A Big, Exciting, Scary Announcement!

For the past couple of years, I've had ideas floating around in my head about different careers I'd enjoy. But honestly, I was too afraid to try. So I stuck with what was familiar and stayed in my comfort zone. I don't know exactly what pushed me to try for more, but I finally got the courage to just try. 

I am starting my own professional organizing/interior design company! I'm equally excited and terrified by this! Okay I lied, I'm probably a little more terrified than excited right now...but great risks lead to great rewards, right!? 

I had my first job on Friday, where we organized the client's entire house. It wasn't as severe as you see on Hoarders, but it was definitely the closest thing I've seen to it in real life. It was very fast-paced and physically demanding, but the finished result was incredible. And the best part was showing the client her new organized home. Such a wonderful feeling!

My business will be called:

 My new website is just about complete and you can check it out here! And I would love for y'all to check out (and maybe like? :) my Facebook page here. The few people I've told so far have been so supportive, and that means the world to me right now! I was especially happy when I saw this comment on yesterday's post:

Allison, you could not have encouraged me at a better time...thank you, sweet friend! :) 

I've always had a passion for both organizing and design, so I'm really excited to get started on this new journey! (Don't I sound like someone on the Bachelor? :)

Running, Calories, and Weight Loss...Oh My!

*I don't really like talking about my weight on here but I was inspired by a blog that I read so if this encourages one person, it's worth it!*

This is a sentence I certainly thought I'd never say...

I completed the Couch to 5k program!!!!!!!!!!

Y'all probably don't understand how huge of a deal this is for me. This is the first time in my life that I've ever completed an exercise goal. Over the years, I've tried LA Fitness, Boot camp, Jazzercise, a personal trainer, and more, but I've never stuck to anything for more than a few weeks. I even attempted the Couch to 5k a year ago but quit after 4 weeks. But this time, it was different.

I still can't believe that I did it. That I can run 3 miles without stopping. Before now, I hadn't even run a full mile! I remember back to the first week or so when I would be SO winded from running 2 minutes. Yeah, I was pretty terrible. So if I can do this, anyone can!

I don't think I've ever been so motivated. I have gained close to 20 pounds since our wedding, and with our trip to Mexico coming up in May, I was determined to feel good in a bikini by then. Over the past year or so, I've "dieted" occasionally, meaning I completed changed my eating habits overnight....and it didn't last long at all. I went from eating pizza, chicken fingers, cheeseburgers all the time, to only eating healthy foods- grilled chicken and rice, salads, etc. That method just does not work for me. It would last a week, maybe two, and then I couldn't resist my urge for cheeseburgers any longer (Cheeseburgers and fries are my weakness.) For me, if I cut out a food from my diet, it only makes me want it that much more. 

But then I read Amanda's weight loss story. She said that she had tried eating healthy for so long, and her weight didn't budge. She started counting calories and just like that, the weight started coming off. So I started using My Fitness Pal to keep track of my calories each day, and sure enough, I've been able to lose 1-2 pounds a week. I'm still eating what I want, but I've reduced portions and have the splurge foods much less frequently. I've found that when I see the progress I'm making, the healthy choices are much easier to make. But if I'm really wanting a cheeseburger that day, I just go for a run to make room for the extra calories :)

So far, I've lost 9 pounds and am hoping to lose about 10 more. For the first time, this is not just a diet- it's a lifestyle change and it will be permanent. I want to keep running (I am running my first 5k on Sunday!), and I want to maintain a healthy weight, but most importantly, I want to feel good about myself. And I'm very excited that I'm on my way there! 

Attitude Adjustment

Lately, I've just had a bad attitude. Things haven't been going exactly as planned and I've really let them get me down. In the grand scheme of things, I realize that our issues are minor and it could be a lot worse, but I guess when they pile up like this all at once, it's harder to keep a positive attitude. I'll explain... 

As you know, our moving plans were suddenly changed 5 days before we were supposed to move and then over the weekend, everything seemed to be falling apart. We moved into a temporary apartment, and our toilet overflowed not once, but 3 times in 3 days (with maintenance coming to 'fix' it after each incident). And then Maisy started acting really weird. She wouldn't jump up on the couch or bed and didn't want to play at all. We thought something was wrong with her leg, and I was completely expecting that we'd have to spend thousands on another surgery for her. (For the record, I'd pay any amount of money for this girl, but it's still not fun) Oh and then, someone stole over $6,000 from our checking account. I was furious at this point. And most of this happened during the UGA-Missouri game, which was painful to watch for 3 quarters, so it made me even more irritable (we had an amazing 4th quarter, so it was fine in the end! But still frustrating to watch....obviously, I let football affect me way too much!) And to top it off, I've had an annoying head cold through all of this.

There I go again, complaining my head off. I'm not proud of the attitude I've had for the past week. Sure, things haven't really gone according to plan and I've dealt with some less-than-ideal situations, but I usually consider myself to be a very positive and optimistic person. For the past week? Not so much. 

Doug has actually handled my negativity pretty well, probably because he was terrified of me :) I've finally found just the perspective I needed to snap out of this. I am very, very blessed to have a roof over my head, family who loves me, friends who support me, and food on the table. I need to stop planning every aspect of my life, and trust that God has it all under control. There are still some big things I worry about, that I can't really talk about on here, but all I can do is pray and trust in the Lord. God is good, all the time, and I need to remember that.

For the record, after a few days, Maisy started acting normal again, the toilet has finally been fixed, and we've been talking to the bank and placed the fraud claim. I'm ready for life to be a little more boring now :)

Let's end this on a positive note, shall we? Here's the rest of the pictures I never shared from our trip to Puerto Rico. 

If You Really Knew Me

If You Really Knew Me, you'd know...

-that family is so important to me

-that I can't eat any kind of chocolate dessert without milk

-that all of this Chick-fil-A controversy makes me want to pull my hair out and stay off of Facebook....and that's all I'm going to say about it

-that I have a weakness for gambling...I'm pretty sure I could play poker all day long

Discovering my love for poker on our honeymoon

-that I'm completely, ridiculously obsessed with animals (I'm pretty sure y'all already knew that one)

-that baby fever has reached an all-time high, probably because all of my blog friends are pregnant right now!

-that I pretty much never wear heels anymore. I love how they look but would much rather be comfortable!

-that Doug and I have a newfound obsession with laser tag...there may be a full post on this soon

-that I eat fast food just about every day...a little embarrassed to admit this one! 

-that while I love living in SoCal, I am truly a southern girl at heart

-that I've always dreamt of being a mom...and I never really figured out what to do for a career before that happens...any suggestions? :)

Issues of the Heart

I know I mentioned a couple weeks ago about having to go to the ER twice...here's what happened.

For as long as I can remember, I have always complained of my "heart hurting." My mom says I started saying this as soon as I could talk. I'll be fine, and then all of a sudden I get this tight, sharp chest pain right in my heart. It'll last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. In elementary school, I had a heart monitor to try and detect what the issue was. It looked like a little clip-on radio and had several wires connected by stickers onto my chest. I had it at 2 different times, but we were never able to capture it on the monitor. Through high school and college, it happened less and less, and now I only get this pain once a month or so.

However, on Sunday night, I got this same pain, associated with other symptoms I've never experienced with it. I suddenly felt very dizzy and lightheaded, my heart started racing, I had the tight chest pains, and my left forearm was throbbing while my fingers were tingly and numb. It started around 8pm, and I was hoping it would just go away. Around 11:00, I googled 'symptoms of a heart attack for women' and these were all on the list. I doubted that it was a heart attack, but we decided it was probably best if we got it checked out. Surprisingly, I was very calm the whole time. We got to the ER and they quickly hooked me up to (what seemed like) a thousand machines, with stickers all over my body. They did an EKG and everything seemed okay. Two hours later, we were on our way home.

I felt fine all day Monday and Tuesday morning. On Tuesday afternoon, I was at work, feeding the baby, when the same symptoms started again. My heart was racing, I became really short of breath, lightheaded, dizzy, HOT, and the same tingly/numb feeling in my left forearm. Luckily, the dad was on his way home so I called Doug and asked him to come get me. When the dad (that I nanny for) got home, he started asking me questions about how I was feeling, and I became scared when I couldn't really answer him because I was so short of breath. 

When Doug came to get me, I started to panic because I couldn't walk very well. In the car, I was going to look up directions to the hospital on my phone when I saw that my hands were completely stiff, and I couldn't move them at all. And they were kind of deformed, looking like a claw. That's when I really started to panic (and I think that's when Doug did, too). My breathing became shallower and faster, and the panic attack really set in. (I later found out that the claw-hands are a symptom of a panic attack)

When we got to the hospital, I couldn't walk so Doug scooped me up and ran me in there. I just remember that I was hyperventilating and they were all trying to get me to slow my breathing. They did another EKG and again, everything looked okay. I was sent home with instructions to see a cardiologist and to rest.

The next day, I saw a general practitioner who referred me to a cardiologist. We really have lucked out with doctors here, they have all been great. So after talking with the cardiologist, he thought the pain could be caused by a nerve issue or mitral valve prolapse, which basically means that one of your valves doesn't close completely, a little blood leaks and it could cause pain.

The next day, I had an electrocardiogram and treadmill stress test to see if we could figure out what was going on. The only issue was that these episodes didn't happen when I was being active...I was always at rest and relaxed when they came on. So it didn't happen during the test. He determined that I have mild mitral valve prolapse, and that may be the reason I've always had heart pains, but as for the episodes, we don't really know what caused it.

I haven't had another episode since then, but for about a week afterwards I had the heart pain way more frequently than usual. Now I am feeling fine, but he said if they continue to happen he'd like to put me on another heart monitor to see if they can catch it.

So I'm feeling hopeful that whatever those 'episodes' were, they won't be coming back any time soon. He said things like this can happen in clusters and they may never happen again, so let's hope for that!

I'll be back tomorrow with a much happier post!

Congrats

I'm about to admit something reeeeeally embarrassing to y'all. You're welcome.

I have been craving chocolate so bad lately (well, I always crave chocolate but this was worse than usual!) and today I decided it was time to give in. So I went to the delicious bakery by our house and picked out the most chocolate-filled cake they had. 

This story probably wouldn't be that embarrassing if it wasn't for what I did next. The girl asked me if I wanted anything written on it, and for some reason, I blurted out, "yes, can you please put 'congrats!' on it?" Then I proceeded to tell her a made up story of my husband's promotion and that his favorite cake is chocolate fudge. (That's a LIE! There was no promotion, and he is not a fan of fudge cake!) 

I guess I didn't want to be that sad little girl who eats a whole cake by herself (I have done this once or four times before, and I've never been able to finish it, just so you know :) I'm not that impressive!)

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done something like this before!? (Or just lie to me to make me feel better :)

Four Years Ago- How We Met

**I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice, support, and sweet thoughts in my last post. I was blown away by it, and I feel SO much better after reading all of the comments, emails, and texts from y'all. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! This is why I love the blog world!**

A few weeks ago, I posted this love story on Megan's blog, but figured it needed to be documented here as well! And what better day to do this than today- the 4 year anniversary of when Doug and I met! 

Here's the scene: Spring Break. 2008. Destin, Florida.

I had just gotten out of a relationship, so I was ready for a boy-free week to clear my head and have fun with friends. However, God had other plans for me!

So there we were, enjoying our first day on the beach, when I see 2 cute guys walk onto the beach. (And I noticed that one had a particularly cute butt...yup, it's the first thing I noticed about him!) I thought to myself that we have to meet them. (I found out later that they had spotted us as well, and Doug had "called dibs on the blonde one" :)

I came up with a brilliant plan to ask them to watch our stuff while we went on a walk. When I went over to meet them, I found out that we were both attending UGA and we went to rival high schools 15 minutes apart! 

After our walk, the boys told us that they had kept our stuff safe from a group of robbers that came through. To this, I responded with "my hero!" and held my hands over my heart....I still can't believe I said that! SO cheesy!

And that's how I met my husband. We hung out all week- playing golf, dancing at a club, playing a mean game of wiffleball (where I crushed the ball and ended the game), sharing grapes and cookies on the beach, and ending the week with our first kiss on a pier. 

One year and 2 months later, Doug proposed to me on that same pier! 

11 Questions: Part 2

Laura's questions:

1. What are you wearing right. now. 

My Lulu yoga pants that I basically never take off and a new hoodie from Target. 

2. If you found $100 in your pocket what would you buy today?

I'd go to Target! I always end up with way more than I planned when I walk in that place!

3. If your parting gift from the Zoo was an animal of your choice, 

which one would you take home with you?

A spider monkey! 

Yes, please!

4. Would you rather have a perpetual scab on the tip of your nose or perpetual eye goop? 

(choose wisely)

This is seriously the hardest question I've answered so far! I think I may have to go with a nose scab. Eye goop reeeeally grosses me out.

5. What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?

Okay now this may be the hardest...there are so many! What have I not learned from my mom! I'm so lucky to have been raised by my mom....we are basically the same person now. One thing that comes to mind is that she is an excellent example of how to treat people. 

6. If you were given a free Super Bowl ad what would you advertise?

An animal rescue with lots of cute pictures of cats and dogs...then hopefully people would go out and adopt a new pet!

7. What is your favorite photograph?

Ahh this is so hard, too! How do I pick just one!? It has to be one from our engagement or wedding pictures, so I'll go with this one. 

8.  If you could change your name, what name would you choose?

I've always loved the name Brooke.

9. What is the most unusual gift you ever received? (or best, or worst)

One year for Christmas, Doug gave me wiper fluid...he thought that was hilarious. I was not as amused :)

10. What one clothing item or accessory do you wish you could pull off?

I'm not that daring with my wardrobe, so I'd probably say hats! 

11. If you had to decide which movie you would teleport into (because that is naturally how this would be possible), 

and live out for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?

This is a tough one, too! Would you think less of me if I said Sex and the City? haha I think Charlotte and I would be great friends :)

Katie's questions:
{1.} If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

Atlanta! I miss my family!

{2.} Why did you start your blog?

I loved reading other blogs, and I needed a hobby during my job search...so The Smitten Mintons was born!

{3.} Who's your favorite Disney Character?

Gus Gus....there is no one cuter.

{4.} What's your biggest pet peeve?

Rude people....I have zero tolerance for it!

{5.} How many pets do you have?

1 cat and 1 dog....although everyone who reads this blog knows about them all too well :)

{6.} What is your favorite feature about yourself?

I like my eyes! I've been blessed with really long eyelashes, I hope they stay this way!

{7.} Favorite color?

Pink! If you couldn't already tell by my subtle design :)

{8.} Would you rather go to the zoo or the aquarium?

Zoo, definitely. Although I LOVE penguins and otters.

{9.} Favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip, the green kind. 

{10.} Your roommate/spouse calls because your house is burning down. They have time to grab 2 things for you. What are they?
Well besides Maisy and Pep, I would say our wedding album and my computer. You can't replace pictures!

{11.} Favorite way to waste time?

Read blogs! :)

Sarah's questions:
1. What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

My engagement ring. I looooove it so much.

2. What was the best thing that happened to you in 2011?

Maisy joined our family! One of the best days of my life!

3. Who are your heroes in your life and why?

My mom! She's my best friend :) And she gives the best advice!

4. If money wasn't an issue, what would you do with your life?

I would try to save as many animals as possible! I'd open up a huge no-kill shelter and get those babies into good homes.

5. What is your favorite Disney Movie?

I don't know if I can pick just one! I really love The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King...all of the classics!

6. What is something you have done that you are really proud of?

I'm proud of the grades I made in high school and college! 

7. What is your best childhood memory?

I really loved our yearly beach trip to Hilton Head. Crabbing was my favorite part!

8. What is your favorite beauty product?

Mascara. These blonde eyelashes NEED it!

9. What made you start blogging?

(Answered above!)

10. What is your favorite place to visit?

Home! There's nothing like being with family.

11. What is the first scary movie you ever saw?

I despise scary movies and never watch them. But I watched Hannibal at a friend's house in 6th grade, and I had to sleep with my parents for weeks. See why I don't watch them? :)

Why do I always end these posts on an embarrassing note? I almost forgot, now I have to come up with questions and tag new people! 

My questions:

1. What's your favorite TV show?

2. Who would play you in a movie?

3. If you could pay someone to do one service for you for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. What's your favorite store to shop at?

5. What's your most embarrassing moment? (sorry! :)

6. If you could only have one gadget, what would it be? (iPhone, computer, etc.)

7. What's your dream job?

8. What's the best thing that happened to you in 2011?

9. Who was your first crush?

10. What's your guiltiest pleasure?

11. If you could date one Hollywood hunk, who would it be?

(You may have noticed that some of those were questions that I answered, but they were so good that I had to pass them on! :) 

TAG! You're it!

Amanda at New Adventures

Allison at Nestful of Love

Sherri Lynn at The Life of a Wife

Alex at The Saga of a Twenty-Something

Allison at Life and Times of Justin and Allison

Allison at Moments Like This

Ruth at This GRITS Tale

Amanda C. at Interpreted by Me

Miranda at Aimless Translation

Daniela at D, etc.

Kira at Rain or Shine

Carlie at Life...Full of Stories

These girls always leave the nicest comments...y'all should definitely check their blogs out! And while I was writing this, I was tagged for this by Joey! I think I'm all questioned-out, but y'all should go read her answers! Okay, this long post is over! Congratulations if you made it this far :)

11 Questions: Part 1

There is this little tag game going on in the blog world, and I was lucky enough to be tagged...by 5 wonderful blog friends! I've been trying to figure out how to answer all of these questions, and I think I'll break it up into 2 posts. Thanks to these lovely ladies for tagging me:
Brittany from Blogging Out Loud
Emma from Legally Lovely
Laura from Twirl
Katie from Katie Lately
Sarah from Simply Sarah

The rules are:
List 11 random facts about yourself. Answer the questions provided to you. Come up with different questions, then tag 11 people to do it, too.


So in Part 1, I'll list my random facts and answer 2 sets of questions. Then I'll be back later with the rest!


1. I am not comfortable unless I sit indian-style. In the car, at restaurants, everywhere...probably my weirdest quirk!


2. I hate grape-flavored anything. When I was younger, I told people I was allergic to it just so I'd never have to eat it!


3. I'm watching Alvin and the Chipmunks as I write this...by myself...and I'm not embarrassed by that at all. 


4. Coffee upsets my stomach, but I still drink it every day. I can't stop!


5. I played the piano when I was young and now wish I would have kept with it!


6. To this day, Gilmore Girls is still one of my all-time favorite shows.


7. I had 2 hamsters in college that I named Kitty and Puppy. (It was a sad ending...Puppy killed Kitty)


8. In high school, my best friends and I went dumpster-diving at Wendy's to collect 200 cups that we mailed in for free round-trip flights to New York! Thanks again, AirTran :)


9. In college, my goal was to become a wedding planner. I had an internship and made contacts, then I decided I didn't want to work complete opposite hours as Doug, so I dropped that plan. I still don't regret it! I like my weekends :)


10. I sleep in the Heisman pose. It's really weird but the only way I'm comfortable!

11. I had a really hard time thinking of these, so I asked Doug for help....first thing that came to his mind? That I make baby dinosaur noises. I have to say, it's spot. on.


Okay, now for Brittany's questions!
1. Which Disney princess is most like you?
I'd have to say Cinderella. I would love to be surrounded by singing animals! Plus, Gus Gus is the cutest thing ever.


2. What song do you have on repeat right now?
Taylor Swift's Enchanted

3. Who was your first crush?
John Champagne- my 'boyfriend' from 1st through 5th grade! We always went to the sock-hops together :)

4. Where do you see yourself in five years? Be honest.
Hopefully, with a baby in my arms!

5. Would you rather lose your vision or your hearing? Why?
Weird...I was just thinking about this the other day! Losing my vision terrifies me, so I'd definitely choose to keep that. Plus, I know sign language so it'd be a much easier transition.

6. What scares you the most?
Not being able to have kids. Or losing a family member. Eeek.

7. When was the last time you cried?
During the previews before we saw New Year's Eve. I cried in 4 out of 5. Doug made fun of me, but 2 of them were The Vow and War Horse!

8. What three physical attributes do you find most attractive in a guy?
Smile, eyes, and build (they can't be skinnier than me!) haha

9. If you had unlimited money, which store would you visit first?
TARGET! I think that's the only store I would visit, too!

10. What is your guiltiest pleasure?
My favorite TV shows- Pretty Little Liars probably being the favorite!

11. If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, which would you choose?
I've always wished I could sing. I would love to have a voice like Martina McBride!

12. If you could have any exotic animal as a pet, which would you choose?
Well, as I recently posted, I've always wanted a pig. But a spider monkey is a close 2nd!


Emma's questions:

1. Are you a Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda, or Carrie?

I've thought about this one before, too :) I would say mostly Charlotte with a little bit of Carrie!

2. If you could go on a date with ONE Hollywood hunk, who would it be?

This one is actually hard! My biggest celebrity crush is John Corbett (Aidan from SATC) but he is about 30 years older than me, so that would be weird. Let's just go with Bradley Cooper :)

3. A plane just landed in front of your house. Where are you going on an impromptu vacay?

Europe! I'm dying to go back!

4. If you were on The Bachelorette, what over-the-top date would you plan?

I prefer pretty simple dates (dinner and a movie is PERFECT!) but I think it would be amazing to go to a movie premiere! 

5. If you could switch bodies with one person for a day, who would it be?

Reese Witherspoon! I love her.

6. What is your favorite book?

I can't decide on just one! Anything by Nicholas Sparks, the Twilight series, Redeeming Love, The Help...I can't decide!

7. What is your absolute dream job?

A stay-at-home mom...that may be lame, but it's what I've always dreamt of!

8. What are three words that you would use to describe yourself at 8am?

Groggy, grumpy, and disheveled. 

9. You're lost in the Amazon for a day. Who do you want with you, and what one item do you have?

Bear Grylls and a huge picnic basket full of food...I get grumpy when I'm hungry :)

10. Would you rather hitch a ride on the space shuttle, or get a brand new car of your choosing?

New car! Although I'm pretty happy with my 8 year old X-terra! 

11. What is your idea of a perfect Friday night?

Pizza, a movie, snuggled up on the couch with Doug and Maisy. Lucky for me, we do this most Fridays :)

12. What is one embarrassing fact about yourself that you would normally never blog about, but now you have to?

You WOULD do this to me, Emma! Going along with Brittany's peeing her in pants theme, I'll share my own. In high school, I was jogging to LA Fitness with 2 friends along a busy road. One of my friends tripped over a cable, flew in the air, and face planted...and I was laughing SO hard that I wasn't able to completely control myself. I think admitting this on here is even more embarrassing than it was!

And I think I'll end this post on that note :) Hopefully, this post was so long that y'all didn't even make it to the end! I'll be back Monday with the rest of the questions!