Blogtember {day twenty}

Believe it or not...it's the last day of September AND the last day of Blogtember. 

I can't believe it!

This month went by waaaaaaay toooooooo fast.

Don't ya think?

Here's the last prompt:

Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that a personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

When I first read the prompt about sharing something old, I immediately thought about my wedding and the something old that I had. Well, I really had two something old's, but I'm going to focus on the oldest of the two - the handkerchief.

For my wedding - and I think my sister's wedding too, we wrapped it around our floral stems. This handkerchief has been used in every wedding since my grandmother has gotten married. And, if I'm not mistaken, it was made with my great grandmother's dress. Well, at any rate, it's so special and important because it has a piece of all our dresses on it. There's different laces and a pearl. It's so pretty and lovely. It's like carrying your ancestor's and their successful loves/relationships along with you as you take that path. I can't wait for this to get passed down the line even more!

Blogtember {day nineteen}

An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends.

Be as snarky as you'd like, but don't include people's real names. 

Dear people on facebook that I am "friends" with,

We haven't seen each other in years. I really don't care what you do all day long. I don't care that your cat threw up on your favorite shoes. I don't care that your insurance won't pay for your medicine anymore. I also don't care about all those recipes and quotes. {That's what Pinterest is for.} Mostly, I don't care to see your political/religious rant that you call an opinion.

Really, if I'm being honest, you're only my "friend" still so that I can see how bat shit crazy your life is nowadays and smile to myself about it. If that makes me a bad person, I'm sorry, but you provide such entertainment for me.

Looking forward to more "crazy" updates!

xoxo

Blogtember {day eighteen}

Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or, write about anything you'd like!

 I'm trying to cut back on going to coffee shops because it is an endless money pit.
I did happen to go on Monday and get a Iced Chai Tea Latte.
It was epically delicious.

I haven't had time for much writing lately either, if you can't already tell from my lame blog posts this week. Sorry, folks!
I'm on my last day of working 4 tens {as I've mentioned, like, three hundred billion times already. don't hate me!} so I have little to no brain power left.
I promise to do better next week!!!!!!! =]

Happy almost Friday!

Blogtember {day seventeen}

Write about a time you screwed up - a mistake you made

 source :: rotten ecards

I don't even know where to begin.

I make mistakes all.the.time.

I constantly forget to do my chores.

Getting bills paid on time is a miracle.

I'm basically a terrible housewife and never learn from my anxiety at not getting anything accomplished.

I wish I had a more exciting mistake to tell you about it, but my brain is dead.

I can't think about anything profound that changed me.

I do like this quote about failure & success though...

 source :: center for work life

Blogtember {day sixteen}

Review a book, place, or product

I'm gonna cheat for this one & tell you to head over to my other blog - The FunEmployed Ladies - to see all the books I talk about there!

 source :: gifling
{bonus points if you can name the movie!!}

We talk about Chick Lit each Tuesday.

Come visit!!!

Blogtember {day fifteen}

A "life lately" post - what you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc.

 Let's see...what am I up to these days?

Well, this week I'm working 4 ten hour shifts at the library so that I can have a three day weekend and visit with my friend Mary! I haven't seen her in sooooooo long.

I'm trying to keep myself motivated for getting fit. I've wanted to do it for so long, but I kept falling off the wagon. Luckily, I've got some great supporters right now. Thanks to them, some healthy eating, and daily exercise I've made it back down to what I weighed when I got married almost 3 years ago.

source :: pinterest

Mr. GrapeJuice and I had a friend from college in town this weekend. I didn't get to see him much because I was working, but the boys had fun. That's important stuff right there.

I'm loving the Katy Perry song "Roar" right now. Not really sure why, but it's very catchy and puts me in a better mood instantly.

source :: pinterest

I think that's it right now. =]

I'm just really happy it's fall and that it actually feels like it outside!!

Who's with me?

source :: love this pic

Blogtember {day fourteen}

React to this term: comfort

Oh, golly...there are just so many things that come to mind when I think of the word comfort!

The first thing that came to mind was comfort food. Do you know how badly I could go for some killer mac & cheese right now? And not the fake stuff in the box. I want the real ooey, gooey, cheesy, melty kind. However, that's not in my healthy eating plan at the moment. {Maybe I'll get back there one day.} But, for right now, I'm going to contemplate making this rendition of good ol' mac & cheese.

source :: vegetarian times

Also, when I think of the word comfort, I think of snuggling and cuddling. Maybe that's just because it's late at night right now, and I want to be in bed cuddling my husband. But, he's long since passed out so that's out of the question. However, there's nothing more comfortable than a good snuggle to wash away all the blues and sad feelings.

And finally, the last thing I think about when I consider the word comfort is yoga pants and leggings. I love to wear them around the house...and out sometimes if I'm feeling particularly lazy. I don't get to do it much though because Mr. GrapeJuice thinks it's unacceptable to leave the house looking like you just rolled out of bed, and most days, I agree with him. But, a good pair of lounge pants, a blanket, and a movie is the most comfortable idea on the planet to me right now.

{via pinterest}

Blogtember {day thirteen}

Creative writing day!

Write a (very short) fictional story that starts with this sentence:

"To say I was dreading this dinner party would be the understatement of the century..."

I'm chewing my finger nails here trying to figure out where to take this prompt. 
There are so many options...
I hope you like my choice!

To say I was dreading this dinner party would be the understatement of the century. I stared at the door that lead into my mother's house. I don't know how long I stood there before my sister Clare joined me.

"Are you going to go in?" she asked.

I scrunched my nose, "I don't want to."

She laughed, "Why? It's just dinner with mom."

I looked at her through my lashes, "It's never just dinner with mom, Clare."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and opened the door, "Whatever."

I took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into my mother's house and whatever ambush was waiting for me at the dinner table.

 source :: internationalacting.com

Blogtember {day twelve}

Only photos

These are from our shoot on Sunday! =]

 

Blogtember {day eleven}

A memory you would love to relive

I would love, love, love to relive my honeymoon on the Norwegian Epic!

We had so much fun just the two of us.

We swam with dolphins.

We got to be on the "Newlywed" Show with these awesome people.

We had drinks in an ice bar.

We played with monkeys with parrots.

We saw a Cirque du Soleil show while we ate dinner.

We walked the Mayan ruins.

And we did so many other fun things!

I love the sea and the sun.

I want to do it all over again & again & again!

Blogtember {day ten}

Write a public love letter to someone in your life

 As a wife, I feel as if this letter should be written to my husband {hi, honey!! xoxo}, even though I really want to write a love letter to Fall TV Shows. So, Mr. GrapeJuice, you win; you're more important to me than TV! =]

Dearest, darling-est Momsie and Popsicle...

{no, wait. those are the lyrics from wicked.}

Dear Husband,

As you and I both know, I'm not very good with words when I have to speak them. My brain gets overrun with so many different ways to say something that I get confused and don't phrase it correctly. I over think it all. So, while you'll probably hate that I'm writing this to you - on the Internet, no less, I'm sorry, but it's the best way to get it all out there because if I don't like how it's phrased I can just press the delete key and start all over again. =] I hope you're not too mad, but...

I love you::

For putting up with my craziness and excuses and procrastination and general nonsense.

For somewhat understanding my social media addiction and letting me have it anyway.

For supporting my decision to quit my job even though I hadn't found another one.

For encouraging and motivating me to run that extra step or mile every time.

For forgiving me every.single.time I forget to do something.

For reminding me when I forget to do that something.

For holding me accountable even though I hate it.

 For understanding me even when I don't.

For promising to love me.

For being you.

I wouldn't be in this perfect place in life if it wasn't for you. We've gotten here together. I know I've made it hard some days, but we've both had our fair share of frustrations. I'm so glad that it's you I picked for forever and always because I wouldn't want it any other way...no matter how much I fuss at you.

And, in the immortal words of Colin Firth from Bridget Jones' Diary::

{via tumblr}

I love you most-est-est-est-est-est,

Your Wife

Blogtember {day nine} + TN Blogger Link Up + A Blog Challenge

This is going to be a loaded post with lots of words and pictures and a blog challenge too.

You have been warned.

:)

Once a month, I participate in a TN Blogger Link Up with my fellow TN bloggers thanks to Sarah @ To Be Mrs. Collier and Laura @ Walking in Memphis in High Heels. This month, we are writing a letter to our former selves about what has happened in the past decade, which is perfect since the Blogtember prompt today is "a self-portrait." The creators of the TN Bloggers link up were inspired by an article from Self, which you can read here if you're interested.

So, without further adieu, here's my letter to my 16 year old self!

{celebrating my 16th birthday with my family. yes, that's a sticker under my eye. don't ask. I don't know why I felt the need to put it there.}

Dear Self:

Don't go to prom!

Seriously.

Don't do it.

It's a waste of your parents money.

Plus, the boy you ask Junior year cancels because he forgets he's supposed to be going on a cruise, which is okay because he's very apologetic and buys you beautiful tulips.

But that means, you get set up with horrible dates both years that abandon you once you get there. (And it's not because you're pathetic. Don't let your sister make you believe that. You just don't know many guys right now, but don't worry. You'll fix that problem when you get to college!)

Oh, and just to warn you, your prom date Senior year dies when you are a freshman in college.

Try not to panic when your sister texts you the news on the way to your last class of the day.

And, in case those warnings aren't enough, just take a look at this photo. That's you on the right.

So, just save yourself the trouble and don't go to prom.

Or, if you want to, go with the girls.

I hear it's better that way.

Okay. Now that I've warned you about prom. Let's get on to the other stuff!

1. Boys are stupid. All of them. They either want to stomp all over your heart or get a little somethin'-somethin'. Try not to be too naive about it. You'll meet mister right when you're twenty. Have fun in the meantime...but not too much fun. Trust me, when the girls pull out the web of boys in college, be glad you're only on it a handful of times!

2. You have friends that don't necessarily care about you right now. Beware! Out of all your friends from high school, you'll only hang out and keep in contact with one of them. She'll end up being the maid of honor at your wedding, and you'll realize all the other girls were petty and not worth the stress. In fact, you won't even bat an eye when they never contact you again.

3. Your senior year of high school, you will get one of the leads in the musical Fiddler on the Roof. You will play Tzeitel! Everyone will be so surprised, but you will kick ass doing it!!! You'll do such a great job that you'll get your minor in theatre in college. Plus, the first show you ever do in college, you'll get the important role of playing Sir Thomas More's daughter in A Man for All Seasons. After you graduate from college, please don't give up on your dreams of performing. You love it! Find a way to do community theatre if you have to.

4. Your freshman year of college you'll make friends with your roommate, and she'll introduce you to a girl from her hometown who's also in the theatre program. Do NOT get too close to her. She's a little...unstable. I think that's the best way to put it.

5. You'll will have a great time in college! Your sophomore year will be spent living with all your best girls. You'll throw birthday parties for each other and form friendships that will never fade. 

Your junior year you'll join a local sorority that you will help take national...well, international, really, by finding the right pick your senior year. 

Your junior year you will also meet the man of your dreams on a snowy night while he makes fun of you. You fall in love with him from the start. 

Your senior year will be busy with student teaching, and while I don't want to burst your bubble, you may want to think about not being a teacher. You fall in love with social media after college so a business and communication degree is not a bad idea.

Now, I don't want to tell you anymore about what will happen. I want to focus on you right now. You are 16 and amazing! And, you are so incredibly blessed!!! Trust me when I say that I know you don't believe me, but it's true. You are perfect just the way you are. It's going to take you quite awhile, nearly four years, before you really feel confident in yourself, but don't let it slow you down. It doesn't matter what others say or try to tell you because only you get to decide who you are, how you feel, and what you will do with your life! Be brave. Take a chance. Make a difference. But, most importantly, love every single particle of your life!!!

Forever and always,
The Somewhat Older and Wiser You

Whew!
Did you hang in there with me to the end?
Good, because that means you get to read all about an awesome self-portrait blog challenge I was contacted about earlier this week.

It's called The #SwiftlyPainted Self Portrait Challenge.

And, here's what you need to know!
Each month, Jessica and Annmarie will supply prompts.
The only rule is: you have to take a photo of yourself each month!
You can preview the prompts on their blogs right now so you can wrap your head around it all and plan out your ideas.
{See the ISTJ coming out in me? Haha}

But, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to be a part of it.
Only a couple more weeks to go!
It starts October 1st.
So, get those cameras ready, ladies & gents, and keep up with my year long + one month self portrait photo shoot over at The FunEmployed Ladies.
{I've convinced my girl Mary to join in.}
It should be very informative & lots of fun!!