Invest Your Life.

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Hi friends!  I'm taking the next two weeks off to invest in my life.  I have so much going on right now and I feel the need to focus on my relationships and my career.  I know y'all will understand.  

xoxo,

Alex

Love Day 2013.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Or as I like to call it, LOVE DAY!  Take a moment to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.  Then take another moment to watch this adorable short movie, Paperman, that's up for an Academy Award this year!  It's perfect for those of us who  believe in the power of love.

xoxo,

Alex

Thoughts on Love: Lindsay @ Om and Away

Here with today's Thoughts on Love is my beautiful friend, Lindsay! Linds and I have been friends since our time in the nursery at church growing up. We went to the same grade school and then Lindsay and her family moved to Iowa. Well they moved back to MN now, and we share a deep love of Birch Lake, enjoying much needed cabin time together. Last summer, Lindsay took a big leap and followed her boyfriend to Finland! I've loved hearing how the two of them are making their way in a brand new country. Here are her thoughts on love:

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The other night we were having dinner when randomly, my boyfriend Chris, said to me…”I think it was the first time you cooked.”

“What?” I replied, confused.

“Pasta and homemade meatballs; that’s what you made for me the first time you cooked and that was when I knew.”

“Oh! Oh my gosh, really?” I said laughing, trying not to blush.

This random but adorable moment had me thinking…when did I know?

I’m not sure if I had any sort of epiphany about when exactly I fell in love. Chris was my best friend, and for several months I was trying my hardest to deny any feelings about being more than friends. However, that was the thing…Chris was my best friend. He understood me, he was there for me from day one, and he loved me. (I know this because he told me, early on.) And let’s be honest, I had always thought my “friend” was probably the nicest guy I had ever met or would ever meet and a total babe. Chris had asked me to be his girlfriend a handful of times over the course of the first summer after we had met, and every time he did, I would turn him down because I didn’t think I was ready to love anyone as more than just a friend.

In the fall, a little over six months after we had met and become inseparable, Chris had gone back to school, about 1500 miles away. I was out visiting him and some friends that lived out East and while I was there, something inside my head was telling me that if Chris asked me to be his girlfriend again, that I could not say no. He asked me a few days after I had returned home from my trip, and I said yes. (Totally old school!)

Fast-forward to a little over three years later, and we are living in Finland together. Everyday I find something new that I love about Chris, and as different as living in Europe has been, away from friends, family and home, I know…I would follow my love anywhere!

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Thank you, Lindsay!! Be sure to check out her blog, Om and Away, for an inside glimpse at life in Finland and amazing gluten free recipes!

xoxo,

Alex

Thoughts on Love: Kait from Definitely Daisies

Hi y'all!  I hope you had a wonderfully snowy weekend!  I was less than productive but it was actually perfect.  I did a lot of panda watching:

Sigh.  So adorable.

Today's post is from Kait at Definitely Daisies.  Kait is one of my besties from college and a Kappa.  She recently came to visit me in MN and I am in her wedding this May!  Her blog is totally her and I love that!  Here are Kait's thoughts on love:

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Love comes in many forms.  It can be platonic {a love between friends}, romantic {a love for a significant other}, familial {a love a mom has for her daughter}, or religious {a man’s love for God}.

It can be simple or complex; instant or slowly brew over time.  Love can send your heart soaring, or knock you off your feet.  It can cause a war, or motivate a ceasefire.  Some find love at a young age, while others die never knowing love.  Some have many loves in a lifetime; others are satisfied with one true love.

Love is unique to each individual and relationship, but there is one commonality in all love: It is free.  They say that money cannot buy happiness and I completely agree.  To me, love is happiness.

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Thanks, Kait!  Make sure you check out Kait's blog, Definitely Daisies!  

xoxo,

Alex

Tidbits: 2.8.13

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Love yourself.

A unique alternative to Valentine cards.

Ten Ways to Make it a Fantastic February.

Rosie's choreography is really improving these days.

Lessons from Adele.

Valentine Gift Guides for Her and for Him.

This looks yummy.

I can't wait for this movie to hit theaters.

And what you might have missed:  DIY Valentine's Day Crafts and my Thoughts on Love series featuring Sara from Sarandipity, Melissa from Behold-a-Honeybee, and Mallory from Mal's Miles. 

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Alex

Thoughts on Love: Mallory @ Mal's Miles

Today's Thoughts on Love are brought to you from Mallory at Mal's Miles.  Mallory is another sorority sister from college (Go Kappa!  Go Gamecocks!).  Although we haven't seen each other in a bit, she motivates me each day to work out and eat right!  She is such an inspiration.  She motivated me to try BodyPump and I'm so proud that she's completed her BodyPump certification!  Congrats, Mal!  Here are her thoughts on love.

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Being engaged is enchanting. You are hopelessly in love with your future husband and focused on planning the perfect wedding. Your wedding day is even better than you could have imagined and followed by a relaxing honeymoon. Then what? We overlook that life goes on and your marriage begins after the wedding. DLW & I have been married for 10 months today. I can’t say that our married life is all that different than before but we have certainly learned a lot since we said, “I do” on April 7, 2012.

L: Life. Married life together begins when the honeymoon ends you fall back into your normal routine. Work is always busy, DLW attends evening classes at a local college, and we have an obligation almost every weekend. To make sure life doesn’t get in the way of our marriage, we have a standing date night every Friday. It gives us something to look forward to all week and we often go with friends to be social. Nobody likes the newlyweds who hole up in their love shack and their friends.

O: Openhearted. To be openhearted is to freely express emotions and opinions. Openly communicating your emotions and opinions is essential to a healthy relationship… even if your spouse might not agree with you. Any disagreement DLW & I have had has sprung from a tiny issue that we kept inside until we couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe your husband gives the dog too many table scraps or your wife’s hairs end up all over the shower. You are learning to live together and working out the kinks. Respectfully initiate the conversation and suggest an alternative.

V: Vows. Whether you wrote your own vows or stuck with the traditional set, you said them because they mean something to you and you should live your vows daily. I spent hours writing our vows to include our love, values, and commitment. I often ask myself if I am living the line, “I will strive to make our life good and easy.” How can I make DLW’s life easier? What can I do to reduce his stress level? Making our life good and easy is as simple as washing his uniform or taking the dogs out in the early morning so he can get a little extra sleep. Our vows are the most important promises we make to our spouse. Ask yourself what you can do this week to live your vows.

E: Encouragement. You are your husband’s biggest fan and he is yours. DLW’s endless support has helped me reach several goals over the past year. He is either cheering on the sidelines or running next to me during my races and he always has encouraging words when I need them the most. Be there for your husband and he will be there for you. Encourage him to set goals and support him to reach those goals.

Finding the love in your everyday married life isn’t always easy. Keep an open heart, live your vows, and encourage each other. The best is yet to come.

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Happy 10 Month Anniversary! Make sure to follow Mallory at Mal's Miles! She has the cutest pups, plus great ideas for staying healthy and in shape. Thanks, Mallory!

xoxo,

Alex

Thoughts on Love: Melissa @ BeholdAHoneyBee!

Today's LOVE post comes to us from Melissa @ Behold-a-Honeybee!  Melissa is hands down one of my favorite people.  Every year on my birthday, she is the friend who calls and launches into a wonderful rendition of Happy Birthday.  She is up for dance parties anytime anywhere and was one of the best college roommates this girl could ask for!  Although, we no longer share a tiny room and bunk beds (yes, bunk beds), she's only a phone call away in DC. Here are her thoughts on love.

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After being in a relationship for almost 6 years (married for 1.5 years) there is a lot about love and relationships I could write about.   I feel extremely blessed everyday that I have found someone that loves me unconditionally and is my true life partner.  It is the most wonderful feeling in the world to have someone to support me through good times, bad times, and to push me to be a better person.   But, Instead of being all mushy I thought it would be fun to talk about the early stages of love.  Like the moment where you knew you were more than just boyfriend/girlfriend.  So here it goes... 

George (my husband) and I were neighbors our senior year of college and our relationship started off very casual since I was graduating that December.  The more time we spent together we realized we were trying not to like each other so that we wouldn't have to deal with the fact that I was leaving in three months.  We had a Sunday night ritual where we would watch "To Catch a Predator" and "Entourage" together.  On Sundays I also played in an evening soccer league and one time he insisted that I come over before showering so I wouldn't miss our shows.  Really?  I mean I was gross. Like sweaty sports bra gross.  He didn't care. He still proceeded to hug and cuddle with me through the entire episode and tell me how good I smelled. I get progressively grosser and fell asleep/drooled on his shoulder.  How embarrassing? Luckily he thought it was endearing.   But right before I feel asleep  I could feel him giving me gentle, little kisses on my forehead.  In that moment in all my grossness was a boy who really, really loved me.  Not the cleans up nice Melissa, but the sweaty/drooling/sleepy Melissa.  What a great feeling. 

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Thanks, Melissa!  True love brings a certain level of comfortableness and vulnerability.  Check out her and Jessica's blog today!

xoxo,

Alex

Thoughts on Love: Sara @ Sarandipity

I'm so happy to introduce you to Sara from Sarandipity!  For Sara and I, it was love at first sight when she joined my sorority in college.  I quickly called "dibs" on her and was so honored to be her big sister in Kappaland.  She is one of the funniest, most caring, hardworking, and determined young ladies I know.  On her blog, she is honest and soul-searching, and makes me think deep about life's most important things.  Here are her thoughts on love.

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complex. love is complex. it is something that can't truly be described, at least well anyway (if you ask me). love is something that everyone wishes they had and something everyone needs (if you ask me). it fills the soul with satisfaction or it can hurt the heart with ache. see? complex. 

there are plenty of quotes, songs, books, poems and of course blog posts out there that talk about love. some about giving, some about receiving, some about wanting to receive, and some simply about the loss of it all. love is the type of thing that is a constant. no matter the city, the person or the place on earth. everyone knows their meaning of love. see? complex. i mean, think about it....

i personally cannot count the number of times i hear two women (or men) taking an evening walk on the treadmill, sitting at lunch, or simply on the phone in the store talking about love.everything from it's ups, its downs,  the "he said" and the "she said". it absolutely consumes us no matter the age or state of mind. the meaning love is that one thing that will always be there in some facet of existence. whether it's just by talking to your best friend on the phone, staying up all night with butterflies after a first date, saying prayers to heal those close to us or hearing a song that reminds us of that one perfect moment in time. it is everywhere.

i personally am thankful for what i love in my life. my family, my friends, my health, my opportunities and my ability to sit back and simply be thankful for it all. so sure...love hasn't always been great and it will certainly not always be easy. however, without it, life is simply...much more complex.

Photo Source: Sara's Pinterest

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Thanks, Sara!  Feel free to share your thoughts on love in the comments and make sure to check out Sara's blog!

xoxo,

Alex

DIY Valentine's Day Crafts.

Hi friends!  I'm really excited to bring you two weeks of LOVE focused posts to get ready for Love Day 2013, aka Valentine's Day!  I have a bunch of amazing blogger-friends who are going to share their thoughts on love with us, starting tomorrow!  So fun!

Anywho, today, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite DIY Valentine's Day Crafts.  Even though this is not my favorite holiday by far, it's always fun to get into the spirit!  

Here we go!

Paper heart doilies - so cute!

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I love the look of these wax paper & melted crayon hearts.

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We know I'm obsessed with these letters, but now add glitter?!  OMG.

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I'm really into these little triangle banner garlands.  

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Paper hearts and white lights.  Doesn't get any easier.

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I am dying to try one of these string art contraptions.  Love the look of the red and white twine, too!

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Did you use to make these, too?!  I just love the kookiness of them.

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And if all else fails, add a balloon to your pet and call it a day.

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How are you going to decorate for Valentine's Day?  Are you a go big or go home kind of person?  Or less is more?

xoxo,

Alex

Tidbits: 2.1.13

Hello!  Sorry for the late post today.  Between Zumba last night, an early philanthropy networking event this morning, and a 9:25AM showing of Les Mis with my mama, I forgot to get this post up!  Anyway, here you go!

Hilarious Anne Hathaway/Les Mis parody video.  

Party popcorn.  Yes please.

Evolution of the word lady.

Writing tips from Anne Lamott.

A totally do-able constellations scarf.

Roo vlogged with Remmy - and I died it was so cute.

A new take on an inspiration board - a gratitude board.

I love quizzes.  They remind me of high school.  

And what you might have missed:  a real Minnesota weekend, gluten free cookies were devoured around here, and some more photos from the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.  Also, I really want Destiny's Child to show up on Sunday to throwback with Bey.  We'll see!

Alright - see ya later, gator.  Have a great weekend!  

xoxo,

Alex