quick hello

he's too cute not to share...

and just check out those paws!

pokey puppies

the little monsters arrived in full-force Saturday night.

i love everything about these pokey puppies.

the way they smell; their puppy breath; 

i even enjoy the time i get to spend with Chief during the wee-hours of the morning when my toes are freezing on the concrete and i'm pleading with him to hurry up and find a place to potty.

they run everywhere and are always getting into something, 

and then all of a sudden, they pass out with no intentions of waking.

the big dogs are still warming up to the idea of the fur-balls, 

but i know that Dooley & Bailey will one day love & protect their brothers.

i am so happy that Chief & All-Day have each other to experience these new happenings together.

Chief & All-Day, please quit growing and stay fluffy, sweet-smelling puppies forever.

Heading to Tampa

don't ask me why, but Dooley loves to sit backwards and watch the cars driving behind us.

Chief & his sister, Nestle

T & the PupStars

passed out after playing 

ready for football season...GO NOLES!

this is the first time Dooley actually allowed the puppies to come and snuggle with her. 

they had been playing out at the Farm all day.

like sister, like brother 

Momma Dooley

the end & good night

the big day

today is the day!

i have been counting down the days since before Christmas when we met out little fluffy-face puppy.

last time T & i saw him he was learning to crawl around on his belly and had just opened his eyes.

now the day has come to bring him to his forever home.

we made a trip to Walmart last night and stocked up on all the puppy essentials.

Chief has a new TempurPedic bed (which he will have to re-claim from Dooley),

a new collar, mini Milk-Bones, tuggies, a HUGE bowl, puppy food & much more.

i think Dooley is slowing catching on that something is up.

i gave her a good bath in the bathtub last night & we let her sleep in the bed since it was

her last night as an only child puppy.

at 1 PM today we leave Jacksonville for Tampa to scoop up three of the

Jacksonville puppies to bring them home.

i'm over the moon excited, but still nervous; these sweet puppies' worlds are about to be rocked.

for the past 8 weeks, their lives have been centered around their Momma and Heather & Wittaker (Momma Bailey's owners). now we are just going to show up and take them away from everything they have known. i'm so glad Chief will have his big sister there to reassure him that everything will be alright!

we are so ready for you Chiefer & we have so much love for you already.

Dooley's last morning as an only puppy

c/o Heather McRae

c/o Heather McRae

one last thing...

  The Browse blog tweeted about this post from Searching for Wisdom on Friday!!
to say that i was excited about the recognition is an understatement!
thanks to Taylor at The Daily Tay for coming up with the
best blog-idea EVER when she created The Browse!
I can't thank her enough for acknowledging this little ol' blog of mine =) & please go check out her blog's The Browse & The Daily Tay!

@TheBrowse

@TheBrowse

word vomiting

today i'm feeling un-inspired. i usually sit down at the computer and my mind, heart & fingers just spill out onto the keyboard. i feel that my life has been quite boring as of lately. yes, T & i are getting a puppy this weekend, so that's pretty exciting, but i still have lots of concern for my sweet Dooley. i am constantly worried that she will feel replaced or left out. i hope she ends up liking our new addition. getting a new puppy also brings on some anxiety. i am one of the biggest animal-lovers, just ask my friends. between you and me, sometimes i'd rather hangout with Dooley & have a one-sided convo with her than do anything with one of my friends...sorry to whoever takes offense to this :) i swear this puppy & T's roommates will be the death of me. you see, i am also a clean/neat freak. so adding two more dogs puppies to the mix is going to create 2X more dirt, dog hair, water bowl splashing, paw-print makin' mess to the little three-bedroom house that T and his roommates share. this is MY future house that is getting destroyed!! i feel as if i walk around the boys' house picking up half-filled cups, putting shoes in their respective rooms, throwing away beer bottles, taking out a trash that has been stuffed to the brim, cleaning a dish that i did not use, picking up a wrapper to who knows what, etc. i literally have become everyone's girlfriend (not so much Hank's though...Erin takes care of him ;)) i also recently got a new part-time job so i'm working 6 days/week (moms out there - i don't know how you do it!). on top of all this, T has asked me to do some meal planning. i have found this to be the hardest thing i have ever tried to accomplish. i guess what i'm trying to write is, i think i could turn into a monster-bitch at any time. if someone  says the wrong thing or looks at me the wrong way i might lose it. i noticed myself driving like a bat out of hell this morning on my way to work...wow, that felt nice; hopefully i didn't scare any new readers away since i seriously just word vomited all over this post. thanks for letting me vent :)

please let me know if any of you ever feel like you are a ticking time bomb? or if you have a great solution to the madness that i experience daily!

i might not be posting again till Saturday or Sunday (& that's only if T's house gets cleaned), but the next time you hear from me i will definitely be posting about the puppy! until then, I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

i was sent this photo a few days ago, this is Chief right after he fell into the pool & rolled in the dirt...can't wait till he comes home!

i took this picture this morning, this is Dooley's way of saying, "Call in sick to work Ma. We can lounge on the couch all day and break rules." too bad i didn't take her advice!

currently craving

summer lovin' by mshealy featuring striped bathing suits

right now i'm sitting in my cubicle at work wishing i was wearing one of these amazing one piece swimsuits. i'm normally a bikini-type of girl, but i think it is time to start broadening my horizons. you see, last year while babysitting at the pool i realized the bikini is not the best suit to wear when hanging out with a two-year-old. i managed to escape any nip-slips, but i was constantly concerned with the placement of my swimsuit. i'm not planning on popping a child out {just yet ;)}, but i do think a one piece would make a great addition to my summer wardrobe!.

what do you think? will you be sporting a one piece swimsuit this summer?

PLL

got a secret. can you keep it?

swear this one you'll save.

better lock it in your pocket,

taking this one to the grave.

if i show you, then i know you

won't tell what i said.

because two can keep a secret

if one of them is dead.

if you don't know what the post's title means & you haven't heard the song above, then we can't be friends. 

just kidding, but seriously if your still out of the loop, get with it! PLL = Pretty Little Liars & the song is the opening theme song of one of the best television shows ever created from a book series {side note: Gossip Girl will always have a very special place in my ♥...RIP}. the show is an adaptation from the book series by Sara Shepard. i haven't read the books {my sister has; ill have to get her input} but i do know that the show is beyond amazing. the series is in the second-half of the third season and it's just starting to get juicy. the mystery-thriller follows Aria, Emily, Hanna & Spencer, four best friends that have one major connection tying them together, their deceased best friend Allison. they are on a mission to find out who killed their friend & who the mysterious "A" is who's constantly threatening to expose their secrets. if you haven't seen the show then sit down on the couch, fire-up Netflix & prepare to not move for days...

are you as obsessed with the show as i am? if so, what are your theories regarding "A"?

{via}

Pretty Little Liars

ABC Family

Tuesdays @ 8 PM ET

I have no affiliations to ABC or anyone involved the television series.

feeding time

one last thing:

here's a video of my sweet puppy Dooley.

Hattie Jane & Bailey also make an appearance :)

sleepless night

last night was pretty rough.

i knew i had work at 10 AM, so i was very cautious about getting to bed at a decent time (12 AM...decent enough).

as i snuggled into bed and closed my eyes, my brain decided to switch on and it began thinking about all i had to do in the next few days. 

right then and there, i knew the war between my tired eyes & body vs. my wide-awake brain had begun.

i laid on one side...uncomfortable.

rolled over to my back...uncomfortable.

let's try the stomach...yes, just right; until my arm starts tingling.

switch to my other side...the light coming through the windows was too much.

i tossed & turned and i kept waking up not knowing if i had even fallen asleep in the first place.

at this point i was too scared to check the time on my phone in fear that it would be 4 AM.

and for some reason, realizing that my overzealous brain has wasted half my night of possible any good sleep, leaves me with anxiety knowing tomorrow's going to suck.

at this point, i thought, should i go take a swig of the NyQuil in the medicine cabinet?

my cray cray brain quickly decided against that; i would indeed be a crank-star in the morning if i drank NyQuil this early in the AM.

one of the things i hate most is waking up feeling like you drank a bottle of wine (due to lack of no sleep); when, in fact, you were responsible & you were the only one NOT drinking the night before.

to make a long night's story short, somewhere between 4 - 6 AM (?) i think i fell asleep.

i don't really know, like i said i was too scared to look at a clock.

what i do know is today i'm tired & after i get off work (i know, working Saturdays sucks even more than not getting any sleep) i will have three hours to do a days worth of errands; then i'm off to babysit two kids who's parents texted me, 

"it will probably be a late night."

{via}

my thought process

as i was driving home from work yesterday, i spotted a small brown animal out of the corner of my eye. my immediate thoughts were: oh my gosh, there's a Yorkshire Terrier puppy playing on the side of the highway! i quickly began contemplating whether or not i should drive around the block to re-check what i had seen. when i say quick, i mean i had 8 seconds to make a decision on whether to save the puppy. 

side story: i may or may not be guilty for "stealing" dogs out of people's yards. it's only happened twice & i was completely sure at the time that both dogs were lost & needed my help. needless to say, both dogs were safely returned to their owners the very next day. =)

at the last second, i veered off the highway and raced through a neighborhood so that i could get back on the highway to save the puppy. the whole time i was picturing this in my mind...

i also began thinking: how am i going to catch this dog // what if it runs from me, do i chase it? // we already have a dog, Dooley // we're getting another dog in a week! // will T let me keep the puppy? // if i keep it, i'm going to need to get puppy supplies // i'm so excited to get another new puppy! // oh, what will i name him/her? 

i'm about to get back on the highway to go snatch-up my new puppy. it's working out perfectly, i pull out onto the highway and luckily there's no cars driving behind me. this makes it so that i am able to slow down to see if the puppy is still there. as i'm getting closer, i see the little brown ball of fur. i basically pull to a stop on the highway and look to see...

my puppy turned out to be a Nutria! a GIGANTIC RAT! i had convinced myself that i would be going home with a puppy that day, but all i went home with was a hilarious story. i cracked up the whole way home.

inspiration

LOVE CHUGS
fairy tales are true

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Gal Meets Glam

Love Taza | Rockstar Diaries

running on happiness

Southern Shopaholic

Heart of Light

Perfection Possibilities

Pink Peonies

jkelly

Taylor Morgan

DAMSEL IN DIOR

oh, sweet joy!

a beautiful mess

Cath In The City

A PIECE OF TOAST

Classy Girls Wear Pearls

The Doctor's Closet

the beauty department

Diary of a Southern Brunette

tales of me and the husband

The Daily Tay

Devon Rachel

these are the blogs i follow on Bloglovin'.
i love reading some of them more than others,
but all of them are a good read.
T says it's weird that i'm soo obsessed with other peoples' lives.
i say, whatever.

enjoy, xo.

currently craving

i'm currently craving...

LOVE CHUGS blog

i'm seriously crushing on the girl who writes it.

and no, not in a lesbian way (get your minds out of the gutter)!

it's probably because she's totally relatable
(& possibly because she has long blonde hair,
two of the cutest baby girls &
because i hope my blog will resemble hers one day).

but really, a lot of the blogs i read seem to be rooted around money, in an indirect way.

Weslie's blog is directed towards her everyday life & i think it's refreshing.
LOVE CHUGS gives me inspiration & it's what i'm working towards with this blog/journal/diary, as i like to call it.

i'm also craving...

my sweet baby Dooley.

T's roommate took & sent me this picture.

Dooley likes to lounge & snore really loud.

i hope that her weirdness rubs off on her new little brother, Chief.

**Chief's arrival: 11 days & counting**

i'm also craving/need to have (sooner than later)...

Zella 'Live In' Leggings

i read about these leggings on more than a couple blog posts & apparently their ah-maz-zing!

i live in leggings, especially during the colder months;

so i figure i need them more than ever.

zella 'live in' leggings

tasty tuesday

kale

plain & simple.

once again, Erin has introduced a new, healthy, delicious, cant-get-enough recipe into my life.
it consists of the hearty, leafy green, kale.
plus, it is VERY good for you!

simple kale salad
chopped kale (discard the hard pieces)
drizzle with EVOO
spritz with lemon juice
sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (i prefer shaved)
salt & pepper, to taste

*more or less of each ingredient can be added to preference*

enjoy, xo

***i'm thinking about doing the Master Cleanse, but i'm a little scared of:
- drinking my food
- not consuming real food
- being hungry
- 10 days...of NO real food :(((
- failing

what do you think?? should i accept the challenge? 

instagram lovin'

{horse in a house}

{toadstool}

{Dooley & me}

oh how we all love instagram. 

&

oh how we all love eating.

wait?? what!?!

yes, these two can be related 

(& no i don't mean instagramming your meal #mouthwatering #foodporn #wtf).

it's called stickygram & it's a website that turns your instagram pictures into magnets for the fridge 

(instagram + eating = magnets...of course!)

since T has moved into his our (future) house, i've been on the search to find some cute magnets for the fridge.

Erin informed me of the idea of turning instagrams into magnets, so i did some research.

i went a little crazy and ended up buying 3 sheets (9 pictures per sheet).

**stickygram provided me with this code: FRIENDHZDL**

use the code to get $2 off your first order & i will get a $2 credit as well ;)

any other ways of re-purposing all those instagram pics we love to take? 

sorry i had to...

{Chief}

Chief, we are still waiting your arrival. i love you so much already and can't wait to snuggle with that sweet face of yours. let's hope your sister doesn't get jealous.

this girl

today i am going to introduce you to one of my best friends. this girl holds a very special place in my heart; i've been waiting for her to come into my life for quite some time. who is she, you're wondering? 

i'm please to introduce you to...

Erin

{via}

not only is she one of the absolute cutest girls i know, she also is fly as f**k. 

yes, those are platform tennis shoes and hipster glasses; 

all kidding aside, i'm so happy to have her in my life & she is also one of the reasons i started this blog.

she blogs over at a beautiful disaster [tumblr] // a beautiful disaster [blogger] & i encourage you to go check it out :)

{hunter & deer - Halloween 2012}

fyi: the above guy is Hank, Erin's boyfriend.

so here's how it all began...
three Christmases (?) ago, a group of us went out to the bars to do some last minute partyin'.
while Bentley (another best friend & partner-in-crime // future post) and i had a cig (yuck! - don't worry i've quit)
i noticed a gorgeous girl (she had long blonde hair).
i was drunk & not giving a sh*t,
so i introduced myself to the girl and had a 45 minute conversation with her outside the bar.
after that night i never saw/heard from her again.

skip to summer 2012...
i'm headed to Jacksonville Beach to meet up with T, Hank, Bentley & some other girls i didn't know.
i get out of my car & turn to see the girl with the long blonde hair.
i. could. not. believe. it.
the girl who i had drunkenly struck up a conversation with three years prior was there
& we were going to be hanging out!
i'm sounding a little a lot obsessed; but please realize i had felt an instant friend-connection the first time we meet & then didn't see her ever again.

the story gets even better...
Hank really liked Erin
Erin really liked Hank
...the rest is history...

{Hank & Erin}

{random night - sorry about the weird eyes}

what's even better about our relationship is that we both date guys who happen to be best friends...

and who happened to have recently MOVED IN TOGETHER! 

**side note: a few months back Erin and i discussed the possibility of our boyfriends getting a house so that we too could live together**

well our dreamin' became a reality.

so here's to regular dance parties, dogs, grilling out, girls' nights & our gay boyfriends ;)

a beautiful disaster [tumblr]

a beautiful disaster [blogger]