5 Things to be Happy About!

This past week has been a little weird because I spent the week before in my bed horribly sick. It took a lot of strength to get back in the saddle and into the swing of things!

1. I'm not going to lie; I'm a fan of the Biebs. I think he is an incredible example of social media gone viral. There was a two night special on his tour; and it was insane how much of a following he has.

2. My friend made these amazing peanut butter and cover fudge. It was seriously to die for that I'm going to need to get the recipe asap and make some more!

3. My best friend had a baby two months ago who I just absolutely adore. She asked me to watch him so that she could attend a wedding and I felt beyond honored to be the first person she left her baby with!

4. A shoe store always orders my running shoes for me, so I was beyond thrilled when I opened the box and saw that they were pink!

5. I've been itching to have a day trip to the beach to unwind and relax. I'm hoping to get down there at some point next week. Although it's apparently going to be 100+ degrees; I'm real thrilled about that part!

ps: I'm working on a new project in hopes of making the world a little better + kinder than how I found it! I'd love to have you on board; just leave a comment if you'd be interested! My friend Bethany, is going to model for it, and I cried when I read her response back!

God Bless the Broken Road

A little over a year ago, I made a fairly big life decision, and left my job as a teacher in order to follow my dreams. It has been a whirlwind of adventures, learning, and growing. The past year has been one of the hardest and most challenges ones I've experienced thus far. I have learned so much more about myself, others, and the world in these past months.

I went from a world of teaching preschool which involved singing songs, wiping snotty noses, and referring to the bathroom as the potty. And entered a world of html-coding, linky parties, and social media to no end. Not to mention, my eyes and heart were open to a beautiful community that I've encountered here on the internet.

I've packed up my suitcase and gotten on more planes that I ever thought I could bare. I've learned to find courage, and it has lead me to some incredible places. I've met some of the most inspirational people who encourage me daily.

There are times where I've had to close my eyes and just leap and have faith on the way down.

I've learned to get back up after every failure, and have discovered that you truly are stronger when you come back fighting for what you believe in and your dreams.

top: loft

pants: target

shoes: toms

photos: c/o chaotic beauty

linking up with lindsey

Happy Wednesday!

What I Wore: Resting

Last week I blogged that I was feeling run down and how I took a few days to lay by the pool and regroup. Well, it turns out that I wasn't run down but that I coming down with a yucky virus. You know, the kind of virus where you can barely function. No needless to say, I have lounged in my pajamas having an endless movie marathon and catching up on some emails for the past few days.

 pj pants: j.crew

slipper boots: mini boden

I'm hoping to be in better spirits next week and hopefully no more pjs during the day; unless I decide to be lazy!

But in good news! I'm offering free ad space on my blog. Just go to the sponsor page, "buy an ad" and then use the promo code: carolineg

linking up with lindsey!

Chasing Big Dreams

Two weekends ago, I headed off to the Lady Antebellum concert with my sister. She somehow managed to score us front row tickets in the pit for an unbelievable price. The whole experience was absolutely amazing. My throat was hoarse the next day and my ears were still ringing from being so close to all the music, but it was worth it to say the least.

The day after the concert I did some reflecting on what it means to chase big dreams. I think sometimes we can paint a picture in our head of what the journey of reaching our dreams will look like that doesn't mirror the actual process. I think its much easier to look at someone else's end dream and wish the same for ourselves. Jon Acuff once said, "don't compare your beginnings to someone else's middle."

Hilary, of Lady A, announced towards the end of the concert that they had reached a new goal by selling the most tickets for an arena that evening. So all of us in the audience were a teeny tiny part of them continuing on their journey of living out their dream. But I wonder if 6 years ago, they could of ever imagined being able to say that one day. While I don't know their whole back story, I'm fairly certain that it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. I can only begin to imagine the long hours, tears, sweat, and love that went into them building up a band. They've come a long, long way.

Instead of being the opening act, they became the headliners:

{thompson square}

They get to shine in the spotlight:

and watch as thousands of fans sing the lyrics from songs that they co-wrote:

While, I am absolutely blown away by all they have accomplished as a band; it also gives me courage to dare to dream big. Their success merely reminds me that anything as possible. 

I am a firm believer in dreaming big and chasing fast and hard after the dreams in your heart. Sometimes I feel like its the harder path to travel, but always always worth it in the end. So because I want to support YOUR dreams too, I'm offering free ad space. Just go to the sponsor button at the top; "buy an ad" and then use the promo code: carolineg at the check out.

5 Things to be Happy About

This past few weeks have been a whirlwind of adventures and craziness; so I haven't been blogging as much as a result.

Here is my list of top 5 things from this past week!

1. My big sister got an incredible deal on seats for the Lady Antebellum concert that was in town last week. We ended up being in the pit; which is basically just below their stage. It was mind-blowing how close they were to us. I felt like a teenage girl at a Bieber concert the way I got excited about them reaching their hands into the audience during every song. I couldn't hear or speak for the following 24 hours but it was seriously worth it!

2. My sweet friend Heather is launching a new business. I'm SO excited for her. She asked if she could snap some photos of me to put in her portfolio so of course I said yes! She even came over to my house with super cute props; hello adorable green suitcases!

3. I decided to challenge myself to try new things and venture more out of my comfort zone. I drove a few towns over to a paint your pottery shop, and painted a cute cupcake dish. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out once they fire the glazes. 

4. Its not secret around here that I love some ice cream. I almost never have it stocked in the fridge as I love going to the ice cream shops nearby where I can add my own toppings. However, its more expensive and probably way less healthy, so I picked some up good ole' Ben & Jerry's at the store. I had forgotten just how good their ice cream really is!

5.  I've been noticing lately that I have been absolutely running myself absolutely ragged; too much work, not enough fun. So I spent part of Thursday soaking up some sunshine by the pool. Although, I did get sunburned like crazy; alas!

5 Daily Affirmations

Happy Monday!

3 Daily Affirmations

Every day, I try as tell myself a few daily affirmations. They help encourage me to push through when I feel like giving up or quitting. I thought I'd share a few with you this week!

Have a great weekend!!

She's a Wildflower

I run every single day and occasionally Lauren Alaina's Wildflower song will come up in the shuttle on my ipod. Every time I hear it, I can't help but grin because it reminds me so much of myself. It's probably the number one reason why I love country music; because the lyrics parallel similar life experiences.

I used to be painfully shy. A complete and utter wallflower. I wanted so desperate to blend in, to be unseen, unheard, unnoticed. I had a fragile sensitive little spirit at the time, and barely stepped a toe out of my comfort zone.

She was the kind of girl that never quite fit in

Holes in her shoes and freckles on her skin

Every time she saw those school doors open wide

She’d wanna turn around and run back home and hide

But somewhere along the lines; I bloomed. I found my voice, and boy have I been making up for lost time. I've learned that amazing things happen when I step outside my comfort zone. I've taking more leaps of faith and risks than I ever imagined possible.

She’s a wildflower
Just waitin’ on a sunny day
Just waitin’ on the winds of change to blow
Just a red hot spark that’s looking for a little flame, yeah
Trying to find the perfect place to grow
She’s a wildflower

outfit:

ruffle cardigan: target

dress: mini boden

bow: caroline g.

Linking up with Lindsey

What If....

I find myself asking a lot of "what if" questions.

What if I was a little braver? // A little kinder? // A little more thoughtful?

The list could go on forever. So instead of worrying about the what if's, I decided to make myself a few signs of encouragement to push past all the what ifs this world throws our way. Perhaps they'll encourage you too!

What if we overcame fear:

What if we our words were lavished in love:

What if we stayed true to ourselves:

What if we lived our stories out loud:

What if we supported one another wholeheartedly:

I think if we started living out our "what ifs" we'd end up leaving the world a little better than how we found it.