2 YEARS, 24 MONTHS, 24 THINGS

Last Thursday marked the two year anniversary of this little blog of mine, but per usual, things got a little crazy, so I’m celebrating my blogiversary today with this adorable little outfit featuring the cutest flamingo print top I ever did see and 24 things about me which you may or may not know.

I had every intention of writing a post today on the things I’ve learned from 2 years of blogging to follow up on the post I wrote last year on my blogiversary, but as I read the post, I realized that year 2 has only solidified the things I learned from year one. If you want to read about the 7 things I’e learned from blogging/starting my own little business, you can check that out here! But today I decided, instead, to share 24 things about myself in honor of the 24 months I’ve been working on this bloggy blog of mine. So here it goes (but first, the outfit deets!)

SHOP THE LOOK

TOP: Goodnight Macaroon Flamingo Blouse  //  SKIRT: Topshop Scallop Miniskirt – Also Available in Black Here  //  SANDALS: Sam Edelman Azela Tasseled Lace Up Sandal  //  CLUTCH: GiGi New York Stella Fold-Over Tassel Clutch in Neon Yellow  //  EARRINGS: Kendra Scott Sayers Pearl Earrings  //  SUNNIES: Quay Australia 50mm Cat Eye Sunglasses in Marble  //  CUFF: BaubleBar Paleo Stone Cuff  //  WATCH: Michael Kors Runway Chronograph Watch //  BRACELET: Bourbon & Bowties Small Faux Pearl Bracelet

1. First things first, I’m a Jesus lover. John 14:6

2. I love Disney, like a lot (evidence here). It’s a borderline obsession and it’s probably obvious if you’ve followed me for longer than a week. I constantly have a Disney movie running in my home office (currently showing:  The Little Mermaid). My wedding was Disney-themed (it even got featured on Disney Style!), I’m a frequent shopper of Disney items, a frequent Disney blogs reader and my children are bound to be Disney kids. I visit Disney World at least once a year (I even had my bachelorette party there which you can read all about here) and this year I’ll be headed to Disneyland in California in August and to Disney World in November to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Check out all of my Disney photos on IG here.

3. My father owns a funeral home and about half of my family works there. He worked in the funeral business as a director for a few years before deciding to open his own business in 1999 and through his entrepreneurial ventures, he has taught me so much in starting and running my own bloggy business.

4. My family is my everything. You probably already know about my husband/partner/bestie for the restie Cole and I’ll be doing a full post on married life with him soon, but here’s a bit about the rest of the Vandi clan: I’m the oldest of three children: Tiffany who is 22 (and my bestie!) and has the coolest edgy, cool-girl style ever (check out her IG here!) but won’t start her own blog even though I’ve told her 2,074 times to (she’s about to move from ATX back to Dallas and I’m crossing my fingers that she’ll come work for me!) Then there’s my sweet little baby brother Jayson (19) who despite being tortured and constantly dressed up by his two older sisters ended up growing up to be quite the gentleman and is now studying business at Texas State University (check him out on IG here – he’s a cutie, isn’t he?!) My parents are my rocks (you can read all about my momma here and with Father’s Day around the corner, there will be a post coming up soon on him) I’m also the oldest of 9 grandchildren on my dad’s side, 8 grandchildren on my mom’s side, and I love my cousins like they are my siblings. My Gigi and Poppy are (to put it in one word) amazing have become Gigi and Poppy not just to us, but also to many of our friends (my Gigi frequently comments on my IG and blog posts – yes she has an instagram account and it’s awesome!). My Nana has been battling Multiple Sclerosis since her late thirties and is one of the strongest, most confident woman I know who inspires me daily.

5. I went to the University of Texas (hook ’em!) where I was Chi Omega, had a brief stint with the pom squad and the cheer squad and majored in Journalism. My husband also went to the University of Texas where he majored in Athleticism (JKing – he did get a real degree in education with my help!) and was a right-handed pitcher for the Texas Baseball Team (hence our baseball-themed engagement photos we took on the UT Baseball Field, which you can see here.)

6. Cole and I met on Facebook at the end of my senior year of high school in 2008 (yes social media both employs me and led me to the love of my life). Just to put it all out there – I messaged him first on Facebook after he asked to be my friend. I have the conversation screen-shotted and printed as part of the first page of a scrapbook I made for him. 🙂

7. I’m a wine-o and have converted my husband. On most nights, I wind down with a glass of red wine in my hand and whatever Netflix show we’re binging on the TV (currently: House of Cards). Cole and I have spent a few weekends in Fredericksburg to tour wineries and have Napa Valley on our upcoming travel list. My favorite Texas wines: Becker Claret and Pedernales Tempranillo. SO good!

8. I’m a full-time blogger. Many people don’t know that I currently blog full-time, which had been a dream of mine when I started blogging and one that I feel so so blessed to have achieved thanks to Vandi Fair. I grew up with a stay-at-home mom and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, but I also have the heart of an entrepreneur, so one of my biggest motivations in starting this blog was to be able to have my own business, but also be at home with my (future) children. I still sometimes have to pinch myself when I think that I’ve already achieved that goal and I know it’s one I’ll appreciate even more when Cole and I start a family. Biggest perk (which I am currently indulging in): working in my pj’s.

9. And on that note, Cole and I both want a big family. We’re not planning on starting anytime soon, but definitely within the next few years. He wants three children and I want four, and I’ve been having baby dreams since the day we got married (just sayin’!).

10. I’m obsessed with my furbaby Lucky (evidence here). This is another obvious one if you follow me on instagram, but I am so crazy in love with him that I cannot even imagine how much I’m going to love me and Cole’s actual babies. The screensaver on my phone is of his sweet face and I sometimes talk to him like he is a person (hey – working from home alone will do that to you!) Also! We just bred him with one of my best friend’s labs so we’re hoping to have another furbaby on the way. Stay tuned for that!

11. I also love my first born furbaby, Mowgli. When I lived  and worked in Austin after I graduated, I decided to adopt a cat, and a little black kitten literally jumped into my lap and stole my heart at Austin Pets Alive. He is the sweetest cat in the world, but when I moved back to Dallas, I suddenly became severely allergic to him (I’m talking rashes on my skin anywhere he touched me and uncontrollable watery eyes/sneezing/itching), so rather than taking on a permanent allergy prescription, I gave him to my momma (who was just entering the world of empty nesting at the time) and she gives him all the love in the world (literally, she treats him like an infant child and it’s concerning sometimes, haha). I still get to see him all the time, so when you see a black cat in my Snap Chats or IG posts, that’s my Mowgli.

12. I’m incredibly messy. A sad truth and side effect from being a B-type personality that my husband miiiight resent sometimes. Blogging also happens to be the messiest job ever and from taking flatlays to going out for shooting sessions, the floors of my home office are usually covered with clothes. The good things is my husband happens to be super type-A so he actually loves to clean and will take dish duty/bed making duty frequently.

13. Cole and I dated 6 years then went on a 1 year hiatus where I proceeded to go on approximately 24 dates in one year (I should probably do a post on what I learned from my serial dating experience alone, haha). I went from a 4-year high school relationship straight to me and Cole’s 6-year relationship, so being single was an amazing learning experience that I would highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t truly dated before. Ultimately, it all brought me back to the love of my life, Cole, but I learned so many things that I was able to implement into our relationship to make it better and stronger than ever.

14. I love to cook. My momma was raised in Louisiana where she learned so many delicious Cajun recipes from my Nana and passed them down to me. From crawfish pasta and pies to gumbo and jambalaya, these are some of my go-to’s that Cole absolutely loves.

15. On the food note, both Cole and I are absolute foodies. I’m so lucky I married a man who is as obsessed with food as I am and will literally try anything. We love going to taste what the best local restaurants have to offer when we travel and we’re lucky to live really close to Addison where there are endless delicious restaurants just minutes away.

16. My first job out of college was doing social media and blog for Kendra Scott. I started as a marketing intern at the beginning of my junior year of college when there were about 9 people working for the entire company and not one storefront (can you even believe it?!) The marketing team was made up of one person when I started and she gave me responsibility of taking on the Kendra Scott blog and social media. As the first store opened in Austin and the growth exploded with more and more storefronts, the position went from internship to part-time my senior year of school and full-time literally the day after I graduated. I was there for four years total and starting and growing with such an incredible company at a young age gave me the most invaluable learning experience. Another amazing gift that Kendra Scott gave me was one of my best friends who is also a blogger, Olivia from Livvyland. Olivia came on the social media team not long after I started full-time, and we quickly became best friends. Recognize these two bods or these? That would be me and Olivia who alternated about every other photo as the instagram models for the Kendra Scott instagram. Having a friend who is in the blogging world has been such a huge blessing and I seriously don’t know what I’d do without her.

17. And on that note, I’m obsessed with my girlfriends. They truly are the sweetest, most genuine girls on the planet and I don’t know how I got so lucky to have them in my life. Cole is a guy’s guy and I’m a girly girl, which gives us ample time to spend with our own friends. While I adore spending time with him, I need girl time in my life and I’m so lucky to have so many of my best friends right here in Dallas. We frequently plan girl’s nights, girl’s trips and dinners to stay in touch and I’m so grateful for that. I literally couldn’t survive without them!

18. My guilty pleasure is Downton Abbey. I’m just absolutely obsessed. I’ve watched every season four times through and my husband and I frequently speak to each other in British accents thanks to its influence. You can imagine my excitement with the casting of Disney’s live action Cinderella and now Beauty and the Beast included some of my favorite Downton characters (dreams do come true!)

19. My cocktail of choice is a margarita on the rocks and I could probably have tacos for every meal.

20. I prefer a bag of chips over chocolate any night. I definitely don’t have a sweet tooth (I actually prefer vanilla over chocolate if I have to choose), but I am constantly craving salty snacks and always have a bag of Trader Joe’s tortilla chips and fresh salsa ready in my kitchen.

21. I used to hate running and now it’s my sole for of exercise. I started doing it at the end of my senior year of high school to get in shape for Texas Pom tryouts and I saw how quickly it changed my body. I love that it gets your heart rate up, makes you sweat and truly make syou feel like you’ve done a workout afterwards. I also love that you can do it anywhere, on your own time, which is key in the busy world of blogging. Not long ago, I couldn’t even run a mile without stopping and now I’ve signed up for my third half marathon this fall.

22. My mom and dad are huge UT football fans and my parents tailgate at every single home game. For the last 5 years or so, my mom and dad have loaded up the car and headed to Austin for every home game, with enough food and drinks to feed an army (I’m talking like 8 crockpots worth of food and about 7 margarita pitchers, to name a few). My dad has one of those obnoxious-but-also-really-cool decked out trailers that has a flatscreen television mounted inside it and somehow get manages to get a TV signal. They have even done a full Thanksgiving meal out there for the last few years. It’s such a blast, and Cole and I take every opportunity we can to go.

23. I love to sing. I’m not particularly good, but I’m not bad either. You’ll often find me singing at the top of my lungs in the car, shower or around my home when it’s just Lucky and I. I’ve even made up songs just for Lucky, but I’ll spare you the details on those.

24. Which leads me to this last tidbit, If I weren’t a blogger my dream job would be playing a Disney princess on broadway or in a Disney Parks musical production (I literally still have dreams about it regularly!)

So there you have it. Those are the first 24 things that came to mind when I thought about the things that make me, me. 🙂

Fair-well xx,