This post is inspired by a blogpost I read on Bloglovin' a couple of days ago. Christine from Christine Everyday, recently posted "10 Things You Never Knew About Me". I absolutely love learning more about my readers and fellow bloggers, so I decided to tell you guys a little more about myself!

1. I hate the beach
It's funny because I actually grew up in a small beach town in Florida. Honestly though, I've just never been a fan. It's always hot and sandy. Not to mention, I was small enough that the waves would toss me around. I'm also prone to dehydration and heat exhaustion. I'm supposed to avoid direct or artificial sunlight while taking my medications anyways. Another thing, I don't like to swim in water if I can't see below me.

2. I have a weird obsession with organizing things
I'm pretty sure that the main reason all of my friends parents love me is because I've organized their children's rooms at least once. I can't even tell you how many of my friends rooms I've not just organized, but thoroughly cleaned. I went through ever drawer, box, and container and helped them go through their stuff. I was even paid a few times to help people organize their homes.

3. I don't like chocolate
Well, that's not completely true. I just prefer brownies and chocolate candies that have other ingredients like Twix, Milky Way, and Reese's. I won't eat chocolate by itself, unless it's a piece of Dove milk chocolate. I don't like chocolate cake or ice cream either.

4. I rarely drink anything other than water
I will occasionally have a sprite when I go out for a meal, but I don't drink them at home. I also crave chocolate milk every once in a while, but there has to be very little chocolate in it. I no longer drink other sodas and I've never once had alcohol. I'll occasionally order a cream based Frappuccino from Starbucks, but I don't think that really counts. Since I don't like coffee, my drink is basically vanilla ice cream with caramel drizzle on top.

5. I have a scar on my pointer finger
Growing up in Florida, my brother and I got to experience fishing on Lake Okeechobee with my great grandpa. The first time we went out, we used cane poles. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a stick with fishing line and a hook at the end of it. Anyways, my brother put the pole over his shoulder and then flicked his wrist towards the water. Normally, this would result in the line landing in the water, but instead the hook ended up in my hand. My grandpa pulled it out and we kept on fishing.

6. People are usually surprised by how much I can eat
Even as a size 0, this was true. I have always been able to eat a lot and I am always hungry. I was once referred to as a baby dinosaur because of how much I can eat. I've eaten a dozen donuts in one sitting, but I try not to do that anymore. There was even this one time that I was at McDonald's and I kid you not, I ate: 20 chicken nuggets, a large fry, a double cheeseburger, and a cinnamelt, with a sprite which I refilled multiple times. I'm the kind of girl that will order a ton of food at breakfast, finish it, and then clear the rest of the plates on the table. I just like food.

7. I still watch shows on ABC Family
Yes I said ABC Family, it will never be Freeform to me. If I had cable, I'd probably still watch Disney Channel shows too. I am 21 years old and I am not ashamed to admit this. A majority of their shows have been on since I was in high school. Just like I have to finish a book, I have to finish a series. I cannot go without knowing what has happened, which is exactly why I hate when shows are canceled. ABC Family keeps pumping out seasons of the shows I love and I'm going to keep watching them until all of them end.

8. I have an odd taste in music
Growing up I was exposed to way too many genres of music. My mom listened to country and the top hits; while my step-dad listened to classical and alternative rock. If you were to scroll through my phone you'd find those genres and everything in between. You would see everything from Kenny Chesney to Sublime to Good Charlotte and Lil Wayne. My Pandora stations are even worse. Some day's I'm belting out worship music and other days I'm keeping up with the Nicki Minaj lyrics.

9. I learned to drive playing Gran Turismo
You might think I'm joking, but I'm not. My step-dad was a huge fan of Gran Turismo and I'm pretty sure he had every one of them. We used to sit in the computer chairs in front of the TV with the steering wheel controller on top of the end table and the pedals under our feet. I honestly think this is why I'm such a good driver now. I've learned to control my car and I know how to drive it. A previous coworker referred to me as Danica because I like to drive a little fast. However, I know how to drive my car and I would never put anyone in harms way.

10. In high school I won a contest for my poetry
I don't really write poetry anymore, but I wrote a lot of it in high school. I aced every English project with poetry and I decided to enter my poetry in to one of the county contests. I didn't think anything would happen, but my two poems placed 1st and 3rd. I got a couple certificates and ate cake with the other winners. I think that's when my true love for writing began, I just wish I hadn't brushed it off. Had I kept up with it, I probably would have been finished with my first book by now!

11. I was in linguistics club in elementary school
I'm gonna be real with you guys, I was the teachers pet and the one that most kids hated. I was the kid that always did my homework and I even reminded the teacher if they didn't collect it. I participated in linguistics and social studies club. We used to practice afterschool and then go to other schools to compete with other students. I still have my trophies.

12. I have a lot of pet peeves
It's true! I have crazy good hearing and I can hear things that other's sometimes can't. This leads to me getting annoyed A LOT. Most people don't like hearing pens click, and I don't either, but I hear past that. I can hear someone picking at their nails, breathing, and making the littlest noises. Basically all of these things bother me. It could be because my eyesight is so bad, but every noise seems to sound like it's 5x louder in my ears. As I'm writing this, I can hear each breath my cat takes on the other side of the room!

13. I'm a NASCAR Fan
Honestly, I hated NASCAR for the longest time! I just didn't understand how people could be interested in watching cars drive around in circles. I thought it was a waste of time and gas. That is until I went to my first race. Daytona wasn't too far from where we lived and my parents got tickets for my brother. Originally I wasn't supposed to go, but that ended up changing. Going to that race is what made all the difference. There's just something about actually being there during the excitement of it all. My family is a Tony Stewart family. So much so, that I have actually never stepped foot into a Lowe's and I probably never will. Even though Stewart started his own team, we will always shop at Home Depot.

14. I'm incredibly paranoid
Now it's probably not the type of paranoia that you're thinking of. I don't think aliens are coming to abduct me. However, I am constantly paranoid that someone is creeping around the corner. I grew up on scary movies and it definitely shows. The first movie I ever remember watching is Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I've watched many more scary movies since then and I've just gotten bored of them. They tend to be predictable and I actually fall asleep in them now. I've seen so many of them that I check behind the shower curtain every time I go into the bathroom. I also jump from the light switch to my bed when I have to turn the lights off. I know I'm probably just freaking myself out, but those moves have made me feel like there is always someone lurking around.

15. I am a Taurus
For the most part, everything they say about people that are a Taurus is true for me. I am definitely reliable, practical, and responsible. Maybe even too much, I tend to overplan and overanalyze a lot of things. I agree with the Taurus weaknesses too. I am ridiculously stubborn and uncompromising. I actually recently shared an article on my Facebook titled, "6 Stereotypes Of The Taurus Sign That Are Surprisingly True." One of my Facebook friends had shared in on my newsfeed and I figured I'd read it to kill some time. I actually ended up agreeing with everything in it and sharing it on my profile too.

Well that's all I got for today! I hope that you enjoyed these facts! Feel free to leave your own in the comments, I'd love to get to know more about you!

As some of you know, I just celebrated my 21st birthday on Saturday!

I was hoping that my chronic illnesses would subside for just one night, but I think I was asking for too much. Nonetheless, the Music and Miracles concert was 100% worth it and I really hope I wasn't the only spoonie in the audience!

I had been wanting to go to this concert for months! So I was incredibly excited that it just happened to fall on my birthday and my husband bought the tickets for me for Christmas.

The concert also had me a little nervous. As my symptoms have progressed, I was afraid of whether or not I'd be able to walk to the stadium, let alone my seat. Plus, my last concert experience was kind of horrible. I'll talk about that some other time though!

Last year, I saw Kenny Chesney and Old Dominon, as well as a ton of other artists. Their shows were awesome and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed at this Superfest. So of course, I didn't want to miss the chance to see them as well as Miranda Lambert and Sam Hunt.

I've always been a fan of Miranda Lambert, but I've never really followed her as I have other artists. Honestly, I think it was just because she wasn't all over the media like everyone else is. But after last nights concert, I will be making an effort to know what's going on with her.

For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, last night was the Music and Miracles Superfest. It was also the first night of the Spread the Love Tour.

After Old Dominion and Sam Hunt performed, Miranda Lambert made her way to the stage. Then she said something I will never forget, "You're out here spending your time, money, and hard earned energy." Honestly, I'm not 100% sure she meant to say it like that, but I'm glad that she did.

As a spoonie, I don't have a lot of energy. I have a limited number of spoons each day and I feel like I'm getting less and less of them. I was so scared that I would have to miss this concert or worse, I would get there but not make it to my seat.

My husband and I left 2.5 hours early, and the stadium was only 20 minutes away. Traffic was crawling and we weren't moving at all. The closer we got, the more the realization set in. There was no parking. The only close spots we saw were $35 and $50, but my husband didn't bring cash.

Ready to leave, I had him go straight and see where it took us. We actually ended up finding a parking garage. There were no signs for payments and none of the event staff or police officers were there either. We could clearly see the stadium straight ahead and decided to take the risk. We knew they wouldn't tow us with all of the traffic and we figured a ticket would be worth it.

At 4:30 pm, we started walking towards the stadium. With our tickets in hand, I made my way there and got in line. Once we made our way to the staff, she told us we needed to go to the box office. I couldn't help but think something was wrong. We asked how we could get there and it meant walking all the way to the other side of the stadium. Although I didn't feel good, I was determined to figure out what was wrong. We pushed through everyone, asked a lot of people for directions, and eventually found the box office.

One of my favorite parts of featuring perfectly ambitious women and small businesses, is getting to review their lovely products!

Today, I'm reviewing a series of lip balms from Urbanfarmergirls. Audrey the owner, also included a bag of samples which we will be giving away!

We've been keeping this a secret for a while now, but we officially closed on the house last Monday! However, we were in the process of buying this house since February 19th! I'm so incredibly excited for the house and all of the changes we'll be making to make it our new home.

Originally, we weren't going to buy a house until way down the road. I'm talking like 7-10 years from now. Since my husband is military, it didn't make since to buy when we'd be moving every couple of years.

We didn't actually consider moving until the beginning of February. Our lease was ending soon at our apartment and I knew I needed something on the first floor, but our apartment complex just didn't have anything. We started looking around, but there just isn't much here. Plus, since it's a college town, there was very little available before August. 

Another factor was our budget. Unfortunately, since we live in a college town a lot of the rentals are per room. They usually average about $450 each and since we were looking for a three bedroom house/apartment, that just wasn't doable. We thought we caught a break with a cute little three bedroom for a good price, so we went and looked at it and we really liked it. The rental agency said that we could think about it over the weekend and put in an application on Monday. We went to their site on Monday and they had raised the price to $1200! So we had to keep looking. 

Eventually I ended up on another realty website that we could rent or buy from. I saw this adorable gray house for about $160,000 and it said that our payments would only be about $700. That's less than we've been paying to rent a two bedroom apartment! It was that moment that we started to seriously consider buying.

The following Friday night, we put in a request for a quote on the Veterans United website. We didn't expect to hear anything until Monday, so we were shocked when we got a call less than an hour later. The woman on the phone asked us a few questions and we were prequalified in minutes. 

Immediately after hanging up, we started looking at houses. It took weeks of searching, touring, and meeting with our realtor before we found the one. I honestly never thought I would have a mortgage and a three bedroom house at the age of 20, but I am so incredibly grateful. 

As I mentioned in my post, 75 Things I Wish I Learned in High School, buying a house was one of the biggest points. This was our first home and we had no idea where to start. I, of course being the overachieving researcher that I am, starting reading articles and blogposts about all the steps that we needed to take. It took a while to figure everything out, but we have finally done it. We own a house! 

I'm no expert, but I've decided to start a blog series on the experience. I'll share my best tips for the entire process and I'll even keep you updated on all of the changes we make to our own home. 

If you're interested in seeing the new house, I've included some pictures below. If you don't want to see them, you can just scroll to then end for our last few notes!

I can't believe it's that time of year again! I turn 21 in less than two weeks!

If any of you know me, I can be a hard person to shop for! That's why I decided to start creating these online wishlists! So, if you are looking to buy me something for my birthday, now you can't go wrong!

I recently learned that National Stress Awareness Day is on April 16th! That's exactly one week from today! So, I thought I would use this Spoonie Saturday to talk about what it's like dealing with anxiety.

There's no right way to write this. Everyone experiences anxiety in a different way. Everyone's body reacts in a different way. Everyone copes in a different way.

That is something that some people just don't realize. They think that because they overcame their anxiety that everyone else can too, but that's usually not the case.

If I could get rid of my anxiety, I would do it in a heartbeat. I talk a lot about this in my monthly verse of encouragement posts. I truly don't like being a worrywart, I just am.

The most that I can do is share my story and hope that I've helped you better understand what it's like to deal with anxiety.

I honestly can't remember when I first noticed my anxiety. It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with PTSD at the age of three and I grew up way too early. I was always told that I am mature for my age, but those people don't even know the half of it. I didn't have much of a childhood and I never went through a rebellious stage either. I was too busy worrying. It could have been about school, finances, boys, or even the weather. My anxiety follows me everywhere.

Here are some things that you might not know about anxiety:

Anxiety can take over our entire day.
It's true! Anxiety has a way of controlling our actions. If I know that talking on the phone causes me anxiety, I'm going to avoid any and all phone calls. That might mean always having my husband order our take out, or if he's not home, I might even choose not to eat. Fear controls our actions.

Sometimes you are lucky enough to have both anxiety and depression.
I won the lotto! I have more than one anxiety disorder as well as depression. I remember reading once that more than one-half of those diagnosed with depression also have an anxiety disorder. I have seen so many amazing memes that sum up what it's like to live with both and my favorite one is below.

As I mentioned in one of last month's blog posts, I have written a verse of encouragement in my planner for each month this year. If you missed last month's verse, you can check it out here!

This month's verse is 1 Peter 5:6-7.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

When I wrote this verse in my planner in January, I had no idea just how much I would need it in April. This month has been full of anxiety. I was supposed to have a heart procedure, we planned on closing on a house, we have to move, and I'm writing my first novel! These are all good things, but that doesn't stop the anxiety from coming.

I've been a worrier for as long as I can remember and I honestly don't think that will ever change. Through all of these processes I try my best to turn to God. I know that I can cast all of my anxieties on him, but that's easier said then done. I'm sure that we all wish we could just rid them away with a thought or a prayer.

My Lord and Savior never ceases to amaze me. He tests me, as he does everyone, but he always follows through. I was worried about getting up to my second floor apartment after the right heart catheterization procedure and after making the appointment, and a lot of prayers, it got denied by my insurance company. I didn't pray for it to happen the way that it did, but now I can get the procedure done and go straight to our one story home afterwards.

That's another thing that I prayed a lot about. My health issues are gradually getting worse and I have been struggling tremendously with our apartment complex's stairs. We knew our lease would be up at the end of April, but we had no where else to go. All the other locations were above the first floor or ridiculously above our budget. We made the decision to buy a house but we needed to have 60 day's notice in order to move out of our apartment. We needed to find a house on or before February 18th, but we didn't. Then God provided a house for us on the morning of the 19th. One day after we needed it. I was being tested and looking back, I wish I hadn't been so worried.

I'm not sure if my worries will ever ease up, but it gives me hope knowing that God is there for me. He will always provide, love, and forgive. For that, I am eternally grateful.

For those of you that need this reminder, or are simply looking for new art to hang on your walls, I have created a beautiful printout of this verse that I'd love to share with you! I even used spring colors :) I hope that this verse brings comfort to you and really resonates in your heart!

Just as I was surprised by Danielle Esplin sending me her manuscript before her release date; I was so  honored to receive a paperback copy of Who She Was for review!

Jessica Maret was such a sweetheart when we met on instagram! Through a few instagram comments and lots of emails, we learned that a lot of points in our lives connected. For example, I'm a military wife and she worked for an organization that benefits military families. I also learned that she's from the town that my brother-in-law just moved too. Such a small world!

I was really intrigued by Maret's book because it is a young adult novel centered around bullying. The author is an anti-bullying advocate and even donates 15% to anti-bullying organizations! This hit home for me because I've dealt with a fair share of bullying in my life. From the young years of elementary school and all the way through high school, I was treated as an outcast.

Not only was I sold on the bullying aspect, but the synopsis just sounded incredibly intriguing! Take a look for yourself!

Synopsis:
A moment's hesitation can be all it takes to change the course of your life forever. 

She never wanted it. Any of it. They weren't her dreams at all. But they would become realized just the same. 

Born into a noteworthy family in a small town, Etta Fontaire feels inadequate and awkward most of the time. A tomboy with little interest in fitting in, Etta is often bullied by her peers and finds it confusing and suspicious when the most desirable guy in school takes an interest in her. 

After her mother bans Etta from seeing him, the results are catastrophic and Etta quickly realizes her life might never be hers again. 

• Wooden plaque
• Wooden letter
• Paint
• Paint brushes/rollers
• Paint container
• Drop cloth
• Book pages or paper
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

As some of you might know, I cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago! If you don't believe me, check out "Emotional Hoarding + Purging My Closet."

It was a necessary evil and it needed to be dealt with. I'm actually quite embarrassed that I let it get that bad. I'm glad I dealt with it before our upcoming move though. If I hadn't, I probably would have packed it up and put in our new closet, then never looked at it again. 

Once I was done, I only had about a weeks worth of clothes left over. Until recently, I was rewearing the same outfits each week. Which of course then led to a spike in our laundry bill. I'm probably the only one that noticed, but I always felt like people were judging me for wearing the same outfit every time they saw me. My friends think I'm crazy, but I notice those types of things; so I can only imagine that other people do too!

After we got home from our weekend getaway to Savannah, we stopped in Tigertown to do a little shopping. I know I did a ton during our trip, but I wanted to get a few more things for our apartment! I convinced my husband to go into Ross with me and we looked around. I picked up a few home decor items and meandered my way over to the clothing racks. 

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate shopping for myself. My husband is easy: v-neck shirts from Rue21 and khaki shorts from Kohls. He's the same size every time and those things will always match. I, on the other hand, range anywhere from a medium to an extra large in just about everything. It is impossible to buy clothes for myself and I can't remember a time that it wasn't. 

I picked up a couple things that looked like they'd fit and headed towards the fitting rooms. After trying everything on, only one shirt fit. No surprise there! It wasn't until I handed it to the cashier that I realized the tag read 2XL. Those of you that know me, know that is not my size. I had a mini panic attack before grabbing my stuff and heading out the door. 

A few days later, I wore my new shirt with some gray leggings and I felt the best I have in months. I actually asked my husband if we could go out to lunch, because I was so happy. I realized it doesn't matter what size my tags read. If I feel comfortable and feel good, then thats all that matters. 

The following weekend, I went to Office Max/Office Depot to print out Danielle Esplin's manuscript. There was just no way that I was printing out 332 pages on my home printer. But if you haven't read my review, just know it would have been 100% worth it! Anyways, Ross is right next door and I'm sure you see where I'm going with this :)

I went ahead and put the manuscript in my car and then walked into Ross. I immediately went back to the clothing racks and looked for the hangers labeled 2XL. I felt a little weird at first, but then I reminded myself of how happy I was in my newest shirt. I moved through the racks and piled up my cart. And when I say piled, I mean it! I had clothes in the cart, hanging off the seat, in the seat, and laying across the entire top of the cart. 

If you haven't been to Ross before, their fitting room limit is eight items. I can't even tell you how many trips I took just to try everything on. It took forever too, because I decided to send my husband a picture of every thing I tried on. That probably wasn't the best idea, but I figured he's the one that's always with me, so he should like them too. After I tried everything on, and got my husband's opinion, I narrowed it down to 13 shirts. I know. I know. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not when you only have a weeks worth of clothes to begin with. 

Below are my final picks and what I plan to pair them with! The reason I love all of these looks is because they are all flowy and comfortable. I'm still not 100% happy with my weight, but these clothes make me feel beautiful. And that's the goal isn't it?