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Houston, Uncategorized, weekend shenanigans

Weekend Shenanigans – Texas Style

Oh, sweet home Alabama! Or at least that is what Chris (girl friend Chris,not to be confused with husband Chris) and I said as we crossed in to Alabama last night! In the past 48 hours, I spent 24 of them in a car. Fun times!

Friday – I headed to Pelham at 4:50 am to drop my car off at Chris’s house (friend not husband) and we headed to Big Bad Breakfast for a blogger breakfast. I loved that when I asked Chris if she was cool to go, she got all excited and said of course! We met some really nice people and enjoyed a lovely breakfast! I ordered the Hog Parlor Croissant that had ham, swiss cheese, pesto aoili, and dressed greens. As my side, I chose the home fries which were diced potatoes and onions. It was AMAZING.

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After breakfast, we parted ways with the other bloggers and headed out to the open roads! We traveled through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, then finally, Texas! It rained a good part of the way, and at one point it was so bad it looked as if we were driving on a lake! The weather turned out 10 hour trip in to a 12 hour trip. It was ok though, we made it in one piece and Chris and I had lots of girl talk the entire trip. We grabbed out third friend from the hotel, and headed to the bride’s parents house. The bridal party had run late with their rehearsal dinner as well, so we arrived at the out of town guest party right on time!

The party was just desserts, and since we hadn’t had dinner….we stopped by Taco Cabana on the way back to our hotel room!

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Saturday morning I was super excited because Lauren and I had plans to finally meet in person!!! You guys, can I just tell you how surreal it is to travel to another state and have a friend there to meet up with? I just love blogging!!!!

Lauren came and picked me up from my hotel so that I wouldn’t get lost, and took me to Fielding’s! I got to experience a Houston Top 100 with her 🙂

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We each ordered a pastry to share – The Nutella and Bacon Bombolini and a Vanilla Cream Beignet and then we each ordered bacon and potatoes as well. Each with a different dipping sauce to try!

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The breakfast was delicious, I will dream about that Nutella and Bacon Bombolini forever. And the company, the company was superb! After we were finished eating, Lauren and I headed to the shopping area near by for her to run an errand and we snapped a few mandatory blogging pictures with Christmas as our background!

Normal faces

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Blogging faces!

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She left me with the sweetest present of a local Christmas ale, local coffee and a Christmas mug that said Greetings from Houston and other Texas like sayings. I love it!!!!

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Afterwards, I met back up with Chris and Rashmin, and we headed back to the shopping area that Lauren showed me. Rashmin and I tried Jamba Juice and it was delicious! We walked around some shops, and then had Pot Belly for lunch. I ordered a grilled chicken salad that had apples, cranberries and grapes and it was delicious!!!

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It was then wedding time!!!! I only have two pictures from the wedding, as Chris took the rest with her camera and I may share a few of those another day.

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Father/daughter embrace as Courtney’s dad presented her with a beautiful present before their dance.

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The wedding was lovely and we had fun!

Sunday – We had breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road and saying goodbye to Rashmin.

At a gas station stop, we saw this old hunting dog passed out in the drivers seat after a hard morning’s work. I had to snap a picture!!!! There must have been 8 dogs in this truck total between the back seat and the bed. All yellow labs, all adorable!

IMG_4202.JPGAnd that was my weekend in Houston!

I am off today to clean the house, go grocery shopping…and hopefully get that Christmas tree up!!! Have a great week!

Weekending

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friday favorites, Uncategorized

Friday Favorites

Hey hey everybody! It is Friday!!!! Chances are that I am somewhere between Birmingham and Houston on the road right now. Houston, we have a problem! Haha! Fun fact, when AIM instant messenger was the shit, my friends and I would go in to the Houston Chat room, say “Houston we have a problem!!!!” then leave. People called us lame, it was funny as hell I don’t care!

Favorite (Christmas) Song – Christmas Canon Rock by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra – I just love this song!! It has mostly instrumentals, as you would expect…but there is also beautiful vocals in this song and when the guitar solo drops…..chills.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

Favorite Blog Posts – There were two blog posts this week that I read that I just have to share!!!

Brooks posted DIY gift ideas that are so awesome and unique!!! So pinned it for later! I think these gift ideas are perfect for any time of year, not just Christmas!

Lindsay shared some barre works outs for the home. I don’t know about you guys, but dang barre classes are expensive!!! (Sorry Amanda!) I love that she found some great at home ones to try!

Favorite Recipe to Try – This cranberry cheese ball looks amazing!!! Can you imagine how colorful and festive your table will look by just having this at your holiday party.

Cranberry Pecan and White Cheddar Cheese Ball. Cranberries, Pecans, cream cheese and sharp white cheddar. Perfect Thanksgiving appetizer!

Favorite Funnies

Happens to me all the time…

This: | 25 Awkward Moments Every Girl Understands HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

First take a picture, then help!

lol

There is the I in team

LOLOLOL basically….

Here is my exclusively dedicated Youtube Channel TheCarcrashesvideos on Car Crashes videos for more visit and subscribe, click on below  For More Videos visit and subscribe my YouTube Channel  https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCarcrashesvideos

My entire life…

Have you found your name yet? Dam you coke!!!!

My life goals on a shirt!

i just want to drink coffee, save animals, and sleep

Speaking of shirts, why do I think this is so funny?

I have to make this room a permanent part of my vocabulary.

Awwwww I imagine this is how Mac has felt all his life…

Attack Of The Funny Animals - 24 Pics

Basically anywhere I go….

"The party don't start 'til I walk in." | Toy Story/ I'm doing this next time I go to a party

I hope you guys have a fabulous weekend!!!

Uncategorized

Blog Tour

I was honored when Julia chose me to be featured in her Blog Tour post and I immediately said yes when she reached out to me! Julia is super sweet and she even dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween since she has her own Toto! She posts about all kinds of things and most days I find our email threads going back and forth. I would say her only downfall is being a gator fan, and I can’t really hold that against her. We all have our things, right?

Julia

 

Then there were these rules about writing about my writing process. LOL. If nothing else, you may find my answers entertaining. I wouldn’t exactly recommend taking notes and doing what I do. There is nothing profound about what I am about to share….

What am I working on?

Currently I am working on getting my shit together! Ha! I hold a full time job in the real estate world, I volunteer at the humane society,  I have this ol’ blog here, and I am part owner in a local community blogging site! To say I am busy most days is an understatement.

For Life by Nadine Lynn – I am working on getting some posts in my drafts again, and I am collaborating with someone on a super awesome project that will be announced next week!!! (teaser)

How does my work differ from others of its type/genre?

Well, this may sound generic but I am a lifestyle blogger and I am my own, unique person. So me is how my work is different! I just try to keep it real. Not every day is rainbows and butterflies and I don’t try to pretend like it is. I like to think that my real personality shows in my writing.

Why do I write what I do?

I started this blog to sort of keep a journal about my life. The little daily things, what I am in to, and whatever is on my mind at the time. This blog has seen me get married, change jobs, turn 30 (and now 31) and document my journey to be the healthiest me I can be.

And let’s be completely honest, I realized there was a whole blogging community of amazing people all over and I wanted a piece of that! Getting to interact with you guys every day keeps me coming back for more! I never expected to have met all the amazing people that I have through blogging!

How does my writing process work?

Currently my writing process is a joke. I have gotten behind on drafting up and scheduling posts ahead of time, so many of my posts are written over coffee and oatmeal at 6 am before I head to work the day it is published. I have a notes app on my phone that has a running list of ideas for posts, as well as a note for specific posts (like Sh!t Chris Says or Confessions that I document as they happen).

My blogging goal is to start 2015 with a planner so I can keep tabs on my blog and the community site. Keep scheduled posts, link ups, meet ups, admin meetings, and events going on around town all in one place. Currently I have everything separated and that can be overwhelming at times.

There are SO MANY great blogs that I follow every single day! Way too many to nominate for one post. Just look in my comments or on my side bar for who to follow! I love you all! But for the purpose of this post….

Laura at Alabama Graffiti

I started following Laura in the spring of this year, and she quickly became a daily read! She posts about all the delicious restaurants she has visited, trips she goes on, her cute dog Stella, and other fun stuff. She is hilarious and shares a lot of the same views I do.

One afternoon, Laura mentioned in a comment that she would be down for meeting up for happy hour one day. Um, you speak my language, Laura! We met at Side Bar after work one night, and she has been an instant BFF ever since! We even double date with our husbands, and she has joined me with a group of other fine Magic City Bloggers (I am looking at you Morgan, Meighan, Meegan and Brooks!)  that meet up monthly for cocktails and girl talk.

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Jana at Jana Says

Jana SaysI first found Jana through Stephanie’s blog. (Another you should be following!!!) Jana posts about many different topics, but I feel she shares a lot of the same views as me! If I had kids, I imagined I would be a lot like Jana. Which is a good thing! She shares the same taste for 90’s music that I have, and I could totally see us chatting over a few beers on the regular. She has come to terms with the fact that she is a cheer mom and I can always appreciate a thrifty gal. Jana isn’t afraid to go deep in some posts, and I really love that she keeps it real!

And that is my little tour of blog land. Happy Thursday everyone! Be sure to link up with Joey and Kristin if you post on Thursdays! They have no rules for this link up and they are awesome…like you need more of a reason?!

Hodgespodges
Uncategorized

Southerner’s Guide to Winter Preparedness

Sounds a little silly right? A southern’s guide to winder preparedness. You are probably thinking, why would someone in the deep south need to prepare for anything? Well, that is the thing folks, down here in the south our girl Winter likes to show up unannounced. Drop two inches of ice on our roads and leave just as quick as she came storming through.

After the snowpacolypse event of 2014, I refuse to be the girl stranded with nothing. I put together somewhat of an emergency kit for my car if such an event were to occur again.

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My kit includes boots, an extra jacket, pair of pants, hoodie, t-shirt, gloves, scarf and water. I also have a picnic blanket that stays in my car all year that can double as a bed/blanket if I get stuck at work or in my car to keep warm. If I am at work, I usually have some type of snack with me, so at least I would have a little something to eat. Usually it is almonds or Quest bars. I keep a cell phone charger in my car as well, and I usually have my iPad with me if I am at work. Good for reading or playing games and keeping up to date on social media to see what is going on.

Let’s take a closer look at that jacket, shall we? Yup, it is my high school band jacket! See, this is why you hold on to some things. You never know when they might be useful!

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Being stranded is no joke, I hope you are prepared this winter!

Hodgespodges
books, Uncategorized

Book Nerd

Stephanie and Jana have a new link up called Show us your Books! They will host it once a month so that you can link up all the books you read for the month. Basically my nerdy heart skipped a beat when I first heard of this. Also, because Stephanie and Jana are super awesome and I really wish we could all meet up for a beer coffee one day and chat in person!

So my post today is going to be a little different than the rules. I’m a badass like that. Since the only books I have read the last few months have been from the Stephanie Plum series, and I am pretty sure you don’t want an entire post on that….I am going to talk a little about those books and then mention a few on my list to read next.

For those of you who haven’t read or heard of this series, Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie buyer who gets laid off and blackmails her cousin Vinnie into giving her a job as a bounty hunter with his bonds office. The books follow Stephanie’s adventures and you are introduced to all kinds of characters. Every single one of these books has made me LOL at least once, usually more often that that.

I also particularly like the back and forth between Stephanie and two men in the books; Joe Morelli and Ranger. Mmmm, Morelli…..

They are pretty quick reads, usually averaging a little over 300 pages each. I am going to be honest with you, I had no intentions of reading past the very first one when I found out it was a series. My mom gave me One For the Money after she read it and I had run out of things to read and started it as filler. Obviously, they sucked me in!

When I am finished with the series, I am on book sixteen right now, I plan to move on to my “to-read” list which is ever growing. I read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, so I would like to read Landline as well. I still haven’t read Gone Girl yet either. I know, I know…what am I doing with my life?!?!

I also want to read Eleanor and Park, The Husband’s Secret, Me Before You, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, and Where are You Bernadette.

What else should I add to my to read list?

Life According to Steph