Happy Anniversary to ME!

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Hey y’all! I guest blogged today over at A Beautiful Day with Jules, and loved the content of my guest post so much that I thought I'd share it with y'all here today! :-)

I moved to Texas from California a year ago this week, and I thought it was only fitting that I create a blog post to commemorate my first anniversary here in the ‘ole hot state (since as I’ve mentioned in SEVERAL previous posts, I always like to celebrate the ‘little’ things)!

On August 6^th, 2011, I packed my bags and headed over to this glorious state. I had NO idea what I was in for, but managed to keep an excited smile planted on my face as I transferred my poor body from a cool 70 degrees to 100+ degrees in a matter of two days.

Since living here in Texas, I have learned and picked up so many things/habits I didn’t know in California. One of which is the oh-so-famous “y’all”! I am SO guilty of this one! It’s just so convenient. Why the conjoined word phrase hasn’t mozied its way on down to CA is beyond me!

I REALLY learned what football is all about here—especially college football! I could not believe how much fun it was getting to attend my university’s first game of the year… even if we didn’t win (anyone who knows about UNT knows we don’t have the best track record when it comes to winning football games).

I’ve learned about love and I’ve learned about heartache. I’ve learned the true meaning of friendship and how crazy but oh-so-fun it can be to live with 3 random girls. I’m still constantly learning things here in Texas (like how much mosquitoes love my sweet blood), but I’m so proud and so happy to call it my home for the time being. J So cheers to my first anniversary here in Texas, and cheers to the blogging community for enduring my mini-celebration! ;-)

It's been a great ride here at City Girl Gone Country. I'm still amazed when my DIY posts like my T-shirt to Tank Tutorial gets countless views each day (you like me, you really like me!). I can't wait to see what comes next, and look forward to sharing more crafty things in the future with y'all!

Ad-Swap Spotlight: August

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Meet My Lovely Texas Blogging Ladies!
This blogging experience has given me the ability to meet new, wonderful blogging friends in a community I otherwise would never be a part of: the Texas Bloggers! I love interacting with each of these ladies, and am so proud to host their lovely buttons on my sidebar for the month of August! Take a look at this month's City Girl Gone Country sponsors (in no particular order):

Week(end) Wraps and Snaps: Family, Fortune, and Fun!

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As y'all can imagine, the Fourth of July week and weekend brought lots of activities, photo ops, and memories with it.

This week, I enjoyed a great Fourth of July celebration with my boyfriend, Joe, and friends. You can check out my wild Independence Day adventure here.

On Thursday, I received my Oscar De La Renta scarf and sunglasses that I won during the giveaway from Emily at Life, etc. I absolutely LOVE these two accessories, and have already been playing around, figuring out a bunch of different ways to flaunt them. Thank you, Emily!

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!

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Hey, y'all! I hope you had a great 4th of July holiday. I know I did! Here's a snapshot overview of my Wednesday experience. I had the time of my life, and couldn't help but be proud to be an American on our Independence Day!

Sunglasses: Gucci, Shirt: Target (2011), Shorts: Wet Seal (2010), Bag: JustFab.com.

Week(end) Wraps and Snaps!

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Week(end) Wraps and Snaps is a snapshot into my week and weekend as a whole, wrapping it up and providing you with pictorial highlights from the previous 7 days.  This weekend, I enjoyed a relaxing, yet fun few days. Check it out!

Link Up: The Nail Files

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Hey y'all! Today I'm linking up with Tara at Fabulous But Evil for Today's post/link-up: The Nail Files!






A week ago I asked to rummage through my dear friend Elisha's nail polish before we went out on the town. While rummaging through her polish box, I came across a hot pink color that caught my eye. When I picked up the bottle, I was surprised to see the words "crackle overcoat." I knew I had to try it out!

I picked a mint color as the base coat...

W.I.P Wednesday: Stained Shelves

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Today I'm linking up with Lee of Freshly Pieced for Work In Progress (WIP) Wednesday!




Being a typical broke college girl, I get excited at any opportunity to save, whether it be on food, clothing, drinks, etc. Anything that'll save me a penny and still work just as well is fine by me. That being said, when I mentioned a few weeks ago I was in the market for some shelves to decorate my bland room's walls, my roommate suggested I try Good Will. We went together, and I came back with two light-cherry wood wall shelves, and two black wall sconces. 

Dallas, Get Your Grub On!

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* The following blog post is comprised of my own opinion, and is not sponsored in any way, shape, or form by Grub Hub or The Wok - Chinese Restaurant. *

Well, as most of you know (either by relations to me, reading my previous post, or being psychic), I was horribly sick a few days ago. Since then, I have been weaning the pain and sickness off by sticking to a pretty bland, low-acid diet. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure I aggravated the lining of my stomach that day, as it has been voicing it's anger at me ever since. 

Heart-Healthy Culinary Creations: Sarah's Skinny Pizza

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I've dedicated my time and efforts towards eating clean since January. I technically started over a year ago, but took baby steps. In January 2011, I began to cut out fast food restaurants from my daily routine. Then, I started portioning my desserts and snacks. In January 2012, I began to count calories and make a diligent effort to stay around 500 negative net calories each day. If you're looking to do this, sites like Calorie Count and My Fitness Pal are great resources to use. While I have grown knowledgeable of most calories values in certain foods and no longer feel the need to watch the numbers, I still use the former website when logging my weight monthly.

From Blah-b to Fab: DIY Workout Tanks!

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 A Step-by-Step Guide to a New Workout Wardrobe Essential!

BEFORE: "Blah-b!"

AFTER: "Fab!"

Have a few old t-shirts laying around and don't know what to do with them? If you're a girl who likes to look good, work out, and not spend a fortune doing either, then this is a craft designed for you! These rugged-looking tanks are a hit at the gym, and can be made out of any jersey cotton t-shirt. They're also a great bikini cover-up in the summer, as they cover you adequately but allow your body to breathe during that dreadful heat. Follow this step-by-step guide for a DIY (Do It Yourself) racerback tank, and turn that "BLAH-B" t-shirt into a "FAB" workout essential! Let's get started:

Sweet Summer Time '12

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Well, I had been preparing a Mid-Spring Round Up with a plethora of photographs, but my college career decided that studying and grades were more important. How dare she (and yes, my career is of female gender).


Enough excuses silliness aside; allow me to catch you up on my life--bullet point style. Why? Because bullet points are funner for you to read and lazier easier for me to write.

A Dose of Reality

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So, the truth as to why I haven't updated this blog since NYE is a mixture of several things. This includes writer's block, being busy with New Year's events, and even celebrating my 21st birthday (which was a blast, pictures to come soon!). However, the main reason as to why I haven't blogged is because I was working on a draft that talked about the downsides to California, but the reality is that California is awesome, it is just different, much like any other state.

Home is a heartfelt word. It means more than a lease, than a house and property, than a bed to sleep on. It is where your heart belongs, where your soul is at rest and you are sincerely at peace.

Month of August Update!

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Well, long time no blog! I felt I was WELL overdue in catching y’all up with what has been going on in my life!

School is definitely in full swing now. I go to classes 5 days a week, and work 3 days a week. Weekends have been glorious, and I definitely have been taking advantage of both sleeping in and going out and doing fun things! (And mom, you’ll be proud to know that sleeping in has changed to 10 am, not 1 in the afternoon!)

School life

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Hello family and friends!

Since schedules are truly chaotic these days, I thought it would be best to create a website that was easy enough to navigate for everyone to read in order to see how things are going on my end!

Texas is great! And by great I mean unbearably hot! Now, I enjoyed the weather when I first got here. Every time I'd step outside I felt as if I was stepping into a sauna, and I absolutely loved it! However, we got rain just 30 minutes south of my town, and the humidity definitely took its toll during my first day on campus!