Weekend Shenanigans Link Up!

It was a great, beautiful weekend here in Dallas! I definitely tried to take advantage of the sunshine :)

one // My good friend Jessica created this drawing for me! I LOVE it. Is she not amazing??

two // Saturday I took Bentley to the dog park. My dog is awesome. That is all.

three // Celebrated my little brother's 22nd birthday Saturday night. I absolutely love this photo and the joy on my baby brother's face (5 years old). (Maybe it's for the cake but I choose to believe it's for his love of his family) lol That was a wonderful night. I am truly blessed to have the family I have!

four // I took some engagement pictures at the botanical gardens in Grapevine, TX. It was my first time here and this place is gorgeous! (and free!)

five // "back of my camera" shot

six // My husband opted for a trip to Cabela's instead of hanging out with me Sunday. He posted this super-hot mullet on his Instagram. (I'm assuming he was pretending to take a picture of the turkey decoy? lol) Good one, babe. ;)

Post from Saturday:  Everyone's Having Babies and I'm All Like "Where's the Wine??"

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@lindsaycene

Everyone's having babies and I'm all like "Where's the wine?"

Is it just me, or is there something in the water? 

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I can't even open my Facebook without being bombarded with sonograms, baby bumps, and adorable little bundles of joy... all the while I'm sitting here with a glass of wine like "Who's up for happy hour?" Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them but sometimes I feel like I'm falling behind in the game of life.

I will be 27 in October and I swear I deserve a trophy for not getting knocked up thus far. All of my friends are having a baby (or two). They all talk about symptoms, baby names, baby clothes, cribs, formula, and so on... and sometimes it just kind of feels like I don't really have much to contribute.

It's really easy to get caught up in all this but be careful... Don't miss out on your own life. I've recently found this to be true for myself. For so long, I felt like I was falling behind or missing out on something. I would look at other people and be jealous of their situation. My husband recently brought it to my attention that we've (especially me) been so consumed with the future, that we're totally missing out on the present. We're missing out on the enjoyment of having the freedom to come and go, we don't have the stress of another mouth to feed, we're getting enough sleep at night, we can afford to go to Mexico or Washington DC or a cruise whenever we please (sort of lol - no daycare means more money for vacations!) 

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Now, please don't get me wrong. I want a baby. I would even say that I have baby fever... but I'm going to be happy where I am right now. I'm going to enjoy this time. My time will come when it's my time. God's timing is perfect and I'm sure there's a reason it hasn't happened for us yet. No matter where you are, try not to compare your situation with another. I find this quote to be so true:  

COMPARISON is the thief a joy.

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You are awesome.

Now leave me a comment and be awesomer! ;)

5 Things I Learned from Jennifer Lawrence

5 Things I Learned from Jennifer Lawrence

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I have always liked Jennifer Lawrence but after watching her in a couple interviews... I freaking love this girl. She's super down-to-earth, witty, and just plain awesome. Here are a few things I've learned from her:

1. Always be yourself - ALWAYS

People will love you for it. I'm sure she's under so much pressure to be the typical poised, Hollywood starlet but she doesn't let it get to her. I can imagine how she acts now is exactly how she'd be if she wasn't famous. She's so natural and... human. It's refreshing.

2. Laugh at yourself

Don't take yourself too seriously. A little humor goes a LONG way. I absolutely loved the way she handled her Oscar speech and follow up interview. Humor is the best way out of an awkward situation.

3. Healthy looks better than skinny

This girl is not afraid of a cheeseburger. She doesn't care that she doesn't fit the size 0 prototype for the typical young Hollywood. She rocks her curves and I (along with a million others) think she's stunning. 

4. Be Real

This girl tells it like it is. You'd expect her to be a bit more formal but instead, she's candid and real. Why live life just trying to impress others?

5. Confidence is sexy

Don't worry about your size, weight, clothes, hair, makeup, etc... Seriously, confidence trumps all. 

i.e., Jennifer Lawrence

Watch this video... How can you NOT love this girl??

What's your favorite thing about Jennifer Lawrence?

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How to Keep The Bedroom Romantic!

I read something on Pinterest about tips for a more romantic bedroom and decided to do a little rearranging myself. I must say... it makes a difference!

How I've made our room more romantic:

- I always make the bed in the morning. The room just feels chaotic when it's unmade.

- I took all the "family" stuff out of the bedroom and only have pictures and memorabilia of "us". (Don't worry, I just moved the family pictures and such to the living room)

- I don't let clutter build up in our room anymore. (It stays in the kitchen lol)

- Speaking of clutter, I keep the room "picked up". How romantic is a mess?

- We use lamps in our room instead of the overhead fan light. (Mood lighting anyone?)

A rule we're working on... no cell phones in the bedroom.

(But that's hard when it's your alarm too)

Do you have any tips or suggestions to add to this list?

A Love Letter

To my husband,

You don't know how wonderful you are. You don't know how talented you are. You don't know how thankful I am for you. You don't know how much I adore you. You don't know how much I respect you. You are an amazing man. I know I am guilty of not reminding you of this enough. 

We've been through so much together. We've laughed, we've cried, we've ached, we've learned... you are my best friend. You know my faults, mistakes and deepest secrets, and you still love me anyway.  I am beyond thankful to God that he chose you for me. You are not like any other man I know. I am truly a lucky girl, and I believe that with my whole heart.

This time last year, we were still coming off the craziness of our wedding. It was 5 1/2 long years to the aisle; every second worth it. You know how horrible my memory is, but I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. Thinking back on it, I see everything from that day in slow motion. I remember the way I felt. This amazing feeling of making such an important decision and having no doubts. You know how indecisive I am... and marrying you that day was the easiest decision I've ever made.

Here is my promise to you for the rest of our lives. I hope to be the best wife I can be for you. I will be there rejoicing with you in the good, and holding you up in the bad. I will be there eating Ramen noodles when money's tight, and I'll be always be your date to H3 Steakhouse when money's flowing. I'll cook you soup, make you drink lots of water, and make endless trips to the pharmacy when you are sick, and I'll be your partner in crime fun when you are well. When your world is turned upside down, I promise to always be the last one standing when the dust settles. I will always be your best friend, no matter who may come and go. I promise to never quit fighting for you... for us. 

So this Valentine's Day, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. 

You mean more to me than you could ever know.

You'll always be my sweetheart, my "better" half, my husband, my best friend, and my coppertone. 

I love you.

Dinosaur Valley & Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, TX

We went to Glen Rose this summer to visit Dinosaur Valley and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Glen Rose is only about an hour and half from where we live so one Saturday we decided to just take a short, overnight trip. After we settled into the La Quinta, we headed on out to the park. 

Dinosaur Valley is pretty neat. They've got the footprints roped off where you can find and see them in person! Unfortunately, our summers have been pretty brutal for the past few years so rain has been scarce. The water was pretty low and some of the areas were completely dried up. In my opinion, the park is a great place to hike or go chill with friends but it's not every "eventful". It was, however, a welcomed getaway from the city.

(Did you notice the chick about to bust her butt behind the hubby??) lol This picture always makes me crack up!

Afterwards, we went over to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. It's one of those places you drive through and the animals come up to your car. We bought the little food pellets from the main office and started on our way! 

This should've been our Christmas card last year lol

Feeding the giraffes... If you had a sunroof, they'd just stick their head on inside! I saw them do it to multiple cars. They are certainly not shy! 

As you can see in the lower, right-hand corner of this photo... I was not to fond of feeding most of the animals. They can get a bit aggressive. Not in a bad way, just enough to freak me out.

All in all, it was a great short getaway from the city last summer!

Parmesan Green Beans Recipe

My father in law taught me how to make Parmesan Green Beans and they are so good!

 

one //   Lightly coat your pan with olive oil. (Not too much!)

two //   Once the olive oil is hot, start sprinkling parmesan cheese (from the bottle). Stir it as it turns golden brown and starts to look like "crumbles".

three //   Add fresh green beans to the skillet 

(amateur lesson learned: be sure to drain any water before adding green beans, unless you want to catch your kitchen on fire, give your husband a heart attack, or both.)

four //   Add a little olive oil, more parmesan, and salt to taste

five //   Put the heat on low, cover, and stir occasionally while you finish dinner

*I used the green beans you steam in the bag. They were perfect! It would probably be very good if you didn't cook them first too... either way should work fine!

Our first healthy meal of the week. My husband and I have decided to make a lifestyle change and start taking better care of ourselves. We made extra dinner tonight so we have enough for lunch the next few days. 

 

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