2 Love, True Love

Hi bloggity friends! I hope you all had a great Valentine's yesterday! 

Iv never been one to get overwhelmingly into vday but I am of the double X chromosome variety so if romance comes knocking on my door (in this case quite literally) then I will get the giddys and probably cry a few tears of mushiness. 

Here are a few peeks into our day.

This was the knocking on the door I was talking about. My honey sent me some flowers

my other valentine arranged this for me with help from my mom

Then P and I made some valentines for all our favorite people

We were going to just take Pey to dinner with us but my mom offered to put her to bed so we got a little dressed up and went to my favorite little hole in the wall french restaurant for dinner.

they have hands down the best french onion soup you will ever eat. ever.

also their chocolate mousse is something to write home about. Mikey had a bite and I ate the rest. In fact I cleaned every plate of my 4 course meal. Hey, it was a special occasion. Dont judge.

Th night ended with a little T-Swif on the radio. Pretty perfect in my opinion.

I hope your days were all filled with love. I can't wait to read all about them! 

4 Lets Talk // Chick Flicks

Top 5 feel good chick flicks of all time? That's a pretty ballsy statement so maybe instead I'll say 5 really really really great movies that every one (chick or not) should probably see at least a million times in their life. Movies I can pop in and smile ear to ear every.single.time. I watch them. And trust me it's a lot. Cheesy flicks where you can guess the ending before it begins. You know the kind. 

annnnnd go:

10 Things I Hate About You

 It's not everyday you find a girl who'll flash someone to get you out of detention.

Iv said it before and Ill say it till Im blue in the face. Best.movie.ever. Perfection even. Heath Ledger (may he RIP) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia Styles, Alex Mack (don't act like you know her by any other name) 

If you have never seen it then shame on you. 

but let me break it down

It's just your typical

Boy meets girl. Girl can't date unless girls anti social sister dates. Boy gets boy to pay boy to date sister.

Boy serenades girl on the bleachers

Boys fall in love with girls and vise versa.

It's so quotable

 and as a side note I own the 'Kat.. Cat!' cup. I found it in a random coffee shop one day and it was the best purchase of my life.

Dirty Dancing

Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you

While if you have never seen 10 Things Id be ashamed, if you have never seen Dirty Dancing then there is seriously something wrong with the world.

It is a classic. Classic people.

Poor boy meets rich girl. 

Separated by cultural barriers these two come together and dance the night away. 

Also? Patrick Swayze (may he RIP) 

Ever After

A bird may love a fish, signore, but where will they live?
 Then I shall have to make you wings. 

Less obvious than the last this is still a must see in my book. Iv been a Drew Barrymore fan for like evskis and this is one of her best rolls. Who doesn't like a classic Cinderella story? 

It's sweet and cheesy and always good for some happy tears.

Pretty Woman

Did I mention, my leg is 44" from hip to toe. So basically we are talking about 88" of therapy, wrapped around you for the bargain price of $3000 dollars. 

Do I even really have to explain this one? Is there really someone out there who has never seen pretty woman?

It's probably the only movie out there that makes little girls aspire to be hookers. amiright?

Never Been Kissed

That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time. 

Again not such an obvious one, but still a great. And alas another Drew flick. This movie makes me laugh out loud and it kinda makes me want to go back to high school as an undercover reporter and have a secret affair with Mr Coulson. Immmeeaaann wouldn't you?

Also I now aspire to be kissed on a pitchers mount

So there you have it my top 5 chick flicks. I think Im going to come back and break down the top 5 movies in several categories just for giggles so be on the look out! 

Did your favorite make my list? If not what would you add?!

Im always down for a good chick flick!

0 Engagement Photos// Part 3

Part 3 of our engagement shoot! 

incase you missed it

Part 1 // Part 2

0 Sponsor Highlight// I Fight for the Phoque

I Fight for the Phoque

I know Iv talked about this blog a bazillion kajillion times already but here let me talk about it again! I love it. And if you're new here, or missed my previous posts about it, or havent been by, here is a brief description. 'Audrey', codename, is an anonymous blogger (I know her real identity because we are tight like that but muh lips are sealed so don't even try!) One day she packed her bags and bought a one way ticket to France. If that doesn't make you want to click over know this, she is amazingly open and honest, about everything. She blogs about life, love, sex, and adventure in the French countryside. Also, her current love affair with TMI whom she is torn between the lines of love and lust with. GAH it's like a romance novel but real life! I'll leave you at that. Want to know more? Head over to her blog and show some love. It's so worth it.

In Audrey's Words:

I am a 23 year old adventurer born and raised in the islands of Hawaii.  

In February of 2011 I decided to break up with my longtime boyfriend, have my beloved cats adopted, sell all of my stuff, abandon my apartment, kiss friends and family goodbye, and buy a one way ticket to a random town in the middle of France where I would know no one and speak none of the native but-oh-so-lovely tongue, French. 

I Fight for the Phoque follows my day to day struggle on the hunt for language comprehension, employment, new friends, good sex, good food, and with a little luck, a bit of wisdom here and there about life, love, and growing up.

thanks so much for the constant support Audrey! 

Please go heck out her blog and show her some love!

0 Sponsor Spotlight//New York State of Mind

I have some very lovely sponsors this month and I will take a few days to spotlight each one of them and tell you why you should go love on their blogs and stuff like that.

My first spotlight is with Daina from New York State of Mind. Diana is an elementary school teacher in South Africa.... SIKE it's New York. Just seeing if you were paying attention. She is basically living my dream life, packing up and moving to the city. It's a serious jealousy thing going on right now. At least for the time being I can go look at her blog and pretend Im there while browsing through her lovely pictures and reading her inspiring words. I love her blog it's very eye catching and an easy and enjoyable read. These are all of the many reasons you should go over there and check her out.

New York State of Mind

In Daina's words: 

Hi! I'm Daina. I moved to New York in 2003 to attend NYU and Instantly fell in love with my new home. Years later, I still pinch myself as I walk through the city to make sure I am not dreaming. The energy, people, and sights, are unlike anywhere else. I blog about my adventures and life in one of the greatest cities in the world. I enjoy writing about my loves of family, friends, food, travel, and the simple pleasures of life in New York City. 

facebook // Twitter

6 Before I was mom...

Before I was mom I had all these opinions and thoughts about parenthood that I was sure I knew everything about. Then I actually become a mom and all of a sudden I knew nothing.

Unsuspecting Fool ^ ^ ^

I knew I would lose sleep and I knew raising a baby would be a full time job, I understood when people said 'stalk up on sleep now because you won't ever be fully rested after she comes out!' Yeah I get it, babies don't sleep. Oh boy did I not get it. And it seems you can tell new parents-to-be again and again about the lack of sleep they will endure and yet it's not until you are experiencing it that you will ever fully understand just how exhausting it can be.

I got it when people said there is no love like the love a mother has for her child. I understood that it was some whole new level of love that you never knew existed. I got that I would do anything for my future baby girl. Oh how I did not get it. There is no way to fully express the instant and extreme love you feel when you hold that new life for the first time. You think you love someone more than the world and that there could be no way that your heart could ever love something so much as your: husband, fiance, best friend, parent, sibling. Then you have a child. It's like some indescribable love that you could have never imagined. It's whatever you did imagine it would be and then multiplied by some ridiculously large number that I can't even come up with. You would risk your life for this little person that you hardly even know with out even hesitating for a millisecond. It's like the quote "you don't think 'would I jump off a bridge for this person?' you just jump.."

I heard every one say how fast it goes, how time flies, document every step, take in every minute because they grow so fast. I get it people, kids grow fast. Oh lord how I did not get it. I look at my 2 year old and think 'how did this happen?' every single day. Sometimes 5 times a day. I look at my nephew and think how is it that she was that little only two years ago? How did she get so big so fast? When did she start giving me attitude? When did she start talking back? When did this tiny thing take on a whole personality of her own? Did I take enough pictures? Have I made enough videos? I want to remember every little thing this baby girl does. I try my best not to blink because I don't want to have a 16 year old standing in front of me. Seriously it's a legit fear. That's how fast it goes.

Another thing I never understood before I was a mom that I thought I totally did... only children. I never got why parents would chose to have only one child (except for financial reasons) I never got why they would say one and done. In fact I may even go as far as saying I judged those parents for denying their child a sibling, and not wanting a big family. Now, I totally get it. I totally get how you could look at your baby and think, how could I ever love anyone as much as I love this child? If I had another kid, how could I open my heart up even more than I already have? I get thinking that having another child would take away from the 100% showering of attention your one and only has been receiving for their whole life to date. How you may think by adding to your family you will be taking away from that perfect little soul. I can totally understand it. I have always wanted a big family because I loved having a big family. If I can somehow financially support them, Id love to have five children. And I still want to, and I will always want to give Peyton a sibling. But I can say that I get it now, those who chose not to. Sorry for ever judging.

Being a parent is hard. And you can hear that all you want but you will never know if you're cut out for the job until you experience it yourself. All I can really say is, if you think you're up for it, it's the most rewarding job out there. Be prepared to change your whole life in drastic ways. But know that in the end it's all worth it.

What are some things you thought you understood about parenthood until you actually became a parent?

1 Guest Post//Rock 'n' Roll Hideaway

My fabitty sponsors will all be sharing a guest post with my lovely readers through out the month and I'm so excited to announce the first one!

Today Alaythea from Rock 'n' Roll Hideaway is here to share some of her advice/life lessons in love and marriage! I love her choice of topic and it's always so refreshing to hear that marriage/relationships are hard for everyone! sometimes you just read about the rainbows and butterflies and think you may be crazy for how much effort you have to put fourth to make it all work and then you read posts like this from real people and realize we have all been there!

Blah blah enough about me! Take it away Alaythea!

Hi, lovelies! I'm so excited/nervous about guest posting over here at The Peanut Gallery. It's absolutely one of my favorite blogs now and Ashley is just so fun and sweet! 

I've spent the last week trying to figure out what I should guest post about - ya know, should I pick a hobby or pastime or do a "day in the life of...." kinda post. But I decided instead to just share a few things I've learned about marriage. My hubby and I met back in 2001 when we were both very young and we fell in love right away although no one believed us! After some time apart, dating other people and growing up we decided to get back together and get married at the ripe old ages of 18 and 21! From there we had so much to learn about ourselves, each other and most of all marriage. We love each other more then anything and we knew that no matter how tough or rough things got we wanted to make things work. It hasn't always been easy or "sunshine and rainbows" but we have a great marriage....now!

1. The first and most important thing we've learned is that marriage is NOT, and I repeat not, 50/50! It's not about getting anything from the other person. It's about giving as much as you can. And in return, when they are giving of themselves as well you are getting but in a much more fulfilling and meaningful way. I spent the first two years of my marriage trying to make my hubby "give" to me emotionally, physically, mentally. You name it. I was demanding and wasn't getting what I wanted in return. It was when we both realized that it was about doing for the other person and if you focus on that in the end you both get what you were wanting all along!

2. Compromise isn't a bad thing. For us, compromise is key. We are both opinionated, strong willed people who want our way. There are things we have learned to do his way, things we do my way and things we meet in the middle on. You have to learned when it's time to back down and when it's time to hold your own. For instance, as silly as it may seem, I fold clothes like he likes now versus how I was taught. Silly but it wasn't that big of a deal for me to change my ways and he likes the way things fit in his drawers better. My hubby is a little OCD and a neat freak and over the years we have kinda met half way - he's not nearly as uptight as he was and I feel like I try a little harder to keep the house up, organize and keep things neat (he may or may not agree! Lol!). Finding a balance is key!

3. Take time for each other - especially once you have children. Our daughter was born a year and a half after we got married. We weren't planning to have children for awhile but she "happened" and we went with it. But at the same time, we were still getting to know each other as spouses. Throw a baby in the mix and whoa! So it's essential for us to take time to go out and do something, just us, without worrying about the kiddo. We try to get out every couple of weeks or at least once a month. We get "dressed up", go eat somewhere we love, listen to tunes in the Jeep, talk about anything from serious issues to ridiculous stuff, go see a movie, walk around a book store, etc. Those moments a lone help rekindle love for each other and appreciation for each other!

I'm happy to say my hubby and I will be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary tomorrow (Aug. 5th) and we are still going strong!

Cheers, loves!

Alaythea

Thanks so much gurrl and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 

blog. twitter. 

6 The Many (Many) Face of Peyton Nicole

Just going through some old pictures of my babe and realizing how fabulous she is. She has made some AMAZING faces in her short life so here are  just a few   about a million

That is all