Personal Trainer, Email & Dates - First Things First

Hello and happy Tuesday everyone! Today is the seventh week of our First Things First link up, and obviously I'm excited about it! We are loving this link up, and every week we're getting a few more people to join in with us! I'm definitely already anticipating some new link-uppers for this week as well!

However, some slightly sad news to announce, is that Hallie won't be co-hosting this with me for a while, because her wedding is coming up so soon! So she needs a little break to keep her sanity :) So today, I'm hosting all on my own, and looking for up to 4 co-hosts for the next 4 weeks! If I get more, we'll do multiple co-hosts in a week. If you're interested in co-hosting this fun link up, let me know in the comments below. You must submit at least TWO new ideas for 'first' topics, and please make sure you're not a no-reply commenter, so I can get back with you!!

This week's topics are:

First thing I do at the gym
First Date with Current Significant Other
First email address

And check out this cute new button!

First thing I do at the gym: 

Um, well since I haven't really been to the gym since I was about 16 years old, I have zero idea what the first thing would be. Probably find a machine that's the furthest away from everyone else as possible, so that I can embarrass myself in front of fewer people... Maybe the elliptical or something like that? Maybe I'd be lucky enough to get myself a personal trainer?!

However, I have actually been really considering getting a gym membership lately - which would be the first one in my life! And now that I've got a sparkly ring on my finger and will be wearing a gorgeous white dress in the not-so-distant future, I figure that's even more incentive than ever! So maybe I'll do some research this week, and find the right one to join this weekend?! Any tips and/or advice?! Or Tally friends - favorite here?!

First date with my current significant other: (aka my FIANCE!)
Most of you should know by now, we actually met on an online dating site back in May 2011. So we talked and chatted and phone called and emailed and texted and instant messaged for two weeks before ever meeting each other IRL (In Real Life). Well then our first IRL meeting was a random Thursday night when we both happened to be at the movie theater at the same time, with different people. His movie was starting five minutes after mine ended, so we said a quick 'hello' and gave each other a slightly awkward hug, and then went on our way...

BUT, our first real date was that next Tuesday after a long Memorial Day weekend for a lunch date! He had texted me that morning and surprised me by asking if I actually wanted to meet him for lunch that day. I of course said yes, even though I was so so very nervous about it! (I was just glad I had on a really cute dress and was looking good that day!) So we had a very romantic first date at Zaxby's on our lunch break during the middle of our work day :) Don't worry though, he did at least pay for our fancy meal! My heart was definitely pounding, but I quickly found that it was really easy to talk to this cute, freckly boy across the table from me. Since we had already learned so much about each other in those first two weeks of chatting, it made the transition to real life so much easier. At the end of our short lunch break, I wished I could have stayed and talked with him so much more! But unfortunately, we had to go back to our offices for the rest of the day.

It was such an easy, and casual 'first date,' that it ended up setting the tone for those first few weeks of us dating. It made things really simple and easy, and we could just do 'normal' things and not put too much pressure on ourselves! Seems like it worked out pretty well for us now :)

Not from our first date, but it is one of our first pictures - July 2011, at the twins' 5th birthday party.

First email address:
Well, I think this was when I was in 6th grade or so, so that was probably around 2000. (That hardly even sounds like a real year to me for some reason right now?!) It was back in the days of super slow dial-up internet, and the days of AOL. (Who loves the movie "You've Got Mail?" I do!)

Anyways, I somehow managed to escape the trend of crazy/wacky screen names all the other 12-year-old girls were obsessed with like "2Cute4U" and "MrsTimberlake88" and some other mess like that...  Mine wasn't too ridiculous though, but just enough to make me still sound like a silly pre-teen girl. For some reason, 'my number' back then was 17, so I had to include that in my email address, which was: HalieBaby17@aol.com . See? Not so bad, right? But eventually it did start sounding to silly to me, so when I was a senior in high school, I got a new, more 'grown-up' one to show how mature I was: Halez2006@yahoo.com . See? Mature meant my high school graduation year baked into my email address :) It wasn't until my senior year of college that I moved on from that one, and finally created a 'real' grown-up one, using just my name and some logically placed punctuation :)

If you'd like to join in on this fun link up, check out the super simple 'rules' below, and get to writing!

1. Write your own post about this week's topics
2. Please be following me!
3. Put the new button on your post or somewhere on your blog
4. Link up with me!
5. Visit some of the other links, and share the love with them on their posts!
6. Spread the word on Twitter and/or your Facebook Tweet

Remember to let me know in the comments below if you're interested in co-hosting, and leave at least two new 'first' topics  (Make sure we haven't already covered them yet!) And if you'd like to prepare for next week's link up, those topics will be:

1. First breakfast of choice

2. First dessert of choice

3. First beverage of choice

Looking forward to you writing your own post to join with us throughout this week, and reading all of your fun answers!

Proposal on Valentine's Day!

So earlier today, I couldn't hardly wait to share some big news with y'all, and so without much detail or specifics, I made the announcement that I am now engaged!!! But now I've finally gotten all my stuff together, and am going to write out all the fun details from last night :) Prepare yourselves though, because I'm warning you now - there will be lots of pictures (I did at least put most of them into collages), and there will be lots of words!! But I don't want to leave anything out, or run the risk of forgetting anything later, so I'm including as much as possible here!!

So sometime in January, we had mentioned Valentine's Day and talked briefly about needing to make some plans. But we moved on pretty quickly and forgot. Then last Monday night (Feb 4), he texted me to say he wanted to plan it all himself, and I didn't need to worry about anything. I was like, "That's great babe! I love when you make all the fun plans and surprise me!" So he got busy working on stuff  and plans for the last two weeks, and I had no idea what was going on.

The first thing that happened yesterday, was a quick text from him in the morning that said, "Let me know when you got a UPS package." So I freak out and say, "What?! Here at work?!" And he says YEAH! So I'm still freaking out of course, until an hour or so later, and then the most beautiful tulips ever arrive at my office! Seriously, they're amazing. It's a mix of red, pink and white, and I'm in love with them. They're so perfect and gorgeous, and so special. And I liked that they weren't just any 'typical' Valentine's flowers, because these just felt so much more special to me :)

This photo is from yesterday, but since then, they've already started opening up beautifully!!

Then after work, I knew I was going to meet him at his house, and we would be going to dinner, but I didn't know any of the rest of the plan. Well, except that he had worked penguins, pasta and polka dots all into the date night in some way ;) So I get to his house and I give him all of his gifts first. (Which included: a "Big Bang Theory" t-shirt and set of trivia cards, lots of his favorite candies, a stuffed dachshund because he loves those, a little "Why I Love You" notebook, and a banner I made for him.) Then I change into my new dress and put on makeup and some perfume, and we headed to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Harry's. (I had been looking to buy a new dress, and wanted something, red or pink or festive. Somehow though, I ended up with bright green! Who knows how that happened rather than Valentine's festive, but I loved it, and so did Jeff!)

So at the restaurant, he tells me that he's ordering for me, and I'm not even allowed to look at the menu! So he gets us some sort of shrimp appetizer thing (don't remember the name?), and then orders our meals. And of course, he got me pasta! It was amazing. It was a special for the Mardi Gras season, so I think it was just called Pasta Mardi Gras. It was linguine with shrimp and lobster and mushrooms, with some sort of creamy sauce. Sooo good :) And Jeff got Blackened Red Fish with crab on top! And of course his was delicious too. But soo much food, so we both ended up taking home a box with at least half our our meals.

But while we were waiting on our food to arrive, I got to open my present! First though, let me tell you about the card, because he worked hard on it. Ladies - he hand-made the entire thing! And  it was amazing. It's one of the cutest things I've probably ever seen, and definitely the best card I've ever been given. I told him I would have loved it enough already had he ordered it from Etsy or something, but considering that he made the whole stinking thing himself?! Blew me out of the water!! He hand drew a little penguin, and gave it some of his own characteristics like glasses and red hair! SO cute :) He also constructed this super cute little owl on the back with some crafting string of some sort. On the inside was the polka dot paper, and he had cut out hearts on a piece of tissue paper, and laid it over the polka dot paper. Precious :) And of course he had written some extremely sweet words. In fact, they made me all teary-eyed as I read them. It was for real the best and most awesomest and the sweetest card I've ever gotten. I told him that now I'm going to be expecting one of these hand-made cards for every occasion! 

There was more in the bag though than just an extremely awesome and elaborate hand-made card, like a big bag of Hershey's kisses, and a box. So I pulled out a little box with penguins on it, and it was filled with Valentine's candies and sitting on top of the candy, was a little hand-drawn banana, with a message on the back - "Deliver to the monkey." So I had to figure out what that meant... So while we ate, we talked about it a little more, and after he gave me a few more clues, I figured out it meant my friend Lacey's house! (Her house has been nick-named 'Coconuts' so that's where the monkey was.)

So while we were driving from dinner to her house, I'm expecting there to be another clue waiting for me, so I asked how long we were going to stay at her house before moving on. And he was like, "Oh, I don't know, we'll just see how it's going over there..."  So we walk in, and chat with Lacey and Josh for a few minutes, and while I'm talking to them, he disappears, but apparently I didn't even notice it somehow. Then when he comes back, he hands me this cute little pink monkey, with a card around his neck. The front of it says, "Will You Be My Valentine?" and then it says "flip" at the very bottom corner...and the back says "Forever..." 

And I'm thinking "Oh well of course forever, dear!" But then when I look away from the card, I realize he's gotten down on one knee and is holding a tiny box with something very sparkly inside. And I gasp a little bit, of course, and then he says, "Halie, will you marry me?" And so I immediately do a little happy dance and stomp my feet a little bit and squeal a tiny squeal and cover my mouth and I'm just so excited!! So of course I say YES! and he puts the most gorgeous ring on my finger :) Then he stands up and I hug him so tight and am still squealing, and then of course I give him a big ole' smooch. And our friends were taking pictures the whole time with their iPhone luckily, so we have a few shots of the actual moment!!

That biggest, middle picture is when I'm doing my little happy dance :)

After a little bit more hugging and kissing, we made some phone calls to family members, and then of course put it on Facebook and Instagram :) We stayed there a little longer, and then the rest of the 'stops' he had planned were to go visit each of our parents afterwards! His parents' house was on the way to mine, so we stopped there first to visit for a little bit and show off the ring, and then we made our way to my parents after that. Finally, we headed out, and our final stop was at Walmart to pick up some celebratory cupcakes :) We went back to his house to enjoy our dessert, and just couldn't stop talking about it and staring at the ring, and then talking about it all some more. And then of course I made us take some more pictures, just to make sure we had enough, and to make sure that we would never forget this night :)

Side note about the ring: We had gone months ago (maybe in September or October or something?) and looked at about four jewelry stores for rings. I tried on a ton, and liked a lot of them, but we never actually settled on just one specific one. Then he went back on his own to a different store, and picked this one out all on his own. And it's exactly what I wanted. I love the vintage style, with the square, "Princess" cut, and I love all the tiny little diamonds on the sides as well. It's perfect, and he did an excellent job picking just the right one!

It was an incredible night, and he did an amazing job planning everything out! He did so good not to tell me the secrets or give anything away, and I love that I was so surprised! It's still surprising to me actually, and sometimes it still feels a little unreal. I guess it'll take some time to sink and and get used to it, but for now I seem to be on Cloud 9! (As cliche as that sounds...) I just keep staring at the ring (especially while I type!), and remembering that I now have a fiance instead of just a boyfriend. So crazy, and so exciting!!

I know this engagement period will be crazy and fast and probably stressful, but I'm so looking forward to it. More importantly though, I'm looking forward to calling this man my Husband! God has blessed us both so much, by bringing us together. I feel so lucky to be with him, and to now have a sparkly ring on my left hand!! I can't wait to see what our future holds, and all the things that come with it. I love you so so so much baby!!

Proof He Knows & Loves Me

Happy Valentine's Day blog-world! Like a ton of other girls out there, I really do like Valentine's Day a lot. And it's not just because I have a boyfriend. I've always liked it even when I was single. My roommates and I used to decorate our college dorm room, even when none of us were dating anyone. It's just a fun holiday filled with so much 'happy love!' (As my friend and former roomie Emily calls it!) And it's full of red and pink and hearts and glitter and all sorts of girly things - so how could I not love Valentine's Day?! But yes, I will at least admit, that having a boyfriend for Valentine's Day definitely makes it so much better :)

So today I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Melissa at The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife, for a special Valentine's link-up! She provided the questions below, and both myself and Jeff answered them, to see how well he knows me and our relationship! I answered them first, then we sat down and I asked him all of them, while I typed away! So let's see how he did!

How long have you been dating?
Halie: Officially Boyfriend/Girlfriend for 1 year, 6 months, 4 days. But we've been dating for 1 year and 9 months.
Jeff: 1 year, 6 months, 4 days.

Where was your first date?
Halie: Zaxby's, during our lunch break from work! And it was spontaneous. Since we met OkCupid, we had been chatting online, through text and phone calls for about 2 weeks, when suddenly one morning he asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch!
Jeff: I'm gonna say Panera... is that it or was it somewhere else? No? Where was it?

Where was your first kiss?
Halie: In the parking lot after lunch at Panera, when he walked me back to my car. So romantic right?! Haha. At least I had told them to hold the onions on my sandwich that day! ;)
Jeff: Ohhh, that was Panera. In the parking lot.

Who said, "I love you" first?
Halie: Me, and it took him about 2 more weeks to finally tell me, although I knew he actually did already!
Jeff: She did. In St. Augustine. (When I told him what I had said after he answered, he said, "True story.")

What was our best date?
Halie: Summer 2011, on one of our many beach trips, about 3 months into our relationship. We wandered down the beach right before sunset, ate dinner at The Blue Parrot, and then walked along the beach in the full moonlight. Then we just sat down in the sand and had a great conversation and got to know a whole lot more about each other.
Jeff: It was the impromptu trip to St. George Island, and we walked along the beach for about an hour or so, picked on some crabs, and then ate dinner at The Blue Parrot. The water was so calm, the moon was out and the sky was clear, and we just sat on the beach and talked and learned more about each other.

What is her most commonly used phrase?
Halie: "Eef you say so!"
Jeff: The first one is "I love you!" and "Oh puh-lease!" is tied for second with "Sheesh!"

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
Halie: He'll probably say the chicken Alfredo skillet meal, which is embarrassing since basically all I did was heat it up... I promise I've cooked other good things for us though!
Jeff: I don't know, I would honestly say that chicken Alfredo skillet thingy. You did that up good babes.

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
Halie: The very first time I ever cooked for him! Of course I was trying to impress him with my skills, and I seriously burned some chicken. I smoked up the whole house! It was not good. I was upset and kinda embarrassed, but I managed to salvage most of the meal, and he still insisted it was good :)
Jeff: That smoky chicken that smoked up the entire house. We had to open up every window and turn on every fan, and it was still smoky for a few hours!

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
Halie: When he picks at his cuticles non-stop! Especially if his arm is around me, and I can feel him doing it...
Jeff: Not listening or paying attention. And a close second is picking at my nails.

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
Halie: Technically it's text him good night, but after that I may pick up a book or scroll Instagram really quick :)
Jeff: Well  I'd say she reads, checks Instagram & gets in some super comfy clothes. Then she texts me to say good night.

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
Halie: Maybe not any clothes, but there are definitely plenty of perfumes and lotions he doesn't like.
Jeff: Well if it wasn't any clothes, it would definitely be some of the old lady perfumes.

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
Halie: He loves that I am so silly and goofy almost all of the time!
Jeff: How super stinking cute she is all the time! And that she's crafty, and smart and I can have a decent conversation with her (except about nerdy computer stuff).

What's her blog's name?!
Halie: I know for sure he knows it! He even based my Christmas presents off of it a little bit :) Edited to add: he also just told me my Valentine's presents are too, but I have to wait until tonight for them!
Jeff: (chuckles) Penguins, Pasta & Polka Dots!

I'd say he did a pretty great job answering those! He does know me really well, and it seems he remembers the 'important' stuff about our relationship too :) Since he got so many things right, I'd say that's Proof He Knows & Loves Me! And I sure do love him. This was so much fun answering these myself, hearing his answers, and writing this post! Thanks to Melissa for dreaming up this fun idea for Valentine's Day!

And to my sweet Boyfriend: First, great job on these babes. I'm impressed. Second, I am beyond excited for whatever you've got planned for us tonight! You've been working on presents and plans for a couple weeks now, and I can't wait to finally see what it all is. Thank you in advance for everything, and for all you've done to plan for tonight! Oh, and most importantly, thank you for being my Valentine :) Love you!!

Peter Pan, Post Office & Po'Boys

Not to brag or anything, but I had a great weekend! It's not that anything super terrific or crazy happened, it was just one of those weekends, ya know? I was able to get a few things done, ran lots of errands, ran 2 miles, spent time with family, friends and boyfriend, went to church and just had a good time. I love weekends like this that are somewhat busy and full, but also full of relaxation as well.

Friday:

Hung at Jeff's right after work waiting to meet some friends for a semi-late dinner

Walked outside the house, and immediately realized we were locked out of the house and my car

Tried to take a good picture of us while waiting, and it wasn't working out

Thankfully, they came to pick us up!

Super yummy dinner at Bonefish Grill with Josh and Lacey

Saturday:

Luckily, I got to sleep in a little bit

Laundry, cleaning, errands, and bought Valentine's presents

Lunch with parents at Jersey Mike's

Jeff and I ran more errands all over the place: Target, Post Office, his work, Harbor Freight & Costco

Jeff stuck his head out the car window, and got crazy hair

Milled around Target for about an hour

Had dinner at Chick-fil-A

Went back to Jeff's and watched 'Peter Pan' on Blu-Ray :)

Started working on a tissue paper garland for Valentine's Day!

Sunday:

Took pictures all day long for Ten on Ten, to link up with Bits of Sunshine

Taught 3rd grade Sunday school with my parents, and made a cool craft for the lesson

Had lunch with my parents at Po'Boys

Went to my high school alma mater again to run/walk - and I did 2.07 miles!! It felt great.

Headed to Jeff's house, to chill and relax for the rest of the day

Painted my nails, worked more on my tissue paper garland

Downloaded a ton of new music and also made an awesome running playlist

Watched a couple episodes of 'Fringe'

So you see, it's not like any of that was out of the ordinary or super spectacular. But it was just the kind of weekend that I like. Productive with some time to also be lazy. Those really are the best kinds of weekends for me! What is the perfect kind of weekend for you? And what did y'all do this past weekend?

And as usual, I'm linking up with these lovelies: Covered in Grace, Sami's Shenanigans & Synfully Delicious.

Pulse, Plans, Pinterest & Pink

Dear Blog Friends: There are still more and more of you here each day, and it makes me wanna turn in circles and squeal a little bit. I'm resisting though, and trying to act mature about it. But really, it makes me so super excited when new people come and join me here! So, Welcome!!

Dear Edgar Sawtelle: You are a seriously giant book. In fact, you are 562 pages long! Now I've read big books before so it's not uncommon or anything, but you just seem gigantic. I'm only about 65 pages in, so I still have a long way to go. You're interesting enough so far, but I'm gonna need you to pick it up in order to make through almost 500 more pages... I've got faith though, because you were an Oprah's book club selection, so that's a good sign. The last one I read from her book club turned out really great, so I'm sure you've got great potential too! (I just recently joined Goodreads, so come check it out with me if you're a fellow bookworm like myself!)

Dear Running: Things are still going great between us this week! I've done a mile each day on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. And I hope to be able to do it again today! It may not be very long runs yet, but I'm doing it, and I'm sticking to it. And besides, I've noticed that my average pace is getting quicker, and I'm shaving off time with each run! I think that's a great sign :)

Dear Fingernails: I want to do something really cute and pink and red and girly and glittery for Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure what to do exactly. I'm thinking a dive into Pinterest is in order so I can do some 'research' and get some ideas! Are any of you painting something cute and exciting on your nails for next week?

Dear Mother Nature: Have you lost your mind? I had an at-the-wrong-time, unexpected visit from you just a week and a half ago, and now you're back again today. Unacceptable. I'll go back to my regular once-a-month visit please and thank you. 

Dear Boyfriend: I'm sorry I've been forgetting to wear the new heart-rate monitor watch you got me for my birthday! I don't even know why, because I was so excited about it in the first place! Not to worry though, I've got it with me today, and I plan on using it for my short run after work this afternoon! Can't wait to start tracking another element of my fitness journey! And thanks for such a good birthday present!

Fitness Guru's: From what I've read really quickly about heart-rate, this is a pretty good at-rest number, right?!

Dear Weekend: I'm so excited you're almost here! I really don't even have anything specific planned yet, but it doesn't matter. As long as I'm away from my desk and not staring at a computer for two straight days, it will make me a happy camper! I'm thinking I'll get in a run and/or a trail hike, do some grocery shopping, some movie watching, and spend some time with family, friends and boyfriend. And then Sunday is our 1 year and 6 month anniversary, so I think I have a Living Social deal to an Italian restaurant that would be perfect for Sunday night :)

Dear Boyfriend: Is it kind of crazy that it's been a year and a half already?! Yes, it is kind of crazy. But it's also really awesome. We've had some great times in the past year and a half! You are an amazing boyfriend and I love you so so much! So glad OkCupid brought us together two summers ago!

I hope y'all have a good Friday today, and even even better weekend! What are y'all's plans? Anything fun and exciting to share? I'd love to hear about it! Oh and also, I got some good suggestions yesterday for my running playlist, but I still need some more - so feel free to leave song ideas again today!

And I'm linking up as usual with Ashley at The Sweet Season, so go check her out, and see some other letters too!

Playlists and Randoms

I'm feeling pretty random here today guys. Sooo...you're going to get a random splattering of all the things that might be rolling around in this little noggin of mine so far this morning! Get ready, because here we go ;)

Alright first of all, after reporting yesterday that I had hit a plateau with my weight loss, I need to announce some updates. I took all my measurements again last night, and since January 21, I've lost 9 more inches! (Between Jan. 1-21, I had already lost 8 inches!) So that is definitely a huge Non-Scale Victory! (NSV) But, I had also lost another pound this morning. Goodbye stupid Plateau! Get outta here. It's time we see other people.

So far this week, I have gone for a run Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday. And if it's not storming today between 5-5:30 (like my weather app says it should), I'm gonna run again right before Zumba! Who am I? Who is this girl that runs this much? I don't know, but I think I might be liking her! She's motivated like crazy and so determined. 

Man I look attractive after running...

Oh, and I decided on an official motto for myself on this journey: "One Pound at a Time." I wrote it down on the first page of my new fitness journal I'm keeping, and so I see it every time I open it up. (I use the 3 sections in the journal for: 1. measurements, progress and inspiring quotes, 2. workout tips & routines, and 3. healthy food ideas and recipes.) I'm not quite done doodling all over that page, but you get the idea at least :)

I haven't yet gotten my dear boyfriend any Valentine's Day presents yet. Oopsie! Last year I was just so on the ball with everything! I was probably done before February even started. I had even written 14 cute little love notes that he got to open every day leading up the the 14th! See? On the ball. This year, not so much...

But I am super excited for Valentine's Day! He's in charge of all the plans, so I have no idea what to expect. He told me he'd tell me when, and what to wear, but not until the day or so before. I do love surprises though, so I'm psyched! Can't wait to see what my cute freckled boy has up his sleeve!

And speaking of the day of love, there are a couple super amazing giveaways happening for Valentine's Day around blog-land. So far I've entered to win a KitchenAid mixer at Newlywed Moments and a Michael Kors watch at Wifessionals! I mean hello? Those are seriously awesome prizes, am I right here people?! 

Also, I want to make a super awesome playlist for my runs and hikes and stuff. But I want new music! So I need suggestions and ideas from you lovelies. What do you listen to when you work out? What would you recommend? I've got a $15 iTunes gift card just calling my name, and I'm ready to put it to good use. So let me know what you listen to, and what you think I should buy! (Note: I do NOT like hard rock...)

Image found HERE via Google Image search.

Well, I thought there were actually more random thoughts in this brain this morning, but it seems like that's all I've got. Although that seems like plenty so I guess we're good, and we'll end here! I hope y'all have a good Thursday. And get excited, because tomorrow's Friday! And don't even try to pretend like you haven't already been anticipating the end of another work week...

What random thoughts are in your head today?! Anything you want to share?

Pound Cake, Workouts & Other Happenings

Morning ladies! For a chilly Monday morning, I'm in a pretty good mood. Don't know why exactly - since I overslept and my back and neck were sore when I woke up - but I'll take it! Maybe it's because I'm back here in blog-land, and blogging always seems to make me happy. Last week was fun with all my special birthday posts like: a recap of my 25 Before 25 list, my new 30 Before 30 goals, a fun giveaway, and some random facts about me.

BUT! I'm ready to get back into some 'regular' posts again, and hopefully meet a few more of you lovely followers! There are more and more of you every day, and that just floors me sometimes. So glad you're here! You should definitely introduce yourself if you haven't already, because I'd love to exchange an email or two to get to know you!

So, onto the obligatory weekend recap! Friday night was my shared birthday dinner with my Grandmother, out at my Grandparents house, with our entire family. We had a fun night of dinner, presents, ice cream & cake, and just talking and laughing and sharing stories! We always have a good time together :)

German pound cake my Grandmother made.

Saturday morning, my parents and I went to Maclay Gardens to go on a hike around the lake trail out there! It was quite cold, so I wore two long-sleeved shirts, and a jacket, and I actually felt great. And it really is so pretty out there! I love getting to do some of my exercising outdoors, rather than be stuck inside all the time. Thank you Florida :) We hiked 3.53 miles, and I burned 540 calories! What a great way to start the day. When we got back, I did Day 2 of my Fab Ab February challenge, did some laundry, and got showered. 

I went to pick up Jeff, and we got some special Taco Tueday deal from Tijuana Flatts, even though it was Saturday, and they were so yummy! And I was a good girl and got the 'healthier' options, on a wheat tortilla  and I only ate about 6 of the chips... And then we went back to his house, I packed a cute little box of Valentine's goodies for my swap partner, and then went to the post office to send it off! We hung around his house a little bit longer, then we went up to Backwoods Bistro to meet a couple friends for my birthday dinner! (I was a bad blogger and did not take one single picture there...) Then Jeff and I went back to his house, and he let me pick our Netflix movie, since it was still my birthday week :) I decided on a slightly cheesy-sounding 'rom-com' called "The Decoy Bride," but it actually ended up being super cute, and Jeff even liked it too! (Probably because it was set in Scotland, and the main girl was also the voice of Merida in "Brave" and he loved that movie too!)

Sunday morning was Sunday school, church, and then lunch with my parents, aunt & uncle and cousin at Red Elephant. We had a great time chatting and just being together again! Then right when we got home, my parents and I all changed, and we headed to my high school alma matter right down the road, to hit the track! They walked the whole time, but I did walk/run intervals, and surprised myself with how much of it I actually ran, and how great I felt afterwards! I did 1.66 miles, and burned 250 calories. And I'm pretty proud of myself for that :) Baby steps here people! I came back and did Day 3 of Fab Ab February, some more laundry, and then headed to Jeff's again! We made a trip to Publix for a bit, but most of the day was spent watching more episodes of "Fringe," as usual :)

So once again it was a good weekend. I was able to spend lots of time with my parents and family and my boyfriend! I was also able to eat pretty well, and exercised twice!  And now today, I get to announce that the winner of last week's favorite things giveaway is Breanna! Congrats girl! I just sent you an email to find out where to send your goodies! (P.S. - I used the random number generator thing to pick the winner...) Thanks to everyone who commented and sent birthday love! I really do appreciate it all!

I hope y'all had good weekends as well, and that your Monday is also off to a good start! I'm hoping that this good mood sticks around all day today, and that this Monday goes by quickly! Tootles!

Oh, and today I'm linking up with: Covered in Grace, Sami's Shenanigans, and Synfully Delicious.

Planking in February

Dear Followers: In case you missed it yesterday, I'm doing a simple little 'My Favorite Things' style giveaway. All you have to do to enter is comment on yesterday's post! So go here and check it out :) And thanks to those of y'all who already have! Also, thanks for all the great birthday wishes I've been getting this week - it's been so much fun!

Dear Family: Thanks so much for such a great birthday dinner last night, and all the great presents you got me too! The food was delicious, and you guys really did a great job picking out presents for me! Also, not pictured in the collage below - my parents got me a two-year subscription to "Eating Well" magazine, to go along with my weight loss journey and adventures into healthier eating! Such a thoughtful present!

Sandals from Sis & Bo. Earrings, apron & jewelry box from parents. Watch from step-brother.

Dear Boyfriend: Even though you still don't get to wear the walking boot for your foot yet like we thought you would, and you still have to use crutches and not actually put any weight on your foot -- you do at least get to leave the house a little bit more now. And that makes us both happy! Still praying for recovery...

Dear Fab Ab February: I'll be Planking in February! Not the silly kind where people lay on random crap and post dumb pictures all over social media. The serious kind of planking that gives you rock-hard abs, hopefully. Anyways, you are slightly terrifying and definitely a bit out of my comfort zone, workout-wise. But you know what? I'm going to attempt to tackle you anyways! Who knows if I'll actually be able to do 100 sit-ups and a 2-minute plank by the end of the month, but I'm sure gonna try, dadgumit! Anyone want to join me?! We could all remind and motivate each other!! It's always better with friends.

(P.S. - I did Day 1 last night just to test it out, and it went great. It starts off so dang easy. And it doesn't take too much motivation to do it, because it's so quick! I suggest you at least start this with me, without focusing on the end too much, and just see how far you can get!!)

I wrote it in my new "Health & Fitness" journal I'm keeping, but you can find the pin HERE.

Dear Weight Loss: We've been stalled around the same weight for the last week and a half. I have two more birthday dinner's to splurge a little bit tonight and tomorrow, and then we're kicking this baby back into high gear! I've been fluctuating around 204-205 since last Wednesday, and I'm over it. Goal is to be under 200 in the next two weeks, aka -- Valentine's Day. Let's do this!!

Dear February Goals: I just want to list you out here, to keep me accountable to myself, and to my little blog.

1. Lose at least 8 pounds total, but be under 200 by Valentine's Day (I was 200.5 on V-Day, womp womp...)

2. Read two books

3. Complete every day of the Fab Ab February challenge

4. Run at least four times (I'm a running 'fool' these days!)

5. Try a new restaurant here in town (OK - it was only Earth Fare, but they have amazing food there!!)

Dear Weekend: We will be a bit 'busier' than weekends past, because Jeff can finally leave the house a little bit more! Today after work, I'm picking him up and heading out to my Grandparents' house, for a shared birthday dinner for me and my Grandmother, with our whole 12-Fam. (That means our 12-member family, in case you're confused. That's how we refer to the amount our family involved at any given time, for example - myself, sister, step-bro, mama & papa equals 'The 5-Fam.') 

Anyways... tomorrow morning I'm going on a hike with my parents at Maclay Gardens. I need to finish some laundry, mail some packages and then I"ll head to Jeff's in the afternoon. Then tomorrow night will be a small birthday dinner with some friends at a restaurant here in town! Don't know yet what Sunday holds, but isn't there something big happening? ..... oh yeah, the Super Bowl. Obviously I'm real invested in that. I really did just have to sit here and think about what was indeed happening on Sunday :) Whatevs. 

I hope y'all have had a good week! Mine has been great, but then again it IS my birthday week after all! Happy Friday, and Happy Weekend! Enjoy spending time relaxing or playing or whatever, as long as it's with some people you love and care about. I know that's what I'll be doing!

Porch Dining, and My First Giveaway!!

Hello there my lovelies! I've been having a great week so far, and the greatness is not even close to over! Here's why:

1. There's something fun happening at the end of this post....

2. We get to wear jeans to work today (even though it's Thursday)

3. I have my family birthday dinner at my house tonight, with just my smaller, immediate family

4. Tomorrow night is my whole family dinner at my Grandparents house, shared with my Grandmother, because her birthday is just five days before mine! and,

5. Dinner with friends on Saturday night for a small birthday celebration! Hooray! Lots of good things this week.

So first of all, I want to recap my birthday dinner date with my sweet boyfriend from Tuesday night! We decided to splurge a little bit, and try a new restaurant here in town, The Front Porch. And this joint did not disappoint. 

We got there pretty early trying to avoid a crowd, and it seems we had perfect timing. We went right in and sat down immediately. It was a nice night out, so we chose to take advantage and actually sit out on their front porch! And it was so nice out there. It felt great, and it was decorated so beautifully! They have giant, gorgeous chandeliers, but to fit the slightly nautical theme, they're hung by giant boat ropes. And it looks really awesome. 

This is the best the waiter could manage apparently...

We had looked at the menu online the night before, and we had both pretty  much already decided what to get. I got Shrimp & Sausage Strozzapreti. Holy yum people. They make their pasta noodles in-house there, and it was so fresh and yummy. They weren't skimpy with the shrimp on it either, so that made me happy. And it was a huge plate of food. I couldn't even eat it all, so I brought home a cute little to-go box. Jeff got Ashley Farms Chicken Chevre, and his was super yummy too. It was goat cheese-stuff chicken, wrapped in bacon! Soo good. 

And then I wanted dessert to celebrate my birthday (the proper way), so I thought we could share one. But Jeff gave the go ahead for us to both get one! So I got Whoopiemisu - which is espresso-soaked whoopie pies, layered in a little cup with white chocolate mousse and cocao powder. So it was like a jazzed up tiramisu, and this baby was the jam. I ate the entire thing. And Jeff got a giant slice of Peanut Butter & Oreo Ice Cream pie, and his was super delicious too! But he couldn't eat his whole piece. 

Top L: my pasta. Top R: my whoopimisu. Bottom L: Jeff's pie. Bottom R: Jeff's chicken, with potatoes & asaparagus.

So a quick review: we both had super delicious entrees that we both loved, and they were great portion sizes. (Not like most fancy restaurants where you pay a ton of money, for the tiniest bit of food.) We both loved our desserts. The atmosphere was great. Our waiter was super nice. It was all very quick service. This place definitely gets two thumbs up. We will absolutely go back one day. It's not the kind of place we can afford for just any random night, but it's totally worth it for special occasions. 

After the movie, we stopped by Redbox and rented "Moonrise Kingdom." We had already seen it, but we liked it a lot, and wanted to watch it again! It's just such an easy, silly, cute little movie, and it was perfect for a chill birthday night after such a yummy and filling dinner. It was a wonderful way spend my birthday night, with my love!

******************************************************************************************************

And now for the second portion of this blog post... Today I'm finally doing my very first giveaway! (I know, I helped host one a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not counting that one, OK?!) This is in honor of my birthday this week, as well as reaching 300 followers yesterday! I had been thinking about doing one, but wasn't sure. Then all of a sudden yesterday, I just made the decision real quick, and headed to Target! I decided to keep it pretty simple, and I'm just going with a few of my favorite things!

Notepad: I love making lists and notes, so I have about a million of these around my house and work all the time.

Lotion: Always, always keep a baby lotion in my purse. I hate it when my hands get dry!

Washi Tape: Who doesn't love this stuff these days? It's just a super simple way to make something a bit cuter!

Burt's Bees Chapstick: I am seriously, literally addicted to this stuff! I think I currently have 4 tubes of it...

Candle: They make me so happy! I love the way they make a room look, and love the way they smell!

Nail Polish: I just love painting my  nails, and this is a pretty pink, perfect for spring time!

Earrings: My favorite jewelry. I can never have enough. In fact, it's hard to give these away, 'cuz I want them myself!

Moulin Rouge: This is definitely one of my favorite movies. I know every word to every song, and love to sing along!

See? Simple. But I think it's a pretty good little bundle of stuff! :) So here's the deal for the giveaway:

1. You have to be following me. Period.

2. Just leave a little comment on this post! I want to hear something good, so tell me something fun/good/exciting.

3. Leave your email in the comment, so I can contact you if you win.

4. You have until midnight Saturday on night to comment. I'll choose a random winner Sunday, and verify you're following me. And then I'll announce it on Monday. 

5. Duplicate comments will not be counted.

6. United States and Canada only please. (Sorry if I actually have followers elsewhere!)

Guys - I love, love, love having this little blog space of mine. It's grown rapidly, and unexpectedly, and I'm still so amazed at what's been happening around here lately! I'm humbled and grateful and just so excited. Thank you, THANK YOU to all of you lovely followers, readers and friends! Can't wait to see what else this little blog of mine can do, and what else she has to offer! Looking forward to wherever this takes us next :)

Popcorn Must be Eaten at the Theater

Today is my 25th birthday!!! Hooray! For some reason, I've always really loved my own birthday. I know some people tend to shy away to avoid the spotlight or extra attention, but I tend to bask in it. I don't know if that's "selfish" or not, but honestly, I don't really care - because celebrating my birthday is just always so much fun! And I mean, come on, it IS your special day after all! So why not take joy in it?! I know I always do! :)

Tonight my dear boyfriend will be taking me to try a semi-fancy, new restaurant here in town, The Front Porch, and I'm so dang excited! Chef Rego is apparently really famous for his multitude of restaurants in Atlanta and in the Northeast. But probably more notably, he has won two different episodes of "Chopped" on the Food Network! How awesome is that?! So yeah, I'm pumped :)

And so for today, in honor of my 25th birthday, I'm sharing 25 random facts that I'm guessing most of you don't know about me. Unless you're one of my real life besties, my boyfriend, my sister or my Mama, because they probably do know most of these things. I tried to keep it interesting and only add the "good ones" that probably wouldn't ever come up on my blog naturally. Hope you enjoy!

25 Random Facts about me!

  1. I can't be in the car and NOT sing along with whatever's playing
  2. Popcorn must be eaten when at the movie theater
  3. My bedroom is bright teal. I chose the color when I was 19, and I actually still love it!
  4. I was 18 years old before I ever rode on an airplane
  5. When I drive in the summer, I strategically position my armpits in front of my car vents
  6. I own tons of books that I haven't read yet, but still continue to buy more all the time
  7. I will cry at the drop of a hat, and I am not one of those girls who is a "cute crier." It's downright ugly folks
  8. I'm pretty obsessed with musicals and Broadways and movies about them
  9. Suspensful and scary movies are some of my favorites. Just not the gruesome, nasty ones...
10. When I was little, I wanted to be "a ballerina and a band." Apparently I wanted to be both, at the same time
11. I had 11 different roommates throughout my four years of college
12. I don't wear makeup everyday, and I'm OK without it. However, I don't like pictures of me without makeup
13. I own every season of "Friends" and "Gilmore Girls"
14. When my sheets and comforter and clean, freshly made and pulled tight, that makes me super happy
15. In my house/bedroom, I much prefer lamps or candles instead of overhead lighting
16. I have never lived outside of Florida - and only in two cities: Tallahassee and St. Augustine
17. I am a serial list-maker. I mean, for everything. I've even been known to make lists of lists
18. There are white twinkle lights up in my my room year-round
19. Yummy smelling candles are one of my favorite things
20. I like my own handwriting, a lot
21. I hate repeating myself, so listen up, because I'll usually be annoyed if I have to say it again...
22. I actually really like driving. And on long road trips and stuff, I'll always volunteer to take the wheel for a bit!
23. I tend to be pretty adventurous with food, and love trying new and different things!
24. I used to steal collect menus in high school. I've slowed down on that, but still grab one occasionally.
25. Watermelon is my favorite fruit. I could probably eat a whole one by myself out by the pool in July.

My "little" sister and I at lunch this past Sunday.

Yay for random facts, and yay for birthdays!! I'm lucky again this year, because I get to celebrate my birthday multiple times. Tonight is just Jeff and I; Thursday is my immediate family; Friday is my whole family at my Grandparent's house; and Saturday will be with a few friends! I am indeed a lucky girl :)

For those of you who are older than 25, what did you do to celebrate? For those of you who are younger than 25, do you have an plans or ideas already? Cheers to 25!

Oh, and tomorrow I will be sharing my 30 Before 30 list! And I'm so psyched about it!!

Post-Pledge: The Final Recap

As of this morning, I'm considering my 25 Before 25 Pledge list officially over. Tomorrow I will be 25 years old, and it's time to move on! I have created a new list of 30 Before 30, which is full of all sorts of things. Some are small, some are quite huge, but I'm excited about them all. (Those will be posted later this week.) But for this post, I want to do a recap of how things went for my 25 Before 25 goals!

OK first, I want to talk about the 14 goals that I did completely accomplish, and officially crossed off:

1. Explore 3 towns nearby. We explored Panama City Beach, Marianna and Thomasville, Georgia.

2. Try 6 new restaurants. The new ones we tried were: 101 Restaurant, Monk's, Georgio's, Taste Budz Cafe,  Backwoods Bistro, Up in Smoke, Jonah's and Tallahassee Smokehouse. So that's actually eight!

3. Read 6 books. I started off good, then got stuck on one that was too long and boring. "The Swan Thieves" is super long, and it took me like 2 months to read just half of it. I ended up moving on, and not finishing it. I did however read: Harry Potter 1, Daring to Dream, Room, Gone Girl, Out of Mormonism, Divergent, and Insurgent. So I ended up reading 7 books, and half of an extremely long one!

4. Maintain both bank accounts at $_,000. I don't want to divulge what that fill-in-the-blank is, but I will say I accomplished this amount around mid-December! Yay me for saving money!

5. Try 10 different nail art designs. Check, check, check! I probably did around 20 different manicures, not including just plain colors. Below are almost all the designs I tried, although I do know there are a few others missing, but I can't find pictures of those.

6. Have a Bible study with youth in the fall. Also a check! We ended up splitting the youth into high school/middle school and boys/girls, so there were four groups. I got to attend some of both of the girls study sessions, and I loved getting to be with them!

7. Reach 10,000 page views and 200 blog posts. I hit 10,000 page views sometime in October (I think), and my 200th post was in November, when I accepted the Liebster award! As of today, I'm at 19,329 page views and this is post number 259! And I'd say I'm still going strong :)

8. Start learning guitar. OK so maybe I didn't actually learn the guitar, but I did try, and ended up making a decision about it... My hands aren't big enough to fit around the neck, so I'm going to try the ukulele instead! 

9. Do something I've never done before. Well honestly, I have a really funny story for this one, but I'm just not sure it's "blog-appropriate." Let's just say it's about a time when I needed to relieve myself on a bike ride at an inconvenient time... if you email me about it, I might just let ya know ;)

10. Actually do things from my Pinterest pins. By mid-October, I had already made seven or eight new recipes that I got off of Pinterest! And I've definitely made more since then. You can check out some of them at these links: enchilada soup, twice-baked cauliflower and bacon-wrapped lil' smokies, creamy tortellini soup, pan-roasted chicken, pepperoni pizza casserole, and oven-baked chicken fajitas.

11. Update my resume. Check. Not much else to say about that, but it's done!

12. Blog my entire weight loss journey honestly. Did this just two weeks ago, and shared every single detail. And it was great. I loved actually writing the whole thing out, and getting so much amazing feedback back from everyone.

13. Plan one real date night every month. Most of those date nights can be read about in the same posts above about the new restaurants we tried. I'm so glad we made sure to have at least one real date night every month, and it was definitely a fun goal to accomplish :)

14. Make a list for 30 Before 30. Done! And I can't wait to get started on it! :) I'll be sharing it on Wednesday.

Now let's move on to the ones that were only partially finished or not at all finished...

We actually only made it to 4 of 10 State Parks - St. George Island, St. Andrews in Panama City, Maclay Gardens here in Tally, and the Marianna Caverns. I think we probably could have only fit in one more, had Jeff not broken his foot. But 4 of 10 isn't too bad... and we can still use our pass through the end of May.

I do not weigh 180, I did not complete a Couch to 5K, and I did not complete the 30-Day Shred. Unfortunately, I just  got lazy and these didn't happen. I did run a little bit but I quit, and I did the Shred DVD often, just not for 30 straight days. But now I'm working on everything again, and I'm losing weight! I currently weigh 205, and have lost 12 pounds since January 8th!

I didn't get to ride entire length of St. Mark's Trail (16 miles), and I didn't bike 200 miles total. I got nowhere close to 200, and only rode about 55 miles total. I did ride my furthest distance ever, but it wasn't on the trail like I wanted. My furthest was the 20-mile alley cat we did in October.

We didn't get a chance to try geocaching, and I missed the camping trip my Sunday school class took in the fall when I got too sick to go. I memorized three new Scripture verses, but then kind of got stuck there... Oh, and I didn't hang up the pictures in my room yet either.

So 14 of my 25 goals are completely crossed off. Not too shabby, although of course I would have liked that number to be higher! But it doesn't really matter, because I had fun doing them. And some of the ones that I didn't get to cross off, are making a reappearance on my next list of goals anyways.

I got to try new things, eat new food, make new recipes, spend time with my boyfriend, save some money, visit new places, read awesome books, and do so many other things as well. Even though I can't cross off every single thing, I'd still say that I was successful in really living my life over these last few months since I wrote my initial Pledge!

Up through now, I've had a pretty great 24 years. I'm looking forward to what 25 will bring though, and can't wait to see what my life looks like at 30!! Here's to at least FIVE more years of Food, Fun, Family, Fitness and Fabulousness!! Tomorrow, I'll be ready to welcome in The Big 2-5! :)

Puzzling Letters

The One Where all of my letters end in a random question...

Dear Week: I'm glad you're coming to an end in just a few more hours. Why do four-day work weeks always end up feeling incredibly long? I don't get it...?

Dear Exercise: I did pretty awesome again this last week. In the past four days I: hiked on Monday, did an at-home training circuit & weights on Tuesday, did the 30-Day Shred on Wednesday, and went to zumba on Thursday. Four days in a row again. I'm taking today off I think, but I'll be sure to do something Saturday and Sunday still! Should I attempt a short run in the morning, maybe?

Dear Boyfriend: After four longs weeks of bed rest, on Monday, you go back for your last post-surgery appointment! And you will hopefully get an air boot/walking boot thingy to wear for a couple of weeks. If so, that means we can start going out and about a little more often! I so hope this happens, and that you're foot is healing up just perfectly! Are you officially stir crazy yet? 

Dear Bedroom: The sheets are freshly washed and made up, the twinkle lights are put back up again after falling down, the yummiest vanilla cappuccino candle has been burning every night, and you have just felt so nice and cozy this week. It's been lovely reading in there every night before bed, even if it's freezing and I have to add an extra blanket and a robe on top of me :) Although, I wonder how much it would cost to get custom-made blinds to replace those kind of awful pink ones?

Dear Veronica Roth: I read your first two books in about 7 days total. And now the third one's not even out yet, so I have to wait forever until it's finally finished and released. I'm not sure I can be patient enough! I mean, you left us with kind of a big cliffhanger, and I'm so so curious to see where this takes us in the final book of the trilogy! How long are you going to make me wait??

Dear Fringe: You are crazy, but you are awesome. It's just so weird and entertaining and we are loving it! We're just a couple of episodes into the second season now, but I'm sure we'll get a chance to watch quite a few more episodes over the weekend! I'm wondering though, with the series finale being tonight, why am I just now watching this for the first time?

Dear New Blog Followers: Welcome! This baby is growing rapidly lately, and I can hardly stand it I'm just so excited! It makes me humbled and happy to know that y'all actually like what I write and want to keep coming back here! Seriously, so glad to have each and every one of y'all here now. So sit back and stay a while, won't you?

Dear "Old" Blog Followers: Thanks for sticking around with me. The friendships I'm forming with some of y'all are so fun and awesome, and it's my favorite part of blogging. It's just amazing to see where our blogging community can take us! I'm having a blast with all of this lately :) What's your favorite part of this blog-world?

Happy Friday to everyone! I am looking forward to another chill, but fun weekend spent with friends, boyfriend and family. I hope y'all have a great weekend too! What plans do y'all have for this weekend?

P.S. - Bonus point to anyone who gets the reference in my first statement up there in italics ;)

Papaya, Park Hike & Publix again!

Good morning dear blog friends! I don't know if y'all had a three-day weekend like I did, but mine was great! And I'm in a great mood this morning :) Feels good to start off not only the day, but the entire week the right way! Here's some quick recaps of my weekend activities, accompanied by a few pictures, of course!

Friday night I couldn't think of anything "special" for the boyfriend and I to do at home. But that ended up being OK, because he wanted to try to venture out of the house anyways! So we got crazy and went to Costco and Target. Of course at both stores he had to ride in his old lady cart, but it was good to get out of the house. I got "Insurgent" at Target, and I'm over halfway through it already. It's going to be hard to wait until the third book comes out sometime later this year! Oh, and his mom made delicious vegetable soup for us on the Daniel Fast, so I ate two bowls for dinner after shopping. Yum-o.

Saturday morning I went shopping with my Mama and Grandmother to look for dresses for them for my sister's wedding and some showers. We only ended up with one dress for my Mama, but it's so pretty, and I feel special because I'm the one that picked it out! :) Then I went over to Jeff's house for the afternoon, and we just hung out and started watching the first season of "Fringe" on his Roku. And that show is crazy awesome people! If you like sci-fy stuff, you should definitely check it out.

Sunday morning I helped my parents teach their 3rd grade Sunday school class. And it was a good thing I was there because they had to combine the 1st graders in, because their teacher was out - and those kids were crazy! Cute, but still crazy. But it was fun. Then we went to big church, and lunch, and then home. Later I went to Jeff's house and surprise! we watched some more of "Fringe" and just took it easy for the day. 

Monday morning I got up a little early, and went to meet my friend Sara for a little walk/hike at Maclay Gardens! We went out on the trail, and we walked 3.7 miles in 1 hour 7 minutes, and burned 583 calories! It was pretty chilly out there, but it was a beautiful trail, and we felt great after such a nice hike! We definitely want to do that more often! 

I went home and showered and chatted with my parents for a little while, and then went to Jeff's for the afternoon! We of course watched a few more episodes of "Fringe" and then I cut up a papaya to try for the first time. It was weird though, and neither of us actually liked it...oh well. Then I looked up some recipes and ideas for my last week of the Daniel Fast, and we headed for another adventure to Publix! I got lots of yummies, and then we came home for dinner. I made a veggie burger for the first time ever, and I completely loved it! Best part - it was only about 296(ish) calories! Score! I'll be having another one for lunch today :) And then we watched more episodes of "Fringe." We watched 19 episodes in three days, and have just one more left of the first season. It's just so good!

My delicious veggie burger with sauteed onions & roasted red pepper, on a whole wheat sandwich thin!

So there you go. That was my three-day weekend! It was pretty chill for the most part, but I was still able to be productive and exercise as well as wash my sheets and comforter :) And I got to spend time with friends and family and boyfriend! I'd say yes, that's a good weekend indeed. 

How was y'all's weekend? Did you also have an extra day off? Can't wait to hear about it! Happy Monday! Oops, I just realized it's actually Tuesday - which is even better news! So Happy Tuesday!