A Fairwell to Twenty-six.

On this my last day as a twenty-six year old I would like to pay tribute to what can only be described as an amazing year.  I'm thankful to each person who's been a part of it however big or small your role as been, know that your love and support has meant the world to me.  Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me in a crazy, busy, and ultimately blessed year.  Here's a few highlights:

1. While twenty-six, I became an aunt for the first time to my sweet niece Noa June.

2.  I left the country for the first time, to live for a week in Port au Prince Haiti, love on orphans and build a church there.

3.  I went through my first official remodel as a young homeowner, 2 bathrooms, a paint job, and some really interesting plumbing experiences.

4.  I spent a few days in Washington DC falling in love with the history of our great nation. It was a perfect several day adventure...

5.  I traveled, oh how I traveled.  To Indy, Louisville, Myrtle Beach, Daytona, Orlando, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Raleigh, and beyond.

The brightest highlight of this year has been the people who have made it my best year yet.  I'm grateful for a loud, loving family, passionate world-changing friends, a challenging and gracious church family, generous neighbors, and a community here in blog world that continues to wow me.

God is good.  I look forward to twenty-seven with much excitement, joy, curiosity, motivation, and hope.  May it be even better than twenty-six, because I have no intention of slowing down.

Love,
B

Oh hey.

I've been so busy lately that I've been almost completely blog, twitter, and facebook absent.  Oops!  Hello friends.  I'm officially in my last 2 days of being 26.  Yikes.

This weekend was a busy blur.  I've picked up a new obsession on Netflix with Once Upon a Time.  Turns out many of my twitters followers are also fans and season two is coming soon...win.

                               I now would like a home office that looks exactly like Regina's:

Can someone make that happen please?

I finally unpacked my suitcase from KC this weekend so I guess that's me acceptance that my trip is over.  I'm headed on a beach retreat Thursday-Saturday of this weekend with my best friend though, so that before I know it I'll be packed up and out the door again.  Followed by trips to Pittsburgh and Indy in the coming weeks.

Hope you all are doing well - I've sure been missing you throughout this crazy, busy season of life!

Love,
B

And then Fall Happened.

I feel like summer was supposed to be slow and relaxing for me and all of the sudden, fall is here.  I'm afraid that by the time I put out my fall scented candles and start my baking the fall will have happened!  I've promised myself I will try to be organized enough going into this fall to not let anything slip through the cracks and still manage to enjoy my favorite time of year - football season.

I began my Christmas shopping last week.  Yes, you read that right - Christmas shopping.  On my way home from KC I started making a list of Christmas present ideas and in a flash of brilliance I already bought Eric's last week (exactly 2 days after we finally finished buying each others birthday gifts for our matching Virgo birthdays).  I am on it people.  Christmas will not catch me off guard.

Actually the main reason for this is budgeting.  I'm getting back into a my budgeting skinny jeans and it's been an adjustment after a budgetary 'fat month' in August.  So, that being said I'm trying to peck away at my Christmas list in advance so that I won't be borrowing from other categories come November. Anyone else relating to this right now?

I'm having a big debate about Christmas cards this year but I'm leaning towards taking a year off.  We shall see.

I've booked my Thanksgiving flights (into Indy and out of Louisville) so that I can see both my families...you know my biological one and my bestie one.  And I've started my Christmas shopping, determined my neighbor gifts, and I bought my first fall scented candle.  So now I guess I guess the only thing left to do it finish my fall cleaning (you know, like spring cleaning but in the fall) and get myself a pumpkin flavored something or other.

How are you welcoming fall this year?

Love,
B

Getting There.

I went back this week and read my entries on a blog I use to do with two of my college girlfriends.  We started it right after graduating college, wanting to write through what it was like being a 20-something in a strange, scary job market with a shaky economy.  I teared up as I went back and read what Mer wrote before she left her job, went to beauty school, and recently landed an incredible job where she now lives in Chicago (she use to live in Orlando, near me...sigh).

I felt sentimental as I read the posts leading up to Alyssa's wedding, which seems like yesterday until I think of the moves she's made, the jobs she's changed, and her beautiful little boy who was a someday dream back then.  Man, time has flown and life has changed but we're in such neat places now.  A million miles from where we began both as people and in life, it's fun to look back and be grateful for how these four years have unfolded.  Grateful for the dreams that are now realities and the new ones that now fill our heads.

I've thought a great deal lately about 'getting ahead'.  I am an observer by nature.  I am always taking things in and analyzing them later.  As I flew home from Kansas City last weekend I made 3 pages of notes about new goals, ideas, and dreams followed by pages upon pages of to do lists that will get me there.

I expect that by the time I ring in the big 2-7 next week I will have a good idea of what I want the next year to look like.  I'm growing steadily closer to 30 and I'm anticipating it with no fear.  I was miles ahead of where I thought I would be when I hit 25 and if I keep going at this pace, I think I'll be proud of where I am at 30.

Forgive me if that sounds cocky.  I in no way think I have my act together.  In fact, I realize the more I learn, the more I have left to learn.  I've read 78 books this year and added about 300 to the list I want to read as seems to be the theme of my life where knowledge is concerned. I've studied real estate and finances this year only to realize I don't know anything about retirement or investments.  I am absolutely a work in process and a lifelong learner at heart.

What I'm celebrating this year as I close another terrific year of my 20s is this - my sacrifices, hard-work, and sheer determination are starting to pay off.  I am living the fruits of 16ish years of school labor and 4.5 years at the work force and it feels good.  To say very few things in my adult life have turned out as I planned would be an understatement.  More than that I haven't turned out the way I thought either.  That much I mean in the best possible way.  I've experienced my share of growing pains but I have loved the results of that process.

I'm happier, healthier, and more excited that ever.  This isn't my official farewell to 26 post, so you can expect that next week.  But as I look back on the last few years I'm thankful that I finally feel like I'm 'getting there'.

Love,
B

Glasses.

I've shared on this blog before that I've been wearing glasses since the 5th grade. I recently found out about a great site, GlassesUSA.com, where you can order affordable pairs of prescription glasses with lenses and I wanted to share it here for my fellow visually impaired readers.

I had no idea how expensive prescription eyeglasses frames could be until I joined the working world and had to start paying for them myself.  Many of you can relate to my frustrations when it comes to finding attractive eyeglasses and how much you've spent in the past when you did.  I've only recently been introduced to buying glasses online instead of at the eye doctor and just how much money this can save you!

GlassesUSA not only provides attractive high-quality frames and lenses but their site has a 110% lowest price guarantee as well as a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  Better still, they offer a generous referral program, perfect for those of us well connected in social media!

GlassesUSA provides a virtual mirror feature on their site where you can try their available frames on your face. I wanted to show you an example of how it works.  Here's a screen capture of me trying on Coach's Carolann 244 in Gunmetal ($169 including the lenses - which is 41% savings!).

GlassesUSA was kind enough to provide a discount to readers of this blog so you can save 10% off your order by using the code: Blog10.  There is also currently a site-wide discount of 15% plus free shipping on your entire order (it does have to be over $50) with the code: FS15.

I hope you'll take the time to see what they have available including many of my favorite brands from Coach to Tom Ford.  They even have prescription sunglasses available!  I bought my first pair of prescription sunglasses this year and they are now my favorite pool accessory!  Happy shopping and enjoy those extra savings!

Love,

Becca

Kansas City.

Well, summer is over and September has officially begun.  I love September not only because it's the month of my birth as well as several of my best friends and my baby sister but also because it's the true beginning of football season!  I desperately wish I was headed to Chicago for the Colts opening game next weekend but alas, I think I'll be sleeping in my own bed at home in Tampa for a whole week now!

I had an amazing trip to Kansas City this past weekend to spend some time with friend Jonathan.  He was quite the host and I have to say - it was so fun I barely noticed it was the Midwest (I kid).  But really, it was such a fun holiday weekend away.

I flew out Friday night from Tampa, through Nashville, and landed in KC about 10:30 Friday night.  I made the sweetest friends on my flight whom I've been e-mailing with since and I'm hoping to get together with very soon in Tampa (they live in Sarasota - about an hour from me).

Saturday night I had my first Kansas City bbq experience.  It was literally life-changing.  We ate at Jack Stack in 'the plaza' area of KC.

How cute is this?

My apologies that the only picture I took of Jonathan and I is dark and hard to see.  Oops.

Jonathan did a great job of exposing me to new music this weekend (I know many of you who know me well enough to know I barely listen to music will be excited about this) including going to see Samantha Fish on Saturday night.  I'm not officially in love with her voice and came home with 2 CDs of it.  As well as a 2 other CDs of new music I'm stoked about.

I didn't take nearly enough photos to do the weekend justice but I do have to share that we made a swirly cupcake tower for Brett, Jonathan's best friend's birthday this weekend:

We were pretty proud of it.

I'm back in Tampa and (I think) ready for an intensely busy September!  Thankful for a perfect weekend away to start it off right and hoping I'll get to return the favor with a Tampa weekend soon!

Love,
B

Labor Day Weekend.

Well, happy Labor Day weekend to all.  I'm out of town this weekend (yes, again) enjoying some time with a fellow Purdue Alumni from my Midwestern days.  This will be my first real trip (as in, more than to work or passing through the airport) trip to Kansas.  I guess when I return on Monday night I can say I'm not in Kansas anymore?  Here's to hoping that as you read this I'm enjoying less than 100 degree heat indexes and good company.

I didn't know when I made my facebook background, which reads: I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world, that I really would be living out of a suitcase for half of August and most of September.  Oh well, it's officially my birthday month!  11 days left as a 26-year-old.  Anywho...

Wishing you all a great holiday weekend with little to no 'labor' involved.

Love,
B