confessions confessions

We're linking up with Leslie at A Blonde Ambition for another round of confessional Friday. Here are our deepest and darkest (at least for this week....)....

Annye's confessions:

1. It's supposed to rain here all weekend. Part of me wishes it wouldn't, because I want to be able to enjoy the outdoors some. But most of me hopes it does just so I could justify staying in bed and sleeping all weekend.
2. The Easter Bunny visited me on Sunday {yes I'm almost 24 and the Easter Bunny still visits me} and I was really good about not touching the sweet stuff. Until Wednesday night, when I literally could stop thinking about the amount of chocolate that was sitting in my kitchen. The next thing I knew I was eating Kit Kats and jelly beans like they were going out of style. Not my proudest moment.
3. All I can think about lately is summer time float trips. Have y'all ever been on a float trip? The kind where you go to the nastiest river you can find, and canoe all day--drinking beer and getting sunburnt? Basically, summer perfection around these parts. Cannotwait.
4. I went to bed last night without showering after my workout. Thinking about it now just makes my skin crawl. But to justify: I showered this morning and plan on washing my sheets this afternoon. I was just too tired. Gross, I know.
5. I have really been trying to watch what I eat {minus that whole Easter candy incident}, but I cannot stay away from Pinterest. And we all know that's where diets go to die. All I can do lately is look at delicious food and just dream about cooking it. It's like the worst kind of punishment.

Jena's Confessions:

1. My boyfriend is amazing. I'm writing it as a confession because I hate being that girl who constantly talks about their hunny pie. (Though, I realize this post will probably still be annoying). But ya'll, this guy. He deserves to be bragged about from time to time. This morning post migraine and cry, he brought us giant cokes & biscuits and gravy from McDonald's--my favorite comfort meal. I don't know about you, but it really is the little things that make a relationship. And he's always doing them--he makes me feel constantly cared about. I could eat biscuits and gravy with this guy until I'm old and grey. And fat. Because let's be honest that's where I'm headed if I keep eating like this. Check out #2.
2. I also just at two bags of M&Ms in one sitting. Good thing swimsuit season isn't coming up or anything. 
3. I bought a $40 necklace yesterday. Yes I feel guilty. But, yes it's very cute.
4. Last night I spent a lovely evening at Walton Art's Center with my boyfriend and his family to see Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. If you're like me and no nothing about music, I learned I will probably never see musicians as talented as them again in my lifetime. How cool is that? But anyway, mid concert I decided I wanted to save the memory. No flash photography allowed, but cellphones--A okay. So I kept it inside my purse while I navigated to the camera, and popped it out once the lens was ready. Snap. Went to take one more and the woman next to me said, "Excuse me, can you put that thing away?" I explained I just wanted a quick picture. She said, "I don't care, it's distracting."  Cue me imaginary punching her to the beat of the music we were hearing. Disturbing right? Maybe. I was able to let it go fairly quickly and laugh at myself for getting worked up. You should try it. 
5. My most exciting weekend plans? The Gentry Zoo. It's a drive through Safari that has to be breaking some kind of safety laws. But I don't care. Tigers! Monkey's! Hippos!

30 things to know by the time you're 30 - the smith & emma version

Glamour mag recently polled various famous people to ask them -- "What do you need to know by the time you're 30?"

 So Annye and I thought we would put our two sense in on the matter. What do famous people know anyway? They've only achieved fame. Totally overrated. It will also be fun to look back at this once we are 30 (not that far away, girlfriends) and see if we would add or change anything.

Jena's 15 things to know by the time you are 30:
1. How to write a proper thank you note. (We've covered this before.)
2. How to do your taxes. (My father still does mine. Next year, next year.)
3. How to save money for retirement. (Who knew there were so many choices for this?)
4. How to strike up a conversation in an awkward situation. Cue work party, networking event, meeting your boyfriend's parents. Have some go-to questions to ask.
5. How to ask for a raise. (I'm proud to say this one, folks, I know!) (PSS- You ask when you DESERVE it!)
6. Why you're special. And no, this reason can't be generic--"I'm such a hard worker!" That people, makes you sound like everyone else. What makes you, you? Channel Dr. Seuss.."Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." (Great for interviews, cover letters, applications, scoring that date with the cute guy...)
8. How to iron. Apparently this is an impairment in my gene pool. When I've attempted to iron my boyfriend's shirts, I add wrinkles. When I was home visiting last time, I heard my dad request to iron his own shirts. (Honestly, I'll probably just buy a steamer when I hit 30.)
9. How to cook one great dish.
10. How to host a dinner party. (I hate this sort of thing. So much pressure!)
11. How to confront someone. (Sidebar here -- Are you tired of these yet? -- Confrontation is NOT screaming, name-calling, talking about what someone did to you. Confrontation is actually a very healthy, very necessary personal skill to keep relationships real and without resentment. When you have a problem with someone...get some balls, go to them, and talk about it. Recognize what YOU did wrong in the matter, and give them time to respond to you and know that it's not about what you want, but how you can both walk away happy.) (Oh, and, I don't know this because I'm good at it, it's a skill you have to learn as a counselor. Thanks, grad school!)
12. How to sew a button. Google it people.
13. How to plan a trip.
14. How to make a budget. We'll put 'how to stick to a budget' in our 40s.
15. How to take someone on a date. Call me crazy, but, I do think women should do their part in the dating game. If the guy asks you out first, he should have a date planned -- start to finish. With some thought. But once you're dating, girls, take the guy out! Show him a good time. Give him a break from the pressure. Once you do it, you'll see that it really isn't the easiest thing in the world to do.

Annye's 15:

1. How to tie a tie. (That's hot, right?)
2. The difference between quality and quantity. In all things.
3. Know that you love your job--life is too short to still be working in a job you hate when you're 30, or even right now.
4. Who your true friends are. And how to make time for them amidst all the chaos of life.
5. What you want. Like, really, really want. (Working on this one every day.)
6. Good music. Bands, artists, singers or songwriters you wouldn't be embarrassed to tell your children about one day.
7. Good authors, too.
8. How to be alone.
9. How to forgive. And forget.
10. How change a tire. Put out a kitchen fire. Where your electrical box is located. Who to call when your house is flooding. Or other practical matters, should they ever arise.
11. What to order at the classiest bar in town and the nearest hole in the wall (not the same drink, I hope).
12. How to navigate the grocery store. (I still call my mom most times I'm there to ask what aisle things are in.)
13. How to leave the past behind. Let things go.
14. How to fold a fitted sheet. Even if it kills you.
15. Who you are.

What'd we forget? What are yours? We want to know!

making a run for it

{via)

Okay dear readers... today I come to you for advice and guidance. Any runners out there? I need your help!

I've been desperately trying to get "into" running since the beginning of the year. I conned my family into agreeing to run a 5k with me in June... meaning I had to buck up and actually start running myself. Personally, I've never ever enjoyed running. I used to dread the mile days in Gym Class and I've always been perplexed by those who claim to really enjoy it. Don't even get me started on my father... who religiously runs for at least an hour daily (ugh).

So yeah... since probably February I've been forcing myself to run at least three times a week (save for most of April.... slacked pretty hardcore). And I still loathe it. Dread doing it every time. Don't get excited for running as some claim to do. And it's pretty tortuous until it's over.

But not because it's hard. For the most part, it's been fairly easy--or at least not harder than I expected. I enjoy the challenge--somewhat. But I just don't enjoy the actual act of running. It's boring and I find myself counting down the minutes until I can quit.

Because I've heard so many people talk about how much they love and enjoy running and look forward to their workouts each day, I can only assume this is not normal. I really do wish I could enjoy it--working out would be that much easier. So... have any advice for me? Is this really normal and I just need to suck it up for a while longer?

Feel free to comment below or you could email me at Smithandemma at gmail dot com. I'd love to pick your brain!

may peace be with you

A little Saturday night inspiration. Feeling...peaceful. Thought I'd share some of the quotes that often bring me peace! Happy Easter if you're celebrating tomorrow!

Source: flickr.com via Jena on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Jena on Pinterest

Source: dearinspirationblog.blogspot.com via Jena on Pinterest

Source: hallelujahsbyholly.blogspot.com via Jena on Pinterest

Source: unamoscaenlaluna.com via Jena on Pinterest

Poll Time! Are you a morning person?

I am not a morning person. I have my days when I wake up early or perhaps even before my alarm, but I cannot, or rather, will not get out of bed.

I don't know what it is? I think about all of the things I need to do. How helpful it would be to hit a coffee shop before work or school and get some things knocked out.

But I just lay there, moaning. Maybe one day I'll function like a real adult. 

Your answers will either motivate me or comfort me in my laziness. Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

over.whelmed

Visiting my BFF in Little Rock last weekend.

Holy moly y'all! It has been a whirlwind month. As I mentioned yesterday, a lot has been going on in my life! All good things of course, but between a new job and being out of town more than normal, I just can't quite get the hang of my new routine.

All of March, I felt like my life was literally in upheaval. I feel like I have quite literally no time to do anything.

My house is a mess.

My car needs to be washed.

My DVR is filled to the brim.

I haven't been grocery shopping since February.

I feel like I haven't seen my friends in weeks.

Clearly, blogging has gone by the wayside {as I write this, I'm running late for a meeting with friends!}.

My poor pen pal {looking at you Miss Pinky} has been waiting to hear from me for weeks!

And on top of all that, I can't remember the last time I've read completely through my Twitter feed, my Google Reader is bursting at the seems and my Kindle has been untouched for weeks. Silly things probably--but those are activities I enjoy doing and really, really miss.

Just all around craziness. But. This isn't me complaining. I feel so thankful for all that I have going on. I'm excited for new beginnings. Just feeling slightly overwhelmed. It's just a phase and I'm hoping everything will settle down by the end of next week and my life can go back to being normal and boring--just the way I like it. In the meantime...any tips for being on top of things? I've always prided myself on time management but I'm starting to wonder if my skills are lacking....

MIA, no more

Okay... we admit... we've been totally MIA here at Smith & Emma. We've totally been slacking and it shows. But, it's a new week and we're getting back on the blogging bandwagon starting now! Before we get fully back into dishing on Smith & Emma, we thought we'd give a little update on what we've been up to the past few weeks.

Annye: I have enjoyed some awesome changes in my life over the past few weeks! The biggest news is that I got a new job and after just a week, I'm in love--it's a great fit and I'm thrilled to be part of my new team. I just got back from visiting old college pals in Chicago which of course was a blast--I got to see everyone and visit my favorite places in the city. I'm still trying to motivate myself to get into running, and mostly failing, but I've committed to a 5K in June and I'm not going to back out. March was spent cheering on the Jayhawks in the NCAA basketball tournament and I can't wait to watch them in the National Championship tonight. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Jena: Not many new exciting things over here--just juggling work, school and attempting to have a life. I did manage to make it home to Rockford, IL over my Spring Break for a few days. I got to venture into Chicago (My hometown is about 2 hours away!) and see my best friend. I am quite proud of her. She is living in the big city working as a nurse, has a cute apartment in Lakeview, real (and nice!) furniture, and a bunch of Apple products I am jealous of. It's been almost a year since our last visit. (That won't happen again!) Back then she was working in our hometown, saving money and paying off student loans. And now...my gal pal is debt free ya'll. I admire her in this way so much because I...am not. She's one of the hardest workers I know and it felt great to see her achieve her goal of living in Chicago. What else...I got to spend some much needed time with my sister, dad, mom and beloved Buddy and Belle (my dogs who live with my parents, yeah...I'm not so good at commitments over about a year right now).

Here's a little photo re-cap. Also, if you don't follow me on Instagram yet, check me out! {@jlenea}

Chrissy, me, and Emily. They both work and play in Chicago! I miss them all of the time!

Emily's neighborhood.

The long trek home. And this is actually quite a ways in!

My mutts. Buddy & Belle.

My sister, Jade, and I.

Home sweet home. Where I grew up!

But, as Annye said, it's time to get our blogging life back in gear. What have you all been up to? We want to know!