A Not-So-Wicked Wednesday

Picture taken from one of my favorite style blogs: whippedstyle.com

I am absolutely loving this new blogger format...so easy to use and it makes it WAY harder to neglect my blog like I have done in the past. I love Wednesdays, but I am starting to get the nervous jitters about my approaching race on Saturday. It's just a race, but I always get nervous and of course want to do my absolute best. 

IT'S JUST A RACE. AND...FOR A GREAT CAUSE. I am thankful to even be able to run in this race! Sometimes I need to just take a deep breath, slow down, and remember why I am running the race in the first place. Gosh it would be amazing to get a personal record and beat my time from my last race. It would be amazing to keep up with the boys, and show off all the hard work that I have put in the last few months. But more than anything I am so EXCITED to see everyone get together and celebrate the survival of all those breast cancer has touched. That in itself is a miracle and I count my blessings that I can be apart of it! 

Happy hump day! 

Minty fresh

I have a new love....this fun little color that looks just as cute on kitchen appliances as it does on a nice pair of skinny jeans. It's on the top of my must-buy list and I am more than excited to buy a little bit of this fun and happy color for spring whether it be a clutch or a piece of jewelry...anything to get my hands on it! I am loving all these bright colors aren't you??

Happy Tuesday!

Springtime updates

It's hard to believe that its been a little over 4 monthes since I last posted. And look...I leave for a little while and everything changes!!! (Struggling to deal with bloggers new format, yikes.) SO much has happened and I don't know where to begin or how to put it all down in a blog post.

I'm settling into life here and loving my "new" job...which isn't really new anymore but hasn't lost its fun appeal. I never thought I would learn so much in such a short amount of time, from new programs to answering tough phone calls and everything in between. Currently, I'm in the search of finding my "niche" there...as in what I can do to make myself marketable and stand out with a couple specific additions to my current job description. We will see how that turns out, but I'm glad it keeps me on my toes. What would it be if it didn't :-) right?

People are getting engaged/married/having babies left and right and I am speechless as to how much time and life changes things in such a quick and short amount of time. So so excited for all those who are taking that next step in life, and I am lucky to be apart of all the happiness and craziness that comes along with it!

On that same note, Rob is graduating this year!?! I still cannot believe it even when I tell people who are as equally shocked as I am. It has been the greatest blessing to be apart of all these changes in such an exciting time in his life. The "great unknown" as I tended to call it when I was in his same place a few years ago can be daunting but also really exciting! I am curious/excited/thrilled to find out what he chooses to do as he makes that step towards that next transition in his life.

Were coming upon one of my favorite times of the year: where that thrill of summertime is right around the corner and the weather is getting better and everyone is ready for those sun shiny long summer days. Unfortunately we cannot say were experiencing that type of weather right now, but our hopes are high for better days ahead. One of the MOST exciting things coming up on my agenda is my 5 YEAR REUNION. Holy cow, seriously where has the time gone? I am more excited than ever to see old classmates, swap old stories and remember whens, and just hang out with the people that I literally grew up with and around for 4 years. There is nothing better than that!

So...I have jumped back onto the running bandwagon as well as picked up a few new and exciting things along the way. I didn't really know how I would make that transition from college track to the everyday working woman type of lifestyle. A few months back I ran my first 5k race...which was way more exhilarating than I thought it would be and loved having people by my side to do it. The bug has bitten and now I cannot get enough. I am running the Susan B. Koman race for the cure next weekend, and could not be more thrilled to run for such a great cause with some of my running partners!! Could not be more excited. We have jumped, kicked, ran, hopped our way to being in pretty great shape, and I am excited to see if all this hard work has paid off. Between TRX training, Navy Seal workouts, Insanity workouts, and great training with some great runners I'm ready to see those results.

WHEW! Sorry for the crazy insane update I guess it was better to get that out of the way so that I would be ready to move on for next post (hopefully with a few more details!) But I'm alive and happy, and sorry I have been out of the loop for so darn long. I'll try to be better...promise.



Happy Saturday, enjoy these beautiful days, and happy springtime!

2012: New Beginnings

Cheers to the new year with new memories to be made, new places to visit, and new experiences to be had! This year was a good one, and it made me really truly look back on all that was accomplished this year: from graduating college, to getting a new job, and adjusting to being back at home I am slowly setting into this newfound life and am more and more excited about the fun and surprises around the corner.

What a year it has been! A year in review....

Thankful that I get to be around for another year, so excited to see all that 2012 has to bring! Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Years :)

In The Barn

When I literally "stumbled upon" this barn-turned-cozy home, I immediately fell in love with the layout, colors, design, etc. etc....

It's being raining here in Indiana all day long, so I am in one of those moods where I would love to snuggle up to a big fire with a good book and spend the day there. This would be a great place to do it!

Maybe it's my Midwest upbringing that brings me to be attracted to this rustic, country inspired theme but I'm loving it and thinking about someday maybe incorporating this type of style into a future home or apartment. I am already in love with southern style antiques (I spent a large majority of my college weekends wandering around flea markets and antique shops with my roommate, gotta love Mississippi) and I have always joked that one day on a visit back to OleMiss I'm going to bring a U-Haul truck and stock up on my fair share of my favorite antiques and trinkets.

This is right up my alley, and there is something about antiques + smooth wood floors that make me so happy. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Happy less than one month before Christmas...I'm in the holiday spirit! :-)

Photos: CocoCozy and Style at Home

Got my eyes on...

1. Banana Republic Gemma Wrap Dress 2. JCrew Glitter iPhone 4 Case 3. JBrand Red Skinny Jeans

4. Kendra Scott Linden Earrings 5. Frye Melissa Boots 6. Felix Ray Polka Dot Frame Clutch

I went shopping over the weekend, and although I only bought a couple of things I got a lot of ideas of things that I might be buying over the next couple of months. Okay...so I probably won't buy half of these things and I don't really need them, but a girl has gotta dream!

The holidays are one of my favorite times, and I love how the mood changes once we get passed the thrill of Halloween (which is in my opinion a little early, but hey no complaints). I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending some time with my family, even though the excitement of Christmas feels just barely around the corner. I'll blame it on the 3 minute snowfall we had the other day!!

We are currently enjoying 60s here in Indiana though, which is a sharp contrast from anything Christmas related. I am holding out as long as I can and not wishing this great weather away anytime soon.

Happy middle of November! Hope your getting in the Christmas spirit; I sure am! :-)

Rainy day blues

Ugh today is one of those days that you just want to curl up and watch a movie or take a long nap wrapped in tons of blankets doesn't it? On days like this, I always feel so sluggish and slightly depressed, and usually fill the day with cups of coffee to keep the spirits up (a go-to solution for all of lifes little problems).

I'm lucky I work inside though, and have happy upbeat people around me all day long. It makes gloomy days....well...not that gloomy any more haha.

Hope that your day is filled with lots of sunshine and joy (weather related or not!) and keep reminding ourselves that better days are just around the corner! Here are a couple things that I find to bring me a little sunshine; I want to pass them on to you :-)

Happy Wednesday...the weekend is near!

Indian Indiana Summers

I know that I have said in a lot of times before, but I am loving being able to actually witness the seasons. I have a new appreciate ever since coming back from the South on how special actually having seasons to enjoy. Culver is beautiful this time of year and I'm lucky to be here.

Work is crazy right now, and I am struggling to learn everything about the databases and files and everything from a different perspective. I love coming to work everyday and constantly being surprised about what might happen. I love my job!

This past weekend was full of shopping, working at a clothing store downtown (job #2!), long walks with Abby, and making MORE MORE MORE of that delicious chipotle marinade...like 6 batches of it! :-)

I put a couple of pictures up that I have taken over the past couple of days, through the weekend and the beginning of this weekend. My ((amazing)) guy got me the most gorgeous flowers on my first day of work and they found a place on my desk (my own desk!!)

Happy Wednesday, we're halfway there to the weekend!

currently indulging in:

I'll just come right out and say it....

I have a MAJOR girl crush on Chrissy Teigen. Yes, she's a Sports Illustrated supermodel. She loves to cook. Her boyfriend is John Legend (sigh.) Serious perfection.

Her tweets are my favorite to follow and never ever fail to make me laugh. She's the b**** that I wish I could be on Twitter, and I love her for all that sassiness.

Okay, enough of that. Chrissy also has a food blog that she updates every once in a while with recipes and such because she has a passion for cooking. Something we definetly share! A few monthes ago she posted a recipe on her blog for a spicy chipotle marinade that can go on anything and everything.

Naturally, I was up for the challenge (as of late I have a lot of time on my hands haha) so I set out to make this really simple recipe:

2 chipotle chiles in adobo

3 tablespoons tequila or vodka (I used Smirnoff vodka, but whatever works)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon adobo sauce, from chipotle can

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

~Throw it all into a blender and hit puree, it really is that easy! It should be almost fluffy if you have blended it enough, a bold, beautiful red with remnants of chili seeds scattered all the way through it. Slather on as much as you want, seriously more is better :-)

When I first made it (experimental stage) I marinated chicken breasts then threw them in the oven. We all know what a pain it is to cook chicken...ugh. 350 degrees @ 1 hour worked for me, but every oven is different.

This miracle stuff can go on ANYTHING and EVERYTHING literally. Chicken, fish, shrimp, pasta you name it. It's all according to taste so it it's too spicy add more ketchup and brown sugar. Not enough heat? More chili peppers and adobe sauce. Seriously, you can't go wrong as long as all the ingredients are there.

Best part of all? It can be stored in ziplock bags in the freezer for as long as you like (the tequila/vodka helps with that) and it's great to throw in the pan still frozen to marinate shrimp or whatever you want. My mom claimed that we need to have this stuff in the freezer 24/7 SO looks like I will be making about 5 more batches!

Now that I am starving after writing this post...I'm going to make some for lunch. Happy Hump Day!

**Pictures all taken from Google. If you want a more "in depth" peek into the recipe check out Young Married Chic.