Weekend recap on a Wednesday.

My birthday yesterday was amazing, and I have so much that I want to say (and I'm going to save it for another recap post), but let me just say this... I have the coolest husband in the world. He still pursues my heart like he did when I was just a silly, young 17 year old girl.

We started the birthday celebrations off on Friday when my MIL decided she wanted to throw a bash for me! She took care of it all! Down to the Chickfila for dinner (yes yes yes) and the plastic-ware! I came home and Caleb had some silly balloons tied to an old camera waiting for me on the table.

Saturday we had one final free day before a couple wedding filled weekends and we spent the morning stopping at countless yard sales. We surprisingly found a lot to take home, and I was thrilled! By the time we finished lunch, we were exhausted, so we headed home to catch the Olympics. I should've known better, but as soon as I laid on the couch I was out. I accidentally took a 3 hour nap!! When we woke up, we stayed up for a movie, ordered ourselves a pizza and then called it a night.

Sunday we headed to church, then out for a canoe trip with the youth group. I had never been canoeing at this point so I had no idea what I was in for. It was a little more difficult than anticipated but we got the hang of it and didn't tip/flip our canoe once - woo! ;)

It was fun to cross another item off the ole summer bucket list, too! I say it every week, but these kids are just amazing. It's so fun to hang out with them. After we canoed about 6 miles (and after multiple stops to play football/float around the river, etc,), we were exhausted. Our car decided to stop by a gas station to get slushies afterward and I'm confident it was one of the best decisions I've made all year ;)

Hope everyone had a great weekend... and have a great hump day!

On turning 25 today!

Today I turn 25!

It's kind of funny to look back at my "25 before 25" list that I made so long ago, because I've realized a few things:

one: I didn't do a LOT of the things on that list - whoops.

two: a LOT of my goals have changed.

& three: that's alright with me. 

I have a much different perspective on life than I did a few years ago. Things that I once thought were so important really don't matter to me anymore. I'm much less concerned with how much money we make, and a lot more fixed on how we can spend more time with people we love. I'm also a lot less concerned with what people think of me, and doing more of what makes me happy.

I used to want to celebrate by hitting the town with everyone I know, and now? We're keeping it much more low key. I love it! Caleb made plans for us tonight to visit a local pizzeria, go see a movie we've been dying to see, and stop by our favorite Mexican place for late night chips and queso...and you know what? It sounds amazing. Literally the perfect way to spend the evening together.

With every new year that passes, I'm realizing that life is about the people you spend your time with, not the random gifts you get. Although gifts are so much fun to receive and open, I always remember WHO I spent my birthday with, vs what it is we did that day or what I was given, etc.!

I really do love to make a big deal out of birthdays (usually other peoples), and while I do feel like 25 is kind of a "big" one for me, I'm just excited that I get another year with my husband, my family, and my friends!

I hope everyone has a great day!! Make it awesome!!

PS: my blog also turned FOUR this week. WHAT?! I can't believe it. I've made so many amazing friendships through the internet and its just the coolest thing! I love being able to look back on these first few years of our marriage and relive the moments all over again. Sometimes all the documenting and hours spent blogging can be tiresome, but its always worth it!

5 reasons this week rocked.

Friday, sweet Friday. I am so happy to see you! Caleb and I get another Saturday off before weddings pick back up again, and Caleb is making me choose what we do. I haven't quite decided if I want to be productive to the max, or lazy as all get out. I'll let you know which way I choose to go ;)

As far as looking back, this week could've really sucked, due to my awful cold, but luckily I'm feeling about 80% better and ready to tackle a fun weekend. Above, you'll find the things that actually made my week an awesome one.

1. My man. Even through my complaining this week, he was there the whole time. Making extra trips to the grocery to pick up soup, making me dinner and coming to bed with me early.

2. Getting to spend some much needed time with one of our favorite families! We missed the Young's so much. Sweet Nora and Charlie hadn't seen our faces in MONTHS and I was so happy we all picked up right where we left off. Nora was extra cuddly and I kind of loved it.

3. Panera bread bowls. That is all. Oh and when they don't give you a plate to go, you use a hoodie you found in your trunk on your lap.

4. THE MOST ADORABLE NEPHEW EVER "WISHING" ME A HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK. Can you even handle it?! I honestly am not biased, he's the cutest thing alive.

5. Dinner. Caleb and I helped a friend from church move into his new apartment last night and he rewarded us with mountain dew and cheese coneys. YES!

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

Currently: August edition

Hearting: allllll the fall booties I saw in Marshall's this weekend. It's not too early to invest in a pair, right?

Watching: The Office. We've probably run through the entire series twice this year. Which probably equals our 9th time, ha! It's crazy that it never gets old. #thatswhatshesaid

Exploring: ways to save more money. Caleb and I have decided to really cut back on a lot lately and its been fun to take a look at our budget more in depth and really see what it is we can cut out. I'm having second thoughts on cable again. We survived our first year of marriage without it, I know we could do it again.

Creating: more time to be still. I have to force myself to schedule time after work to do nothing but go home and just BE. It feels great to let God create something new in me, in the stillness of my evenings. Also creating, beautiful images for my awesome couples!

link

Eating: lots and lots and lots of soup. I haven't felt this terrible in a long time. It's some sort of awful cold, paired with coughing and sneezing, runny nose then congestion 4 seconds later. Hoping it goes away by this weekend. I have a birthday to celebrate soon!

Linking up with Anne and her co-host Dana today! I love the prompt this month, ladies!

Also, a big happy birthday shout out to my Dad today! Hope its your best yet, Dad!

Enjoy your day, friends!

August (birthday month) goals!

Caleb texted me this morning reminding me it was my "birthday week". We're just 7 days out from my birthday...its never too early to start celebrating, right?!

I'm going to be honest and tell you my running goal is basically shot for the summer. I honestly did horrible, but you know what? I'm okay with that. I've had a great time being outside and being active other ways (hiking/volleyball/long walks, etc.)! Being outside was a priority for me this summer and I'm happy to say I made that happen more than previous years!

So here goes my list of goals for August;

-Send snail mail to at least 3 people. I absolutely love doing this. Getting fun mail is the BEST! Bills are boring, but surprises are awesome!

-Be outside as much as possible. I continue to change my mind on which is my favorite season between spring, summer and fall...BUT regardless, I absolutely love the sunshine. Being outside when its warm is just the best. Even when I'm sweating, I try not to complain about it!

-Hit the gym at least 8 times. We joined a new gym a couple months ago and at first were using it all the time. Now? Not so much. I still want to utilize the natural pavement outside, as well as some at-home YouTube workouts, but something about actually driving to the gym makes me want to try my hardest to make the drive worth it, and push myself really hard!

-Use our gift cards. Caleb and I have a few movie gift cards as well as dinner gift cards (hello cheesecake factory!) and who doesn't love a free date?!

-Spend more time with friends. Some of my friends are pretty far away, and some are close. Regardless, I want to make plans to pursue my friendships more than ever. Whether that be through more phone calls, Skype, or in person to grab a coffee, I want to make it happen!

-Drop off our goodwill/donation box. I had this on my list a few months ago and we didn't make it happen. I need to just stick it in my car so next time I'm near there, I will actually do this. We've accumulated so much junk, I know it would feel great to get rid of it.

PS - anyone else PUMPED that football season is nearly here?! I can hardly contain my excitement. Our first preseason game is NEXT WEEK!

Happy August everyone, make it a great one!

Back in action!

I'M BACK!!

Last week, Caleb and I took a break from life (and most forms of social media) to spend a week with our favorite teens at Christ in Youth (CIY) in Cleveland, TN! We had so much fun and I plan on doing a full recap soon but for now I'm going to recap my weekend since we got back on Friday.

We took a 15 hour nap (can you seriously believe that?!) when we got home Friday. So, Saturday we woke up early and headed to Dayton for a huge comic book store that Caleb found online. It proved to be everything it promised and had a little something for everyone. CD's, movies, comic books, board games and fun odds and ends!

After, we walked around then grabbed lunch at a fun Irish Pub we hadn't been to in years and it was awesome - honestly the best sweet potato fries I've ever had! We probably won't go back for a while because the menu selection was pretty tiny, but the food was definitely tasty!

Afterward, we grabbed some delicious Starbucks and walked around Barnes and Nobles for what seemed like ever. I love writing down book titles, then checking them out of the library for free ;) #cheap

We spent the rest of our evening at home, cleaning up and doing laundry from our trip.

Sunday after church, we grabbed lunch with one of my dearest friends. Ashley was a bridesmaid in our wedding and my first friend in 6th grade when I moved to my new school. She has always been there for me and she is definitely one of those friends that no matter how far away we live, we will always be there for each other. She brought along her boyfriend (he's Australian)! Caleb and I honestly loved getting to know him. He taught us a bunch of Aussie slang and the two of them were just hilarious and awesome together. It was so fun catching up!

Shortly after, I videotaped my brothers Miami University marching band audition. I feel like there's no way he WON'T get in...he just continues to amaze me with his talents!

That evening we spent it with the teens again. We headed to a local park for some outdoor fun and a lesson under the shade. We recapped CIY and just opened up about things we're dealing with. It's amazing how much these kids continue to teach ME, and I'm supposed to be a leader, ha! Funny how that works, huh?!

Hope everyone had a great week. PS - this is my first day in my new role at work. Good vibes please!

FRI-YAY

Last night I made time to go watch Caleb coach and play with his work softball team. He rocked it. I may or may not have been insanely proud when he made the best diving catch ever.

This week at work has been testing my patience but definitely rewarding. I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog but I'm moving positions within my company! I was feeling really anxious all the time, overworked, frustrated and annoyed that I had to go in every morning. I hated that! I love the people I work for and with and didn't like the attitude I was having towards my job. I decided to have a talk with my boss about it and had recently discovered the receptionist was (sadly) moving out of state.

Ironically enough, just a few days prior, Caleb surprised me at work to say hi and I was covering the receptionist lunch coverage. He told me how great he thought I'd be at being the receptionist and I laughed while thanking him, but told him the position wasn't even up for grabs (see how God works?! He was moving this all into motion before I even considered it an option). Just a couple days later, the receptionist told me she was leaving, so that's when I decided to have the talk with my boss.

Everything worked out and I begin August 1! I'm genuinely excited. I love being up front, having interaction with clients and everything that comes with the position. The hours are great and I think it'll be a fun change of pace that I absolutely needed!

So while this week at work has been tough, it's been worth it! I'm wrapping up all my current projects and am ready to pass the torch off to the next person!

5 simple things I'm thankful for this warm Friday morning:
-Carpooling with my husband to save gas (added bonus when I get to hear him sing in the car)
-Old Navy clearance racks - needed a couple tanks to get me through summer and they definitely delivered)
-Getting to try new Snickers flavors thanks to your MIL who works for Mars! YUM! Hint hint: think Nutella.
-Free education from your favorite photographers
-Brides who pay the best compliments about your talents!

Have a great weekend, friends!!

Linking up with Amanda today!