And Then I Ended Up in a Onesie

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I had a great birthday and birthday weekend. Even though I spent Friday, my birthday, and yes, my birthday is pi day, at work, it was a good day. My students were so sweet and it was a fairly easy day. That evening, some of my friends and I went to a restaurant out in town that had an awesome atmosphere and great sushi.

After dinner, we headed over to the officer's club on base for the St. Patrick's Day karaoke party, just to find that it was cancelled. So instead, we went back to my friend's house and had a dance party. There is just something about dance parties that can make you so happy. I wanted to get in sweats, so my friend brought me out some options. One option was an oscar the grouch onesie. When the question is a onesie, the answer is always a yes. And that's how this happened.

I even slept in the onesie, and it was the best nights sleep I have had in awhile. I now know why babies sleep in them. They are fabulous. 

Saturday I did a bit of shopping and took myself to lunch. I really enjoy hanging out with myself, is that weird. I don't mind going to eat alone or shopping alone. I think it is relaxing and I don't feel bad for wandering around the same aisle for 20 minutes. I ate at the best cafe and had an incredible grilled chicken sandwich on naan bread. I am constantly finding cute cafes here and I love it. 

Saturday evening I went to an all green St. Patrick's Day party. All of the food was green, pickles, broccoli, guacamole, mint brownies, key lime bars, green jello. Not only did it look pretty cool, the food was so good! I cannot believe how much I ate. I can't go to potluck type parties because I lose all self control and just can't stop eating. I made my famous spinach dip and a fruit rainbow. I saw it on pinterest and it turned out pretty cute!

I wore my favorite green J.Crew pants, because green is my favorite color, but of course, the green onesie came out later in the evening. It was the hit of the party. Onesies for the win!

Sunday I spent most of the day in my classroom. I wasn't planning on spending so much time there, especially since it was such a nice day, but I was on a roll with decorating and couldn't stop. I also had to set up our classroom library. I have finally started to grow my collection of books. I bought 65 books for $40 off of a Craigslist-type website here and was so excited! My mom also sent me some of my books from when I was a kid, which was fun. 

I finally managed to rip myself away from my classroom and headed to the beach with Lexie. I have been surprised at how cold it has been here lately. I know I can't complain because we aren't getting ridiculous amounts of snow like most people in the States, but I really thought it would be warmer right now. Sunday was so beautiful and made me so excited to experience spring and summer here on the island.

Overall, it was a great birthday! I am so excited to see what this next year in life brings me. It sure started with a bang, and a onesie.

$130 Paypal Cash + Some Giveaway

I haven't done a large group giveaway in awhile, so I thought it was time! I recently won a large cash giveaway and I therefore decided that giveaways really are worth the time to enter. You never know what you may win! I have also found some great blogs I would not have known about if I had not found them through a giveaway. So enter below to win some great prizes and go checkout this wonderful group of bloggers. Most of them are fellow expats and travel lovers, so they share some pretty amazing adventures. Good luck!

1. Scattered Seashells || 2. My Life of Travels and Adventures || 3. True Colors || 4. Wanderlust || 5. Bell Bliss || 6. Laura in Wonderland || 7. We Took the Road Less Traveled || 8. The Happy Type || 9.Found Love Now What || 10. Eat, See, Do || 11. Grace Believer || 12. Runaway Kiwi || 13. Cocopia.net || 14. A Home Away From Home || 15. Independent Travel Cats || 16. Living in Another Language

So, what are we giving away? Glad you asked.

-$130 of Paypal Cash

-6 months of ad space

-A Korean goodie box, packaged and shipped straight from Seoul

-And a piece of jewelry like this (bracelet or necklace)

Sound good? Enter away! Remember you can enter everyday via twitter, and the more entries you have, the better chance you have of winning! Winner will be chosen on March 28th. The winner will be verified!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here's To 23

{one}

It's my birthday! I am the big 2-3. What an in-between year. I feel like it is kind of one of those random years, one that you may forget about later in life. But I am still excited to see what 23 has in store for me and I am in such an exciting stage of life, there is no way it can't be great. . 22 was such wonderful year. I started it with wonderful friends, jamming in the car to Taylor Swift's 22. I wasn't that excited for my birthday this year, not because I don't care or anything, I just have other stuff going on, and Jake isn't here to celebrate. But, I always love an excuse to have friends together and do something slightly out of the ordinary, so I'm going to make the best of it.

{two}

I drive past this cute little flower shop every day. I thought today was a perfect opportunity to stop. The ladies at the shop were the cutest and helped me make a bouquet. I have had a flower obsession lately. They make the house smell so good and make me smile when I see them. 

{three}

Getting to Skype with this cute guy was the highlight of my day! The end of this exercise can't come soon enough. It has been difficult to talk, FaceTime, etc. because he hasn't had service. We have both been complaining about it, but finally I told Jake that we should just be thankful that we get to talk at all. I know there are other spouses out there that don't get to hear from their husbands for a month at a time. I am trying to be a bit more appreciative that I at least hear from my husband once a day. 

{four}

Another highlight of my day was my students. I finished my first week teaching full time. It had its good moments and difficult moments, but I absolutely love it. When I chose teaching as a profession, I did it because I wanted to be excited to go to work every day when I wake up. Even though I have been somewhat exhausted this week, I have never dreaded going into work and can honestly say I was excited about each day. This morning the students came in a gave me presents. A lot of presents I could tell they had dug out of the bottom of their backpack, like old valentines candy and princess bracelets, but it's the thought that counts, right? It is also notes like these that make it all worth it.

{five}

My brain is too fried for five whole things this week. I am so ready for a weekend of fun with friends. I may work a bit. just to do some finishing decorating touches on my classroom and a bit of lesson planning, but I think I earned some fun this weekend. And some sleep. 

Have a good weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

Pardon My French

There are people in the blogging world that you meet and think, "Wow, I would really like to be friends with her in real life." That is exactly how I felt as soon as I "met" Kelsey from Pardon My French. She was one of the very first people I met through the blogging community. She always leaves the sweetest and most genuine comments, the kind of comments that keep bloggers coming back day after day. The first thing I noticed about Kelsey, besides being hilarious, is that she has serious style. It's not just the "oh I saw that trendy outfit on pinterest style," but the timeless, "why can't I look like cool" kind of style. Not only that, but she manages to look cute even while wrestling 3 adorable kids. She is the cutest momma ever and always has the funniest stories to share. I hope you go check out her blog, because I know you will lover her as much as I do!

What is your favorite thing about living in Alaska? Or what is something people may not know about Alaska?

I think my favorite thing about living in Alaska is just the sheer beauty that you live around on a daily basis. You live among some of the most beautiful scenery, and the wildlife that surrounds you is crazy! Waking up to a Moose in your front yard is quite the experience. Or driving to the grocery store in the summer and seeing a bear, just not things I could have ever imagined before. 

Something people may not know about Alaska is, there are no snakes, cockroaches, killer bees, or termites!! Not bad huh? 

You always look so fashionable. What would you say your "style" is?

My style is totally dependent on my mood. I can go from girly one day, to completely grunge inspired the next. I love fashion and I think it is so fun to experiment with all different trends. 

What is your go-to outfit?

My go-to outfit is most definitely a blazer, graphic tee, skinny jeans, statement necklace, and whatever footwear the Alaskan weather will allow me to walk around in without breaking a hip!

What does a day in the life of Kelsey look like?

Oh man...close your eyes and picture a tornado except instead of 110 mile per hour winds I have 3 extremely energetic offspring! My days are filled with diapers, caffeine, smashed goldfish, lego building, more diapers, and an abundance of laughter!

What are three posts on your blog that readers should not miss?

-The backstory to our Army life

-Welcome to the jungle

-Things I wish I knew before moving to Alaska

You can find Kelsey on bloglovin', instagram, and twitter