Blogtober Day 7: Vacations

Today's topic for Blogtober is your best and worst vacations

I really can't think of what my worst vacation was. I think most of mine have been pretty good...if there were hiccups they were minor, nothing earth shattering like getting stuck on a cruise with no electricity or running water, so I guess I'll just talk about two of my best vacations.

Luckily, there are LOTS to choose from, but my top two would be:

My Honeymoon to Antigua.

How could you not love a place that had sunsets like that??

It started off rough because our bags didn't arrive until the day after we got there (so that was definitely the worst START to a vacation), but we made the best of it and bought clothes at the resort, and ended up having a good time. We made a bunch of friends that we still talk to, to this day. And it was just an awesome time to spend together right after the wedding, being newlyweds, in our own little bubble. 

The other one is our trip to Riviera Maya with MG and his sisters and brothers-in-law.

 We were there for a long weekend, to celebrate our brother-in-law Joe's 40th birthday. It was the only time that we've all gotten to hang out together, without any kids around, and no sporting events or things to take them to. It was just a chance for all of us to hang out, and relax, and bond. The resort was amazing and we had SO MUCH fun (not to mention the $750 in spa credits each couple got!). We still all talk about the trip, and have made plans to try and do a trip for each of our 40th birthdays from this point on. Luckily we have 3 left, so that's 3 more trips :)

Blogtober Day 6: Blogging "Advice"

10 Things I'd Tell Myself When I Started Blogging

1) You'll "meet" some amazing people online, and then you might actually meet some in real life

2) Some of those people you'll be in touch with daily!

3) Don't get caught up in the number of followers you have or don't have. It's about what YOU put out there for whatever reasons, not about who does or doesn't read it

4) Not everyone who appears to have a "perfect" life in the blog world is actually living a perfect life. Like anything else, some people share what they want the world to see, not the full picture.

5) Your future husband (since I wasn't married to him when I started) will listen to you talk about blog things, be patient when he's helping you cook but then you ask him to move so you can take a pic for your recipe post, won't bat an eyelash when you invite 3 bloggers you've never physically met in person to your wedding...

but still won't truly "get it." And that's totally ok!

6) Some days you won't feel like posting anything. Don't force it, it's ok.

7) When things are rough, in addition to the support you have in your everyday life, you'll have an incredible support system right here waiting for you.

8) Don't forget to bring your phone/camera with you when you do stuff, and take pictures!! You'll kick yourself after the fact when you're trying to make a post and you have no pictures to go along with it. And you'll inevitably use the hashtag #bloggerfail

9) But don't get SO caught up in documenting everything that you forget to be present in your activities and interactions. Real life is more important than blog life!

10) have fun!

Blogtember Day 4: Instagram Photo

Today's Blogtober topic is my favorite photo that I've posted on Instagram. Luckily this one is straightforward since it's the weekend, but it's really hard narrowing that down.

If I had to choose, it would be this one, that I posted once we got our wedding pictures back. I just love this shot--and it's even the background to my phone when it's on the lock screen.

It was one of the best days of my life and every time I look at this picture it makes me smile :)

A verrrrrrry close second was this picture of my dad and I right before he walked me down the aisle:

Love this one :)

On a side note, I want to wish my furry little pup, Cooper, a VERY happy 6th birthday! Ironically enough, you take up a lot of my Instagram photos with all of your cuteness....and your sleepiness... just like you make up a lot of the joy that I've had in my life since you came into it. You're my puppy soul mate and I couldn't have asked for a better pup than you. I love you to pieces!
In the spirit of Cooper's birthday, and this post's topic, here's Cooper's first appearance on Instagram:

Isn't he the cutest?? :)

Happy Saturday!

Oh Hey Friday Favorites!

In addition to my Blogtober post today (scroll down past this post to see that one), you get ANOTHER post from me...aren't you lucky?!?! (just say yes) :)

 

Here are some of my favorites this week:

Look at the pretty sunset on
 our drive to dinner!

{1}-Dinner Double Date
Last night MG and I had a double date with my friend Zak and his boyfriend. We were a little adventurous and tried out a new Moroccan restaurant near our old place. The food was super yum and it was SO nice spending time with Zak again (it had been so long since we'd seen each other until my friend's wedding a few weeks ago). It was a shame that it was a Thursday night because we could have easily stayed there for a lot longer talking. I'm glad we made it work to hang out and we've already made plans to hang out again!




{2}-Meet Louis V. 

Hello loverrrrrrrr
 I'm uhhhhbsessed with my new present.
Mine allllll miiiiiiiine!

{3} House Stuff
This weekend MG and I have someone coming to give us an estimate on getting the floors done in our basement (adios, rose colored carpet hopefully!) Fingers crossed it's not insanely expensive, but perhaps floors in our basement will be our Christmas present to one another haha (I'm ok with it). 

On top of that, last weekend MG and I finally put the pot at the front of our house to use with the pretty fall-inspired plant in the picture above. It's bloomed a ton more since last weekend and is just a nice sight when we walk in or out of the house! That and a green ribbon on the front door are just a couple little touches for Fall :)

{4} Favorite Pins

quote {via}

I need this in my closet!

Outfit {via}

While we're 'wishing' can someone re-do my dining room to look like this? Please and thank you!

for the house {via}

{5} Cooper's turning 6!!
Tomorrow is Cooper's 6th birthday. I can't believe hes been in my life for the last 6 years (it feels like forever, but also not that long). He's my special little pup and I love him soooo much--I can't wait to spoil him on his birthday!
Little does he know his birthday present has been sitting on the counter right above his food bowl for the whole week. He's gonna be in squeaker heaven!

shhh, dont tell him! ;)

Cooper's also going to the doggy spa tomorrow to get his haircut, so he'll be super spoiled and handsome for his birthday!

I hope your weekend's as cute and fun as a bunch of puppies on a slide!

{via}

Happy Friday, party people!

Blogtober: Day 3

Today's Blogtober topic is:

"One Thing You Can't Live Without"

Now, obviously my first choices would be something like MG and Cooper and my family, but they aren't really "things," and they're the obvious choices.

I'd say my Kindle Paperwhite. I love that I can access any book I want at any time, that I can carry around several "books" at once in that little device. I can read in the light or the dark, I never have an excuse to be bored. After a long day I can unwind by escaping into a story, or if the weather is nice, I have a perfectly good excuse to park my hiney on our deck with my Kindle and read.

plus, reading a Kindle, mixed with puppy snuggles....it doesn't get much better, does it??

I've loved reading since I was a kid, and I've grown to love and appreciate it even more as an adult. So, even though a Kindle wouldn't save me in a dark alley or a deserted island (altho there it would entertain me until the battery died), it's something that makes my day-to-day life brighter and happier.

Blogtober: Day 2-Dream Job

Day 2 of Blogtober is about what your dream job was in the past, and what it is now.

{via}

My dream job when I was growing up was to be a dolphin trainer...even though I didn't know how to swim (details, details...). That would still be the coolest job to this day. I remember in college my mom picked up a book for me somewhere called The Dolphin Chronicles, and it was about a speech therapist (what I was in school for at the time) who ended up working with dolphins in research studies. I felt like it was a "sign" that that's what I should be doing.

And now I work at a school where the mascot is the dolphins, so I work with a bunch of "little dolphins" every day. Not quite the same, but hey.... :)

If I had my dream job now, I think it would be working with kids or adults who just got cochlear implants and are hearing for the first time. Working with them on the speech aspects would be cool, and witnessing them hearing for the first time would be absolutely incredible. I always see those videos online and they give me goosebumps.


What would your dream job be?

Blogtober14: Day 1

I loved the idea that Helene had for Blogtober, so I'm participating in Day 1 (and hopefully many more days as the month goes on).

Day 1: If you won the lottery you'd....

I would pay off MG's student loans and car, put a little more down on our house and condo to lower our mortgage payments, and treat our families to a mega vacation...or anything else that they would need.
And, depending just HOW much money I had won, maybe buy a family beach house for us so that we could all vacation together during the summers.

I think I would still work, but I'd do something part time, or maybe start fresh all over again and do something different since I wouldn't have to worry about money.

I know MG and I would plan some vacations to places that we've always wanted to go to. And then we would be smart and invest, put money away for our future kids' college, etc. I mean, you have to be semi-responsible part of the time, right?? :)