Goals and Resolutions

Sweater: ShopHopes | Pants: LuLus | Boots: Similar

I was one, along with a million others, who were just totally ready for 2016 to be over. 

Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad.

2016 was absolutely a growing year for me, and honestly,

growing is hard y'all!
In 2016 I opened my very first little store space.
and holy crap I have learned SO much about my business and relationships and
just myself personally.

So as most of you know Kyle and I have been trying for a baby,
and well, it's just not happening for us right now...
So this past month I made a promise to myself,
If my period came -- I would stop thinking so much about a baby,
and put ALL of my time,  energy and focus into my store and getting back in shape.

I'm sure all of you know I opened my online boutique a few years ago,
it's my baby, and it's something i'm very proud of.
However,
it seems like everyone and their damn cousin has an online boutique these days.
BUT i'm happy to say that I was one of the originals. 
And this year my goal is to get back to where I was when I first started.
So if you're one of my day one's - don't leave me now!
I've got a few ideas up my sleeve for my store and can't wait to share them with y'all!
--Stay Tuned!--

Sunday Evening Adventures.

This Sunday Kyle and I were doing our usual "Sunday"...

Ya know, sitting on the couch watching tv, 

then eating, then sitting on the couch watching tv, then more eating.

It was about 4:30 and I leaned over and said, 

"Lets drive to San Antonio & take Charley on a hike"

I was 100% dead serious, and he was actually considering it for a second.

But then - he had a better idea.

I've been begging Kyle to just take Charley & I out on the boat since he got the boat back in July.

I remember years ago, when we hadn't been dating long, he took me out on his grandpas boat,

just the two of us - and it was one of the best days of my life.

Wellp, this Sunday definitely topped it. 

We grabbed the girl and a bottle of wine & headed out to the river about 5pm, 

It was raining, but we didn't care. 

We drove around for a bit and then Charley and I jumped in and swam for a little while.

There are these little beaches of sand along the side of the river so we decided to park,

andddddddddd we discovered my new most favorite place EVER.

It was unbelievably peaceful, and beautiful, and JUST the escape we needed.

We walked around & drank some wine,

Then sat down for a bit and talked...

It was just the random adventure that we needed.

What's New?

Hey, what's up, HELLO.

For those of you that continue to read this little, unorganized, inconsistent blog of mine - 

I love you. 

My life has done a complete 180, and well, i'm still getting used to it.

I spent my first two years of marriage working from home, 

and now i'm working full time an hour away from home.

and boy oh boy it has been an adjustment. 

However, I CAN say that I have never been happier.

Having an actual space outside of my home for my store 

has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me.

The people I am surrounded by bring SO much joy to me every day,

and in just 4 short months I can already see so much growth within myself.

I figured i'd spend today catching all of you up on what's been going on lately.

1. Kyle and Corey [his cousin] purchased a boat for the fam.

we've been spending every single weekend on it and it's been Heaven.

2. Kyle & I have been on the hunt for a new home a little closer to my store.

The hunt has been ridiculously hard, prayers are welcome.

3. Charley got fleas, which then led to our entire home being infested with them for 3 weeks.

We are now [finally] flea free, hallelujah.

4. I've been thinking about slowly starting to design my own pieces of clothing.

when I say thinking -- I literally mean thinking -- like y'all may or may not be the very first people i've actually told about these thoughts. 

5. My sister and I went to the My2KTour with 98 degrees, Ryan Cabrera, and O town and it was hands down one of the most refreshing and fun nights of my life.

Boy Bands Forever.

6. I've recently become addicted to vietnamese iced coffee.

(Damn you, Hello Tealicious)

7.  I'm becoming myself.

In this big filtered world it's very easy to lose yourself, to mimic others, to try to be like everyone else, to try to be perfect.

 It's so easy to compare yourself and your relationships to others and to forget that you're unique and perfectly imperfect in your own special way. 

In the last few months i've learned a lot about myself, i've learned who I do and don't want to be. I've learned that it takes life lessons and difficult times to grow into the person you're supposed to be. 

I've learned that Gods grace covers me far more than I deserve.

I've learned that nothing in life comes easy and hard work and prayer are essential.

I'll be back tomorrow with a little outfit post for y'all.

Happy Monday and keep it real.

What i've learned -- in my 2 years of marriage.

First, and foremost.

I am by no means a person to be giving any marital advice, that is NOT what this post is.

It's just me sharing what i've experienced & learned  in my 2 years of marriage,

 after making mistakes and doing a little trial and error. 

My hope is maybe that it will help someone who may be experiencing the same things,

to know they are not alone,

or prevent them from experiencing some of the hardships of marriage that can be avoided.

Let's get started....

There is no such thing as perfect people, 

which means there is no such thing as a perfect marriage/relationship.

So to everyone watching romance movies and reading romance novels

 and expecting that to be your future, keep crying ladies, because perfect men do not exist.

Neither do perfect women, so go ahead and set your tiara down.

We as humans have a sinful nature, and that's that.

My husband and I dated a good 7-8 years before we made the decision to get married.

I mean, I thought I knew everything there possibly was to know about him...WRONG.

We had never lived together previously...and good God almighty you learn A LOT about a person after living with them.

For instance, Kyle's learned that I always leave the bathroom messy, especially the sink.

I'm an extremely messy teeth brusher and it drives him absolutely nuts.

Not to mention all of the clothes I tried on for the day, those are all on the floor. 

And I've learned that men are incapable of wiping off the counter/sink after they shave.

Kyle is somewhat of a clean freak (which I love) BUT for some unknown reason

he does not mind his facial hair sitting in our sink for days on end. 

(needless to say our bathroom is repulsive...ha! totally kidding I actually cleaned it yesterday)

Those of course are silly/little examples that you learn to work on for the sake of your spouse.

Kyle and I had a pretty great & easy going first year of marriage,

I remember people always telling/warning us,

 "Ohhhh the first year is the toughest, Just stay strong, you'll get through it"

and I always remember thinking during our first year....

"Dang, if this is what people consider tough then we're going to be the happiest couple alive."

Fast forward to our second year...

"OHHHHH this is what they were talking about!"

Marriage is such a beautiful and amazing gift that God has given us,

but it's also a lot of hard work.

There will be days when you want to physically strangle your significant other...

and it's all up to you to not act on that desire (haha laugh, its a joke --- kind of)

Now i'm not saying EVERY single one of you will experience these struggles, 

but let me just warn you that not one person is exempt from them.

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle financially,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with time management,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with freedom,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with temptation,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with selfishness,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with feeling alone,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with household chores,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with in laws/ family members,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with deaths,

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with heart ache, 

There will be times in your marriage when you will struggle with picking up your socks off the floor...

And consider yourself one of the lucky ones if you only experience one of these at a time.

Because, they sure as hell can all hit you at once,

 and that's only a short list of all of the possible struggles....

But guess what?! It's ALL worth it. 

Whether you're married or not, relationships are hard work, 

and to those people that say, 

"if it's true love it shouldn't be work at all"

they can all go shove that sentence up their butt because they don't know what they're talking about,

or they've just never been in a serious long term relationship before. 

I'm not saying it's always hard work y'all.

Loving Kyle comes very easy the majority of the time.

He's handsome, he's caring, he's giving, he's faithful, he's a hard worker...

I could go on and on about the qualities I adore about him. 

 But one of the most important things I have learned these last 2 years is about myself.

I've finally learned after 26 years that I cannot rely on a man for everything.

God gave us a partner to enjoy and do life with but not to BE our life.

As soon as you start relying on your spouse to be EVERYthing for you, 

you are going to find yourself VERY unhappy.

People are flawed, 

no man/woman will have every single little quality on your "perfect spouse" check list, 

You have to be happy with yourself, and your life before you can truly be happy with your spouse.

You have to find your purpose outside of just being a wife.

And that was one thing I really struggled with this 2nd year of marriage.

Yes I own a business, I work from home, where I'm alone, by myself, all day, every day.

and y'all that's TOUGH. 

I remember being in high school and just wanting to be a stay at home mom, 

or having a job where I could work from home...that was MY DREAM y'all.

And fast forward to now, I'm literally living my dream and i've never been so unhappy. 

But that's okay. Because i've finally learned what's causing that sadness and guess what?

It's NOT my husband!!!!

It's ME.

I am a very social person, I need people, I need communication, I need physical affection, I need to be challenged, I need to have a goal i'm working toward.  

Working from home I get absolutely ZERO of that, and by the time Kyle came home from work every day I was absolutely desperate for all of it...and he was exhausted and just wanted a few minutes to himself. 

This my friends, is a very dangerous path...

Now i'm not going to get into all the details... but if you aren't happy with yourself it can cause you to blame others for your unhappiness. 

It may have taken me a lot longer than I would have hoped but i've finally come to the realization

that it's not my husband that's not giving me enough,

it's me expecting him to give me EVERYTHING, and then being upset when he isn't able too.

You CANNOT rely on your spouse to fulfill your every want and need at all times. 

This is what you have God, family and friends for. 

Happiness starts with YOU, 

not your relationships, not with your job, not with your money, but with YOU.

I'm so thankful for a God who shows me that i'm capable of so much more than I think I am. 

Who loves me though I fail him every day,

Who sees the depths of my heart and loves me the same.

"I will praise you in this storm. I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away."

Life is all about learning & growing and becoming better than you were yesterday.
And I can't wait to see where God takes Kyle and I the next 100  (give or take a few) years we have together...

Shout out to Jesus.

Every now and then life throws you a curve ball and you have to make really tough decisions.

At the age of 26 i've officially learned that life truly isn't fair, 

and sometimes things happen... 

 People will enter into your life and completely alter it without your consent or control... 

or maybe you do have control, 

but you just have no idea why God placed them there or what their purpose in your life is,

Questioning if they are supposed to stay and be a big part of your life, 

maybe even your whole life...

or if they were always just supposed to be temporary.

I guess there will always be unanswered questions in these crazy lives we lead,

 and maybe it's better off that way.

Shout out to Jesus. 

For loving me even though I fail Him every day...

For pushing me to make tough decisions and grow from them...

For blessing me with a TRUE friendship when I needed it most...

 For providing me with a husband that sees all my flaws and loves me the same...

For a family that supports every decision and goal I have...

 Going back to what I said about life being unfair,

maybe it's only felt that way lately because i've been relying on myself too much and not on Him.

Caught Up.

Today [Friday] I'm feeling regretful.

It's so easy to get ridiculously caught up in life.

Caught up in work, social media, tv shows, bills, laundry, cleaning the house...

Kyle left this weekend to go to the Valley to play in a golf tournament.

Which left me here alone...thinking about us and our relationship and our life together.

and now I'm realizing how much I miss having him here by me...

But it's not just that.

I miss sitting by each other and really BEING with each other.

Not looking at our phones with our minds in completely separate places...

Kyle used to travel for work pretty often so this isn't the first weekend i've spent at the house alone,

but for some reason this time I really got to thinking...

Why don't I put my phone away once Kyle gets home from work?

Why don't I cherish these little moments we still have as kidless newlyweds?

Why don't I unplug and really give him the attention and love that I want him to feel?

Maybe I needed this time alone to really realize that things need to change.

Kyle and I have been together since the very beginning of college.

We were 18...babies.

And we've been madly in love ever since.

Yes we are newlyweds,

 but sometimes it doesn't feel that way since we've been together for SO long. 

It's time for me as a wife to GET IT TOGETHER.

Time to work hard on my businesses during the day...

get the laundry and cleaning done during the day...

and be PRESENT when Kyle's home.

I'm so lucky and grateful to have a husband like him 

and I can't imagine doing life with anyone else.

Cheers to more real time, laughs & cuddles.

I'm off to go get things done so I can spoil my husband this evening!

xoxo, Monica

Fancy Schmancy.

For fancy night on the cruise I decided to wear this little yellow number from LuLus!

The necklace is from Pree Brûlée (really old) and it's kind of perfect.

(most awkward tan line ever)

Buy this Dress !

 I'm really wishing we were back on the ship...

Of course I love being home but I LOVED dressing up every night 

and soaking up the sun with no cares during the day.

Could that top be any more adorable?!

Both top and bottoms are from Victorias Secret.

The bottoms are super old, and they don't have the top available in blue anymore,

but you can purchase it in this precious leopard print here .

So obviously I still have more pictures to share from the cruise,
but on another topic....
Kyle and I joined a kickball league!
Haha, our first game is Thursday and I'm really hoping and praying I don't embarrass myself.
I mean I played sports in high school...and I like to think I'm pretty athletic.
Buttttttt It's been a while since I've played kickball...
Fingers crossed I don't break an ankle.

xoxo, Monica

Cruisin' the Gulf.

Things have been quiet over here, 

and that's because this girl went on a much needed CRUISE to Mexico!

We got on the ship about 2pm on Monday and I didnt waste any time putting on my bikini.

I knew that it would probably rain the majority of the cruise so I took advantage of 

all of the sunshine I could get!

Top: Windsor Store (similar)

Maxi Skirt: LuLus.com

It was my parents, my sister and brother in law, and Kyle and I that went!

We've been going on a "family vacation" the past few years now,

last year we went on this same exact cruise and had so much fun that we booked it again!

It was a 5 day cruise that goes to Progresso and Cozumel, 

I know Progresso isn't known for being the greatest place but hey it's still a vacation!!

Getting off the boat to head to an all inclusive beach in Progresso!

I was much happier on the way back...thanks to unlimited chips and drinks.

I'll be sharing more of our cruise tomorrow!! 

Happy Monday y'all!

xoxo, Monica

Sweaters and Sore Muscles.

Top: ShopMCE.com

Skirt: WindsorStore.com [sold out]

Clutch: ShopMCE.com

Sandals: LuLus.com

I got this sweater in on Friday (also comes in black) and I just couldn't wait to wear it!

It is the softest material EVER, and super cute!

This is the one bad thing about being a Boutique Owner...

You literally want to keep EVERY thing that comes in!

Saturday, after spending the entire day on the couch watching a new show on netflix

I decided Kyle should take me to dinner, I was nice and paid.

We went to one of Kyles all time favorites, ShoGun.

It's one of those Japanese places where they cook in front of you!

The food was incredible, as always,

and even though we've been there a hundred times it's always just as entertaining.

On a different note...

I've worked out consistently for 4 days straight!!

I can barely walk y'all....

I found the lovely Sophie, from Way of Gray a while back,

 and actually used to do some of her work outs before the wedding!

Well, I have no idea why I stopped.

I bought another one of her Ebooks and have been doing it for 4 days

and holy crap.

My triceps, calves, quads, and chest are DYING, and I love it.

She is such an amazing girl, and super motivating!

I'm sure I'll end up buying ALL of her Ebooks just because I love the work outs so much,

and they are SUPER effective.

Oh and they are only $10...you really can't beat that.

Hope all of you have a good Monday!

xoxo, Monica

(This was not a sponsored post, I'm just sharing my personal opinion of Way of Gray's work outs!)

Margaritaville.

This weekend was full of junk food and netflix.

Kyle finally got back from Oklahoma Saturday morning and was absolutely exhausted.

I was tired too after a long week without him so we took full advantage of our big comfy couch.

But after a weekend full of being lazy we both needed a night out of the house!

Top: ShopMCE.com

Jeans: Hudson via Nordstrom

Wedges: LuLus.com

Necklace: Forever21.com

Bag: LuLus.com

When Kyle goes out of town for a long time he knows he owes me a good date night.

We went to our favorite mexican restaurant by the house and I may have had 1 too many margaritas.

You know you picked the right one when you go to dinner with your husband,

and you laugh so hard your abs are sore the next morning.

We had a pretty fun date...

 sometimes life, friends, family, work, stress and

other things can make date nights a little less fun than normal.

But yesterday nothing could have brought us down.

We had some pretty great conversations, and cracked a lot of jokes.

I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Unfortunately he denied me when I tried to take a typical car selfie with him,

ya win some ya lose some.

I love that kid wayyyyy too much. 

Oh and here's a little transformation Tuesday for ya...

She's soooo grown up!!!!!

My sweet little angel pup. 

<3

Happy Tuesday!!

xoxo, Monica