Today, I turn Twenty-Eight! I thought it would be fun to put a list together

because we all love lists, right? And I love to learn more about people, all of the little things

that make them who they are. So here are 28 things that I know to be true in

my life while saying hello to year twenty-eight!

& of course party hats are always fun... ;)

1 // I don't really want gifts anymore. Just time with those I love.

2 // Life is all about perspective and trying to see everything with a glass half full makes things much easier.

3 // I am reminded every day how blessed I am to have married my best friend. He knows exactly how to make me laugh* and feel loved.

4 // September is the best month ever!

5 // The fact that I will never watch a new episode of Parenthood ever again has made me more sad than I ever imagined it could. I still haven't watched the last episode because I'm in denial.

6 // I really love sushi and I have my husband to thank for that. He taught me how to enjoy "real sushi" not just the fried and white sauce covered rolls!

7 // The only way I can get through cardio in the gym is by watching my favorite YouTubers most recent daily vlog, the SACCONEJOLYs family.

8 // Peter and I can never agree on TV shows to watch, but we still love each other.

9 // Going to the grocery store after work is always better when you decided to wear flats that day.

10 // I almost always forget my shopping list for the grocery store but I hate to keep a list on my phone. Hand written is always better.

11 // The ways that I am constantly blessed by our church is such an amazing gift. I'm so excited to see what the Lord will do with Grace Church and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

12 // It's probably not a good idea for you to bother me before 9:30 AM on the weekends if I don't already have plans. 

13 // The Bible can be overwhelming and scary, but so worth the effort.

14 // I always have awesome plans in my head for projects but then I get lazy. Those that truly love me and know me well, always call me out on this.

15 // I really like pictures. They are important and I love to remember pieces of history with a photo.

16 // I've always said I wanted five kids… now I'm thinking three would be nice.

17 // For the first time ever, I have several sets of different friends and it has been such a blessing this past year.

18 // I want to soak in 2015 as much as possible.

19 // I'm really happy that the football season is over.

20 // My wonderful relationship with my Mom only continues to get better with each passing year, it's amazing and such a huge gift in my life!

21 // Brunch is a wonderful thing, breakfast is not.

22 // I was spoiled when I was a child and for that reason I'm going to try desperately to not spoil our children.

23 // I can kill any kind of plant.

24 // No matter how much I want to cut my hair, I never should. I always regret it!

25 // Praying doesn't have to be hard if you think of talking to God like talking to the best friend you've ever had. He wants a relationship and desires to be wanted.

26 // Parties are fun and I can find any excuse to throw one. I've been told that serving is one of my best spiritual gifts and I love it!

27 // I have a feeling that 28 is going to be the best year yet.

28 // I am so, so blessed and thankful every single day.

*while working on this list I told Peter I was short one thing and he said, "you know that 15 minutes or less can save you 15% or more on car insurance." Funny man, always so witty & I love him.  

spilling my brain.

this photo has nothing to do with this post.

I just really like it.... :)

....on to the random things that are filling my head, lately.

1 // i can't wait to wrap Christmas gifts
I was a little worried that my heart was dreading the Christmas decorating and preparations this year but something has switched in the past week. I'm ready. Like, trying my hardest to hold back until after Thanksgiving since that is a BIG rule in the Eliya house. So, the weekend after thanksgiving.... oh, you better believe Christmas is happening in our house. The mantle, the staircase, the front door, the tree and all the gifts underneath it. It's happening! Oh, and I'm soooo happy with how our Christmas card turned out! Can't wait to send them out soon.

2 // not really feeling the style posts, recently
It's a lot of work!! I love fashion and I have so much fun putting together outfits but I've realized recently that is not where my passion lies with this blog. I want this space to show me, not what I wear. I want my words to do the explaining. I want to share my life and write about it. So, I'm not saying that there won't ever be any style related posts but they will be taking a back seat. Over the next few months I plan to dig deeper and start fresh with a new outlook in January. I'm looking forward to it!

3 // getting back in the gym yesterday was great
My legs hurt. My arms hurt. My abs hurt. All of it hurts, which makes me so happy!!!! It feels good to get back in the swing of things after a couple of weeks off. Of course, I wish I didn't take those weeks off, but it happened. I didn't plan on it... life just gets in the way sometimes, and that's okay. I'm back at it, so it's all good!

4 // the year 2015 is coming and I'm so excited
I can't believe it will be 2015. My ten year High School Reunion will happen next year. WHAT?!? That is crazy. I'm so excited to see what the new year ahead will hold. I have a feeling that 2015 is going to be the best yet!

5 // this cold weather makes me very happy
I've heard some complaining about it but I would take a cold day over a hot & humid summer day, hands down! Give me boots, scarves, jackets and any other kind of layers and I'm a happy girl.

{Photo above is property of Living on Cloud Nine blog, 

& artistic property of Red Apple Tree Photography}

Thanks-living // April

I thought I'd share a few things random things first....

As you can see above I now have brown hair again. It’s going to take a while for me to feel one hundred percent comfortable with it but I’m trying to make my hair healthier and the first step is to stop coloring it. I will miss the red hairs but I love the brown too.

I also love polka dots so much and this is probably one of my most favorite shirts. It makes me smile.

I went to hot yoga last night for the first time in over a week and it was fantastic. I woke up this morning feeling sore in all the right places. Gosh, I miss that feeling!

I have lots and lots of packing to do tonight for a weekend away in NJ. So much wedding fun this weekend for my future sister-in-law Jane, and her future hubby, Reinaldo! She is going to be such a beautiful bride and I’m so thankful to be a part of their wedding day.

Today is the last day of April and I really do have so much to be thankful for. Only five more months till my wedding day and I honestly can’t believe it. We still have a lot to do and I know the little things will start adding up so I’m trying to stay calm and collected during this process. I know I’ve said it before but I am so thankful for a fiancé that makes all of this wedding stuff fun. At the end of the day on September 28th the only thing that will matter is the fact that we are married. I will be his wife and he will be my husband. So all the other stuff is just for fun and trust me, I am excited about all that fun stuff, but I am so incredibly excited to call that man my husband.

Ramblings about Thursdays.

I’ve grown to realize in the new year of twenty-thirteen that I really like Thursdays. All the other days are fine but there’s just something about the fifth day of the week that makes my heart happy. Even when I spill a healthy portion of my green smoothie {Spinach, Peanut Butter, Almond Milk & Banana} all over my lap on the way to work I still find myself in a good mood. That’s just strange isn’t it? Personally I think it’s very strange…

Mondays annoy me because I wish it were still Sunday // Tuesdays are okay… nothing terrible, nothing special // Wednesdays are awful. I seriously loath “humpday” // But Thursday is like a kickoff to the weekend. I always find time to mentally prepare for what will be happening during the next three days and having the ability to take a deep breath and see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.

Today is Thursday. And I am happy about it. Even with green smoothie covered pants and honestly... happiness is my favorite thing to blog about. Random happiness at its finest.

Arm full of happiness

Over the weekend I did a lot of this....

Just looking at this picture makes my heart so stinkin happy and I sure do miss that baby a lot. I wish they lived in Greenville so badly. Last week was one of those weeks that just happen and you lay in bed on Sunday night and you aren’t sure how it went by so quickly? You find yourself dreading the Monday morning ahead more than normal because it’s the first full week of work in almost a month. Then you drag yourself out of bed so you can go to the early Hot Yoga class only to find that your mat that’s always left in your safely marked cubby is gone. Not just any mat… your favorite mat. The mat that cost you $80. So then you get stuck with a borrowed mat that needs a towel on top so you won’t slide but you still slide because it’s not your mat that never lets you slide which only makes you mad at yourself for leaving your favorite mat at the yoga studio in the first place. So there you are… lying on a borrowed mat with stinging hands that feel something like rug burn thanks to that stupid towel and you feel pretty dumb for putting your trust in a small wooden box that’s supposed to keep your yoga mat safe and sound. But really… who cares about stolen mats and burning hands when you look at that adorable picture of the cutest nephew in the whole world…? Am I right? I think I am.

So I am going to try my best to have a forgiving heart. Instead of being mad about a silly earthly item I want to be thankful for all that the Lord has given me. Thankful for the chance to wake up every morning and live a life for Him. I regret spending most of Monday morning in that hot room irritated and huffing when my hands or feet would slide. I wish I could take back the thoughts of anger and replace them with thoughts of forgiveness and love but I am thankful to serve a God that loves. A God that I can turn to and repent.

Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you

Acts 3:19 (MSG)

Glad to link up with the lovely Becky at Apples of Gold today!

One of my new favorite reads!!!

Some Thursdays

Are all about waking up a little earlier than normal thanks to a cute dog nudging you in the back to go outside which isn't the normal for me but since I am house sitting for a friend and keeping her dog while she is away I experienced that little bit of cuteness yesterday morning. I also enjoyed the adorable coffee shop by her house and  picked up a tasty latte and blueberry muffin. 98% fat free people, and super tasty! {Confession, I only eat the tops of muffins} Yesterday was a super busy day that zoomed by which forced me to work through lunch but I also got to eat free pizza left over from a meeting in the building. Score. Then I threw on some skinny jeans and rushed off to a night with the girls and a little bit of jewelry heaven for a Stella & Dot party! The night ended perfectly thanks to a phone call from the best photographers ever to let me know that our engagement pictures were ready which of course means I will be driving you all CRAZY over the next couple of weeks with every single one of them. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Yup… I love those kind of Thursdays! Happy Friday, friends!!!

Midweek Randoms

A little random time is always appreciated on Wednesday…. Yup.

1. I had lunch with the two best friends and one of their men (Adam is a lucky man) and I had some of the best chicken salad. Sadly this was not my meal… it was Jocie’s. I never order chicken salad because you rarely find any without onions. I loathe raw onions. I’m very happy to know where I can now find a tasty chicken salad sandwich. High Five Saffron’s!

2. Apparently a bartender from one of my favorite places (The Green Room) described me as the “Pretty Redneck”….? I have mixed feelings about this.

Pretty, thank you… redneck, excuse me? Larry and I will be having a conversation about this ASAP.

3. I woke up super early this morning and went to yoga. It was still dark outside when I pulled into the almost empty parking lot. The class was fantastic… I think I’m going to make the early AM class an everyday occurance so I won’t have to worry about my plans after work. I can do whatever I want… girl time, dinner, visit family, catch up on my dvr, take a nap, you name it and I can probably do it because my yoga will be complete for the day. awesome!

4. Invitations for Jocie’s Summer Shower were ordered today!!! The only thing I love more than weddings are showers and when they are for your best friend they are the BEST ever! Can’t wait for all the DIY fun for this shower. The Fall Shower for Katie was a ton of fun and I’m so thankful I have another sweet friend to celebrate with!

5. I’m officially obsessed with Game of Thrones. If you don’t know what that is then you need to check out HBO right this second. Woah daddy… its gooooood! I’m fighting the urge to finish the first season but I will wait for my man to come home this weekend. I’m a keeper.

6. Yes, man… he’s a keeper too. :)

Hope you all had a fantastic humpday… it was beautiful here in Greenville, SC & since I don’t have to rush off to yoga I've already taken my sweet pup for a little walk and now I'm going to paint my fingernails! Yoga. Cardio and Mani…. High five!

….yea, I like high fives. Haha!!

Midweek Randoms

Happy Wednesday to you all! This week has been way too long. I can't believe it's only Wednesday... what the heck?!? Anyways... here are some fun randoms from this week. 

1. I'm pretty excited that tomorrow is my last day for this work week!! I'm taking the day off on Friday to spend it with my wonderfully, sweet friend for her Birfday! Yes... we say Birfday! Brunch and Hunger Games!!

2. The New Girl is most definitely one of my favorite shows. Cracks me up!! Schmidt is so stinkin' funny!!!! 

3. I went to my first AM yoga class today. Yup... I woke up at 5:30 so I could go do some downward dog and I feel super fab. Made my day much happier and felt so much longer. 

4. I thank the above mentioned yoga for my success in killing my To Do List today. All 12 annoying tasks were complete by 4:30. 

5. The rumors of Tebow joining the JETS has me ecstatic!!! When it comes to football the only thing I love more than the Jets is Mr. Tim Tebow. I wish Football wasn't so far away.... its my favorite time of year!!! 

6. I really want to try cooking with quinoa! Has anyone tried it...? Here's some recipes I've found on Pinterest!! 

Meal 1 / Meal 2 / Meal 3

Hopefully everyone had a splendid Humpday and I'm ready to get the workday over with tomorrow!! Thursday night TV and a very exciting weekend is exactly what I need right now!! 

Midweek Randoms

Just a random post on a random humpday. Today has felt off all day long since I stayed home sick on Monday. I kept thinking it was Tuesday and to make things worse it was a completely SLOW day. I was most definitely busy but the day still dragged. BUT, I’m proud to say I made it though… I survived!

While I sit here completely worn out I thought I’d share a few randoms that made my heart happy today……

• I went to my second HOT Yoga class tonight. Explains the “worn out” comment above. I have a 2 week pass that was going to expire this weekend so there’s no better time than now to give it a whirl. I absolutely love it!!

• I had a delightful lunch date with the beautiful, Jocie Ashworth today. So incredibly thankful for her and our friendship!

• NEEDTOBREATHE is coming to Clemson University on April 29^th and I’m beyond pumped!!! So excited to see them live again, it’s been way too long.

• Thanks to that nasty bug I had over the weekend I’ve lost 3 lbs! Can’t complain too much about that…

• My mom and I are planning our yearly "Mom/Daughter Trip" to Boston in June!!! I've never been and I am so excited! Shopping, eating, enjoying wine, shopping, sightseeing and some shopping. 

So, right now I’m ready to relax… eat a couple Girl Scout cookies {Lemonades... eeek!} while I sip on some hot tea and watch Revenge. Yes, most definitely a perfect evening after some sweaty yoga! ;)

Lucky Gal!

Woah, Nelly!!  This week has been one HECK of a week!!  I have no idea why but it’s been rough!

Almost every morning this week I wake up with HORRIBLE low back pain and I seriously loathe the idea of getting out of my super comfy bed. If you know me at all you know that I definitely LOVE my sleep but this week I think I’ve loved it a little more than normal? Maybe the Holidays are finally getting to me…? Hmmph.

I am mighty proud to say {Knock on wood and say a prayer} that I have NOT gotten sick at all this fall/winter. Everyone at work has been sniffling, coughing, sneezing and everything else that involves a cold/flu but I have been lucky! I think a LOT of it has to do with the amount of Vitamin C I’ve been taking every day…. that and the anti bacterial that I use almost every hour. What!?! I can’t help it… it smells like Warm Vanilla Sugar!!! Sue me.

Other than the super sleepy mornings and the busy days at work this week has been pretty great! I had some BFF time with Katie on Monday, Jocie on Thursday and I had a girls date night with Madison last tonight. WOW! Pretty good week with my fraaaands! Yes, I am a lucky girl!  

I also had my first day of "Bridesmaid duties" with Jocie today!! It was a lot of fun, we went to the Wedding Festival and she tried on her first of the many wedding dresses!! I absolutely loved it and she found one that she really liked! Very exciting day for my beautiful friend and I'm so thankful I got to be there to witness it!! 

Here are some highlights this week from that little, wonderful app called Instagram!

New Year, new journal for my quiet time. 

I think it’s so pretty and only a $1 at Michael’s!

{For those of you who don’t know, they have a dollar bin area and they restock it with wonderful things every Wednesday!

Stationary, notepads, pens, scrapbook junk, stamps, 

and so many other amazing things you MUST buy because it’s ONLY a dollar!!!

Yes…. You. Are. Welcome.}

Delightful Chicken Noodle Soup from Wednesday!

And my Happy Friday Morning bible verse, this definitely made me smile.

I’ve been seriously obsessed with this book called “The Hunger Games” all week…

Anyone heard of it?

And for me… I’m guessing my eyes were just as tired as my body this week since I had to wear my glasses almost every day.

Doesn’t happen often but this week was an exception!

Happy Weekending you lovely people!

All ages of love...

These all make my heart melt... especially sweet 7 year old Bobby! I love all of them but when I read his I got goose bumps on my arms. Kids really are so smart. I love the innocence and willingness of their love.  

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” 

- Chrissy, age 6 

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” 

- Terri, age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”

- Danny, age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”

- Emily, age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” 

- Bobby, age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” 

- Nikka, age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” 

- Noelle, age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” 

- Tommy, age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” 

- Cindy, age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” 

- Clare, age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” 

- Elaine, age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.”

 - Chris, age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” 

- Mary Ann, age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” 

- Lauren, age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” 

- Rebecca, age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” 

- Karen, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” 

- Jessica, age 8

yup..... precious! 

Bad to Great!!!

After a four day weekend a rainy Monday morning is exactly what we all want, right???

Ha, not quite. I personally had a ROUGH morning, I’ll fill you in:

·         It started off with some serious lack of interest to get out of bed thanks to the slow drizzle of rain outside.

·         When I finally pulled myself out of bed I realized how hideous my hair looked.

·         Because of the mentioned bad hair day and lack of interest to get dressed I was running late for work.

·         Finally made it to the car, ready to leave only to find out my car won’t start.

·         After the 5^th try and some added rev of the gas, he finally started.

·         I then realized that I only had 2 bars of gas in the car and figured I might as well stop to fill up since I was running late anyways.

·         Pulled into the gas station and after grabbing my wallet I remembered I lost my debit Card on Saturday.

·         So I sat in traffic, crossing my fingers and praying that the 2 bars of gas will make it to work.

And instead of focusing on all that crap above I decided to look for the silver lining!

·         Finally making it to work I decide that I will run out to my car around lunch to make sure my car will start…. It did!!! I also went back to double check around 3... thumbs up again!

·         I go to the bank to get a new debit card and THANK GOD for TD Bank and their instant card machine. No waiting 3 weeks for a card sent in the mail.

·         Joel’s Java (My favorite cheap lunch spot in downtown Greenville) had my favorite soup today. HIGH FIVE! Hot and yummy Chicken Enchilada soup for $3!!!

·         Sweet Instagram friends were praying for me and my stressful morning thanks to the picture I added while I was stuck in traffic this morning.

·         I have almost NO pain in my back which is amazing since I hurt it less than a week ago!

·         And my favorite HAPPY Moment of the day…… receiving this baby! Eeeeek! I’m so excited! 

Erin Condren Life Planner

Can’t wait to start using it in TWO more days! 

So happy they started the planner with December.

Funny random for the day... this is my 200th blog post!!!! WOW! I can't believe I've had this little blog for so long and I have loved every second. It's a perfect journal of my life and I know I will always look back on all these memories. Also a BIG thanks to all you who are reading this!!! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!! xoxo

Yes, I am looking at the GOOD in life, not the bad. I’m so incredibly thankful for the Lord and His many blessings in my life. Hope you all had a great weekend and a sunny Monday, even in this rain! I'm secretly crossing my fingers for some snow. ;)