Going Private

WARNING: this will be wordy.

When I started this blog over two years ago it was to keep my friends and family up to date on the building of our business Coffee Buzz. I would post about once a week with updates of construction or exciting new developments. I poured my heart and soul in to Coffee Buzz and this blog reflected that. 

As time went on, this blog grew. It became more personal. I started sharing more about my life than what was just happening within Coffee Buzz's walls.

Then the unthinkable happened, strangers started to follow along and read about my life. I was truly baffled that anyone had any interest in what I had to say and what I was doing. This lead to me "meeting" some truly incredible people. I am so inspired and entertained and grateful for  the wondrous blog friends I have made. 

These past few months I have been let down by the blog world. I've seen this discussed on other blogs, so it's wonderful to know I am not alone in my feelings. What was once a place for me to speak my mind and share my life has become a popularity contest. A forum for people to brag about their expensive clothes and elaborate vacations is just not what I signed up for. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE understand that I am not talking about ALL of you! There are some really incredible blogs out there that include fashion and vacations and glamour without being pompous.

And, if this pisses you off then I apologize, but the good news for you is that I am going private. 

As of next week, Busy Bee will be available only to select readers. 

I also want to note that this decision isn't strictly because of the disappointment in other blogs but also because frankly I've felt creeped out. I don't know who is reading this and that just straight weirds me out. 

And finally, I don't want followers and comments to justify my life. I am the happiest I have ever been and am giddy about starting my life as a married woman and building a family with my husband. I want to be proud and excited to share my life without the criticism of the whole world, since clearly the whole world is reading my blog. 

I still plan on following along with all of you and your fabulous blogs. Let's face it, sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee and my blog-roll is the only appropriate way to start my morning. 

And, for those of you who still want to following along as I navigate this grown-up life, please leave a comment with your e-mail address {or if you're more private send me an e-mail with your info} so I can invite you once I make the switch. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you have followed or commented or connected to me in some way. It really has been remarkable getting to know you, turning to you for advice and hearing your opinions. 

XOXOX, 

Wedding Recap {The Wedding Party}

Jason and are so lucky to have absolutely amazing friends in our life. It was so fun and so special to have such such a fantastic group of people supporting us on our wedding day. This group is so fun, hilarious, crazy and let's face it, GORGEOUS! 

Let's introduce you to the team:

LIBBY {Maid of Honor}

My best friend since 9th grade and the only person who understands my strange sense of humor. 

COLIN {Best Man}

Jason and Colin have been best friends since 8th grade and are truly like brothers. 

NICOLE {Bridesmaid}

Nicole is Jason's younger sister and also my first best friend. If you don't know the history of me and Jason you should probably click HERE. 

NATE {Groomsman}

Natie is my younger brother...and Jason has known him his entire life. 

CAROLYN {Bridesmaid/Beeb}

If you've been following my blog for more than a day then you know I cannot live without my Beeb.

JAKE {Groomsman}

The Beeb's hubby AND one of Jason's best friends since middle school!

NATALIE {Bridesmaid}

My step-sister. 

SETH {Groomsman}

Also a best bud from middle school. 

CHRISTINA {Bridesmaid}

One of my best friends from high school! 

JEFF {Groomsman}

J's best friend from college. 

COURTNEY {Bridesmaid}

One of my best college girlfriends and sorority sister.

RYAN {Groomsman}

And yet another middle school friend--my man holds on to his buddies. 

KARA {JR. Bridesmaid}

My baby sister! <3

ALLY {JR. Bridesmaid}
J's baby sister!

TRAVIS {Usher}
J's younger brother.

CHRISTOPHER {Usher}
J's youngest brother.

ROBYN {Personal Attendant}

She was the reason my wedding day went off without a hitch which is why she deserved her own post, read it HERE. 

We have a TON of wedding party photos and I love them all...but in order to not bore you all to tears I chose a few of my favorites to show off! 

Me & my Girls:

J & his Boys:

J & the Girls:

Me & the Boys:

 these boys are soooo tall!

The whole crew!

And finally, my favorite picture from the entire day....

All photographs by Sara Jayne Photography.

State, MPM and House Guests!

Hola mamasitas. 

{that is my attempt at pretending I'm in Mexico and not in my freezing cold office on a Monday morning.}

Before I can get down to meal planning bizzz-nass I need to THANK all of you for your super sweet comments, e-mails, tweets and texts in regards to my lil sister's dance team!

Saturday was a very long, exhausting and emotional day. 

me and the Beeb dressed head to toe in black & red. Our routine is wedding themed so the parents had veils and top hats for everyone. 

The team did INCREDIBLE! They actually TIED for first and ended up dropping to second place in the tie-break by ONE point. ONE-FRICKIN-POINT! 

It was so exciting but also so heartbreaking, being THAT close!

Anyways, without going on for hours {which I could} I just want to say THANK YOU. 

It was pretty overwhelming how sweet  all of you are and how many of you took the time to send well wishes.

 No matter what...I am a proud big sissy.

Allllllllllrighty then, let's get down to it. 

This week is sort of a "garbage" week. We have a lot of random stuff in our fridge and cupboards so I tried to create meals that use these items. I also upped-my-game and made grocery plans according to coupons that I found--yeah, I know, I've lost my mind. But if I can save $22.00 on my groceries...I'LL DO IT! Every little bit counts, right? On top of that I have two meetings with my sorority this week {I am an advisor} so I won't be home. Plus, Jason plays basketball on Wednesdays, so we're kind of going to be on our own most days this week. 

Here's what my week looks like:

Feb. 20-Feb. 24	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
BREAKFAST	Smart Start, Almond Milk & Veggie Sausage	Smart Start, Almond Milk & Veggie Sausage	Smart Start, Almond Milk & Veggie Sausage	Smart Start, Almond Milk & Veggie Sausage	Smart Start, Almond Milk & Veggie Sausage
LUNCH	Mrs. Grass Soup, Veggies	Turkey Sandwich, Veggies	Turkey Sandwich, Veggies	Mrs. Grass Soup, Veggies	Turkey Sandwich, Veggies
DINNER	Membership Exam (Subway)	Steak Skewers, Mini Twice Baked Potatoes & Corn	Veggie Buffalo Wings &Veggies	AAC Meeting (Cooper)	Spaghetti
SNACKS	Yogurt w/ Granola, Strawberries	Larabar, Cottage Cheese, Applesauce, Strawberries	Yogurt w/ Granola, Strawberries	Cottage Cheese, Applesauce, Strawberries	Larabar, Strawberries, String Cheese,

I am going to attempt beef skewers for the first time using THIS marinade and will be loading them up with onion, red pepper and zucchini. I'm pairing them with THIS Twice Baked Potato Bites recipe I found on Pinterest.

Have you guys had these Morningstar Farms Veggie Buffalo Wings?

I've been eating them for years and frickin LOVE them! Even Jason likes them, and that's saying A LOT. I figured this would be a nice, simple and yummy dinner for me while Jason is playing bball, plus I had a coupon! :)

This weekend we have some House Guests coming to town! Our friend's Billy & Jackie {who we met on our honeymoon} are coming to town! I could not be more excited!

I've planned a FIESTA for Saturday night complete with Turkey Tacos, Spanish Rice, Corn & Black Bean Salad. Guacamole and of course MARGARITAS!

I've opted to NOT do a recipe of the week today because, let's face it, this post is getting extremely long and the chances of any of you still reading ESPECIALLY on a Monday is slim-to-none. I plan on sharing some recent favorites later this week!

One more incredibly important note before I sign off...
Head on over to my girl Caroline's blog, Simply Smithwick, and check out her giveaway!

Only DON'T enter it because I want to win! :)

Thoughts on Thursday

This weekend my little sister is competing in the State Dance Competition! I am so excited and SO nervous! This will be her first time competing at State as she is only a Freshman! Best part...The Beeb is going to come with me to cheer Kara and her team on! SO EXCITED! 

So proud. 

I have a severe addiction to LeAnn Chin, which is essentially a Minnesota Chinese food chain. Think Chipotle, only with Chinese food and absolutely no healthy options. I am a part of their loyalty club {I know, I have a problem} and get deals texted to me from time to time. I got said text yesterday for Buy 1, Get 1 FREE entrees! So I texted the deal to Jason and this is what followed:

Also, I learned last weekend that you're supposed to have ICE in your phone for the person who is your In Case of Emergency contact. WHO KNEW?

I have decided I need to go to Social Media Anonymous. Addicted to all things social media.

With that being said...you really should follow me on TWITTER, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM {BusyBeeMN}. And most importantly right here on BLOGGER, just go right over there ------------------>

I have been getting Shellac manicures every two weeks to keep me nails looking nice and I am absolutely hooked on the stuff. The past couple of times I have gotten Rock Royalty and have decided it's without a doubt my favorite color.

I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to honor my childhood idol. I was completely heartbroken when I heard the news that Whitney Houston has passed away on Saturday. 

I've heard people say that they're not surprised and that she had it coming but she was a person and a mother first and foremost and celebrity or not, drug addict or not, it is always sad when a child loses their mother. People need to show a little compassion and honor her for the incredible talent that she was. I grew up with Whitney and idolized her for most of my childhood. Her concert was the first I ever went to, The Bodyguard was the first R rated movie I was allowed to watch, my "house" daughter was always named Whitney and I still have every album she ever recorded. She was an incredibly talented woman who somewhere lost the strength and will to take care of herself. I am still and probably will always be heartbroken about this loss.