Today I have my eye on the prize.

I have to plan a wedding, be a maid of honor, celebrate Christmas, have a 30th birthday party and still pay my mortgage this year. So this week, but mainly today I have my eye on the prize. I've officially signed up for 20 different restaurant savings clubs (free birthday meals and appetizers) and have began to read blogs like "Budget Savvy Bride" and "Broke Ass Bride" to figure out pretty much the next 8 months of my life. So far, I'm making my own bouquet and my wedding video will be on YouTube!

Either ways, I am thankful that I can be resourceful in doing some of the stuff I love like going out to eat, have a drink or just generally celebrate my birthday on a very tight budget. This weekend I"m kicking off my October Birthday festivities with FREE tickets to the King of Prussia Beerfest! :::reason #6,973 why I love Yelp:::

Regardless I'm sharing with you here an awesome list of restaurants you should sign up for their loyalty programs and get some free stuff on your birthday or the rest of the year!! I personally loved this list and just ran down the names and clicked on my favorite restaurants. Seriously go sign up...here are some of my favorites:

Applebee's - Free Appetizer
Chevys - Free Entree!
Chili's - Free Brownie Sundae #BOOM
Hooters - 10 Free Wings
Joe's Crab Shack - Free Appetizer
Old Navy - 25% off coupon
Texas Roadhouse - Free Side of Ribs!
Sephora - Free goodie bag - highlighter, mascara, lip liner
Uno's Pizzeria - Free Appetizer and today a $5 off coupon!

As usual, here's my thankful list of the day:

Today I'm thankful for:
1. Jessica Arias - who allows me to push my educational goals on her daughter
2. Xiomara Parra - who shares my love of apple cider donuts, wine and budgeting.
3. My mom - yes again, who today was on a quest to find my bridesmaid dresses.
4. Blogs - because I feel awesome writing again.
5. Pinterest - which I can get drowned in for hours with all it's crafty things I will probably never attempt
6. #tbt (throw back thursdays) - to remind me of some fcking amazing times I've had
7. Sunny afternoon - it looked like rain, and I hate walking Alana in the rain, so I'm glad it held up.
8. Clothes - I have two baskets filled with laundry and 3 closets filled with clothes, I must go donate
9. Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps Nail Polish - bc sh*t my nails have NEVER been this long!
10. Suave Mousse - who has significantly improved since I was a teenager!

Never did I ever....

Never did I ever, think I'd start blogging again. 

After an entirely too long of hiatus, here I am....starting this up again.

 :::waits for parade::::

It is October 1st and my 30th birthday is 23 days away. And for the last 29 years of my life, I have been so ridiculously spoiled with costume parties, pinatas, hangovers and lots of cake...this year though is it's own beast. I don't know what it is about 30, I actually thought it was going to skip me, but I do feel a slight mid-life crisis approaching.

Suddenly, I'm mourning all the things I didn't do like living abroad in Europe (at 23 I was determined to make that happen) or finishing my Master's (I've been "starting" grad school since age 22) or maybe missing my high school reunion (nah, I never actually thought I'd go to that).

Nevertheless, I realized that work stress, wedding planning stress, money stress, being fat stress could easily make 30 even more daunting. So, I've decided that for the next 23 days, I will not throw a pity party, instead I will be ridiculously thankful for all that has been my last 29 years...and maybe just maybe attempt some good deeds. So because I'm still on an endorphin high from the gym, I'll start with a list.

Day #1 - I am thankful for:

1. Netflix - which is has become my haven.
2. Dance Parties - at my new gym, to remind me how I miss my past life as a Zumba instructor.
3. My Mom - who has learned to pet Alana...a lot.
4. My Fiance, Christian - that I wonder daily if he really knows what he got himself into.
5. My dog, Alana - who is the happiest in the world when u utter the word "walk".
6. My coworker, Ivy - who is planning my wedding for me.
7. My cellphone - which is probably radiating cancer to me, but for now, I can't live without
8. Yelp - because it makes me feel like a VIP.
9. Dove Conditioner - Best smelling and softest hair product ever, especially after the gym.
10. My Dad - who taught me how to put air in a tire via phone yesterday