last week, Adam graduated with his Master’s in Physiology and Developmental Biology. he was able to complete his Master’s in less than a year! less than a year people!
not only did he receive his Master’s degree in a year but he also + published 3 papers in scholarly journals + published 2 abstracts in scholarly journals + presented one of his abstracts at the prestigious international Experimental Biology conference in San Diego + wrote a thesis [and was told it was the best thesis defense one professor ever heard!] + received numerous grants, scholarships, and awards for his work and did all this while + working & teaching undergraduate classes part-time + going to interviews for dental school + taking care of his wife and baby
yep. that all happened this last year!!
[other Master’s student Jeff, mentor Dr. Paul Reynolds, and Adam]
[Adam & Jeff, taken with our film camera so kind of grainy]
i cannot fully express how proud i am of Adam & all the hard work he did this last year. all those days he was gone from 8 in the morning until after 8 at night became so worth it as i saw him walk across the stage to receive his diploma [holder]. as we were sitting there waiting to hear his name called i started to get really emotional looking back at this last year. i cannot believe it’s actually over and how much Adam has accomplished!
he did it!!
Adam is such a great example to me of hard work, patience, diligence, motivation, determination, & more! he never gave up even when some days it seemed so so much harder than others. i know there were times where it didn’t seem like it was worth all the struggle, but now looking back, it totally was!!
i’m so incredibly proud of him! i’m so happy i am his wife and we were able to go through this year together. he’s a pretty amazing guy!
It's the sixth month of the favorite post link-up! Be sure to check out all of our hosts and their blogs to find out their favorite posts this month + find some new blogs to read in the link-up!
i’m so excited for this month’s group giveaway!! i feel like i have been building up all this anticipation for it for myself since with being out of town for 5 days and Elijah not sleeping i kept putting it off for a few days. but now it’s finally here and i can’t wait for you all to see the amazing prizes people have donated. seriously they are amazing!!
first though, i just wanted to thank my sponsors for being so patient, kind, and generous with this giveaway! i know every blog says this about their sponsors i’m sure but i really feel like i have some of the best sponsors and i truly consider them all to be my good friends. i have loved to get to know them better and be able to work with them this past month! i couldn’t have asked for better women to work with.
i hope you all are able to visit their shops/blogs/pages as well and personally get to know them and thank them for their contribution. you will love them as much as i do and hopefully gain new friends in return! [and as always, please only like/follow their links if you are going to honestlysupport them!]
now on to the prizes! there are 23 prizes which means 23 winners!!
XL Ad Space from Me :)
first, i want to offer you a free, Extra Large ad space for a month on my blog! it also comes with an individual guest post and/or giveaway. can’t wait to see who wins and get to work with you!
Morgan is one of the kindest, most sincere women i have ever had the blessing to meet. even with all that she is going through, she still finds the time to offer her help & support when i need it.
today she is kind enough to give away a necklace from her Mother’s Day collection. perfect for the mother/wife/woman in your life who has influenced you!
Katy is another wonderful woman i have loved getting to know! her talents seem endless and she is so generous with them. she’s an inspiration to many including myself and i am so glad i got to work with her!
she is giving away a custom onesie or t-shirt sizes newborn-4T. you get to choose the text and theme!
i.love.Kassi! she is so fun and awesome! and one of the nicest people i have been able to work with. seriously, what’s not to love? this picture really says it all :)
today Kassi is giving away a personalized prize package for the winner.
Rachel is another good friend of mine and has the CUTEST shop of hand-sewn children’s items like these finger puppets. and she has the cutest, most well-behaved little boy i have ever seen [Elijah is cute but not so well-behaved… ha]. i am sad that they are moving away so i can’t see them anymore and try to copy her outfits. because she definitely has the best clothes!
today Rachel is giving away these Three Little Pigs finger puppets from her shop.
i am mildly obsessed with everything in Diana’s shop!! i just recently bought my first print from her and it literally took me almost an hour to finally narrow it down to which one i wanted. i wish i could buy everything and have a wall devoted to Livy Love Designs prints. or at least have enough wall space to put them. so cute!
today she is giving away custom 8x10 U.S. silhouette map [or another country if you don’t live in the U.S.] in your choice of colors. you can choose as many hearts as you want to place over cities in the country
i’m so glad i got to know Sarah a little better this month and hear her amazing stories. she has reminded me that miracles do exist and there’s not such thing as mere coincidences. she is amazing and has the greatest outlook in life that i really admire!
she is giving away a Grab Bag full of items from her shop worth $20. i have some of her hair wraps and clips and i loooooooooove them!!!
i seriously don’t know where i’d be without Jessica and her friendship. she is the type of person that when she sees a need, she just acts instead of waiting for someone else to step in. and she has definitely stepped into help me MANY times even when i didn’t realize how overwhelmed i was. she is a lifesaver in ever sense of the word!
she is giving away a custom silver double stamped charm from her shop.
i have the amazing opportunity to work with Ashley and be her virtual assistant. but besides that, she has become one of my nearest and dearest friends! she is so supportive in everything and always makes time to talk to me especially when i’ve had hard days/weeks. i really don’t think of it as a job as much as just helping out one of my very best friends!
Ashley is giving away a $25 credit to her shop today which is amazing and definitely goes a long way!
Laura’s love for her family is so admirable and one that i hope to reflect as my children and i get older. she is a great example to me and i’m so glad to be able to learn from her!
today Laura is giving away a surprise package full of Mary Kay products! and their stuff is wonderful!
Large Ad and Mixed Tape CD from Jenni.Austria.Germany i’m sure i said it before and i will say it again, Jenni is one of my absolute most favorite people in the world. she is SO funny, SO witty, SO nice, SO supportive, SO patient, and lots lots more! basically i worship her and am her biggest fan. it’s probably embarrassing to admit that though and maybe i just scared her away…
Jenni is so cool and is giving away a large ad space on her blog AND a “mixed tape” CD of the genre of your choice. i can only imagine that CD being the best thing ever and am green with envy over it!
i don’t feel like i can fully describe my love and appreciation for Kate. when i am feeling the most bombarded and overwhelmed, she is there with sweet encouraging messages and is really patient with me. honestly, this whole blogging/sponsoring thing would be even MORE stressful if it wasn’t for people as amazing as Kate!
today she is giving away a large ad space on her blog for one month!
Jillian is SO fashionable and fun that it makes me wish we lived closer so we can party together. because basically i can just imagine how awesome her parties would be. i would love to see her dance moves :)
today she is giving away a 200x100 ad on her blog Boyish Chic.
Christi has the cutest blog with basically the cutest name ever! and she has an incredibly talented shop on top of it. i can’t get enough of her blog or her shop items!
you can win this cute yellow crochet headband from her shop.
i am so grateful to Kristen for so many reasons. but ESPECIALLY her patience and kindness!! i was totally stressing out and kind of just spilled my beans to her in an email and she was nothing but kind and understanding, something i really needed when all i could do was beat myself up. she is so wonderful to work with and anyone who wins her ad space will really enjoy it!
which leads me to her prize… she is giving away a large ad space on her blog for May (but it’s my fault cause this giveaway was posted late….) and includes a spotlight and group giveaway.
Dana and her husband Steve run SodaPop designs and they have been some of the best people i have ever worked with! so so humble and kind and SO TALENTED! i love all their designs in their shop and now that things have settled down after these last few weeks, i definitely plan to reward myself with some pretties from them :)
they are giving away this red cabochon flower and white pearl necklace from their shop!
this girl and the book she is giving away are both incredibly amazing!! first, Kaylee is the sweetest girl i have EVER met! [and i honestly think it’s weird to use that word a lot but in this case it’s the only honest way to describe her!] she knows exactly what to say when i need it the most and has done so much to boost me up! i love her so much and am honored to be her friend.
in addition, the book Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson that Kaylee is giving away is one of the most inspirational books i have ever read! and i only just started reading it too and already it’s absolutely incredible. everyone should read it even if you don’t win it this time. because it’s a must read!
i cannot express my love for Gentri enough. i just love her!! she is one of my first real bloggy-turned-real-life-friend and i’m pretty sure we text on a regular basis. and this coming weekend we get to party hard together [and even share a bed! ha!] and i absolutely can’t wait! she’s my favorite person.
today she is giving away a large ad space on her blog for one month.
Amanda is so beautiful and wonderful! truly. i have loved getting to know her better this month and try to learn to be more stylish :) because i mean really, she is gorgeous!
she is giving away a medium ad space for one month on her blog.
Citlalli is incredible. sincerely with every meaning of the word. she is talented and supportive and kind and helpful and generous and more! she has been my friend from the beginning and i will be forever grateful to her for her friendship!
today she is giving away a $20 credit to her shop. i LOVE her clutches and have one of my own. it’s my favorite thing and Elijah even knows he’s not allowed to touch it :)
not only is Liz a talented blogger and blog designer, she is also the mom to the cutest little ones including her very precious newborn baby boy. i’m so impressed the things she’s able to get done while having two little ones when i can’t even get things scheduled in time with one kid! she definitely is a person to look up to.
Liz is giving away a free, full custom, blog design.
what can i say about Franchesca that i haven’t already said before? i know i’ve talked about how amazing and inspirational and kind and caring and talented she is. but have i also mentioned how motivational and supportive and lovely and compassionate and charitable and selfless and brave she is? cause she is! i look up to her in SO many ways i can’t even coherently explain it anymore.
today Franchesca is giving away a large ad space on her blog.
one of my biggest struggles in understanding who i truly am. i constantly judge and pick on myself, telling myself i’m not pretty enough or good enough or talented enough as others. i have blemishes all over my face, my musical abilities are subpar, and my home will never be as cute as i want.
there are times where i really believe these thoughts. but i know they are all lies.
i know we are all sons and daughters of a King,
we have infinite worth & are loved by our Heavenly Father.
“It is my prayer and blessing, that when you look at your reflection, you will see beyond imperfections and self doubts, and recognize who you truly are, glorious sons and daughters of almighty God.”
WHEW!! if i thought last week was nuts, i was not prepared for how busy this last week ended up being! [which resulted in lack of posts…. again] we went to San Diego for Adam’s research conference {which is all an insane, tiring story in itself including Elijah almost drowning twice}, walkedwalkedwalked everywhere in San Diego, Elijah didn’t sleep, went to the zoo thanks to a really amazing and sweet friend {thanks Ginny!!}, came home late Wednesday night, Elijah didn’t sleep, went to Women’s Conference for two days with my mom, and now am finally putting my feet up to relax a little bit.
lots of great, fun things and lots of crazy, tiring things happened this week! but it was still a good week though i’m really glad it’s over :)
so for your weekend, relaxing pleasure, here’s some links you should check out for this week’s Saturday Favorites!
Gentri does these great “Esthetician or Aesthetician” posts all about skin care. they are so helpful especially for me since my skin is terrible and i’ve never had clear skin in my life. to go along with her posts, she is giving away a free skin consultation & Dermologica skin kit on her blog right now!! i’m telling you this to be nice but please don’t go enter it because i want/need it badly!! :)
who doesn’t want beautifully toned arms?? i think that’s one of my biggest desires when it comes to my body. Amanda from For the Love of a Cupcake gave some really great tips & exercises for how to get your arms nice and toned! i can’t wait to try these at home.
Kaylee and Mary Kate are starting a monthly book club beginning in May! i have really renewed my love for reading and am always looking for new books to check out. so i’m really excited about this and can’t wait to see what books they choose.
holy beautiful!! i love everything in Laura’s shop but this necklace is just stunning. i need in my life now!
this headband is just so perfect and bright and happy and cheerful! perfect summer accessory.
i LOVE this decal from After Nine to Five to put in a kid’s bathroom! especially a boy’s bathroom since they are always so dirty and messy… :) [and i love that tub but that’s a different matter.]
Abbey has the best style and the cutest clothes! and that hat!!! if you haven’t checked out her blog and her cute style, you are missing out. plus she has the cutest little baby so you can get your daily dose of “babylafter.”
here it is! my last 30x30 under $30 outfit!! it took forever but i finally posted them all!! {sorry for so many delays, especially these last 2 weeks being insane}
i thought it would be fun to have a little flashback of all the 30 different outfits that i mixed and matched over the month. it’s pretty crazy i got so many outfits out of those items! {and still didn’t even use every piece often enough!}
i didn’t do this challenge because i think my clothes are cute or that i’m fashionable by any means! i had two reasons that i decided to take on the challenge: 1. to prove that you don’t have to spend a lot to have cute clothes 2. to feel better about myself [mainly #2 as you can see by the bold & enlarged text :)]
after this challenge, i can honestly tell you that i feel far from the feelings of inadequacy i expressed in this post about my clothes. i understand now that i don’t have to lose myself or give up the things that make me ME just because i’m a mom now. i don’t have to be frumpy & boring & frustrated with my style. i can still feel fabulous even with a baby on my hip! {most of the time…}
this challenge really changed my perspective of mixing fashion & with motherhood. i feel like i have finally been able to find a good {confident} balance between the two. i know now that i can still feel good about myself even if i’m changing a diaper. seriously was a hard lesson to learn!
and let me tell you, i’m SO much happier after pushing myself through this challenge! i’m so proud of myself and feel so liberated from my rut! i regained my style, quirkiness, and confidence back!
i know a lot of people who did this challenge said they got bored or hated it, but i honestly thought it was great and really recommend anyone who is thinking about doing it to definitely try it out!
what are some ways that you try to maintain your personal style even if your current situation {i.e. motherhood} makes it difficult?
