Guilt is my thing.

Last night, I was spending some quality FaceTime with my girl Kate, talking about my upcoming bachelorette party (AAHHHHH!)  when she mentioned that she was SUPER excited to meet Alyssa this weekend. I was confused, until I remembered that a few weeks ago, when I was blogging every. single. day about my blog crush on Alyssa, I did mentioned that she was going to drag herself up north for the weekend to party with me.

Now, I knew that wasn't ACTUALLY going to happen. But apparently Kate thought it was, so I sent Alyssa a text to let her know that I wouldn't be the only one missing her. Her response?

Kate's response was actually "Wait, Stevie guilt someone into doing something? Noooooo"

So I called my mom and she said "I don't know that i'd say you guilt people... but you do know how to get people not to say no to you."

Guys... I think i'm THAT person. The person who, when I want something from you, will get you to do it not just because you want to, but because i'll make you feel bad if you don't.

I hate that person. 

So, of course my response was that I was going to blog about this. I'm sure my friends and family reading this are all nodding their heads in agreement, because they know i'm just as bad about this as i'm making it seem, if not worse.

Anyway, i'm going to try my best to stop this. It's not a personality trait i'm proud of and it's certainly not something that I want my friends to associate with me. I mean, Alyssa and I have been texting for MAYBE 2 weeks and she already knows this about me? No good. It's bad friend behavior and I don't like it.

Are any of you guilty (oy) of this? How can I make a conscious effort to change it?

I LOVE BlogLovin!

In order to help bloggers transition away from GFC as the main way to follow blogs, Northern Belle Diaries and Postcards from Rachel have teamed up to host I Love Bloglovin'. 

<a href="http://www.northernbellediaries.com"><img border="0" src="http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y469/NBelleCreations/IheartBloglovin_zps92408d43.png" width="200"/></a>

What's in my bedside drawer?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.

Have you guys checked out Bedsider.org? If not, you're definitely missing out! This is my new favorite resource for all things birth control related! From information about different types of birth control, to where to access it, to reminders you can set to help you use your birth control as effectively as possible, this website is out to change the way women see and use birth control!

So, what's actually IN my bedside drawer? Not a whole lot. I keep hand lotion,  a little calendar to remind me when to switch my NuvaRing, my iPhone charger, my iPad, and my remote controls. I'm a pretty practical person - when I go to bed, i'm going straight to bed, so the majority of the things in my drawer are pretty practical as well.

BUT my drawer is about to get more space! Thanks to Bedsider.org, i'm able to set reminders for my NuvaRing - aka no more calendar in my drawer! I can also set reminder's for my lady doctor appointments... and in this busy life, we all can use anything to save us time!

These reminders are a lot of the reason I chose the NuvaRing in the first place. Although i'm in a long term, committed relationship, birth control is still a big part of my life. Taking a pill everyday wasn't working for me, I wasn't using the birth control the way I should. I had an excellent doctor who recommended the NuvaRing and i've been on that since high school! I am a woman who can say she LOVES her birth control!

So, now YOU can check out Bedsider.org, and have a chance to win some awesome prizes!

• Follow Bedsider.org on Pinterest.
• Create your own Pinterest board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?”
• Repin this rules pin found here and at least one Bedsider’s 15 contest images found here from their board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?” Be sure to tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.
• Pin at least 5 additional images to represent your ideal bedside drawer. Tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.
• Share your board’s URL on the Bedsider’s Facebook page here. Make sure to enter by 11:59 PM PST on May 29, 2013!

Every girl has that bedside drawer that holds the bedroom essentials: their Kindle, a pair of reading glasses, sexy lingerie. – whatever fits their personality. No matter what your drawer says about you, there’s birth control that will fit right in. Find the best method for your routine and style at Bedsider.org.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.

Mondays with Mom!

Hello Friends,

This month's link up May is for Mom's has been so much fun.  I just love answering the questions and seeing what all of you think about my crazy, wonderful relationship with my oldest child.    

As we head into this week that precedes a much needed three day weekend, and the unofficial start of summer, I invite you to enjoy my answers and look forward to a brand new and exciting post next week when it will almost be June!    

A special shout out to my middle daughter Paige who turned 21 today.  Happy Birthday little one!  

This is the last week of the link up and according to the program, it is supposed to be Stevie who answers the questions for this week.  That being said, I decided I would also answer those questions.  From my point of view, of course. 

 1. What is your favorite thing that you and I do together?

1.  My favorite thing that we do together is just being together.  I love your craziness, and impulsiveness.  I love that you indulge the same thing in me.  And when I am with you, you make me feel young again.  You are everything I dreamed you to be and I am so proud of you.

 2. What is something important I have taught you that you will always remember? (i.e. Be nice to everyone, Always make your bed, etc.)

2.  I hope you always remember what you chose to remember, and that is to love with all your heart.  You too have always been the same way, you just haven't seen it yet. 

3. What is your most special memory about me?

3.  I enjoyed the summer concert and it was a special memory, but the one that comes to mind for me first (after looking into your eyes the moment you were born) at the moment is definitely not blog appropriate.  Lets just say it has something to do with your grandfather and laundry.   Oh, and I can't forget the car wash.

4. What is something nice I always say to you?

4.  You always say nice things to me, so I could never think of just one.  But if you make me it would have to be when you played the song you chose for us  to dance to at your wedding.  So touching.  We've been practicing for this for a long time haven't we? 

5. How are you and I the same? How are we different?

5.  So many of these blog posts have talked about why we are similar and why we are not,  so I feel readers already know us pretty well.  Besides, you said it very well daughter.

Keep being you.

Make it a great week everyone! 

Love,

Mom xxxooo

May is for Moms

One last interview to wrap up this great link up... I know i'm not a Mom, but I share my blog with my mom and it's important to me to have these memories with her! SO, here are my answers to some questions about her...

1. What is your favorite thing that you and I do together?

It's harder now that we live far apart, but I love the time we always spent reading books together. Those are some of my favorite moments and memories with you. I also love discussing books with you after we've read them. It's so fun to have someone who reads as fast as I do to chat with!

2. What is something important I have taught you that you will always remember? (i.e. Be nice to everyone, Always make your bed, etc.)

Oh man... I think the most important thing I have learned from you so far is to love with all of my heart. I have never seen you do something for someone you love with less than 100% percent of yourself. People admire you because of this, and I hope people will someday say the same about me.

3. What is your most special memory about me?

There are so many! We are more like best friends than mother and daughter, and we have some seriously great times that we've shared. Shopping together, laughing so hard we cry... a lot of them really aren't blog appropriate. But right now, the clearest memory popping into my head is last year's Summer Mix Tape Festival. I remember looking at you at you jammed out to the Backstreet Boys (our favorite!) and thinking to myself that I would remember how happy we were, right in that moment, for the rest of our lives.

4. What is something nice I always say to you?

You never ever forget to tell me how proud you are of me. Thats really special and important to me! Also, you always ask me for advice on styling your clothes and accessories... that makes me feel AWESOME!

5. How are you and I the same? How are we different?

Oh boy. The first thing that popped into my head here is that when we fight, you need space and I HATE THAT. I just want to solve things as fast as possible. I'm impulsive, you're a planner. I'm a ponytail girl and you have the best hair of anyone I know. You love to garden, and I hate the dirt. You eat vegetables, I eat like a 5 year old. 

How are we similar? We both love to read, like I said. We are ferociously dedicated to the people and things we love. We both have a serious LOFT shopping addiction. We love a lot of the same TV shows. We both would lose our heads if they weren't attached. Neither one of us is capable of being on time for things. We are STUBBORN. Neither one of us can carry a tune, but we also LOVE to jam out in the car.

You are the strongest person I know, but i'm still learning from you every day.

Weekends are for DANCING!

1) I wore my first maxi dress this week, bought in celebration of the weight i've lost (17lbs so far!) and I felt GREAT wearing it!

2) This picture was taken of me when Rosie and I fell asleep at 8:30 at night. Niiice.

3) I finally caught the ice cream truck, and treated myself to this Iron Man popsicle. Erin, your bomb pop is waiting in my freezer!

4) Cake at work... this was a low point, since I ate that whole piece, and then another piece the next day. 

5) Playing with chalk while babysitting... being a kid again was pretty awesome.

I don't have plans this weekend. I mean,  a few, but nothing set in stone and that hasn't happened in 6 months, easily. I'm SO excited... because next weekend is my Bachelorette weekend of madness and I know it's going to kick my ass.

Speaking of asses...

#backthatazzup Friday has become my new favorite. So, enjoy this song I can't stop jamming to, and check out my girl Whitney's blog for more great jams. See ya Monday!

Linking up with Lauren!

Will You Marry Me?

I'm a rule breaker, which means that today i'm picking whatever blog prompt I want from the Blog Every Day in May challenge, and sharing a photo that means a lot to me... and also using it as an opportunity to share my proposal story with you!

This day was a long time coming - 6 years to be exact, but it was perfectly timed for us! This picture is my very favorite from this day... which I spent the majority of complaining. How many girls have this same story to tell? "I had no idea he was going to propose!" "In hindsight it was soooooo obvious" "I was so mean to him!"

I really was. 

Without going into too much detail, 2011 was easily the worst year of my life so far. Thats for another post though. As the year wrapped up, Virginia Tech was headed to the ACC Championships in Charlotte, where my best friend happened to live, and a bunch of my closest friends and I decided to make the trip as well.

On the trip down, Terry was being super quiet, and I was being super teary. I spent the majority of the 2 hour trip yelling at him, to the point where I actually used the words "I hope you don't plan to propose anytime soon!"

Ouch.

Anyway, we got to Charlotte, went out to dinner with our friends, I had some Kimmy (the best wine on the planet) and I finally relaxed. To the point where, when Terry left our room, went to the living room, 6 girls started squealing, and then shushing each other, I thought nothing of it.

I might have also told Terry he looked like a "stupid UVA fan" when he wore his VT button down to our tailgate. 

Anyway, a few hours into the tailgate, surrounded by all of our friends, I sat down to watch a football video, which turned into the sweetest thing i've ever seen in my life. Everything i've ever wanted to hear from the man who was asking me to marry him was in that video. And when I turned around, and saw Terry there, I was so overwhelmed I actually forgot to put the ring on!

It was the most perfect proposal I could have ever asked for. Low key, surrounded by all of my friends, and caught on camera... and the two people who mattered most, Terry and I.

Terry's parents had driven from PA to Charlotte to have breakfast with us the next morning to celebrate, as well. I gotta tell you guys, i'm a lucky, lucky girl.

This recap, as I read back over it, doesn't really capture what that day was like, all of the emotions that were present... Anyone who is engaged can tell you there aren't really words for all of this. But, i'm glad that I sort of got to share this with you, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it!

Linking up with Jenni