Happy Birthday Lauren!

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people and one of the best friends a girl could ask for!

I knew we would be best friends when we decided to sign up for our weight lifting class sophomore year to "get in shape" yet then proceeded to always leave class early on Wednesdays in order to be first in line for Mexican day at the sorority house.


We haven't changed a bit in 10 years, have we??

You are the only person I can shamelessly order whatever I want to with at Taco Bell then proceed to watch Lindsay Lohan movies all day... while on our futon mattress on the floor.

And being an anti-phone talker myself, you are definitely the only person that I get on the phone with and Brett excuses himself from the room because he knows he will have at least an hour (or more) to himself.

Love you! 28 looks good on you girl!!! :)



And, you are the only person I know who won't get mad at me posting this on the blog. :)



The Story of the Five Balls

After writing this post about how I finally got interested in reading, I decided to reread that first book where it all started – James Patterson’s Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas. I started and finished it this week and it was just as good as I remembered it to be. There was a part in one of the very first chapters of the book that really had me thinking and was one of the best analogies of work/life balance I’ve ever read so wanted to share:

“It goes like this. Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.”

This really made an impact on me especially with how my own life has evolved over the last few years. You see, my previous job was my life. I absolutely loved my company, the people were family to me and leaving there to move when I got married was truly a difficult day (with lots of tears involved – very professional, I know). However, like I said, it was my life. For those years I acted as though work was the only glass ball and the other 4 were the rubber ones that would always bounce back to me. I worked myself to death because I was so worried about breaking that glass ball of work. But after getting married, have time off from work altogether and then starting a new job I feel a whole new outlook on things and reading this just reaffirmed how things should be as opposed to how I was living previously.

It’s those 4 things that are truly important in life: family, health, friends and integrity because without even one of them, what is the purpose to life? So as I have started my new job and my new life here I have also started a brand new outlook on things… (I know you’ve heard this before) work to live, not live to work. Now, this is not without saying that working hard and striving to do your best at your job should fall flat but it is just an understanding that work isn’t always the most important thing.

So as we go into the weekend I challenge you to put the phone down, shut down the laptops, stop answering the emails. I know this is a difficult task in this day and age but give yourself the weekend – I promise you work will be there for you on Monday, remember it’s a rubber ball. Stop. Enjoy those 4 glass ones for awhile.

Don't worry - I'm off my soapbox now. :)

Who doesn't love a good style quiz?

I've already mentioned my love for HomeGoods before but I don't mind saying again just how much I love that store. I'm really not a huge shopper in general (lucky Brett) but with HomeGoods there are always new things in the store so it's like exploring a new store every time you go - you just never know what you are going to find!

I just found this nifty little home decore style quiz on their website and who doesn't love a good style quiz?

My results came back as "Classic" with a touch of "New Country" - go figure! So go have at it! Were your results as accurate as mine??

Tasty Tuesday: Grilled Hawaiian Pizza

Grilled. Hawaiian. Pizza - How could you not love something with those 3 words in it?? This is a recipe we found in The Food Network Magazine and have made several times this summer. I highly recommend it!



Ingredients

• 1 pound prepared pizza dough (We just use 2 pizza dough tubes from the grocery)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple (from about 1/2 pineapple) (and eat the rest while cooking)
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-to-2-inch pieces
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced ham (We go with Boars Head)
• 3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 3/4 cup shredded muenster cheese (about 3 ounces) (for the cheeses, get it in the blocks and shred yourself... and it never hurts to add a little extra cheese)

Directions (ours varies slightly from the original recipe)

Preheat a grill to medium. Roll out each tube of dough onto a baking sheet and coat in the oil.

Using a grill basket coated with olive oil, grill cut pineapple, scallions and ham until lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate once it is done.

Carefully place each piece of dough directly on the grill and cook until marked and golden, about 5 minutes. (Make sure grill is fairly cool here otherwise it will burn the crust.) Flip the crusts and top evenly with the cheese, ham, scallions and pineapple. Continue grilling until the cheese melts and the crust is cooked through, about 5 more minutes. (If the crust is browning too quickly, slide the pizzas to the outer edge of the grill.) Transfer the pizzas to a cutting board and cut into pieces and enjoy!

Weekend Recap: 9/24/12

To make this short and sweet - based on Friday's Post, here is how the weekend went:

1) Sherwin Williams Paint Sale:
Check! Stocked up on paint and supplies and am ready to get to work. On a postive note though, after sampling the paint color in the living room and dining room, we realized that the color we have isn't so bad in there so we cut the paint purchase (and labor) in half and are only redoing the hallway. Now that I have the paint, I'm sure I won't be able to contain myself and will paint all week after work to get it done.

2) Cake Batter Dip
Check! Check! Check! Man, this stuff was delish and oh so easy to make!

3) Big Wave
Check! Lucky for me, my boss let me leave work a little early on Friday so I was able to beat traffic, hit up the grocery store for tailgate supplies and get home to one of these before 5:30. Not too shabby! If only I was drinking it IN Hawaii though!

4) Football / 3:30 Game
Check! We had such a good time at the game and cheering the Gamecocks to a victory over Missouri!

Some of ladies at our tailgate.

The student section enjoying Sandstorm!

Proof that The Owens actually went into a game!

Sun setting on the stadium.

5) Christmas Cards
Yep... still lovin' them!


Hope everyone had a great weekend! Tomorrow, I'm planning on sharing a recipe for one of my favorite homemade pizzas ever so stay tuned! :)

Happy Friday!

Besides it being Friday and so close to the weekend, here are 5 things that make me happy today:

1) Sherwin Williams Paint Sale

You see, when Brett first moved into his house the living room and dining room were painted the same yellow color. It didn't seem so bad at first so I repainted the living room the same color and then ended up painting the hallway that color as well to bring a little unity to the open areas. Well, now I hate the color... seriously.can't.stand.it. SO, I'm extra excited about the sale Sherwin Williams is having this weekend so I can go buy a few new gallons of paint, in a much better color, and guilt free since it's 40% off!

2) Cake Batter Dip

I found this gem on Pinterest and have been dying to try it out so figured I would give it a shot for the football game this weekend. Will let you know how it turns out!

3) Big Wave

My husband just sent me this picture which really made my morning! This was our favorite beer on our honeymoon in Hawaii and haven't been able to find it anywhere here... until now! Come on 5:00!!

4) Football / 3:30 Game


Source

Of course I'm excited about the football game as well! Not only is it the first SEC game of the season, it is our first time playing Missouri since them joining the SEC and it is also a 3:30 game which let's face it, is the best time for a football game. You don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to the tailgate and you aren't stuck there until 1am waiting for traffic to die down. So excited! GO COCKS!

5) Christmas Cards

Yes, I realize it is only September but I have tapped my oh so talented friend who is the owner of Miss Wyolene to create our Christmas cards this year (she also did our wedding invitations which you can see HERE) and she also happens to be expecting a little baby Miss(ter) Wyolene in October so she wanted to go ahead and knock these babies out before well, welcoming her own baby into the world. We just got the first concepts back last night and I am so in LOVE! Of course you will have to wait until December to see the fabulous design... I'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seats until then!

So that's that! I hope you all have a fabulous Friday as well!!

Summer Book Review



To say I ever read a book for pleasure pre-college would be a lie. But I finally found a book that had me interested in it enough to read the entire thing and since then, I've been hooked. For me, that book was James Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas." Today, I can't even tell you what it is about but I still remember reading it and realizing how great a good book can be.



I never read as much throughout the year as I do in the summer (there is just something about sitting by the beach/pool/lake with a book in hand) so I try to read as much as I can over those summer months to get my yearly fill.  Here are the books I have read this summer with my comments. I can't say I hated any of them so definitely check them all out at some point!

1. Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I really enjoyed all 3 of these books. They definitely got stranger as the 3 books progressed but I'm into a little strange so it worked for me. Also went and saw the first movie which Brett and I both enjoyed. They left out some key details in the movie that I had to later explain to Brett but I really enjoyed seeing the book come to life in the movie, especially all the "Capital" scenes.

2. I Do, Now What by Giuliana and Bill Rancic

I don't know about you but I am in love with this couple so this book was a must read while we were on the honeymoon. The book is their advice on how to have a healthy marriage and has all kinds of personal stories. It was super cute and definitely a must-read for any newlyweds who love them as much as me!

3. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

If you have never read a Jodi Picoult book, you should! All of her books tackle a tough subject and put an interesting spin on it. This one was a little strange for my taste but still enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend Nineteen Minutes, The Pact or House Rules by her.

4. Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster

This book was given to me by my good friend Lauren and was a perfect quick summer read. It was super cute and had me literally laughing out loud during a few parts. Lauren loves all her books so I need to read another soon.

5. 50 Shades Trilogy by E.L.James

Well, I couldn't possibly go through the summer without seeing what all the hype was about over this series. Here is my short and sweet summary: Book 1) Graphic, borderline porn, no storyline. Book 2) Slightly less graphic, still borderline porn, starting to develop an interesting storyline. Book 3) Even less graphic and actually an interesting storyline (definitely the best of all 3).

6. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

This book was recommended to me by my good friend, Aston (who I get a lot of my book recos from) and it certainly did not dissappoint. It's such a great story about a woman in her "middle place" in life between still wanting to be cared for by her parents yet having to end up caring for them and her own family. If you have a great relationship with your dad - this is a read for you (bring the tissues).

7. Where We Belong by Emily Griffin

I was a little hesitent about reading this one because the last 2 books by Emily Griffin have fallen a little flat for me but I was pleasantly surprised! She really changed things up with this one and got rid of the whole "girl meets boy, boy breaks girl's heart, girl gets back with boy" storyline with something completely new. The end kind of keeps things open for a sequel so here's hoping!

8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I really enjoyed this one, especially since it was such a change of pace from previous books I've read this summer. It's an interesting mindgame and has you always trying to figure out what the next twist is. My mom read it after I raved to her about it and she simply said that it is "really weird, but good" which I'd say it pretty accurate.

9. The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman

This is one that Brett found for me to read - well, technically he initially thought he would read it (lighthouses, boats and oceans, what's a guy not to like) but then realized it was more of a love story than anything so he passed it along to me. It was a pretty slow start with really long chapters that never seemed to end (think Old Man and the Sea) but about halfway through it really picked up and I ended up really, really liking it!

10. The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

I've read a few of Jennifer Weiner's books before (In Her Shoes and Best Friends Forever - both fabulous) so when I was looking for a new book I figured I couldn't go wrong with her latest, and I was right. Great story and perfect for a summer beach read (or in my case a "sit in your cubicle during lunch" read).

So, now that I'm done with my latest book, I need some suggestions on what to read next! Leave a comment with some of your favorites from this summer!