5 On a Friday!

Since I have been on my bloggy hiatus, I wasn't sure if Five on Friday was still a thing! But I was so excited when I saw this post from Natasha that showed me it was still alive and well!

{ONE}

Has this felt like the longest week or two ever? Or is that just me??? I think I'm experiencing post wedding blues. For months, my life was planning this event and now I'm just kind of existing. Don't get me wrong, I have PLENTTTTTY I could be doing at work, but instead I'm here. You know those ruts we fall into sometimes. Basically I want to be spending my days soaking up the sunshine on patios with my husband instead of being trapped in my office. I need some weekend in my life!!!

{TWO}


I ordered myself a wand. No, not the Harry Potter kind (even though I do need one of those babies). A curling wand! I had one years ago and could never really get the hang of it, so I gave it away. I feel like I kept seeing all these bloggers and promotions on Instagram for NuMe products and they gave me an AMAZING deal so I took it. It came in last night so we'll see how well I can use it this weekend. Might be a good Mother's Day gift too for anybody in the market! (I got the Magic 25MM in pink!)

{THREE}

We are in the midst of house hunting. I say that with both excitement and exhaustion. The housing market is not great in the town we live in. I love looking at houses with potential, but I am just not the fixer upper type. I really want to build a house! But speaking of Fixer Upper, I'm currently obsessed with Chip & Joanna. Late the bandwagon, per usual. They are so funny, so cute, and so talented! What a power couple!

{FOUR}

So even though I'm an old married lady now, I'm still the same old me. Meaning I'm still obsessing over the Real Housewives of everywhere. I wasn't really sold on Potomac, but I am reallllllly loving Dallas! Plus Erika Jayne from Beverly Hills is my new favorite person.  She is absolutely a no nonsense person and doesn't make apologies for who she is. She was a GREAT addition to that cast.

And my RHONY girls are back. i gotta admit that I miss Heather though. And while we are talking about Bravo can I just plug Southern Charm? I swear that's probably one of my most favorite Bravo shows! I cannot get enough of it. OH THE DRAMA WITH KATHRYN & THOMAS!!!!! Something might be legit wrong with me that I am on this level with Bravo. My husband says that Andy Cohen rules my life. It's true, he does.

{FIVE}

I know I've said "my husband" 100x in this post. You'll have to forgive me. I'm kind of obsessed with him. We are newlyweds, you know! So in honor of getting married three weeks ago, here's another wedding picture for you! We are still waiting to get them all back, and of course I'm waiting on pins and needles. I'm sure my time wasting skills will be put to excellent use when those beauties come in. It really was the best day ever!

{Photo Creds to B.Loved Images}

Well there you go! That's my two cents on a Friday! Peace out homies. And always remember Go Vols!!!

5 on a Friday!

Hola senoritas! I'm just here today to give you a recap of what's been going on with me in the past couple of weeks. I have some really great posts (in my humble opinion haha) saved in my drafts folder, just haven't really had time to finish them out. So an update it is, in the form of my very favorite link up 5 on Friday of course.

 

 

{ONE}

I just got home from a week in Florida for a work conference. I'm human so of course I love the beach, but as a Southerner I get real sick of the humidity that comes with an East TN summer. I don't think I've ever visited the beach during November, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the weather we had in Sandestin. Absolutely gorgeous! I could easily be a snowbird in my future retirement life. It's never too early to dream about retirement, girls! I'll see you again in March, Sandestin, and I am counting down the days!

 

 

{TWO}



My new iPhone FINALLY came! It was the most perfect little welcome home gift last night on my front porch. She's a slender gold beauty too! A much needed upgrade from my 4s. I couldn't be happier with it!

 

{THREE}

Election day has come and gone and while I try not to get too political on here, I can say I am happy with the way one referendum played out. In my city & county, we will be getting wine in our grocery stores soon! I CAN'T WAIT! Does that mean I'm an alcoholic? No! That means I'm lazy and I like my convenience. I know we are probably behind the times down here, but you gotta remember this is the heart of the Bible belt.

 

{FOUR}

Everybody needs a good Friday Funny and this is one of my favs this week!

 

{FIVE}

Ordered these pretty thangs this week and I'm so excited to show them off!

Cross Training Couture

My girl Kim's boutique - Small Town Style

 

 Happy weekend loves!

 

5 on a Friday!

{ONE}

Well... it finally happened to me. One month after my 30th birthday, I found my first grey hair. You would think I was dying. I was literally in tears on my bathroom floor. Getting older is awful. I'm totally going to blame this on the darker hair that I'm rocking right now. I don't think I ever would have noticed if I was still rocking my blonde hair. Back to blonde I go the next time I get my hair done! Ignorance is bliss.

 

{TWO}

It's been an emotional week for me. (Thank you for all your amazing support yesterday, by the way!) Dealing with life, finding the grey hair, and then I watched the RHONJ finale. Talk about a tear jerker. Teresa has not always been my favorite NJ housewife. I've loved her and I've hated her at times. But I was genuinely tore up about her getting sentenced to 15 months in prison. What a sad reality for her family! OOOOOH also, did y'all hear that Bethenny is coming back to RHONY?? I can't wait for that! She is my sarcastic idol.

Remember the good old table flip days from Season 1? 

I love it when my housewives show their crazy.

{THREE}

Whatever you do just serve God well. In overcoming this season of clutter and the feelings it stirs within me, I have to remind myself that I am blessed to be a passionate person. Even though sometimes my passions take over and I feel pulled in a million different directions. I thrive when I am serving others and feeling productive. I just have to pray that the choices I make, I will be obedient and serve God well every step of the way. Amen to that! So thankful for these reminders that others sometimes feel this way too.

{FOUR}

Fall things are happening. I loooooooooove fall. Fall TV, football, weather, fall beer & iced PSLs, clothes, Hocus Pocus - I want it ALL. I'm a hot natured person so I love the crisp air in the mornings & evenings. I wish I could move somewhere that it's 70-50's year round. Perfection!



The bookcase in my office has a very Harry Potter-ish vibe right now with my witch hats, sorting hat style.
Target Dollar Bins FTW!

I did a craft class last week and we painted mason jars! So easy, fun and cute decorations! I'm Southern, we do everything with mason jars.

{FIVE}

Just a short week from tomorrow, I'll be heading to Florida for a week for a work conference. I can honestly say I'm so excited to get away from my real life. I cannot wait to unwind, disconnect and just have fun. OH, AND I'LL BE AT THE BEACH! There will be work happening, but I'll also have some free time. And when my life makes me feel like I want to run away from it, this timing could not be more perfect.



5 on a Friday!

{ONE}

I spent last weekend living it up in Charleston with Manda & Christa! a) What an awesome city! We had a blast! Plus, anytime brunches & mimosas are involved I'm happy. b) Isn't blogging so awesome to bring us together? Christa doesn't blog herself but she's been reading mine forever and we finally got to meet for the first time last Nov for our blogger Nashville trip. Manda and I have had several adventures together too! Gotta love the internet & internet besties! If you follow me on Instagram {@nikkib918}, then you probably got your fair share of pictures. But I have to say, one of my favorite parts was the FOOD!

Because shrimp & grits is the BEST, especially with hushpuppies, boiled peanuts and a beer! This is from Hyman's downtown, and I would HIGHLY recommend that place!

{TWO}

Have y'all seen/heard the buzz about this?? Yeah NBD Lil Jon is just a Vols fan now! #ThirdDownForWhat    All I have to say is, FLORIDA IS GOING DOWWWWN this year! I cannot even handle the excitement!! #VFL

 

{THREE}

iPhone 6 iPhone 6 iPhone 6! Let's all chant it together! I'm going to get mine this weekend and if I wasn't crunk enough already about Florida game weekend, then this is really pushing me over the edge. I'm still rockin' the sad little 4s from 2011. I am definitely due for an upgrade!

 

{FOUR}

October is breast cancer awareness month! My mama is a breast cancer survivor! I've already pro-actively had my first mammogram 2 years ago, at the advice of my doctor based on the age my mom was when she got sick. Also, my cousin who is a survivor - and is an amazingly strong woman and former Lady Vol basketball player- had this neat write up about her yesterday in our local paper.  So do yourself a favor, and feel yourself up this month to make sure you're good! And take advantage of the extra reason to wear pink!

 

 {FIVE}
And in case you needed some Amy Poehler wisdom to get you through your weekend - here you go.

 

Five on a Friday!

I'm pretty sure that the 5 on a Friday link-up isn't going on right now (hopefully just during the summer?), but I'm just going to pretend like it's still a thing. And since I'm clearly a part-time blogger now, Fridays are all I have to offer you. #sorrynotsorry Life, it has been a'happenin!

 

{ONE}

I have a boyfriend!!!!! A real, live, Facebook official and everything boyfriend. I know you're probably either experiencing a heart attack at this moment, or you have fallen out of your seat because I knocked your socks off. It's true. I'm not even sure I remember how to have a boyfriend, but here we are. It makes me want to pee my pants with excitement and terrifies me at the same time. He's a saint, y'all. And my absolute most favorite thing about him is his heart for Jesus. I had never looked for that in a boyfriend before, so I never realized how incredibly attractive it is.

 

"If you are a woman of God, don’t sell your spiritual birthright by marrying a guy who doesn’t deserve you. Your smartest decision in life is to wait for a man who is sold out to Jesus." - J. Lee Grady

 

{TWO}

Football is back. Praise the Lord! First home opener game was a big fat WIN, and just so happened to be sold out. There are few things in life that are sweeter than spending an evening with 102,000 of my closest friends and cheering on our boys. I had a blast!

Actual picture I took at the game - gorgeous skies that night!

{THREE}

If you can listen to this song, and not sing it all day then you're a better woman than I am. My co-workers are probably sick of hearing me sing "I'm bringing booty back" non stop.

{FOUR}
I started an online bible study with Love God Greatly about the book of Esther. Can I just be 100% real with you right now and tell you that it's only the first week and I have been blown away by what God is revealing to me? In just a few short days, my heart is lighter than it's been in weeks.

I've been struggling with a lot of emotions recently, and being in a new-ish relationship (while exciting) has definitely caused me some internal conflict. It's so easy to become complacent and too focused on the world's distractions around us. I am incredibly guilty of this, especially since I got home from my mission trip. While God is always pursuing me, I can easily push my pursuit of him to the side. When stress starts to weigh me down, I can all too easily fall back into the ways of claiming control over things as a coping mechanism. I revert back to old ways of dealing with my emotions - which is basically not dealing with them. Old, ugly scars were definitely starting to rear their little heads with my relationship issues. None of that is from God. This Esther study started at just the right time. It is truly amazing the ways that God will reveal himself to us, if we just make the time to seek him. I am constantly in awe when this happens to me. Yet it happens time and time again. This verse just captivated me.

"Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory..." -Pslam 115:1

I forget sometimes that I'm a changed person. My natural instinct is extreme independence. I used to pride myself on the strength that came from that. But I am reminded that I do not have to face any of these feelings alone. That instead, if I pour my heart out to God, He will renew me. I am reminded that through my weaknesses, God shows his healing power.  And that is the best feeling. Glory to God!

All that being said, just wanted to share this little nugget from Wednesday's lesson with you.

 

{FIVE}

If you read nothing else this week, read this. I love the idea of women holding each other accountable, advocating for each other, and just supporting each other - no matter what stages of life we are in. I would gladly do this with ANY of you over guac and margaritas - even if we have to do it virtually. It's important!

 

Happy Weekend, my loves! AND GO VOLS!

5 on a Friday!

Is 5 on a Friday still even a thing?? I'm just going to go for it and say yes because I like it and I haven't blogged all week. So booyah!

 

{ONE}

This post. (Beware, there's language and sex talk for those who are offended by such) I don't like body shaming I've been called fat before, and at one point in my life (definitely not now) I was told that I was working out too much and I was too skinny which made my neck look weird. I'm guilty of judging other people's bodies too. There's really no way to please everybody else. It's YOUR body, you have to live in it, take care of it and dress it. And it's YOUR job to feel comfortable with your body. I tend to rely on other people to make me feel good about myself and that's just crap. Praise from other people comes and goes. As someone who has struggled with body image, self love, gaining weight and uneven boobs - I loved the honesty of this post!

{TWO}

My jam. I'm so ready for The Voice and my weekly dates with Adam.

{THREE}

Fall = darker hair, right? I'm getting my hair done tomorrow and I am thinking about really changing it up. Like majorly getting rid of the blonde. I love the blonde, but it's been my look for several years now and it might be time to go back to the dark side.

I would really really like to try this...but it might be too much of a transition right now.

Source

For the record, I still love ombre. I don't even know if it's something that the cool girls do anymore, but I might single handedly bring it back.

Source

Source

{FOUR}

I need this for my birthday. Which is 27 days away, by the way. But honestly I'm not sure I'm excited this year. More like terrified.

 

 

{FIVE}

Let's end on some positives to take us into the weekend -

9 Days until UT Football is back in my life!!

 

34 Days until a fabulous girl's weekend in Charleston with my girls!!

 

51 Days until The Walking Dead new season!

 

 

5 on a Friday!

{ONE}

I just got home from a super fun work conference this week in Lexington. That's just a hop, skip and a jump from Knoxville so it's an easy drive and it's still very Southern. We stayed at the hotel beside the Griffin Gate mansion so we had a couple events there and it was just fantastic! I also had my first Keeneland experience with a tour, but I will most definitely be going back for the races in October. (In case you didn't follow along with me on IG, you can find me @nikkib918). I ate a little too much, but eh what can you do. Next time I will definitely be planning better to meet up with my girls - Katelyn, Brooke and Jill!

 

{TWO}

I am currently obsessed with Ed Sheeran. Obsessed is an understatement, there may not even be an appropriate word for how much I love this little ginger. His new cd comes out and Monday and yeah I have a countdown for it. He will also be in Nashville the week before my birthday this year and all I want is to go see him. *My current favorite song is Don't, off Multiply*

{THREE}
New Blogger Alert! So my friend Jennifer just recently made a huge move from Kentucky to Los Angeles. She's started a blog to tell her story and document all her exciting Cali adventures. Check out her first post here and keep checking back to see what happens with her. She's a single girl and hopefully she will tell us some funny dating stories about boys in the south vs. boys on the west coast. She's so sweet and I know y'all will love her! (Especially all my Louisville area people because she's a U of L grad!)

{FOUR}
I have been writing some posts!!! I have three coming up next week that I think you guys will enjoy - one about my "future boyfriend", one that goes into more detail about my upcoming mission trip to the Dominican Republic and my Firmoo review. STAY TUNED!

{FIVE}
I'm so sleepy today, but something about a Friday gives me the hope to push through.

Happy Weekend loves!

5 on a Friday

{ONE}

I'm finally going to the eye doctor next week! I say finally because I've been meaning to make this eye doctor appointment for about 10 years now. I'm still rocking my old glasses from when I was 19. Yeah....time for new ones. And I am in love all things with Warby Parker. I want these! We'll see what I can actually pull off though...

Seymour in Tennessee Whiskey



{TWO}

I'm mildly obsessed with Dierks Bentley right now. He is CUTE and somehow I never really recognized this. Anyone who goes on WWHL with Andy pretty much gets my seal of approval. Love his newest song - I Hold On too!

I hold on, to the things I believe in. My faith, your love, our freedom. To the things I can count on to keep me going strong.

{THREE}

5am Club happened twice this week. I dare say it might stick this time. Even though I still find myself completely wanting to make excuses and bail. I'm going back to Zumba on Saturday for the first time in months...so I might die.

 

{FOUR}



Love the perspective in this video - I can't wait to read Jefferson Bethke's book!
 

{FIVE}

This cute little fella stole my heart this week. I want to adopt him!

This little boo is looking forward to a calm weekend after a hectic week. It's going to be sunny & 69 on Sunday, and everybody knows a sunny Sunday is just good for the soul. HAPPY WEEKEND!!! XOXO