{blog challenge, day 7}

Day 7: Your dream wedding.

Yuck. I'm nowhere near ready to talk about weddings yet. I guess all I know is that if I ever have another one, I want it to be very simple in someplace beautiful, with a man who adores me and that I find irresistible, without a doubt in my mind that it will last forever. Easy enough, right? ;)

To supplement this lack of a post, I'll share another one later tonight. Stay tuned.

{if I could have any pet...}

Blog challenge, day 6: A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

What a lame topic today. Here's what I'd have to choose though:

That's right, if I could have any animal as a pet, I'd choose a puppy. It seems stupid, but I'm pretty allergic to most animals, so the ability to own a dog and not have to take any medications because of it would be awesome! Maybe someday when I have my own house again, I'll get all drugged up just so I can have one :)

{myself 2 years ago}

Blog challenge, day 5: A photo of yourself two years ago.

Two years ago, I was just starting to get into photography. This was taken by Bethy at the Plains Art Museum. I tagged along with her and a couple other photographers to have a little fun shooting and to gain some experience. Let's just say I've come a long way since then!

"friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things"

Blog challenge, day 4: A photo of your best friend.

Jess Brammer... there's so much I could say about this girl. We met in the Marketing Office at Scheels, and didn't exactly hit it off right away. Our opposite personalities clashed a bit at first, but we started to bond over our jobs, and quickly became inseparable.

Both of us have gone through some pretty rough times over the past couple years, and even though we've lived in separate cities throughout much of our friendship, we seem to be able to keep contact on an almost daily basis, and always pick up right where we left off. Friends like Jess are rare. She pushes me when I'm lazy, challenges my decisions, and encourages me when I make mistakes. Love this girl :)

"don't cry for a man who's left you - the next one may fall for your smile"

Blog challenge, day 3: Your idea of a perfect first date.

Well, this one's a toughie. I honestly don't have much experience with first dates. Most of the guys I have dated in the past I was good friends with first, so there was never really that "typical" awkward first date. Besides that, I'm not exactly the best person to write about this topic at the moment. I'm just starting to get back into the dating scene, and it is just as tough as I remember it to be. On top of the usual dating confusion and hardships, I'm adding in my own troubles - a recent failed marriage and a complete fall-out with my best friend, which together have resulted in a complete lack of trust in most people, severe questioning of my own judgments, and a little bit of doubt about love in general.

I'm a hopeless romantic, so I know I'll bounce back. Unfortunately, I also know myself pretty well, and I know I'll fall along the way. I've already made some poor decisions, let stupid things bother me too much, and listened to other people when I should have listened to my own heart.

So... my idea of a perfect first date. Right now, I'd have to say it would consist of real, open, honest conversation with someone who is patient and understanding. The location really doesn't matter. Oh, and a glass of wine in hand, of course. ;)

{something I ate today}

This is gonna be a quick one. Something I ate today:

This was part of my lunch. Mmm. It's funny... whenever I start gaining a few pounds and decide I need to get back on track, that's when I can't stop eating junk food! It doesn't help that I'm an emotional eater. When things are going wrong, nothing is more comforting than junky, fatty foods. Oh well. Beauty is only skin deep, right? ;)

{blog challenge}

I came across this 30-day blog challenge, and thought it would be a good way to get some ideas flowing, possibly some more lighthearted posts, and hopefully a few photos incorporated into this blog. I still want to blog about my own topics, so I'm sure I'll somehow incorporate the two. Here's how it shakes out:

30 Day Blog Challenge:
Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past.

Therefore, here's day 1:

This photo was taken on my recent photo shoot in Orlando... I like it 'cause you can't really see my face! ;)

Today was pretty average. My alarm went off at 6:30, and I hit snooze every five minutes until 7:00 just like I do every day. Yes, I know it would make more sense to just set my alarm for 7:00 and get that extra half hour of uninterrupted sleep, but there's always that slim chance that I'll actually get my butt out of bed just a teeny bit earlier. Ha.

Work was pretty average today, although I've been feeling fairly out of sorts all week. I think I'll blame it on all my traveling this past month, although I'm not sure if that's quite all of it. I've been lacking focus, and find it hard to concentrate on one task. Once again, I'm bombarded with random thoughts and memories throughout the day, and I'm hoping blogging a bit more will help channel all of that.

After work I hung out with a couple of great friends... two ladies I have known since the three of us were in preschool. We did exactly what friends that have known each other forever would be expected to do... vegged out on pizza loaf, watched pointless television shows, facebooked, apartment hunted, told stories about our families, cleaned up some baby puke, and shared the latest pointless gossip.

These are the kinds of friends many people, including myself, often take for granted. They're also some of the best kinds of friends to have and I love those girls to death!

I totally caved and stopped by Coldstone Creamery on my way home tonight... which means I skipped my workout. Day two of half-marathon training and I'm already skipping. Not good! Off to bed so I can get up and run before work tomorrow so Jess doesn't give me too much crap ;)

Oh, and as usual, I'll close with a random lyric. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with my post, but is relevant to me nonetheless:

"There’s still a little bit of your taste in my mouth
There’s still a little bit of you laced with my doubt
It’s still a little hard to say what's going on

... Stones taught me to fly
Love, it taught me to lie
Life, it taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball"