My First Ever...

GIVEAWAY!!!

Blog Positivity Week: A very fun aspect of blogging is all the giveaways. Ok, sometimes I think there may be a little too much giving away going on in the blog world, but most of the time, I think giveaways can be fun. It's a great way to promote a business you may support or simply do something nice for your followers. I have found numerous new blogs through giveaways and have even won some myself! I have formed bloggy friendships just by winning a giveaway- it's like an instant bond.

So, want to know what I'm giving away? Here's the story:

Captain Ahab had his white whale. 

Indiana Jones had the Holy Grail. 

Frodo Baggins had to destroy the ring. 

And I had... Birthday Cake Oreos.

As many of you already know, I have sort of been obsessing over these Oreos. You can see the original blog post here. I literally could not find them anywhere!! Everyone was telling me where they were finding them, but I never could. My mom even sent me a picture of my brother, all the way in New Jersey, with a package (such a tease). Then, out of the blue, a friend of mine (ehemmm Dustin) sent me a picture of the Oreos.. right here in Memphis!! It was late at night, but we ventured out to Kroger and to my surprise and complete happiness - there they were!

It was like I had found the treasure. I had completed my quest. I guess it really is the little things that make me happy. Well, there was a sign on them saying that if you bought 10 packages you got a discount... so I bought 10 packages. I was living in the moment!

I was happily munching away on my ten packages of Oreos when I got a package in the mail... from my Mom. She had sent me three more packages!!! So now I have 13 packages of Birthday Cake Oreos and I want to share the wealth!

Now I know this may be sort of a lame giveaway since you all could just go to the grocery store and get your own. So, to make this more exciting, I am going to alsooo be giving away a surprise along with the Oreos to the winner!! Anddddd, depending on how many people enter the giveaway, I might even choose more the one winner. I know, I know, so exciting!

Here's how to enter

Please leave a comment for each of the following (the comments are your entries):

Mandatory entry: 

Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect

Additional entries:

Follow me on Twitter

Like me on Facebook

Follow me with Bloglovin'

Follow me on Pinterest 

Follow me on Hellocotton

Follow me on Instagram

Tweet about the giveaway

Yeah, there are about a million ways to enter - what do you have to lose!!! Who doesn't love some free oreos?

PS. Oreo is not endorsing this in any way - I just want to share the ridiculous amount of Oreos I have - and they are amazing and so are my followers.

Oh, How Pinteresting - VW Bugs

Blog Positivity Week - Today, I am focusing on Link-Ups! Link-ups are a very fun aspect of blogging. There are all different kinds depending on what your interests are. Personally, my favorite part about them is that we all link our blogs to the host blog and you can visit all the other bloggers participating. I can't tell you the amount of new blogs I've discovered through link-ups. They're a great way to find new blogs and to put yours out there.

One of my favoritest link-ups is Oh, How Pinteresting over at The Vintage Apple. 

I think I have an obsession with VW Bugs. I have for as long as I can remember! When I was a little kid, instead of a little electric Barbie car, like all the other girls had, I had a Herbie car.. you know, Herbie, the love bug? I remember being in middle school dreaming of driving a VW Bug when I eventually got my drivers license. I have always loved them! I just think they're so cute - the old ones. I love the old classic ones. Because of this, I pin a lot of them....

Source: tumblr.com via Staci on Pinterest

Source: sweetmomentscaptured.tumblr.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: classiccarmagazine.s3.amazonaws.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: samanthahahn.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Staci on Pinterest

Support

Blog Positivity Week - One of the things I love most about blogging is all the support. Ever single comment I receive means so much to me. When I'm going through a tough time, I'm always getting words of encouragement. It's nice knowing people are actually reading what I have to say, and I love hearing what people think!

Are you a secret blog reader?

Before I started my own blog I read blogs. I had my favorites that I read every single day. I never left comments. I didn't even follow them with Google Friend Connect. I just had some bookmarked and visited them when I got a chance. 

Now that I have my own blog, I know how important my readers and comments are.

Don't be a secret blog reader - let your favorite bloggers know you enjoy reading their blogs. Follow them, so that they feel the support even when you might not have anything to say. But to be honest, I simple comment goes a long way.

This is Blog Positivity Week, so I want to stress that blogging isn't all about the number of followers - not for me at least - but it is encouraging watching that little number grow. Knowing that people are out there supporting me and what I have to say.

I have seen several bloggers talk about this before - it's important. One of the best things about blogging is the support and love. Without comments and followers it's easy to feel like nobody is out there reading. Support bloggers you love and let them know they mean something to you. 

A Very Memphis St Patty's Day

Blog Positivity Week - I started my blog so that I would have a place to record all the new experiences and things I was learning living in the South. Sort of like a public scrapbook that friends and family back home could also keep up with. This blog has turned into something so much more than I could have ever hoped. Not only do I have a place to record all my memories, I have also met truly wonderful people. I feel like I always say that around here, but it's true. Through blogging I have made so many friends and am inspired everyday. 

With that being said.. want to see what I did this weekend?

Definitely had one of the most interesting - and fun - St. Patrick's Day. 

We started the day with some free french fries at Burger King. Not the healthiest choice but hey,  we love a good deal anddd it was a holiday so it's all good. Bonus, there was green St. Paddy's Sauce for dipping - aka green ketchup.

Then, as if we didn't have enough fast food, we went across the street to get shamrock shakes!!!!! I was so excited, we finally had found a McDonald's that had them... and it was St. Patrick's Day so it was pretty perfect. 

Jeremy had never had one before. He loved it!

andddd I'm pretty sure this is the most liked picture of mine on Instagram - it's the simple things that make me happy.

We then headed downtown to catch the St. Patrick's Day parade down Beale.
It turned out to be a gorrrrgeous day and downtown was packed!!

I learned that Memphis has all these crazy societies with names like "The Secret Society of Boll Weevils"and "The Noble Krewe of Ptolemy".

I have no idea what any of this means. I am going to have to do some research.
I want to be in a secret society!

This apparently is a boll weevil --- what was going on?!

After the parade, we wandered around downtown for a while. There was live music everywhere, sunshine, and great people watching.

We eventually ended up at the Flying Saucer, which is a bar with a great atmosphere. We were just hanging out, having a beer, and of course a parade of bagpipers marches through the bar.

It was a festive and extremely fun day. I'm not even Irish but I had fun celebrating Irishness this weekend. I hope you all did too :)

Blog Positivity Week

Ashley over at After Nine to Five is organizing a little thing called Blog Positivity Week.

"One week dedicated to reminding us all that the blogging

community is an awesome thing to be able to be a part of."

Personally, I think this is a brilliant idea. I feel like sometimes we forget why we are blogging and all the things that make the blog community so wonderful.
Let's take a week to get things back in perspective.

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No matter how big or small your blog is, or even if you don't have a blog at all, there is so much to gain from this world of blogging. There's support and inspiration and it makes the world not seem like such a big place. I have met so many wonderful people through this and am excited to see where this tiny little blog of mine will take me someday.

So, who's with me!! Let's take a week and reflect on all the positivity found in blogging and remember and appreciate how lucky we are to have such an amazing community of people.