Saturday Morning Praise

70* Farenhiet. The sounds of the farm. Leaves rustling in the breeze. Panting pups. You can't tell me God didn't make this possible. Praise Jesus for my happy place. My soul is calm and my mind rests in this place. #TheFarm

A Stitch Fix Note | Please Stylist, Pretty Please

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY STYLIST AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK ABOUT MY STITCH FIX BOXES. 

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Skipping Lines | Pre-Order Starbucks

My dad and I recently had an in depth discussion about our frustration with Starbucks and the relative fraud behind "gold level." Other than a free drink every 12 purchased and "the prestige of a gold Starbucks card," what are the perks? After finding that these were basically the perks...we began to rant and rave about how frustrating this new pre-order above must be. 

Will it save time? 

Will our drink be cold? If it's a cold drink, will my drink now be warm and watered down? 

Can anyone just grab my pre-paid drink?

How can it possibly be quicker than the drive through? 

Today,  with some time to spare on my lunch break AND a desperate need for a Venti Passion Iced Tea 1/2 sweetened, I decided to take the plunge and try this new Starbucks perk. 

I carefully selected my drink and planned my departure time from the office to the Starbucks with my order time accordingly. I ordered my typical passion tea afternoon treat. When I arrived my drink was perfectly made and behind the counter with the barista. The drink was still cold and my ice cubes were still intact. All of my concerns were squashed. 

Also, the drive through line was 6 cars deep...the total time required for me to retrieve my drink from parking to pulling off was less than 2 minutes. Please tell me the last time a Starbucks pit stop took less 7 minutes (I'm being generous here)! 

REMIND ME WHY I HAVEN'T ALREADY TRIED THIS?! I'm a convert and commend Starbucks on officially implementing this well oiled, perfectly coordinated pre-order drink service. 

Oh... Just an update. I earned my 30th Starbucks star with today's pre-order. I'm now "someone" in the eye of my barista! 

My Stitch Was Fixed | A Stitch Fix #1 Review

I RECEIVED MY FIRST STITCH FIX IN THE MAIL TODAY. WOW. LADIES. If you've been like myself | filling out the style profile multiple times and the last minute not entering your CC information | you've been seriously missing out.

I received the following items in my FIRST FIX. 

1. Skinny Denim
2. Cable Knit Gray Cardi
3. Multicolored "Flannel"
4. Gray Striped T-Dolman Top
5. Gold Stretch Bracelet

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT ITEMS I DECIDED TO KEEP? 

I decided to keep the Cable Knit Gray Cardi and the Gray Striped T-Dolman Top. I felt the most confident in these items and they were worth the price asked for them. These items made me feel like myself with a little twist. I could imagine myself snuggling up in North Carolina in my cable knit cardigan. Also, I envisioned myself bopping around Tyler, TX on a Saturday in the dolman t-shirt. These items FIT my lifestyle, but also made the every day a little more special. 

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WHY DIDN'T I KEEP THE OTHER THREE ITEMS? GOOD QUESTION. 

The denim was EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY. As a girl with a booty though (with really long legs), a good pair of denim is hard to find. I selected a price range that allows for a staple pair of denim. Although these jeans were fabulous quality and a good fit, I didn't feel 100%, therefore I just couldn't commit. I didn't' select the bubble brace (not pictured), not because it wasn't fun and fashionable, but because I wear the same bracelets day in and day out. Adding another gold bangle to my collection wasn't going to enrich my wardrobe. Finally, the multi colored "flannel" top was the perfect weight for Tyler, TX, but not what I had envisioned for my winter staple flannel. It also is a little TOO poppy or my taste. I'm much more into muted colors and earth-tones. HOWEVER, the shirt was made well and is certainly something I would recommend to people with brighter, more adventurous styles. 

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO TRY STITCH FIX!!

I'm so glad that I finally took the plunge and joined this fantastic clothing service. The worst case scenario if you sign up (and hate everything), is you are out the $20.00 styling fee. From the reviews I've read online, and the feedback from friends who also get their monthly fix, this is EXTREMELY UNLIKELY. 

ALSO, THIS IS A HUGE BONUS. STYLING CARDS. 

YOU SHOULD REALLY SIGN UP HERE!

Revolutionized Coffee Break

Good morning!! The past couple of weeks I've been at home for one of my many PA school rotations. I'm having a blast being wth family, but the >40 minute drive daily has been wearing on me! Even with XM radio, I've already torn through my typical "go to" podcasts. As a result, I recently reached out on Facebook asking friends to recommend podcasts they like to listen to in their spare time! Man, did I find an absolute gem! One of my friends responded and recommended Coffee Break French, but told me that they also have different languages...including Spanish! This morning (before the drive), I downloaded my first lessons (there are 100s of free episodes) and listened to them on the way to work! I'm hooked!!  This is such a basic, conversational way to learn a language and each lesson is <20 minutes! In the 60 minutes it took me to get to work this AM, we covered a basic introduction and greeting. Although I'm "somewhat fluent" in medical Spanish, I certainly lack the ability to make "small talk." Hopefully, this will soon change! 

5 Tips: Elegant Engagement Photos

Andrew (my fiance) and I had so much fun getting dolled up and taking photos to celebrate our recent engagement. It was very important to both of us that we had photos that would stand the test of time and be special for years to come. This blog post will touch on the 5 things that helped Andrew and I achieve the engagement photos of our dreams! The goal of this post is to help you ladies create the engagement shoot of your dreams that will produce photos that you will love as much as Andrew and I love our photos!

To view our engagement photos, click HERE to view the BEAUTIFUL work of Tank Goodness Photography!!

ONE: Find your inspiration. If you don't have a secret Pinterest board. You are missing out. I found that I was able to communicate what I wanted from the shoot, because I had done my research! My board was previously secret, but for the sake of this Blog post, I've released it to the general Pinterest and Blogging world! You'll find the widget below-go ahead and take a look!

Follow Olivia's board Simply Southern Engagement Photos on Pinterest.

TWO: Your photographer is EVERYTHING. Andrew and I selected Tank Goodness Photography as our photographers (husband & wife team)! We have a wedding package with them that includes a variety of photo shoots, including the wedding day! I knew instantly when I met with Travis (over Skype) that he and his wife were the photographers of our dreams! Not only are their photos beautiful quality, but their willingness to tailor the style of the shoot towards our vision was CRUCIAL. If you're in the Austin, TX area and looking for a great photographer duo, I HIGHLY recommend Travis and Nina!

THREE: Take the time to plan your outfits. I would give yourself 2 months to pull together your wardrobe. The last thing you want to do is have to do one big shop to pull together 2-3 outfits. I purchased my clothing over the course of about 6 months. The biggest stress clothing wise was the iconic Southern dress I wanted for the more "formal" photos. You would think that this would be an easy task in the state of Texas, but it WAS NOT. I spent countless hours online shopping to find the perfect dress. I found my dress at ASOS online. I had never shopped online with ASOS before, but now I am hooked. Their line of Southern inspired dresses are impossible to ignore. I wish I had more than one hanging in my closet right now.

FOUR: You took the time to meticulously plan your outfits, now please don't forget your man! Andrew has wonderful taste in clothing, but the man was lacking a sports coat. It would have been impossible to achieve the look we were going for without a sports coat. The moral of this bullet point is to remember that you aren't the only one who needs to look fabulous. If you are going for a certain theme, you need to make sure that both of you touch on the theme. We ended up getting a great deal of classic sports coats at Men's Warehouse. We also splurged on a new pair of black boots for Andrew (he is also wearing these with his suit at the wedding). Not only did he look EXTREMELY handsome ladies, but he felt SUPER comfortable in his own skin and his new outfits!

FIVE: Location, location, location. My maid of honor helped me search high and low in Huntsville, TX for the perfect southern location. We ended up selecting Whistler Bed & Breakfast as the setting of our Southern photos. I know that a big part of our beautiful Southern photos was setting the stage with something that had stood the test of time for many years already. The Whistler Bed & Breakfast is a gorgeous estate located downtown Huntsville, TX that boasts a rustic elegance that was just SIMPLY SOUTHERN.

I hope this helps, ladies! 

"Springing" into 2015

With Spring quickly approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the new, fun, and somewhat petty items that have brought some smiles to my March, 2015! This is not one of my deeper posts, but I think it's fun! I decided it was necessary to provide a fun, Spring themed bible verse graphic to counter balance the fluff with some serious. 

Walking to work is life changing. Since starting to work at the VA Hospital, I’ve been able to walk to work in the morning. I’ve found that it’s a great way to wake up in the morning on the way to work and decompress at the end of a long day. I’ve found that this habit has added an additional 2000 steps to my FitBit count daily, which is a huge plus! Additionally, it’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and decrease traffic (especially in Houston, TX).

I’ve cut the cream and added some spice! At the beginning of March, I completed a health cleanse called the GM Diet. As part of this cleanse, I wasn’t able to have my beloved cream in my morning (or let’s be honest, CONSTANT) coffee. The first couple of days of this cleanse were a real challenge, but by the end, I found that I preferred it BLACK. I’ve also found that adding cinnamon to my coffee gives it an extra kick, but keeps calories to a minimum. Plus, there are all sorts of Pinterest worthy benefits of cinnamon including high amounts of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, can improve insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar, and MAY have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

I have discovered Podcasts for the first time. One of my friends from school pointed me to an awesome Podcast series called Serial. If you are a lover of Law and Order, Bones, Criminal Minds, and other popular criminal dramas, THIS IS A PODCAST FOR YOU. I’ve started listening to the 45 minute to 1 hour episodes during my treadmill runs and I can’t believe how quickly it makes the runs go by.

Crockpotting has become an obsession. I’ve recently discovered shredded chicken in the crockpot. It’s wonderful that 4 chicken breasts, 1 jar of salsa, and 4 hours of HIGH cooking in the crockpot provide me with shredded chicken for salads and wraps ALL WEEK LONG.

Wait, is this Greek yogurt? I’ve started using plain, 0% fat, Greek yogurt as a substitution for many fatty dressings and condiments. Greek yogurt and sour cream taste the same to me, but with about ½ the calories.  Greek yogurt plus blue cheese crumbles make the most delicious “skinny” blue cheese dressing. Finally, use some Greek yogurt and our crockpotted chicken and make a delicious chicken salad without all the fat and calories of mayonnaise!!

Hope you've enjoyed this little post!