Top Five Friday #6: Happy Things

Hi everyone and Happy Friday!  I know some of you have today off, so I hope you're enjoying the beginning of a long weekend.  I have to work, but I'm ready to relax and see family for Easter!

Once again, I'm linking up with the DC girls (Mar,  Cynthia and Courtney) for their Friday linkup.  Today's topic is Happy Things, which is such a great topic!  What's better to talk about on a Friday than things that make us happy?

I'll be sharing the five things making me happy right now (some are very materialistic, but others are more substantial!).  Make sure to comment below with some things making you happy right now!



1.  Travel.  I know that I keep talking about my upcoming trip (check out my post yesterday about what I want to see on my trip!) but I'm deep in wanderlust right now!  I can't wait, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum on the blog. I will have some posts about planning and packing, so I hope I don't bore all of you!  I'm a bit excited...(understatement of the year).



2.  Wedding Planning.  I haven't talked about my wedding on the blog very much yet, but Dan and I are planning on getting married (hopefully) next Spring!  We're having a beach wedding that's "just the two of us", and I couldn't be more excited!  We're still deciding what islands to visit, so if anyone has experience with the Caribbean PLEASE help! (P.S. if you want to hear how he proposed, which also happened on a beach, check out this post!)

In the meantime, I've been looking for flowy, simple, cheap beachy wedding dresses.  Here are a few of my favorites so far:

Embroidered Gauze Dress -Such a pretty dress, and it's only $35!!  I could definitely see myself in something like this and I wouldn't even care if it got covered in sand or water!


 destination wedding 
Kimchi Blue Halter Dress-Love this style!  It has a really beautiful detail at the neck and on the back.  It's a great price too- $89!


http://img1.fpassets.com/is/image/FreePeople/35083146_011_c?$detail-item$ 
Baby Baby Dress -I think this one could look really beautiful on the beach, or it could look like a tent on me and not look very flattering at all!  It's also a good price at just over $100.



beach tulle dress 
Anika Tulle Skirt-I think it would be beautiful to have a tulle skirt with a simple camisole paired with it!  This one looks so flowy and gorgeous.  It is $500 though, so I'd probably find a cheaper one if I decided to go this route.


destination wedding gown 
Cascada Gown -This one is incredible!  I had to use the action shot just to show how great it looks in motion.  It's $1,600 which is more than I want to spend, but I just love this one!


3.  Selma.  I can't have a post about being happy without talking about my best friend!  We got Selma about 6 months ago.  My mom and I volunteer at a Humane Society as dog walkers, and as soon as Selma came in, my mom texted me and told me she found my dog.

I came in right away and fell in love with her. She just got spayed and was still drugged up, but I went in to hang out with her and she just put her head in my lap and fell right asleep!  She tried a few times to wake up and wag her tail, but she was so tired out!

Unfortunately, someone had a hold on her (meaning they had 24 hours to decide if they wanted to adopt her, and no others could adopt her during that time) as well as 4 people on a waiting list!  I figured it was hopeless, but I put my name down anyway.  The next morning, I got a call that all the other potential adopters fell through, and we could pick her up!  I'm not an emotional person, but I immediately burst into tears, told my boss I was taking the rest of the day off, and drove like a madwoman down to the shelter!
rescue lab mix
First day home- she looked so happy and fit right in!

Ever since then, Selma has made me the happiest person ever.  Dan and I can't imagine life without her- it just feels complete now!
dog running partner
Running partner for life!



4.  Sephora Sale.  The VIB sale is coming up soon (mid April!), and I'm planning on buying some mini products to take to Europe!  Here are some things that I'll be checking out, with links below.  If you've tried any of these or have any other recommendations, let me know!. 





travel makeup sephora 
 Links:
tangle teezer compact
living proof perfect hair day treatment
bite beauty luminous creme lipstick
tarte mascara
sephora favorites kit
nars tinted moisturizer


5.  Blogging.  Of course, I couldn't leave out blogging!  I've been wanting to blog for a while now, and I'm SO glad that I made the leap a month ago.  I've really enjoyed using my creativity on an every day basis, connecting with other bloggers, and interacting with all of you!  It makes me so happy when I see a new view or a comment.  I hope you're all enjoying my blog and it's a place that makes your day a little brighter!  Thank you all for reading and commenting :)



That was a lot to talk about today!  I'll be skipping my top five songs and shows of the week so you can check out the other blogs in the linkup!  Check out the other bloggers I'm linking up with- Clare,  Heather and Katie.

Comments

  1. Ruthie@She'sWickedHealthyApril 3, 2015 at 4:35 AM

    Looks like you have an amazing trip lined up! I went to Spain and Rome last year and am going to Europe this summer! SO excited! Also in wedding planning mode as well! Cheers to a great Friday and awesome weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 6:38 AM

      That's awesome!! We're going through such similar things right now..I think we just became best friends :-P I love Spain so much and Rome was amazing (just really crowded and HOT!!!). Happy Friday to you too!!

      Delete
  2. John @ run. geek. run(disney)April 3, 2015 at 6:04 AM

    Great list of happy things. Awesome that things worked out for you to adopt your dog. Always love when those things line up (and when people adopt dogs). I look forward to reading some more on your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 6:39 AM

      Hi John! Thanks for stopping by. I've never been so thankful and relieved that things worked out! Now I can't imagine what life would be like if it didn't turn out like this...I love her so much!

      Delete
  3. Alanna @ Madeleines & MarathonsApril 3, 2015 at 7:04 AM

    We had a beach wedding and it was awesome. It was back home in Pennsylvania so all of our friends and family were there. At first I wanted to have a destination wedding but my husband has a really big family and wanted them to be there. That's a great pic of you running with your dog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 7:25 AM

      That sounds great!! I bet it was absolutely beautiful. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

      Delete
  4. carissajadeApril 3, 2015 at 7:09 AM

    Awww Selma is adorable! Also congrats on your upcoming wedding! The long casual dresses are adorable and perfect for beach. Have a happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 7:26 AM

      Thanks Carissa! I hope you have a great weekend :)

      Delete
  5. Fairytales and FitnessApril 3, 2015 at 8:37 AM

    You have many wonderful dresses to choice from! Goodluck with making a decision. Aww so cute you have a running buddy now. They are truly our best friends. So fun! -L

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 10:43 AM

      I haven't even tried any on yet, so hopefully that'll make it easier to decide :) And yes, dogs are the best!!

      Delete
  6. ArtIsMyPassionApril 3, 2015 at 9:50 AM

    Really nice dresses :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. PeggyApril 3, 2015 at 10:00 AM

    You will be amazing in any dress you choose. I love them all.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownApril 3, 2015 at 1:00 PM

    I had to work today too. Poo! I love the second dress the halter one. So very pretty for a beach wedding!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gretchen BraunApril 3, 2015 at 2:20 PM

      I like that one a lot too! Hope you don't have to work too hard today :)

      Delete
  9. UnknownApril 4, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    Glad you got Selma! My sister is an SPCA officer so she has come across many animals and seen so many happy stories!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Relationship Rules I Broke (and WEDDING PHOTOS!)

Image
Happy Thursday everyone! Today I have a different type of post to share today.  I don't talk about relationships or my dating life much on the blog, but I'm switching it up today!  I got married last Friday, and I thought it would be fun to share some relationship rules that I broke while Dan and I dated. I'll also be sharing some wedding pictures!  We got married at the Butterfly Falls at the Hidden Valley Inn in Belize (more on the Inn in upcoming posts!), and the pictures turned out absolutely amazing.  Since we had a "just the two of us" ceremony, there's not much to talk about the actual wedding.  In lieu of a full post on that, I'll be sharing some background information on our relationship, along with wedding photos and some #ThrowbackThursday pictures.  I hope you enjoy (and I promise- back to running stuff next week!) Guys are immature, so date someone older I've always read in magazines (which, by the way, have the worst datin
Read more

Towpath Half Marathon Recap

Image
Hi everyone and Happy Tuesday!  Today I'll be recapping my race this weekend, the Towpath Half Marathon.  Overall, I had a great experience at the race and would definitely recommend it!  Before I dive into the mile-by-mile recap, I just wanted to give some overall thoughts and reviews of the race as a whole. The Towpath Marathon features three races- a full marathon, half marathon and 10k.  All three races are in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but all run different courses.  The half and 10k start at the Brandywine Ski Resort, while the full starts at the Boston Mills Ski Resort (where the expo is held). The course is mostly on a narrow crushed limestone trail that is relatively flat.  There are a few sections that were paved and a few small walking bridges that provided the only real inclines.  It's really hard to pass people (particularly near the turn where it's two-way traffic) since the trail is so narrow. There are a lot of water stations, and each o
Read more

Review- Group Power

Image
Happy Weekend everyone!  Today, I'll be doing a review of another group exercise I do at my gym called Group Power !  Let's get right into it. First off, the description in our program guide is "This 60-minute barbell program strengthens all your major muscles in an inspiring, motivating group environment with simple, athletic movements such as squats, lunges, presses and curls." I don't exactly look like this when I'm curling..but you get the idea! Let me tell you, this is one intense workout!  For the entire 60 minutes, we're constantly moving and lifting and by the end I'm a pool of sweat!  We work out all the major muscle groups - Legs, Chest, Triceps, Biceps, Glutes, Shoulders, and Core with light to moderate weights.  We also use a step to do exercises like chest presses and split squats. For each song, we focus on one muscle group, and do a variety of exercises with lots of repetitions, set to the beat of the music.  The tempo of the
Read more