Amen! It's Friday!

It's time for some Five on Friday fun! 
[one]  I have to start out by saying that this is DAY 2 of the Radiant Conference and I am so unbelievably excited for what today holds in store for me! Yesterday was the beginning of it all, and for it being only 2 hours last night, I was truly moved! Although it was a long day {working and then hitting up the conference immediately after until 9pm}, it was so worth it! I seriously am so excited to spend today with some great speakers and Godly women ... the entire day! Don't worry, there will be a recap post next week! :) 

[two] Where the heck does time go?! Seriously, tomorrow is MARCH 1ST, and I'm blown away at this. And with that being said, I need to get my butt in gear and focus on a few major things in life that I've had in the works...let's do this! 

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[three] I failed. I failed at the Made to Crave bible study... and that's okay. I was pretty excited and moved to join in on the Online Bible Study with Proverbs 31 six weeks ago, but it wasn't realistic to follow their time frame. I sensed it from the start, but I didn't give up. Well, now it's six weeks later and the end of their study - and I failed. However, I will do this study on my own this summer and reflect on all the blog posts that were shared on Proverbs 31's study blog. I know it's in the cards for me to do, but I want to be able to do it at 100% and give it my full attention. It wasn't fair to only be in halfway. 

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[four] We received our tax return refund! Can I get an Amen?! 

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[five] IT'S THE WEEKEND! How would this fact not make it on today's top five? :) Praying this weekend brings lots of joy and quality time with loved ones! 

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Linking up with THE GOOD LIFE BLOG.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, five things I'm loving! 
one// I've really been having a blast with our 14 Days of Love this Valentine's Day! I'm so glad that I decided to really commit to the challenge on love on my husband selflessly! 

two// #pimpinjoy. I absolutely love the idea behind this movement! March 3rd-7th is pimpin joy week - spread joy wherever you go! For more information on what the heck is going on, go {here}. 

three// I'm particularly loving my new phone! Tomorrow will mark one week that I've strayed from Apple land, and so far, I'm completely happy with my new Android! LG. Life's good!
four// Sean Lowe {aka 'the Bachelor' from season 17} gave his testimony this week for I am Second. What is 'I am Second' you ask? Great question! 
I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.
To watch Sean's video about the difficulty of being on reality television in public scrutiny while clinging to his faith, go {here}. Y'all, it's seriously amazing! LOVE.IT.

five// I discovered the Avocado app this week, browsing random Android apps of course! However, I freakin' love it! And what a better time to discover this app for couples than the week of love?! I can't think of one. 
Avocado is the fun, private, and secure app for couples to stay connected. Send messages, share calendars and lists, doodle on photos, and more! Avocado keeps your favorite person as close as your phone. Why Avocado? Whether you’re miles apart or continents away, this couple app helps you and your boo stay connected anytime, anywhere. And just like home, it’s a private space for the two of you to collect and share a life. Colten didn't take to this app as much as I did {go figure}, but he has stuck it out for a few days and is learning to love it :). It's for Android or Apple, so there's no excuse not to try it with your significant other! 

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! I absolutely adore my readers and always look forward to communicating with y'all. I hope you know that you are loved!! 

Linking up with THE GOOD LIFE BLOG.

Unstoppable.

It's here. The day I've been waiting for all.week.long. FRIDAYYYY! 
So, why not a little five on Friday, shall we? Indeed, we shall. 

I'm tired. I'm really doing my best not to complain, but this whole first week back at both jobs after the holidays thing is for the birds! Oh, and add on top of that some overtime, and you've got yourself one tired Bri. Seriously, only three-four hours of sleep a night just isn't cutting it! Praying for longer days... ;) 

I'm la-la-LOVING this inspiration board by Bailey Jean! It's seriously motivational! I'm thinking of working on my own inspiration board this weekend and then printing that sucker out and framing it. I think yes. 


This song. 

Talk about exclaiming your love for all the blessings you've been given! This gem came on the radio this morning as I was heading to work at 5:30am, and I turned that sucker up and jammed out! Even half asleep, it was a pretty phenomenal way to start my day! 

Have I mentioned yet just how much I just love Fridays? I'm sure I have :). 

This Friday is a little different, though. I'm at work for 12 1/2 hours, and I'll be back tomorrow morning for another 8. This adjustment period week has been hard, but I know the reward will be very much worth the sacrifices right now! Overtime is being offered once again, and it's an opportunity that God has provided through His graces to allow our family some extra income in a season we need it the most. 

Balance. Focus.  These are two words that I've been drawn to a lot lately, and they are so very important, in every aspect of my life. I am striving to find balance in life between working two jobs and now overtime for the next few months in addition to being a wife, friend, blogger, sister, and daughter. I'm making strides in my faith and my relationship with the Lord. I have so many great ideas and things I want to really get accomplished this year. But the key to all of this is to find balance in and through it all. And to focus. Focus on each task at hand and give it my full attention. Focus on my goals and the steps needed to reach them. I can do this. 


Linking up with THE GOOD LIFE BLOG. 

FIVE on Friday: Christmas-y edition.

What a week! Holiday weeks are always fun, but I'm always so thrilled when I get to be in my own home and sleep in my own bed. If I don't have to travel in a car for several hours for weeks and weeks, I'll be just fine with that. 
I spent most of yesterday car sick and feeling absolutely terrible. But today is much, much better! 
We got home late last night and lo and behold, I'm at work today. So, needless to say, all Christmas-y pictures are still on my phone and I of course had no plans today for a post! It's really no surprise, is it? But alas, here I am. Friday morning, feeling sluggish, and missing my oh so comfy bed. And my husband, who does not have to work today... *sigh* 
So, here's to another FIVE on Friday! :) Linking up with The Good Life Blog. 

one//Although Christmas is over, I'm still celebrating our Lord's birth! You better believe our Christmas decorations are still up and our tree is lit. 
two//I am so, so thankful for so much family in our lives! I know that not everyone is so fortunate, but when you have to decide and compromise on where to visit and who to see, it just means you have been blessed beyond measure with so.much.family! 
three//I'm missing my grandparents dearly this year. It's the first year that I did not have any living grandparents to celebrate Christmas with, and it hurts. I'm praying it will get easier with time, but many, many tears have been shed recently. I know they are ALL in a much better place with our Savior, but I still miss them terribly! 
four//We ate, and ate, and ate, and ate, and ate some more! Oh my goodness - we ate! If I don't have another big meal for a few weeks, I think I'll be just fine with that! The holidays always bring so much food! I'm grateful to have had laughs and love over the dinner table with so much family this year! Praise God! 
five//This year was the first year I've completely missed a Christmas celebration with my family. Now, I know that I have a fairly big family and we celebrate - a lot! With that being said, I also know that when you get married, things change. New traditions are made and you have to compromise and sacrifice...every single day. It's no surprise the holidays are any different! This year, we celebrated with Colten's family on Christmas morning instead of my dad's side of the family, and I can honestly say that I missed it dearly! Although I had a great time with Colten's parents, I missed the chaos and laughter of my loved ones that I won't see for many more months. It reminds me to truly cherish the time that you do get with your loved ones, because life changes every single day and you never know when you won't be able to tell them you love them anymore or won't be visiting them when you thought you would! 

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Christmas this year and celebrated the true meaning of Christmas! 

All about Christ.

"Hooray for Friday!" is exactly what I'm happily shouting at the top of my lungs today! Seriously - it's been a super long week and I'm so ready to be able to just head home today after work instead of going to job #2. Although I'm thankful for both jobs, I truly look forward to being able to actually spend time at home and get stuff done {or just be lazy and relax...those days are definitely crucial!}. So, in the spirit of another Friday that I've been beyond blessed to see roll around, I'm sticking with the theme of blessings. Today's five on Friday is all about Christ. 
{one} CHRISTmas. Christmas is in the air EVERYWHERE, and I'm absolutely in love! It's been especially present on my little blog these past few days {seriously, I think there's about a bajillion Christmas linkups - so if you're in the mood, go have some fun!}. I had some fun this week sharing about what I love about the holidays and how I decorated my home and office this year! So, you should definitely go check it out. Also, I'm completely obsessed with the fact that Christmas is officially less than two weeks away! Ahhh! 
{two} thank God. There are a lot of people {way more than I'd like, quite honestly} that seem to feel as if they're at their wits end and don't know which way is up. They are spinning down into a tumultuous black hole and constantly complain about the 'awful' things in their lives. Well, I'm here to say thank God. I've been there, and I know what it's like to completely feel as if what you are facing is just completely terrible and you've been faced with such a huge burden that it's just the worst thing ever. Seeing others experiencing the same hurt, pain, and anger truly makes me thankful to God for the blessings that have been bestowed upon my life. No matter how big or small, a blessing is a blessing, and I am forever grateful. It's so easy to overlook the joys in life and stay focused on all of the negativity. I'm living proof that through the smoke on those bumps of life, there is greatness. There is happiness and joy. There is life. And for that, I thank God. 
{three} remembering. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The video below is completely heart wrenching and just blows me away every single time that I watch it. Please, please take a few minutes {4 minutes and 5 seconds to be exact} out of your day to watch this beautiful video of Emilie's family after tragedy ripped apart their family just one short year ago tomorrow and changed their lives forever. You'll definitely need a kleenex or two, but it's completely worth it. I promise.  Those blue eyes...I die. This video has gone absolutely viral, as I've seen it posted on blogs, on Facebook, twitter, emails ... it is a truly amazing video of how evil did not win that day. 
In remembering such a terrible tragedy, I went back and read a few blog posts that I wrote regarding that day:  + Newtown, Connecticut Shooting + Because it Still Hurts They're not long posts, but they remind me of my anger, confusion, and faith from that day - the day that so many lives were completely changed forever. The day that will haunt them for years to come and may never go away. The day they lost a piece of their heart. I'm remembering, and I'm praying. May God comfort those that are still hurting from the senseless tragedy and bring a sense of peace that the lost loved ones are joyfully playing in Heaven at the feet of our Creator and Savior. 
{four}little drummer boy. After that last video, I'm now asking you to spend four more minutes watching this one. You won't be disappointed - honest! If you weren't in the Christmas spirit before, you will be now: 
Isn't it beautiful? The union of all of their voices and the gorgeous message behind the song. I can't sum it up any better than Amber did over at Mr. Thomas and Me. Please, please, please go read it. PLEASE! {Yes, now I'm pretty sure I'm begging.} It's glorious, to say the least! Thank you Amber! I can seriously have this song on repeat to enjoy over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It's that good. Do yourself a favor and go listen to it, even if you've done so already - even a couple hundred times ;). 
{five}healing.  Hallelujah! Colten is finally free of his pneumonia! Now that is something to scream at the top of my lungs! He will still have to use his inhaler for the next month and a half, but he's done with his antibiotics, and he is fully admitting that he's all better {which is a suretell sign that he's better}. I hate feeling completely helpless and having to sit back while the man I love with all that I am suffers day in and day out. So I am praising God today that He has healed my husband and will allow us {hopefully...} to celebrate Jesus' birth day free from illness. What greater gift is there?! 

Of course, linking up with THE GOOD LIFE BLOG. 

Friday Lovin'

I just get so unbelievably excited for days like today. Nothing super special ever really happens, but at the same time, something fabulous happens every week at this time.

 

 

IT'S FRIDAY!

Yep, I'm in love with Fridays. Every single one of them. I never dread them, they never make me unhappy. I'm always ridiculously excited on each and every friday that comes my way. I LOVE FRIDAYS!

And this Friday, I'm loving a few things...so we'll just get right to it! That's right, five on friday is here once again! Linking up with the good life blog. Don't pretend that you're surprised ... I love sharing a few random things at the end of every week. I look forward to it. I need it. So, it's happening.

{disclaimer: this doesn't mean it'll happen every.single.friday. a girl needs variety!}

   

{one}

I don't necessary love Judge Judy, but her show is pretty funny! And this clip is no different. She closes this case in 30 seconds by them disagreeing over what was stolen! HILARIOUS! Can we say dumb?!

 

 

 

{two}

I'm still in awe over what I'm calling our 'holiday bonus' from HEB! They surely surprised me!

 

 

100 ways to say thank you is none other than a crisp, brand-new $100 bill! And being the smart lucky lady that I am, I'm married to an HEB employee, so that means we each got one! That's right. I think I'm still in shock. Perfect timing with the holidays just around the corner! {Thanksgiving is next week y'all!}

 

 

{three}

I'm just absolutely loving on Shay Shull over at Mix and Match Family. She's a girl after my own heart, and her blog is just chalk-full of all things Christmas lately! I'm keeping her Christmas music guide handy this year! Also, she just posted about her all-time favorite Christmas movies, which I love! Some of them I haven't seen yet {gasp!}, so I'll definitely be looking into them this year! Thanks Shay!

 

 

{four}

Speaking of bloggers, Karla over at Forever Newly Wedded cheered me on this week! She participated in the brand-spanking-new linkup, Cheers Not Jeers, and spotlighted little ol' ME! Go here to check it out! She is super sweet and I just love her blog! I pretty much stalk read it every day {and comment, of course!} and I enjoy reading up on her and her sweet husband's {and Tyson's} adventures! They're always up to something. Thanks again Karla! :-)

 

 

{five}

Right now, I'm most looking forward to decorating for Christmas! I mean, there's really nothing better out there! I wanted to get it done last weekend, but that didn't happen. I had hopes for this weekend, but that outcome is looking just as bleak as last weekend! *sigh* It'll happen soon, though, I can promise you that! Seriously, doesn't this picture just scream Christmas, toasty warm pajamas, drinking cocoa, watching holiday movies, laughing, and just not having any worries in the world?

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The answer to that is simply, yes! Yes, it does! I can't wait! Why would you not want that in your life? I need it immediately. And if this picture were my actual house, I'd be in hog heaven! I'm going to try to recreate this feel this year in our own place! Wish me luck!

 

What are some of your favorite things from this week? Are you decorating for Christmas already? Let me know!

 

What You {Should} Be Watching

It's really no surprise that I love, love, love my television shows. Seriously, I even have an app for new episodes and ones I haven't seen yet, etc. To get in on that lovin', check out the iTV Shows app for iPhone and iPad! It sends alerts when new episodes will air, keeps track of all shows, upcoming seasons, shows that have ended, and so on. It's $2.99, but it's totally worth it! With that being said, today's Friday Five will be five shows I'm loving right now {in no particular order}!

 

 

 

one|| Arrow on the CW (Wednesdays)

Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea; he returns five years later as a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow. via IMDB. Cast: Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Emily Rickards as Felicity Smoak. It's a great cast and an intense show! Just when you think you know what's going to happen next...you're completely blown away by a huge twist! And Stephen is pretty easy on the eyes...you're welcome! :) The show first aired in 2012 and is currently in its second season.

 

two|| Nashville on ABC (Wednesdays)

Set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene, the drama revolves around a 40-year-old superstar Rayna Jaymes, whose star begins fading. She is forced to team up with Juliette Barnes on tour in order to maintain her label's support for her latest record, whose sales have been underwhelming. via IMDB. Cast: Connie Britton as Rayna James, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne. This is a fun, dramatic show with lots of flair and real-life circumstances, all revolving around the country music industry. Of course, there's also an on again off again romance intertwined in it all! You won't be sorry for getting hooked on this show, which first aired in 2012 and is currently in its second season. {which means there's plenty of time to catch up!}

 

three|| Chicago Fire on NBC (Tuesdays)

This show is about a team of firefighters in Chicago's Fire House 51. Every episode is jam-packed with intense, blazing flames {in more ways than one} and leaves you with burning questions. Cast: Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide, Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey, Monica Raymund as Gabriela Dawson, Lauren German as Leslie Shay, Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden. Looking for a hot guilty pleasure? This is it! No two episodes are the same, and each one always leaves you wanting more! You get an inside look of how a fire house is run, including every professional and personal development along the way. The show first aired in 2012 and is currently in its second season. {is this a recurring theme or what?!}

 

four|| Witches of East End on the CW (Sundays)

The witching hour is here! This show centers on the adventures of a mother and her two adult daughters, both of whom unknowingly are their family's next generation of witches, who lead seemingly quiet, uneventful modern day lives in Long Island's secluded seaside town of North Hampton. When one of the daughters becomes engaged to a young, wealthy newcomer, a series of events forces her mother to admit to her daughters they are, in fact, powerful and immortal witches. via IMDB. Cast: Julia Ormond as Joanna Beauchamp, Jenna Dewan-Tatum as Freya Beauchamp, Rachel Boston as Ingrid Beauchamp, Madchen Amick as Wendy Beauchamp, Eric Winter as Dash Gardiner, Daniel DiTomasso as Killian Gardiner. This show first aired on October 6, 2013 and is only 6 episodes in, but I'm completely hooked! Yes, it's a show about witches, but it's done in a very modern, not-very-supernatural kind of way. It's perfect. Seriously, go catch up now! And since it's a new show, every episode is definitely different and introduces new, fun witchy problems!

 

five|| Grey's Anatomy on ABC (Thursdays)

A medical drama set at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle. The series covers the stories of the interns and residents at the hospital as they try to balance their personal lives with the demands of their medical training. The main character is Meredith Grey, who is married to a neurosurgeon at the hospital. The show {now} follows her life as a third year resident at the hospital in the surgical department. It covers not only her relationship with her husband, but also with her best friend Christina Yang and her interactions with the other doctors and staff. via IMDB. Cast: Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Sandra Oh as Christina Yang, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd. It's really no secret that I'm 100% obsessed with this show! Some have stopped following as they feel everything has been done already, but not me! I will be faithful to this show until its very last day {which I pray is not anytime soon!}. Although its main focus is Meredith Grey, the writers and producers do a great job really showing the lives {both personal and professional} of all the characters! The show first aired in 2005 and is currently in its 10th season! It will have you on the edge of your seat laughing, crying, and cringing all in the same episode.

So, there you have it! My top five favorite shows right now! Don't be fooled, though, I watch many more than just these five. :) What are your favorite shows right now?

 

FRiDAY, FRiDAY, FRiDAY!

It's Friday! It's Friday! Hallelujah, IT'S FRIDAY! 

 

For some reason, this has been a particularly llooonnnnggggg week! And I, for one, am very happy to see it come to an end! But I also can't believe October is almost over! Eeeeek! Y'all, Thanksgiving is only a month away! And then it's Christmas! Why oh why does the holiday season have to go by soooooo fast?! I think I'm going to have a case of the holiday blues come January.  I digress.

And now, it's time for some 5 on friday, and all of its glamorous randomness!

1// Is it terrible that I literally cannot think of anything right now other than the fact that it's friday and the beautiful weekend is just around the corner? No? Okay, good!

2// I really don't understand why so many people are still complaining about the new iOS 7 for iphones. Yes, there are glitches. Yes, it's slow at times. Yes, it's annoying when you just want the thing to WORK. But, it's new. And as with all things new, it takes time to figure out the glitches and errors. I believe there have been two, if not three, additional updates to fix the bugs that were in the rollout. Be patient, people! {btw, I'm loving the new iOS. Change is good!}

3// Why in the world does being a cashier at a grocery store take such a huge toll on my nails?! Seriously! Not only can I not have my nails painted because they chip so bad at work, but when there's no polish, it dries out my nails and they look {and feel} awful! Ugh!

4// I created this little beauty to get me more in the Halloween spirit! It's been gracing my phone this past week and I love it! We can't really afford to decorate our home for every holiday, so this is about all the 'halloween'ness that is in my life right now.

5// I'm pretty sure this is the first time ever that I did not watch Grey's Anatomy the night it aired. Seriously! I usually come home from job #2 and stay up to watch it because, let's face it, I'm addicted to this show! But last night, I was just so tired and I let my exhaustion take over. I watched a quick show that was already recorded and went to bed. I think I'm having withdrawls from not seeing last night's episode! I'm doing my best to stay away from any spoilers!

FiVE on FRiDAY

  Happy Friday, friends! And congratulations on making it through another work week - I know, it's been tough. But, we did it! I was off yesterday, so Wednesday also felt like Friday; and let me tell you, two 'fridays' in one week is pretty fabulous! And today, some random things for you!   First of all, thanks to my lovely co-worker, I've been introduced to the wonderful world of key lime pie. Luckily, I wasn't the only one that has been out of the loop, because my other co-worker hadn't tried  it before either. And needless to say, we're both in love! We may or may not have made several trips to the grocery store on our breaks at work to buy the single-serving size... sorry, not sorry!   Marie Callender's just didn't compare. Seriously, save yourself and stick with Edwards!   Second, all the world is hyped from the long-anticipated new iOS release for all things Apple! iOS 7 was released on Wednesday, and I admit I was one that jumped right on that update! However, I did run into a few glitches while attempting to download and install the new iOS at work:   1//not enough storage space {I had 2.3 GB available, so I only had to delete apps up to .7 GB...nbd.} 2//no wifi. epic fail, friends! However, thank goodness for the nifty mobile hotspots! 3//computer problems while charging said hotspot. 4//I received an error message while attempting to download the new iOS. If you follow me on Instagram, then you've seen the screenshot. So sad. But, I realized it was because I had the phone on a charging dock, and it didn't like that. Once I removed it, all was well. 5//Well, not all. Once it downloaded after an hour, it then told me that I didn't have enough battery power to install {it needed to be at 50%}, so charging commenced. 6//Update Unavailable at this time. I was one of the ones that was affected by the overloaded servers! I tried multiple times over the course of about thirty minutes before I was finally able to install the darn thing. Well worth it in my book! 7//I had to go to job #2 that evening, so I wasn't able to sit back, relax, and dive into all things iOS7 {terrible, I know!}   BUT, after all of that, I managed to get it installed. And then I hated it. Okay, maybe not hate. However, the next morning, and the more I used it, I was in love. Today, it's fabulous! So, it grew on me. :) But, am I the only one that likes to manually update my apps? I guess I just like to know what's going on and what's all-new! And, I typically love surprises, but I don't think I'd be too happy if I randomly open an app expecting it to be like the last time I used it, and it's totally revamped or has some new feature I'm missing out on because I couldn't read up on the update it had prior to performing the update. Anyway, just me I guess. Oh well. You can guarantee I'll be manually doing those suckers!       I'm super excited to be heading to Dallas this afternoon! However, it will have been raining all day, and there's a 70% chance of rain when the game is scheduled to start. Sooo, it may not happen, but we're still planning on it this morning! Fingers crossed, and GO RAMBELLES!       As I mentioned already, I was off yesterday from both jobs {it's just necessary every now and then}. That's exciting in and of itself. But my day improved after a visit from a dear friend! However, it was a super blogger and IG fail after we didn't take any pictures together. Sooo...next time! Thanks for the visit, D! It was great catching up with him. :) He's one of those friends that you don't have to talk to every day or see very often, but when you do talk or get to visit, you just pick up like no time has elapsed and just talk and talk and talk. I love it!      

And lastly, I've come to know and love this here drink. It's natural energy that really works! With working so much and always being on the go, I'm tired. And, I don't want to constantly put those terrible energy drinks {Monster, Red Bull, etc.} into my body. So, meet Ocean Spray's Cran-Energy drinks! The pomegranate one is pretty good, but raspberry is my favorite! I grab one every morning and sometimes even in the afternoons on the days I work both jobs. It truly helps and I definitely notice a difference. It's refreshing, and there's no crash later! I also don't feel terrible from consuming so much sugar and 'grossness'. Yes, grossness. One bottle of these things has 11g of sugar and only 40 calories! Win, win my friends! Win, win!