Rainy Day...

It's been a rainy day here in Louisiana so that means it's a day for: naps, good books, and coffee. I'd say it's been a pretty darn successful Thursday.

How's your day been?

Source

Have a laugh on me...

So, it's no secret that I LOVE Anjelah Johnson and her comedy. Like she's the bomb. If you've never heard of her, you seriously need to get your butt on youtube and check her out.

Plus she's married to Manwell Reyes (who's a part of Group 1 Crew), who has the coolest hair in the entire world. Don't believe me? Check it.

Source

Told ya she's awesome ;)

So here's a little clip of one of my personal faves of her routine -- Guys hitting on you/Tammy, Nail Salon Lady.

Enjoy!

Send Something Good Reveal!

Hello!

Today is our big link up/reveal day for the Send Something Good project! If you aren't familiar with it, read my post about it here.

First off, I'm going to reveal what I got to send to my secret blogger! I had the lovely Sue over at As It Seems! I had a blast getting to know/stalking ;) her on her blog. She and her husband are currently over in Japan and she posts tons of super fun pictures of their life in Japan! Anyway, after getting to secretly know her for a couple of weeks this is what I sent her:

The package all ready to go :) I took off the ribbons and stuck them inside before I mailed it ;)

My introduction note :) 

A little bit of Louisiana went to Japan...

Who doesn't love some jewelry and cute headbands?! 

Sue and Aaron just got married last year so I thought it would be fun to send them some cups I handmade for them! This is the second and successful attempt ;)

Everything all wrapped and little notes attached -- ready to be shipped!

This is everything that I sent: a journal, some new pens, photography magazines, bracelet, earrings, headband, handmade cups, some Tony's seasoning, fun nail polish and lip gloss, and two toys for their adorable puppy, Twink! You may notice that the cups in this picture are different than the ones above -- the ones in this picture are the failed attempts -- the paint didn't dry right, but everything else had been packaged up by the time the "good" cups were dry :)  I hope Sue loved her package as much as I enjoyed shopping for her! Be sure to check out her blog and say hello -- you won't be disappointed :)

Now, as for my package I got in the mail -- I absolutely LOVED it! My secret blogger who had my name was Jane over at A Few of My Favorite Things! Jane and her husband live in Hawaii and I couldn't wait to tear open my package when I got it in the mail! Here is what the lovely Jane sent me:

The inside of the package!

Hawaiian chocolate...yummm.

Hawaiian gummy candy! She attached these little notes on each item with little fun notes/facts on the back!

Such a cute polka-dotted scarf. LOVE!

  

Everything in the package!

The above is everything in the package: the super cute scarf, Hawaiian coffee, Hawaiian candy, new music from a band who is huge in Hawaii, a lovely bracelet, Sudoku book, and pretty nail polish!

A HUGE thank you to Jane for my package -- I LOVED every single thing!!!!! Be sure to check out her blog as well -- so fun to read all her updates :)

A special thank you to the Send Something Good team who organized this whole shebang. It was an absolute BLAST and I can't wait for the next go - around :) 

It Was Time For A Change...

Well......

Notice anything different about the blog? Yep, I did a major makeover over the weekend. I'm still tweaking a few things here and there, but for the most part -- this is the way it's gonna be, folks...for now ;)

Whadyathink?

I was trying to go for something a little more simple and cheery. The old look just seemed too busy with the two side bars and was a little blahhh. So, I made the plunge :)

I love it and I hope you do too!

Hope you're having a marvelous Monday so far and stay tuned for my post with the Send Something Good Reveal later on today!

Cheers!

Heads Up...

Hey peeps,

just a little heads up that the blog is undergoing a little makeover so if things are a bit off kilter and kooky that's why! It should be done by the end of this weekend.

Stay with with me as I give a little facelift to the blog :)

Thanks a million!

Obsessed.

So, the last few weeks I have been OBSESSED with this song. I have no earthly idea why.

It's not the most stellar song or vocals I have ever heard, but there is just something about it that keeps me hitting the repeat button.

 Whadyathink?


 Heard any stellar songs lately? If so, please share so I can check them out!


 Cheers!

Lately...(and an unplanned ode)

What up, homies? 

Yeah, I just used the word “homies” in a blog post. Watch out, world. ;) 

I thought I would just share a few shots of my life as of the last couple of weeks. As you probable already know, I graduated about 3 weeks ago (which I will post some pics in the next couple of days) and I am also currently unemployed because my job ended right before graduation. So, I've been spending the last several days applying for jobs, spending a ton of time with family, and really just taking a little breather from the world. I'm not gonna lie – being able to just take a step back and breathe for a minute has been really nice. I'm usually always on the go and always trying to get something new accomplished, but I've really enjoyed the “slower” pace I've been on lately. I've gotten to spend a TON of time with my family which I am super grateful for especially since I'll be moving in a couple of months and won't get to see them nearly as much. 

Amidst all this family time, I've been helping my brother, Ben, out on renovating his “baby” a.k.a. His yacht. We've been upholstering, demoing, and doing repairs trying to get it all ready to take out this summer...HECK YES! 

My brother (who is the oldest out of my two older brothers) and I are super close even though we're ten years apart. He has always been there for me, included me in everything growing up, and is just pure awesomeness. I'm really blessed to have such a close family and to be so close with my siblings. We have our squabbles and occasionally our huge blow-ups, but all in all we are all super close and we know that if any of us need anything we're all going to come running. The four of us are pretty cool, never mind if I'm just a little biased ;) 

I also got to spend quite a bit of time with the younger of my two older brothers, Sam,  the couple of days before his wedding. In fact, last Wednesday (two days before his wedding) he and I went and saw the Avengers movie (his pick) and then stayed out til the early morning hours just catching up and talking about life. It was pretty darn great. I mean, who doesn't want to spend two and a half hours staring at Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, AND Robert Downey Jr.?!?!?! Ok, spending the time with my brother was the BEST part of the night, but the other three guys on the big screen were just an extra perk ;) Sam and I are six years apart and we are probably the most alike in our family – stubborn & argumentative, so when we were younger that made for some pretty crazy sibling times. But ever since his motorcycle accident two years ago (when he broke 60% of the bones in his body and was told he would never walk again), we've gotten so much more closer and my whole family really pulled together and realized that we really aren't promised tomorrow. We came so close to losing him in the wreck, but thankfully God healed him 100% and he not only is alive and walking, but he is back to doing all the crazy activities and sports that he was doing before the wreck. The doctors called him a true walking miracle. 

I'm so thankful for my family. Even when they drive me beyond bonkers, they are still the best friends and cheerleaders I could ever ask for. Make sure you take a few minutes today to tell your family you love and appreciate them – whether they are your blood family or just friends you have adopted as your family – everyone needs to hear that they are loved and appreciated by those they love. 

Wow, I totally did not plan for this post to be an “Ode to the Burwell Siblings/Family”, but I guess that's just what this post was meant to be about – my absolutely  amazing and awesome family. :)

Cheers! 

Wedding Shower!

So, like I've been saying over and over ;)....my brother got married this past weekend and before I share the pics from that I'd thought I'd share some pics from the wedding shower!

My new sis-in-law's movie is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" so the shower was based on that little theme. Her sister and mom did a PHENOMENAL job on the decorations, food, and just the whole shebang. It was freaking adorable.

Enjoy!

Bundt cake anyone? Watch the movie if you don't get it! 

Fun little facts about Greece were sprinkled around the house -- this one was about the pottery!

The table with the party favors -- individual little boats with our initials filled with chocolate!

Dining room -- gorgeous!

Hang out area/gift opening 

Hummus!

Fried eggplant -- yum!

If you look close, the faces of the bride/groom were photoshopped and my brother and sis-in-law's were pasted in!

Moosaka

So pretty! The green, coral, and yellow are her wedding colors!

Cheers!

Weekend Recap (And a huge sigh of relief!)

Hello lovelies!

Well, the weekend is over and as promised I am back in action with the blog! This past weekend was my brother's wedding and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Pictures of everything to come.

My extended family also made the trip down from Illinois to Louisiana to not only celebrate with my brother, but they also threw me a little graduation bash on Sunday before they all left. Aren't they the best?!

Needless to say it was a very packed full, crazy, and fun last few days. I seriously had the best ab workout ever from all the laughing we did. My family knows how to have fun :)

Anywho, here's a little instagram recap of the weekend and like I said much more detailed photo posts of all the wedding festivities are to come!

1. My siblings and I having fun at the wedding :) 2. My Grandma got plumb worn out with all the festivities! 3. Jambalaya is the bomb. 4. Red Bull was the official drink of all the wedding party/family 5. The reception was in a gym but we disguised it by hanging parachutes from the ceiling -- so freakin' cool. 6. My nephew stole my phone ;)

Cheers!

Quick Update!

Hey peeps,

Sooooo...I've been a complete and total slacker on the blogging lately/responding to comments and I am sorry! But I won't be back into blogging mode until Monday because............................


MY BROTHER IS GETTING HITCHED THIS WEEKEND!!!!!

Source

And we're having almost all of my extended family on my mom's side coming to Louisiana for it so it's a little crazy right now!

My life has been full of helping with the wedding prep & cleaning. And I just found out today that in addition to taking some auxillary photos to assist the photographer, I am also going to be performing a few songs for the wedding. :) So, this post is short & sweet as I need to go practice ;)

BUT come Monday morning I will be back in action here on the blog along with TONS of photo updates from the last week and a half of my life/the wedding :) :) :)

Hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday!

Cheers!

Weekend Recap

Hey, hey, hey! 

Well this weekend was a super, super busy and exciting one! First off, thank you all so much for your sweet comments about my graduation -- y'all are awesome! 

So yep, I made it! I graduated from college Friday morning (whoever came up with the idea of a 9AM graduation should be punished) and just as I predicted they mispronounced my name, BUT I corrected it right in the microphone. It was pretty awesome :) Pictures of the graduation will be up soon! 

Then I spent the rest of the day with my family and friends who came into town to celebrate -- SO MUCH FUN! Then Saturday came and I did a 8AM engagement shoot which turned out beautifully! Saturday night was filled with lots of Greek music, Greek food, and tissue paper veils as we celebrated my future sis-in-law's wedding shower! The theme was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Shower" since that's her fave movie. I'm just going to take a minute and brag on myself -- I won the best tissue paper veil made in under 3 minutes. Yup. ;) It was so much fun. I'll try to post pics of all the decorations soon because they were so freaking adorable. 

Sunday was a very much needed chill day :) 

Anywho, here is my instagram recap -- My dad & I made a trip to Target and tried on ridiculous hats, I found the perfect dress for my brother's wedding (which is just two weeks away!), celebrated my graduation with a balloons and flowers from everyone, and I snuck in a little preview of the engagement shoot in :) 

How was your weekend???

Cheers!

Ladies & Gentlemen...

I'm graduating from college TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

Whoa. I'm excited and freaked all at the same time. Mostly excited.

So today I am going through outfits, trying different hairstyles with that hideous hat, and watching Rory's college graduation episode of Gilmore Girls. I'm just THAT cool. ;)

I'm also preparing myself for them mispronouncing my name (since pretty much 97% of the population does). If they do, I've promised myself and my classmates that if they do, then I will correct them as I walk across the stage. Don't believe me? I did it two weeks ago during a college wide awards ceremony with the vp of the college. Everyone remembered the correct pronunciation of my name at the end of the ceremony. Holler.

I mean, after the amount of blood, sweat, tears, time, and $$$ I've put into that college -- I at least deserve to have my name pronounced correctly for my ten second walk of fame across the stage.

Anywho, I'm off to get everything ready and finish laundry (I told you my life is beyond glamorous).

Wish me luck on not tripping as I walk across the stage tomorrow morning!

I'm so excited!

It's a VLOG!

Hi All!

So here is the promised blog -- a week late, but it's here nonetheless! I recorded this on Sunday, so if I reference that day -- that's why ;) Forgive my awkwardness and my extreme hyperness -- my redbull had just kicked in. First time doing a vlog and it was my first shot and I just went with it. :)

Enjoy!

WHOA -- It's a VLOG! from Dream On, Lovely. on Vimeo.