Bright & Cheery.

[Cardigan, shorts, necklace, cuff: The Limited // Tank: H&M // Wedges: Steve Madden]

Normally I post my unfortunates and fortunates of the week, but I honestly can't think of anything that unfortunate that happened this week! It's been a pretty top-notch week, really. Good things about this week:

- Finally getting to Starbucks happy hour

- Booking my flight home for this summer! Though I guess if there was anything unfortunate it would be the price of the ticket... Yikes :/

- Getting a promotion at The Limited! I am officially training to become one of the two new Sales Leads, aka part of management! Woohoo!

- Pretty much every day has been beautiful

- Signing the lease on our apartment!

- Dinner out with my man

and finally, this week, Tuesday to be exact, marked exactly 1 month til my birthday! So excited... I freakin' love birthdays.

Have a Happy Friday!

We signed our lease!

It's official, folks, Nick and I have an apartment starting June 8th (Happy birthday to meeeee!) and ending May 31, 2013!! Yippeeeee!

It was so nice to go in with Nick and feel like we were signing up for our lives together, because even though we get married next year, we're living together for this year! Let me tell you, we are both so excited and ready for our own place, and this little one-bedroom is so perfect for us. Most might think that having to move on your birthday would suck, but to me, it's a great birthday present! We don't have much furniture besides our bed, so it's really just going to be moving that in, moving our boxes in (mostly filled with clothing), and then unpacking and reorganizing, which, HELLO, is right up my alley. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on organizing that walk-in closet!! Also, since it's my birthday, and there are a few things we'll need to buy for our place, I'm planning Nick taking me shopping for my present - shopping for kitchen stuff, that is! :)

It was such a beautiful day, and we were so excited about our new apartment, that we thought, "What better way to celebrate than with Starbucks happy hour??" Clearly, it was needed. I mean, it's been going on since Friday and I haven't been once. This needed to change. We both got the new mocha cookie crumple frappucino, mine light, his regular (I stole some of his whipped cream), and they were fantastic. Then it was off to Red Lobster for a celebration dinner (gotta love those cheesey biscuits0! It was really quite the perfect afternoon :)

[deliciousness]

[Nick, about to devour his "Ultimate Feast" of shrimp, lobster, and crab. He was in heaven]

[This is definitely part of my lunch today - SO MUCH FOOD)

Oh! And in other news, I officially booked my flight home in July for some wedding planning this summer! So excited to be home! I also recently found out that my sis and bro-in-law will be home a few days at that time, and the Nordstrom sale will be going on around the same time I'm home..... I think I subconsciously knew that when I planned my days.... or maybe I'm just lucky my friends' weddings were around that time. Either way, I'm shopping when I'm home.

Florals, Stripes, and Sun.

 

[Shirt: The Limited // Skirt & Necklace: Forever 21 // Sandals & Sunnies: Target]

So I'm looking at this picture and realizing that my hair is actually kind of long! Well, compared to what it was. I'm also just now remembering that I had a dream last night that my hair was already almost completely grown out. Wouldn't that be nice if that were true? My hair takes forever. Ugh.

Well today is Tuesday, and after 3 full days off, I'm not so sure I'm ready to go back to work, especially after a rainy Monday spent lounging around and making it to season 4 of Lost. Yup, we're obsessed. It's getting really trippy now, too, and ILOVEITSOMUCH. Gah! I feel like I know these people, like I'm lost with them. I know, it seems like Lost is all I care about as of late, which is kinda true, but I do have an interview today for some new opportunities that I have been anticipating for awhile and I'm pumped about that! So..... wish me luck everything goes well today! :)

The Perfect Weekend with the Perfect Sunday.

Honestly, this weekend couldn't have been any better if it tried. After a whole week of muggy, dreary, stormy weather, Saturday and Sunday were hot and sunny.

On Saturday I got to spend some time with my lovely Delta sisters at Pansy Brunch, which marks the end of Senior Week and when the current seniors finally go on alumni status. It was great to put on a pretty dress and be there for the seniors, as well as to get some time with my Little and G-baby, and to see a few graduated faces, like my wonderful G-ma, Meredith! :)

Saturday also marked a great Millikin tradition, so a few more alumni came down for that... all I can say about it is that it was a great way to enjoy the sunshine, catch up with old friends, relax, and have a blast! :) ;)

Yesterday was literally the perfect Sunday. After getting 11 hours of sleep, Nick and I sang at church, then went out to breakfast together and shared blueberry pancakes and a Greek skillet. I had been saying for awhile that Nick needed some new shorts (he was wearing jeans outside on Saturday - seriously???) because all of his either don't fit or have stains on them (nice), so we headed to the mall for a little shopping trip. We found him two pairs of shorts, and since he lost a bit of weight we got him 2 new polos and 2 new basic tees for a steal at Kohl's! Let me tell you, it is so different shopping with a boy, hahhaa. I had to force him to try stuff on!

After some shopping it was naptime, so we laid in bed for probably3 hours, then went to Andrew's house for eggplant parmesan. The 2 boys went to see the new movie "Avengers" while I went home and talked to my parents on the phone for a bit, then I picked up Andrew's girlfriend, Chelsie, and met them for ice cream! Unfortunately DQ had JUST closed because I really wanted the new confetti cake blizzard, but Steak & Shake did just the trick. After sharing a huge cookie dough milkshake, guacamole steakburger, and fries and chatting and laughing for over an hour, we went our separate ways. And of course Nick and I went straight back to watching Lost :)

I'm still smiling over my weekend, and thankfully I still have today off to do the things I should've done over the past 2 days, like wash my work clothes for the week!

 

A few pictures:

The Best Damn Family ever at Pansy Brunch. From L to R: Claire, Kendall, Danica, Meredith, Me, Lauren, Lilly.

My spawn: Little Laurena and G-baby, Lilly.

My roomies at the end of their Senior Week! (minus Stacey)

Alumni friends.

Haven't seen this lady since last Fall! Not ok!

Me and my man.

Fortunate things.

Just a few fortunate things from my morning/early afternoon off yesterday:

 

Realizing that Starbucks Frappuccino happy hour starts TODAY and goes til May 13th. And can we say yum for that new flavor?? I"m getting one soon and I will love all of the fat points I get with it.

 

 Happiness in a cup: Iced, nonfat, caramel macchiato.

 New Jessica Simpson shoes from the Von Maur sale room, marked down further to $49 yesterday (Yes, I know when they do markdowns)

A delicious dinner I actually had time to make for myself because I got off work early: Rotini with sautéed tomatoes, pesto, and goat cheese. Delish.

Happy Friday!

We have an apartment!

FINALLY. After all of this stress of not knowing where we'll be living and then finding the perfect place and not knowing whether there would be any openings, it's official.....

Nick and I will be living in an adorable, updated and redone, quaint little one-bedroom apartment at Twin Oaks apartment complex! Yay!!! I first stopped by Twin Oaks about a month ago and told them I was interested in living there, but there weren't any openings yet. Luckily, I was able to see a one-bedroom that hadn't been moved into yet, and the washer/dryer, dishwasher, and walk-in closet sold me immediately. The complex is also not at all where I expected it to be, and is tucked away from the busy streets and in a really nice area. Bonus: apparently it's very quiet, too, which is a plus considering I still live on a street that is mainly occupied by college students.

So anyway, I was shown the apartmen and told to call back around the first of May, which is exactly what I did this past Monday, April 30th, and lo and behold, she had a notice for move-out for one of the updated one-bedroom apartments! Yippee!!! I immediately set up an appointment to go take a look, and that's what I did yesterday after work.

Honestly, it's perfect, and the updates are soooo nice! Everything was very clean and doesn't have a funky smell (even with someone living in it), and trust me, Nick and I have looked at places that are "clean" and they still have a strange odor to them... yuck. I looked at the place briefly and headed back to the office and she said, "So, do you want it?" She knew I had a fiancé, so she said I had time to talk to him that night and call first thing in the morning if I wanted, but Nick already pretty much was set on it based on my impression of it, and it is absolutely perfect in location. It's literally right around the corner from the Walgreen's he got transferred to! If that wasn't fate, I found out that the notice was given the day I called. I thought about talking to Nick about it, but I knew if he were there he would just get it, too. So, I just decided to take it, because apparently there was another appointment for someone to look at it scheduled for later today, and it would defnitely go fast because it's the only notice that's been given in the entire complex! If the current resident stays until their last possible day, the earliest we would move in would be the weekend of June 8th (happy birthday to me!), and with my lease on my house ending the first of June, waiting around for another opening would make our move-in date too far away, not to mention something might not even open up! Thankfully, my current landlords are okay with me staying a little longer if need-be, so it works out. I'm hoping that the current resident moves out a bit earlier, though, because I am so anxious to have our first little home together and to start nesting! I never decorated much in my college "homes" because I just didn't feel like investing that much in them, but this little apartmnet is the perfect blank canvas to make our own :)

Here's the kitchen! Sorry, I only took one picture because the lady who lived there was still there, and she didn't mind if I took a few pictures, but I felt kind of awkward hahahaha.

It's small, but so cute! I love all the cabinets and the countertops, and I am so excited to have a dishwasher back in my life I can't even tell you!!! BAH!

So basically, our move-in date can't come soon enough, and I am a lot less stressed knowing we definitely have a place on hold for us. Everything really just fell in to place, and I am so happy and excited to get going on this next phase in our lives together! :)

Yesterday...

....all my troubles seemed so far away....

haha jk. I know, that was really clever, right? Or not.

So yesterday was one of those days where you end up so tired and hungry that you pass the point of hunger and become nauseous. I worked 9:30-4 at one job, and then 5:30 to close (9:30) at the other job (aka, 10 hours of work spread out over the entire day.... yuck). Between jobs, this little lady somehow forgot to eat something or at least take something with her to eat on the way to her next shift, which resulted in a really pissed off body at about 9:15. I honestly didn't even realize I hadn't eaten anything since my lunch at 1:30 til that moment. I struggled home, struggled up the stairs, only to have to lay down on my bed for a hot second before finally changing into those lovely articles of clothing called PJs. My body liked that. I knew that my sick stomach was due to the fact that I hadn't eaten anything for 7 1/2 hours (woops) but absolutely nothing sounded good. Nick was a sweetie and got me a huge glass of water and made me the butter toast I requested, and then was even more adorable when he was concerned and tried to force feed me a few bites of said butter toast because I took one bite (if you can even call it a bite... more like a nibble) and decided I couldn't eat it. I think in the end I ate about 5 bites and Nick ate the rest, haha, but I tried, I swear! I was even at the point where I was so content in my bed and felt so crappy that I didn't want to wash my face or brush my teeth, and this is a no-no for me. I always take my makeup off and brush my teeth, even when I'm stumbling around after coming home from a night out! I'm serious about that stuff!

After laying in bed pathetically for a bit longer and barely keeping my eyes open for an episode of Lost, I finally mustered up my strength and just got ready for bed, then proceeded to pass out by 11:30. Wonderful. I'm finally eating a real meal this morning, but I foresee my body being mad at me still for a little longer. I'll probably find that later in the day, nothing keeps me full because I didn't even eat enough for a bird last night :(

However, yesterday was not all bad. It was actually pretty great until I started feeling sick. I helped this adorable young lady at The Limited who was shopping with her mom and picking out work clothes. Her mom had her try on this adorable dress and it fit her like a glove! She was so cute and they were so fun to interact with. I definitely talked her into that dress, saying it was a classic (which it is!), and also by casually mentioning it was featured in one of the last issues of Vogue (which it was). She was super excited about finding a lovely dress and some things for work, and somehow we got onto the talk of weddings. She had just been married in February and I told her I was planning. She and her mom were so sweet and asked me all sorts of questions, like when it was, what my colors were, etc. I found out that she also had lots of pink and peonies and hydrangeas (I want pink rosess and peonies and green hydrangeas), and that she also used Alfred Sung bridesmaid gowns, which are what I want to use! A good tip from her: they run big! This will be a big help when my maids try on the dress I finally pick :) I told them about my colors, too, and they said that it would look beautiful (since mine are similar to hers). It got me so excited to get to go home this summer and do some planning, and it also made me happy to get to help such wonderful people at work! Plus, wedding talk makes me giddy in general :) Too much fun. Welp, that's all she wrote, because she needs to get ready for work!