date night: chickfila

This past week for date night, it was my turn to choose. (muahahaha) So naturally, we ended up at Chickfila.

I have a Chickfila problem. The nuggets, the waffle fries, the lemonade, oh my! It's my favorite "fast food" and I really could eat it every day and never get sick of it. I worked there for a few months in college and still love it. It's a good thing the closest one to my school is too far to go to on a half hour lunch...

I actually love fast food date nights. First of all because I generally prefer fast food over restaurant food, (I know. Who am I?) and also because it's a more laid back date. We stopped at Chickfila on the way home from the gym because we were both starving and it was already the plan to eat Chickfila for dinner.

We tucked ourselves into a back corner and enjoyed some quality time over delicious chicken and lemonade.

What's your favorite date night restaurant?

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super cute clothes & a giveaway

Hey guys! I am so excited to share an awesome shop with you today...

This boutique has some of the cutest clothes, and at a very decent price. Like, poor college kids can afford this stuff!

Jewel Neckline Top (exact here)

They also sent me this red dress

and this gorgeous necklace. 

I can't wear that necklace ANYWHERE without people asking me where I got it. it's so eye catching! I'll show you pictures of both items as soon as I get them on my computer! I'm also not kidding about the fact that I'm buying myself these pants with my personal money ASAP. Since I have to wear black alllllll day, I might as well look good doing it right?


But for now... Lilies Fillies has generously decided to offer one of my readers $25 shop credit! So what are you waiting for ! Enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The legal stuff...

Winner will be announced November 18, 2013 on my blog. Winner will also be notified by email. Winner must be 18 years or older. Open to all US residents.

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10 songs on my girl power playlist

I believe in the power of music, and one of my favorite things to listen to are songs that empower me! So here is a list of 10 of my favorite "girl power" songs...

1. Roar- Katy Perry

2. Defying Gravity- Wicked

3. Follow Your Arrow- Kacey Musgraves

4. Brave- Sara Bareilles

5. I Was Here- Lady Antebellum

6. Nobody Ever Told You- Carrie Underwood

7. Ours- Taylor Swift

8. According To You- Orianthi

9. Believe- Cherie Call

10. Crazy Dreams- Carrie Underwood

Now put them on your Spotify playlist and let's jam!

What are your favorite Girl Power songs??

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choosing to hold hands

Ever since I can remember, my parents have been avid hand-holders. I'm not even sure if they know I've noticed. (Cue "I always feel like, somebody's watching me...") It's always been a sign to me of their love and affection for one another. When they hold hands, I see that they are the most important thing to each other.

When I got married, one of the goals I set for myself was to hold my husbands hand as often as possible. When we walk to the car, while we drive in the car, during church, sometimes while sleeping, watching movies, while working on our schedule for the work, and of course every night while we pray together. 

Holding hands with my husband is important to me for many reasons. 

*It lets me claim him. It shows others that he belongs to me. 

*We are both highly motivated by the Touch Love Language, so this is a special way that we can connect all the time.
*Holding hands reminds us that we don't have to do life alone.
*It reminds me of holding hands over the altar during our sealing, and how special the promises we made to each other are.
*It's an outward expression of my love for him.

I hold my husband's hand because it matters. I don't have any scientific proof to back it up, but for me and my marriage, holding hands is important. Mr. Jolley will sometimes give me a pouty lip if I yank my hand away to fix my hair or scratch my face, it's so cute. To us, holding hands means that no matter what, we have each other. Through thick and thin, through Gold's Gym trips, and late night snacking, we are together. And being together is just the way I like it. <3

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small & simple things

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Alma 37:6-7

Happy Thursday everyone! I am just popping in today to share one of my favorite scriptures. I was reading this talk the other day and have been pondering on this scripture ever since.

 I've thought about how simple it is to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon with my husband every night, but how many blessings we have seen from it. How simple it is to ask someone how their day is going, and how that simple question can turn their entire day around. How simple is it to turn off the radio for just ONE song, and spend that time in prayer to our Heavenly Father. Can you imagine the difference you might see in your life, just by adding small and simple changes to your every day routines?

What small and simple changes have you made in your life?

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a post about working out

During my last Ask Brooklyn post someone asked what my fitness/diet routine was like. And it made me reflect on how I could improve. 

At the time, we were going to the gym 3-4 times a week for around 45 minutes. So I decided it was time to kick it up a notch. I set a goal to attend the gym 4 times a week and told the husband I'd like to work out for an hour each time when possible. I figured that would add a little more than one additional work out a week from before. 4 times a week with an extra 15 minutes every day adds up to another hour of exercise! And honestly adding that 15 minutes each day doesn't seem like that much.

While Mr. Jolley and I were long distance dating, we both gained a bit of weight. Neither of us are morbidly obese, but I ate a lot of Wendy's and Chickfila that I'm now paying for. Combined with no exercise, my body was probably at it's worst when we got married. Pretty backwards huh?

My motivation for going to the gym right now is Gossip Girl. As sad and pathetic as that may seem, it gets me to the gym. Last Saturday I begged Mr. Jolley to go to the gym with me so I could see what happened next on Gossip Girl.

Because I have a grandma body, running hurts my joints. So that's why I just walk on the days I don't do classes. But since we are paying for a membership that includes classes, I set a goal to go to 2 classes a week, plus I get a better workout during classes because they kick my butt! This week will be Zumba tonight and Yoga tomorrow. Every other day we work out, I have a date with my ipad, Netflix, and Gossip Girl ;)

The hardest thing about all this is I am hardly seeing results. I'm not KILLING my body at the gym every time, because if I did, I'd hate going to the gym. Even going to the gym 4-5 times a week now is a HUGE change for me. And I talked to Mr. Jolley about how I want the changes we make to be LIFESTYLE changes, even though it will take longer to start seeing results, I want the way we workout and eat now to be something I can continue. I don't want to starve myself for immediate results. So we cheat sometimes and eat out, but we usually split meals. I haven't given up Coke, nor do I really plan to. (I know someone should ground me.) And I eat low fat ice cream at least every other day. But i'm taking better care of my body than ever. I'm sleeping better, feeling better, and slowly getting my body back where I want it. 

How do you stay motivated to go to the gym?

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date night: go see the saratov approach

This past week for date night, Mr. Jolley and I went to see The Saratov Approach in theaters. I must say, I liked it better than the last movie we saw in theaters, which was Insidious 2. (insert shudder here)

Here's the trailer.

I love going out to see movies, and even though it's a cliche date, I love just chowing down on popcorn and coke while cuddling up next to my honey. Don't worry, we keep it G in the theater. ;)

The movie follows two Mormon missionaries serving in Russia who are kidnapped for ransom. I was worried that I'd be bawling through the whole thing, and even though we both teared up at a few parts, there was enough comic relief and hope in the movie that I never totally lost it.

For being a low-budget movie, I thought it was incredibly well done. The actors did a great job and it really wasn't cheesy like most Mormon movies tend to be.

The story is inspiring. The faith they had, the way God helped them, and the way their families coped, it all inspired me. So take your honey and go see this movie. Even if you aren't Mormon, I promise it is a movie you will enjoy!

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