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Friday, August 30, 2013

FRIDAY!

Friday is such a beautiful thing! And today is Football Eve and Lord have mercy after watching that South Carolina game then Vandy vs. Ole Miss game last night THIS girl is ready for football time in TN! Game day is such a powerful thing and I am so thankful to have grown up with the UT traditions and to be an alumni. It just means something to us around here! You know you are an addict, when this picture gives you goosebumps. CHECK!
 
My Vols are a rockin' a new coach this year (AGAIN), but we have high hopes! This season might struggle a little, but the future looks bright again! Feels like we are ready to finally rebuild this program back up to where it should be.
You know us Southern girls take our football very seriously. My mom must have missed that memo because last night she actually said to me "does Peyton Manning still play for the Titans?" I about fell out on the floor! See why I'm a daddy's girl?
 
 
 One of my early birthday presents I've gotten was this cute little number from my step-mom. I love it and I've been lusting after these on Pinterest for forrrrrrever! Just in time for game day!
 

So here's to a fast Friday, a looooooong Saturday full of tailgating & football and a 3 day holiday weekend! Oh yeah and GO VOLS!!!
 
 
In honor of football finally making it's way back to Rocky Top I gotta throw it back to the song that we will sing at the top of our lungs 230924357345x tomorrow and love every single second of it!
 
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Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Work In Progress

This was originally my post for yesterday for Motivational Monday, but I had to get all that Miley and JT biz off my chest! So now it's Tuesday and here's your self help tip of the week. You're welcome.
 
Soul searching - it's a necessary evil. I call it evil because it can be hard and let's face it - the truth can flat out hurt.  You don't have to go deep (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID) to find out things about yourself. I love self help, if you haven't noticed. I believe we can always improve on our weaknesses and we are eternal works in progress.
 
So let's discuss a few of my weaknesses I need to work on:
I am promoter of raw honesty, transparency, good karma and never ending faith that things will work out. Which to me is a strength, but not everyone appreciates this quality - especially the raw honestly part.
Work on delivery.
 
I am a Virgo to my very core. I like to avoid feelings, but I will explode with them eventually. I am not an overshare-er with personal information, but I will blab for days about anything insignificant. I am often guarded and passive at first, but once I let you in I am fiercely loyal to you. But I have the good Virgo qualities too!
Let your guard down, trust your instincts about people.
 
 
I am stubborn, very stubborn & impatient.
Compromise, learn to work at a pace different than my own, value things that make a long wait worthwhile.
 
I can be witty at other people's expense.
Stop being an asshole.
 
I have grown a lot in the past year as an independent female and I can honestly say that I have focused on these (and other) categories. Except for the last one....that's a damn tough one! My sarcastic ass cannot stop cracking jokes. BUT I'LL WORK ON IT! Usually I just surround myself with people who can take a joke. Patience is a huge one for me that I can never seem to tackle correctly.
 
So tell me what are your tips for self reflection and more importantly tell me how to grow some patience and TELL ME NOW! Kidding...
 

Monday, August 26, 2013

Weekend Shenanigans

Sami's Shenanigans

Okay so I lied just a little...this really isn't about my weekend. It's about JT & NSYNC at the VMAs last night. I went slightly crazy on Twitter last night so I apologize (sort of) for blowing up your feeds. Like the rest of you, I haven't watched the VMAs in years. I couldn't tell you one One Direction song, I don't know who that Justin Beiber wannabe is, and Becky G, whoever the hell she is, was outta control with her accent and her "ain't no wifey" hat. Like every other mid 20's - 30 year old woman in America I was watching to see the hyped up NSYNC reunion. And Loooorrrrrrrrrrrd did they deliver!
 
First of all we just have to address the insane crazy weird sexual oddness that is Miley these days... and Robin Thicke...ugh I was so disappointed! Miley molested herself, Robin and 6 teddy bears last night - YIKES! Homegirl needs to remember her Hannah Montana days....let's get back to that! Poor Liam! And Robin looked like Beetlejuice - that's about all the positive things I can say about him from this performance.
 
I think we ALL can appreciate Will Smith's family's reaction -
 
Moving right along - I mean seriously though if you don't love JT are you even allowed to call yourself a female? I have always loved him. #1 He's from Memphis, if you're from TN you win with me always (EXCEPT YOU MILEY). NSYNC were my boys back in the day! I did like BSB too, but Justin was always my main dude. Just look at their sweet innocent faces...
 
My inner 12 year old was screaming so loud in my living room last night when THIS happened that I'm sure my neighbors thought I had been murdered. I couldn't contain it! JT killed it! If you ever get the chance to go see him live then GO! I've seen him once and will be seeing him again in Dec with Manda in Louisville (110 days but who's counting). He is amazing live, such a great performer! I love watching him dance!! Men who can dance are so sexy aren't they?

Alright it's Monday - Let's do the damn thing and have a good one - ya heard me?
 
 
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Friday, August 23, 2013

Friday Love

You know how some weeks breeze by and others just draaaaaaaaaag on? Well this week has been the drag on kind. Yesterday morning I woke up and thought it was Friday. If you know me, then this is no surprise. I rarely know what day of the week it is. However, yesterday I went on thinking it was Friday until about 9am. That's probably a new record. Today feels like working on a Saturday, which feels like no fun at all.
 
Last night I did girl's night and insisted on staying classy by drinking PBR... my ex-fiancé would be so proud of me... so today I have a terrible headache. But going out to see Joe Nichols with my girls and my boots on is well worth the headache. He was awesome!
Teach me how to Diffie??? #classylady #ducklips #pbr

Joe Nichols!

 
 
 
And in honor of Joe Nichols, here's his new song that I am in love with. Makes me daydream about this ridiculously handsome boy in my life and running away to the beach with him.
 
Sunny and 75 by Joe Nichols on Grooveshark

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Birthday Wishlist

Since the countdown is officially on (27 DAYS but who's counting) and I am trying to talk myself into birthday excitement mode, I made a wishlist!! If you follow me on Pinterest, most of my wishlist items go under my I Heart These board here. I would like every single item under this board, but since I'm not THAT spoiled I made a more reasonable list.

 
 

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Enjoying the Single Girl Life

Can I just go ahead and give myself a huge pat on the back for staying single for 3/4 of a year? For those of you who are new to the Pink Growl, you may not realize how big of an accomplishment this is. Before last November, I was engaged and in a relationship for 8 years. Before that, I was single for not even a year and before that in a very off/on, hot/heavy relationship for 2-3 years, before that I was 5 years old. I don’t regret any of that for one second, but I definitely needed some grown up single time to learn the ways of the world. Being single was extremely foreign to me. I always identified myself as a “relationship person”. I’ve hated it, I’ve loved it, I’ve worked it to my advantage and I’ve grown to just be happy with where I am. It was so important to me to navigate through this heartbreak on my own. I didn’t want to rush right into another relationship, carrying my baggage along with me for the ride.
 
Remember when I gave you this update on my dating stats back in March?  It's hilarious to look back and read considering things have changed a thousand times over since then. Today, I’m going to do you one better – teach you some lessons I’ve learned.
1. Being single can make you feel like a player -
I remember a specific week that I had 4 dates. Not gonna lie, at first I felt like a baller. But then after I felt a little slutty. It was a little confusing! I never thought myself to be a good casual dater, but casual dating is part of the game. There's decent ones who turn out to be awful kissers, fun dates who surprise you when they don't call back, perfect guys that you just don't have chemistry with no matter how hard you try to force it - I've run into it all. I learned there's no such thing as a bad date...just a chance to get drunk on someone else's dime. Kidding...sort of. Just go with it. It's all a learning opportunity.
 
2. Sure, there are lonely nights – that’s why God made wine and dogs-
After being stuck up someone's ass constantly for 8 years, I found that living alone was quite lonely at times. I wasn't used to it AT ALL. Two of my best friends lived in different states. Enter Tilly lovin' and wine! I'd call up my BFF (who was in Iowa at the time) and we would drink and talk for hours. It was such a comfort! THIS is why you don't ditch your girls when you get a new man, ladies! Girl code!
 
3. Know exactly what you want, and be open with boys-
Let's face it, boys have zero problem using you and losing you if you allow it. They go into it knowing what they want from you. I learned that being extremely up front with them is the best policy too. I'm pretty sure my tagline became "I don't do feelings or dates, I just want to have a good time". I didn't want any sort of emotional connection, nothing resembling a date at all. If a guy wanted to hang out with me, I was definitely calling the shots. Eliminated confusion!
 
4. Have at least one boy in your life who is a constant. I had two-
That sounds bad...but it's true! Remember my Boy Toy you heard about who took me to see Luke Bryan? He was a lifesaver! He popped up 3 weeks after my breakup. He and I were friends before and he went through a similar situation. We were exactly on the same page with what we wanted; I think that boy hated feelings more than I did. He became one of my fav drinking buddies! We have tons of mutual friends and we still talk, but neither of us wanted anything to come out of it. We just needed someone to get through a tough time with. It was very non emotional, no feelings, we just had a blast together. THEN there was an ex-boyfriend from waaaaay back who I had always remained friends with. He calls me "the one that got away" when he's drunk. Throughout history we have never been able to get on the same page with our feelings, but he has been an emotional outlet for me. I will never forget the day after my supposed wedding day, I had a massive breakdown on the floor sobbing my eyes out in a Wal-Mart. Like couldn't breathe ugly crying. He came to my rescue and let me cry in his truck for hours, and just promised me better days. When I get sad to this day, he's there. And I'm there for him. When my high school boyfriends hurt my feelings, he was there. When his wife left him, I was there. We will always be friends.
 
5. Marriage does not equal happiness-
I could spend 500 posts detailing all the lessons I've learned about married people - from the outside looking in, of course. But I'll just sum it up by saying marriage does not equal happiness. All my life I thought getting married would be this amazing be all, end all. But that's not always the case. Plenty of people don't get married for the right reasons. I was always a bit of a marriage skeptic anyhow, but after surviving a broken engagement and seeing plenty of friends live through divorces, I think I'll be more careful with this heart of mine. Now that doesn't mean I don't believe in it, because I do. Wholeheartedly. But I'm okay with taking my time and doing it right.
 
6. Enjoy your freedom-
People kept telling me this - especially older, wiser, married people. And I just couldn't grasp it. It took me months to be able to enjoy the perks of being single. It's hard not to feel like the grass is greener, no matter which side of the fence you're on. Truth is, I won't be single forever. Probably not much longer. But while I do have this time to myself I might as well live it up. Go out on weeknights with my girlfriends. Thirsty Thursdays with my guy friends. Random roadtrips. Sleep completely sideways in my bed...I really love doing that. Make my alone time count. Life is full of curveballs - don't be afraid to ride them out and see where the journey leads you.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Motivational Monday

The countdown to my birthday is officially ON - 30 days! I still can't decide if that's something I want to be excited about this year or not. I have SUCH mixed feelings this year!! My birthday is usually a huge deal to me. September is my favorite month - we get football, fall and my birthday. This year just feels different, less exciting and scary. Hopefully the closer it gets, the more excited I will get. Birthdays were made to be celebrated, right??
 
Since my weekend was pretty uneventful, I wanted to share a couple motivational things this morning. First, I have slowly become obsessed with Alex and Ani. I want one of their bracelets sooooo bad! I might have to treat myself for a little birthday gift. If you follow them on Facebook or Instagram, they are always posting motivational quotes. This one last week was spot on for me. So simple, yet so true.
 
One of my good friends, who also happens to be my pastor's wife, shared this week me last week. Last night I listened to it again, and wanted to share it with you guys. Have you ever heard of Andy Stanley? He's a pastor at a church in Atlanta. For some reason I can't get the video the embed here, but if you are SINGLE and find yourself wondering what God has in store for your love life LISTEN TO THIS! http://yourmove.is/watch/the-new-rules-for-love-sex-and-dating/ It's a 4 part series, and I am so intrigued by the way he breaks things down. I know that I often find myself thinking about what's next for me, and falling victim to the  "right person will fix everything" way of thinking. 
 
Happy Monday loves!
 
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Friday, August 16, 2013

Girl Crushes

I am not ashamed to admit when I have a girl crush! I appreciate a smokin' hot female, as well as one who is funny and talented. My favorite is a girl after my own sassy mouthed heart! I'm sure I will feel like a total lesbian at the end of this post...
 
Hayden Panettiere
I am OBSESSED with Nashville! That show is amazing and I am counting down the days until it's back. I have always liked Hayden and thought she was cute - remember her Remember the Titans days?? I love me a girl who loves football! But since being on Nashville, I am flat out in love with her. There, I said it. She's stunning AND she can SING! I need to download this soundtrack asap!
 
Jana Kramer
Love her voice, love her cute face and this girl can ROCK a pair of leather pants! When she came to Knoxville a couple months ago with Darius Rucker, I was impressed! Plus, she won me over with her "Whiskey" song. I feel like she's a badass Miranda in training.
 
Blake Lively
Could she be more perfect? I was never a big Gossip Girl fan, but I did watch her a few times. After I saw her in The Town & Savages, I was done for! She is so fashionable too and always looks fabulous!
 
Olivia Wilde
I have crushed on her since waaaay back in the OC days! I love a lady with a quick wit and she is hilarious, not to mention gorgeous! AND she's with Jason Sudeikis... can I just BE HER ALREADY?!?!!
 
Jennifer Lawrence AKA JLaw
I barely even knew who she was before Katniss! She's my new fav sass mouth girl! Have y'all seen her in The Silver Linings Playbook?? Loved her flawed character. I cannot wait for Catching Fire!
 
 Speaking of Nashville...I can't get enough of these sweet girls Lennon Stella & Maisy with the Ho Hey cover from the show. Too cute!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Mr. Luke Bryan - This is Our Plea

From my sweet love Hallie's blog:  

Dearest Mr. Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan; This is my creative plea. I have written you a letter using all the titles from every song on your albums (including your newest/best release "crash my party"), I ask that you give me, and my Bloggy BFF Nikki the chance to attend your Tampa Bay Show on October 25, 2013.

I apologize for having to take your time, I don't want to be a buzzkill, I know you are probably drinking beer and wastin' bullets, or playing around with your tackle box trying to catch some fish on Mukalee Creek Water because well, that is what a country man does!

but I am Hallie...


I am writing you today because every time I see you do this...
via
 You make me want to hop over the river, through the woods, and to your nearest concert.
Which leads me to my point....I am dying to make it to your sold out Tampa (suntan city) show in October, but I CANNOT find tickets...ANYWHERE. So as I sit and sulk in my tailgate blues I thought to myself why not ask Mr. Luke Bryan himself. The man who's songs got me through my "harvest" times, who's songs do nothing but make me want to drink a beer, shake the sand, and just have a crazy, wild weekend. 
 Do I sound a bit crazy? I am sorry,  I am just a Country Girl, who prays about everything and who knows what country is, And you Mr. Luke Bryan are country! (I already said that , but I did it again.)

I am DYING to  attend your concert because  I know you are going to be there. I don't want to crash your party (even though you said I could) I just want to drink a beer, listen to first love song, and act too damn young.

It is a for Shore Thing that you sir, are my favorite cold beer drinker, but there is one other girl who is drunk on you, almost as much as I am. & that is my Blood Brother Sister from Tennessee, Ms. Nikki

Now I know at this point you probably want to shut it down, but please don't say "goodbye girl" to us quite yet. See Nikki & I met one day while I was chuggin' along reading blogs. It was there that fell in love with a girl, and we became instant best friends. We grew up in small towns, we rode in trucks, and maybe I can tell you more a little bit later on. My point is, we have yet to meet in real life. We have always shared a love for you Mr. Bryan, and even though we do get quite jealous when someone else calling you baby, We have learned to share.

We both eagerly purchased your Crash My Party CD yesterday, and I cannot wait to play it again. I love the song Roller Coaster, it totally reminds me of my love in a college town, and the nights all my friends say they had to take my drunk ass home too many times, but hey, that's my kinda night. I know you have been there done that!

Now  I know this letter is a bit ridiculous, but how else could we stand out? We have tweeted you a thousand times but we just get faded away by the thousand other crazy sorority girls (like us) who want to win your heart.

  
If we don't get to see you live, together, we mind as well just kiss tomorrow goodbye as all our Luke Bryan dreams will be sadly shattered! I think if you help us see your show, that Nikki, You, and I, together, we run this town!
 I see you think rain is a good thing, perfect. Because Rain or Shine Ms. Nikki and I will be front row at your show, and if you ain't here to party? Don't worry, your first beer will be on us, and you better not pull the "just a sip" move, because you have to shotgun the whole thing. We DON'T want this night to end!

If you can't grant us this wish, we understand. Our hearts may be broken like a spring-break up, but I'll stay me, and Nikki will stay her, and by that we mean we will always love you. Even when we grow up,  retire our dirt road diary, have baby's on the way, get all old and grey and greet our guests with a sign that says "Welcome to the Farm". You, Mr. Bryan will still be our one true love.
I know some may think we may be dreaming too big, but we tell them all "You don't know jack!",  "Ya'll can have this town, We just want me some Luke Bryan tickets."  

Dear Bloggy friends; Please help us get this message to Mr. Luke Bryan! Tag @lukebryanonline and hashtag #dearmrbryan plea to him to read our post!
 Crazy things happen when they trend on twitter! :)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Random Wednesday

HUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMP DAY is such a bright spot in the week!! My work week is flying by. After being off on Friday for my STL trip, Monday was a whirlwind and yesterday I spent the first half of the day filming commercials for work, then basically listened to this magicalness the rest of the day. I'm in love with it already...but did we really think I would hate it??? Let's be real.
 


I just want to touch on a few random things today, since it is random Wednesday after all! First and foremost, let's discuss Carrie Underwood...specifically her legs. I am obsessed with her gorgeousness already and that voice? Heavenly! But those legs? OMGGGG The things I would do to get those legs! I am cursed with the body from my dad's side of the family - short and squatty. My legs have always been my trouble area and I hate them. I wonder how much I would have to run to make these legs happen??
 
 
My baby brother is coming to crash at my place for a couple weeks until he gets an apartment...long story involving lots of family drama...but I am excited! A) because I love him but mainly because B) I have LOTS of little projects I want done around the house and I need a handy man so I'm putting him to work! It's been about 9 years since we lived together so it could get interesting...
 
 
17 Days until Football Season BABY!!!! I changed my cover photo on Facebook to this yesterday and I got so crunk just seeing it. I can't wait to be back in Neyland.
 
 
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Monday, August 12, 2013

Weekend Shenanigans - Down Down Baby Yo Street in a Range Rover

Sami's Shenanigans

Paint me pink and call me exhausted because that's exactly what I am today! I really hate it when you have a pretty much perfect weekend and it has to come to an end. Then you have to face Monday again, ugh!!!!
 
If you follow me {nikkib918}, Kim or Cassie on Instagram then you should know by now that we had ourselves quite a good time this weekend. St. Louis was SO MUCH FUN!! These are my girls, I feel so close to them and I miss them already! I wish they lived just a little bit closer so we could meet up more often! The only disappointment was that I did not manage to track down Nelly in person....I mean when in STL, right??? However, everytime we were in a bar and one of his songs came on I went nuts.
 
Here are some pics of our shenanigans -
Starting the trip off right with a beer from Tootsie's in the Nashville airport!
Reunited at last with my Yankee girl!! We had a complete lovefest in the airport when she picked me up!
Friday night we went downtown STL to an amazing bar called PaddyO's right beside Busch Stadium. This bar was HUGE and so much fun. Not to mention there were soooo many cute boys!
Round 2 on Saturday night!
This is one of my favs! I seriously love these two!
Even in the Midwest, we go out with our boots on!
Mandatory STL arch picture

My girls were great hostesses! We did a little downtown action Friday night, then Saturday we hit up more local AKA affordable bars. We ended Saturday night with lots of dancing and backroading...it was perfect!
 
And now to tackle my work emails from Friday....
did I already say ugh???
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