Day Twenty-Five: iPod Shuffle

Lets do the shuffle...ok, don't judge my song selection. I like all music, and it can go from country twang to ghettolicious in one click of the next button.

1. Back to December - Taylor Swift (you have to start somewhere, and this is my jam right now)
2. Time - Chantal Kreviazuk (if you don't know this song, it's on How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days)
3. Sleep Through the Static - Jack Johnson 
4. You - Candlebox
5. Save You - Kelly Clarkson
6. Just What I Needed - The Cars
7. Funny the Way It Is - Dave Matthews Band
8. All I Care About - Chicago Soundtrack (what..I love showtunes)
9. That Summer - Garth Brooks
10. You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi

Can I just go ahead and say that this was disappointing. I much rather put my top ten songs playing on my pod at the moment.

Top Ten Pod Plays:
1. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
2. Fix You - Coldplay
3. Don't Rain on My Parade - Glee Soundtrack
4. She Says - Howie Day
5. This Town - OAR
6. The Suffering - Coheed and Cambria
7. Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
8. The Hat - Ingrid Michaelson
9. Beautiful - 10 Years
10. Faithfully - Glee Soundtrack


Much better.

xoxo,
 

What Whit's Reading

I've finally finished it!
I've finally finished the encyclopedia! (not really but it's about the same weight, let me tell ya)

I read it's prequel, Pillars of the Earth, a couple of years ago, and when I saw this one out trugging, I knew I had to buy it. But as some of you already know, it stood collecting dust on my shelves due to my lack of time to read it. 

Seriously, I loved every second of the book. Ken Follett has a way of taking 4 completely different and seemingly random characters and weaving their lives together to span for the next 50 years with ease. And always to please the reader with what I call karma justice, it had me flipping page after page during my lunch breaks for the past two weeks. 


If you love anything about history or historical fiction, definitely purchase this book. You don't even have to have read Pillars of the Earth to read this one, but I would certainly recommend it as well.


xoxo,
 

Day Twenty-Four: Something You've Learned

I could tell you all the things I've learned in my 24 years of life.
I could go on and on about life lessons and blah, blah, blah.
But really all I want to tell you is something I learned on Oprah the other day.
It came from a nun when asked what she says to someone who may not believe in the Lord.

She simply stated something along these lines...If you do not believe in something greater than yourself, you will never be able to be anything greater than yourself.

I love that.

xoxo,
 

Day Twenty-Three: Favorite Vacation

I've never backpacked through Europe.
Or even gone out of the country.
I've never ventured to New York City (yet).
Or really been anywhere up the northeast coast.
But I have been on some pretty rad vacations.
My favorite being in Nashville during Thanksgiving with my family. 
We stayed at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel, and rarely once did we actually leave. I mean, why would we? Everything we needed or possible want was IN THE BUILDING. Sigh...

 

My dad, the avid garden enthusiast, asked around to find out more about the lights decorating the property. From what he could figure out they employee a team just to put up the lights every year which can take several months to finish. It was beautiful to look at to say the least. 

This is the part of the hotel I stayed in called the Cascades. Although the weather was chilly outside, I could trug around these parts all day and never worry about wearing a jacket. 


I wish I could share some of the actual pictures I took from that year...unfortunately all those photos were lost with my stupid camera (tip - never click on reformat on your camera). At least I have the memories.



xoxo,
 

Ramblings and Day Twenty-Two: Favorite City

Today I am off of work which means it's past noon and I'm still in my pajamas with no make up on and hair bigger than a lions. 
I. Love. It.

Normally, I hate when I'm in a deep sleep when my phone wakes me up, but when I got this text from my bff, Jenna, I couldn't have been happier. 
"Hey! Do you still want to go to the game with me tonight at 7?"
Will I ever turn down a Memphis Tigers game?? The answer would be NO.


Now, onto my favorite city - Nashville.

I became in love with this city when I was younger and my dad made a tradition of spending every Thanksgiving staying in the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. 
I love the atmosphere. I love the downtown area. I especially love Centennial Park. 
It's definitely a place Cory and I would want to live one day. 


xoxo,
 

Day Twenty-One: Picture of Yourself

Hello frannnnds. Just the typical Monday ramblings from me today. I just got back from the gym and watching Dancing With the Stars...like I said, typical. (Which by the way, I am sooooo TEAM KYLE!!!)

Anywho, here's the last picture of me tagged on facebook. I figured it would be just as good as any other. 

This was taken a couple of weeks ago for a friend's birthday. At the time I was enjoying a beer with great company. I wish all nights could be as simple as that. 


xoxo,
 

Day Twenty: Nicknames

FINALLY! I was wondering if this whole 30 day experiment would get out of it's funk for depressing topics. Now on to the happy stuff again.

Nicknames. I have quite a few of them. Maybe I should give them to you in chronological order. 

1. Boo Boo - given to me by my dear, sweet sister. Long store short, I was a surprise to both of my parents...oh well, what the heck, my entire family didn't see me coming. Michelle will still call me that to this day. Even my youngest niece who resembles me has now been deemed this nickname.
2. Whitzy - pet name given to me by my dad and I'm thinking that no matter what age, I will always be called this by him
3. Legs - Now, don't get read this wrong. That one was given to me while playing varsity soccer in high school. I was tall. I ran a lot for midfield. I was named Legs. Done and done.
4. Babydoll - only when Cory is feeling extra special does he bust this gem out
5. Whit - probably the most predictable one of them all, but I'm rarely called Whitney anymore

xoxo,
 

Day Nineteen: Something You Miss

Cheesy as it may sound, I miss my boyfriend Cory right now. 

As as couple of people who both work on schedules that are never routine, it's hard to go for days without seeing each other. Last week alone I went a whole 7 days without seeing him at all. And yeah, that's not a loooong time and it's really not thatttttttt big of a deal. But dang, when Cory's job has him working FORTY FOUR hours at one time, even when he is off he practically passes out from sheer exhaustion. 


So maybe that's what I miss. The carefree days of having endless time together. 


Now we are just lucky to have a date..even if it was like  last Friday when we went to a movie at 12: 00 am. :)


xoxo,
 

Product Curiousity: Tape Hair Extensions

Y'all, I think I've found my answer to my mid length hair woes....tape hair extensions.
Have any of you heard of these? I hear they are the new hair rave.

Tape hair extensions are panels of hair with a piece of clear tape along the seam. You attached two separate pieces of an extension to a thin line of your own hair creating a sandwich effect. When layered on it can add length and thickness. 



Here's some pro's I've gathered together:
- no use of salon to attach extensions
- relatively inexpensive
- lasts from 1-3 months
- unnoticeable from the typical look of extensions
- can style like your normal hair

The only con I could find would be that they do not last that long, they are not recommended for super thick hair, and they could bring damage to the original hair, but in reality that's the price you pay when you use any extensions. When I had mine taken out, I was shedding for days and had ubber thin hair for all the shedding.


What to y'all think? Worth the fuss or forget it??
 

Product Love: Origins Out of Trouble Mask

One of my great coworkers knows I love masks, and picked me up this as a sample from her part time job at Origins. This 10 minute mask boasts it will clear problem skin by soaking up oil and removing dead cells and debris. The first thing I noticed was it's peppermint like smell and the tingling sensation it left on my skin. I left the mask on for about 20 minutes (even though I'm sure it didn't matter if I left it on longer, I just lost track of time), and when I used a steamed towel to wipe it off, my skin was shine free and smooth. At the end of the night, I even felt that my moisturizer was going on smoother and soaking in quicker. I will for sure be purchasing this!

xoxo,
 

Day Eighteen: Something You Regret

When I first read this, Carla was the first thing that came to mind.
Carla and I met in the third grade and we were glued to each other ever since.
She was the one I shared all my secrets with, would write notes to each other all the time in between classes, and was a genuinely kind young woman.
When we first started high school, she was in my home room class, which was awesome because if I couldn't have her in any of my classes we could at least share that one. 
It was only a couple of months before I met S, the guy who became my first real boyfriend. 
Before I knew it, I was spending all my time with him, pass notes to him all the time, and soon would forget plans made with Carla. 


Now this is not one of my finest moments to admit this. It would take me years to realize what a dummy I was dating, and yet every time he would break up with me, I would keep coming back like a lost puppy.


It was now the close of my sophomore year, and I was currently "off" on my on again/off again relationship with S. As always, I had to attend my home room class to receive my report card, projects back, etc. and that's when I started chatting with Carla. 
The conversation was tense, almost casual in a sense that we haven't spoken in a year and a half. I asked her if she was doing anything special over the summer, and I made an attempt to make plans with her. I saw high hopes in regaining my friendship with Carla that day. I still can even recall the outfit she was wearing, and the grades we had in our report cards.


That would be the last day I ever spoke to Carla.


It was probably two weeks later when S started calling again, giving me his "I want to make it work" speech, and hook, line and sinker, I fell for it again. Visions of hanging out with Carla evaporated, and never crossed my mind.

It was August 3 when I received a call telling me Carla had lost control of her car and struck a tree. I literally dropped to my knees in the middle of the street when I was told the news. I never had the opportunity to tell her I was sorry for putting her out of my life. I never had the opportunity to tell her how much she meant to me. I never had the opportunity to spend the time I promised her that afternoon in home room class. 

It was by this experience that I learned never to live life as something you can always plan. To love everyone you care about, to give great hugs, and with that, you should have no regrets. 



 

Day Seventeen: Something You Are Looking Forward To

Do I completely suck if this is it?


1. Going on a date with Cory (I literally went 7 whole days without seeing him last week. Stupid work schedules.)
2. Christmas (gift giving, cozy food, and the decor!! Ahhh 49 days!)
3. UPS delivering my new winter boots (that I needed like yesterday)
4. Memphis basketball games (Biggest. Fan. Ever.)


xoxo,
 

Day Sixteen: Dream House

I love southern homes. 

And I absolutely adore the style of this home located in South Carolina. It's probably the closest thing I could show you when I envision my dream home.
I don't have many specifications for it. It would hold wrap around porches, surrounded in fruit trees with fresh, bright rooms, and most importantly be filled with love.

xoxo,
 

Day Fifteen: Bible Verse

I love many different Bible verses, but sometimes when I've had a rough one too many and I think it could all come crashing down with stress I remember this one:

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

-Psalm 37:4

Ultimately it makes me realize this day couldn't be all that bad, and that certainly God did not give me anything in my life that He thought I couldn't handle.

xoxo,
 

Day Fourteen: A Picture You Love

I love this picture. 
I was 21 when I flew my first plane.
At first I was terrified in that tiny thing.
But after a moment of hesitation, I ended up loving it  :)

xoxo,