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!