Prompt #17 - Favorite Photo & Why

Day 17 - A favorite photo of yourself and why...

Well first of all, I'm cheating and including two pictures, because I love them both so much. These photos are both from our engagement session last month (with the amazing Phil Pullen Photography!) and I just love them both so much. 
A few reasons why:  One - my sweet fiance is adorably cute, so of course I like that :)  Two - they were both taken at Flagler College, where I went to school, and I just loved it there. I love the beautiful campus and the education I got, and mostly the amazing friends I made while there. Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, is a special place for me, and for Jeff now too since we've visited there so many times together!  Three - these pictures are a obviously just a great way to celebrate our engagement!

These photos are special to me because they celebrate not only our engagement to each other, but at the most basic level, they celebrate our love for each other. And that is so special to me. He is such an amazing man and I love him so much, and I am just so stinking excited to marry him in October!! As much wedding planning as we still have to do before then, I also just can't wait for that day to be here. 

But before we get to my wedding - it's my little sister's turn to get married!! Her wedding is TOMORROW, and holy crap how did it get here so fast? She's been engaged since last June, and at times it's felt like forever, but mostly it seems to have gone by pretty quickly. I just can't believe it's finally here for her, and that she will now be Mrs. Walker! Craziness. There's a special post already scheduled for tomorrow morning, so come back and check that out, for some mushy gushy lovin' on my little sister, complete with lots of old pictures of us :)

Public Relations - FFTL Link-Up

Guys, I'm usually super on the ball with this link-up, but things at work yesterday were crazy busy, and also - it's wedding week for my sister, so we've been doing all sorts of stuff to finish getting everything ready! So it's comin' at y'all a bit later than normal today, but that's alright. The link-up stays open for an entire week anyways, so we've got plenty of time to all get this one done! Today's topics are:

First major in college

First date success story

First major in college

Well actually, I only had one! I know some people switch back and forth between two or three majors (and sometimes even more than that!), but I was pretty firm in knowing what I was going to do. I went into college already knowing what my major would be, as well as my minor. I was going to get my degree in Communication, with a special emphasis in Public Relations, with a minor in Youth Ministry. One of the major reasons I picked Flagler was actually because of their Youth Ministry minor! And then once I got there, I realized that I wasn't going to get enough hours to graduate with just those two things, so I added on an additional minor in Advertising. 

It's her wedding week!! :)

First date success story
Honestly, I didn't really date anyone else other than Jeff . I mean, I went on a few other "dates," but they were simple and casual and didn't amount to much, so they hardly count. Jeff was my first and only "real" boyfriend, and now we're engaged! So obviously that worked out well :) So our first date was also pretty casual as well though. Y'all know we met online, so we had been texting, emailing, chatting online and talking on the phone for a few weeks, then one Tuesday morning he just randomly asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch! So in the middle of our workday, we met for a quick lunch at Zaxby's. I was definitely nervous, but he seemed so calm and relaxed, so that helped me calm down a lot too. Our conversation came easy, and my nervousness melted away pretty quickly. We already knew so much about each other, that we already had so much to talk about! I found myself wishing that the quick hour wouldn't have flown by so fast, and that I could have spent much more time talking to this cute, freckly boy! (Side note: we ended up having lunch together that week two more times!) Oh, and yes, he paid for our first "date." :)

One of our very first pictures together, circa summer 2011.

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 & link up with us!

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

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

4. Spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook

<center> <a href="http://penguinspastapolkadots.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20Firsts%20to%20Lasts" target="_blank"><img alt="First Things First" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrwkIAid5vWXfGGkNjq6FQv4vvqZDxLXcMp670eJ2k7tfrfkBrZYiGCr0icOPCsIYvq5MR3qLifCTXPxMVdiq77A56Zq2_nIiRzk2hyphenhyphen1gEmgp6NcoBlX5TNfobmRzpUAjnkoXPjsNXIU/s1600/Firsts+to+Lasts+-+1.jpg"/></a></center>

And if you'd like to prepare for next week's link-up, the two 'first' topics will be:

First thing you do when you get to work

First vacation  you went on without your parents

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

Place to Call My Own - First Things First

Guys, I'm normally super on the ball with this link-up stuff, but this week - not so much. If you didn't notice, this is getting posted much later than it usually does, and I'm sorry about that! I actually felt a little frantic all morning trying to get it together, and then I was like, "Hey Halez, chill out already. It's not like they'll hate you if it's up two hours later than normal. If anyone even notices at all..." So I did finally chill, but it still took me a super long time. My life is kinda crazy right now, so just bear with me ladies!

Anyways, today is the 13th week of this fun link-up!! I'm so excited for how long this has lasted, and we still have more planned too :) Today's awesome round of co-hosts are some of my favorites because Erin from Love, Fun & Football is not only one of my good blog-friends, she's also my blog designer!! And Syndal from Synfully Delicious is one of the first bloggers who I really started following along with each post of hers!

And today's first topics are all about home sweet home :)

First apartment or house on your own (away from you parents!)

First room you decorated or would like to decorate

First thing you bought for it, or would like to buy

First apartment or house on your own

Right before my junior year of college, in August 2008, I moved into a three bedroom apartment, with three other girls, and one of the girls and I shared the master bedroom. It was only temporary though, because one of the other girls was getting married in November and moving out, so then I moved into her room. But I loooved that apartment, and living with those girls! We had so so much fun, and it was seriously some of the greatest times of my life! Here are a few random pictures I could find of my friends and I hanging out in that apartment at Vista Cove! I ended up living there for two full years, and had seven different girls as roommates for those two years! So much fun :)

First room you decorated, or would like to decorate

Well, for that first apartment, everything was pretty much already done by the time I moved in, so really nothing. Eventually though, all those girls moved out, and I was there for a month or so by myself before new girls moved in, so I had fun buying new trinkets and doo-dads and stuff to fill up some new empty spaces. 

Now, sometime in the not-too-distant future, I'll be moving into a house for me and my husband-to-be! And I'm thinking the first room I'll want to decorate will be my bedroom. I mean, that's where I'll want to go to feel relaxed and comfy, so I want my bedroom to reflect that. And if it's not cute and cozy and at least somewhat "decorated," then I don't think I'll feel very relaxed in there! So, when that time comes, bedroom needs to get cute first. Then definitely the living room.

First thing you bought or want to buy

Actually, Jeff and I have bought something already for our future house! Well, I bought a couple of random pots at Ross about a month ago that I love, but that's not what I'm referring to. We actually bought bedding a couple weeks ago! We are both signed up for daily emails from a website called "1SaleADay," and they had a great deal on bed-in-a-bag's, so we just went for it! The one we both liked the most and were going to get was sold out, but he surprised me by liking a light purple and gray one, so we got that one instead! It's not arrived yet, but I'll be excited to see it when it does! And so it seems that my idea of decorating the bedroom first is under way with that first purchase!

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, Erin & Syndal.

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

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, Rachel from Postcards from Rachel & Tasha from A Lott to Love. And next week's topics are:

1. First Pinterest project or recipe you attempted (fail or success!)

2. First random song that comes up on your iTunes or Pandora

3. First product you use in the shower

Ponce Hall, Roommates & College Days - First Things First

It's another cold day down here in Florida, and they said on the radio this morning that it's actually 15-20 degrees colder this year than our usual averages for this time of year. That's not cool! Where did my glorious spring weather go? Not that I can complain too much, because half of the country just got half a foot of snow or more, including one of my lovely co-hosts... More importantly than the weather though, is another week of our First Things First link up! And this week we of course have another round of amazing co-hosts, Jess at Jess Is More and Veronica at Passion, Pink & Pearls!

First Roommate (s)

First Time Living Away from Home

First Dorm Room at College

First Roommate (s)
Well first of all, I wasn't able to go to Flagler my very first semester, because they had no room for me. It's a requirement for freshmen to live on-campus in the dorms, and they were full by the time I would have been accepted. So instead, I was accepted for the spring term in January, and I just went to community college for a semester here. So while that was happening, my future roommates had issues with the third girl in their room, and she was leaving, and they got to look through and pick out a new replacement - and they did an awesome job picking me out, because they were some fun first college roommates!

After the Christmas break, I was to move in about 4 days before the returning students, and I got there to find that Emily and Linnea had left cute notes and pictures all of the room for me :) Those first few days alone without them were hard and boring, and so when they finally got there, I was sooo dang excited!! They welcomed me with open arms, and we kicked off that first semester with a game night in our dorm room, with a group of some other girls. We had so much fun that semester together. We went to the beach, had game night every single week, had fire alarms go off three times in one night, dealt with the awful laundromat, visiting the Jax zoo, watching tons of movies on our laptops, and so many more fun memories!

First Time Living Away from Home
This goes hand-in-hand with the first question, because the first time I lived away from home was that spring semester of my freshman year, at Flagler College! Like I mentioned before, I moved in about four days before my roommates did though, and that was close to torturous. Talk about major homesickness! It was super quiet in the entire dorm, but also in my tiny room, and it was rough. But once the girls got there, the fun never seemed to stop. I met soooo many amazing girls that first semester I lived away from home, and seriously had a blast. There was just so much fun and freedom and opportunity and adventure! And I made sure I took advantage of all of that as often as I could. I mean, I was only taking 12 hours that first semester, and I didn't have a job, so I had plenty of free time to just live it up as a care free 19-year-old! And I loved every second of it.

First Dorm Room at College
First I just want to share some background info about my school, Flagler College. (I'm only going to share a little bit, but there is some amazing history and interesting facts about it, so take time to visit the links I provided!) It was originally built as the beautiful Ponce de Leon hotel by Henry Flagler, and opened in 1888. It was quite a fancy place, and definitely a popular destination. Then during WWII, it was used as a training center for the coast guard. It was also a very prominent part of the Civil Rights movement. Then in 1968, it was finally opened as Flagler College. (I could go on and on with cool stuff about the college, but I think I'll save that for another post - because now I'm so excited about sharing that with y'all!)

When the hotel was turned into the college, the main building of the hotel housed the girls' dorms. It was called Ponce Hall, but usually just shortened to Ponce. So like I mentioned before as well, Emily and Linnea had prepared the room for me, and left cute notes for me for when I moved in. It was a good-sized room with one bunk bed, and one additional twin bed. There were two real closets and I had the free-standing wardrobe. Then we each had a desk and a small dresser. There was even a cute fireplace in the room! (But it didn't work, it just looked pretty.) And we shared our suite-style bathroom with the room next to us. Luckily we really did have one of the bigger dorms, so we had tons of open floor space in the middle of the room. Even though it was a little bit cramped, it was still a great dorm room in general, and we had tons of fun in it! Our favorite thing to do was find ways to creatively hop up into the top bunk with flips and jumps and chairs and hoopla. That was fun times. I loved my dorm room days, and would definitely recommend it for at least a year in college. SO much fun. :)

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 & Veronica.

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

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, Syndal @ Synfully Delicious and Erin @ Love, Fun & Football. Next week's topics are all about home sweet home:

1. First house or apartment on your own (either rented or owned, just away from your parents!)

2. First room you decorated in it, or would like to decorate

3. First thing you bought for it, or would like to buy