Blonde, Sweat & Wine

As you may or may have not noticed, I have been MIA for the last few months. Starting the new year, events happened that have drastically changed my life. There were lots of tears, tests, and challenges but all resulted in Brad and I ending our relationship. No I don't need a shoulder to cry on, I am doing well. The hardest part was deciding on whether or not to move back to Fort Myers, granted, this decision has been decided and I will continue on once everything has been solidified. The best and worst part of ending any kind of relationship, is that it forces you to re-evaluate you as a person, the you that you want to be in the future, and that can be really painful. You will learn who to trust, who you know you won't ever see again, and who really is just in it for the juicy details. I am lucky to say that, even though no break up is easy, I'm a strong Southern woman who will trudge on! I realized quickly in the midst of moving on that I have always put myself last ...

Happy Election Day 2016!! Folks, I know we are all MORE than ready for the obnoxious ads and memes to disappear, only to be replaced by ads and memes negatively directed towards our new president. I will not attempt to publicize who I am voting for, it's not anyone's business but mine...and my significant other. Gotcha there, don't I? This post was inspired by a few posts I saw this morning on my social media, couples who are not united in their decision. Honestly, I can't imagine being in a relationship where one stands for opposing beliefs. Brad and I had a tiff about Trump at the very beginning of this election season. I felt he was rude and obnoxious, but had good points and arguments. I just felt as if our president should be classy and know how to say things, similar to President George W Bush. After heated discussion, we came to our decision. He didn't demand that I vote for whoever, give me ultimatums, or degrade me for my opinions, but he educated me in h...

It's just a bad moment, not a bad week. So, I may have tweaked that phrase but what it all boils down to is that even though I had a crappy couple of hours that it doesn't have to shape the rest of the week. After 2 hours of bad traffic, a crappy phone call admitting that my beloved Michael Kors bag is "lost" in transit, and frustrate moment of emotions, I decided to vent via video. Hopefully some of y'all can relate to watching a good day turn sour in the blink of an eye! Happy Monday....or not! Cheers to a better week and greeting November with open arms! ..xobb

"We should balance every negative interaction with 10 positive ones." Since my last post, I've hit a negative wall and let it consume all of me. I'm ashamed to say all the work I did in the past months went down the drain when I allowed myself to lose focus and gain attention of negativity surrounding me. Shameful as I feel it may be, I have realized it, over analyzed it way too much, and now have decided to get off my prideful steed and face it all head on. Bradley's job is a blessing, to have a hard working man who does all he does to build our life and future is a God send. Sometimes, I get very selfish and want him to be where I want him when I want him to be. This is quite laughable. If you know either Brad or myself, you know we are an interesting breed. We are very similar hence why we have chosen each other. The differences, however, stem from my sensitivity and his lack thereof. I am more off the wall where he is more grounded. He is secure in his feeli...

Happy Monday and of course, happy post-Hurricane Matthew insanity! Luckily for us, Hurricane Matthew was not as bad as we anticipated. Better to be over prepared than not prepared enough. Unfortunately, not all of Florida was as lucky so our prayers continue to go to those still effected. Life has been crazy so how bout a much needed update? Well, we officially closed on our home late Tuesday, September 27th! It was a long day filled with unforeseen issues but we got the keys and moved in a week ago Saturday. We were both excited and honestly didn't have a thing packed until the morning of the move, this is typical me fashion! Procrastination at its best! But let's rewind back to the juicy stuff! This house was the only house we saw, that's right, we only viewed one home. Call us crazy, well, you'd be right! First time home buyers, two busy schedules, seemed like a good idea! Well, we have definitely learned some valuable life lessons in the last 2 weeks! Dur...

Thumper said it best when he said if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all! Recently, someone who I used to consider a close friend got engaged. We had a falling out over 6 months ago and I honestly didn't think it would last this long without us talking but that's just how it has ended up. I truly believe in quality versus quantity when it comes to people in my life. I choose who I want to confide in very wisely, they have a look into your life and that is a very vulnerable area. When this girl and I were close, we talked about being in each other's weddings and going through adulthood together. Our significant others work for the same company so we knew we'd be lifers. Well, as life would have it we had a falling out and I didn't expect for life's events to unfold the way they have. Long story short, her SO offended me one night and since then we haven't spoken. It would honestly be an easy fix but I was truly upset about it so ...

Every love story is beautiful, but this one is my favorite This will be final post about how B and me got to where we are. You may be thinking, who cares? So what they met when they were 16? Who cares if she made a huge decision and moved to be with him? Well, my answer is simple. I care, this is my blog, and I'll post what I want to! Lol, but in all seriousness, I believe in celebrating each part of your relationship and reflecting on how far you've come. Whether it be three, six, nine months, a year, 10 years or 25. So, where I left off..Brad comes home telling me about this job on the road. He explains that he's going to leave for "about ten days", come home for "about five". I could tell he was super excited and really wanted it. Who was I to stand in his way? Honestly, I did not think this process was going to go as fast as it did. At the beginning of the week, he put in for the position and by Friday he was on the phone telling everyone about ...

"Sometimes, home has a heartbeat"- Beau Taplin I have talked about him, posted photos of him, and described him. Yet, no one really knows about him! This post is the first of a mini-series about my beau, our history and relationship, and the daily struggles no one sees. It takes a bit of courage to decide to write about your own relationship, it opens you up to criticism and judgement but I am confident that our strength can overcome all of it so here it goes! Bradley and I met about 12 years ago, I was in high school and he was the "troublemaker" who had just moved to town by himself. He had that smirk that makes you weak in the knees, the drawl that make ya swoon, and that bad boy attitude that pulls ya in! I was no different than any other 16 year old girl raised in the South so of course, he made me turn to mush! My parents, however, just saw a boy moving in on their daughter so they did their best to keep a good distance between us. After being friends for ...

We didn't know we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun In the last two weeks, I've gone back to my hometown for appointments and family events. It is always interesting going back. When I'm at home in O-town, I always feel like I'm missing "back home" and want to return. Then I return and am reminded why we left; there is nothing wrong with where I am from, I just love where I am going! Centennial Park in Downtown Fort Myers My sister arranged with her photographer friend to have some family photos taken. My mom has been dying for them so we appeased her. After all, you never know when you'll have the chance again! We color-coordinated our crazy bunch and they will hopefully be great! The photog sent over some sneak peeks after and they look great so we are looking forward to seeing the rest! My sister and I My mama and her girls Since we live in the theme park capital of the world, we have annual passes to most of the par...

"Some days, I can conquer the world. Other days, it takes me three hours to convince myself to shower"- the perfect Pinterest quote! This 27th year has been one of growth and reflection. I truly thought looking at 27 year-old people then that by the time I had reached this point that I would be an independent, sexy, confident woman with this spectacular job and a hardworking stud by my side! Some of this came true, but not much! I've got the stud, that's about it! That being said, I came into this year thinking that I knew who I was, where I was heading and that I had a great man to share it all with. One thing that people normally won't tell you is that when your relationship becomes committed and you're around the other person practically 24/7, they begin to see your flaws and, if you're as lucky as I am, they begin to help you become a better person. One thing that anyone who knows us will tell you is that when you meet the beau and I for the first ti...

Happy Friday!!  Wednesday afternoon, I arrived in Jacksonville to see my honey while he works on another store opening for his company. Luckily, this store is only about two and a half hours from where we live so I was able to come see him on my day off!  While I am waiting for him to get off,  I realize some things. He and a friend of his who helped him get on the team have only been doing this working-away-from-home lifestyle for about 3 months now. It hasn't been the easiest of transitions for me but we've survived and gotten stronger, each trip gets easier. I have come to learn about the other guys on this team through him and come to find that most of them are single. I realize as I think about all this that not every couple can survive this kind of lifestyle. It makes me proud and scared for us. Proud because we have grown together during all this, but scared because I know that there are always insecurities lurking around the corner. I am so pro...