What I Love about Home...

1) I love that within seconds of walking into my parents house I have a mimosa in hand.  (Or a glass of vino, if its later in the day)

(excuse the Christmas wine glass, there are a BUNCH of people in my fam, champagne glasses are hard to come by)

2) I also love the random Sunday afternoon outings.  This Sunday, it was to the flea market.  For serious.  This really happened.  I'm not sure where to start on all the trashy, redneck fun you come across at the Corbin Flea Market.  There was the random stand that sold the Victoria's Secret lotion and body spray that were at least 10 years old.  You could probably have gotten drunk off of that body spray.  There were knife stands, a bible verse purse stand (for realz), the pet stands, which sell everything from kittens and puppies to snakes and sugar gliders.  (These made me really sad.  The puppies look like puppy mill babies.  Goopy eyes, dirty cages, sad.  I fell in love with a little yorkie baby that I'm pretty sure needed me.  I'm still worried about who she went home with that day.)  We also came across these...

Your guess is as good as mine???  Must be of some sort of use to smokers, but I just don't get it.

After the flea market we went to the Dollar Store.  This was another trailer trash fun-filled event, as always.  However, you can find some good bargains there.  I came across these little gems, which of course came home with me!  Poofing combs!  And only a dollar!

3) I also love that at any given moment you can look outside and see this.

 haha.  My Dad and brother-n-law riding around our property. 


4)  I love the walk I took with my Mom and Dad down the driveway looking at the stars.  Our driveway is really long, and I forgot how dark it gets in the country.  So dark that it takes your eyes a while to adjust and you can't even see your feet in front of you.  But because it is so dark, you can see so many stars in the sky.  It was so pretty looking up at them through the trees and seeing all the fireflies that made the trees look like they had glitter in them.  A nice calm moment with just my Mom and Dad.  (These moments are few and far between these days.  With five grandkids and a constantly growing family, moments of calm and quiet are a rarity.

5) Most of all, I loved Olivia's birthday party.  She is so stinkin cute.  I can't believe she is getting so big.  She is my "tiny one" and now she is four!  She was so excited when she woke up from her nap and saw the party we had set up for her and all the kids. 

She is so genuinely excited and grateful when she opens all of her presents.  She also (with no prompting) threw her arms around my mom and said "Thank you for my strawberry cake!  You are the best Ahh-ya ever!"  (Ahh-ya = how she says YaYa)

 And I love that my sister got to be with us for the whole party even though she was flying and was actually in a hotel room in Boston.  Thank God for Skype!

And I love that when we get home from YaYa and Pappyjack's Bentley is so worn out he sleeps the entire next day...

In other weekend news....This happened

I promise I am not a basketball groupie, or jersey chaser or any of those things. (I prefer to meet my ballers outside of bars and let them grab me inappropriately.  I kidz! I kidz!)  Long story how I ended up here Saturday, but I did.  Don't judge me.

Just a Dash!

So as you all know Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphreys are now engaged.  Here are my thoughts on this subject...

1.  Umm.....Loving It!!  I think they are so cute.  He is hot, she is beautiful.  I love (okay, I admit it, have a slight obsession with) this family!  And I think she has been through through a lot of bad luck in the love department, so I'm glad that she is happy and he honestly seems like a great guy.

2.   Can you say 20.5 carats???  Enough said.

3.  Can you say TWO MILLION DOLLARS??  Nuff said.  I'm gonna need to see this bad boy.

4.  The story of the proposal was really sweet.  It is refreshing to know that celebrities (and professional athletes) can still plan such a sweet, and normal proposal.

5.  This is not really about Kim....but...I love Khloe and Lamar.  He honestly seems like a good guy and he stands up for his wife to his friends which I think says a lot about him.  I will be very disappointed if they were to ever split up.   I hope Kim and Kris are just a sweet together and more importantly I can't wait for the premier of 'Kim and Kris'!  (Cuz you know it will happen)  Ahh!

I really wish I though Rob was cute because I would love to marry into this family! 

Thats all!  Toodles!

Savvy Trip

Sorry I have been MIA for a bit!  I took a little mini vacay with some girlfriends this weekend.  We went to Savvanah (which will be referred to as "Savvy" from now on) to visit some of our Kentucky friends that moved there.  A good time was had by all.  Maybe a little too good of a time?? Maybe?

We left Lex on Friday afternoon so we didn't get to Savvy until late Friday night.  We were exhausted so we went straight to bed.  We had a big day ahead of us and needed lots of rest to prepare.  We got up early Sat morning and got our bathing suits, sunscreen and cocktails ready and headed to the marina.  We took a short boat ride over to Wassaw Island and partied on the beach the rest of the day.  After a few bottles of skinny girl margaritas, a bottle of sweet tea vodka and a few bud light limes we decided to head back to land while we were still alive.  At this point we had shotgunned bud light lime and I had drunk dialed my brother.  It was clearly time to go.  As Miranda put it, "neither of those are decisions you make sober."

We showered and headed straight to downtown Savvy, ate some din din and made our way to the nearest bar.  Needless to say, us old folk seemed to think we were on spring break or something.  This wild and crazy spring break only lasted one day tho, thank God (and three days later, I am still recovering....I'm old).  Sunday was a lazy day.  Went to brunch downtown and spent the rest of the day at the pool.

We woke up super early Monday to make the trip back.  Road trips with your girls are pretty good times.  And this is saying a lot for me.  I come from a long line of flyers!  My friends still laugh about my mom saying, "Whitney, people don't drive to Nashville."   (I was being sent there for work and my mom was appalled by the fact that they were expecting me to drive there)  But it was fun just being in the car with my girlfriends, listening to good music and talking. 

Now, I am back in Lex.  Back to work and looking for a job.  I need another trip to look forward to soon!!

I didn't do a very good job of taking pics this weekend, so these are the few I have....

On the dock where we watched the dolphins play...

at the bar after a long day of drinky drinky, clearly

with Bobo on the beach

at the marina where they keep their boat

Wassaw Island with all the boats

Warning:

There is a lot on my mind today.
Most of all life in general...yep its gonna be one of "those" post...

As much as I probably deserve to gloat about this one...I just can't bring myself to do it.  When someone does you wrong, the first thing you think is how it will come back to bite them in the a**.  And yes, it usually does.  It may be months or years later and sometimes you may not even know when it happens.  But it happens. 

Well, you all know my background story by now.  If not, you can find it here and here.  But the Reader's Digest version goes something like this....boyfriend of three plus years turns out to be cheating loser who (very quickly) ends ups with new girlfriend who happens to be a member of the gym we both work at and have to see everyday.  Well, ladies and gentlemen... let the a** biting begin.  Last week I found out that not only had ex-boyfriend and new girlfriend broken up, but new girlfriend already has a new boyfriend.  This would be Karma enough right?  Wrong.  New girlfriend's new boyfriend just happens to be someone else that is involved in the gym.  And by involved I mean managing partner and coach.  And word around the watering hole is that he was the reason for her and ex-boyfriends break up.  No, I'm not kidding.  I'm one hundred percent for realz. 

I can't help but think of how crazy life is when things like this happen.  How strange is it, that the exact same thing he did to me, happened to him??  Seriously, the EXACT same.  Maybe even worse, actually.  Part of me (a very small part) even feels kind of sorry for him.  Just because clearly, I can empathize.  I know exactly what he is going through right now...Thinking you would rather die than have to come to work.  Feeling like everyone is choosing sides, and not choosing yours.  The embarrassment.  Betrayal by the very people that should be the ones standing up for you.  The constant feeling that you are being talked about every time you walk into a room....Trust me, I get it.  I wish I could say that he deserves it but honestly, I don't think anyone does. Now is it a little more clear how toxic my work environment is?

I work for a company that I've come to realize is bound and determined to operate like a middle school.  These are all problems commonly found in middle schools.  The problem with that is middle schools make it through these issues because they are government funded and regardless of how disfunctional the environment is the people (i.e. middleschoolers) and money will still be there.  Small businesses, with small membership and small finances don't have this same luxury.  I will be surprised if this place is still here in a year if we allow these types of events to continue.

I've been thinking a lot about life and people and why things happen the way they do lately.  I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason.  The hard part is finding the reason.

I'm not sure what leads people to act the way they do.  What was lacking in their upbringing?  In my opinion, there is no one scarier than the person who thinks their own happiness is more important than anyone else's.  They say that you can't help who you fall in love with.  Well, I disagree.  I believe that grown-ups can and should have complete control over this.  Falling in love with someone is not where the problem starts.  You have to know someone (and know them well) in order to fall in love with them. The problem starts when you allow yourself to be put in a position to get to know them well enough to fall in love with them.  Why even go on the first date if you know what the consequences will be? 

Life is a funny thing.  It has a way of really sneaking up on you.  Just when you think you are living your life and everything is going fine you get thrown a huge curve ball.  Very quickly yesterdays huge, life changing events become non-issues and pale in comparison to todays new huge, life changing events.  You think that you have every reason to feel sorry for yourself one day only to wake up the next morning and hear about a friend that is going through a devastating loss in their family.  And in an instant you can go from listing all the reasons why your life sucks to counting all the many blessings you have and all the reasons you are so lucky.

Remember...

"Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can.  And just when you think it can't get any better, it can."

The Cavemen are doing it!

Whats on my mind today??

Food.

I eat pretty healthy almost all the time.  Its just the way I was raised.  We didn't have junk food in the house, didn't really drink soda, and my mom always cooked really healthy.  You could always tell when my Dad had gone to the grocery because there would be Apple Jacks in the cereal cabinet.  And we thought this was a huuuuge deal.  So I have just naturally had pretty good eating habits.  In recent years, I discovered my love for junk food and all things chocolate and my diet/weight definitely suffered because of it.  Add to that a 3+ year relationship with a guy that could (and did) eat anything in his sight and not gain a pound and this little chica quickly packed on a few el bees. 

The last year I have really tried to focus on sticking to my healthy eating habits and cutting out the junk.  I love salad and all vegetables.  I love to grill chicken or fish and grill up some veggies to have with it.  I like the occassional pasta meal but other than that I'm not a real big bread or potato eater.  So, I really have NO EXCUSES to not eat healthy.  The gym I work at is really big on the Paleo Diet.  In a nutshell, you can eat lean meats, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, no sugar.  Simple enough right?  Thats what you CAN eat, and thats ALL that you can eat.  You can not eat any dairy, processed foods, or gluten. The point of this is to take our bodies back to the way they were originally designed to use and metabolize food.  You take out all the foods that are the usualy triggers of food allergies and intolerance issues.  I did this 'diet' strictly for about 30 days and let me just tell you..... It is not easy.  But.... it works.  Not only does it work, but you feel really good doing it.  The first week is hard, but once your body gets used to it, you feel great.  You have more energy, no bloating issues,  you never feel miserable after you eat,  and you can just feel your body working and using the food the way it is supposed to.  If you have ever had any tummy issues they will be gone.  But WARNING:  when you incorporate some of the foods back in to your diet, it will not go over so well.  So be near a bathroom or some TUMs at all times.  This to me was the real eye opener.  If I only went a few weeks without these foods and this is what it did to me after I had even just a little bit, what was it doing to my body and my overall health when I was eating them regulary??

Ultimately, the diet should work like this:  you do it really strict for at least 30 days, then in the maintenance mode you take a more 80/20 approach.  Trying to focus on 'the rules' at least 80% of the time and limit the no-no foods to 20%.  It is definitely not for everyone.  I understand this.  And it is by no means easy!  But I really do notice that I feel much better when I live this way and I would recommend that everyone take the 30 day challenge.  With a little preparation, it really is not so bad. 

All of this being said......

I have fallen off the wagon!!  I think I decided to write this post as a way to hold myself accountable.  If I put it out in the bloggy world that this is how I eat, then I have to eat this way!  Right?  Also, it is really easy to get bored with foods and I would love any suggestions for good restaurant meals or recipes that you all have.  If anyone has any questions feel free to ask!  The best book out there is "The Paleo Solution" and after reading it, you will think differently about everything you put in your body, and where our foods come from.  So beware!

Here is the book....It really is a great read! 

Cinco de Drinko & What I'm playing Thursday

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody!  Go out and drink a rita (or two, or three, or four)!!

Just a couple random thoughts today....

1)  I had a really fun, surprising night last night.  People can suprise you, if you give them the chance to.   Its like that quote from  To Kill A Mockingbird - "Most people are nice once you get to know them." (or something like that, haha) And sometimes you just have to stop over thinking things and just have fun.    You have to put aside all the logical reasons (occupation, age (lol), etc.) that are telling you not to do something and just say "F it" and do it any way.  Hahaha. Thats what I decided last night, and it turned out well.

2) I really go thru phases with my music.  It mostly depends on my mood.  I was on a big country kick for a few months.  Mostly because I was feeling kinda down and sorry for myself. Country is great for those times.  Lately I've been on a big hip hop kick.  I've always been a hip hop girl, but lately I've been in a great mood, and just trying to enjoy all the craziness and ups and downs of life.  Spring is here (well its supposed to be. that is hit or miss here in ky.) and nothing is better than driving around in pretty weather with the sunroof open, windows down, jammin to some good tunes.  Which brings me to....

I have always loved Fab but I'm loving this song lately....and after last night it will make me smile just a little more everytime I hear it from now on ;)

Thats all for now...Lets go have some drinks, shall we??

Hump Day!

Happy Hump Day followers....

Just a few random things today.

1)  I always love seeing everyone's OOTD pictures.  I can't wait until I have a job where I can wear real clothes to work.  Right now I work at a gym, so I wear sweats/workout clothes to work.  I took this before work the other day just because I thought it would be funny...haha...I also rock the front side braid almost everyday. 

2)This chica has got to get her self together before swimsuit season.  I have got to find/keep my motivation somehow.  So this definitely happened.  Hopefuly it will help keep this little piggy away from the fridge!  I need all the help I can get right now!

3)  Finally got one of these babies!!  I am SO SO SO excited about it!  Can't wait to see how it works.

4) Go see  Shasta....She has a great giveaway going on right now!  And her blog is great.  I get so many make-up/fashion tips from her.  And her vlogs are so cute.  Check her out.

I've been in a little bit of a job hunting funk lately.  Its hard to find the motivation to keep looking when nothing seems to be working out.  This has caused me some major sleeping issues lately.  For some reason as soon as I hit the bed, my brain starts going a hundred miles a minute.  I start obsessing about everything from bills and money to moving and thinking about going back to school.  It just doesn't stop.  I'm completely at a loss.  I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, but I know I must not be doing anything right.  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  I really need to catch a break soon!  Oh, and if you hear about any kind of marketing/advertising or sales jobs....let a sista know!  I'll be happy to email anyone my resume.  Lol.

Also...I need more followers!  Follow me.  I'm also on twitter @WhitneyBit Follow me there too.  (Insert shameless self promotion here)

Thats all for now....just some random thoughts.  I gotta head to the grocery store because I have no food.  And I'm not gonna lie...this recommendation from PinkLouLou definitely has me curious! (And now in the middle of a huge choco craving, yeah thanks) It may or may not be the real reason I'm now headed to Kroger.

Happy Birthday Miranda!!

Happy Happy Birthday to one of the bestest friends a girl could ask for!!

Disclaimer:  This will be another one of those post that only makes sense to Me, Miranda and Taryn.  I apologize.

Because Miranda has a big girl job that requires her to be a good example to all of the employess that she is in charge of....I will not be able to reminisce on all of the hysterical drunken tales from our past.  {You're welcome Mir :) } Well...not with too much detail anyway...

Here we go...

Tin Roof stalking...Boston...tee oh double dee...PUBLIX - nuff said...landlord...SB oh six (I saw more of her than I've seen of myself on that trip - it was medically necessary - and that takes us back to Publix, lol)..."forizza"..."cakers"...my fellow bridesmaid wingman in the wedding from hell...Chicago bachelorette party turned into me and Mir spent a great weekend by ourselves in Chicago-lol...laughing (instead of helping) when Taryn flipped her chair at RC pool...googie..."ass-cream" incident- not to be confused with  the actual ass cream incident from SB oh six...birthday bull riding ("I don't know how I broke my phone??")..."My lips look like a disco ball!"...her awesome "off-roading (while holding a breakfast burrito and a cup of coffee") driving skills...camping...houseboats...picking up your new baby girl Riley...evening walks...expecting grills...Ballin!..."She got jungle feeva"..."g-u-n in the c-a-r"...

And of course, Mir is the queen of one liners...

"I'm not trying to see anyone blissfully happy right now"

"Damn Germans, first they kill all the jews then they put the gas tank on the wrong side."

"Indians are the new jews"

"She's not the kind of girl you take home to mom, shes's the kind of girl you take home from Two Keys."

"What?  Wait?  Shit...how old am I??"

Miranda, I love you like a sister (and not just because we apparently look like sisters).  You think you don't have any siblings, but I say you got two of the best there is!  Thank you so much for all you do for me and I hope to one day (SOON) be able to return all the favors you have done for me.  I would never have made it through so many tough times without you....and definitely not had as much fun doing it!  This is going to be such a great year and I can't wait to enjoy every minute of it with you!