Top Tracks of 2014

Way back when, when I was young and used to blog daily, every week I would put together a playlist of my favorite tunes of the moment. It's been a little while since I have done that for you guys, but it doesn't mean I haven't been listening to great music. The end of the year is always my favorite because it is full of top lists from the year we just finished up, as well as great new tunes and artists that will be making a name for themselves in the coming year.

Now before you get too excited - I didn't make a playlist myself. Ain't nobody got time for that. What I did do for all of you though, is compile a list of other playlists. I wonder how many more times I can say the word list in this post today?

Some of those lists (there it is again) are below....

// Spotify's List (is anyone keeping a tally?) Of Who To Watch In 2015. Keep an eye on Houndmouth for sure. One of the members is friends with Brad.

// NPR's Songs We Love 2014  

//This new single from Pablo Nutini just slays me.

//5 Artists To Watch In December of 2014

So yeah, cheers to music :)

<3 BB

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Via Pinterest

Want to know all the reasons why it is the most wonderful time of the year?! It is because .....

//It is sitting by the fire time - time of the year

//It is listening to the top songs of the year lists time- time of the year

//It is only 20 days until Christmas Eve time - time of the year

//It is eating and drinking all of the pumpkin and peppermint treats (but not together) time - time of the year

//It is not forgetting to commit to your health and wellness during the hectic holidays time - time of year (especially after having one too many of the above yummies)

//It is curl up with a good book (by said fire) time - time of the year

//It is trying on wedding dresses time - time of the year. Eek. More on that experience to come later. 

//It is finishing up (or just starting) Christmas shopping for others and maybe a few things for yourself too time - time of the year

//It is listening to all of the Christmas music time - time of the year

//It is getting to spend as much time as possible with your friends and family time - time of the year

SO yeah, just a few reasons I love this time of year even if it is cold and rainy....

Cheers!

<3 BB

ps. Hi Guys! Glad you're sticking around even though I am not around nearly as often as I would like to be :)

warby parker home try on

You know what isn't fun.... turning 26 and falling off your parents' insurance. Especially when they have legit vision coverage. So now that I am stuck with my own insurance that barely covers the cost of my contacts, I decided to test out Warby Parker's home try on and dabble in new glasses for the first time in 3 years.

They give you the option to try 5 of their frames at home for free - not to mention they ship them back for free as well. Then to order the glasses they are 95 dollars total. If you are at all familiar with buying glasses from the eye doctor you will know they are often a few hundred more than that. Not to mention they have the same business model as Tom's, where when you buy a pair, they give a pair to a person in need. 

Here are the 5 I picked. 

//Welty in Plum Marblewood 

//Burke in Sugar Maple 

//Vaughan in Eastern Blue Fade

//Durand in Whiskey Tortoise 

//Chamberlain in Saddle Sage 

Lots of thoughts were to be had during my home try on. 

//I really wanted to love the Vaughan ones (bottom right corner) until Brad said they looked like 80s mom glasses. So those got vetoed. 

//They all started to look the same the more I kept trying them on. 

//My face shape does not look good in round glasses. 

//All of the glasses I picked looked very similar.
//I can't even pick out new glasses - how am I going to pick out a wedding dress? 

//One of the pairs I picked were more or less identical to the previous glasses I already owned. 

//Taking selfies in glasses is hard. Glare off the glasses is a real thing and it is hard to deal with.

All in all I think I want the upper left corner ones. The Chamberlains - unless you guys think otherwise? Let me know your thoughts and go check out Warby Parker. 

Cheers! 

<3 BB 

currently

Ok more like the last few days this is what I have been up to.

making made // these banana nut muffins (minus the nuts) from the Skinny Taste Cookbook I recently ordered. 

drinking // Coffee. Coffee and more coffee. 

reading // What To Eat. It is fascinating and at the same time makes me not want to buy produce from the grocery store anymore. 

wanting // more sleep. more free time. and to be over this cold already. My sniffles need to check themselves at the door. 

watching // Ok, ok... I confess, I have been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls lately. For the record - Dean is the worst. 

listening // to this band. You Me & Apollo. They are legit. 

eating // Banana Nut Muffins. Duh.

enjoying enjoyed // My weekend with my family. My sister's birthday was on Saturday and I got to spend a lot of time with them. I might have also fallen asleep on them too - but I blame the cold for that and at least I was still in the room with them while I napped? 

loving // that holidays are in full swing. I may or may not have put up some twinkle lights yesterday and burned one too many spruce scented candles. Which by the way, who knew there was such a thing as burning too many scented candles at once? Word to the wise - don't over do the number of candles you burn at one time. You will get a headache. 

feeling // stuffy. Really though, this cold. I am going to keep complaining about it because I can. Also, I am starting to feel strong, too. I have been slowing working on my heavy lifting. Well I wouldn't call it heavy yet, but I am making progress on the bigger lifts like back squats and overhead squats, and snatches, and cleans, etc. It is hard, but fun! 

laughing // at the price of wedding details. It is ridiculous and laughable. Probably should have gotten married at a courthouse.... oh well! I suppose it will be worth it? ;) I kind of like Brad or something. 

noticing // that I never blog any more. It just isn't a priority in my life. I miss it, but I also can't commit either. 

bookmarking // your blogs I should be reading; wedding ideas I think are pretty -but probably can't afford; foods I want to make and bake from my new cookbook; workout ideas for myself and my clients; you know the usual.... 

So yeah, that is what my life looks like currently. What have you guys been up to?! 

<3 BB 

Life Lately.

Hmmm blog? what's that? Do I actually have one? You're probably getting tired of that introduction every time I actually show up to this space, which is like once a week, if we're lucky....

Here are some things that have been happening in my life as of late.

//Brad was gone for the first half of the week for work, which meant my bedtime on Tuesday night was no joke, 8:30 pm. Lights out. Sorry, not sorry. It was so fabulous. 

//Last weekend I decided to make a quick trip to DC... Douglas County that is - let's not get crazy - to visit my family, as well as help my friends Anne and Courtney with a styled wedding photo shoot.

What I thought was going to be an inexpensive weekend turned into me accidentally popping a tire and then having to replace not one, but all four ties. See ya never, wedding flower budget. That just went to new tires. Maybe I can just roll a tire down the isle with me instead of carrying flowers? Seems reasonable and beast mode like.

Word to the wise: look for concrete blocks that might be sticking out farther than you realize. Also, my car didn't even have a spare tire or a jack! WTF. come on people, what am I supposed to do in case of emergencies?!? Dumb. 

//As for the styled photo shoot. It was beautiful. There were 2 attractive models, Courtney killed the hair and makeup, and Anne documented it all flawlessly like she always does. Oh and did I mention chocolates?! There were beautiful, handmade chocolates from a local shop called Cabruca Chocolates. I can't wait to see the film when Anne is done with it. I know all the images will be pin worthy. Now to get our company ABC Design Co. up and running. We will take the world by storm. Or something....

//When it comers to my actual wedding... not much planning has been happening lately. I figure I have a year and no need to put too much effort into anything. Just working with Kailyn on our Save The Dates. Which, funny story, I think Brad may be more picky than I when it comes to fonts and such for these Save The Dates. Kailyn might be regretting her choice to help us :) 

Anyway, that is all I have. Happy Halloween, people.... is it Christmas yet? PS. don't tell Brad but Saturday I am totally putting up twinkle lights. Post Halloween is fair game for twinkle lights in my book.

<3 

BB 

Engagement Photos Teaser

You.Guys.

If I was a basic white girl which I am I would say something along the lines of...

'I literally can't even' 

when it comes to how much I love the preview of our engagement photos. Anne only sent us a few photos as a teaser while she works on editing the rest. Honestly though, these first few are so fantastic I would be happy with only these... With that being said, Annie - please send the rest!!!!!! 

Anne's photography business has grown so much in the last year and I am so proud of my bestie. She shoots mostly film and the painting like feel of her work just makes my heart melt. I can't wait for the rest... Until then check these out

 <3 

On A Scale of Rocking Leggings With Uggs

How Basic were you this weekend? Let's a take a quiz and find out.....

//Did you make your way to a pumpkin patch?

//Did you drink a pumpkin spiced latte on the way to said patch?

//Did you have a caramel apple at the pumpkin patch? 

//Did you wear a combination of fall scarf and Hunter rain boots? 

//Did you take way too long picking out the perfect pumpkin? 

//Do you plan on spray painting that pumpkin, instead of carving it?

If you answered yes to at least 3 of these, you're about as basic as a white girl drinking a venti PSL while rocking a top knot. If you said yes to all - consider yourself as Basic as Babbling Brookelyn. Congrats to the winners! 

Cheers to the best season ever! 

<3 BB