28 February 2012

Sponsor The Hinton Hook-Up in March! (especially b/c it's my birthday month!!)

Hello friends. Yes, it's that time again! And yes, I'm running a little behind.
(What else is new? At least I'm consistent, ha!).

I would love to have you and your fabulous blog sponsor The Hinton Hook-Up for the month of March, especially because it's my birthday month! Can you tell I'm excited about this? :) I've updated my pricing and ad size, so please take a look. I would love to work with you to get your blog out there! 

Also, if you're interested in guest posting, doing a giveaway, or would like me to review one of your fabulous items, I'm always looking for new opportunities to partner with awesome blogs.

So, if you're interested in sponsoring The Hinton Hook-Up for the month of March or any other blogging opportunities, please send me an email over at thehintonhookup@gmail.com.
I look forward to working with you!
-Sara


Lovely February Swap Sponsors!

I'd like to take the chance (before February is gone...it FLEW by!) to introduce you to a few of my sponsors. These lovey ladies swapped sponsorships with me this month and I'm so grateful for each of them! So please, do me a favor and check out each of their wonderful blogs. These are women of character and I'm so blessed to have gotten to know them through the world of blogging!

 {Cecilia from Dearest Lou}


 {Taryn from Edge}


{Breanna with My Beautiful Crazy Life}


{Gentri from Gentri Lee}


{Katie from For Lauren and Lauren}


{Ruthie from The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart}

23 February 2012

Hello Lovaaa


Whether you heave read my blog once or many times, you probably know of my love for New York City. This has been a life-long love affair; not some band wagon I've jumped on with every other young, female PR professional who's watched The Devil Wears Prada or Morning Glory.

As a child, I dreamed of adventure and romance in this breath-taking city. When I was 13, my mother flew me to NYC for my first real experience and from then on out, I was hooked. I went back a second time during college with friends and couldn't believe it had been 6 years since I'd last walked on those streets. I knew then and there that I would have to move to New York for a semester during college. And I did just this.

During my last semester of college,  I interned at CBS News and lived in Brooklyn Heights. I can honestly say that I do not have stronger, more vivid memories than I do of my 4 months in New York City. I still dream about being there and sometimes my heart wants to quit everything I'm doing and move back. But I know that God has Luke and me where we are for a reason. So I sit patiently, waiting for the moment He tells me it's time to go back.

 {Buying my wedding dress at Kleinfeld}

{Friends at our Subway stop in Brooklyn}

I haven't been back to the city since I left from my semester "abroad." And it's been killing me for 22 months! I've tried to plan multiple trips to NYC and they have all fallen through...until now! Yup, I'm going for a visit!!! My mom and I have booked a trip for my birthday weekend. I'll be in New York from March 22nd-March 26th and I'm thrilled out of my mind!! I'm going to re-connect with old friends, travel my old work route,  shop (of course), go see a show or two, and just fall in love all over again. I'm so excited, it's hard to think about anything else.

I'm a happy girl. :)

Sponsor Highlight: Meet Britt!

 {The beautiful Britt!}

Hello friends! This morning, I'd like to introduce you to a sweet friend and sponsor of mine, Britt from The Magnolia Pair. What first attracted me to Britt's blog is that fact that she and her hubby remind me so much of me and Luke! Britt and Joel dated for many years before getting married, live in the south, and are as obsessed with their furbaby as we are about ours. So without further ado, here's Britt!


Hey y'all, I'm Britt and I'm the southern lady behind The Magnolia Pair. My blog highlights my new life as a wife living in a brand new city. I dabble in cooking (when I'm not burning dinner), photography (when I'm not dropping my lens), crafting (when I'm not burning myself with a hot glue gun), and fashion (when I'm not still wearing last years trend). In the matter of three months I graduated from college, married my high school sweetheart, moved to another state, and got my first "big girl job". This adventure is just beginning as I try to transition through my new life!


5 Fun Facts about Britt:
1) She is a proud lady Who Dat- Go Saints!
2) She lived in Barcelona for a summer in 2010
3) She's addicted to Law & Order SVU and Criminal Minds
4) She's a big animal lover and wants to have a farm one day for all the animals she takes in
5) She has a slight obsession with Subway cookies, frozen yogurt, and gummy bears

Britt is awesome! Now go check out her blog and make sure to follow her!!

20 February 2012

I don't even know what to title this post.

Hey friends. First off, I feel awful for neglecting the ol' blog so much recently. I hate it, really. Not because I feel like I need to keep you guys in the loop necessarily (even though I love this aspect of blogging), but becase blogging can really be a de-stresser for me. I love how once I type all my thoughts out, I simply feel lighter; like I've gotten something off my chest. But the words just haven't been there for me the last few days. I'm going on day 3 of being sick. Our community and a co-worker of mine lost loved ones over the last couple of days. I was out of town all weekend and now Luke is on a 3-day work trip. The rain has been practically non-stop over the last couple of weeks and the mood around here is just kind of gloomy. So for this, I'm sorry. I will have some sponsor highlights and guest posts coming up real soon and this gives me something to look forward to for sure!

Here are a few Instagram pics from my weekend. I hope you are all having a not-so-manic Monday. :)

{I went to Waco this weekend to visit my little sister and watch All-University Sing. Of course, a stop at Common Grounds was a must.}

{We also went to the Baylor men's basketball game.}

{I loved spending my weekend with these girls!}

{Cat bought me this beautiful piece of art off Etsy. It's a picture of Brooklyn and the bridge. Yes, I teared up. Real friends know where your heart belongs.}

{When I got home from my weekend in Waco, Luke had bought me roses. Because every day is Valentines with that cutie. :)}

{And because I was missing him while I was in Waco, I played on Instagram with one of our wedding photos. I like it.}

11 February 2012

The Duchess Effect

While drinking my Saturday morning cup of joe, I turned the TV on and flipped over to the Today Show. One story that caught my attention was that of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and her "billion dollar effect on the British economy," also know as the "Duchess Effect." Practically every item of clothing that she wears publicly is sold out in minutes after she makes an appearance in it. What I love most about Mrs. Wills is the fact that you can see her in Alexander McQueen one evening, and then in the cutest, not-so-well-known-brand dress (valued around $100 or so) the next. I also love that she'd rockin' the nude pump. Truly a girl after my own heart! I'm not the biggest fan of nude tights, but hey--to each her own and I love that Kate knows what she likes.

Check out the story I watched this morning:




I think that Kate's daytime style is so classy and yet, she can step out in a breath-taking evening gown (still keeping it classy!). I'd like to think that the duchess would have made a fabulous Tri Delta. :)  


She is just so pretty! Definitely a style icon of mine. Plus, who can forget how beautiful she looked on her wedding day? Confession: I did wake up at 4 a.m. to watch their vows and balcony kiss live; there is nothing like a real prince charming and his princess! Tonight, I'm going to the Corpus Christi Ad Club's Addy Awards and I'm going to be channeling my inner duchess. Wish me luck!

Who are your style icons? Who's fashion do you look to for your own wardrobe/styling ideas?

08 February 2012

B&N love

So, if you can't tell by my last couple of posts, I've been having a rough week. I'm feelin' a little blue and lackluster. And to top it off, I feel like I keep making little mistakes that are uncharacteristic of me. But it's ok. I'm moving forward. :)

Although the sun isn't shining (literally) for me today, I'm going to start perking up anyway! I decided to spend my lunch break at Barnes & Noble with a sugar-free vanilla iced coffee. For this book-loving, You've-Got-Mail-day-dreaming young lady, there was no better way to disconnect myself for 60 minutes.



I think B&N and I are beginning to fall in love again. Not that we ever weren't in love. I guess you could say we're re-discovering each other. It's pretty nice. 

07 February 2012

Sometimes & Always


This is my first time to participate in Mackey Madness' "Sometime and Always" link-up and I'm pretty excited about it! Make sure you link up too!


1) Sometimes I stumble across amazing sales at my favorite stores. (Ex: Charming Charlie had a TON of jewelry on sale last week and on top of the sale, all of these items were buy 1, get 1 free!)

And when I do, I always take advantage of my impeccable timing! :)

{Bought these cuties for $4}

{Got these cute hoops for free!}


2) Sometimes I get on Southwest.com and look around for cheap flights to my favorite cities.

When I do this, I always awaken the travel bug within me and start planning my next trip!

{NYC, I miss you!}


3) Sometimes I start thinking about the tattoo I've wanted since I was 16 years old.

But I always end up becoming frustrated and don't follow through because I'm nervous I won't like it or the tattoo artist will mess up!

{I love the placement of this one! Via.}


4) Sometimes I listen to the Praise & Worship Radio on Pandora for the entire hour I drive to work in the morning.

This always starts me off on the right foot and lifts any burdens I seem to be carrying. :)

06 February 2012

Oh Monday...

 
Alrighty, it is time for this little lady to vent for a bit. Life has been a little harder than the norm lately. Due to circumstances outside of my control, work has become extremely draining; more than average. Hopefully this will wrap up soon, but by the end of my (10-hour) days for about the last 2 months, my body, brain, and heart have been worn out. Luke and I also have a lot on our plates. We are in the process of making big decisons. Learning what it is truly like to place our lives and decisions in the hands of God as a married couple is not always easy; especially when there are two stubborn heads involved. I'm not about to start talking as if Luke and I are the perfect married Christian couple, because we aren't. There can be learning curves when it gets down to the nitty gritty and I'm feelin' it. And money? I don't even want to talk about money. I actually despise it right now and the way having it/not having it affects lives. Can't everything (like medical treatment and college) be free?? Wishful thinking... Sometimes life just bears down on you, ya know? Can anyone relate to me right now?
 
Ok, I'm done with the venting. Life is good. God is good. I am very blessed, just a little worn out. But His strength is made perfect in our weakness, Amen? :)
 
1) Today, I begin training for my first ever half marathon. I'm sort of freaking out. The thing is, I know myself. I love to eat salty foods and lounge on the couch. My "diets" never last longer than a week. I always have the best of intentions, but end up letting myself down. Not this time! On April 26th, I'm flying to Nashville to run in the Rock & Roll Half Marathon (on the 28th) with a sorority sister from college. I haven't actually registered for the race or bought my plane tickets, but these are on my list of to-dos in the next two weeks (I can't help the this past Friday's paycheck went almost entirely to bills, blah!). I am hoping that spending this money will help me stick to my training goals even more. Besides staying hydrated and eating healthier, here is my half-marathon beginner's training program:


You can also find this training plan here. Don't you just love a training schedule that has you resting on the first day? I'm already getting into it. ;) 

2) This past weekend, Luke's aunt got married. I think it is amazing the way God can bring two people together, even later in life. We are so excited for Sandy and her new husband, Arnold! Plus, Aubrey was the wedding coordinator. It was so fun to see her rockin' it out at work! We had a really great time hanging out with friends and family.

 {Hinton love.}

{Friend love.}

3) I watched a ton of my friends prticipating in January Photo-A-Day, but didn't actually participate. So this month, I've decided to try it out. Are you joining in? Are you on Instagram? If so, let's follow each other! My handle is saramhinton. Tonight's photo is #dinner. Keep an eye out for my picture!


4) Tonight is The Bachelor, The Voice, and the premiere of Smash. Oh.my.goodness! So much great TV! I know, I know...the Bachelor isn't really great TV, but I cannot help it. My name is Sara and I watch Ben make out with multiple women every Monday night. You know you do too. And for the love of all small-chested women everywhere, could someone PUH-LEESE tell Christina Aguilera to tuck those things into her dress better? Or wear one that fits?? Now Smash, that is going to be a great show. I'm a girl with a heart for Broadway, so I just know that I'm going to love it! What are you watching tonight?


6) And last, but not least, I must give a shout out to my baby sisters and my friends, Justin and Michelle, who are all at the Kelly Clarkson concert in San Antonio tonight. Please tell Kelly I said hello and that I loved her National Anthem at the Super Bowl last night! "Miss Independent...Miss Self-Sufficient...Miss Keep-Yo-Distance!!!"

**Don't forget to link up with Miscellany Monday over at Lowercase Letters!**