Bloggy Bracelet Swap

I recently participated in Michabella's Bloggy Bracelet Swap! It was such fun and now I have some cool new accessories!
I got two lovely new bracelets.

They are shown here with my morning coffee Mike mug. Very stylish!


The first one of beautiful blue beads is from the lovely Nicole over @teampipkin. Her daughter picked it out for me and I think it's perfect!

The second one is a lovely Stella and Dot bracelet from Crissa who can be found @bellabud.com. This bracelet is a from the Stella and Dot foundation and it supports positive change in women! How lucky I am to have this bracelet because I am making some positive changes myself!!

Speaking of Positive Change...

Dave and I have talked a lot this weekend and we have decided on big things! The first thing is that I have plans to go back to school. I really really really desire a MFA in theatre, however, I'm super rusty and may have to settle for a MBA instead. That's ok since I have become extremely business minded over the past year and talk of the Cafe.

The second is that we are going to start looking into buying a house. I know what you are thinking. Lauren and Dave you aren't even married yet...wait, you're not even engaged yet! Well there is good news folks. Dave is working on a promotion. Should he get it, then we have plans to be engaged within the next 6-8 months. This is something we have talked about a lot and we want to make sure all our finances are in a row before diving into anything extreme. Oh, and this does not spoil an ounce of surprise since I don't know when, where, how, or even what the ring will look like. If the promotion doesn't happen, we will still keep our plans at bay, though they may take a little longer!

Finally...Happy Friday Friends!!! I hope you all have an amazing weekend! I'll be working away until my weekend (which is Tuesday/Wednesday)! Have a safe and happy weekend!

For the Love

(image from SIVacations)

Recently I went on vacation. I went to a lovely little place called Sea Isle City, New Jersey. It's a place my family has visited every year of my life. It's special to me. The reason why I love this little shore town so much is because it's quite. Sure it tends to get a bit busy, but it's nothing like Wildwood or Ocean City, the major beach town destinations. So on a Monday morning, while sitting on the beach reading this amazing book about how Starbucks built their company, my mind began to wander.

I asked myself: "Lauren what do you love?" My silly little self replied as follows...

I Love:

David. He is my heartbeat and constant encourager. He is my inspiration and best friend.

I Love:

Jesus. No picture needed. Jesus is awesome and my reason for being. He has big plans for me in this world and I have no clue what they are yet. I just know I am going to change the world one day, whether it be in a big or small way.

I Love:

Taking pictures and making movies. I mean I have a degree in Broadcast Production, I just don't have the monetary funds to buy my own camera, a new computer, and a new editing system to start my own business and hone my skills. Here is a video I made in the beginning of my college days. It's just a bunch of pictures set to music, but it means a lot to me because the people in it mean a lot to me. We were a bunch of theatre kids and we loved every second of it.

I Love:

The wedding and event industry. I don't know why I am so drawn to it. Perhaps it's because I love fairytales. Perhaps it's because I love how creative people can get. I'm not really sure, but I would love to work in this industry somehow.

I Love:

Food. Let me clarify. I live with a chef. He's amazing at what he does. I eat a lot of GREAT food! So I love food. I love learning about food. I love how food and coffee brings people together around a table. I love stories behind foods. Most of all, I love baking! This past year I have had the opportunity to bake some amazing irish breads and pastries for Dave's work. They were so impressed that I was asked to come in and make some for their VPs for St. Patrick's Day. I got to work in a REAL kitchen and I relished every second of it. I love making treats that make people just sink to bliss. That classic "mmmmmm" feeling.

I Love:

Life. My current life is crazy beautiful. Yes, I have a job that I love but doesn't satisfy me. I crave more. I crave excitement and adventure. I crave the great unknown. I crave a different kind of interaction with people. I am a HUGE people person. So I love interacting with them in different ways. I crave the outdoors and I love exploring the indoors. I have a hunger for life and I need to live it to the extreme. That is why I am proud to be part of the movement my friend Casie started for her beautiful sister Kellie. The Live Out Loud movement encourages us to live life to it's fullest and not just sit and accept life for less than it has to offer.

I found out what I love, now I just have to make something of it. If anyone needs to hire anyone, let me know. I may be looking for a better job. Shhhh, don't tell the Mouse though. I am craving change. Change is good.

So what do you love? What are you craving?