SMALL TALK DRESSED IN COMFORT| lifestyle + fashion

Pregnancy is weird. You have emotions that you never really thought would bother of affect you and then there they are... Making tears stream down your face in the middle of story time with your first born. Yup. That's totally what happened last night when Devon and I were putting Penelope to bed. It finally hit me that these nights with just her are few. It won't be long until we have another baby to read stories to and share our time with.

It sounds silly when you type it out or say it aloud, which was exactly how I felt when Devon suddenly stopped reading Penelope's book to her to ask me why I was crying so hard.

Emotions, especially during these last couple of months, are out of control.

And speaking of adding more emotion to it all, we've finally started changing P's room to a big girl room. She's moving on up and this transition would probably be easier for me if I wasn't less than 2 months until I give birth but P is so, so excited to get a bigger bed and a "new" room which is helping make this whole transition easier and I'm so thankful because if kids wanted to stay as little as we wanted them to stay, I think we'd be way worse off. Parenting is hard enough, ha

Also, we've finished parts of little dudes room and we just ordered the crib.. I bought our hospital bag and have started making purchases for his arrival. Everything feels like it's going by warp speed and I'm typically not a very sensitive person when it comes to these things - like at. all. so all of this has made me react in a totally different way than I ever expected. Any other mama's out there with me?! Orrrrrr, just me?👀 

Shoes // Top // Maternity Jeans - use code GRABURSNOW for 25% off //

 Non-Maternity Dupes - less than $60 // Bag

So enough about my emotional state, I wanted to share with y'all some of the comfiest basics I currently own.

 I've been loving all of the cute spring heeled booties that are coming out but recently I've been reaching for more comfortable pieces for daily wear and anything that give my feet a break - sometimes even my cutest sandals don't work but these shoes are perfect. I love wearing my running Nikes but I felt like they were a little too casual to pair with jeans so when I saw these, I knew they were exactly what I was looking for - and I think I've worn them everyday since haha

My second most favorite basic would have to be this top - I literally have every color because I love them so much. It is so, soooo soft and lightweight and it's perfect to dress up or down and even though it's not maternity, it's totally bump friendly! I'm wearing my normal size small and the fit is still spot on.

I also purchased these distressed maternity jeans from shoppinkblush.com, which is also having their President's Day Sale offering 25% off of your entire purchase with the code: GRABURSNOW - definitely check them out for maternity and even non-maternity gear! 

And if you're not preg, you can still get the identical version of those jeans, which I also own, btw! I highly, HIGHLY recommend them because they're super inexpensive and the fit is a dream. They don't stretch throughout the day and the run true-to-size which makes ordering online super easy! Click here to see those - They're less than $60!

Now, I totally understand that some of these things aren't in everybody's price range, so I'm going to be doing a post featuring really inexpensive basics geared toward spring! Like less than $10 per shirt, inexpensive so be sure to subscribe to my posts or follow me on instagram so you don't miss it! I'm pretty excited to share some of those great finds :)

xx, 

tbp

WEEKEND HAPPENINGS | Lifestyle + Beauty

We've been inside of the house more often lately since Devon's knee still isn't 100% after his surgery from a month ago and his gettin' around isn't what it used to be haha definitely getting better, slowly but surely but it wasn't really an easy operation to begin with so it's just gonna take some down time to get back on his feet - literally. So for now, we've been enjoying dinners at home (with the help of HelloFresh - read that post here) and having nightly binge sessions watching ID channel, which is mainly my thing but Devon's a good sport and watches along, although he would totally rather be watching golf.

So this past weekend, Penelope stayed with Devon's aunt for the night so we could have a much-needed date night and be home by 9PM. Haha, no seriously. We had the besssst dinner and went straight home and totally enjoyed being in bed by 9:30pm and "sleeping in" until 8 - totally what daydreams are made of.

 Saturday, we had half of the day to ourselves to do whatever and as we're trying to figure out what to do with alllllll of our free time (parents, you understand the struggle), Devon suggested that we hit Sephora (I love that man) so I could use a random gift card that I had found from Christmas - day. made. My husband seriously suggested SEPHORA as a date. Lucky... blessed... whatever. I hit the jackpot.
So after shopping around, I bought a few things that I had been eyeing for a couple of weeks and just wanted to share them with y'all!

I love trying new things and testing new products so finding a gift card in my wallet behind a few other junk cards I had hanging out in there was the perfect treat before we went back to pick up our sweet gal :)

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've been using a new platform called LikeToKnow.it on instagram. It will send you ALL of the info on my pics - from what I'm wearing to beauty and everything else in between, even with kids stuff! So make sure you sign up HERE so you'll start receiving emails within 10 minutes on posts you've liked that have LTKI installed. Sooo easy😊

Anyway - HAPPY SUNDAY. The weekends are going by faster and faster and I sincerely hope that the warmer weather comes as quick as Mondays do.

xx,
tbp

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TRICKS + TREATS | Lifestyle

     Cooler weather, pumpkins, mums, shorter days, scary flicks on the TV 24/7 - For as long as I can remember, October has been my favorite month of all-time - no one has a birthday, there isn't an anniversary, it's just one of those things... maybe because it's the official start of the holiday season, I'm not sure but every time October hits, I get into the best mood and get so motivated to hit all of the holiday happenings around where we live.

      Just yesterday, we went to Hunt Club Farm which had everything from pumpkins to zebras. Literally. So we spent our afternoon hanging out and letting Penelope run around to get all that crazy-toddler energy out - Plus, Mama got some front-porch decorations, cause you know, that was really one of my top priorities while there - and I ain't lyin.

     So on top of being able to do all of the traditional holiday stuff, I wanted to share a little about our Halloween traditions as a family. My whole life, my mom (and grandma, especially) went all-out on the holidays (and trust, they still do), so the apple didn't fall far from the tree with me. I get SUPER into holidays, ESPECIALLY Christmas. Christmas time in my jaaaaaam.
 but as far as Halloween goes, I sort of skip-out on the bat-decor and go straight into decorating my house neutral and fall-themed. It's partly because we don't live in a neighborhood and we don't even get trick-or-treaters so I don't have the pressure of out-doing my neighbor (cause you know I would make that priority) and I sort of feel like I'd rather decorate for the fall-season in general, instead of a holiday that lasts only a few short weeks. 

     Now, if you want to talk about trick-or-treating, I'm dooooown. Trick-or-treating was my thang back in the day when I was young enough to dress up for it and then I had nieces and always looked forward going with them and now that I have a kid of my own, lawd, I could plan on Halloween all year long but mostly because it's a great excuse to get the whole family together, which is huge for us since we're really family-oriented people in general. 

Anyway, besides trick-or-treat, we always do haunted houses and stuff but since I'm knocked up, I won't be running through a forrest this year.... It'll stay kid-friendly this go-'round and we'll pick  back up next year ;)

And after all of that fun, we headed to Verizon to exchange my iPhone 7 for the 7+ but I got a little nervous on the size so we didn't end up getting it, although I'm currently regretting not going through with it.. ekkkk. So do any of y'all have the iPhone 7+ (or a plus in general) and how do y'all feel about it?! I'm reeeeeally wanting it for the picture quality and because I'll obviously be using it for emails + blogging so I think it'll work better than my regular sized 7.... But let me know - I need heeeeeelp😫 (so typical)

So back to the pictures of yesterday, before I start on another holiday or something.... Here are some pics of the fun:

iPhone pic but I couldn't leave it out - one of my faves.

Shop my outfit:
Jacket - sold out similar here // Jeans // Sunglasses // T-shirt // Sandals (on sale!)

Shop Penelope's outfit:
T-shirt // Jean Jacket // Leggings // Shoes - sold out online, similar here

xx, tbp

WHAT'S HAPPENING | CHIT CHAT

I hope you guys had a great last weekend of summer! I adore all of these back-to-school pics and seeing all the smiley faces of your little ones.... And while I see their big smiley-faces, I always hold the mama (dad/grandparent) on the other side of the camera close to my heart as I know there are probably tears streaming down theirs... I'm thankful I get one more year to get it together before I'm in the same boat - it's so bittersweet! Any tips are welcomed - I don't believe in being prepared too early! *sigh*

So after breaking the ice a bit, I have to start off and be really honest here, because after all, it's what I do, but I sort of lost my fire for a minute there. I know you're totally thinking "Wow, Taylor, blogging is so hard, huh?" but truthfully, being creative 24/7 is hard and because I don't write just to write, sometimes it's more worth it to me to take some time off in order to recap and reevaluate what I'm putting on here.... and that's exactly what I did. That's sort of the beauty of blogging in-itself - I'm able to make my own hours and schedule and I can book up my time or I can clear everything out and I love that perk and of course, times where I'm a door-knob and don't have an ounce of creativity left, I'm able to back away in order to refresh my mind.

Most of y'all know what I'm saying - there's just something different when you're trying to get a business or idea off of the ground then when it actually gets off of the ground.... Things become different, responsibilities change and that care-free mindset can still be there but it shifts just a bit and whether you're ready for the shift or not, you have to change with it, roll with the tide some - it comes with the territory of growing and that's something I'm happily learning along the way.... Anyway, after this past weekend, my fire for blogging came back. A day at the beach was just what my mind needed in order to come back to this full-force and to get my creative-juices flowing again - hallelujah!

So what's been going on over here at the Pilk's? Not a whole lot... The usual summertime scenarios: Family time, beach days, lake days, cookouts - the list goes on and on. We've actually been planning some pretty big things for our family that I hope to tell y'all about a little later - things that are equally as scary as they are exciting. So wrong to leave y'all hanging but I promise it's nothing but a change of pace for us... Nothing serious :) Just pray that it works in our favor - I'm a firm believer in prayer and agreement among friends so just keep us in mind when you talk to the Big Man upstairs :) 

But enough about me for a minute; can you believe that Christmas is only 3 months away.. This totally means I have the green-light for Christmas shopping, which I'm pumped about but who isn't excited about pumpkin patches, horror movies, s'mores season, leaves changing and cool(er) weather in the meantime?! Let's just all PRAY that it isn't 75 degrees on Christmas like it was last year... That was miserably weird and felt so strange..... I can handle the 50's but ca'mon, 65+ just ain't right. 

Okay, I'm done blabbering - It's almost the weekend so go enjoy your loved ones and take a breather from the busy week - oh and mama's if you're looking for a sign to pamper yourself - this is it! GO DO IT! And get your mind right for the upcoming week because we all know the weekends go by way too fast!

xx, tbp

CATCHING UP ON THE WEEKEND | CHITCHAT

I feel like every Monday I say "I can't believe it's already Monday.." blah blah blah. But for real... I swear, the older I get, the more I realize how fast time goes by.... wait.... FLIES by. 

I went out yesterday to get groceries and they already had stuff for Halloween - LIKE WHA?! I know stores want to get ahead start and all but dag on! And then I got the itch to check out Pottery Barn Kids halloween costumes *just to see* and whadaya know - HALLOWEEN COSTUMES GALORE. I better step my mom-game up because I know the one I spotted will sell out by next week at this rate... I need to stay up on these things cause moms out in these streets don't play.

Secondly, next weekend is my dance competition... I feel like I'm a celebrity from Dancing with the actual freakin' stars with as much as I've practiced this damn routine in the last 6 months. Most important: I will be so happy when this is over - although it's been a fun experience (truthfully), it's been pretty demanding as far as schedule goes. Edit: Now I sound like I haven't had fun lol I totally have and I'm super happy to be doing this for charity, which makes the demanding schedule so worth it, I think it's my nerves are starting to get to me!
Second most important thing: I have a new-found respect for dancers... It isn't my thing per say but I definitely respect the demand it takes to actually put together a routine, practice it and then execute it flawlessly because after all, you only get one shot to do it right and TRUST ME, it ain't easy, y'all.... I'm just sitting over here praying I don't fall off of the stage, trip or forget a step while they're over there literally flipping each other all over the place blindfolded (not really, but they could) while looking flawlessly elegant.

And this may be the most important thing of all: I CLEANED MY ENTIRE HOUSE THIS WEEKEND. Seriously... Deep, deep, DEEP cleaned. Go on, run your finger behind my TV with a white cotton glove - or actually don't cause I forgot to clean that but I can say that if you have a dog allergy you can come hangout at my house because I swear there's no trace that they even exist besides their need to be let out... oh and fed. That's important too.

Here are a few pics from this weekend - 

The BIGGEST Hydrangeas I've ever seen. Fav!

Nothing to see here, I just have a thing for skies in the AM :)

Just wanted to update y'all on our weekend and little bit of our life because I haven't been able to do that lately - which is a good thing and a bad thing - my blog is growing (good thing!) but it sort of removes the reason why I started it in the first place || but I'm slowly getting the hang of it all and my new venture in life... Rome wasn't built in a day ;)

xx, tbp

SUMMER STYLE ROUNDUP | FASHION

Have you ever been clothes shopping with a toddler? They run, tear stuff off of shelves and hangers and then the little monsters hide from you. Scary. Stuff. and as a mom, I think it goes without saying that it would be way more convenient if they had drive-throughs to every. single. store. but since that's not reality, it totally helps when one of your favorite places to shop, can actually be done right in the convenience of your own living room. 

So here are a few pieces I've picked out from ShopSpring.com that I'm currently loving for summer!

FYI: I'm a total accessory kinda gal so I'm always the most excited for hats and sunnies. Shop more of the same great items here, in their accessory store :)

1| Urban Outfitters V Tee

Everyone needs a basic white tee in the summer and I love that this  particular one lays with not too much scoop on the bottom, ya know what I mean? It's the perfect top to transition from day to night.

2| Rag & Bone Straw Panama Hat

I always wear a hat in the summer, not just for a fashion statement but to protect the skin on my face - wrinkles are no bueno, y'all.

3| Re/Done Black Cutoffs

Fringe shorts that are distressed completely have my attention at the moment. You cannot go wrong with rough-looking denim at the moment. I'm totally obsessed.

4| Rebecca Minkoff Emma Sandal

The versatility of these sandals are unreal. Plus, I love the little bow detail on the back!

5| Cynthia Rowley No. 76 Sunnies

These are so cute and are perfect for summer. They can be paired either casual or dressy - I LOVE that about these frames!

xx, tbp

THE BEST DRESS FOR SUMMER | FASHION

   I haven't done very many fashion-related posts because I truthfully live in gym clothes the majority of the time lol but to be honest, I love when I have a reason to get out of the lulu's and put something a little more "dressy" on, ya know what I mean??

So here's what I claim as "The dress of the summer" from ShopTheMint💛

This super lightweight maxi dress is the perfect addition to my closet recently! Not only is the color one of my favorites but I LOVE the fact that this dress has POCKETS.

I always loath wearing maxis that don't have them since I never really carry my purse anymore anyway, so when I found out that this dress had the extra "storage", I knew that I had to have it.
Oh, and it also doubles as the best bikini cover-up for pool parties or beach day because the material is so lightweight, it dries out really fast so you don't have to worry about staying wet after a day on (or in) the water!

To purchase this EXACT dress, click HERE.
I'm 5'5, a size 4 and I'm wearing the S/M

Or visit ShopTheMint.com to shop the site!
And don't forget to follow them on the gram @shopthemint 

xx, tbp

Exciting news + a giveaway! | LIFESTYLE

I am SO excited to announce that I've become a parent blogger for one of our favorite baby/toddler brands - NUBY! If you've been a reader for the past two, or so, years, then you may remember a post I did here on the Nuby transitional bottle; That was the first bottle Penelope learned to hold by herself (tear) so as you can imagine, Nuby has held a special place in my heart ever since :)

Being a mom and doing my best to make sure Penelope has the best, I stand behind Nuby and all of their amazing products so it wouldn't feel right to talk about how great these products are, just to leave y'all without an opportunity to get your hands on something SO I'm going to be giving away a brand new Nuby Fun Feeding Square Section Plate set! (same as pictured below)

The giveaway will be posted at the very bottom of this blog, so while you're scrolling to enter, make sure you read why we love the Nuby Fun Feeding Square Plates and the Wash or Toss™Straw Cups on your way to win!  

Since Penelope is older now, and we no longer use the Nuby transitional bottle, we've stepped up to a few of their other products and as you can imagine, we are in love!

So first things first: FOOD.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, so it's clear to see that Penelope takes her food-time seriously (like her mama).

Since P's two now and baby food is long gone, she's been wanting to eat off of a "grown up plate" like mom and dad... But with age comes experience and since she's fairly new to using utensils and such, her eggs and yogurt started to get, well, a little messy... and mixed. Gross enough, she would always end up mixing the two together - no bueno. Fruit and yogurt: yes. Eggs and yogurt: Not so much. So when I saw that Nuby was coming out with a new sectioned plate, I knew that was something we had to try!

Since we've started using the plates, there has been (thankfully) no more egg, fruit and yogurt smoothies on her plate, lol.

 Now, not all messes can be avoided with a toddler so luckily these plates are also dishwasher safe, so clean up really couldn't be any easier.

So what are some other perks of these sectioned plates?

Well, as you can see, they have three individual food compartments to help introduce new tastes and textures, they're perfect for finger foods (as you can see, ha), and they're also great for snacks and even parties with their selection of fun, bright colors!

I can't end this post without also talking about Nuby's brand new Wash or Toss™ Straw Cups. As stated above, we have no use for the transitional bottle any longer, but because sometimes accidents do happen, I'm thankful that there is a cup out there that she can use that allows her to feel more grown, but still protects the floor from spilled milk, if you get what I'm sayin'.

I love that these cups come with a free-flow straw that allows for easy cleaning and that these cups are also dishwasher (top rack) safe!

They come in the coolest colors and they're durable enough for daily use but are also affordable enough to be able to be tossed if necessary - even after a one-time use!

These cups are available at either BuyBuyBaby (in-store and online) and also on Amazon.

Oh, and if you needed one more way to use these cups, here ya go... Your toddler, like mine, will feel these cups are being put to their best use this way.

Buy from Amazon here

Buy from BuyBuyBaby here

www.facebook.com/nubyusa

www.twitter.com/nubyusa
www.instagram.com/nubyusa
www.pinterest.com/nubyusa

*I have received these products for review but all opinions are 100% my own.

Our weekend... and shoes. | LIFESTYLE

The weekends always go by way too fast... 

This weekend, we (I) really focused on getting our second guest bedroom squared away and Devon spent the majority of the time chipping away at the chicken coop (which is basically finished). I also decided to add about 100 more requests for house projects so we're set for the next year... It really, truly, never ends. I'm sorry, Devon. Ekk.

Just like every Sunday, we woke up and headed to church.. It always puts me in the best mood and starts my week off with so much focus. It's just what my soul needs after the weekend, ya know? This really helped with what happened after we left the service.....

We decided to grab some lunch at Back Bay Gourmet - one of my all-time favorite places to eat. I was too excited for it but Penelope was wayyyyy over due for a nap. We (foolishly?) decided to make it work anyway... What's the worst that could happen.....?
(Never say those words while having a toddler. Never. Ever.)
 Needless to say, we ended up with spilt coffee, a flipped chair (she didn't get hurt, devon saved the day) and a toddler that wanted cheese but then when she got the cheese, she didn't want to eat the cheese. It was luxurious.
Thankful for my husband that remains calm in all situations... I just laugh at everything so it's a win, right? The food was still good though, so we walked away from the fiasco pretty happy.

So back to the shoes.... 

Thanks to my instagram husband for these shots ;) I was feeling this outfit and had to document it.  Plus, I had to share these amazing booties because I can't keep good info to myself so it's made it's way here.

These are the DV shoes from Target called the Nya. So speaking of Target, I absolutely love that they carry the DV by Dolce Vita line in their stores.. It's such an awesome opportunity to own nice pieces for more than half of the price. And to compare.. I actually saw these (almost) exact shoes, made by their more expensive line, Dolce Vita, at Nordstrom Rack the other day and they're literally the same exact shoe, except in more of taupe color. If there were other differences, I couldn't spot em'.

 Surprisingly, these booties are one of the most comfortable pairs of heels that I own.

My heart loves to wear heels but my feet don't, so when I say comfortable, I'm not throwing that word around lightly. We went to church, headed to lunch, walked around with Penelope outside and then when we got home, she wanted to run around the yard, so after we took these pictures, we did just that... heels and all. So trust... they're comfy.

I also really love this natural color.. It's so perfect for spring!

 Sorry my face is gone. This was candid and I had to share it :)

If you don't have the chance to try them on in the store, go down a half a size. I'm normally a size 7.5 but bought a 7 and they fit perfectly.

DV Nya Booties | 

Penelope's Havaianas |

xx, tbp

Easter Sunday | LIFESTYLE

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY! He is RISEN!

I absolutely love Easter... Celebrating with family, going to church and hearing about Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross, finding eggs and eating tons of candy...loooove. it. 

As obvious as it is, since having Penelope, we have taken on plenty of new roles... one being the Easter bunny :)

 I love giving gifts in general so being able to do that so often these days makes my creative side extremely happy!

Since Easter has been so close to Penelope's birthday for the last two years, I haven't really gone all out... I genuinely feel that with all of the stuff she got for the last two birthdays, she's set until she's 5.... But since it was always tradition in our house to get gifts and do the whole easter basket stuff, I had to do a little something for my peach so I started off by getting her basket liner from Pottery Barn Kids. I've had it for at least a month or more haha and I'm glad that I got into the holiday spirit so early because this style sold out pretty quickly BUT they do have a TON of other style available that are just as cute and they're all on sale so go, go, GO! 

 I also bought P a couple of books. One was a fun book called The Love in My Heart. It's a really cute, (kid durable) Easter book and I also got her The Easter Story. This book is AMAZING for kids on the true meaning of Easter. I feel that it thoroughly explains everything, without going into too much detail which is perfect for the lil ones. It also has kid-friendly pages so they won't rip out etc. which is obviously important... at least for us ha. 

And the last but not least, Easter Egg chalk from Michaels. I about died when I saw these in their Easter section about a month ago. Penelope. LOVES. chalk, so it couldn't have been more perfect lol I'm sure they still have them so hurry and check your local Michaels! If they don't, I linked some below! I personally thought they were much better than regular, plastic eggs ;)

I really hope everybody had the best day, wherever or however you spent it!

xx, tbp

Easter Basket Liners

The Love in My Heart book

The Easter Story book

Easter Egg Chalk

gymin' it on vacation.....

So of course, even when we're on vacation, I have to get my sweat on. I usually do the classes at my home gym but when I'm out of town, I can't really stick to a class schedule considering most gyms (and hotels) don't offer what I'm used to (or at all) so I just sort of wing it with my workouts and do whatever I'm feeling I need. I usually like to stick with a full body workout just to be sure that I get it all in, even in a time crunch - and since I'm not limited to the hotel gym this trip, I was able to try out a local (and HUGE) gym here in FL that I have fallen in love with and I figured why not share what my workouts have been consisting of? So here it is:

15-20 mins on the StairMaster (depending on what I'm feeling) for a warm-up and then I jump into the weights - all free-weights, no machines or this.

I start with shoulders, alternating between 8lbs-15lbs. I alternate between shoulder-presses, lateral raises and upright rowing. I just do it until I'm tired, alternating between weights. 

Then I go into triceps using one(1) 15lb for two-arm tricep extensions and 10lbs for one-arm extensions. I just go until I can't any more. Never feeling pain, just pushing my limits with these! (Also, I do dips if I'm not up for weights when working triceps)

 Then last but not least, I do squats with weight on a bar and then I grab a 10lb weight and pulse lunges. 

I usually finish with sitting in the sauna for about 15-20 minutes to help me 'cool' down. 

Keep in mind, I'm no pro at working out, I just do what works best for me and honestly, there's really no method, I just get in what I can, when I can!

Let me know your workout routines while on vacation, your day-to-day and even some of your favorite classes to take - I'm always up for trying new things and hearing what works for others!

Gym 'fit deets along with some similar, less expensive options!

Leggings | Lululemon

Similar here from Forever 21

Jacket | Lululemon

Similar Here from Target

Shirt | Lululemon

Similar Here from Forever 21

Shoes | NIKE

xx, tbp

LOVE DAY | How Devon and I met....

Since it's Valentine's Day, I figured I'd do a post on how Devon and I met. I've actually rewrote this story over and over but never posted because It's actually a love story a lifetime in the making, with so many details that led up to us getting together. I'll try my best to spare all of the little things but the main story goes like this.....

So my Mother-in-Law was actually my moms middle school bff. Crazy, right? When my MIL moved away and changed schools, my mom and her lost touch... Fast forward to when I was about 8 years old, they re-gained contact and my mom was invited to one of Sherrie's (my MIL) Pampered Chef parties. Since it was also a pool party for the kids, my sister and I tagged along. That's probably the very first time I met Devon. We ended up barely speaking to each other... Young kids, disliking each other, and playing the "boys/girls are gross game". Pretty typical for our age, lol. The party ended and I never really thought about him again until I was 15 and it was the summer before 10th grade, my mom and Sherrie had been catching up over the phone and my mom ended the phone call by inviting them to our annual "Livingston Luau" (as my parents called it) for the summer party that they always had at our house every year.
After the phone call, my mom recapped me on the convo (mainly about Devon, their traveling and racing) and it sparked my interest so I added him on MySpace (ha). Devon and I had mutual friends so adding him on social media wasn't completely awkward but I don't even think he noticed because he actually started talking to me right away. We spoke over MySpace briefly and then through text for awhile before we hung out for the first time at the party. That's when everything sort of fell into place. Sort of. I thought the night went great, I really liked the dude and thought we hit it off pretty well... until he was about to leave. He came up to me and said "I'm not trying to date you or anything." Gave me a hug and left. Even more awkward than I though it would be after adding him on social media.
 My friends ended up staying the night at my house that night and I think every topic of conversation was him.
That night, I sent some annoyed text messages.. called him a million times... HE called me back a million times... He also played the click game on me. You know, where they ask if you've ever been clicked.. You say no... They hang up on you. Clicked. I hadn't been clicked before that night... Haven't been clicked since. haha. I don't know if he made that up or if it was a real thing but... it happened. lol.
Now, remember this story is about a fifteen and sixteen year old, y'all. Nothing romantic to report, really. Teenagers playing hard to get... But surprisingly, the next morning he started to text me again, asking to hang out. You can imagine the confusion. Myspace prep-talk. Texting (big step, ya know), then hanging out.. Dissing me... then wanting to do it all over? Well, I was fifteen and actually pretty smart for my age, and told him I would hang out with him. I never showed up. He still talks about how I stood him up that day and how that's the moment he knew he wanted to date me. So, after a ton of convincing from him, we finally hung out. On July 27th, 2006, we started dating. Officially. And I think we've been inseparable since. We had a few rough times where we split briefly, trying to figure out who we were, what we wanted. Getting so serious, so young, you can only expect that. But we always found our way back. The rest is really history....

     After 5 years of dating, Devon flew me to NYC and we got engaged on October 7th 2011 in Central Park.
On June 16th 2012 we were married. A complete fairytale.
On March 22nd 2014 we became a family of 3. Pure bliss :)

At fifteen, I would have never imagined my life like this.. Married to my high school sweetheart.. Having our own beautiful family. We are healthy, happy and so in love. We celebrate our FOUR year wedding anniversary this year and this year also marks ten... TEN!! years with my soulmate, best friend and companion through life. I could not feel more grateful or blessed. This is what dreams are made of and I'm thankful I get to spend every single Valentine's Day with you, babe! LUMI. To the moon and back. 4E&A.

I hope y'all are all having a great love day... And if you're single, going through a breakup, just remember, everything will fall into place. You never really know who is going to be the right person that connects you with that certain someone. I know my mom and MIL never saw that coming ;)
  It really was a lifetime in the making......

xx, tbp

Easy like Sunday morning....

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3.

I've truly been blessed by the kind and thoughtful words of others. Other times, not so much. The quote, "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there's still going to be somebody that hates peaches." Will apply at some point in everyones life. It has mine. I believe I found the key to that phrase though: If you're doing what you love, it won't even matter anyway.
No matter if you're doing what you love or you're with the person you love, if you truly have a passion for it/them, any negative words will leave you as quickly as they arrived.
That really took me a long time to figure out because when I first started blogging, I figured that everybody would have the same fire that I had for the content that I shared... Not always.

So what makes this whole thing worth it? Pretty simple: I absolutely love sharing my life, my home, tips, pictures, etc. because that's who I am. A wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a granddaughter, a friend and even stranger (to some), whose main goals are support and motivate others.
 I think that that may be lost in in some of the readers eyes sometimes. Maybe because the pictures are pretty, my daughter isn't being messy or crying, my husband is still smiling even while taking his millionth blog pic with me. But aren't there always two sides? My daughter is two. She's not a unicorn (even though she'd like to be)... She cries, has bad days, colors on my freshly painted walls, spills food and takes a nap without even thinking twice about the mess she made in our living room just 10 minutes before. I also have a husband that owns his own business and works his butt off 24 hours, 7 days a week. Oh and to top it off, I have two dinosaurs for dogs. A German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever. We splurged on hardwood floors in hopes of keeping the dog hair down but in reality, I get to sweep our entire downstairs daily. But remember the peaches reference? See why all the bad is actually outweighed by good is because I have a daughter that we love more than all the seashells. She's smart.. sometimes too smart for her own good. She's ambitious and independent... All of the qualities that we prayed she would take from us. I also have a husband that's dedicated to our family, would do anything for us and loves us more than the world. And you can't forget our two dogs - The loyalty that they have for me, Devon and Penelope is seriously remarkable.
Those things are what matter most in my life. Everything else falls after that. Trust me.


 "..Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that."

Choose to love. Choose to be loved. And always love in return.

Happy Sunday, y'all

xx, tbp