My Poor Toby Man

Toby officially hates Jake and I. And if he doesn't, he definitely should.

We got the bright idea that instead of paying $50 to get Toby's hair cut, we would watch a YouTube video about how to cut a yorkie's hair and try to do it ourselves. Bad, bad idea.

The longest clipper we had was still too short, as you will see.

Not only did it take us over two hours, it looks awful. My poor baby. :(

Good thing he is cute no matter what his hair looks like. Those big brown eyes melt my heart.

Trust me, the photos make it look even better than it does in real life. 

Lesson learned.

Smelling the Roses

One of my favorite bloggers that you guys have heard me mention before, Jessica, over at Lovely Little Things, hosts a link-up every Monday called Smell the Roses. She creates a task that requires you to stop and "smell the roses", you write a post about it, and link-up to her page. I have wanted to link up many times and it slipped my mind but no more!

This weeks task was to make a list of ten things you are grateful for. Here's mine. Some are serious and some are not. Regardless, they are all things for which I am thankful. :)

one. I will always be grateful for my salvation in Jesus Christ. I can't imagine a life of unforgiveness, guilt and condemnation. I am SO thankful that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross and cleanse us of all our sins if we ask and believe.

Source: thiskaleidoscopeheartofmine.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

two. I am thankful that I was raised in a home with two parents that loved me and cared about me. They, along with my grandparents, led me down the right path spiritually and in life. They taught me how to treat others, how to believe in myself and how to be successful. So many friends come and go but these people have been in my corner from day one and always will be.

three. I am thankful for my husband. It would have been hard for me to leave my parents home, put aside my independence and cling to just anyone like the Bible instructs us to do when we get married but I have so much respect for Jake that he makes it easy. He is such a great leader of our home, making wise decisions in so many areas and always offering me great advice on how to handle situations. He encourages me and turns my frowns upside down! I think we make a great team and we have so much fun together.

Me and my hunk heading to our honeymoon!

four. I am thankful that Jake and I both have jobs to meet our needs. We have vehicles to get us where we need to be, a home to live in, food to eat and some of the extras that make life even more fun. In today's economy, this is such a true blessing. 

five. I am thankful that I married into a wonderful family that I love spending time with. We have a great time together and there's always lots of laughter.

six. I am thankful that I was born a Gator fan. What a sad story it would be if I was a fan of the "other team" which shall not be named...coughfloridastatecough.

Jake and I celebrating on University Ave. after we won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in Jan. 2009

seven. I am thankful for my church family. It would be so much more difficult to live in a different town than my biological family if it wasn't for the relationships I have here. They are my family away from family.

eight. I am thankful to live in a state with beaches, way more sunshine than rain and restaurants that serve sweet tea. These things make my heart happy.

From our vacation in South Beach, Miami

nine. I am thankful for the talents that God has given me. I love singing, especially when I am singing to the One who gave me the ability to do so.

ten. I am thankful for the magnificent thing that is the DVR...along with other technological advances such as the iPhone. It may sound materialistic, but I honestly don't know how I would find my way around a new city without it. It keeps me in constant contact with my family. I mean, I could go on and on about how wonderful it is, but I know y'all understand how lost you'd be without your choice piece of technology, whatever it may be. Thank the good Lord for making some humans smart enough to invent them. :)

Go take a minute and list out some things you are thankful for and link-up. I know I have a smile on my face now that I have taken the time to stop and smell the roses for a little while.

Mash-Up!

Today I am going to do a link-up mash-up between Friday's Letters and High Five for Friday! What a great week it has been! Might have to add some extra high fives at the end.

1. Dear Green Lantern, I'm afraid I'll be watching you tonight in an effort to get a head start on goal #12 from yesterday's post. Anyone that has watched it, let me know what to expect, I just normally don't go for action movies. Regardless, high five for a nice evening with hubs! :)


2. Dear Toby, I have missed you so much this week while you've been at your grandma's. I hope have kept her company with plenty of snuggles. High Fives, though, for no doggie going crazy this week from the time I start getting dressed to the time I walk out of the door for work! Still so happy for him to come home!

Cutest pup in all the land

3. Dear office partner that has been out of town this week, although it's high fives for a little quiet time in the office, I have missed having my girl company at work this week so hurry home!

4. Dear LOFT, high five for your 50% off sale yesterday and these two awesome pieces I got for cheap dollars! Feeling cheesy about posting these self-portraits but I love you guys so much that I am willing to sacrifice just so I can show you what I found!

5. Dear Readers, big ole' gigantic high five for making me smile a lot this week! I received the Liebster award and reached 100 followers!

5.1. Dear Husband, Thank you for 7 great years of being together! Seriously, there isn't one other person I'd rather spend my days with!

5.2. Dear Bachelorette Finale, thanks for making me a happy girl with the ending! High five to Emily for going against obvious choices (or so we thought) and picking the right guy for you. I definitely see why now. I'm actually thinking Jem will last. If not, Em's fashion will always be around for me admire. :)

5.3. Dear Self, way to be awesome in the blogland world and take so many pictures this week! If only you had something to take them with other than an iPhone...

Happy Friday, y'all. Enjoy the weekend!

Linking up:

21 in 21

I'm linking up with the oh-so-hilarious Erin from Living in Yellow today for my _ in _. She's seriously one of my favorite bloggers and her blog is one of my must-reads every day! Her post was 26 in 26. Mine will be 21 in 21. Take your age and list out that many things that you'd like to do in that year. Fun idea, y'all. I'm going to have to try and make mine a little easy since I have less than half a year until I'll be 22 so I gotta get moving on my list! Maybe I'll include some things I've already done.

1. Travel to a place that hubs and I have never been.

2. Post every weekday. Mondays will be hit or miss, since it's my day off.

3. Be a supportive wife to Jake no matter how his career job hunt turns out. We are believing that God has a plan for us and are praying about the job that he has for Jake.

Source: vi.sualize.us via Reekee on Pinterest

4. Go to a farmer's market one Saturday.

5. Complete my first 5k. Our young adult group at church hosted a 5k called Miles for Missions and raised money for an orphanage in Guatemala. It was a huge success and I can't wait for the next one!

We're dorks. Dorks that were happy to be at the finish line, nonetheless.

6. Get professional pictures done with hubs. The last ones we had were on our wedding day!

7. Meet another blogger from a nearby town in real life. (ahem, Jessica?!)

8. Eat more dinners at the table instead of on the couch watching TV.

9. Begin and maintain a healthier eating lifestyle.

10. Go to a concert. This should be happening in September at a women's conference. I'd like to attend one with Jake, too, if we can make that happen.

11. Graduate from UF! This would be the first item I completed since I turned 21 and graduated in the same day!

12. Go on a date once a month and do things that Jake likes, like hitting golf balls, letting him pick whatever movie his heart desires, playing a sport, etc. We used to do this more often. Playing racquetball was one of our favorite things to do together.

13. Be more organized with all things blogging related like sponsors and writing some posts early to have ready for whenever I need them.

14. Spend quality time with both my family and Jake's family whenever we can.

15. Go to more Gator football games than I did last year. Which won't be hard to do, since I didn't get to go to any games. :(

16. Get in a better Bible reading routine. With the YouVersion app, there is no excuse.

17. Grow my blog to 500 followers.

18. Put a huge dent in our student loans, if not have them completely paid off within the next year.

19. Cook more meals at home, rather than going out to eat. I'm thinking at least four times a week? We've done well this week and I love the moo-lah we are saving!

20. Pray with Jake every night before we go to sleep.

21. Don't have a baby. I saw "have a baby" on a lot of lists, so I thought I'd include my desire to not have a baby or get pregnant yet.


Hope y'all enjoyed this as much as I did. I love lists so any excuse to make one is welcomed! Have a great Thursday!

14 Year Old Me

7 years ago today I started dating the most amazing guy I had ever met! At 14, I had no clue that he and I would be where we are today. We grew as young teenagers and as a couple together. I am so thankful that God chose him for me. There is no one else in this whole world that I'd rather spend all of my days with. I can't wait to make so many more memories and spend many more years with my best friend.

The picture above is the first picture that we ever took together. It was before the banquet at church camp that we were going to together. The picture below is the most recent picture of the two of us at dinner with friends on Monday night.

Oh, July!

July has just flown by, y'all! Actually, this whole year has flown by. I have some lovely ladies that I would like you to meet today. They are my sponsors for this month, and I know you will love their blogs just as much as I do!

I decided to do something different this month and asked each blogger a few questions to help you get to know them better. Make sure you go visit their blogs and show them some love!

First up is the beautiful Tiffany from Mrs. This and That!

//blog//

1. What is your favorite beauty item? 

Mine is mascara, because I have the lightest eyelashes and with out mascara you would not even be able to tell I have any!

2. Name three things you are thankful for. 

My kids, my husband, and my home

3. How did you and your significant other meet? 

Middle school! We were boyfriend and girlfriend and then became highschool sweethearts and now are married!

4. Where is your favorite place to shop? 

Honestly, Ross (its alays a hit or miss), TJ Maxx and Target!!

5. What is your favorite song right now? 

Oh man I have so many but if I had to choose one it would be I wont give up by Jason Mraz! LOVE IT!!

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//blog//

 Hey everyone! I'm Alli, and I blog over at Brooks' Blog. I'm a twenty-something wife to a truck driver and mommy to two boys. At the moment, I am a SAHM, so you'll find many of my posts detailing how I spend my free time! I do a lot of crafts, share parenting ideas, keep you updated on our family life and cook a thing or two on occasion! I absolutely love reading blogs and meeting new people, so head on over to my site and follow along!

1. What is your favorite beauty item?
By far, my "beauty" must have is lotion. I cannot go a single day without using it! I can't say I have a brand or kind that I am loyal to, as I use different ones for different reasons - B&BW for scents, Mary Kay for my hands, a basic facial moisturizer...I could go on!

2. Name three things you are thankful for.
My hubby recently wrecked him semi, so first and foremost I am grateful for God's grace over my family. I'm still in awe that he was unharmed. Next I would have to say my strength and health, followed by the awesome people in my life.

3. What is your favorite song right now?
Toss up between Josh Turner's "Time is love" and Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know". I enjoy that Gotye's song is hitting the charts and is played on multiple genre stations. My husband thought I was an alien when I first found the song. He never imagined it would be as big as it has become, so each time it plays I remind him what an awesome song chooser I am ;)

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//blog//

Hi! I'm Allyson, and I blog over at Cupcakes and Candy Canes.  I write about every little bit of everything - finishing school, wedding planning, and the occasional craft or recipe.  I love getting to meet new readers and bloggers, and would love for you to stop by!

1.  What is your favorite beauty item?

I am a big mascara and eyeliner fan.  I don't even have a favorite one - I love all of it!

2.  Name three things you are thankful for.

I am so thankful that I have been blessed with an incredible family and someone to spend the rest of my life with.  I am also so thankful that the Lord hears and answers us every time we pray.  We spent several weeks studying prayer at church, and it has really renewed my prayer life.

3.  How did you and your significant other meet?

We don't have a story for the romance novels, but that's okay with me!  We met within the first week of attending college through mutual friends.

4.  Where is your favorite place to shop?

I don't know that I have one favorite, but lately I have found tons of cute stuff at TJ Maxx and Marshalls...oh and Target!

5.  What is your favorite song right now?

My favorite song now (and pretty much always) is Lyle Lovett's "If I Had a Boat."

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//blog//

 Hey there ya'll! My name is Elise and I'm nineteen years old -- old enough to be taking on the world and young enough to still enjoy every bump and curve in the road! I'm an outgoing, caring, feminist/vegan/Christian from NJ and although that's such an odd combination, I love who I am on earth and in Christ. I blog about my growing walk with God, my trials and tribulations of a first-generation college student in NY, my not-so-lovely relationship with my heart, and all of my endeavors as both a vegan and a feminist :)

1. What is your favorite beauty item?

Hmm, this was a tough one for me because I'm not a big hair or makeup person. At least that's how I'm interpreting this one -- but I think I'll go with Almay's Intense I-Color Mascara for those with brown eyes. They don't test on animals, which is great, and the color goes on really nicely. It's light, a quick fix, darkens your lashes, and elongates them without clumping!

2. Name three things you are thankful for.

ONLY three? Good Lord, I'm thankful for just about everything. I'm going to try not to go with obvious ones, like God and Christ and my Bible, and such so... Let's see...

I have to start off with my dad. I could list all the ways my blood family and friend family and church family have helped me, but I want to hone in on my father because he's done SO much for me. He works two jobs to help pay my tuition and he's turning fifty-two soon; he was the one who encouraged me to go to "whatever college is a part of your dreams, Elise - no matter what the money is. Money won't stop you from living your life the way you deserve." My dad is an amazing, hardworking, driven, caring man and although we fight sometimes, he bends over backwards to make me happy and to give me opportunities to better myself and my life. He's my backbone, for sure.

Next, I'll say that I'm thankful for the eyes the Lord has blessed me with. I have such a love and excitement for everything in life, and frequently look for the beauty where others see nothing but chaos. I don't judge others because it's not my place to judge, but even if it was - I wouldn't! I love everything this life has to offer and I'm so blessed that God has given me that ability, that endless unconditional love and excitement for everything in my path.

As materialistic and horrible as this is, I'm thankful for my iPhone. HEAR ME OUT ON THIS! It literally does everything for me. I would have gotten lost in Manhattan - and even down the street when I was first navigating my college bus route - without this phone; I would never be able to eat out or check vegan items without my phone; I wouldn't be able to open up a Bible when I don't have my physical one with me; I wouldn't be able to check my tuition and pay for that and look at my classes when my laptop is being an uber jerk without my phone; and so many reasons! I'm not one for materialism, but this phone really saves my butt on a daily basis.

3. How did you and your significant other meet?

At University! It took a bit of a bumpy, long road to be together -- I was happy with my now-ex Noel, we fought so much and I was always stressed and in tears, we ended up breaking up, Oscar helped/is still helping me through it, eeeek - but we are. We're not officially dating but we practically act as though we are. He's an atheist, so we have our spiritual debates, but I adore him. He treats me like gold and does everything he can to participate in my walk with Christ and lift me up as a person. We're only twelve hours apart and we're sooo much alike. I'm older :)

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Now go say hey to these great girls! Be sure to tell them that I sent you!

Hope y'all are having a great Wednesday! :)

My Day = Made! :)

Elise over at The Jersey Flower nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award and made my day! Thank you again, sweet girl!

Here is an explanation of what the Leibster award means and how it is awarded:

"The Liebster award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome."

-Adrian

1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 5 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
2. Choose 5 people and link them in your post
3. Go to their page and tell them.
4. No tag backs!

Here are the questions that Elise had for me:

1. What has been the best part of your blogging experience? The worst?
The best part has been getting to know other bloggers. I have met some super sweet ladies that are so positive about everything that life throws them. I love finding out about new products, ways of doing things, etc that I didn't know about before. The worst part of blogging is not feeling like I have anything to post about. But I wrote about that and got some great advice on how to deal with those days and find new post ideas!

2. If you could spend the day with any athlete, who would it be and why?
I didn't think this would be such a hard question but the more I think about it, the more I can't decide! If I could pick one person from each sport I like, it would be much easier! It was a toss up between some Miami Heat players and Tim Tebow. I have to go with Timmy. He went to UF at the same time I did, he has great values, and I feel like he'd be a fun athlete to hang out with for the day. Hubs would come with us, obv. ;)

3. What color or pattern do you refuse to wear? Which is your favourite?
I don't own anything green. It's just not the color for me. My favorite color to wear is coral/orange. My mom always told me it was "my color".

4. Tell me something beautiful about yourself, both physically and characteristically.
I like that I am a happy person. I love laughing at things and having a good time with my family and friends. Physically, I like my smile.

5. If you could have the answer to absolutely any question in the world, what would it be?

Why do good things happen to bad people? I understand why bad things happen to good people, it makes them better and stronger. But is it really necessary for good things to pour out on bad people? I don't get that one.

The 5 people I am choosing to give the Liebster award to are:

Sarah at The Not Quite Military Wife

Lindsay at Life as Lindsay

Robin at Sunshine State of Mind

Sarah at Family Darr

Kathleen at Places I Will Go

Here are your questions!

1. What is your favorite part about blogging?

2. Where is your dream vacation?

3. What was the first blog you started reading?

4. What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

5. What is your favorite beauty product?

Thank you again, Elise, for nominating me! :)

Back to the Letters

It's time for some more of Friday's Letters!

Dear Blog Titles, why can't I ever come up with more creative versions of you? You're always to the point and leave nothing to the imagination. (Any advice, fellow bloggers?) Dear DCC, I had such a great time bowling with you all this week, can't wait for Sunday at the Water Park!  So sad that Sabbath is already only a mere 11 days from ending. Dear Ear, I am so glad you finally decided to open last night from the swimming I did on Monday! Ear plugs for the rest of the summer it is! I forgot how great it was to hear, it really is a beautiful thing! This experience made me much more appreciate of my hearing! Dear Husband, I sure am glad that God picked you for me to spend my life with. You're one awesome guy! Thanks for dealing with my temporary hearing loss this week like a champ! No more huh's, what's or I can't hear you's. I love you most! Dear MyFitnessPal, thanks for helping me keep track of what I'm eating. Hopefully you will really help a girl out. Dear Weekend, I am so happy that you are almost here! Jake's mom and sister are here to hang out as well! 

That's all my letters for today. Hope y'all are having an awesome Friday! Enjoy the weekend!

I'm also linking up with Annelise from Aunie Sauce "just because"! :)

My accent...no, the other one!

Lately, I have been so obsessed with accents! (not the speaking kind, the nail kind)

I just picked up OPI's Pirouette My Whistle as a subtle top coat to use for an accent nail. Here it is paired up with OPI's Bubble Bath.

I recently started getting acrylics because my nails are so thin that polish chips after a day or so and they split anytime I try to get them to grow out. I tell the nail technician to make them as short as possible so they still look natural and it has been working out great for me! It's so much easier to polish and it lasts for days! I love Shellac but it peels off of my nails in sheets. They told me it was probably because my nails are so thin. It's okay though, fill-ins are cheaper than gel anyway and I have a lot more colors to choose from this way! It's a win-win-win! :)

This is my go to manicure. Essie's Fiji with Set in Stones as the accent nail = Love it!

Source: via Alexis on Pinterest

Here are some of my other favorite accent nails, some of them are a little bold for me, but maybe one day I can pull them off!

Source: wholesomefashion.blogspot.com via Alexis on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Alexis on Pinterest

Source: cupcakesandcashmere.com via Candle on Pinterest

Source: justpinitblogs1.blogspot.com via Shimon on Pinterest

Source: mycrazy-beautifulife.tumblr.com via The Humble Conduct on Pinterest

As you can tell, glitter accents are my favorite. I haven't quite figured out how to do an ombre accent nail but I love those too!

Are you loving the accent nail just as much as I am? What are your favorite designs or color combos to use?

Get the four-one-one!

Today, I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Becky, over at From Mrs. to Mama. She pointed out how sometimes when you find a new blog that you like, you want to know the little things about that person and instead of searching all over the place, it'd be nice to have it all in one place!

So here are some answers to questions that will help you get to know me better! Here goes!


1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I have been blogging since April, so around three months. I thought it would be a fun way to meet other people, document my favorite things in life, and share my thoughts and feeling honestly. I think that it hasn't changed much so far but it is still fairly new.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
Yes, I did. I went to the University of Florida and majored in Business Administration. GO GATORS!!!

3. Where have you traveled?
Outside of the US, only the Bahamas. I'll admit, I am kind of scared to go to other countries. As far as the states, I've been as far west as Arizona, as far north as Iowa and all up the east coast to Virginia. Everything I love to do on vacation can be done here in my home sunshine state!

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
A house as long as I could still have the income to maintain everything it would require. I definitely wouldn't want to be one of those people that get in over their head and go bankrupt in a few years!

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
Having toenails painted nicely. Being committed to the things you say you will do. And for a personal peeve, when eating a meal, I have to eat everything separately and finish one at a time. And once I begin eating my meal, I don't drink anything until I'm completely finished. Weird, I know.

6. What is your favorite movie?
Hmm...I'm not much of a movie person, but of the ones I have watched, it would have to be Law Abiding Citizen or White Chicks. As much as I try to not like White Chicks, I just love it. I remember watching it so many times with mom and laughing our heads off.

7. What is your drink of Water, Soda, Tea?
SWEET TEA! All day, every day.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Catching up on my DVR or going to the pool and laying out with a good book.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
I could never spend it all in one place! I don't think I shop at stores that are expensive enough to spend $10,000 in without having to buy multiples of something?! I love a good deal!

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
As I was growing up, I was always getting caught with my foot in my mouth. Those were always the most embarrassing. Like saying something about someone and finding out it was your boyfriend's relative... :/ (And, no it wasn't any of Jake's family!)

11. What day would you love to relive again?
The day that I went on my first date with Jake. He had come over to my house enough that we were comfortable around one another but the newness of being able to go on a date together was fun. I love our life now, but I would love to relive those young love days!

12. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
My first job was the summer after my senior year and it was at a logging company. I couldn't find a job anywhere in my home town so one of my dad's best friends gave me a job at his company even though they probably could have lived without me...I think they missed me when I was gone though! They forgot how awful it was to run from the garage inside to answer the phone so many times a day! I am very thankful that I grew up surrounded by people that cared so much about me to do things like that for me! 

13. Show us a picture from high school or college.

The Mr. and I at senior prom way before he was my Mr.

14. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
I've already shared that I am kind of scared to travel outside of the US, but every time I watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette and they are down to the final three or two and go to a tropical place, I get over that fear real quick! I want to go somewhere like that with Jake so bad! Especially on Ali's season where they had to walk through shallow ocean water to even get to their room. (I believe it was in Fiji?) Can't even imagine how awesome that would be!!

15. Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family.
This reminds me that Jake and I really need to get some good current pictures of ourselves together. Instead, you get our most recent fourth of July picture. It was dark so it came out a little blurry but it's okay because we had an awesome time on the top of a parking garage watching fireworks on campus!

16. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Hopefully we will be homeowners by then. As of now I still don't think I will be ready for kids by then. We got married so young, we have plenty of time! Can't wait for the days of grilling in our backyard together and actually having room for lots of family and friends to come over!

Flying Over Gators!

Last week, I took a break from High Five for Friday, but I'm back!

one.
Yesterday was staff day out and I went zip lining for the first time. I wasn't too scared and I loved it! The longest zip line gave me a little bit too much time to think while I was in mid-air so the fear of falling got to me a little on that one. It was a great time and I recommend doing it! Go be adventurous!!

The staff getting ready to go!

No hands!

They told us to pose

two.
After zip lining, we went to Texas de Brazil for dinner. Can you say Yummmmmmm!!!!! I usually enjoy the meat during my meals and the steak was awesome but I had to go get seconds from the salad bar. It was probably one of the best salad bars I've ever seen! Very uncharacteristic of me but I liked it!

three.
Before we went zip lining (it was at Gatorland), we saw some of the biggest gators I've ever seen! It was so awesome! Check them out!

Feeding them hot dogs

Taking a nap on his turtle friend

13.5 ft long and 1000 pounds!!!

Albino gator

So many! I thought they were fake at first.
They were being really still, okay?!

Gator pod

four.
Wednesday night was Axis game night! Had so much fun playing dodgeball with the teens. I love spending time with them and seeing them have a great time. The dodgeball brought back the church camp memories!

five.
Jake and I have the day off tomorrow to spend with one another! Those are my favorite!

Hope y'all have a great weekend! :)