Blog #2 of the day - say what?!

I'll be linking up with Karli over at Sept. Farm's blog for 10 on Tuesday.
10 on Tuesdays can be 10 of anything...anything you say?!
Sounds like fun - count me in!

What's Up First Wednesday in March

Holy Schmoly....
First Wednesday of March (*gasp* already) and I felt like I haven't blogged in forever.
[Well...technically, it's been awhile. A long while at that]

Welcome friends!

Since it's been a little while for me, I'll be doing my own little 'What's Up Wednesday' version today.

What I've been up to:
Lately, 'traveling lady' sums up my life.  I've been to Tacoma, Washington to Long Beach, California and then came back from Eugene, Oregon today.  It's safe to say, I'm excited to be 'home' and back snuggling with my little one.

Also, we've finally finished up the birthday and holiday season around this household...and I am beyond excited for that to finally be over.  We celebrated my little's birthday the weekend of the 21st and 22nd. Fun, but exhausting.  Celebration dinner at my dads house and then family birthday get together at my house.

Birthday Weekend Success

Birthday weekend was a success! 

My 'Birthday Drink' from Starbucks. Do I ever pass up a free coffee?! Uh, I think not!
#ThanksStarbucks

I just have to say...I have the best friends and family!
Whew - what a weekend this has been!

I will be linking up with Biana @ B Loved Boston- Weekending.

Friday night I was supposed to head out to a local golf course restaurant's happy hour with my first grade {Elise} and third grade {Erica} friends.  However, my first grade BFF wasn't feeling too good and wasn't able to attend.

So Erica and I decided since we both had babysitters family lined up to watch our little ones...why not take the opportunity to head out still #momsnightout

And when I say 'go out', I mean a laid back, casual happy hour.
At a restaurant.
Claim Jumper to be exact. (It's a tradition)

Drinks. Cheap eats. My kind of night out.

Meet Erica. My friend since 3rd grade.  Yes, that's right...THIRD grade!
Despite having kids...we still find time to get together from time to time.
It's tough at times, but we manage.

That right there, the chocolate chip calzone. So. Freakin'. Delicious.
If anyone has ever been to Claim Jumper....you share these types of things. Naturally, because it was a birthday celebration outing, Erica and I decided to get two desserts - one for her and one for me. Ugh - sugar overload.

Pretty sure I went home in a diabetic coma.

Friday night ended up with me falling asleep in my bed all curled up like a little baby.
BEST NIGHT EVER!
Slept soundly. My little one slept until 7 am.
AMEN!

Saturday was the actual day of birth aka birthday.
Spent the morning and afternoon very low key...doing a whole lotta nothing.
And it felt sooo good!

Dinner with daddy dearest at 5:30 at Amalfi's in NE Portland. [If you're ever in the area...I highly suggest stopping by. The pizza is amazing. The pasta is divine. The drinks are yummy.]

Yes, this is their tiramisu!  [In case you haven't figured this out...I {fuzzy} heart dessert]

After dinner with daddy dearest, Andrew and I headed down to the Pearl District in NW Portland to one of my most favorite restaurants/happy hour places EVER! Oba!!!!!

MMMM....this has been one of my favorite places for several years, and a yearly birthday stop.

The drinks are amazing. The tapas are so incredibly tasty.

Kellie [sister] is obviously super excited to be out with us! I mean, who be?  We are a good time!

Clearly, I'm super stoked about the card!

The 'Crew' at Oba. Kellie [sister], Janelle, Me, Andrew.

We had a night full of belly laughs, great drinks, amazing company and of course, the best banana balls! 

[I have no idea what they are really called...all I know, is that they are this amazing desert that are fried little banana cream filled balls with ice cream and caramel sauce. My weakness.]

All the good food, belly laughs, and birthday came to an end eventually.

But the memories will remain [and the inside jokes]!

Here are a few more of my favorite moments from this weekend:

We are in the sticker phase right now. We had to use the entire sheet of stickers...face and all!

And what better way to spend the birthday weekend with Emily kisses, a Super Bowl party, and lots of Pacific Northwest SUNSHINE!!!!  So thankful for the gorgeous weather we had today!  

Who says turning 31 has to be bad?  Last year when I turned *gasp* 30, I was nervous as I entered my 30's but was excited to see what my 30's would bring.  This last year has proven to me that anything is possible!  

Cheers to 31 and another great year!

What did you do this weekend? 

How was your Super Bowl Sunday? 

Share below!

Friday Favorites: Inner Tomboy Coming Out

First Friday (fri-yah) of February!

This week hasn't been as exciting as last week, as this week was a tad bit more stressful.
Learning a new job (remotely) can be difficult on top of a toddler who doesn't sleep through the night and feeling disorganized can put a real damper on things.

But that is all a work-in-progress! I've got some techniques and tricks I'm putting together to try and see how that helps me.

Since today is Friday Favorites, I thought I'd share a few things that put a smile on my face this last week.

**Warning: My inner tomboy is about to come out**

What's Up Wednesday [01.27.16]

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Today I'll be linking up with Shay for 'Whats Up Wednesday' - so excited!  First link ups with this lovely lady!

What we are eating this week...

A 'very plain' order of #10

Ever so often, I get to go out on a lunch/dinner date to Pho Van with Andrew. And Sunday it was! It's one of my favorite places - Vietnamese Beef Noodle bowl!  Except, I'm lame and get get the #10, chicken noodle, with just chicken, broth and noodles.  I swear, they all think I'm this crazy lady, but what can I say...I'm weird with food. Once this piping hot bowl of yumminess comes, I add my own flavoring of Sriracha sauce!  Of course, I get an order of the salad rolls and a diet Coke to top it all off. Mmm...makes my mouth just water thinking about this delicious soup!

What I'm reminiscing about....

Day 2 of our 'Spirit Week' [Just us girls].  We sure know how to make work fun!

Day 3 of Sprit Week - Legggggs for days!

My old 'Kroger/Fred Meyer' co-workers and all the good times we had.  Seriously, best bunch of people to work with!  I miss working with them already #sadface

What I'm loving...

This. New. Bag.

This new bag has arrived!  I ordered this for myself for an early birthday gift to myself/congrats-on-the-new-job.  Stole this little gem for a fabulous deal online.  I'm so in love with the padlock style on this bag.  Can't wait to use it!

What we've been up to...

Just working away. Learning as much as I can about the new job [and by the way, I am totally loving it!]  We did have a proud mama moment this week - using the big girl potty!  Who knew you could be so excited to see your child use the big girl potty?  Of course, it has to be her idea to use the big girl potty...and waiting until she's almost 2 is fine with me.

What I'm dreading...

My baby will be turning 2 in February.  Don't get me wrong, I've so enjoyed watching her grow up, but 2?!  Wow...time has sure flown by.  I feel lie just a few months ago she was 2 months old.  I will say though, I am super excited for 2!

Oh...and the dentist.  Went to the dentist the other day, to find out I need to have a filling. Really?!  A filling? So...I'm totally dreading that part. #sugaraddict

What I'm working on...

Becoming a better me!  2016 is my year to shine! I'm excited to see what this year has to offer!

What I'm excited about...

Birthdays!  Celebrations!  As if we didn't have enough excitement during the holidays, we [my sister, my daughter, and myself] top it off with birthdays in January and February - go us!  Although, I will be turning *gasp* 31 [and it's an odd year], I'm still excited!

What I'm watching/reading...

This is the current book I have been 'trying' so hard to get read between bedtime routine and falling asleep at night. It's a struggle sometimes. But so far, I love it!

Currently watching a handful of shows - Younger being one of my absolute favorites right now!  If you haven't seen it (TVLand) go see it!

Also, just finished catching up Teen Mom OG where Catelynn and Tyler got married - seriously, such a gorgeous wedding!

I did catch up as well on the Kardashians.  Yes, it's my guilty little pleasures in life that keep me sane.

What I'm listening to...

At this very moment? Total silence. And it's pure bliss!
But as of lately, it's been the Ke$ha or Sum41 station on iHeartRadio.
Occasionally, I'll throw on the Lil Wayne station for some 'hard-core' rap. [because it's motivating and I can]

What I'm wearing...

Currently LOVING the blanket scarf trend right now!  I love pairing the plaids with the stripes, or the animal prints with bright colors!  Being from the NW, I like to keep my neck toasty warm.

What I'm doing this weekend...

Yes, this is a birthday margarita. Courtesy of last year's birthday outing.

It's the start of the birthday weekend!  In our family, my sister is born on January 25 and I'm on Feb 6th...so birthday dinners and outings typically begin this time of the month.  Which means, Saturday night - first birthday dinner [for me].

What I'm looking forward next month...

Lots!!!  But most of all, for the new job to take off!  I love learning! It's been a little "rough and weird" transition since we all work remotely from our homes.  I'm hopeful this week's training will get me up and running like the wind!

What else is new...

That about sums up life right now - birthdays.  Pretty low key.

Favorite Valentine's Day Treat...

Dove Dark Chocolate squares. Need I say more?

What's even better than the above?  The Dove dark chocolate WITH almonds!  [that's a little added protein, right?!]

Pre-Planning 2016 Goals: I Put the PRO in Productive!

This last weekend was pretty productive.
[I put the pro in productive.  Oh wait...I put the pro in procrastination. Ha!]

Last Friday night I sat down with a pen in hand ready to put thoughts and notes together on paper.

I had been jotting notes down all last week of what it was I wanted over the next year and generally speaking, in life (aka long term goals).

It's been proven that if you write down, visualize and believe in what it is you want in life, you'll achieve it.
And no, I'm not specifically speaking about material items, but who we want to be in this world as well.

That's right, I'll be completing a 'vision' board!

Once I gather my goals and vision for my future, I'll lay it neatly out on a board - my "vision" [or dream] board.  I tend to take my time on these as I like them to be atheistically pleasing to me - especially if its something that will be seen on the daily.

What is a vision/dream board?  
It's a visual representation of everything- your dreams and goals - that you want to achieve/accomplish in your life.

I created one last year and loved it!
I remember designing [I say design because I took great interest in making that thing pretty last year] my vision board a little over a year ago.  I also put down those same goals/visions on index cards,  tucked them in my top dresser drawer, and would occasionally look at them. [I will admit, I didn't take last years vision board as serious or to the extent I should have #lessonslearned]

RECAP: Week 1 of 2016

One word sums up this week: interesting.

This was my first week at a new job.  And from my prior post on Sunday, this was the first week of working from home.

I've worked from home before...when I owned my own business. But this is a little different.  I get to take direction and learn things from someone else...who also works out of their home.

My week went a little something like this:

• Monday- Ice day.  Our city freezes literally when it snows/freezes.  So I stayed home with my little and did a small project for my new co-worker.  
• Tuesday - Technically "first day" on the job.  Met at a local Starbucks to discuss more of the job details and what some of the tasks look like that I'll be taking over.  Then we did some store tours in the vicinity.
• Wednesday - Meeting with the buyer at their GO and a few other important people were included as well. Then I was asked to help complete a project at a sales/marketing company for Friday's meeting. (Which by the way, I had a lot of fun!) My work day ended around 4:40pm (longest work day yet - yeassss!)
• Thursday - I thought I was going to be going back to the sales/marketing company I was at on Wednesday. Turns out, I sat at home waiting for my 'work computer' to arrive. That didn't show up until 3:50pm (which is 20 mins before I had to go pick up my little). Grr. Frustrating, but that's life.
• Friday - Had a 3 hour meeting scheduled (finally! My first real important meeting in a big fancy conference room). However, we {meaning my co-workers} decided it would be best to meet up 2 hours before the scheduled meeting to go over a few things first. So...my 3 hour meeting, was actually a 5 hour meeting.  Not too shabby.  Lunch was provided, which always makes me happy.  

And that...that was my "first" week on the job.  I technically can not use my new work computer yet because I don't have the correct log-in information - say what?!  Yeah, that's what I said.  They did tell me to "enjoy" this down time. I will say, it's hard to "enjoy" down time since I'm used to always going.

Monday will be an up and running kind of day to start off the week - can't wait! (no, really...I'm excited to get this show on the road).

This is what an 'interesting' week of work looks like - all smiles! And still clueless.