Unexpected Blessings

Hello lovelies!

I haven't written in a few days; I know I know, I'm terrible...Again! I've actually been battling a really bad cold for the past week. I was hoping and praying it wasn't the flu, and I still don't think it is. I'm finally getting a little better and in much better shape to get back to my writing!

So this post is a little overdue. If you've kept up with the last few posts I've written, then you've heard me say on multiple occasions that I was going to write a post to update you all on the many new things that have happened in my life over the past year and a half.

I started this blog back in the Summer of 2015. I wrote a post or two, got super excited about blogging, and then it all just stopped. Work happened, life happened, and basically my blog fell by the wayside. I got so consumed with my job that I had absolutely no time for anything else. Funny thing about me, when I'm working at something, I put my all into it; 110%. And unfortunately I learned a major lesson that making your job your whole life isn't always the best thing. I learned that maintaining a work-life balance is crucial for your sanity!

So the job I was working at was the job I got right out of college. I set out to work my way up within a company, and I did just that. I started from the bottom, and worked my way on up the ladder. For those that don't know, I got my BBA in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of the Incarnate Word in May 2012. Shortly after I graduated I got a job with an advertising agency, and that was all she wrote. Kidding!

Last year, January 2016, something major happened. I finally paid off ALL of my student loan debt. Phew! I'm a goal oriented person, so my plan was to live at home with my mom after college graduation (which was awesome by the way because my mom is my best friend) I was going to live at home while working full time, save money, pay off my student loans, and then look to buy a house. Buying a house for me just made more sense. I had no need to rent an apartment and waste my money, when I could just save and wait for something better, like purchasing a home, which is a much better investment than an apartment. I know most people don't have that luxury of living at home, so I feel very fortunate to have had that chance to do so. So Jan. 2016 rolled around, I paid off all of my student loan debt, then I started looking for a house. Most people will look for a house and their search lasts a while. My search lasted about a week, ha! The first week in February 2016 I found the house I wanted. It was perfect. A one-story, single family house, white Texas stone on the outside, located in the neighborhood I wanted to be in, located on a cul-de-sac which is what I wanted, it had a green belt located behind the backyard which was perfect because then no one could build behind me. It was just the perfect scenario. Everything checked off my list. So, boom! I made an offer. And of course they accepted my offer and I closed on my very first home on March 16, 2016. That's the day I got the keys to my very first home!

The house needed a lot of work. The previous owners rented the house out, and the last tenant was this "bachelor-pad" type guy who worked out of his house, he was incredibly messy, he had tons of cats who used the floor as their restroom. Basically, the house needed to be gutted, and that's exactly what I did. I ripped out all of the carpet and got hard-wood floors in the living, dining, and foyer, and new carpet for the bedrooms. I repainted the entire interior of the house, got all new doors and knobs, got a brand new kitchen consisting of new cabinets, all new appliances, new sink, new faucet, new counter-tops, new back-splash, I got new bathroom vanities, new toilets, and I think that's it. Hope I'm not missing anything! And then I got a brand new bedroom set, a brand new living room set, new TVs, and of course lots of new decor. In my next few posts I plan on writing all about my home decor. So stay tuned for that!

The whole process was a lot of work, stress and money. But I'm a determined person. When I want something, I'll make it happen, no excuses. All of that got done within a span of about 5 months. It's crazy to think because when you're in the midst of it all, it seems like it's taking forever to get completed, but looking back, the things I did to my house, most people do over a span of 5, 10, 20 years! And I did it in 5 months! Nuts.

That same year in the Fall, I got an unexpected surprise. The company I was working for was having some severe financial issues, and they unfortunately had to make the decision to let a few people go so that the company wouldn't go under. I was one of the people let go. It was surreal at first, I mean I had been there for 5 years. Blood, sweat and tears went into that job, literally. But, in all reality, that's business. It's cut throat. And in the end, companies only look out for themselves. Everyone's dispensable. What I didn't realize at first is that it was a blessing in disguise. I learned a lot with that company, and I'm grateful for my time there, but at the end of the day, it was a job. It paid the bills. But I wasn't happy....at all. I was miserable, for many reasons. And I felt I was too young to be so unhappy. I'm a true believer that God didn't want me there any longer. I was losing myself. My time there had expired. And while it was a hard pill to swallow at first, I completely understand why it happened now.

During my new-found freedom, I decided to do new things. I rekindled old friendships, I finally had time to be with the people that mattered most in my life. AND.....had I not been let go, I wouldn't have gotten the best thing of all....my 3 new fur babies! If I was still at my old job, I would have never thought to get 3 new puppies. But on a whim, I thought "why not?!" and in December after Christmas is when we got Sadie, our first fur baby, and then the 1st week in Jan. 2017 we got the other 2 fur babies, Maggie and Mollie. They're amazing. They're the light of my life right now, and I just can't get enough of them.

Another new update that just occurred as of tonight is that my brother just made an offer on a house and they accepted it! So he'll be getting a new house too! And what's funny is this time last year I was getting my house, and a year later now he's getting his house. My mom had a proud moment tonight.

It's been a whirlwind, but honestly, I constantly have to remind myself to take a step back and realize how blessed I am. God has always taken care of my family and I. Always. My faith in Him has never been stronger than it is right now. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us!

Until next time, loves, ciao!
Xoxo

A Night of Playing Hostess!

February 4th is my mom's birthday, and this year Feb. 4th fell on a Saturday, which was perfect because we usually celebrate birthdays with our family on the weekends when everyone's off of work. Well, my mom wanted to do something a little different this year. Instead of just celebrating with the family, she thought it would be a fun idea to invite some of her girl friends over for a little get together at my new house. Yes, I said My New House! If you've been following along, then you've read in my previous post that I've had a lot of new things happen in my life over the past year and a half, one of them being purchasing my very first home! I plan on writing a separate post about all of the new happenings in my life soon, but this post is dedicated to playing hostess for the night!

So I was totally on board with her idea because if you know me, I LOVE playing hostess! I'm totally the Monica Gellar of my group of friends. As Monica says: "I'm always the hostess." Only true Friends fans will get that reference. Ever since I've purchased my new house, I've loved having people over to cook for them and cater to them. I've always been that way though now that I think about it. Even before I got my house, I always loved planning parties and having people over for dinners and get-togethers, and decorating and putting out appetizers. The list goes on and on. Now I have a place of my own where I can do all of this in! So, we decided to have her birthday shindig the Friday before her actual birthday, so Feb. 3rd, 2017 from 6pm - 8pm. Nothing major as Fridays are usually hard for everyone because it's the end of the work-week and everyone's exhausted. So we decided to just have a small dinner party at my house. Of course, with me, nothing is small. I go all out. Which means I put out appetizers for people, whether that be various cheeses and gourmet crackers, various fruits, a veggie tray, chips and salsa, chips and guacamole, and those are just the appetizers! If you can't already tell, I like to feed people. It's how I love, by feeding others. The main course consisted of me making my homemade lasagna, a salad with all the fixings, and some French bread. For dessert we had a German chocolate cake with some hot tea and coffee.

Along with being a hostess-type of girl, I'm also a planner. I'm very much a type A personality. So I planned this whole night in advance. From the appetizers, to the main course, to the party decor. Since I was cooking, I of course had to plan enough time to:

1. cook the lasagna the morning of the party; that way all I'd have to do is pop it in the oven about an hour before gusts arrived
2. prep the salad and cut up all the veggies
3. prep all the appetizers
4. prep the French bread
5. shower and get myself ready
6. and of course, decorate....which I did early that morning

Looking back, it was a lot of work, but it's what I love doing. I wanted to make the night special for my mom, and special for all of our friends. When everyone else is having a good time, enjoying the food, and enjoying the company, then I'm a happy camper. 

**Side Note: I should also mention, the Sunday before the party, my water heater decided to explode. And yes, I said explode. My neighbor called me in a panic saying there was water gushing from my garage and my front door. I wasn't home as Sundays are usually spent with family. So I rush home to find my garage flooded, and the entire inside of my house covered in water. Mind you - I just got brand new hard-wood floors, that are NOT supposed to get wet. To make a long story short, we were able to get all the water up, my floors are not ruined (thank God), and I have a warranty on the house which means I got a new water heater that was covered by the warranty. So, all in all, it was not that bad of a situation. Sometimes, we can't help the things that happen to us in life; we can't control those things, we just have to take a step back, evaluate the situation, and figure out a solution to the problem. I always try to stay level-headed with major stuff like that. Panicking and turning into a complete mess doesn't help the situation at all. 

Okay, so back to my mom's birthday shindig! I got up early that Friday morning, I went to the dollar store (Dollar Tree to be exact) to get a birthday card and balloons, and when I stopped in I noticed they had a ton of Valentine's day stuff! Now, I don't know about y'all, but I love the dollar store. Some people may poo-poo it, but I sure don't. You can find some pretty amazing deals there on good quality things. So, don't knock it until you try it. I got so much stuff, y'all. I got about 6 glass mason jars, about 4 glass milk bottles, some burlap string to wrap around the mason jars to jazz them up a bit, and some Valentine's day tchotchkes. I had also bought a bunch of Valentine's day candy the day before to fill the mason jars with along with flowers of course, because who doesn't love fresh flowers sitting in mason jars in their home?!

I took the picture above which shows you the mason jars I got at the dollar store, along with the burlap string I wrapped them in at the top. I filled the jars with candy and added those cute stick hearts to add some flair. I also left some of the mason jars to hold plastic forks and knives, pictured above. Below are some photos I took of the fresh flowers I bought. Flowers are my favorite thing. I just love them. And I always said, if ever I get a place of my own, I will have it filled all the time with fresh flowers. So far, I've kept my word. 

The first picture with the pink flowers is sitting in this cute tray I got at Tuesday Morning, and it's all sitting atop my breakfast table. The second picture with the white flowers and baby's breath is the tablescape I have on my dining room table. I should also mention I have a thing for candles too. Below is a picture I took of this adorable tabletop chalkboard I bought at Hobby Lobby with one of the old school milk bottles I got at the dollar store filled with cute paper straws from TJ Maxx.  

Lastly, here is a picture from that night with all of our beautiful friends. They're wearing some of the fun Valentine's day tchotchkes I bought, like the funky glasses, and mini glitter top hats, and masks. So fun! I love to take pictures, especially when I'm with the people I love dearly so as to capture the moment, and I thought, you can't have a fun photo shoot without some fun props, right?!

All in all, that night was a complete success. Everyone loved the food, they loved getting a tour of my house for the first time, but more importantly they loved being together as one happy "Freimily". That's what we call our "friend family". 

Life is about being surrounded by the people you love, the people who uplift you, the people who know you and accept you for who you are, flaws and all. And these people are it. We had SO much fun that night. I can't wait to do it again!

Until next time, Loves, ciao!

Xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello, World!

It's been a while since I've written in my blog, about a year and a half to be exact. Which is completely terrible. I was so excited to finally have a blog, but I just didn't stick with it. Life happened, my job happened, I got so busy making a living at work that I lost myself in my job. It happens to the best of us I suppose. But I'm back, and better than ever! I've had so many of my close friends tell me that I need to get back into blogging. So many new things have happened to me within the past year and a half, so I have a lot to write about!

While I certainly want to share with you all the new things that have occurred in my life over the past year and a half (and I will get around to it in my upcoming posts), I felt it fitting to write about today....February 14th, 2017...Valentine's Day!

I know most people despise this holiday. Some call it a marketing ploy. Some call it unnecessary. Others may love it; showering their loved ones with lavish gifts and chocolates. I honestly have so many thoughts on this day, it's hard for me to organize all my thoughts into something that will make sense to you all. But I'll try, here it goes:

First, do I kind of hate this holiday because I'm single....lets be honest, yes. Do I get envious of girls who receive gorgeous flower arrangements and jewelry and candy from their loved ones.....again lets be real here, yes. But I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself that Valentine's day isn't just about romantic love, it's about love in general. And that means love for your family, love for your friends, love for your pets, even love for your hobbies. Today can be a celebration of anything you want it to be. You can shape this day into what ever you want. Yeah, it kind of sucks to see others being showered with love from a romantic partner, but again, I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself of all the love I have surrounding me. My family is my rock; without them, who knows where I'd be today. My life right now is so freaking awesome, like, I feel incredibly blessed to have the things I have, to have the people I have in my life, to have experienced the things I've experienced thus far. I mean, I seriously cannot complain. And when I start thinking about all of the good I have in my life, and how much God has blessed me, and how much He continues to bless me, I feel a sense of peace in my heart, and the envy I feel of others goes away. That may sound incredibly corny to some, and that's okay, but it's the honest truth.

**Side Note - one of the things I want my readers to know is that I'm honest to a fault. I pride myself on being as transparent as possible. Being in the business world you realize how disingenuous people can be. And it irks me to my very core. But I've learned you can't control what others do and say, you can only learn from it, and control your response to it. Well, my response is transparency, all the way baby! So, just know, when you're reading my posts, if something sounds corny, it's me being 100% me. I'm cheesy sometimes, what can I say. (stepping off my soapbox now)

Back to what I was saying - I think my point is to not put so much pressure on this one day. I think Valentine's day is just another reminder that we should keep loving our loved ones all the days of our lives, all the time, as much as we possibly can, as much as we remember to, and not just on this one day because society tells us we should. That's the thing, societal pressure is a major issue. Always has been. That's why single people feel lonely on this day, because society tells us if you don't have a romantic partner on Valentine's day, you're doomed! Well, I'm here to tell you something.....you're not doomed. You're not an old maid. You're perfectly okay with what ever situation you're in at the present moment. Just keep reminding yourself of how loved you are by family and friends, and keep reminding yourself how wonderful you are. Life's too short to put yourself down. Keep your chin up, buttercup, because you are awesome-sauce! (I totally went there)

I actually had 3 Valentines today....Sadie, Maggie and Mollie:

                              

It's kind of difficult to see them in the picture, but they're my 3 fur babies! Maggie is on the far left, Mollie is in the middle, and Sadie is on the right looking at the camera. I love these girls to pieces. I plan on writing a post in the coming days about my fur babies; just one of those new things that's happened to me lately.

Let me tell you, having fur babies as your Valentine is the best! No drama, no buying expensive cards and flowers and candies; they were content with just my hugs and kisses; so today rocked! I was so excited to prep for this photo shoot with them. I'm really diving into my creativity lately, which I had no idea I even had a creative bone in my body! But this was so fun.

I wanted to find a solid backdrop, which as you can see in the photo above is pink. It's actually pink wrapping paper. And then I bought a package of paper doilies and wrote on them with permanent marker, and strung them together with burlap string. I laid some of my cream-colored throws on the floor for the babies since we have tile floor and it's cold for them. Then I put mini Valentine's day balloons in rustic looking vases I bought at Hobby Lobby. And then the final touch, pretty pink bows for the top of the girls' heads. It's hard to see, but they're there. The babies hated the bows....I repeat, HATED the bows. This photo shoot took a lot of time, and it's not exactly how I wanted it to turn out, but when you're working with puppies under the age of 5 months, you're going to get what you get! I initially wanted the girls to sit side-by-side and look at the camera, but that's major wishful thinking. I'm dreaming! Either way, it gets the point across that these cute little furry babies have my heart and today was a great day.

That pretty much wraps up my thoughts on Valentine's day. I promise I won't fall off the face of the Earth next time. I'm hoping to stay pretty consistent with my posts, and like I said I have so much more to share with you all.

Until next time, loves, ciao!
Xoxo