1.31.2014

Confessional Friday: {Special Edition - Getting to Know You!}

I wanted this Friday to be all about getting to know each other. I've seen a lot of new faces around here lately and so I wanted to take a day to introduce all of you newcomers to the blog! I

If you aren't a blogger, have no fear! Just leave a comment below and let me know you're out there and reading! Feel free to leave a brief bio about yourself and what brought you here, as well. I love meeting new friends!




So, my name is Leslie and I've been the author of this blog since her creation in 2009. I'm also the founder of the original Confessional Friday link-up, which I started back in 2011! (Hence the reason we are here on this lovely Friday.)

I started this blog as an experiment for a company that I worked for back then. The company wanted to start a corporate blog, but my supervisor and I knew nothing about the world of blogging. So, I started one for myself to learn the ropes of content management and, low and behold, my new favorite hobby was born.

Five years later, I'm still here.


I'm married to my very best friend, Stephen. We got hitched in September 2011 and reside in Northwest Arkansas. We have a beautiful three-month-old baby girl named Caroline, born October 14, 2013. You can read her birth story here. Lastly, we are the proud owners of two dogs, Ruby, (the mini dachshund), and Ari, (the German Shepherd).

The morning of Caroline's birth, about two hours before we had her!


My first moments with this princess!


I graduated from Arkansas State University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. I moved to Northwest Arkansas for an internship in January 2008 and loved it so much that I never left. Now, I work part-time two days a week as a writer at a globally renowned public relations firm in Fayetteville and love, love, love my company. The other five days of the week, I'm a SAHM to my baby girl, which is my newest and proudest role yet.


Stephen is the Director of Sales for one of the largest nutrition companies in the U.S. He is in charge of bringing protein shakes, supplements, vitamins and protein bars to some of the biggest retailers in the world, one of which is located right here in Northwest Arkansas! (Hint: It was founded by a guy named Sam Walton ;-)

He was recently promoted and I am so proud of his hard work and dedication to his job. He is a great provider and one of the most intelligent people I've met. (Though he will probably tell you that he's not that smart, just full of hot air, ha!)


Little Red River - Heber Springs, AR

I grew up in a town called Heber Springs, AR, which is located in the central part of the state (my parents' barn and the river behind their house are pictured above.) We lived on a farm and, until I moved away for college, I'd never even lived on a paved road. I wouldn't have traded that childhood in the country for anything and, as a result, I can still swing over a barbed wire fence unscathed.

My mom is my bestie!


Mom and Dad on the lake

With his herd (or one member of it)!


My mom and dad have been married for over 30 years and I love them dearly. My mom is a retired hairdresser and my dad owns a heating and air conditioning business, while also farming cattle.



I have one sibling, my 21-year-old brother named Matthew. We have always been really close and I love the kid dearly. He is married to Lauren, one of the sweetest people I've met. You can see them in the photos above!

Stephen comes from a large Italian family. He grew up in Fort Smith, AR and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. His parents have also been married for more than 30 years and he has four siblings: two sisters and two brothers. He's the middle child.

What attracted me to him the most was his pin-sharp sense of humor, his sarcasm, his intellect, his kind heart and his love for life. (Oh, okay...maybe I don't mind the fact that he's hot, too.)



Stephen grew up Catholic and I grew up Baptist, but when we married, we wanted to find a denomination that blended the two faiths.  So, we converted to Methodist! Not saying this is the answer for everyone at all, but it worked really well for us personally.

Around here, I write about a mixture of things, primarily fashion and family. I love playing dress-up and usually do a styled outfit post each week featuring affordable, easy-to-recreate looks for the average gal.

My tagline for this blog has been "simply having more fun", and in my opinion, that's exactly what we do around here every day!

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Got another question? Feel free to email me at askblondeambition@gmail.com for more info!

Now it's your turn - link up or comment with your bio!

34 comments:

  1. I had no idea Stephen was Catholic! Glad to hear that being Methodist is working for y'all...I just CANNOT see myself converting when I get married. Happy Friday!

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  2. I've been reading your blog for a few months now and really enjoyed this getting to know you post! You have a beautiful family!

    XOXO
    Chelsea
    http://www.anchorsaweighblog.com

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  3. I've been reading for a few years; can't remember what brought me here! I'm in Kentucky!

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  4. Monica from Texas! Stumbled across your blog on Kelly's Korner & have been following ever since! Your sweet little family is to presh! What a fun idea for Confessional Friday!

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  5. Hey Leslie! I'm not a blogger but I have followed your blog for quite a while! I have a beautiful baby boy that was born October 8th so it was really fun getting to see updates on your pregnancy while going through mine!
    Love reading all your posts!
    Taylor Mathis

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  6. been reading your blog for years now and have loved watching it grow and evolve and watching your family do the same! thanks for the link up Leslie! xo

    Maura
    www.lifethatsparkles.com

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  7. My name is Toni and I am a reader from Michigan. We are in about three feet of snow with more coming tonight and I long to someday move South! You have an adorable family and I found you through Kelly's Korner/Sarah's blogs. I'm not much into fashion but it's fun seeing what outfits y'all put together and reading about life in the South. :O)

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  8. I've been reading for maybe a year or so...I can't remember how I found you, but was interested because I'm from AR too! I got married in Aug. 2012 and we live in Memphis. I'm a follower of Christ, I dabbled in blogging off and on for a little while, and I'm still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. Love the blog, and your little Caroline is a doll :)

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  9. long-time reader from Little Rock... I work with M. Vick and figured out he knew you IRL. Funny about the religion thing.. I grew up Southern Baptist and my husband is Catholic. We married in 2012 and I converted... quite a difference and my deeply baptist family is still in shock lol. It works for us. Congrats on your new addition - she is adorable.

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  10. Hello Hello! I've been reading your blog since last September and love your insight. I'm a freelance writer, editor and blogger. Wife to Ryan (a law student) and puppy mama to Maggie our poodle mix. You're family is simply precious and I love all of your values.

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  11. I've been following you since I started bogging (around 4 years ago...) and I literally learned new things TODAY! Great idea :)

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  12. Love following your journey and watching your life blossom. Adore you friend. xo

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  13. Love your blog and this YOU post. I've been reading for a little while but definitely didn't know about all of this, and it's fun to know! I don't have a blog, but I will be getting my own website/blog soon.

    I'm a 30-something freelance ag editor/journalist. I love that you grew up in the country - I did, too, but we didn't have cattle. We had horses, rabbits, sheep, goats, coon dogs, miniature poodles and cats! :)

    I now live in Northeast MO with my amazing husband in a quaint little river town and love it. I'm always interested in more freelance gigs, so let me know if you, your company or someone you know is interested in having any editing or writing done!

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  14. Hello! I'm Casey and a wife, mom, and follower of Christ. I have a 7 year old daughter and a 4 year old son. My husband owns a heating and cooling business too that has been in his family for over 50 years. I love your blog, I love fashion, and I found you from Kellys Korner.

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  15. What a fun twist on your link up! I'm excited to get to know some new people :)

    Your wedding bouquet is to die for!

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  16. I just found your blog! Love it. Those pictures of Heber Springs are amazing. So excited to get all caught up!

    www.writteninthemidst.blogspot.com

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  17. Hi Leslie, we have emailed a bit since I am going to participate in one of the upcoming mom chats in February! My name is Melanie and I am from Vancouver, BC Canada. I can't recall how I found your blog! I read a few and I think I got on to your randomly a while back and fell in love with it. I enjoy your writing and your beautiful family. I am a new mom also, as you know. My sweet little one is 8 months old, his name is Masen. My husband and I are loving our new role as parents. Thanks for all the great posts, you are a wonderful writer!

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  18. Hi Leslie, we have emailed a bit since I am going to participate in one of the upcoming mom chats in February! My name is Melanie and I am from Vancouver, BC Canada. I can't recall how I found your blog! I read a few and I think I got on to your randomly a while back and fell in love with it. I enjoy your writing and your beautiful family. I am a new mom also, as you know. My sweet little one is 8 months old, his name is Masen. My husband and I are loving our new role as parents. Thanks for all the great posts, you are a wonderful writer!

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  20. HI!!

    I'm Hannah, my husband and I moved to Fayetteville two years ago from Lexington, KY. I started following your blog while you were pregnant with Caroline. We have a 17 month old little boy named Rory who I stay home with! I Would love to get together with you sometime and am definitely interested in a mom's group. Love your blog!

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  21. I love this! Thanks for this link-up and allowing new bloggers to connect! I love your blog and have been reading it forever…it was actually the first blog I ever started following.

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  22. Hi Leslie! I've been quietly reading your blog for over a year. I'm originally from South Louisiana, but live in Nashville with my husband and sweet kitty. I was also an English major as an undergrad though I know work in academic research as a project coordinator and librarian. I absolutely love your writing style and your blog -we're about the same age and I, too, enjoy some southern flair and charm!

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  23. Hey girl! My name is Carrie and I am not a blogger, I have been reading your blog for a few years now. I can't quite remember how I got here, but find myself reading daily! ;) I am 28 years old, live in chattanooga tn, and my husband and I welcomed our first baby October 2, 2013! His name is Hayes :) I really have enjoyed reading your post about pregnancy and sweet C as we were going through all of these "first" together! I also follow you on Instagram, my username is nugget85!

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  24. Hey, I'm Raeven! I'm 26, from Alabama and I've been reading your blog since before you were trying for sweet baby girl. I'm fairly certain I found your blog through Kelly's Korner when she shared yours and Stephen's success story, and I just kept coming back. You're the only fashion blogger I read consistently because honestly, fashion and I are kind of strangers. I love your style and your blog!

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  25. Hi Leslie! I am not a blogger but wanted to introduce myself as well. My name is Brielle and I am a law student in NY. This is my last semester then I graduate WOO! I just got married last month and also have a wonderful Italian husband. I love reading your blog and have read it since Kelly posted about you marrying Stephen! I love your posts (especially sweet Caroline posts!) Have a good weekend! Brielle

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  26. Hi! Im Mary from Charleston, SC. I cant remember how I stumbled upon your blog, but I love it and read it daily. I'm originally from Atlanta, Ga., but moved to Charleston 6 yrs ago when I got married. No children yet, but due with a boy in April. We have two precious labs named Stella and Miller. My husband and I own 2 independent pharmacies in town...it definitely keeps us busy! You have a beautiful family!!

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  27. I'm Erica, not a blogger but have been reading for a few years! Came from Kellys Korner �� I'm in alabama married since 2006 have a 5 yr old son named Fisher and a 3m old Ann Louise. I loved that we were pregnant at the same time she came Oct 21st so it was fun reading along. I love your posts as well!!

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  28. Hi Leslie!

    I'm Stephanie, and I found you from Ryan's blog over at Loved and Lovely. I'm a farmer's daughter from western Ohio who moved to Columbus to work in PR two years ago. I also love writing! I've thought about starting a blog but haven't taken the plunge. I've really enjoyed reading your blog, and your daughter is adorable!

    Thanks,
    Stephanie

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  29. Hi I'm Megan from Knoxville, TN. Ive been reading for several years and followed your story of meeting your adorable husband through Kelly Stamps' blog. Your background us very similar to my husband's. Your family is so cute and I love your style!

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  30. Hi Leslie, I have been reading about 3 years. I'm 26 living in Tulsa, OK, which I know you visit from time to time. If you ever need a babysitter for your sweet girl when you visit let me know!

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  31. Hey Leslie,

    I have enjoyed reading since mid 2012. I can't remember what brought me to your site, probably looking up makeup swatches as I have my own (now neglected) beauty and life blog. Funnily enough, we both enjoy many similar makeup products! I am in the midst of a career transition and am trying to find a way to get in to school to be a writer (any tips?). I am from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, got married to the love of my life July 16, 2011 and have two little Pomeranian dogs, Angel and Dove. It has been fun getting to know you and watch your little family grow. All the best to you and yours!

    www.beautyinreallife.com

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  32. Hi! My name is Leslie too! I am not a blogger but love reading blogs...I tried starting one after my husband and I were married in June 2009 but just never stuck with it...I would still LOVE to start my own blog but working full-time and being a new mom has kept my priorities elsewhere :) I have a little boy who was born 1/31/13 so we just celebrated his first birthday and the fact that he is one still shocks me....This last year has been the fastest most fun year of my life thus far. I live in southern California, born and raised, and work as an HR Manager. We have a chocolate lab named Kona. I am not sure how I found your blog but have been reading from around the time you and Stephen were married. I love following along with your growing family and your fashion posts!
    Take Care!

    Leslie

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  33. Hey, Leslie.
    I used to have a blog when I was in grad school, but no longer do. I do, however, love reading about the lives of others--like you!
    I commented last week about returning to work when my girls were 10 and 12 weeks old and my husband losing his job last year.
    Anyhoo, I live in the gorgeous town of Charleston, South Carolina and work on Kiawah Island at a development resort. I love my job and being able to walk on the beach at lunch.
    My hubs and I've been married for 6 years and have a 5 year old toy poodle and two beautiful daughters, ages 3 and 1.
    My husband and I both come from the Midwest and met in grad school in South Carolina.
    I am a born again believer and Jesus is first in my life. My husband is a Christian as well and it's the foundation of our marriage and home.
    I guess that about sums it up. Thanks for being interested in your readers! Have a blessed day.

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