our old pastor's daughter, one of them was another high school girl from the church... and a lot of times we would just go stay at our Grandparents' house. But I think I was probably 13 or so the first time I was allowed to stay home alone. But apparently it didn't make such a huge impact on me, because I can't really remember one specific instance! 

I do remember though the first summer I was allowed to stay home and not go to camp every day was after my 7th grade year. I had made the cheerleading squad, and we had a lot of practices, so I would go to practice in the morning, and get to stay home by myself all afternoon! Thinking back now, I have NOOO idea what I did every day all summer long. I mean I'm sure I hung out with friends some of those days, but still, what did I do with the rest of my time?! Silly teenagers...

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing! Can't wait to see all the new link ups this week, meet new friends, and read y'all's posts!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics

2. Please follow me, as well as this week's co-hosts, Carrie & Allie.

3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog

4. Link up with us! (Link will appear on all three blogs.)

5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!

6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

Tweet

And if you'd like to prepare and get ready for next week's First Things First link up, start by checking out next week's awesome co-hosts, Jenna @ Life Is Sweet & Kristyn @ Carolina Fireflies. And you can also start preparing your next post, about the following blog-related first topics!
1. First ever blog post

2. First ever comment on your blog

3. First blog-friend or friends

Pride, Accidents & the Fridge - First Things First

Good morning and happy Tuesday blog world and friends! I don't know if y'all have noticed or not, but I'm always super happy and peppy and excited on Tuesdays. And that's because I'm reeeeally loving our First Things First link up! Last week's link up however, was rough you guys. Why? Because it made me sooo hungry and crave such unhealthy things! I read each and every one of your posts that you link up, and so seeing almost 30 posts full of delicious food was kind of torturous for this girl who's trying her hardest to eat right! I'm thinking I need to ban food-related posts in the future, or maybe just do healthy food-related ones!

Today we've got two more awesome ladies co-hosting with me, and I know you'll love them too! Today's co-hosts are Jess @ City Sequins and Robin @ The Sunshine Diary! And once Robin sent me that beautiful, tropical picture of her and her man, I knew I had to make a theme out of it, and made sure Jess and I got in on the beachy action too :)

And this week's First Things First topics are:

First thing I reach for in the fridge

First car accident or traffic violation

First BIG accomplishment I'm proud of

First thing I reach for in the fridge
Well that all depends on a lot of different factors, but mainly the time of day. Is it morning? Maybe I'm reaching for some strawberries. If it's lunch time? Then I'm probably grabbing some condiments for my veggie burger. For my afternoon snack? Definitely a low-fat string cheese stick. And dinner time? That could be only Lord knows what... 

First car accident or traffic violation
Sooo, anyone who knows me in real life knows that this used to be a big issue for me... in high school, I had two speeding tickets, and a handful of minor accidents before I even made it to graduation. The first ticket or accident I had was a speeding ticket just three months after I turned 16. However, I already recapped my first speeding ticket issue back in my first ever First Things First post, so instead I'll tell you about my first accident...

However, I'm really embarrassed about this actually, because it just proves what a typical, dumb blonde I was in high school. (Really, I have gotten much better now. And I'm hardly even blonde anymore...!) But it was around June of that same year, so I'd only been driving for about five months. My sister and I had gone out to my Uncle's house to go swimming one night. When it was time to leave, I put the top down on the convertible, and just started backing down their extremely long driveway, without paying too much attention. And then BAM! I backed right into a tree. It crushed the right side of my back bumper and shattered the tail light as well. I of course freak out and start sobbing uncontrollably like my world had just ended. It was a major deal people.

And the reason I feel so stupid about this - is because I was in a convertible, with NO blind spots or anything, because the top was down. There's no reason I shouldn't have seen a giant TREE! But such is life, and I had to learn the hard way that I can't reverse down a driveway and talk to my sister at the same time, without a care in the world...

First BIG accomplishment I'm proud of
I feel like that's kind of hard to say actually. I mean obviously, I'm proud of my college degree. But I think anyone that has one would say they're proud of it. So I'm gonna go with back in 2011, when I successfully lost 35 pounds for the first time! I started out at 227 pounds in April 2010, and by August 2011, I was at 192 pounds! That was definitely an accomplishment I was proud of. Unfortunately, I didn't keep it all off, and so now I'm fighting to re-lose some of that again. At the beginning of January 2013, I was 217 pounds again. As of today though, I'm back down to 197 pounds! And my goal is to be 185 by mid-May for my sister's wedding! You can read my entire weight loss story here and you can read all of my weight loss posts here.

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing! Can't wait to see all the new link ups this week, meet new friends, and read y'all's posts!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics

2. Please follow me, as well as this week's co-hosts,  Jess & Robin.

3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog

4. Link up with us! (Link will appear on all three blogs.)

5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!

6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

Tweet

And if you'd like to prepare and get ready for next week's First Things First link up, start by checking out next week's awesome co-hosts, Carrie @ The Carrie Gland & Allie @ Tales of a Twenty Something.

1. First real piece of jewelry you owned

2. First magazine subscription

3. First time staying home alone

P-cubed: Say My Name

Yesterday, lots of ladies around the blogosphere participated in a link up (with Amber @ Brunch with Amber) to share why they picked that particular name for their blog name. Well I was doing Weigh In Wednesday, so I missed it yesterday, but I decided to join in and link up just a day late :) So here's a simple story about why I picked my blog name, P-cubed/P-to-the-third, or better known as:

"Penguins, Pasta & Polka Dots."

So, I first started my blog in August 2010. I had just graduated college that April, and I moved away from the college town and a lot of my friends who still lived there. Then for the first 10 days of August, I went on an epic road trip with 5 of my best girlfriends from Florida > North Carolina > Tennessee > New Jersey > New York City, and then we reversed the whole thing back down. And it was amazing!! (And I just realized I've never written about it on this blog, so that'll definitely be coming up soon!) 
While on that trip, we got on the topic of blogs, because my friends Megan and Kaley already had them, and I kind of wanted to start one. I was afraid though that I wouldn't know what to write about, or that I wouldn't have anything interesting to say, and so I was kind of slow to take the leap. However, they convinced me that I would be good at it, and that I should just start one, for no other reason than to stay updated with my friends in other cities. 
So the very night I got back home from our road trip, I started setting up this here blog! I'm definitely a words kind of girl (meaning I love words, and hate numbers), and I've always been a fan of alliterations. Thus, I knew that's the direction I would go. And then from there, it just kinda happened pretty easily! Penguins, Pasta & Polka dots are easily three of my very favoritest things, and they just all flowed together so nicely! 

The first post wasn't anything exciting, but I sure liked writing it. And it definitely set into motion a momentum to keep me writing. I purposefully made my first post title start with a 'P'  as well, in order to mimic the title of  my new blog. Then the second one kind of happened on accident the next day. And then my friend Dani suggested I should make ALL of my post titles start with a 'P'! And decided to accept her challenge, even though I wasn't sure I could do it for very long. So as we were driving around town doing errands that day, my Mama, Papa and myself made a list of every single P word we could possibly think of, and I took notes on my little iTouch. We came up with hundreds of words that day!  Now I keep a list of all the P words in a bulleted-and-alphabetized Word document, and strike through each one as it get's used. (Can you tell I'm a little weird and OCD about things sometimes? Please someone tell me you do weird stuff like this too...) Right now, there are 455 words on my list!! It gets added to occasionally as I think of new words or realize ones that have been left out. And I try to not repeat words I've already used in titles - but there are definitely still repeats. For instance - the three words penguins, pasta and polka dots have been used multiple times, but I've given those a free pass for unlimited repeats, since it is the blog title and all. But I'd say out of my 289 published posts, only about 10-15 of those have other repeated words!  I hope some of you have noticed that each and every title starts with a P, because sometimes it's really tricky to think of something that makes sense with that post, but I work hard to figure it out each time! I know a couple of you have mentioned you noticed it, but only after months of following me! Haha :) I've considered trying to stray away from it, but I just can't seem to do that yet. So I'm going to try to keep it up for as long as possible on this here blog!  Well, that ended up being wayyyy longer than I was expecting! Hopefully that wasn't boring for y'all, and that you still want to stick around, even after a rambling post such as this one...I'll try to be more exciting tomorrow, although I can't really guarantee that if this stupid cold won't go away! I'm still sucking down an enourmous amount of hot tea and Emergen-C, and going to bed early. Super exciting right? Anyways, at least it's Thursday, which means that we're getting very close to the weekend :) So happy Thursday!

Pomegranate Tea - First Things First

Hello Lovers! I am sooo super excited for this link up today, because even though I'll miss my dear Hallie, today is the first day of all my new co-hosts! While Hallie is busy preparing for all sorts of wedding stuff, I have some awesome blogger friends that are helping me co-host this fun link up every week for the next couple of months. And today is the first week of that! Hooray! 

Today, the two lovely ladies co-hosting with me are Gayle @ Grace for Gayle and Ricci @ Ricci Explains It All

And today's topics, which are all food-related, are:

First beverage of choice

First breakfast of choice

First dessert of choice

First beverage of choice: Almost always always water, especially right now when I'm really trying to be super healthy. And I'm also staying away from sugar right now which eliminates most everything else. So definitely water all the time. But I have also gotten re-obsessed with hot tea, so there's been a lot of that happening lately too! Like, at least twice a day every day at work... My favorite flavor right now is Pomegranate. But if I'm going for a splurge, I'd love a Polar Pop from the Circle K - half Cherry Coke and half Coke Zero, and a whopping 75 cents. So yummy. Jeff is the best at getting the mixture of the two just perfect :)

First breakfast of choice: Hmmm, this one depends... On weekday's I almost always have either a banana or some strawberries. However, if it's a Saturday morning at home, usually I want my dad to make me an egg sandwich or fried eggs on a bagel. But I also love me some pancakes, especially with chocolate chips in them :)  And if I'm going all out, some peanut butter smeared on top. However, I'm currently trying to steer clear of all of those delicious and fattening things, so I try to stick with fruit even on the weekends.

First dessert of choice: Probably cheesecake. I don't think I'd ever turn down a great cheesecake. Or any cheesecake for that matter. In all reality, I'd just never turn down a cheesecake... But other than that, I love all things that combine the gloriousness of chocolate and peanut butter. Like Reese's or something. Ooooh, how about some Reese's cheesecake? Sounds amazing.

Smothered in strawberry sauce and Hershey's is the way I prefer it, especially for my birthday, which this was :)

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing! Can't wait to see all the new link ups this week, meet new friends, and read y'all's posts!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics

2. Please follow me, as well as this week's co-hosts, Ricci & Gayle.

3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog

4. Link up with us! (Link will appear on all three blogs.)

5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!

6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

Tweet

And if you'd like to prepare and get ready for next week's First Things First link up, start by checking out next week's awesome co-hosts, Jessica @ City Sequins & Robin @ The Sunshine Diary. And the topics for next week are:

1. First speeding ticket or traffic accident

2. First BIG accomplishment you're proud of

3. First thing you usually reach for in the fridge

Paris, Pens, Playlist, Planner & Pink

I am 'stealing' this idea from my friend Bri over at Breezy Days. She just did this yesterday, and I thought it was so cute, I had to write it down so I could do it someday myself. But I just couldn't wait and started working on it right away, so that I could just post it today! Plus, I've gotten a ton of new followers from a giveaway I'm participating in, so I figure you newbies might like to learn a little more about me. And besides, we all know how much I love lists, right?! 

Well I decided to add a little spin on things, and also add in a few more categories, so here we go!

Sets of FIVES

Five things you'll find in my purse...

1. There's almost always a bottle or two of nail polish in there

2. Six, colored Sharpie pens, that no one else can write with...

3. Burt's Bees chap stick. Always. 

4. Hand lotion, because I hate it when my hands feel dry

5. Little pouch full of gift cards waiting to be spent until I lose more weight (don't want to buy clothes now, then quickly shrink out of them in the next couple months!)

Five things you'll find in my bedroom...

1. Tons of stuff that doesn't have a 'home' so it just sits around somewhere

2. Stuffed animals, even though I'm 25 years old

3. Almost always or pile or basket of clean clothes I don't feel like dealing with

4. A bookshelf stuffed to the brim, and still piles of books on the floor...

5. Candles on just about every flat surface (bookshelf, vanity, dresser, night stand, knick-knack shelf...)

Five things I've always wanted to do...

1. Get a tattoo!

2. Go to Paris

3. Learn the guitar, although recently I've changed that to ukulele ;)

4. Get married

5. Meet and pet a penguin!!

Five random things I'm currently loving...

1. My beautiful engagement ring :) P.S. - Y'all getting tired of me mentioning that? Hope not, 'cause I prob won't stop...

2. My running playlist I made for myself

3. Veggie burgers - just sans bun for a little while since I'm trying to be super low-carb

4. Blogging. But duh, I always love that. It's just been sooo much fun lately! Thanks to you wonderful peeps :)

5. A lot more pink than usual...Turquoise is supposed to be my favorite, but I've been rockin' a lot of pink lately

Five weird quirks I have...

1. I always have multiple water glasses in my room, because I can't drink it again once it gets dusty overnight

2. I'm OCD about really random things (bed sheets, labels, my planner, placement of things)

3. I get creeped out easily and get the heebie-jeebies from the most random stuff. Like, a LOT.

4. I can kind of imitate Mickey Mouse, especially when I say, "Oh boy!" and sometimes when I laugh

5. My toenails must always, always be painted. Otherwise, ew.... I hate it.

Five random songs from my running playlist...

1. 22 by Taylor Swift

2. What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake

3. Thrift Shop by Macklemore

4. Keep Holding On by the Glee cast

5. Babel by Mumford & Sons

That was fun, and easy! Just my favorite kind of blog post :) You guys should play along too if you want, because I always like learning more about my blog friends! So what are some random things about you??