I follow a number of lifestyle and cooking blogs (like here and here) and always love reading their posts about what they’re currently up to: things they’re feeling, stuff they’re working on, and even what music they’re listening to at the moment. (I also love the “what I’m doing now” tag on Instagram!) I’m taking a cue from them and giving you a slice of my life whenever I feel like it. the NFL schedule release, tonight at 8pm! We already know who is playing who, but we finally get to find out when they’re playing the games! My family and I are planning a trip to Dallas to see the Cowboys vs. Panthers game, so knowing the schedule will help better plan our trip out there! what to do during my lunch break. My mom gave me some pepperoni bread last night and I brought some in for work, but I know I’m going to need a little bit more to eat. I have to go get groceries and go to Five Below for some organizational things during lunch but I don’t know how much time I’ll end up having. some resume sourcing for work, although I could be focusing on that a little bit better… I have absolutely NO desire to work anymore. As a recruiter, I spend most of my day searching for candidates, calling them, interviewing them, and then doing the process all over again. I have countless tabs open of people’s LinkedIn profiles at the moment. water, water, […]

This is a feature created by Ginger at GReads! in which we write a letter to our YA self, give advice, and share some book recommendations. There’s also a giveaway at the bottom, too! Check out her introduction post here. Break up with your boyfriend. Seriously, do it right now. He’s going to break your heart within the first month of going away to college, you’re going to mope, you’re going to eat ice cream for dinner, and then you’re going to go more boy-crazy than you should. Take a breath and break up with him. I promise there’s a much better, nicer, and sweeter boy on the horizon. He actually remembers things you say, even the little insignificant things. He’s going to call you Lumby, make you laugh, and make you become addicted to Lego. (I promise it’s fun, don’t judge future Lauren.) I know you probably won’t do this because you think you love him and he’s the one, but the breakup and the heartbreak are inevitable no matter what. To get through your breakup, you need to reread some Sarah Dessen books. Don’t gasp at my suggestion – eventually you’ll enjoy rereading books; you may as well start now. You should also read a few summery books as soon as they come out. Jenny Han and Sarah Ockler will become auto-buy authors for you, so start right now! Don’t let anyone tell you what to read, by the way. Don’t be ashamed of the books you read because […]

The lovely Cass at The Casserole wrote about budgeting last month and her post was JUST what I needed to kick myself in the butt about spending. I have a problem where I spend too much money. On food. On books. On clothes. On random stuff I don’t need. Where does all my money gooo?! I hope that this month makes me more conscious about my spending, but I also plan to keep it realistic. I’m going to set some personal goals and rules for this month that may seem lenient; it’s just the only way I know this will work! Learn more about No Spend April here. I’m going to set some personal ground rules for No Spend April, because I know that I tend to spend way too much money on food and unnecessary stuff throughout the month. Chris and I are really bad about eating meals at home on the weekends, so I hope that can be improved upon here (even though 1-3 per week, in my rule, sounds like a lot! It’s a major improvement for us, I’m ashamed to say). Complete the budgeting worksheet within the first week of No Spend April, found here Only one work lunch out per week: the rest must be brought to the office from home Eat at home for dinner most nights, with the exception of 1-3 dinners out per week if needed (for birthdays or events that fall during the month) No coffee-buying unless the money is already on my […]

The Love-A-Thon is hosted by the wonderful Alexa at Alexa Loves Books! You can learn all about what we’re doing at the previous link, but basically it’s a two day event to spread love and kindness to the book blogging community! It seems like something everyone needs right about now. Mini Challenge: High Fives! This challenge is to share your top five that have been making you happy lately – a book, author, blogger, genre, and bookish site! Here are my latest favorites.  Book A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: This was the last book that really knocked my socks off. I was so impressed by the world-building, writing, and entire story. If you haven’t read an ARC of this yet, I highly suggest a preorder. You need this in your life ASAP! Genre YA Contemporary Romance: This is the best genre to read in February! I went crazy with Fantasy books in January, so I switched it up to some Contemporaries in February. Author Kasie West: I loved The Distance Between Us when I read it last year and finally read On the Fence this year. I also finished Pivot Point earlier this year and plan to get to Split Second as soon as possible. I love her writing and the fact that she can write both contemporaries and sci-fi/paranormal books with ease. Such a great author! Blogger Cristina from Girl in the Pages: I’ve loved getting to know Cristina over the past year. She’s a […]

The Love-A-Thon is hosted by the wonderful Alexa at Alexa Loves Books! You can learn all about what we’re doing at the previous link, but basically it’s a two day event to spread love and kindness to the book blogging community! It seems like something everyone needs right about now. Mini Challenge: Snapshots I actually just organized my shelves again, now that I added two more to the collection, so here are some shots of my books! Most of my older books from high school are still at my parent’s houses, so this really isn’t my full collection. There’s really no specific way that these are organized. On all three bookcases, the bottom shelves are mostly books I’ve already read. The vast majority of my books are still on my TBR. I really need to get going on some of these! Yikes.

The Love-A-Thon is hosted by the wonderful Alexa at Alexa Loves Books! You can learn all about what we’re doing at the previous link, but basically it’s a two day event to spread love and kindness to the book blogging community! It seems like something everyone needs right about now. Mini Challenge: Love and Friendship Quotes “What are you working on?” I ask. “The last page.” He gestures towards the table, where a pencilled sketch is being turned into inked brushstrokes. It’s a drawing of us, in this café, in this moment. I smile up at him “It’s beautiful. But what comes next?” “The best part.” And he pulls me back into his arms. “The happily ever after.” ― Stephanie Perkins, Isla and the Happily Ever After   “Point is, maybe some people wouldn’t want to be around me all day, but there are people out there who would. And they’re smart and funny. And they like some of the same things I like and hate some of the things I hate, but they also introduce me to all kinds of new things. That’s as close to ‘meant to be’ as I can imagine.” ― Lauren Morrill, Meant to Be   “No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain something greater…The love we have for each other is bigger than these small differences. And that’s the key. It’s like a big pie chart, and the […]

The Love-A-Thon is hosted by the wonderful Alexa at Alexa Loves Books! You can learn all about what we’re doing at the previous link, but basically it’s a two day event to spread love and kindness to the book blogging community! It seems like something everyone needs right about now. Mini Challenge: Book Boyfriend Valentines   Xander, you may just be my favorite book boyfriend. I don’t know what it is about you. The way you put up with Caymen’s sarcasm, while giving it right back to her, just made me smile nonstop. I wish my time with you never ended. “I love you,” I whisper. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.” “Don’t push me.” “I love you, too,” he says. He puts his cheek against mine. “So much.” ― Kasie West, The Distance Between Us Cricket, even though you were in my “least favorite” companion book of the three, you were my favorite boy. Maybe I’m a sucker for the boy next door trope, or maybe you’re just super adorable. You never gave up, you gave her the time she needed, and you won my heart at the same time. “So do you believe in second chances?” I bite my lip. “Second, third, fourth. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. If the person is right,” he adds. “If the person is… Lola?” This time, he holds my gaze. “Only if the other person is Cricket.” ― Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door St. Clair, you were a […]