Friday 5 :)

Hooray! It's finally FRIDAY!! :) :) Today I'm celebrating the top 5 moments of my week.


[ONE.]

My dad always, always knows when I need a text to encourage. He sends the best Bible verses or he just knows how to make my day. Today was one of these days, where I got this text from him. He is seriously the best dad and his encouragement is always appreciated. :)


[TWO.]

I am in LOVE with my Target Beauty Box. Due to the fact that I am in student loan repayment, I cannot afford or justify getting an ipsy or Birchbox monthly subscription -- I am absolutely in LOVE with these boxes from Target. Each one is $5 - free shipping. This box is my 2nd, and included products from Dove, Shea Moisture & a coupon for $3 off $15. Will be redeeming that this weekend for more makeup!

With these boxes coming out every few months, I always stock up when they come out as they sell out ULTRA fast. They also make perfect gifts. :)



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[THREE.]

 At the beginning of the month, I got two really incredible birthday gifts. My 30th birthday is 7 DAYS from tomorrow. I am SO excited. :) :) Anywho, this month I got to pay off my smallest student loan, so I only have 2 left & they are beasts. My second gift: celebrating my health. I've been part of the JessicaSmithTV Community. She's a certified fitness trainer through YouTube and I love her workouts. I've been stocking up on her DVD's but my husband's gift for my birthday was her newest 30 Day Walk On challenge. I finished Day 15 last night and I love this DVD set. I'm still making a decent dent on my weight loss and these DVDs are a perfect add on to my daily workouts. :)

So this is definitely been a journey for the past year. I am on track to my #size9progress & my future self is definitely thanking me. I am so close. :)

[FOUR.]


I am not a Pumpkin Spice fan but I do love me some candy corn/pumpkin. I definitely treated myself to some last weekend. I am seeing more in my future which is ironic but I definitely don't eat 80 lbs at once. I love this time of year because its everywhere. :)

This particular one is Sea Salt Chocolate. I found it at Target and it is delicious. I bought more than I should but I am saving some for the fall holidays when I need a boost. YAY.



[FIVE.]

Sometimes you need inspiration so you don't eat everything in sight. This is me with dark chocolate lately. I used to hate it and sometimes I just want cake but I found this the other night & I laughed for 10 minutes. ;)

Almost like Ryan Gosling cares about my #size9goal & wants me to keep hitting it hard.

Thanks for stopping by. I am in so much need of sleeping in or a nap. Disney plans on Saturday, World of Beer date night Sunday, catching up on SCANDAL and getting some OT this weekend. :)

throwback thursday.//epcot date night.

Happy second day of fall. I wish Florida would get it together. I am jealous of my friends who see leaves changing colors, cool weather for boots, and all those other beautiful things.

I am sure each thursday you see on Facebook/IG/Twitter - all these #tbt pictures. Some of them are pretty hilarious, some are cute and some are face palms. I figured I'd start posting my #tbt on here - promising to myself - no really embarassing photo choices.

Today's #tbt for you - a collage of a recent Epcot date with my favorite.
This weekend, the Food & Wine Festival starts, and I'm excited to head out there in a few days. Plus they're adding a concert series - I saw some of the great names listed & Hanson is coming in November. :)

My husband & I are pretty big Disney fans. We love our passes and its truly the place where both of us relax the most. I am excited to get some Starbucks, I have a free drink expiring soon.  My big thing at any Disney park is snapping pictures of fireworks.

Figured this weekly #tbt love post would be a quick way to stop not blogging. Take Care! Starting tomorrow, I will be re-joining the Friday 5 posts that I used to love last year. I hope you'll stop by. :)

Tomorrow is Friday. YAY. :) :) :) 

TGIF:Currently/Lately & Soon.

Hello again. Thanks for stopping by this week as I countdown to my 30th birthday. 2 weeks from tomorrow, officially. :) I am SO SO thrilled to start this next era. Yesterday I made more plans for my celebration - I am booked solid on my birthday to celebrate with my husband and I didn't want a lot of drama/frustration for my special day - so I promised him that my birthday was our day alone. :)

After this week of sharing some of my favorite birthdays, I also don't feel like digging into my personal photos of my childhood so I am going to end that cute series. It takes up more time than I am willing to give. Hope you enjoyed it.

This morning as I sat in the eternity of unmoving traffic in my work commute - I knew I needed to post and celebrate my life with what's current and upcoming. Thank God its Friday. :)

Currently/Lately:
- I am making a good dent in my weight loss. These 2 weeks, we get up an hour early and get our walk on - and I've been loving the time with C before the chaos of the day.

- I am trying do a big purge of unneeded crap in our house. Some of it's just there, taking up space and if it's all over the place - its keeping me from investing in Target's organization home swag. ;) ;)
(Clearly my priorities are in order, riiiiight?)

- I am loving my redder hair. I love this hair dye and I am hopefully cutting my hair this weekend, I have to re-convince myself to do it. I feel like Ariel. & I love it.

- I didn't really go anywhere this summer because of the whole I'm a grownup with limited vacation days. But I have that I need a roadtrip itch. I am the only one because my hubs is perfectly okay without one.

- Craving the beach, it's only an hour away and I need it back in my life. #beachwithdrawals

-I am loving the reactions from others now that I dove into using makeup, more than ever. I put my face on before work and I am witnessing alot more people are friendlier, kinda.

- I am addicted to shopping at etsy. I bought a few #disneyinspired birthday treats and I love it. I just hope I get them in time. But I fully plan on spending more time there especially when we have kids. Etsy is my new Pinterest.

Soon:
- I start my thirties. & I am really excited. Lots that I started in my twenties that will be wrapped up in this era. :) Such as done paying off student loans, starting a family, hopefully done with mortgage//new home.

- Weather will be cooling off in Florida. I am mostly thrilled because I have a 5K to prep for in January. I want to run more of it, train harder and obviously have lost a TON more weight.

- Thanksgiving/Christmas - these are my 2 favorite holidays of the year besides Easter. I love all the decor, the food, time with family, wrapping gifts (yes, its a favorite), shopping, the food, just everything.

- We'll be even more involved at our new church. Finally getting back into this rhythm and I love it. This church gives us both what we needed spiritually and I look forward to having kids to bring them here. :)

- Changes to my job: I cannot reveal anything until I get more to go off but changes are coming and I am SO SO SO happy about this. This all went down this week and its very exciting.

-  I will have to get my hands on my favorite movie ever. Currently $10 on blu-ray @ Amazon. Hoping someone gives me a giftcard for my birthday. :) I posted this on my IG today, you're welcome. Ps. if you have IG - follow me.

Excited to celebrate belatedly with my Dad whose birthday was Wednesday. :) Have a fantastic weekend. Cheers to sleeping in tomorrow! <3

Three birthdays to honor + celebrate today!

Today I am excitedly honoring and celebrating 3 awesome people who graced the world with their presence on Sept 16th :)

1) My Dad. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday. He is my biggest cheerleader and the biggest heart for ministry. He has always supported me in everything I do, and lately with my weight loss milestones always knows how to encourage me. He is the best dad in the universe, I am biased. :)

#2) Krissa. My sister in law & brother are such a good match for each other. They've gifted me with a nephew and a niece, and a pup who I love. :) I was so glad that I got to have her as my matron of honor in my wedding. I am so glad they live local. 

#3) Grandma Williams: My husband's grandma passed away last year. This year has been alot of hard 'firsts' for my mother in law without her mom. I can't imagine how hard it has been to celebrate birthdays, holidays, last days of school (she is a middle school/special needs teacher) and now its her first birthday in Heaven. I am glad she is with Jesus today. While I miss her hugs, and her sweet demeanor - I appreciate that I got to know her right after C & I started dating. She welcomed me into the family like I was already related. What a sweet lady who is rightfully missed.

                      


Thanks for stopping by to celebrate these 3 big family birthdays today. I've had a blast remembering my birthdays and getting back into blogging again. Cheers to tomorrow being Thursday. :) -- J

Countdown to THIRTY//Day 18.

Hooray, tomorrow is Wednesday, it is also both my Dad & SIL's birthdays :) As you can tell - I am most excited for my birthday. Each day I get more excited. I pre-ordered some gifts for myself: Pitch Perfect 2. I paid off a student loan. I ordered from Etsy for the first time ever.. & I am hoping to score some #thredUP swag as well . 

Tonight to continue on my blog post series - I am going to excitedly remember another of my little me birthdays: Number 8.

When I celebrated this birthday, my family & I were living in PA - and when you're a kid - one of the COOLEST birthdays you could have - McDonalds. :) I enjoyed every moment. I celebrated with some of my friends & immediate family. I also walked away with some fairly sweet swag. 

I was not living in PA very long because my Dad got 

transferred to FL where I grew up. But I say in that year of PA, I learned life lessons you couldn't wish for on your birthday. 

I learned that without my family - nothing meant as much. I learned that when my brother takes your barbies when it rains so they get dried in the mud - its not ideal or fun to dig out. 

My 8th birthday was a great celebration. & now you get to see a tiny glimpse straight from my personal pictures.. I had a great childhood, & I am having a blast remembering some of my favorite past birthdays. :) 

As always, thanks for stopping by and celebrating with me. I hope you will be back tomorrow again to see what birthday is next to remember & honor again :) Time to hit the hay - busy day ahead. :) 

Countdown to THIRTY://Day 19.

Hope your week is off and running to a positive start. Thanks for stopping by again today as I remember another favorite birthday past along my countdown to starting my 30's era. I am REALLY excited if you can't tell. :)

Tonight I want to remember and celebrate my 2nd birthday. As I mentioned yesterday, I lived up north for the first 5+ years of my life and all my immediate family lived close so I celebrated these birthdays with them. It wasn't uncommon for my multi talented mom to make me a cake, sew me a gift or a combination of these. This particular birthday is my favorite facial expression. I plan on fully recreating this same picture on my 30th. I think it will be a fine joint celebration with cupcakes WITH the same expression.

I showed this picture to some of my coworkers recently and one of them mentioned that hilarious facial expression, "Is that your first time ever having cake?" Haha. No! But it was a homemade Cabbage Patch made of chocolate -- who wouldn't enjoy that? - my reply.

As most of you know, God hasn't blessed my husband & I with our own small baseball team of kids. My mom recently gifted me with some cake pans she had in her house that she didn't want anymore - so for my kids I have some different designs to choose from - Big Bird, Little Mermaid (my eyes got wide with excitement when I got this!), Winnie the Pooh, and gingerbread. I love to find cake pans. These sales get me excited. Yep, I am quirky that way. & that's okay.

My second birthday was apparently pretty fantastic. Every time I see it - it makes me smile.
& even though this year I am blowing out candles for number 30 really soon -- I am really really excited to start this new chapter. I had an incredible childhood. & thus far, adulting hasn't been too horrible.

Again, thanks for stopping by, if nothing else to see what birthday I choose. I hope you'll stop by tomorrow and through the rest of this mini blog post series. - J

Countdown to THIRTY//Day Twenty.

20 days left of my 20's & then I flip the page to begin the new era of my THIRTIES. My husband, family & bestest friends know that I get really, really excited about my birthday. In fact, if you're familiar with my favorite show - How I Met Your Mother - I am pretty much a twin of Lily every birthday of mine. You're welcome.

Today I am starting this new mini blog post series as I celebrate my favorite birthdays in the past 29 years. I've been planning my 30th since the day I turned 29 & I'm not kidding. :)

Today I am going to remember my sixth birthday. When I was little - I technically had 2 celebrations. What kid doesn't like that? One party was strictly for family since I lived up north during that time and another for friends. My grandpa (may he rest in peace) video recorded this particular birthday. It's the cutest thing to watch because of how small my cousins are. These days I do miss my family birthday celebrations but the friends/family in my life - I am grateful for them.

What made my 6th birthday special was because it sparked my love for Ariel//Little Mermaid. Every single gift I got that year was Little Mermaid & I loved every moment of it. The clothes, the dolls, everything. :) & my mom truly outdid herself. She sewed me a Little Mermaid pillow (still sleep with it every night) & a Little Mermaid dress with a matching bow. Saving both for my future daughter to wear. <3

My sixth birthday was a legendary day. Truly I have the best family and friends to celebrate with. Memories were created. My mom baked me a dollcake - I now have the same dollcake set to make for my future kids. And I cannot wait for the day when I have kids. I really wish I would STOP getting asked from certain people when that would be. All I know is that I am making dents in my weight loss and when God wants me to bless us - that He will. Until then, I will countdown til I'm officially THIRTY. :) 

Have a truly fantastic rest of your weekend. Much to do before my 6am alarm for working out. - J