The Day Has Come. Test Day.

Today is the dreaded day.  Part III of my MAYJUH test at work.  I'm even more worried about part III than I was part II.  I'm soooo nervous.  My stress and anxiety levels have been running super high all week long.  Unfortunately this open book test is so difficult the passing rate is only about 50%.  So we shall see how it goes.  I hope and pray I pass today and don't feel like this after the test is over.

Hopefully everything will go as planned today and then we can spend the entire weekend celebrating!  Whooooo!  Other than passing my test I don't really have any big plans for the weekend. I plan on laying low for the most part.  It would be nice to see a couple of movies and just relax.  Catch up on sleep, house work and hang out with my guys.  Perhaps we can go out to dinner, have some nice weather and catch up with our friends.  Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.  

If I pass my test today I'm thinking a trip to Orange Leaf is in order ASAP.  What do you think?  A cup full of fro-yo sounds like the perfect way to start my celebration. 

Do y'all have any big plans?  Or just plan to lay low this weekend?

Hope your weekend is superb!

xoxo,

Mrs. D

Can't Keep A Girl Down With Friends Like These

Do y'all ever just have one of "those" days? 
Mine was totally yesterday and I'm hoping I don't have any more like that for a while.

I should have known yesterday was going to be a doozie because of the way the morning started, but I ignored all the signs.  I won't go into too much detail in a woe is me kinda way because quite frankly, I don't want to listen to myself complain...so I know y'all don't want to listen to it.  The following are just the highlights of my day yesterday:
~Studying for part 3 of my test.  Remember when I took part 2?  Well, part 3 is just ridiculously difficult and only has about a 50% passing rate on the first attempt.  Great.  I'm a walking ball of stress. 
~Went home for lunch and McGruff couldn't walk.  As in, his back legs completely stopped working.  Rushed him into the vet immediately.  Turns out, he's having a flair up again due to his ongoing back issues (for those who don't know McGruff has degenerative disc disease and his back hurts him from time to time).  They put him back on meds and sent him home for some TLC. 
~Work drama, which is something I really don't have time to supervise or sort out.  Why can't people just treat one another with respect, play nice and get along? 
~I suddenly discovered I may have a small overlap on two different trips I must attend.  Neither are an option to miss.  It's only a small over lap, but it certainly didn't help my stress/anxiety levels yesterday afternoon. 

By the time I left work I just felt defeated.  I was excited to go home to an evening of nothing.  I wanted to relax, de-stress, take a hot bath and cuddle with McGruff while reading the new book club book. 
However, by the time I got home I couldn't even move off the sofa and I just sat there holding McGruff.  The two of us had a two person pity party.  It was grand.  It was pathetic. 

When Mr. D got home and mentioned Suggins for dinner I was all in.  The thought of eating my feelings and stress made me an easy target (plus, I was in no mood to cook dinner).  So off we went to Suggins. 
When we arrived at Suggins I was greeted by the happy faces of this girl and her guy.  They instantly sensed I wasn't my usual self and did the unthinkable...they cheered me up and calmed me down. 
Then, Joy came and picked me up and took me to Cold Stone.  By the time I had finished inhaling my wonderful icecream+redvelvetcake+piecrust+minichocolatechip creation I was as good as new! 

Can I just say how much I love my friends?  The first year we "lived" in Lexington I felt so lost because teh only friends I had were all far away.  We didn't have any young friends here.  Sure, we had plenty of family, but it wasn't the same.  We would spend our days reminiscing about our BFF's that are now spread out all over the globe (doesn't it suck when college ends and everyone moves to different towns?)  I missed the relationships you make with the family you choose (friends).  It's funny the way God puts people in your life right when you need them. 
We couldn't have met Katherine and Ben at a better time.  Really, we couldn't have met any of our Lexington friends at a better time. 

Whether they are in Kentucky or Florida or some place between, our friends are wonderful and I love them so much.  Mr. D and I are truly blessed.  We not only have the greatest family but we also have an amazing family of friends, both near and far, whom we love dearly and would do anything for.  I feel like I don't sing their praises enough.  All of you (if you're reading), this is your thank you.  We love you.  You are amazing! 

Basically, what I'm getting at is just when I thought the world was going to end and I was all down on myself and down on everything I had going on....my friends reminded me to put it all in perspective and just do the best I can and everything will work out the way it's supposed to.  Friends are incredible.  I hope some of you out there in blog land are as lucky as we are.  We are fortunate enough to have best friends living all over the country (and a couple in England too) and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. 
My advice for you today: Never underestimate the power of prayer, family and true friends. 

And now, an homage to the family we got to pick:

Yes, I'm aware my blog post today reads like the script of an After School Special (do y'all remember those?) but I don't care.  Sometimes you just need to say thanks...and for me, this blog post was the only way I knew how to do it. 

Keep those you love close to your heart and remember to say thank you. 

xoxo,
Mrs. D

Orange You Glad It's Fro-Yo?

The other day I met up with Joy, the only person I know (other than my sister) that loves sweets as much as I do, and we made our first visit to Orange Leaf.  Orange Leaf is the new frozen yogurt franchise in Lexington and we just had to check it out.  Well, let me just go ahead and tell you.....it's divine.  They had a huge variety of flavors and you could sample as many as you wanted before making your final selection.  I eventually selected red velvet cake and confetti cake.  MMMMMmmmmmmmm.  Joy went with strawberry and cheesecake. 

While it wasn't Cold Stone, I did feel a little better devouring my monstrosity because I was eating lo-fat frozen yogurt.  My only complaint with Orange Leaf was the topping bar.  While they had a large variety of toppings to choose from (including lots of various cereals, which I love) they did not have my 3 favorite toppings that I ALWAYS get at Cold Stone.  Red velvet cake, pie crust and mini chocolate chips.  Yes, I know this not Cold Stone, but I'm very faithful to my three favorite toppings. 

My favorite part about Orange Leaf was the neatly shaped, flat, little, orange spoons.  They are perfect and just made for eating a sweet treat.  Hmmmm....perhaps this is why I devoured my creation in record breaking time? 

There is currently only one location for Orange Leaf in Lexington but two more locations are opening soon and just in time for warm weather.  :) 

Have you tried Orange Leaf yet?  What did you think?  (For some reason I imagine Orange Leaf to be a lot like Pink Berry...I've just never been to a Pink Berry so I can not verify.)
I have a feeling I'll be seeing lots of Orange Leaf in my future.  Which makes me think....."orange" ya glad it's fro-yo, y'all?  (yea, I'm really corny and make nerdy jokes like that.)


xoxo,
Mrs. D

Books, Belles & Bubbly!

Wow.  How is it already March 1?  Where has 2011 gone?  Sheesh.  Is it just me or is this year flying by?
March means the reveal of our March Book Club selection and the recap of our February (Inaugural) meeting. 

This past Sunday was our first Book Club meeting!  :)  For February we all read The Art Of Racing In The Rain and though it took me a few chapters to really get into, I ended up loving it.  If you haven't already read it, I suggest you do.  The book is enjoyable for everyone but animal lovers will find it especially endearing. 
Ever since reading the book I keep looking at our dog, McGruff, and thinking "what is he thinking right now..." or "is he trying to tell me something?"  The entire story is told from the perspective of the family dog, Enzo, and is his story on how he views the human world he lives in, communicates with humans and longs to be human himself. 

Our first meeting went better than I expected and I must admit I was definitely nervous to host.  It was  brunch style, complete with muffins, mimosa's, fruit salad and plenty of girl (and book!) talk.  We all made a few notes on what we can do better for next time as we read (like write down a few discussion points or questions and any good quotes we find) and realized this is a "first book club" for all of us and will likely be a learn as we go process.
Lauren also wrote a great post about our first meeting on her blog which I recommend checking out.  (And her blog is super cute so you might as well!)

I think everyone had a good time and it was really fun to meet up with new and old friends to discuss a book we all read together.  Everyone seemed pretty excited about our March book too and I know I definitely am!  For any of you who want to read along with us the March book is.....

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I've been wanting to read this book for ages and I'm so excited the movie will be coming out soon too.  I must admit, I L-O-O-O-V-E to read books and then go see the movie.  Even though the book is usually better, I love to see all the characters and pages come to life on the big screen. 

What's even better is Reese Witherspoon, one of my favorites, is starring in the movie.  I can't wait to start reading!  (Also Robert Pattinson is in the movie, while not my favorite, I know he has a huge fan base too.)

Water For Elephants Movie Poster.



We're still trying to think of a good name for our book club.  We have a few ideas but haven't settled on anything permanent yet.  I think my current favorites are Books, Belles & Bubbly or Read Between the Wines.  Hahaha.  :)  There's also Books, Belles & Booze, Literary Ladies and a few more.  I think we're going to do a group vote but I wouldn't be surprised if Books, Belles & Booze doesn't win.  :) 

Have y'all read either of these books yet?  What did you think? 

If you're in the Lexington area and would like to join the Book Club certainly let me know.  The more the merrier!  I really mean that so don't be shy. 

xoxo,

Mrs. D

Oscar Fashion - Year Of The Bling!

Was it just me, or was this the year of the BLING?  The majority of my favorite dresses were all blinged out with sequins.  Bling was definitely this years winning trend for me.  Loved it!!!

My overall fashion winner?  Mandy Moore.  She wins by default because she had not one, but TWO stunning dresses!!! 

Mandy in her red carpet Monique lhuillier gown.

Elegant, classy & stunning.

Mandy rocked in this blue gown during her performance singing Tangled nominated song.

Not sure who this dress is by.  Anyone?

And now on to the other top fashion wins. 
We'll start with the rest of the blinged out fashion winners...

Hilary Swank in this gorgeous feathered Gucci.

Michelle Williams in Chanel.

Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott.

Halle Berry in Marchesa

Gwyneth Paltrow looked like the Oscar statuette in Calvin Klein.

My other favorites...

LOVED Barbie Doll looking Reese Witherspoon.

Keeping it classic in this white-trimmed Armani Prive.

Hot couple award!!! Both got it right!

Camila Alves in Kaufman Franco & Matthew McConaughey in Dolce & Gabbana.

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab.

Justin Timberlake brought sexy back in his Tom Ford tux.

My Award for Best Risk Taker.....

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana.

While not my favorite red carpet look, definitely my favorite look of all the "risk takers."

The back of the dress was my favorite.

My Honorable Mention award....

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa.

Love the dress/shoes/hair.  Also love how she kept it age appropriate.

While I'm not sure how I felt about our Oscar hosts last night (maybe I was just too excited about the idea of Anne and James hosting together and had the bar set too high?  No pun intended, James Franco.) the pics below were my two favorite Anne Hathaway looks of the night.  Then again, Anne always looks amazing!

Who else looks this cute in a tux?

I looove her blingin', custom Brian Atwood heels.

The big hair.  The glittery flapper fringe.  Swoon.  LOVE it!

The only person I was really disappointed in last night was Nicole Kidman.  Ewwwww.  What was she thinking?  I'm not even going to dignify that fashion yuck with a photo in this post.  You'll just have to look it up.  It was a major miss.

What did you think of the Oscar fashion last night?  Any top fashion wins I missed?  Who did you love and hate?  What about James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting? 

xoxo,

Mrs. D