WIW, and I'm back...again.

Well, hello there!
Jumping right in...
Part of my 30 before 30 was to reach a goal weight.
So, hubs & myself have set a goal.
We kind of want to lose 10 lbs in a month.
So, we'll see how we do.
Honestly I would be happy if I could lost over 5.

I've been eating SO much lately, so this past weekend & beginning of this week I've had to really be mindful of what I'm eat, or really more so how much & how often I'm eating. I don't quite know why, but it's just like all I can think about is food. There were literally a couple of days last week where that's almost ALL I thought about.

We slacked a lot on our walking, so we're hoping to pick that back up this week.
As far as other working out. It's pretty nonexistent right now.
My target areas, other than my belly, is my arms, thighs, and back. My question for anyone is do you have any good suggestion for arm exercises. I know there are TONS on Pinterest, I have a quite a few pinned that seems like they'd be good. But if you have one that you have actually tried and saw results, let me know. :) Puhhh-lease!

Last week: 165.1
Today: 163.8
Down 1.3 lbs


In other news...that's now really news...
We're housesitting, so I'm back at my computer. And then we now have internet again at home. So my point in this is that I can get back to blogging!
I am a week and a half behind on reading.
So, that's what I'm about to do while I wait on Doug to get home from work.

Oh & can we talk about how excited I am for Bad Grandpa! What is that you ask? Well, yours truly here is a huge Jackass fan, I L-O-V-E Jackass probably more than I should. There is a new movie coming out called Bad Grandpa & the trailer was just released today & I am so ready for October 25!

Y'all, I spent almost $200 on food for just the two of us for only 4 days. -_-
Then I came home & saw this, made my day.


And I'm out.
I don't really know what else to talk about at the moment, I'm kind of blank. So I'ma go do some blog reading. Hopefully I'll have something better to talk about tomorrow.

Lovins.
♥♥♥
Brandy

List Progress Report (link-up)

Do you have a bucket list, summer bucket list, 30 before 30, 101 in 1001, or any other general list of goals?
Link up with Stephanie & Betsy to share your progress and see others progress.
It's a once a month link-up that will be on the last Saturday of every month.
This is the first one.
It's live now and will be live for 5 more days! Link up! :)

Stealing Stephanie's idea of bold=completed, italics= in progress.

I'll talk about my My Summer Bucket List first.

Cookouts- We've had one cookout, but if you count any of the times we've grilled supper, we've had several. ;-)
4th of July- How vague? haha. It was good, that's actually when we had the cookout, at my mother-in-laws, and then we did our own personal fireworks.
Family time- Definitely been happening, and still is.
Concert- One Direction, baby. You can read about that here. I am still wanting to go back to that night. And I'm seeing the Biebs, again, in 2 weeks. 
Movies- since I've made this list we've only been to one movie and it was "Grown Ups 2". Great movie. If you liked the first one you'll probably like this one! Hoping to get a few more in. I really want to see The Conjuring.
Doug's Birthday/My Birthday- Were both successes.
Drink & Relax- I've drank more in the past year or two....I don't know if that's good thing or a bad thing. I'm going with slightly bad since I've gained weight instead of losing. But it's whateva! I feel good...(other than the weight thing...)
Celebrate- check! :-) Today is actually my besties bday.♥

So yea...I think that's about it so far for that one. Falcons practices just started this week, so I'll have to check their schedule and see if I can make it to one.

Now...
Onto my 30 Before 30.

Get a job- will always be in progress until I get one.

Grow as a photographer- Is another that I believe is always in progress. I'm still working on figuring my camera out more and more.

Have a wild encounter- I already know prices of one I want to do, I'm trying to get info for another and then I can make a decision as to which I want to do (or which one I want to do first ;-) )

Build our savings account to a certain amount- I still don't have a goal amount. But call me Suzie Saves-a-lot. I'm a saver (well, most of the time.) So, this is another that's always in progress. I'm doing the 52 weeks saving plans as well as my own systems, read more here.

De-clutter-..I'm not even going to really put this as in progress just yet. I'm starting with my spare room, which contains about 28 boxes (IOW-the whole room is nothing but boxes) of my childhood, basically. I have an idea of what I want to do to start out with nd with my net being kind of down right now it'd be a great time to get started...so hopefully there will be more on this next month! :-) That is the room that will be my scrapbook/craft room, so it kinda needs to be done, as of like a month ago. :-p


So, yeah...nothing fully completed on my 30 Before 30 yet, but it's cool!


♥♥♥
Brandy

I still exist.

We are in limbo with our internet so I'm practically internet-less.
I'm only able to do this because I came to my mother-in-law house so I could do a couple of things.
It's midday Thurs., so I figured I'd type it up & schedule it to post Friday.

It sucks. I don't like being totally disconnected. It leaves me with far too much time for thinking if I have absolutely nothing to do.

But what happened was...
Basically we upgraded our net.
In less than a week (4 or 5 days to be exact) we had apparently use almost 6Gigs of net..
UM, NO.
We returned it and went back to what we had.
ANNNNDD now that one isn't even connecting.

They are supposed to be checking it out in the next couple of days.
Sending trucks out to check the towers (I'm assuming) or whatever.
So, we should hopefully know by Sunday what's going on.

That being said.

I'll probably be sporadic over the next week-ish.
If it's not resolved then I'll probably actually be kind of absent.
(I will at least have a few days of net access next week, we're house sitting for a few days.)


I'm still here though.
:-)
Thanks to everyone who is still around.
You're awesome!

I'll have A LOT of catching up to do with reading once I have more time! So If I comment on a post a week after it was posted, you'll know why! :)

OH! And ATTENTION anyone with a 30 Before 30, or 101 in 1001, or Bucket List or ANY kind of list that you are doing.
My girl Steph is hosting a once a month link up to talk about progress, or updates, or anything involving your list. The first one will go live tonight at 7pm (central time) & will be live for a week! So, go visit her & link up! Share your list, talk about progress, and see what great things and goals other people are striving towards! :)

TGIF & shit!

Lovins!
♥♥♥
Brandy

Love/Hate it!

I had no idea what to even talk about today since my days have been pretty mundane.
So, lets talk about a few things that I have a love/hate relationship with...

Love when my favorite song comes on the radio in the car.
Hate that it always seems to happen when I pull into the driveway.
So what if I own the song, any opportunity to hear it is amazing. You're not going to not listen! And I will ALWAYS sit in the car and listen to it. You know what makes it even worse? When that song is finally over and another amazing one comes on, making it impossible for you to leave your vehicle.

Love cooking. Mmm, food.
Hate cooking. Ha, I'm kidding. Hate the aftermath.
I always make a mess of sorts. Not kidding, if I ever cook for you or with you, I will make a mess. It could range from one small spill to slinging noodles across the room & then dropping meat on the floor, then spilling some sauce on the counter. But in the end I have a good ass pot of spaghetti cooked! Don't worry any sling-age, drop-age, or spillage is discarded. haha 

I'll be like, "You want some chocolate miiiilllk?"

 

But then I remember...

Love cleaning. Who doesn't love a clean house?
Hate well, cleaning; having to actually muster up the energy to clean it.
I'm a tad lazy sometimes. And a lot of it is so. damn. tedious. So there are times when you just decide, nope not today. But then you realize two months later that, yeah, you should probably do the laundry and wash the dishes...and maybe clean the toilet. And should you wait that long in between cleaning, you should probably not tell anyone. haha. I love when I get in a cleaning mood, it helps immensely!

Love makeup. I likes to look prettyful.
Hate Putting it on.
I love that it makes me look presentable, I really do. Even though most days I don't even bother. (And I'm pretty sure I look like a zombie, or like I'm on drugs.) But, again, it's so. damn. tedious. One the days I do wear it, I usually try to do the minimum I can to make myself look presentable. Don't get me wrong, I still like to play dress up once in a while, that doesn't count here. I'm talking about day-to-day. And then you have to find the right kind of product for you & your skin. Right tone, right consistency, right color eyeshadow, right kind of eye liner. Do I want lipstick? Maybe just a gloss? How long will it all last, all day or am I going to have to reapply or touch-up at some point? How do I even put this on? Why do I need to contour? And then taking it off. Gotta find the right stuff that works for you & your skin for that too. The entire process of applying and removing has basically turned into a science! That I have yet to master. But I'm not giving up. Also, thank God for Emily, I love her Beauty Broadcast videos AND she does hauls & comparisons to help you see various products for various prices. Check her out, she's awesome.

Love blogging. Having a place that is mine, to say what I want.
Hate several different aspects.
Mainly not having anything to talk about. I know it's my blog, my journal, my diary for my daily life. But there are times when I'm just like, ehh...nothing exciting happened today, or yesterday...or will tomorrow. So whats the point. But then sometimes I feel the opposite. So it balances out, most of the time. And then there are those "why didn't I think of that" topics. Then the unspoken competitiveness. No, it's not a competition or popularity contest, but ladies, lets be honest with ourselves. There is a hint of it. Say Blogger A says, "hey this is an awesome thing, if it suits your style, you might like it too." and you say, "Hmm, maybe I'll think about thinking about it." Two days later Blogger B says, "hey this is an awesome thing, if it suits your style, you might like it too." and you are immediately go into a latte-fueled panic trying to find where, how and how much. Just, no. That's just one example of one area, among many others. And it's okay, I can admit that I'm guilty of it, but it still irks me. What you don't ever annoy yourself? I'm not crazy!

Love food. Um, duh! Healthy, unhealthy, doesn't matter.

Hate a couple of things. 

One being the obvious, weight gain. WHY can't I eat half a pizza, a bag of doritos, some ice cream, candy and a piece of cake and then have about 3 mountain dews at 1 am and not gain weight? And the other being, why do I get full so quickly sometimes?! It tastes so good & I want just one more little bit, but I might puke if I try it, but I really want it. First world problems.

Am I right or am I right?

What are some things that you have a love/hate relationship with?

Happy Friday Eve!

♥♥♥

Brandy

Plus two.

Two point four to be exact. We'll get to that later.
First I'm gonna recap the weekend...what I can't do that on a Wednesday?
Well then it's a good thing I'm a rebel.

Friday we didn't do anything.
Saturday was great. Even though we really need to be tight budgeted, we always have a date night for our birthdays. So, since Chili's decided to be a dick & take what I eat off the menu, we picked Applebees. We stopped by the mall to go into Rue 21 where I was actually able to find a pair of pants! So thanks to this sweet girl, I got a new pair of pants & actually a new tank top, an entire outfit, for my birthday. Thank youuu, Jess!!♥

I really need a full length mirror...

After that we went to Applebees for an early supper & then off to to the movies. We saw Grown Ups 2, & it was actually good. I have a broad sense of humor though. Not sure if that's the right word. Brain fart. My sense of humor spans over a wide range of things & I'm pretty easily amused most of the time, so I definitely laughed., If you liked the first one, see this one. I won't tell too much about it. Except that Taylor Lautner is in it. & Stone Cold Steve Austin is in it (which almost prompted a loud squeal from me, because I did not know he was in it.) I got a bit too excited.
I'm a huge SCSA fan. (Random fact about me.)
Anyway we were out of the movies by 9. We stopped at the store, got some tickets & beer & went home and sat on the porch for a couple of hours, just drinkin' and talkin'.
So, it was the perfect date night.

Sunday was okay. Woke up and just kind of hung around for a few minutes. Met another new turtle friend and released it. I was finally getting my veggie soup that I requested. (In our house, when it's your birthday YOU get to pick what's for supper. I picked veggie soup, but we had some chicken that needed to be cooked, SO I agreed on BBQ chicken on my actual birthday & then Sunday would be a good day for the soup.) And then I had talked to my cousin who informed me of some bad news about my great aunt. I posted on Sunday but avoided this subject and instead stuck to doing a Sunday Social. And I think for right now at least, I'll continue to avoid it. I have been trying to not think about it too much right now, I don't quite want a breakdown. Maybe in a day or so, I'll talk about it.

But that's why I've been MIA for a couple of days on here, & sporadic on the bird & IG. I've just kind of been keeping to myself & spending some time with family.
But, like I said, I'll get into that in a couple of days maybe.
I've also done a lot of thinking...about my 30 before 30. I'm still having things pop up in my mind that should have been on the list. So anytime something pops into my head I'm trying to jot it down or make a mental note or something.
There are a few places I'd like to start. So, we'll see. :-)

For today..I suppose I will weigh-in. I didn't do it last week (via the blog) because it was my birthday week & that's a valid enough excuse. I did, however, weigh-in for myself. There was no change, which I'm okay with.
This week there was.
But that is probably due to the fact that (1) I had not one, but TWO, birthday cakes, & (2)I've eaten a lot of yummylicious food in the past week.
So, that brings us to the 2.4 thing.

Last week: 162.3
Today: 164.7
Up: 2.4

So not cool seeing that number. (So not cool seeing the any of the 160's again, at all) But, oh well.
The only thing I can do, is do better.
It's no secret that I love food, THAT won't change.
However, I've been feeling funny lately. My arm has been hurting.
I know that the food+lack of doing,..well...anything, is the cause.
Or maybe I'm sleeping funny. I'm a paranoid person.
Whatever the reason, it's enough of a jolt for me, I'm kicking myself in the ass.
That along with some serious talking that my hubs & I did the other night (about himself) gave me a small boost.
I'm still so glad that he's on board with me. We both have various reasons for this, but they are pretty much the same for both of us.

So, there you have it. Now I'm gonna catch up on a few blogs & try to find something else to occupy my mind.

Lovins!
♥♥♥
Brandy

*I also haven't really responded to many emails in the past couple of days. Please don't take it personal if I happen to not get back to you right away.♥

Hey, Mr. DJ, keep playin' this song for me...

 

Click the pic. to link up!!
You know.. I was so excited to do todays Sunday Social because it's about music...and then I realized how difficult it actually was!

1. What is your all-time favorite song? I don't have just one all-time favorite...wow. Guns N Roses- Sweet Child Of Mine (& Paradise City, Welcome to the Jungle, November Rain, Patience...) Def Leppard, Pour Some Sugar On Me (among others), Linkin Park- Crawling, Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody, Framing Hanley- Photographs & Gasoline, Usher-My Way (Nice & Slow,etc..), Ginuwine- Pony & Differences, Alanah Myles- Black Velvet, pretty much anyhting MJ, Eminem- Beautiful, Jackyl- Back Off Brother, Miranda Lambert- Me & Charlie Talkin, En Vogue-Don't Let Go ....etc, etc, etc,....

2. Who is your favorite singer/band? Same as before, I don't have just one, so I'll just do currently (as in this month) Linkin Park will always be in this list, Framing Hanley (will always be a fav.), 1D, Ed Sheeran, FOB,Jessie J, Cher Lloyd, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert (will always be a fav),

3. What song reminds you of your childhood? Omg, really? All of them, damn. Billy Ray Cyrus- Achy Breaky Heart, Clay Walker-What's It To You, (really anything in the late 80's-early 90's country) Michael & Janet Jackson- Scream, (Really anything by Michael or Janet) AC/DC, Jackyl, Def Leppard, Bad Company, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Queen, The Rolling Stones, GNR! (you get the idea there right?)..The Spice Girls!..and then as I got a little older of course there is anything Britney,..umm..anything NSYNC, BSB, Five, Nirvana, early Marilyn Manson,...B2K (oh my damn), Usher( Slow Jam was the first song I ever slow danced to), oh All Saints- Never Ever, lol Juvenile-Back That Ass Up (HAHA! shut up!), Mo' Thugs-All Good, Ghetto Cowboy, BTNH-Crossroads...Savage Garden- Truly, Madly, Deeply...Jonny Lang-Lie To Me..Few thing I can tell you...One: When I say my music taste is wide ranged, I mean it. Two: When I say I've always loved music, I mean that too. Three: I am the quintessential 80's Baby & 90's Child. (& I fuckin' love it)

4. What songs put you in a good mood? It depends on what has gotten me down (if anything). But a few that I love Andy Grammer-Keep Your Head Up, Framing Hanley-Weight of the World, Jessie J-Who You Are & Nobody's Perfect, Anything off of Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory album, anything 1D, FOB-Sugar We're Goin Down Swingin', P!ATD- I Write Sins, Not Tragedies...um...lots of Up Beats stuff & or 90's stuff.

5. What is your music to rock out to in your car? Unfortunately, I don't have a working CD player, so whatever I can find on the radio, really.

6. What is the most embarrassing album or song you own? Not embarrassed by anything I have. No shame in my game.
It's crazy how almost overwhelming it is for me to think of this kind of stuff. Not becuase I go blank, but because I have a list in my head about that might cover the Great Wall of China..a few times over.

I asked my husband, "What are some of my all time favorites songs?" And he looked at me like I was crazy and said he didn't know...so I asked him, "well, what are some songs that when they come on I'm like 'yessss!' ?" He said all of them...
The man knows me so well...

Happy Sunday Funday, Lovelies.
♥♥♥
Brandy

The world better prepare, for when I'm a billionaire!

Okay maybe billionaire status is a bit far fetched.
Hell, even multi-millionaire status is far fetched.
But...
you know I'm a dreamerrrr, but my heart's of gold.... ;-)
(boom, 2 songs stuck in your head!)

So, today I'm linking up with Holly & Kristie to talk about what I'd do if I won the lottery!
Yes,..post number 3 for today.
"How'd you spend your birthday?"...  "Oh you know...I blogged half the day..."
First two posts here & here.
& 3 happens to be one of my lucky numbers!
Maybe I should go buy a couple of tickets tonight?

Holly doesn't want the cookie cutter answers, but I'm a rebel so I gotta include a couple of them, along with my indulgences! ;-)
This "list" changes from time to time, but not very much.
I dream about this entirely too often!

First & foremost, I would hide and get a financial advisor (yes, even before I indulge). And very few people would know. The biggest noticeable change (at least noticeable right away) in our lives would be a huge home & debt free parents. Doug wouldn't even fully quit his job, he would just turn into a work-when-I-want (or am needed) employee...(or he'd open his own shop.) and I would still look for or have a job of sorts. A very freeee (as in choose my own hours kind of thing) job.

We/I would:
Buy a very large chunk of land and build our dream house. Which would be about a 4 or 5 br/3-4 ba spread, with a large, full finished basement with a couple of extra rooms, and complete with a small-medium size theater room/game room/hangout room  A pool (but I'd like one of those pond looking pools.) with a pool/guest house (1-2 br/1ba). Wrap around porch is a must. A nice covered outdoor living area (aka huge patio with a nice grill...we got a big family). I'd have a 3 or 4 car garage. And then my husband would have a 2 or 3 bay shop, complete with all the tools he wants, and toolboxes, lifts, etc. I would also have a small studio to use for whatever creative things I want. And to finish off we'd have one hell of a security system. Cameras galore! (basically I'd be broke with just this happening! lol)

Completely indulgent shopping trip. New clothes, new furniture, new guns/fishing poles, another camera and new lenses, California king bed, huge bath tub. Sooo much stufffff!

A personal stylist to help me out. I think I do okay -most of the time-, but I'd want at least a consultation just to check, lol

Pay off my parents/Dougs moms/ our granparents homes. Yes this would be one of the first things, because should I lose all of most of my winnings at least our parents and grandparents will have a large debt off of their shoulders.

Beach house! (with a pool, also, I know that seems crazy, but not really). On a smaller scale, but still nice, cozy and relaxing. But I'd make it a vacation rental as well. (ahem, investment!) But of course my family would be allowed some free time.

Buy my mom & dad (both) and my granny a new vehicle. They deserve it. Probably my cousin too.
Pay my brothers debt off & dare his ass to get in debt again. (Mafia style)
Spoil my niece and nephew. A little. With what? I'm not sure.

At least one new vehicle for Doug & I (each). A truck for him, SUV for me.
Maybe a "play car" for each of us. Nissan Skyline for him, Toyota Supra for me (ahhh, chills).

I would send Framing Hanley on tour. To the UK/Ireland. Oz. The US. Canada. I'd provide gas, air fare, rooms, venue costs, whatever. That way whatever money they made would be profit for them, they deserve the hell out of it. And I'd send their loved ones out to various shows for support & just family time. And snowballing from that I'd pay for the FHamily to all come to one location to meet each other and attend a FH concert together.

I would pay for a personal concert from a few of my favorites! In all reality, I'd pay them & their crews, for a days work, but we'd just have a huge cookout and hangout & of course my family and closest friends would be invited (as would the artists/crews families) & we'd end the night out with a concert of sorts. :) And I'd allow them to stay in my huge home, or in I'd pay for their hotel stay (whichever they preferred) This one would seriously probably be one of my favorite indulgences, to be honest!

RUNAWAY! Doug & I would spend at least a couple, or a few weeks in the UK/Ireland. And then we would spend a couple of months or so traveling the US. Complete with a week or two at Disney World...and then maybe even Disney Land.

Invest somehow. Whether it be in starting our own businesses or investing in another. Gotta try to maintain that moolah.

Treat my best friend to two trips! One would just be her and me (or a girls trip, her sisters, my mom, her mom, etc etc). The second would be a family trip for her, her hubs, and their kids. For a week, somewhere kids & parent friendly and them not have to pay for a thing! Then I'd give her a chunk of money to put towards bills to alleviate some stress.

Huge family vacation! Don't know exactly where. But Doug's family & mine are both invited.

Go on tour. I seriously consider touring with some of my favorites (if I could.) and doing photography or something like that with/for them.

I'd randomly give away a set amount of money. Whether it be to one person in need, or divided amongst several people. And I'd do it anonymously (but I'd hide in the bushes to see their reactions....creep much?)

Buy a very, very large chunk of land in my town and forbid any development on it! So fucking tired of seeing trees go down and buildings go up. This isn't a "big city." Stop it.

Then of course donate to charities, etc...

Do I need to stop? I could go on. lol
I'll stop there! :-p
What would YOU do if you won the lottery?!

Last post of the day! lol

Lovinnnnsss!
♥♥♥
Brandy

30 Before 30! Happy Birthday to Me!

imgsrc

Now wait, hold the phone, if everyone could so kindly Tweet Harry Styles & try to get him to tweet me (@bnb03) Happy Birthday, I'd greatly appreciate it. If you could get him to come to my house, I'd...well I don't know what I would do....

Anyway, I'm 25 today.
Wow, that's already so weird to say.
A quarter century old young.
I probably won't do too much today, we're a little crunched with money until tomorrow.
So any going out to eat or anything will likely be done over the weekend.
:)
Let's get into it, shall we...
A little while back Erin, who I just love, posted her 30 before 30 list and I loved it. I thought, "I should do that, too!" So, I decided I would.
Fast forward a bit and a couple of weeks ago Stephanie, who I also love, posted her 101 in 1001 list & I loved it too. It further solidified that I should, indeed, finish this list & then post it...(& then do it I suppose.) ;)
So I thank them both for being my main inspirations for doing this.
I had already decided that if I'm gonna have a go at it, then I'd have the list made by my birthday & that would give me exactly 5 years to do it.
I have to admit, for whatever reason, it was hard. I tried to do a mixture of serious and fun. I even asked Doug and my mom if they had any suggestions thinking maybe the would jar my mind and I'd think of something. I honestly didn't think I was going to come up with 30 things, but I actually ended up with over 30, which is good. Means I'll have other options that can sub for another, should I decide to change it or whatever.

I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with it, but here is what I have so far. (I will have it as a page/tab thing soon.)
If I make any changes or tweaks, you'll be the first (err maybe second, behind Doug, to know.)

Sissy's 30 Before 30
1. Get my teeth fixed.
2. Get a job/ start on a career path.
3. Get our own place -preferably buying a house-
4. Become a mom.
5. Travel somewhere I've never been.
6. Grow as a Photographer.
7. Get caught up with scrapbooking.
8. Write a song.
9. Have one of my photos published or featured.
10. Meet a major weight goal.
11. Do something special for Doug.
12. Pay my parents back, to some degree, in some way.
13. Have a Wild Encounter or be a Zookeeper for a day.
14. Sponsor an endangered animal.
15. Learn a new language. (at the very least, the basics)
16. Go to 5 pro. sporting events (at least), no specifics on this one yet.
17. Build my (our) savings account to a certain amount.
18. Complete at least 5 Pinterest projects.
19. Get Meet & Greets to (at least) one of my favorite artists/bands.
20. Update wardrobe. (Clean out closet & get new clothes)
21. Reteach myself (or have my mom reteach me) how to sew -with a machine- & make something.
22. Be an extra in a movie.
23. Finally invest in a handgun. (I've been a legal gun carrier for about 4-5 years, still no pistol though.)
24. Participate in at least one 5k. (even if I walk for most of it.)
25. Try cake decorating. (like fondant, tiers, etc..)
26. Treat myself and Doug to a long couples massage/spa day.
27. Paint something. (as in a painting)
28. Go to the CMA Music Festival.
29. Attend an award show.
30. De-clutter.

the extras:
1. Do a boudoir photoshoot.
2. Get back into dancing.
3. See a broadway show
4. Wine Tasting (I mean, I live in "Mini Napa Valley" and I've been to only ONE Vineyard....)
5. More tattoos
6. Buy gifts for as many people in need as I can. At the very least 5 or 6. (Christmas-time thing.)
7. Decorate our house & do landscaping. (Once #3 is completed)
8. Become a millionaire (this was Doug's clever suggestion...haha)
9. Girls trip.
10. Finish the basement (aka our apartment) to be home-y while we still live here.
11. Work on family tree. (ancestry)

Whatcha think?!
I've got 5 years, exactly! Think I can do it? Those goals aren't too unattainable are they?
Ahh, hell, who cares? I can still try! :)
Do you have a list? If so, leave the link to it in the comments, I'd love to read it!

Well, let's see what this day holds for me!
Love you all!
♥♥♥
Brandy

*Also, Stephanie, along with one of her bloggy gal pals, is going to do a link up to track progress. It will be once a month, on the last Saturday of every month. So, to anyone with a list of sorts, here's your first heads up if you'd like to participate. The first one will be on July 27th.

About Me...I'm a Cancer.

First & foremost, just wanna let you  know that you get two posts today!
Because I'm a giver, even on MY birthday, I'll give YOU the gift of two posts.
AWWWW! 
Yep, that's right, today is My Birthday.
My 30 Before 30 list will be posted soon, so be sure to check back in about an hour.

But for now...anyone into zodiac/astrology?
I am.
I have been into since I was a kid & I learned about my sign pretty early on.
I'm glad I did, because it's helped me understand things about me that I probably wouldn't get otherwise.
I AM my sign.
As with any sign there are some things that don't add up or don't fit you, but for me, for the most part -at least 95-98%- it's all me.
Before you go any further,...if you don't follow or buy into it at all...save yourself the time & go ahead and leave. (again, check back in a hour for my 2nd post.) :)

Just figured I'd list a few things that pertain to my sign that fit me to a T.
I'm a Cancer.

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Cancer is represented by the crab.
My element is water (ironic because I, personally, can't swim very well..but I do kind of love the beach)
My Ruling planet is the moon. Explains my extreme obsession with the moon.
My color is silver.
My startstone (not birthstone) is the pearl.
Random fact. If you take my zodiac sign & flip it & rotate it, it's 69. Okay so, I'm a bit of a perv. 
But I realized this at a young age and it made me giggle then too, haha.

Cancers are maternal, domestic signs.
The nurturers of the zodiac.
Traditional and patriotic.
A mysterious, walking contradiction.
Sign that represents motherhood.
Tough external shell but soft on the inside. (ahem, like a crab)
Cancers like to retreat into their "shells". (Keep to myself, a lot.)
Emotional and moody. (yep, this is actually a bit of a weakness)
Wears their hearts on their sleeves and are sympathetic to others. (for the most part)
Easily hurt. (too easily, sometimes)
Yet can be vindictive. (Pinchers, y'all, we pinch!)
Tenacious and protective, especially of loved ones.
Good with money. (yes.)
Loyal (until you hurt me)
Sentimental. (very sentimental, to a fault.)
Doesn't like conflict.
Creative.
Intelligent and intuitive.
Very observant.
Good memory.

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Some weaknesses:
Can be possessive/clingy (oopsie)
Overemotional and bad mood swings.
Can be lazy (key words CAN BE, not typically, but can be...I apparently am, but I firmly believe my laziness is due to my depression.)
Self-pitying (I have a bad habit of this, real bad.)
Not very trusting (this is true, it's hard for me to trust)
Can dwell on the past (this goes along with sentimental, but I'm putting this as a weakness, too. I have a hard time letting go of things..which isn't always a good thing.)
Anger & depression
Grudge holders (I can move on -sometimes- but, I won't forget unless I choose to actively let it go...which is rare)

I like to be the "listener" for people. I may not always be able to offer anything in return, but I'll listen to you. It says that Cancers are good at making others feel good about themselves which is good for them (Cancers) because it's in turn makes US feel good. In other words, it makes me happy to make you happy. I really am very sentimental, which is why I have an entire room of boxes from my childhood. The reason this can be bad though, is because there are times when I've thought that the present isn't as good as the past (as everyone does at times). The difference is, when I have those thoughts, they are taken to the extreme (I dwell on the past). This is also true if there was something bad that happened in the past, I dwell on that. 
Anger and depression. I don't trust people. It's actually pretty ironic that someone like me even has a blog, a space to be so open. But it's good. Because if I don't get my feelings and thoughts out, at least a little, it all just builds up. Leading to anger, and resentment....and depression. Which I can't seem to fully get rid of. I have battled depression for years. It's a constant every day thing. Some days it's nonexistent & others I feel so worthless. Some days it's not a struggle & other days I'm on a sinking ship. It just varies.
The fact that I am such a nurturer, and my sign is the sign that represents motherhood, is easy to see. My planet, the moon, is associated with fertility. Which I think has a lot to do with my emotions and depression on the matter of my difficulty in getting pregnant. I want to be a mother, I feel like it's going to be one of my greatest purposes, if not my main purpose, in life. Yet it's been so difficult to do so far. This is one of the situations where the self-pity comes in. I don't much like to make people feel bad for me, I pity myself enough, I don't really need anyone else to do it too. But I do also like to be nurtured as well. I keep to myself a lot, so if I do whine, it's my rare "cry for help". I don't necessarily need your pity, I need a shoulder, or a hug. My self esteem isn't very high, also.
I love my friends, a lot...almost as much as family. In fact any of my close friends are thrown into my family category. I keep a smaller circle than most. (right now it's really small). I'm a pretty loyal friend. But I can pick up on things kind of easily (not always, but a lot of the time.) Like if I'm being used. And even then, I'll still likely be loyal...because it's in my nature. (That is where it becomes a fault). I give people too many chances. But hurt me & I'll do one of two things; I'll retreat away and avoid you forever (or at least a long time), or I'll hurt you back. I really am protective of my family. Just don't mess with them. That actually goes for anyone I love. I'm an avid day dreamer. (I mean, to a fault sometimes.) I can be present, but in my mind I'm living a different life. No, I'm not kidding...and it's pretty much all. the. time. I'm about as moody as they come. I can usually cry at the drop of a dime (good, bad, happy, sad, funny, silly, doesn't matter)..this is that whole emotional thing, ya know?
My obsession with the moon? It might make you giggle a bit, huh? But for me it's real. I'm drawn to the moon. I'm nocturnal. I thrive at night. Even though I love sleep and feel mad when I've slept the day away, I still just thrive at night. (I'm convinced that if I could live without it, I'd go days at a time without sleep so I could fully enjoy the day AND night. But I can't do that, because it's not natural...and I'm not a crackhead.) Back to the moon...If I feel sad or overwhelmed or whatever, if it's a clear night, I literally go outside and just stare at the moon for a few minutes. I'm not completely sure what it is, but it calms me. It's comforting. Even if all is well, I love to lay under the night sky, even if the mooon happens to hide, I love to stargaze, it has almost the same affect on me. Just makes me happy. (I know you think I'm a huge weirdo now, haha, it's alright, I kind of am.) I love the moon & I'm not ashamed of that! 

My Photo. Taken- Summer 2012

My Photo. Taken- Summer 2012

I like having a sense of security. Which is why I like to be home, or being in control as much as I can. So, I am also pretty good with money. Even though I credit my dad a lot for that, he's rubbed off on me in a lot of the ways I handle money. But in many ways, it does come natural. I don't like to be low on money. Now if I could just get the dough rolling in so I could REALLY save! I don't like change. Although I can be very adaptable.
More often than not you only see the surface of things when it comes to me. But being someone who does tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, that can be a lot. However, there is always more underneath my shell that you don't see. 
I'm pretty complex, yet extremely simple.
I could really go one forever. But that gives you a little bit of insight as to who I am, at my core.
:) I'm a Cancer & I'm proud of it! 

Famous Folks I share a birthday with::
Lil Kim, Lil Zane, Richie Sambora, Jeff Corwin, Giorgio Armani, Michael Rosenbaum, Lisa Rinna, Sela Ward, Justin Chambers, E.B. White, John Quincy Adams, and several others...

Post number one is done!
Post number two, coming up!
♥♥♥
Sissy

Struck with Wanderlust.

One of my favorite little phrases. 

I'm a homebody. 

In the sense that there is nothing more comforting to me than to be at home, with my loved ones.

But, I also have a desire to travel and see parts of the world.

Hence..

"Struck with wanderlust..."

I always say this, anytime I talk about traveling, that's my go-to phrase.

It's the name of my travel board on Pinterest.
(It's even in my little "blurb" over there under my picture)

I'm pretty sure it should be tattooed on me.

Enough rambling though.

Let's talk about some of the places I'd love to go to.

Internationally:

1. The UK & Ireland (England, Scotland and Ireland):

I want to go to London. I want to ride the London Eye, see Big Ben and the House of Parliament,  I want to see Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace! I kind of want to ride a double-decker bus. I wanna see the Abbey Road crossing in person. I want to see the culture and life there. I want to go down to Wiltshire and see Stonehenge. I wanna go to the Sherlock Holmes museum. I wanna go to Liverpool and see if there may be a Titanic museum there. I wanna see the Lost Garden of Heligan. I want to meet a  friend that I've met online and let her show me a few places that she knows of. I want to see any scenery and castles I can. And any other historical places I can find or think of.

I want to go to Scotland and Ireland for the same reasons. Castles, scenery, history. Scotland- Doug is of Scottish ancestry, so it would just be cool to go there at least once. We want to see Loch Ness. Ireland- well, other than the reasons mentioned already, it'd be fun to go have a pint in a pub (actually that goes for any of the three places.)

Just to see the culture, the architecture, the history, the landscapes and scenery (all of the greenery -lol-) etc. in all three places would be fun!

1.Big Ben, 2. London Eye, 3. Westminster Abbey, 4. Scotland, 5. Ireland

2. France:

Paris, duh! I'll be honest. I was never one of those kids or teens that was all "ohh I want to go to Paris". Nope, it didn't hit me until adulthood. And even now I'm weary. But I'd obviously love to go to the Eiffel Tower. I want to see the historical aspects of it. The things you learn about in history. The landmarks, etc. The Louvre, Notre Dame, The Arc De Triomphe, I also want to go to the Palace of Versailles.

3. Italy, Greece, and Egypt:

To Rome to see the Colosseum. The Vatican City. And other historical sites. To Athens to see the Parthenon and other ruins. To Egypt to see the Pyramids and Sphinx. 

See a theme yet? I like history.

1&2. The Vatican & The Colosseum (Italy), 3. The Parthenon (Greece)

4. Oz:

This is a MAYBE. I haven't read much into it to really know where I'd want to go other than to Sydney.

Some other places that have been brought up in conversation:

Germany (actually I don't know if we've talked about Germany..), China/Japan, South America (Brazil mainly).

You know what stops us? (other than lack of money) My fear of flying. Though there are many places I would actually be scared to go for various other reasons.  So I guess there are actually a couple of fears involved in it.

In the US:

1. Nevada: For obvious reasons. I just want to go to Vegas. And To the Hoover Dam.

2. California: To go to L.A., see Hollywood. The Walk of Fame. And other places, as well. Like Napa Valley, Santa Monica Pier, etc etc. To be a tourist. lol Oh & I wouldn't mind DISNEYLAND.

3. New York: To say I've been to NYC. To at least see it once with my own eyes. To see ground zero. Central Park. The Statue of Liberty!, The Empire State Building, etc, etc...

4. Pennsylvania: The Liberty Bell. Oh & Hershey! And I've never eaten a Philly cheese steak, so I want to eat an authentic one.

5. Maryland: Annapolis. Ocean City. Honestly don't ask why I want to go to Annapolis. To see the Naval Academy, maybe? I don't know.

6. Washington DC: The White House, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc etc.

7. Arizona: The Grand Canyon

8. Florida: D-I-S-N-E-Y-W-O-R-L-D! Daytona, There's a small part of me that does want to go to Miami at least once, although I don't know what I'd do there...?

9. Minnesota: Mall of America....don't judge me.

10. Texas: The Alamo. Among other things.

11. North Carolina: Biltmore House.

12. Missouri: I wanna see the arch again. I've seen it once, but we were just passing through. I've heard you can go up in it? (Is this true?)

13. Illinois: Chi town. Although, I don't know what I'd do? I just wanna go I guess? Oh & some pizza!

14. Virginia: Arlington National Cemetery. Chincoteague Island.

15. South Dakota: Mount Rushmore.

16. Tennessee: Nashville. & Lynchburg. And maybe even Memphis. I DO want to go to Graceland, so I suppose Memphis is fitting for the list.

17. Lousiana: NOLA. I kind of, might want to go, just once.

And don't even get me started on Georgia. There's so much in my own state the I haven't done, but that will be another post, for another day. :)

I also didn't really touch on anything tropical or exotic...

That's not all though. But that is all that I've got for you right now. I may eventually do a more in depth post of the main places I want to go. 

I feel like I should also note that Doug & I love food. We have actually talked about traveling around the US later in life, once he/we retire and do a Foodie road trip or something like that. So there are several places that we want to go, just to eat different foods. (Examples: Philly, for an authentic cheesesteak; Chicago, for pizza; NOLA, cajun..Italy, pasta)

When it comes down to it, if there is history involved, there's a chance it will interest me. I've always liked history. Or I've it's one of the "Big Cities", I might kind of want to go, at least pass through or something.

Did I leave anything off so far?

Like I said, I'm sure this isn't all. 

BUT...if you have any suggestions on places to visit; Or if you've been to any of these places that I've already listed and have any suggestion or advice (when to go, where to stay, what to do, etc), let me know in comments! Any and all are welcome!

Where all would you like to go?

Tell me in comments! Or do your own post. I'd love to read about it! :)

(If you do a post, leave your link so I can read it.)

♥♥♥

Brandy

For the sake of having a post today...

This weekend was pretty mundane.
We'll start on the 4th.
Our town had to cancel fireworks (they were moved to Saturday) becuase we have been plagued with rain...seriously,..it rained EVERY DAY last week. I don't mean like drizzle, I'm talking steady rain, all day, type stuff.
So we went to my mother-in-law's to cook out & shoot off our own fireworks...(about $200 worth).
And it was great. We had just enough of a break in the rain to let the boys have a little fun.
The 4th did eng up being great. Low-key with family.

Happy 4th.

Friday was a nothing day, really. And I was confused because Thursday felt like Saturday, so there for in my brain it was Sunday...which meant my husband wasn't supposed to be back at work yet. (He was actually off on the 4th)

Saturday, was the same basically. Spent most of the day at home while Doug help by dad & bro do stuff. And we skipped out on going to fireworks (which turned out to be okay, because guess what...IT RAINED...so everyone that went pretty much watched them from their cars).

Sunday...was kind of blah. Doug & I spent most of the day in bed. He couldn't get woke up fully & I was just bored. So we were extremely lazy.

& then here we are!

The forecast calls for rain every day this week...again. Hoefully it won't make me look like a frzzb ball in m new ID picture.
So we'll see how the weather will go this week. It's actually been really nice today...so far. -__-

Okay...so scratch that..it's raining now.
Wahhh...

Okay...Off I go!
LATAAA!
♥♥♥
Brandy

Birthday week commences...NOW

My Birthday is Thursday.
All you need to know is I'm not a coffee, latte, whatever drinker. I love music. I love movies. I love clothes. Extra money is always nice. And I love food. So.... ;-)
lol, I kid, I kid....
or do I....?
But...it's approaching.
Which means I have about 4 days to finish this 30 before 30 list.
Ay yi yi! I've gone blank, but don't fret, it'll be up by the end of the week! :)
(cause I know everyone is just dying to know what my goals for the next five years are)

Luckily the main thing I have to do this week is get my I.D. updated.
Boo...but then again yay, because I'll be able to buy booze again without people looking at me funny.
(My ID still has the under 21 thing on it....I'm 24-will be 25-)

But for the most part I have a fairly laid back week...I think.

I still don't know what I want to do, or what I want, for my birthday. & Our account still isn't looking pretty...So...just gonna play it by ear I suppose.

But, for today...I'm gonna do a Sunday Social, because it's been a hot minute since I've done it.

1. What is the best trip you’ve ever been on?

That's hard to say really because I loved everyone I've been on...but that free week at the beach a couple of years ago wasn't too shabby. ;) I could go for that again!

2. What is your best idea for a girls weekend trip?

Hmm..I'd say either Nashville, Chatt., G.burg/P.Forge or Savannah...or FL.

3. What is your best idea for a couples trip?

Ugh....lots. My absolute best idea is a full week, of just us..and it almost doesn't matter where.

4. What is the best vacation on the cheap?

Anything you can get free, obviously. Um..the best are going to see my bestest. Weekenders are always good. Somewhere that's close, you can stay a night or two, do some fun stuff & head back home. 

5. What is the place you most want to visit?

Do you really want to get into this now? Let's just cut is short and say various place across the U.S. & Then The UK (wanna go to London so bad!). France. South America. Oz, maybe...I don't know...stay tuned for a travel wishlist post, maybe. ;-)

And that's that. Happy Sunday, folks!
Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend! & Hope that anyone who had a long weekend enjoyed it!
:)

Lovinssss!
♥♥♥
Brandy

HumpDAY

Welp, tis that time again. I haven't weighed in (on here) since June 12th..ooopsie.

I feel like as soon as I get to this here space any words I may have had just scatter & I'm just staring at the screen and maybe drooling a bit like, "durrrr...."
What kind of mental picture did you get?
So, anywho...
I have gained it all back...pretty much.

Start weight (4-10-13): 163
Last weigh in (6-12-13): 160.5
Today: 162.3
Up 1.8

The lowest weight I hit in the matter of the almost 3 months I've done this link up is 156.7.
So, I've lost 6.3 lbs & then gained back 5.6lbs...in 13 weeks.
Boo.

That's okay. Every day is a fresh slate to start from.
I'll get there....I think.

I'm feeling a bit run down. You know how you can feel yourself trying to get sick? Yea, that's what's goin on.
It doesn't help that it's been gloomy and raining the past couple of days & the rest of the week looks to be the same way.
Our town has already decided to post pone fireworks til Saturday.

What are you doing for the 4th?

♥♥♥
Brandy

Baby what?

So, today was so great.
Uneventful for the most part, but what made it great?
I got to see my 2nd Mom!!
(As in my best of the bestest's momma, the ones who live in FL)

Her best friend still lives up here, too & so she is in town visiting her & we all had lunch today & I loved it.
The only downside is when I got home, I teared up & am finding it hard to hold back tears even now, because I miss my best friend.

The timing of this was just right.
It's been over a year since I've seen here and just a week or so ago I was thinking about them and how I miss them so much & it's been too long since I've been down, etc. etc. So,...this was just what I needed.

We talked about many things and naturally moved to the baby topic.
Which reminded me that I haven't updated here in a bit.
Mainly because there really is no update.

I still struggle with the decisions to make.
I still struggle with everyone's advice, it's all the same.
I don't bring this subject up to anyone who doesn't already know. It's just easier that way.
Everyone's advice of just forget/don't stress about it is the one thing that has been the hardest and the easiest thing to do.
I had a bad-ish day not too long ago which I probably could have gotten a lot off my chest had I felt like talking/typing about it. But I didn't. I let it motion through my brain and go away. Just easier not to deal with right now. I want positivity and thinking about that for me, right now at least, isn't positive.

I have a couple of things that I'm hoping can happen in the next coming months that will give my health a little boost, even though -for the most part- I'm in good health, there are definitely things that can improve.

So, ya know...in case anyone was still curious to know about my baby stuffs, here's a mini-not-really-update. lol
I don't really have much to talk about today, which is why I'm posting at 9pm.
But hell, here's something, right?!
:-p

Anyway, tomorrow is Weigh-In Wed. I'll be back to tell you that I've gained all my weight back! WOOHOO!
-____-

I now am even more ready to get my ass back to Florida to see my 2nd family. Like, now!
But for now, I'll just have to settle for texting my bestest and then whining to my hubby.

Welp, I gots budgets to do, bills to write out & a list to work on!
See yuns tomorrow!
♥♥♥
Brandy

Hello, July.

July is my favorite month.
It's my month.
Sounds a bit selfish, but not really.
Because there's nothing wrong with celebrating yourself.
All month long.

We're tight budgeted, so I'm not even sure what we'll do.
But that's okay.
We'll figure something out.

There are also several other July birthdays that make this month celebratory.
My Granny & Chris (Framing Hanley) both of which are actually today :) 
My Bestest, my friend Casey, and a small handful of others.
Oh & you know, the biggest birthday of them all, AMERICA.
& It's summer.
I mean, come on. It's like a piece of perfection.
;-)

I also warned you a couple of posts ago that July starts Christmas talk for me.
I'll try not to, too much, on here for now, but no promises.
In case you didn't catch on back in December, or in case you weren't around. I help my Granny with Christmas so I always make her get it in her mind early so she can start giving me money.
She helps me gather the ideas from the grandkids & I do her shopping & final picking out of gifts.
Saves her time & I like doing it.
Pays off for both.
Even though I always get super stressed.

Anywho.

After being inspired by Erin & Stephanie to make a 30 before 30 list, I've finally started it.
But I am having trouble thinking of things. I want them to be realistic goals.
I've still got a little time to work on it though.
I'll wait and post it either on or around my birthday, so it will be next week sometime.

So, yay!
JULY!

Any of y'all have a birthday this month?!
Are you looking forward to anything this month?
Let me know! :)

Lovins!
♥♥♥
Brandy

*As I mentioned up there, it's Chris Vest's birthday today. He's the drummer for Framing Hanley. He's an amazing person, drummer, husband to his wife & daddy-to-be. If you have a Twitter, take a minute or two & Tweet him a Happy Birthday Tweet! :)