It's been a busy month y'all. My apologies for not blogging for the last four weeks. I've been beyond busy. So let me start my blog return with an anniversary post of sorts.

Soon will mark a whole 6 months I've been dating Brandon. I tend to mention him more on here than I promised but we've spent most of the last 6 months together, growing as friends and learning to understand and love each other as partners.

I'm going to keep this post short because...let's be honest; sappy posts get boring quick and I also do like to keep the majority of my relationship off the internet.

These last 6 months have been wonderful. Not perfect; definitely a learning experience, but wonderful. If i would have known that me telling my sorority sister Kay that her "friend Brandon was cute" would have led to these 6 months of happiness, I would have paid attention to Brandon when we met before. lol

All jokes aside, its great to be with a handsome, intelligent, goofy and loving boyfriend who allows me to be silly (and joins in), serves as my #1 cheerleader, provides stability and rationality to my emotional tendencies, and is the perfectly polar opposite of me; which means our life never gets boring.

In all that you are and aren't, I love you brandon. 

Here's to 182.5 days of amazing, and hopefully a lifetime of days like this ahead. 

I have to start this off by saying: I am not catholic. I am about as southern Baptist as you can get; or at least I was raised that way (my views have become much more liberal over the years). However, I think lent is a great way to practice discipline and increase your connection with God.(because it takes PRAYER on top of prayer to get through 40 days without some of your favorite pleasures)

This year for my modified lent season, I’ve decided to go 40 days STRAIGHT without red meat and chicken. That’s right; the meat in my diet is limited to fish and shellfish. I know for a fact that I cannot go without meat; my doctor requires I have adequate protein sources and I grew up on a southern-style meat and potatoes diet. 

To make things worse, I’ve decided to cut out bread and grains as well. Carbs are a no-no for me. They trigger my body to act a complete fool-so cutting them out as much as possible, as hard as that is, seems like a necessary evil. 

My day one diary went a little something like this:

Breakfast-Egg whites and cheese on a low carb English muffin

Lunch-Ancho Chile Salmon with grilled asparagus and roasted tomatoes

Snack-Pepper jack cheese (yummmmm)

Dinner- Garlic Butter Shrimp with garlic roasted asparagus and a glass of red wine (pictured above)

I even survived a trip to H-E-B starving without falling victim to the awesome snack aisle and bakery.

I feel that being pescatarian is against the rules as a Texan; I mean there's no BBQ on this earth like a good Texas brisket. So while adopting this lifestyle might lead to minor lifestyle changes, I don't think its something I can do for my remaining days on earth. 

So what are you "giving up" for the lent season? Is it a jump start to giving it up for good for you?

Its February. How are your resolutions going?

Surprisingly, I have not quite given up on my resolutions. For many people, february is when resolution hangovers come through and completely knock you off of your feet. The gym starts thinning out around valentine's day. Your journal's blank pages become plentiful again. Your budgeting goes out of the window now that you've recovered from Christmas shopping. So how do you stop that?

1. Limit your resolutions.

I say make no more than three SOLID resolutions for a year. Many of us make a list of things we want to accomplish and try to start them all at the same time, which can (and most likely will) lead to a MAJOR burnout. At the beginning of this year, I set three goals.

-Start (and keep up with) a blog

-Workout/Lose Weight

-Maintain a 3.5GPA in grad school.

So far, so good. Ive been eating much healthier (Im down 90 pounds from last year), school just started but my grades have been good, and my blog was off to an AMAZING start three weeks ago and I have already been added to local media lists. 

This has been the most successful resolution season for me yet. Because I kept my list small and delegate time every week to accomplishing my goals.

2. You have TWELVE months to accomplish them. Spread out resolutions if you need to.

Even with just a small list of resolutions, life can come at you fast and limit your free time. Start slow with one and include the other resolutions into your life when you can. School is my priority so if that means reducing my blogging from 5 times a week to 2 times a week, thats fine!

3. Put the self-help books/manuals/resources DOWN and just DO IT!

Can you believe I just said that?! Yes, the internet is great because we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips BUT its just as easy to be discouraged or overwhelmed by them. When I was researching how to start my blog, I read every article, every word and used every template I could to get it off the ground. I became overwhelmed with starting. Was I ready? I haven't filled out this profile yet. I don't have this done yet. I haven't read this blog yet. This became a business more than a passion and I was almost discouraged to even start the blog. It wasn't until I put my books and manuals down and put my pen to the paper that I actually started the blog and got content up.

Sidenote: Have you noticed a lot of the self help gurus got their start by just doing it?! Experts all start out as novices.

4. Have a resolution buddy.

Sometimes when you set out goals you feel you are alone. Lifestyle changes like losing weight can be so taxing doing it alone that you feel giving up is your best option. Have a resolution buddy. Set out days to meet up, talk about your progress, be a listening ear, suggest improvements or changes. And the good thing is-that person doesn't have to have the same resolutions as you-in fact their unique perspective can help you!

So, ask yourself how can you see your resolutions through to the new year and let's make it happen! Have you kept up with your resolutions so far? If so, what motivates you to see them through?

Valentine's Day is two weeks away and if you're like me-still recovering from the cost of Christmas or if you and your boo are keeping it low-key and low-cost this year for Valentine's Day-then this post is for you.

(aren’t we cute?)

  I mention my boyfriend Brandon on here a lot. (I swear years ago I promised to never be that girl who can't quit talking about her bf...but hey, here i am) We've been dating a few months and its safe to say we make a pretty awesome duo (Only second best couple to April and Andy on Parks and Rec) This valentine's day will be our first and I've spent plenty of time looking up cool stuff to get my honey. It can be hard finding the right gift at an affordable price that he will love. Some people aren't creative and lets be honest-our beaus eventually get tired of love coupon books and homemade pictures frames with our favorite selfie/usie in it. Here are my top 5 recommendations for gifts to get your guy that won't break the bank! (and that he'll definitely love!)

1. Dollar Shave Club

Everyone deserves a good shave-including your honey. Its a great gift for a low price. The blades range in price from $1-$9 and my boyfriend loves their post shave and their shave butter. Even if you buy ALL of their products and have them shipped to you monthly, you still aren't paying more than $30 bucks a month. Great deal and thats why its tops my list. 

2. Funko Pop Toys

Everyone's favorite pop culture and comic book symbols are available as cute little figurines great for your home or work office. My boyfriend is a huge comic book fan (Marvel really but some DC) and A funk pop spidey would be right up his alley. Is your bf/husband a breaking bad fan, what about ghostbusters? Who doesn't love the walking dead? Theres basically a funko pop toy for everything and they run under $20. You can grab them at your local comic book store, or Hot Topic. I got a Walter White Funko Pop online for $14 with shipping. 

3. Socks

Who doesn't love socks?! Marshalls and TJ Maxx often sell name brands like Ralph Lauren, Lucky Brand or Calvin Klein for reduced rates. I found a 3 sock boxed gift set of Ralph Laurent socks for $13 bucks plus tax in Marshalls last week!

4. Birchbox for men

Can't you tell I love a good, affordable subscription box? Like its counterpart for women, Men's Birchboxes are available for $20 a month and each month contains a bunch of fundamentals for men-including shaving creams, stylish accessories, great smelling colognes or the newest cool tech gadget. Each box is personalized to your man's needs and style-a great way to introduce him to what’s hot in men's fashion, tech and style.

5. His favorite drink and some glasses

If your guy has a drink of preference, grab a small bottle of that and match it with some cool glasses. Many discount stores like marshals, TJ Maxx, or Ross set tumblr sets for under $10.

There you have it- affordable valentine's gifts for your favorite guy. What on this list would be the best fit for your boo? What other under 20 ideas do you have?