Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from my spirit animal, Karen Walker. Hope you all have an amazingly blessed day!

On the 6th Day of Christmas..

Good afternoon!
'Tis the season! Thanksgiving came and went. Finals drug on (thanks for that Icepocalypse 2013!) and finally I'm home with my family and gettin' festive. There are roughly 6 days until Christmas and for those next 6 days, I have a few things planned. 

1. Chug hot chocolate like it is water on a hot day. 2. DVR every single Rankin Bass cartoon. 3. Incorporate Christmas carols into everyday conversations 4. See just how many times I can watch the Grinch.

I will also make time to make Christmas cookies & candy with my mom and take my brother around town to look at Christmas lights. Since the time is winding down until Old St. Nick comes crashing down the chimney, I took the opportunity this morning to attend my brother's 4th grade Christmas party and Oh, What fun! ( see #3 on the To do list) his teacher had the most AMAZING homemade hot chocolate, but it was a secret recipe so I may never know the ingredients. How will you be spending these last few pre Christmas days?  Leave a comment, follow me on twitter, and God bless you, every one.

Sunday Social

Hey y'all!  This is my very first link up! I saw this on Danae's blog Duh Danae so of course I wanted to join! So, here we go... What is your favorite Ice Cream flavor? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
What is your Favorite Smell? Pumpkin scented candles & the smell before it rains. What is your favorite commercial? It's December so I'm doing a Christmas theme...

What is your favorite day of the week? Sunday, a day dedicated to watching TV and planning my entire week makes me a happy girl!
What is your favorite way to waste time? Online shopping or reading a good book. Currently reading "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang"
What is your favorite article of clothing? Before black Friday, I would've said my new  black and white far isle/aztec cardigan, but after I scored some black leather riding boots for $30! They are my new favorite addition.
Have a great first week of December!

It's been a while..

If you're reading this, God Bless your soul. I've been absent in the blog world since July. I haven't had much to say, but today that changes! I'm back and better than ever! (I hope) I've decided to make the conscious effort to blog more often, rather than just read blogs. I got into a slump where I felt I had nothing to contribute, no fun stories or happenings in my life, no cute new outfits or decorating ideas to share. I wasn't blog worthy..the slump is over people, person....anyone? This is just a heads up for the fun that is about to come. Not only am I back in school ( where my BEST stories come from) BUT it's the Holiday Season, my most favorite time of the year. It's filled with finals, food, and family which will give me plenty to share with you all. So please, stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Best night of my life

Hello! So much for the 7 days, 7 posts...epic fail. But I have a good reason, an excellent reason actually.  On Friday July 5th, 2013... I went to a Beyonce concert, yes BEYONCE!  I have one word: amazing. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. She was breathtaking. But Jodeci, you say, why haven't you been bragging about this for months? Well...Let me start at the beginning. That Tuesday, started off ordinary, I woke up, went to the gym and then while at the gym, I received a message from a friend saying he changed his mind and had Beyonce concert tickets on hold, if I was willing to still go. Excuse me? Was that even a question? I love Beyonce more than I love a grey goose and cranberry. I screamed, literally, and then came the waterworks, it was really going to happen. Luckily, my good friend Mallory and I had planned a shopping trip and clearly it was needed. After I found a super cute pair of striped shorts from Charlotte Russe , we headed home. On Wednesday, I went to the zoo with my brother, which you can read about here . Thursday was the fourth. I had a BBQ with my family and then partied it up with my friends at the local firework show that night. When I woke up on Friday or as I called it B-Day ( get it... "b"-day)  I was so excited I couldn't stand it. Literally I got ready at 9 am and the concert wasn't until 8 pm . Tyler picked me up and we headed to Oklahoma City. It's about a 4 hour drive and we had a lot of catching up to do. When we arrived at the stadium I couldn't breathe, I know that somewhere in that building Beyonce was just doing what Beyonce does and that Jay-Z and baby Blue were more than likely right there with her! Once the doors open Tyler and I bought our gear (t shirts) and some drinks (said goose & cranberry) and took our seats. 

Her opener, Luke James, was phenomenal. I didn't get any pictures or video because I was saving my battery for Queen Bey.  

 Fiiiiinally, it was time.

From the moment she took the stage we were in awe. Beyonce is so amazing, Once you go to one of her concerts, you won't ever need to go see another. NOTHING, NO ONE could be a better performer or entertainer than Beyonce, of that I am sure. She danced, sang, and interacted with fans and was just unbelievable. 

And then before she sang Halo (her finale) She did something so unexpected it brought tears to my eyes & goosebumps on my skin. She sang "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. 

The only thing that can top that concert is my wedding. It was by far, the best most magical night of my life. If I could, I would relive it every single day. Now I'm going to go listen to a Beyonce CD and look at the pictures & try to recreate it.

A day at the zoo

It's no secret, I love the zoo! If I could go weekly, I would be there. I just love to look at the animals and see what they're up to. How crazy is it that in the middle of KANSAS which is in the middle of the USA that tigers,lions,elephants and more?! I just find it mesmerizing that all the animals are in one place for us to observe. I've been to many zoos in my twenty one years of life. And today the Sedgwick County Zoo is definitely in my top five, if not número uno. 

It's a 278 acre mash up of all things zoo and they did an amazing job. Each exhibit paid homage to the animals and part of the world they are from. The Jungle exhibit was inside a building filled with exotic flora ( even poisonous ones),birds, and rodents running around. It had a waterfall and was humid as could be, like a real jungle. 

That's my sweet brother goofing off on the bridge.

Dolphins are my all time favorite animal but my favorite land animal is the king of the jungle, the lion. It just so happens that the lion at this zoo was in a photogenic mood and we got some great shots with him. His wife on the other hand wasn't feeling the camera today.

Tony the Tiger was also a little frisky today 

Unfortunately, we missed the giraffe feeding by 11,ELEVEN, minutes but we got pictures of them just chewing away and feeding themselves.

Not only were the animals active, but the weather was perfect! As my brother said as we were leaving "what a glorious, wonderful day at the zoo." He's nine ya'll.

Things I actually like about summer

Long time, no post. I know, I've been preoccupied. But today starts the challenge of 7 days 7 posts! I'm going to get on a routine of posting weekly.
It's officially Summer. Let's start off by making one thing known, I HIGHLY dislike Summer. I have black leather seats in my car, ouch. I hate to sweat, and my hair is a frizz ball because of the humidity. So Summer and I are not on good terms. Hoooowever, I like some of the things summer brings. For example, With the heat comes the air conditioning.  I also enjoy late summer nights eating s'mores and star gazing. I anxiously await the summer to pull out my maxi dresses, and summer dresses, and fun sandals. And maybe my most favorite thing about summer is the 4th of July. Bar-B-Ques, festive outfits, and firework shows. If I could do all those things with a little snow on the ground, life would be golden. Temperatures have reached the hundreds here, I'm not amused.Stay cool, my friends.

It's Monday! Alarm clocks around the world were hit hard with the snooze button. It's back to work for most of the world, unless you're like me and work Tues-Sat!! Monday's are heaven sent. It's my day to relax, watch Netflix & in today's rainy glory, shop the surprise Kate Spade sale online! Seriously, I've come to love me some Kate Spade. After getting my first bag (that I stalked the website MONTHS, i'm talking 7 months for ) When it arrived in the mail, it was like...

 I just can't get enough. I visit their website weekly waiting for a sale as amazing as this one to come along. What is better than 75% off and $5 ground shipping ? Free shipping, that's what, but I can live with $5. That being said, click the link above and get your shop on! Sale ends at 11:59 TONIGHT!

I'm going to crawl back in my bed and wait for my package to arrive! Happy Monday!

Wise Words

Hello again! Recently, in my quest to find out what I want to do with my life (college, career, location) I've been given a lot of advice from peers,my mother, my boss, and some random customers at my job. Mostly they are quoting dead philosophers and the bible about life and the paths you travel; words & quotes in which they live by, that they know will help them in the choices they make on the daily.Mine you ask? 

(Pinterest)

I had first heard this quote in a Reba song, you know, "Fancy" And I just liked the way it sounded in the song, it wasn't until reading Hamlet in my 11th grade English class, that I truly understood the meaning & since then I've tried to live by this the best of my ability. Staying honest to me, regardless of others. 

Another one of my favorite was said by none other than my girl, Liz T. (Elizabeth Taylor). I learned this through experience (I'll tell you about it another time) and when you're in a sticky situation it can be a defining moment for friendships. Liz knew what she was talkin about.

What words or quotes do you live by? Comment below! 

 thanks for reading:)

P.S. What does one wear to a Mary J. Blige concert, this coming Sunday?

New Blog on the Block

Hello! 

 Welcome to There Once Was a Girl... I'm Jodeci, the girl. 21 year old aspiring event planner. I started this blog, because I thought blogging would be a good release for all the conversations I have in my head on a daily basis, it's fun, and I want to make friends with all the amazing blog ladies out there. You're in for lots of real housewife gifs, pictures of my dog (she's a sass master), and stories about my tequila induced shenanigans. I'll throw in a few life lessons for you too... #1 NEVER WASTE TEQUILA or VODKA or a Straw-ber-ita... basically there are kids out there without these luxurious beverages so take advantage and drink up! Follow me on twitter ya'll @jodecit