3.29.2013

friday's letters {18}

dear spring break i'm soooo glad you're here!!! technically it's not my spring break it's M's. but i'm still doing backflips down the hallway because M will be home all day everyday for nine days. no late night meetings. no after school track practice. now he'll be home in time for my toddler pleasing dinners.
dear crock pot you're my favorite kitchen appliance. hands down. you make preparing dinners so much easier, you eliminate like, four steps. i just throw {yes, literally throw} in whatever meat was on sale at the grocery store, a pinch of spice here & a dash of... another spice there & viola! you cook to perfection every time. & the best part of it all, M thinks it was me ;)
dear weather man i know i can be hard on you. like the time you said it was going to be partly cloudy then it snowed & i called you bad names. & like that time when you said there was a high chance of heavy rain, so naturally i wore wellies & my raincoat, but it turned out i overdressed & discovered my feet could sweat {t.m.i.} & again, i called you bad names. but i was proud of you yesterday. you called for a beautiful day -- & yes, i was skeptical, but optimistic nonetheless -- & it was quite the beautiful day. no bad name calling yesterday. keep it up! {that's what she said}.
dear 365 project you've grown to be pretty challenging. thank you everyone who encourages us & speaks so kindly of the project. when we thought about starting it we didn't think we'd get this far. today marks the 88th day & with've yet to miss a day. but many times we are burnt out on creative ideas. so those nights we take them by "the wall". it's literally a wall {shocker} in our living room. we just sit in the same two spots & cheese. if there's any creative poses, backgrounds, acts or ideas please share them. otherwise the next 277 pictures will be of us in our pj's frowning by "the wall". ideas people. i need some inspiration!

have a blessed Easter weekend!
happy Good Friday!

-L
linking up with ashley

3.28.2013

lately {11} + a link up!

lately the girls have been acting super puppy-ish. well, mostly kodi. the constant urge to eat things she's not allowed, pulling out all her toys & running wild in the yard. it's actually kind of cute. lately we've been browsing for a cruise to take this summer. yes, finally a vacation! which means i have just enough time to get bikini ready. & i've found myself at the gym everyday. can i get a whoop whoop! lately the weather has sucked. isn't it Easter this sunday? i can picture it now -- hunting for eggs in a parka, beanie, scarf, gloves.... -- you're started to see it now huh? & lately i've been very productive. not necessarily busy, just very on top of things i usually put off. go me!

what have you been up to lately?

today i'm excited to introduce to you a new link-up! i teamed up with some pretty stellar bloggers. you might know them. link up with us & tell us what you've been up to lately! 

Grab button for The Brothertons

ignore marsa's misspelled name. that's being 
fixed & there will be a new button.

3.27.2013

newlyweds: the good & the bad

being a newlywed isn't always ice cream & sprinkles. you have your good days & your bad days. if you're anything like me & M, you have weeks/months of bliss, then from nowhere there's a few days of tension. could be caused by that time of the month. or sometimes we're just too tired. often it comes from petty bickering that leaves you feeling stupid & wish you could take back whatever you said.

but enough of my rant. i wanted to compile a list of the good & bad of being a newlywed.
everything is from our personal experiences only. these aren't meant to offend anyone.


THE BAD:
1) you can't go to target & stock up on seasonal clothes, shoes &/or large amounts of everything else. as a newly married couple, we have to find out what works best for use, budget wise that is. before we got married, i'd allot a certain amount of money each month to spend on myself. it usually consisted of a fairly large amount. i love splurging on myself. what can i say? but now we share a bank account. which means i have to consider him, just like he also considers me.
2) constantly trying to please a toddler. M is the pickiest eater. he's very similar to a toddler, expect he doesn't like mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes or pastas. he lives off a diet of meat, bread & butter. so imagine my challenge when i'm preparing meals. it's taken me nearly nine months, but i think i almost have it down to a science. when we grocery shop, it's mostly all about him because i'll eat anything. he's getting better about trying new things. he now likes rice dishes & even salads! he's pickiness really challenges me to think outside the box. unfortunately if i don't have meals planned, we usually end up eating pizza or tacos :/
3) learning to say "no" sucks. there are times when M doesn't want to take pictures or help me cook dinner. & there are plenty of times when i don't want to watch "justified" or go for a boat ride. when we were newly-newly married, saying "yes" was easy. pleasing each other was second nature. but the truth is, things wear off & we don't always want to say "yes". it was hard to say "no" at first. it didn't feel natural & the look of defeat on our faces sucked. but we've learned that their are things we each don't always enjoy doing & we respect that. yet, we don't always say "no" because we want each other to know that we still want to make one another happy.
4) sharing a bed isn't easy. this may seem trivial but yes, sharing a bed with someone has been an obstacle for me. throughout the proposal naturally i fantasized about sleeping in the same bed with M. the act was foreign to the both of us & honestly it made me blush. but when the time came to share a bed together, i realized i hated it. he loves to snuggle & i discovered how uncomfortable it was to be touched while trying to go to sleep. some nights aren't so bad & we can touch feet or hold hands but that's as far as it goes. i'm a no snuggle girl :( i know, it's sad because he's a great snuggler.

THE GOOD:
1) we are constantly learning together. true! it's fun to try new things with each other. like grocery shopping. haha, it's actually become a favorite routine of ours. we usually go after church, when we are the hungriest {don't they say that's the worst time to go grocery shopping?}. we've also learned a lot about each other. like how he likes to shower multiple times a day & how he loves tv time. i go multiple days without showering & grew up without much tv watching. i've learned that i actually enjoy watching tv & have favorite shows now. M's learned that there's a thing called a water bill & is working on taken fewer hot showers. learning is fun & i hope there's always something for me to learn from or learn about him :)
2) you will always have your biggest cheerleader by your side. it never ceases to amaze me how much M supports me in anything i do. often i ponder about what i want to do with my life & he always tells me to do whatever i want -- whatever makes me the happiest. sometimes i just want to be his wife, like i want that to be my only job. because he deserves it. he works so hard for us & our future that i just want to be a housewife for him. too bad i'm the least domestic female on the planet. so i'll continue working & return to school this fall. but it goes both ways, i support him & cheer him on during all the trials of life.
3) people still gush over our wedding pictures. when we tell people that we got married last summer, they immediately congratulate us. the details of the day are talked about & then they ask about the honeymoon. does anyone know when we aren't considered newlyweds anymore? i've read stories of those who have been married over a year & people are still calling them newlyweds. i'm not mad about it. i love sharing our wedding. which reminds, i haven't shared that day with y'all yet.
4) sharing a bed ;) yes, this was in the bad list, but it also deserves a spot on the good list. being intimate is a huge perk of marriage. 

probably my longest post to date. being a newlywed is exciting & i love the feeling of the unknown when it's related to this topic. because we don't know what the future will hold. but i do know that M & i will be figuring it out together -- still experiencing the bad but also the good.

xoxo
-L

3.26.2013

married to a blogger


L: i need more pictures for my blog...
M: yea?
L: can we stop somewhere to snap a few?
M: ugh, fine.
L: YAY!
M: did you bring the tripod?
L: why would i bring the tripod?
M: how will we take pictures together?
L: silly boy, you aren't going to be in the pictures. just me. {duh}.
M: ...

oh husbands. y'all are funny.
xoxo

-L

3.25.2013

do you prefer the top or the bottom?

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yes, i just asked that question & yes, it was meant to sound that way. ha! but it doesn't mean that. 
i can finally feel Spring's presence. she's been a bit dull but i know she's there. M & i are only a week away from spring break. it's crunch time -- which means we will find various ways to get us through till friday, like complaining it's not here yet & wishing it was here already. but we have no plans for our break. mostly because i'll still be working. i think we will make many visits to our parent's. you know, eat homemade meals, playing card games & such. 
but we will definitely be house hunting over the break. a sore subject over here at the moment. either we find the perfect home waaaay out of our price range or an affordable p.o.s. hmmm? if only we were zillionaires... 
but we have found a couple basements that are actually perfect. affordable & very nice. but the idea that we would be living underneath someone else is a little strange to us me. when i lived at home with mom & dad, my room was in the basement. no matter where i was down there i could always hear footsteps, voices, occasionally the television & pretty much noise constantly. but it was my family, so no big deal. can i handle that with strangers?
maybe it's time to get over my noise issue. nahhh. we'll find something else. ...i hope.

-L
#girlwithnoiseproblems
#idontlikethebottom

3.22.2013

another friday letter's {17}

h a p p y   f r i d a y
dear me you've been a poor blogger the past couple weeks. yes yes, we know... you've been busy, life gets in the way. but they all say that. do better.
dear life you heard that ^^^ i won't use you as an excuse anymore. i'm going to be more strict about my posts. i'm actually going to fill out my post calendar & stick to it. so, no matter how hard you hit me i won't let you defeat me. boom.
dear ebay kinda been all up in your biznaz this morning. thinking about buying a juicer. anyone know of a good brand? i'm clueless.
dear juicer after this weekend's tragedy, everyone in the community came out to pay their respects. everyone also brought over a year's worth of food. so, my family & i have been munching on four different homemade mac n' cheeses, breakfast casseroles, spaghetti & bbq sandwiches. Lord only knows how much sugar & carbohydrates i consumed. in great need of that juicer. also, that much food does crazy things to you, if you know what i mean... several bathroom visits in a single day.
dear spring so far you've provided lots of sunshine, but no warmth. take away the wind & we will be on good terms. k? thanks.

xoxo
-L

linking up with ashley

3.21.2013

signs of spring

you know spring is peeking it's head around the corner when you see Easter goodies on the shelves. when leaves are returning to the trees & the geese & ducks all flock to the lake. it's also a sign when the daffodils are in bloom & when you can feel the warm wind blowing. but my favorite sign of spring is the smell of fresh grass getting cut. i love that smell. it's somehow comforting & makes me nostalgic.

it also comes with an added bonus -- i get to see my honey look like this! ha! 
had to run outside & snap a few pictures. he looks hysterical. 
 do you have any favorite signs of spring?

3.19.2013

lean on God in all times

this weekend i lost my cousin to a car accident. he was alone & forutnately no others were hurt. officers reported that he was in the other lane & over-corrected. the driver side hit a brick mailbox & it was said that he died on impact.

peter was only 17. a senior in high school -- graduating this may. he had plans to study psychology at the university of north georgia, where his older brother is currently attending. they planned to get an apartment together & experience college together. they were the greatest of best friends. peter also has four sisters. each very close to him.

i got the phone call saturday morning at work. i just remember the urgency in my mom's voice. you could hear she had been crying & by the way she was whispering, meant she didn't want my younger sisters to know yet. i wept & kept asking "what?" like what she was saying was a cruel joke. M & i immediately headed over to be with my aunt, uncle, & cousins. they live only 10 short minutes from us & as we are about to turn into their neighborhood, we saw the tires marks & the empty spot where a brick mailbox use to stand. he was that close to home.

death is something i hope to never be comfortable or familiar with. but that means it will always hurt & never seem fair. i remember when my grandmother & maw maw pasted away. they were much older & each sick. they had already prepared for death. so when the time came, everyone was ready. it was still hard but we were able to prepare & know they each lived a full life. but peter's death is nothing like that. i think about how young he was. how he hadn't even touched the surface of this world. how his parents & siblings will forever feel incomplete. how this feels like it is a dream & we will see him again for the holidays. it is all so shocking & unreal that i don't want to accept it. it really hurts that M & i are the closest to them, yet we never made an effort to visit them since we got married. it makes you realize what you have & what's important.

but you wouldn't believe the amount of support & love they are receiving from family & friends. peter was such a well liked young man. he always had a smile on his face & could turn any situation into a good one. he was a fabulous man of God that had an impact of many people's lives. i know he's smiling right now, looking forward to the day he will be reunited with the ones he loves.

we love you peter.

3.18.2013

spring giveaway

i'm over at Miller Memoires being a part of a HUGE spring giveaway!
check it out!

3.15.2013

friday's letters {16}

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dear abby i never thanked you for spending the night with us last weekend. spontaneous slumber parties are the funniest. *for those who are wondering, abby is my 12 year old sister. she's a ham & growing up to be quite a beautiful young lady with so much personality. i love that chick. 
dear payday you make this friday so much better. who doesn't love a payday? that's right, no one raised their hand cause paydays on friday's are the bestest.
dear hookie day this week in my personal & semi-professional {yes, i'm working on becoming a pro at playing hookie} i think they {the greater power that creates holidays} should create a national hookie day for people like me. taking wednesday off was refreshing & having M playing along by my side was the highlight of it all.
dear daylights saving time i love that you make the days seem longer. we've been able to stay out in the yard till 9pm with plenty of sunlight, but the other night i was so pooped i went to bed early & found myself being kept awake by the light. that shouldn't be right. also, losing an hour of sleep that first night really sucked. but i'm choosing to forgive you.
dear M it's our 8 month anniversary today. time flies when you're having a good time ;)
dear gym M kept pushing me to renew my membership once it ran out. he said you made me happier or something crazy like that. i thought i'd be able to keep myself accountable at home. you know, pull out the yoga mat & all my julian dvd's. but nope. maybe rode the bike a few time. did a pushup here & there. then i finally did it -- realized M was right. you do make me happier, so i renewed my membership & have visited you everyday so far. 
dear google reader wish i knew why you were retiring. not that it would change anything, i just like to know everything. but, seriously it is a bummer you are going away. fortunately i have a bloglovin account, so follow along if you haven't already.
dear friends yes, you. thank you for reading & following along. you're my favorite & i want you to know that i appreciate your comments, emails & love. if for whatever reason we aren't friends, send me an email & let's get to know each other. seriously!!!

happy friday!
-L

linking up with ashley

3.14.2013

latley {10}


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lately we've been eating a lot of chick-fil-a. what can i say? it's delicious! i shouldn't be defending myself… it's that good. lately it seems like spring is actually on it's way. a couple days it's been in the 70's -- yet i still wear a beanie. it's been a lot of phone calls. scheduling appointments. while simultaneously figuring out classes & making sure i get to work on time. in short, there's never a dull moment. i do love this life. lately kodi's been on a teething kick. been finding evidence in various places of the house. she also discovered how much she loves our bed. every since we changed our springy mattress to the glorious memory foam, she decided the bed would be hers. i roll my eyes. i also got my gym membership back. gone everyday so far. my body's trying to tell me to slow down after yesterday's body sculpting class. but i refuse. i gotta sculpt my non-curvy flat-ass body {don't even get me started on my chest. or lack there of. wish there was a class that improved said area. if you know what i mean).

but now i have to run by M's classroom because he forgot his t-shirt for track pictures. if i don't leave now i'll be late. #storyofmylife

xoxo
-L

what have you been up to lately?

3.13.2013

update

last post was friday which feels like ages ago. we've been trying to catch up on a few things over here -- sleep for one thing. we both took today off {almost sounds romantic}. we figured we needed the extra day together to simply relax. it's currently beautiful outside. sun shining, wind slightly blowing, the ducks & geese are in the yard, & the water is calm.

 just got back from petsmart, where kodi & maggie tagged along. naturally we stocked up on goodies for those two munchkins. even stopped by redbox & picked up a movie to watch... well, any minute now. gonna curl up in bed with the man of my dreams & probably be really confused by the plot. anyone seen looper? previews alone make it seem like i'm going to be asking a lot of questions {M hates it when i do that}.

i hope wherever you are, you are having a wonderful wednesday!
xoxo

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