Observations of a Token Yankee

Underwhelmed by the Golden Globes

2012-01-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

I look forward to award season every year. I love all the glitz, glamour, and of course, THE FASHION. It's nice to see all the beautiful dresses and jewels I could never afford I guess. It's almost like a dreamworld.

I have to say, I was quite a bit underwhelmed with the fashion at this year's Golden Globes. I can pick a few dresses that stood out as good choices, a couple that are noticeably awful, but most just fell somewhere in the middle. Not great, but not terrible.

Here are my standouts...

Julie Bowen in vintage Reem Acra. Very old-Hollywood and romantic.

Laura Dern in Andrew Gn. I won't say I love the hair and makeup, but there is something about that dress. Emerald can be very dreamy.

Jessica Alba in Gucci. Maybe a little safe, but a very nice shade of lilac and shape.

Michelle Williams in Jason Wu. She reminds me of a pixie, but she is so darn cute.

Claire Danes in J.Mendel. This was a very fresh dress, and the back made it.

Shailene Woodley in Marchesa. I think I always love Marchesa dresses, beautiful.

Diane Lane in Reem Acra. Does this women age? She looks younger than she did in Unfaithful.

Now to my least favorites....

I know Tilda is known for her nonconformist androgynous dressing, but this looks as she could fit right in on the Jetsons with this ensemble.

Madonna in a Reem Acra gown that just does not work. Plus did you see how awkward she was speaking?

Zooey Deschanel in Prada. I know people love her, but what was with the hair? The long bangs curled under were really bugging me out.

Naya Rivera from Glee. I think this girl is gorgeous, but this look like a slightly modified potato sack to me.

SMG in a tie-dye wedding dress by Monique Lluillier.

Meryl Streep in a cowboy shirt meets ballgown.

The other person I would like to mention is Tina Fey. Do you remember her red unflattering dress? She is so talented, cute, and has a nice figure, but almost never has a good dress on for these things. Don't you think she could afford a stylist or maybe, a better stylist. I am sure Rachel Zoe or Brad would be happy to take her on.

What gowns did you love/hate?

Miscellany Monday

2012-01-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday loves! I thought it would be a great day to partake in Miscellany Monday as I am feeling quite random right now. So, here goes....

(1) I am one of those people that really enjoya having my Christmas decorations done by January 1st. While I did stick to my word and take everything down last Sunday, the neatly packed containers stayed in our office until last night, when I could finally get my husband to put them in the attic. Men!

(2) I have to tell you, after Clemson's abomination in their bowl game last week, I am so tired of football. Thank goodness the last bowl game is tonight.

(3) The weather here is extremely odd. In the beginning of last week, it was 20-30 degrees during the day. Then by Friday it was 70. Hello global warming.

(4) I could eat Chipotle probably every day, it's so good.

(5) I was playing Simon Says with first graders today (don't worry it was related to our character trait of the month, self-discipline), and I told them to put their hand on their nose. I heard a few boys saying "eww." Then I realized they were putting their finger IN their nose. You can't help but laugh sometimes.

(6) I am not exactly sure why, but I feel like I have been really busy lately. I am looking forward to my impending 3-day weekend. My plans include relaxing, relaxing, and relaxing.

(7) Pinterest causes me a bit of anxiety for two reasons. First, if I do not go on for a few days, I feel stressed because I might be missing some pins that I really need in my life. Second, I am starting to feel I need to increase to pin to completion ratio. Sure, I have made recipes and tried a few ideas, but I need to do MORE. Especially if I keep adding pins. Don't you wish they had a place to check if you actually replicated the pin?

That's all for me today. I hope your week started off in a sweet way.

Pinteresting Wednesday

2012-01-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

Like I have mentioned before, I heart Pinterest. Like, a lot. Maybe to an unhealthy degree. But I feel like it's a healthy obsession because often results in inspiration and productivity.

I thought I would share with you my most recent pins.....

Love this bedroom. I really want to do a white bedspread in the spring.

Such a cute idea to brighten someone's day.

Who doesn't need a way to store their headbands? This is made from a oatmeal canister, genius!

I am definitely doing this for Valentine's Day.

I need to "live" this more.

I need a new wreath for the door since the holidays are over. This looks pretty good to me!.

Wanna see more. Follow me on Pinterest. My link is on the upper left hand corner!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T20:31:00.001-05:00

Happy 2012 y'all!

I hope your new year is off to a great start! The following quote really resonated with me when I thought about my resolutions for the year:

"I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me." ~Anaïs Nin

When I reflect on last year, I would give it a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10. Nothing too traumatic happened, in fact a lot of good things occurred. However, my husband was gone the majority of the year, and I did not really achieve all of my 2011 resolutions.

So this year, I am not going to set myself up for failure. Instead of lofty resolutions, I am going to pen some achievable goals that I think will help make me a better person. That's what we are all after, right?

The List for 2012:

Read more books
Take a Spanish class (can be online or seated)
Take a sewing class
Make an effort to eat more healthy and exercise consistently
Make a photo book of pictures of my Mom for my sister and me
Blog at least 3 times a week
Make an effort to make new friends

See, not too bad?

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
-Oprah Wrinfrey

2011 Recap

2011-12-31T14:19:00.001-05:00

I really wanted to do a month by month recap of 2011, but was having a hard time thinking of cool events for each month. Instead I was inspired to answer the survey I found on Life of a Doctor's Wife blog. Participate y'all!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Mowed the lawn--seriously this was a big deal for me!
Worked as an elementary school counselor.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think I had the same blanket resolutions I have every year (get in better shape, learn spanish, etc). I did not really acheive any of this. I will work harder to make and keep goals in the new year, not resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A lot of friends, and a family member or two. However, by looking on facebook, it often feels like everyone I know is pregnant.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Luckily, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. I am not exactly a world traveler.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
To have my husband home for a longer period of time.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 22- the day my husband deployed
August 17-the day I started my new job
October 1-the day he came home

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a job closer to home.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not actualizing any of my resolutions from last year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Other then a few colds, I have been very healthy.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My car. First brand new one I have owned.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My sister finished nursing school a few weeks ago with at 4.0. As an older student, married, and with three children, that's quite impressive.
.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Ha where do I start? Peoples' behavior baffles me on a daily basis.

14. Where did most of your money go?
All the mundane things like our bills of course, and down payments on new cars.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My new car, getting our puppy, not having to drive an hour each way to work.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011?

Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO
Country Girl-Luke Bryan
Someone Like You by Adele

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter.
c) richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Gone to the beach, spent time with extended family, exercised, other things to better myself.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying and analyzing everything, watching pointless tv, sitting on the couch.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home with my husband.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Sure, with our jack russell.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Oooh, we like too much tv. I was sad to see Entourage and Friday Night Lights End. I have been enjoying Boarwalk Empire and Revenge this year.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Ha, whatever neighbor returned my cookies.

24. What was the best book you read?
Oh goodness, I can't think of a single book I read. I need to change that in 2012.

25. What did you want and get?
A puppy and a car.

26. What did you want and not get?
A vacation to somewhere tropical.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
I enjoyed the King's Speech, Lincoln Lawyer, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29. My husband was deployed, so I went to dinner and movie with a friend.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Living in the present, istead of wasting time thinking of the past or worrying about the future.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Romatic Sheek.

31. What kept you sane?
My husband, family, Starbucks.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jimmy Fallon.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Healthcare.

34. Who did you miss?
My mom.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a few new co-workers that have become good friends.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
You can't please everyone, so stop worrying about what everyone thinks. Knowing you are a good person and try your best is what is mots important.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Right now is the right time for the good things in life
Let’s celebrate, let’s bring upon the better times
And let the sadder times disappear/

The Best One Yet- Black Eyed Peas
Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Recap

2011-12-30T09:54:00.001-05:00

Wow, it's almost 2012. I figured I better hurry up and recap Christmas a bit.
This is the second year I celebrated Christmas without my Mom and not in NJ, as I did the 27 years prior. That's the hard part, but the good thing is that I got to share with my husband and puppy. We stayed home and really enjoyed sharing the holiday together.

I received some really nice presents like a pair of Toms, a few nice jackets, perfume (I always ask for this), boots, a keurig, and something I was not expecting at all, ballroom dance lessons. This was a truly special gift from my husband because the man hates to dance. He flat out refuses to partake in the activity. The only time he ever has danced with me was at our wedding, and he hated it haha. So anyway, I thought that was a truly remarkable token with all things considered.

***

I spoke about this on Twitter, but I had to mention it on my blog. We have lived in our house a little over a year. For whatever reason, no one in the neighborhood is friendly. No one waves, speaks to us, or acts friendly at all. The people that live closest to our house won't even acknowledge us if we are outside at the same time. It's truly pretty bizarre. Anyway, I thought I would try to do something nice and give some of our neighbors a bag of Christmas treats. I baked a few things and put some candy like dove pieces and Hershey kisses inside, included a gift tag with who it was from, and put it in the mailboxes of 6 neighbors. The reason I didn't knock on the door to deliver it was because it looked like the people were not home, and honestly like I mentioned, the people aren't exactly warm. I did this on Christmas Eve at about 1 pm. I checked my mailbox later in the day, and someone had put one of the treat bags back in my mailbox. I can't even tell you how I offended I was. I understand there is the possibility that the people didn't want their children to have sugar or they were creeped out by eating something from people they don't know, but in that case, they could have just thrown it away instead of rubbing it in my face.

So with that incident, I am now less inclined to try and get to know my neighbors. I always envisioned living in a community where you were friendly with the people in it and had parties and get-togethers, or maybe just at least knew the names of your neighbors. Oh well!

I hope you had a great holiday and the spirit of the season feels you with warmth all year!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

I hope you have a very wonderful Christmas filled with warmth and laughter. May the memories of today, warm your spirit throughout the year.

Fa La La La

2011-12-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve Y'all!

Since I am so behind on blogging, I thought I would share a few pictures of my holiday decor. I didn't go all out since we are not having company, but I just leaving spreading some holiday cheer around the house.

So take a look......

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are having a great holiday!

It's OK Thursday

2011-12-22T18:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all,

I'm linking up with Neely and Amber today for "It's Ok Thursday." Head over and play along...

It's ok.....

To have full intentions of blogging regularly, but letting life get in the way at times. We've all been there, right?

To dress your animals up in holiday costumes. If I go this overboard with my puppy, I feel bad for my future children.

To have taken the time to make holiday treats for our neighbors we don't know, but really not feel like introducing myself to them. Hello anxiety.

To enjoy the fact that it was 75 degrees out today, but think it really does not seem like Christmas with that type of weather.

Speaking of Christmas, to love it very much, but think it's not the same if I am not in NJ with all my family.

To know I need to cut down on carbs to lose weight, but having a hard time finding the will power to do so. Does anyone actually lose weight during the holidays?

To really want time to slow down because it is so nice having off from work.

Merry early Christmas. Hope you all are having a great holiday week.

So What Happened Was...

2011-12-18T20:41:00.001-05:00

I have been a few busy the past few weeks. With the hubby coming home, getting a new puppy, and being swamped at work; I have had little time for blogging and reading blogs. Good news though, I am off for the next few weeks, so I plan on getting caught up.

I thought I would update you all with some pictures from the past month....

ACC Championship Game

Yay, for a Tigers win!

Clemson/USC Game in Columbia

This game was anything but good to be in attendance for as a Clemson fan, but we did get to spend time with good friends!

Picking up Sammy

Sammy and his Mom, Sadie.

Sammy saying goodbye to his brothers :(.

Have a great Christmas week! I will be blogging regularly!

Sammy's Home

2011-12-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

It looks like I forgot I have a blog again. I have to say, that's pretty lame of me. It's just things have been a bit hectic since the husband came home last Wednesday night. We hosted Thanksgiving, a friend came to town on Friday, we drove to Columbia, SC for the Clemson/Carolina game on Saturday, and then drove to Georgia last Sunday to get our puppy!

Here he is freaking out at the vet.

We named him Sammy after a current Clemson football player.

He is just the sweetest thing you could imagine, a true people dog.

We are heading to Charlotte tomorrow for the ACC Championship game. I haven't done a thing for Christmas yet. Basically I feel really behind!

I will be back with lots of pictures and updates. Have a great weekend loves!

Puppy Love!

2011-11-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

Exciting news at our house. The little guy below is coming to live with us on Sunday!

We have been wanting to get a puppy forever, but with all my husbands deployments and trainings plus my work hours, the time never seemed right.

For whatever reason, the stars aligned right now, and I finally get my long-awaited fur baby.

Do you have any tips/advice for training a puppy? I am all ears!

Look Alike Friday

2011-11-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all, I am linking up with Mrs. Monologues today for Look Alike Friday!

Now take a look at the next two pictures of the hot foursome consisting of Will, Kate, Harry, and Pippa...

You have probably deciphered that the second is an original, and the first picture is made up of impersonators. (The butt grab might help to give it away today). However, can you get over the resemblance? It is pretty spot on if you ask me!

Here is another picture of the impostors creating a much talked about after-wedding hook up photo op between Harry and Pippa. Pretty funny, right? Maybe some photographer has too much time on his hands!

Stop over and play along!

Loving It

2011-11-15T21:36:00.001-05:00

Hey my awesome followers or people just randomly stopping by,

I thought I would give you a updated list of things I am loving right now. Come on, who doesn't like lists?

For some reason I am really enjoying Bailey's and coffee as of late. I think it is mostly because I am getting old so I get tired at night (ie can't hang like I use to). A nice combo of caffeine and alcohol is a nice combo for me, sort of like partying with a purpose.

I randomly bought one of the Fiber One brownies today. While I typically might think I am "too cool" to buy something talking about fiber, I took the plunge because it was 90 calories and chocolate. Much to my surprise, it was a really nice treat!

I got the above pair of Madden Girl boots a little of a month ago. I have probably worn them way more than is socially acceptable, but they are so cute, comfy, and look great with leggings. I really need a similar pair in another color. They are from DSW, but I have also seen them at Shoe Carnival and Zappos.

Hanging out with friends, painting pottery, drinking champagne. You know, the usual!

And the new show that is cracking me up this year. Up All Night, I love you!

What are you all loving this week??

Oh and on a side note, something I am not loving is that new McDonald's commercial with the song about being in love with the girl from Mickey D's. For some reason, it creeps me out!

What Goes Around Comes Around

2011-11-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, you know like 25, I loved Justin Timberlake. He exudes that something-about- him charisma. However, his recent examples of womanizing and cockiness have turned me off a bit.

The fact that he kept his word, and actually attended the military ball this past weekend with marine, Kelsey De Santis, totally rights his wrongs in my book.

From what the guests said, he seemed down to earth and had a good time. I think that was amazing he did that.

Go JT! (I just hope he entertained them a bit by singing and dancing). Now that I really consider it, he would be fun to party with!

Pinteresting

2011-11-09T17:43:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest, I don't have too much exciting things happening right now. However, the thing I am most obsessed with right now is Pinterest. I really can't get enough of it. It's almost like I cult. I try to convince others to join. I start jonesing to get a little fix while I am at work. I can't wait to see what I missed while I was at said job. And more importantly, I can't wait to try out all my new ideas, quotes, recipes, photo ops, fashion look, etc...
Here are a few of my recent finds...

Toms ballet flats for Spring 2012, who's excited?

I am really in love with chevron. How cool are these floors?

Our master bath is the same style. I can't wait to get the hubby to put shelves like this in. It will help out a lot!

I love this table arrangement. I am thinking of recreating it...

Baked Chicken Parm. I can't wait to make it!

Such a good quote. I need to pay more attention of being happy in the present!

Let me know if you are on Pinterest and I am not following you. I just love it!

Seriously Thursday

2011-11-03T19:52:00.001-04:00

Head on over to From Mrs. to Mama to play along...

1. I just got back from the salon. There really are not many better feelings in the world than that. I try to get my hair high-lighted every two months. It would probably be better for me to go every 6 weeks for my roots sake, but that is too much for me. A fourth grader told me my hair was 3 different colors last week, which made me laugh. In all honesty, it might be more than 3!

2. Halloween was a bit of a bust here. It was pouring down rain, so we didn't have a huge turn out. To make matters worse, even though I had my lights on, people kept waking directly by my house. I was getting anxious because I didn't want to have tons of leftover candy. I put on my raincoat and boots and went to the street and was giving out candy. I realized it was a bit ridiculous that I was begging people to take candy, so I went back inside.

3. I normally love Christmas more than anything, but I am not feeling ready to start shopping or decorate. It is only November 3rd after all!

4. I am way too obsessed with Target. I don't even want to tell you how many times I have been there in the past week.

5. On 11.11.11, it will be eleven years since my husband and I first went on a date. It will also be twenty years since my father passed away. It's so crazy how quickly time passes.

That's about all I am serious about right now. Have a great weekend ladies!

Feeling Witchy!

2011-10-30T22:50:00.000-04:00

I swear, all the recipes and ideas I have gotten lately came from Pinterest. My cute little witch hats above are a discovery I found a few weeks ago. Keebler Fudge Stripes, Hershey kisses, and a little orange icing; it does not get much easier than that!

I know I probably pin a million things I will never get to, but the fact that I am getting inspired to do some things is enough for me!

***

I am looking forward to giving out candy tomorrow night. I obviously love kids as I do work at a elementary school, but I have a little bit of anxiety having no idea how many trick or treaters to expect. It will be my first Halloween giving out candy in the house and when we moved in last year, a lot of houses were being built. I see a ton of kids in the neighborhood outside playing on a daily basis, so I hope I bought enough. If not, I guess the lights are going off before 8.

***

Some things I am looking forward to on the horizon:

Getting my hair done this week. A student told me that my hair was 3 different colors last week. I laughed and informed her that it would be 2 after I go to the salon again!
Holly Day Fair- A holiday craft show that the Junior League puts on the first week in November every year. I miss being a Junior Leaguer on moments like this because I actually liked volunteering, but then I remember how I was treated at times.
Visiting family in a few weeks.
The hubby getting home right in time for Thanksgiving.
Going to the Clemson/USC game Thanksgiving weekend (still love my Tigers despite the game this past weekend)!

Happy Halloween y'all! I hope you have a great week!

From China With Love

2011-10-24T18:58:00.000-04:00

Look what finally arrived today.....

I am so weird about spending money. I waste a lot of cash on clothes, shoes, accessories, but I hate dropping a significant amount of money all at once. I have been wanting a pair of Tory Burch Revas F-O-R-E-V-E-R, but I had a hard time rationalizing dropping that kind of money on flat shoes. Heels or boots, maybe!

Finally the time came where my husband give me some gift money to get whatever I wanted (this does not happen all the time)! I told him I really wanted Revas, and he teased me that my ballet flat slippers from Target looked exactly like them. He told me just to order them though. Me being the cheapo I am, I couldn't just buy them from ToryBurch.com like he suggested. I browsed Ebay for a long time! I knew if they were listed too low, they were probably fake, but if they were too close to the real price, you should just get them from a authorized dealer haha. I found a pair that were about a hundred, but they were from China. I decided to take the risk because they claimed to be authentic and brand new and I knew Ebay had fraud protection.

They were suppose to arrive between the 18th-21st. I was starting to get worried on Saturday when they still hadn't arrived. I want on Ebay to contact the seller, and I got a rather sickening feeling when I discovered my seller was no longer a merchant on Ebay. I was already making plans of getting my money back and sucking it up to pay full retail value when they arrived in the mail today.

Once I tore through the package, I find them to be in pristine condition. So all in all, what's a little worrying when you get your real TB's for half-price?

You take the good, you take the bad

2011-10-20T20:55:00.000-04:00

You take them both, and there you have,
The facts of life!

Hah, I really went there. I love that damn theme song for some reason.

I am having one of those days where I really miss my mom. Have you ever felt like you wanted to post something on facebook, but don't want to appear overly dramatic and like you are looking for attention? I normally fight the urge to get too personal on there.

The sad thing is when people you love die, there always seems to be drama left behind in their wake. This fact is so upsetting to me, because the absence I feel with my mom gone is overwhelming enough, I can't take more pointless drama.

I'm going to refrain from airing all my dirty laundry on the internet, but let's just say I wish my mom was still here and I didn't have to deal with this mess.

Cry Baby!

2011-10-13T21:27:00.003-04:00

I have a honest question for you all....

How often do you cry?

Personally, I cry all the time, at the least, a few instances a week. I normally try not to have face drops in a professional environment, but today I found myself letting it all hang out in front of a colleague. I was a little embarrassed, but as someone who comforts criers all day, I firmly believe it's a healthy release.

I find it interesting that the older I get, the more emotional I become.

Tell me I am not the only one? And no, I am not pregnant!

Boo-less Again!

2011-10-11T21:52:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile, for good reason, but I thought I should at least check in!

My husband was home for Afghanistan for about 10 days. He left yesterday to go to training on the other side of the US, but at least it is in the US after all.

Work is hard. Trying to do my best, what else can you do, right?

I made a goal to start waking up an running 1.5 miles before work starting tomorrow. I hate waking up earlier than I have to and I also loathe running, so we will see how it goes!

I ordered a bunch of things online yesterday and can't wait for them to get here. I really like instant gratification when shopping, so it is hard to be excited about my purchases when I have to wait 4-7 days.

I am going to see my college friends in Columbia, SC this weekend. I am way excited for this since it has been forever since I have last seen them. A girls weekend will definitely do me good.

What is going on with you all this week?

Stay Out of my Trash!

2011-09-26T21:49:00.001-04:00

First of all, thank you for the sweet comments about my blog's new look. I am really loving it, and glad to know you all think it's pretty too!
Now, on to my awkward moment of the day.

As a School Counselor, it is vital to have a basket of candy on hand to share with students. I typically buy things like tootsie rolls, lifesavers, jolly ranchers, which I think fall under the better for you than chocolate category. With these choices on hand, it won't be the end of the world if I have one.

I share my office with another professional this year. She brought a bag of these bad boys in....

The kids enjoyed them, so I replaced them with another bag. I try to be good at avoiding indulging in them. However, by the end of the day, I get hungry and have been eating a few. Now when I say a few, that could mean anything from 2-10 haha.

Today the custodian was emptying my trash and said to me, "I have been noticing a lot of little silver wrappers in here lately."

I thought to myself, are you kidding me? Is this Weight Watchers? First of all, you have no idea if I in fact ate them, it could, have been kids, parents, other staff members. Second, even if there were 1,000 wrappers in the trash, that's my business!

I can't believe it, I know have to hide my trash from the people at work!

Am I over-reacting? Just so you know, when I went to spell check this post, over-reacting come up as overeating. Stop being passive aggressive with me Blogger!

Facelift Anyone?

2011-09-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

It was time to get some work done! As much as I loved the past look of my blog, I think we all get to the point when we need some freshening up. I would know, I am the girl that has had about 15 different colors/styles of hair over the past few years. Check the archives if you don't believe me!

I was thrilled to have Jenn at Munchkin Land Designs assist me again. She is so sweet, talented, and a pleasure to work with. Especially since I had absolutely no idea what type of look I wanted. I just was certain it should be clean and modern. Jenn is the epitome of patient, and will work with you until you are 100% satisfied. I think word on the street is she will be having a giveaway in October too!

I hope you guys like the new look around here. I think it is just what I need to spark some new life in my blog.

Have a great week!

If....

2011-09-25T08:48:00.002-04:00

I found this survey on a blog I read and I thought I would ~~steal~~ borrow it since the questions are different than the normal surveys.....

If...
•If I were to get pregnant...I would be the happiest girl ever. Although we are not trying yet, I am getting to the age of having major baby fever.

•If I could have any job in the world…anything that involves fashion, celebrity gossip, or writing. If the three could be combined, even better.

•If I had a day to myself...go to the gym and do a spin or Zumba class, spa for mani/pedi/facial, lunch at a lovely place, and shopping. That is a perfect day for me.

•If I could get married all over again…maybe tweak a few details (dress, flowers), but overall it would be the same. Marrying my love with all my family and friends there to share it with us.

•If I could live anywhere in the U.S...Somewhere by a beach.

•If I were to have more children...N/A. Still not sure if I want more than one child.

•If I could have any talent in the world...I would love to be a fabulous dancer, or someone that could not gain weight no matter how hard I tried haha.

•If you met me in real life...you would find me a little funny, sweet, and that I speak my mind.

•If I went back to school...I would have still had fun, but studied abroad, done more internships, and maybe had a different major like Graphic Communications.

•If money were not an object...I would help all the children I see in need and buy a beach house!

•If I could meet one celebrity...that is a hard one for me. I am very interested in celebrity culture, but it's difficult to think of one that I am dying to meet. Maybe Jimmy Fallon because he would be entertaining. I thought a minute about Rachael Zoe so she might give me some clothes haha.

•If I could shop at only one store for the rest of my life...probably a great department store like Nordstrom's so you could get everything you needed, of course if money were not an issue. If it is my wallet, I would probably say the Limited.

•If I could choose an animal/pet...a sweet pug. We have been wanting to get a dog forever, so hopefully it will happen soon.

•If I could go on a trip right now...any tropical island with my boo!

•If I had to choose between a house cleaner and personal chef...I would really like both if I had the option, but if I had to choose one it would be a house cleaner because I actually like to cook, unlike cleaning.

•If I had the option to get plastic surgery…I would get a nose job. I had a girl in high school tell me through some dumb game that I needed one. I don't think my nose is that bad, but I wouldn't mind having one (although I will never do it).

Feel free to play along. I would love to see your answers. Happy Sunday!

Updating

2011-09-22T21:45:00.001-04:00

I feel like I have not updated you on my life as of lately. Well there is no time like the present.

I have been at my new job a little over a month now. Let me tell you, there is a big difference between being a high school and elementary school counselor. At the high school, you do a lot of academic advising, college/career planning, and paperwork to be honest. I can easily say I have received more hugs in the past 30 days than the last few years of my life. The little ones (kindergarten, first grade) are very loving and affectionate. I spend a lot of time going into classrooms doing lessons on Guidancey (my made up word) type topics like character education, careers, study skills, etc. I also help students with any problems that come up. Another new task I have is to be in charge of the Student Services Team. This is important because it is crucial to help children with any academic and behavioral problems when they are young so they will have a good school experiences. As you can probably tell, I am having to delve into the sweetest, most gentle aspect of my personality. So far it has been stressful, yet rewarding at the same time. I am striving to make a difference and help people.

In other news, I should get to see my husband in the next week or so. It won't be for long, but it will be really lovely to make his acquaintance again, even for a small bleep on the radar. I did something crazy a few weeks ago for him. I purchased a new vehicle for him without he being there! Weird, huh? In all actuality, he ordered it while he was home on leave in July. However, I had to go sign all the paperwork when it came in and make some decisions about financing and warranties. Oh, and to make sure they weren't giving us a bad deal. It's a little stressful when your husband is in another country, and you can't just call and ask him a question. However, it worked out, and we have great friends that helped me drive it home since I don't know how to drive stick shift. That on it's own is a little ridiculous since my husband has all stick shift cars and I can't move them when he is gone. He has a bit of a habit collecting cars, but most of them would only be desirable to him haha. I need to learn soon. I know I can't let him teach me though because 1) he is never home and 2) we would fight if he tried to show me. I am going to get one of my friends to show me eventually. I wish I would have learned when I was a teenager.

My Clemson Tigers are playing well. I am hoping this will continue throughout the season.

Do you ever feel like you are really awkward with some people? I have certain individuals I encounter that every exchange is cringe-worthy. Uhh!

Speaking of awkward, have you watched Up All Night? I am thinking it is the funniest new show on tv this fall.

Well those are the big things happening. Thanks for reading my book...

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 2

2011-09-20T03:20:00.000-04:00

It's Day 2 of the challenge and we are on one of my favorite topics, fall clothes!

Besides my husband and family, clothes and accessories are probably my third love of life. Sorry, I don't care how shallow that sounds. You like what you like.

Anyway, I am not one to dress only according to trends, but here are a few I like for fall...

Love me some polka dots. Did anyone catch Len from DWTS sporting a pd tie last night?

Tie-front shirts.

The color mustard. I never liked this hue or yellow that much in the past, but it is growing on me.

Now on to my favorite website (Pinterest) for some more great fall looks...

Fall must-haves from buyers.

Just a gorg classic look. I heart black and camel combos. Anyone know where I can find boots like this? I am on the hunt.

Mixing patterns puts a smile on my face.

And of course more boots. I have a problem.

What's your favorite look for fall?

Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge: Day 1

2011-09-19T19:16:00.000-04:00

I am excited to participate in Neely & Amber's Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge. I love all things fall, so why the heck not!

Today the topic is Fall Traditions.

Now let me just preface this with letting you know that I am a weirdo about traditions. I am always trying to start amazing ones that catch on, but I have a slight problem of getting people to buy in to my ideas. Now that the hubby is gone A LOT of the time due to the whole Army thing, he often misses out on my list of fall activities. However, whenever we have kids I will get them to love all my traditions so that I will finally have people that want to partake.

Some things I do enjoy in the fall include....

Shopping for boots, warm clothes, and jackets,

Decorating the house (I am going to do something similar this year),

Watching lots of college football and catching a Clemson game or two,

Making Thanksgiving dinner while the hubby fries a turkey (cold beer is pre-req for this event).

Some things I would like to do this fall include...

-Carving pumpkins

-Go to the North Carolina State Fair (I have never been)

-Dress up for Halloween

-Go on a fun fall-themed date with the hubby

What are your traditions?

HoT mEsS!

2011-09-14T20:07:00.000-04:00

Oh goodness! This picture I found on Pinterest (aka the best website ever) just screamed me so I had to post it for you all.

I feel like such a mess lately. I don't know what it is, but I can't get my act together. I just want to be the girl that seems to effortlessly make it all happen. I want to always say and do the right thing, make everyone happy, learn to speak fluent Spanish, work out religiously and be at my goal weight, cook delicious and healthy meals every day, be a great wife/friend/family member, care more about Hemingway than US Weekly, write a novel, make a difference, etc.

I know I am hard on myself, always have been, but I feel like I am in neutral and just need to finally make it to a faster gear.

So I will start thinking before I speak. Ask questions if I don't know the answer. Be positive. Try harder. Do the right thing, not the thing that seems right, right now.

We may all be works in progress, but some progress is in the works here.

Thanks for reading!

In Love....

2011-09-12T17:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have tell you all, I found something amazing this weekend, the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino at Starbucks.

As per the official description....

The sea salt sprinkled on top of this cool blended beverage is truly doing its own thing. There they are – mocha, coffee, toffee nut syrup and milk – just chilling out in sweet blended goodness under a neat swirl of whipped cream. And then along comes the attention-grabbing flavor of the sea salt to charmingly seize your awareness. Yes, we’re captivated too. This is a new “teacher’s pet” for fall.

There is just something about the juxtaposition of sweet and savory. I adore it. If that write up sounds at all good to you, definitely try it!

In other news, I am ready for fall weather and clothes shopping. I have been searching for a pair of camel boots. I am looking for something reasonably priced with a bit of a heel. Let me know if you have seen anything...

Of course, I love the Tory Burch camel riding boots I have seen on the interwebs, but sadly they are not in my price range.

Hope your Monday was fab!

Never Forgotten

2011-09-11T10:26:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago I was getting ready to go to class at Clemson University and absent mindedly turned on the television. I learned of the tragic news and ran down the sorority hall telling everyone. I remember it being such a sad, incomprehensible time that no one could believe.

My husband sat in his apartment mesmerized by the news. He watched the coverage for days on end. This event was what made him decide to join the Army. He was not the only one, it was the catalyst for many to serve.

I have been watching coverage of the ten year anniversary all weekend. It breaks my heart and always will. I am sitting here crying as I watch families kiss their loved ones names at the memorial and leave flowers.

I know we as a country will never forget the courageous people that unfairly lost their lives too soon. I was trying to think of something tangible I could do to show that I remember....

What I came up with is to not take life for granted and to always try to be kind to others.

As of lately...

2011-09-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

I thought I would show you a little bit of my life as of late. What better way to do so than to upload your cell phone pictures?

Tomorrow will be my eighth day as an elementary school counselor! The kids are cute y'all and so sweet. One told me on Friday that I looked like Ashley Tisdale. I think that's a compliment. He was all, "do you know who that is?" And I said, "the girl from High School Musical." I think that embarrassed him because he remarked, "no, the girl from Hellcats." I guess I'm not that cool, I don't know what Hellcats is!

Here is a bit of my space at the school....

I copied the bulletin board on Pinterest. Gotta love that website.

Some of my toys. They really do love the sand. It is a great form of play therapy.

My pencil bouquet. I got the idea from another blogger. So fun!

This past weekend, I decided I needed to do something I have been wanting to for awhile. Three-day weekends are a blessing, but they can be a little boring with the hubby is deployed. So I took myself on a date to the North Carolina Art Museum.

This was my favorite. It is a reproduction of Mona Lisa made from hundreds of spools of thread. I should of got a picture so you could see that it was actually thread, but it was a very popular exhibit!

And finally, my Erin Condren planner. I have had it for awhile (love it), but I thought I would share. I can't wait to order more of her products.

Thanks for stopping by ladies. Have a fab week!

Things I don't get....

2011-08-30T19:44:00.000-04:00

I like to do a list of things I just don't understand every once in awhile. Here's what I am not getting lately....

Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry. I like some of their music, but I just don't get why they try to out-do each other with their wacky costumes. I miss the old days when Britney and Christina were the IT Girls.

Pedicures that don't last. I use to be able to get a pedicure that would last a month. I honestly think I go to a better place now, and my toes start looking busted within a couple of weeks. Frustrating.

Why people complain about being asked to evacuate for the hurricane. Maybe some places did not get hit as hard as originally expected, but better safe than sorry people. Over 40 people died because of Irene.

The show The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I have recently caught a few episodes (I know, get a life) and can't understand why half of the kids on the show are married in high school. I worked in a high school so I think I can honestly say there might be some married secondary students, but it's the exception, not the rule.

The glasses Justin Bieber wore to the VMA's. I bet you he does not even need glasses. What is with that look?

The fact that one pot of my planted impatiens are growing like crazy and its counterpart has died. They are both out of the sun in the same area. So weird.

That I have been hungry every morning at 10 am after eating breakfast at 6:40. I am always more hungry during the days when I eat breakfast than when I don't.

I am sure there is more, but that's what is on my mind right now. What don't you get?

Have you earned the right to wear white?

2011-08-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

So tell me loves, how are you feeling about the sudden trend of non-brides wearing white at weddings?

Kim had her girls do it,

Probably after seeing Kate allow her sister to rock a white dress.

Earlier this summer, Tony Romo's bride dressed her girls in this angelic color (don't even get me started on how the bridesmaids are arranged by hair color).

This trend is not for me, but I don't feel strongly enough to hate it. However, I still prefer the tradition of white being reserved for the bride only.

Something I do like....

I love the champagne color the maids are wearing in this picture. I also like that all of their dresses are unique. It is very visually appealing to me.

What are you thoughts?

Silent Sunday

2011-08-21T10:27:00.001-04:00

Where I am from....

Places I feel alive....

Link up here to play along.

Balls and Nerves

2011-08-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

Ha, random post alert!

Tomorrow is my first day of of my new job. Someone is nervous. However, it is just a work day, the kiddos won't be arriving for a bit. I still think about what I am going to wear the first day of school and prefer to rock a new outfit. I know that is weird for an employee, but it's me.

image via pinterest

Look at this mess. It's me circa the 80's. I found it the other day when going through some old pictures and was laughing at the contraption my parents put me in. They have certainly made progress in baby gear!

I meant to post about this awhile ago, but have been lazy obviously! I have always wanted to make cake balls, but thought they seemed a little intimidating (I am more of a cook than a baker). Anyway, my friend Kristy posted about making super delicious red velvet cake balls here. She made it seem so fabulous and easy that I had to give it a whirl. I made them twice this summer and they were a huge hit both times. I actually made mine with white chocolate coating and milk chocolate. If you want to make it super easy, you can just buy the milk chocolate that comes in cups that you put in the microwave to melt. YOU MUST TRY THIS!

Anyway friends, I hope you are having a great week!!

Pinnable Me: Weekly Finds

2011-08-12T11:17:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! I am linking up with Paw Prints & Pastry Bags today to show you some of my weekly finds on pinterest. What a great website for inspiration on everything! As per the usual, I am too all over the place to foucs on a theme.....

Source: chrisfaves.tumblr.com via Julie on pinterest

Source: kingauthorflour via Hilary on pinterest

Source: hwtm.com via Rachel on pinterest

Source: melskitchencafe via Rachel on pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Kristin on pinterest

Have a great weekend!

A Three Day Whirlwind!

2011-08-09T23:54:00.000-04:00

In July, I had three of the best consecutive days I have experienced probably ever. It went like this.....

Thursday: I went on a job interview and was called and offered the position the same day. I will be working as an elementary school counselor in the county that I live in. For the past four years I have been commuting an hour each way to my job so this is such good news. While I have been working at the high school level, I am excited and inspired to transistion to this elementary. At the high school level, academic and college/career counseling take up the majority of your time. While I will miss that, I am looking forward to having more time to run groups, do individual counseling, and classroom guidance. Let me know if you have any suggestions for working with younger children!

Friday: My hubby came home for R&R from his deployment.

Saturday: Since I no longer have such a long drive to and from work, JW and I went to look at cars. We had been talking about me getting a new one forever, but it didn't make sense to put so many miles on a new car. It turns out the dealership hadn't sold a car that day,and were determined to make a sale. I was so excited to come home with this......

*Not my actual car, but looks exactly it as I have not taken a picture of mine yet haha.

So anyway, I have been saying July was quite a good month for me. I know life is all about balance so it can't always be like this, but it sure is nice when it is!

Thanks for bearing with me during my hiatus. I will definitely be blogging more regularly!

True Life: I'm A General Life Blogger

2011-08-05T00:21:00.000-04:00

I was very excited to participate in Fabulous but Evil & Mrs. Monologues fun link up. While I always thought it would be cool to have my own blogging niche, I am too all over the place for that. The general blogger title definitely suits me. I blog about everything- my life, fashion, cooking, funny things that happen to me, recipes--whatever I think might be entertaining.

A little about me if you are new to my blog....

I am in my late (gasp) twenties and originally from the great state of New Jersey (no, it's not like the Jersey Shore, well for the most part),

I am married to my college sweetheart and we live in North Carolina. I am a proud army wife and support my husband to no end, but miss him like crazy when duty calls,

We are both Clemson graduates and obnoxiously love our alma matter. You don't even want to know how many tiger paws are in our house!

I am a school counselor. I love working with young people and promise you, there is never a boring day. Even though I am a bit type A and like to have a plan,

it keeps things interesting to have lots of variety.

I am obsessed with cupcakes and wine, and not necessarily in that order. I enjoy cooking and baking, decorating our house, shopping for anything, making lists and planning events, and college football.

My friends are the greatest!

Blogging is one of my favorite things ever, and I am always looking to find new blogs to read!

Oh and a random fact, just yesterday I had an epiphany. There was this girl I went to high school with that was #2 in our class. She used her intelligence as an excuse to be a bit condescending. She actually wrote in my yearbook something along the lines of "I can't believe we are graduating. I am going to miss the people I have known since kindergarten and the people I am just starting to like. You of course full into the later category. You are always happy and well-dressed, I wish I could be more like that." HA (I know it's said I can still recite that)! While I am sure that was an insult implying my simpleness, I realized it wouldn't hurt to be more like the 18-year-old me. The past few years have been a little hard for me, and I think I have been bogged down by the realities of life and used it as an excuse to be a glass is half empty kinda girl. While there is nothing wrong with being a realist, I am going to try and be a little more upbeat, unjaded, and enthusiastic. Sarcasm stays.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend y'all!

Signing off for a bit....

2011-07-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

I loved the idea of starting a blog almost two years ago. Honestly, I had pondered it even before received my first comment and followers.

It has been a good time around here. I met friends, found people people I wish I could hang out with in real life, learned new ideas, was inspired, comforted, given advice, and supported by many, which I will always be grateful for. Those who are not part of the blogging world just can't understand how amazing it can be.

Right now, I am going to take some much needed time off from the blog. While I love keeping up with you all, I have not felt inspired to write lately. I am not going to force it, but I will be back when I feel the time is right. Honestly, I also have some other things I need to concentrate on now as well.

Don't feel too sad though, I will be frequenting twitter (tokenyankeerach) and facebook. I couldn't totally abandon social media, could I?

Until we meet again....

Facebook is the new High School Reunion

2011-07-05T23:11:00.001-04:00

Oh Mark Zuckerberg, did you realize you would create such an addiction when you thought of Facebook (or stole the idea from the Winklevoss twins, whatever)? I seriously doubt you did. I think you have thought it would be cool for people when they were in college, but they would get over it soon afterwards just like frat parties and walk of shames.

I have forever said that there is no need for high school reunions now that Facebook has gone so mainstream (Hi Grandma!). Afterall, what is the point of reunions in the traditional sense? To catch up with people you haven't knocked elbows with in 10, 20, 25, or 5o years. To see who what pretty girl got fat, who become successful, who was married, who was still single, etc, etc....In all intensive purposes, to see what classmates caused your self-esteem to soar and which ones made you mentally list all your good qualities/accomplishments in your head to validate your self-worth.

Today, Facebook truly serves as the new high school reunion on a daily basis instead of the former 10 year cushion you previously had in between. You see all sorts of things about your former classmates; who is getting married, divorced, having children, gaining or losing weight, making money, earning professional accolades, and those that may be having a hard time. There always seems to be massive sweeps going on. Right now, I feel like I every time I log on, someone is either announcing their pregnancy or posting pictures of childbirth. I feel so out of the loop that I need to deactivate my profile until I have a cute announcement to post of my impending pregnancy.

Now this is ridiculous of me since I am not even trying to have a baby at the present moment. While I am so happy for the people that are, it makes me feel like I am a few stops behind of the subway of life. Boy, do I hate being behind. It sort of feels like being the last person picked for gym class in the adult version of your life.

Does anyone else feel you can't help but compare yourself to others on Facebook? My husband always makes fun of me about it and will say things like "you better go hurry up and check what the people you haven't talked to in 10 years are doing!" Honestly, I know there is no reason to do this. Everyone is on a different path and you can't compare themselves to them. Like one of my old professors would say, "not good, not bad, just different." However, it's so darn hard not to!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July weekend y'all!

We celebrated early by listening to the North Carolina Symphony and watching fireworks in Fayetteville last night. They also gave out ice cream and apple pie as Fayetteville was recently named All-American City. I am with the very patriotic Elise, our friends' baby.

I hope you have a weekend filled with patriotism,

flags and flowers,

friends, family, and beautiful decor ( I want to decorate my porch like this one day!),

and good food! Yum, who doesn't want to make this?

Fighting Being Boring

2011-06-28T22:30:00.000-04:00

I hate to admit it, but the less I have going on in my life, the less I feel like blogging. Right now I am in one of those periods.

I feel like when my husband is gone, I have a lot less exciting things going on my in life. Typically I go to work, the gym (when I feel like it), and occasionally spend time with friends. I am going to make an effort to find other things to write about though. I do love blogging so I definitely would like to be more consistent.

I have had off work for a bit for summer break, which has been nice. When I am working, I never have time to run errands, go to appointments, meet friends for lunch, etc. It is nice to feel like you have time to do things. Right now, I am also trying to get ready for the hubby who will be home in a few weeks for his R and R. It is not like I am a total slob while JW is gone, but I think most military spouses feel a compulsive need to make everything perfect for when their loved one returns. So besides getting the house ready (inside and out) and shopping for their favorite foods and any other surprise items, you also have to try make yourself look hot. I definitely am a little more lax on my beauty regimen while the hubby is gone so I am looking forward to my hair, nail, and tanning appointments.

So anyway, that's my life as of late. Enjoying summer break and getting ready for my love to come home for R and R.

What's going on with you ladies?

The one where my love turns 30!

2011-06-22T03:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 30th birthday to my amazing husband!

He's still as cute as ever. I of course will not be teasing him for getting older as I am right around the corner!

Anyone know anything about Windows DVD Maker?

2011-06-20T20:38:00.000-04:00

I need some tech advice if anyone has any knowldege of this.....

I tried to make a photo dvd with music for my hubby's bday on Wednesday in Windows DVD Maker. I did make it and burned a copy, but the format will not load on youtube, facebook, or send correctly as a video attachment in email. The format it is saved as is msdvd.

I tried converting it on free convertors online, but they all say the don't recognize the format. I am thinking I need to somehow save it on the computer as something other than the msdvd format, but I can't figure out how.

For the record, I googled it, but I am still unsuccessful after all the advice.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks ladies!

Seriously.....

2011-06-16T19:39:00.000-04:00

Someone has a case of the Seriouslies today. Head over to From Mrs to Mama to play along.

Seriously? I am trying to stay positive, but I am feeling like I can never catch a break this week. I try so hard sometimes, but things just don't work out for me. I have so many things I am grateful for, but a few that I wish would finally work out for me.

Seriously? Summer tv is so lame. What is a tv-dependant person like myself suppose to do? Pick up a book? Learn a language? Take up a new hobby? Looks like I am going to have to haha.

Seriously? Have you been watching the Voice? I only turn it on occasionally, but I can't help but wonder, what in the hell is wrong with Christina Aguilera? It really creeps me out when she hits on the contestants and makes EVERYTHING sexual.

Seriously? Only a month until my hubby comes home for 2 weeks of R&R. Think I can make it to the gym every day for the next month? Ha, me either.

Seriously? I have been sick for the past week. It has gone from a sore throat to a runny nose to a splitting headache. Each time I think I am getting better, a new symptom arises.

Inspiration for the Week (or Year, Whatever)

2011-06-14T20:13:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you all, but I need a little pick me up today. Maybe you do too?

Feel better? Me too. Good talk!

All images found here.

I don't do shorts!

2011-06-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

It's hot out. There is a more casual vibe in the air. Your gams are freshly tanned and full of color.

What else is there to do than put on a pair of shorts....

All these celebs have the right idea.

Magazines and websites are giving us custom illustrations on how to wear then in case we were not sure. For example, when showing skin on the bottom, cover up and be more demure on top.

However, there is a small problem for me, I wouldn't be caught dead in public in a pair of above the knee shorts. I have nothing at all against them, in fact I see so many pairs that I think would be darling to wear.

I think the last time I wore a pair was college, maybe junior year. One day, I just woke up and realized I hate the way shorts make my legs looks and feel. I am rather small in stature and curvy, a nice euphemism if you will. My lower body (ie legs and butt) is definitely my problem area. There is something about they way shorts accentuate and call attention to fat that makes me cringe. If you can wear them, more power to you. Until my lower body changes (if it ever does haha), I will be observing a stict summer wardrobe of dresses, skirt, and maybe a capri pant or two. The fashionista inside me hates that I can't embrace this look though.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

*Disclaimer* I have been known to wear bermuda shorts. However, this behavior is very infrequent, and in all honesty, they don't count!

I Can Never Think of Catchy Post Titles

2011-06-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

Seriously, I can't come up with a intelligent, creative titles. I guess a career in the newspaper profession will not be calling my name.

At any rate, I had some interesting visitors last weekend....

My nephews and niece from Arizona. They arrived just in time for my birthday.

One important thing I learned over the weekend is that it is virtually impossible to get three children under the age of 9 to take a decent picture together. All you can do is beg, plead, and hope for the best.

We went out to dinner to my favorite hibachi restaurant in town, Miyabi's.

It is a lot of fun to go to this type of restaurant with children, they get so much enjoyment out of it. Here is my nephew using the training wheel chopsticks.

Saturday morning I woke up and found this little guy already awake. Everyone else was sound asleep. We decided to make pancakes for the rest of the troops. It is amazing how much little kids want to help. They eat that stuff up. (I may or may not have coerced them into pulling weeds with me. Pulling weeds is a fun activity after all!)

Here I am with my new birthday earrings from the hubby. Love 'em!

We had a lot of fun all weekend! When they left Sunday afternoon, I met a friend for dinner and to see the Hangover 2. Funny, but the first was definitely better. Strangely I find myself still wanting to see it again!

Have an amazing weekend frienda!

There's a little orange in my blood

2011-05-31T21:28:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago I got the chance to take my niece to Clemson, my alma matter, for the weekend. They were having a special weekend to take girls ages 6-17 to experience the college. I thought it would be so much fun for both of us.

She would get to see first-hand what college is like (well for a 12 year-old), and I would get to relive my glory days haha. It was also cool to get to show her the school because it was where her uncle and I met.

Rebecca with one of the many tiger paws.

We got to stay in the dorms. I can't say I have done that in a LONG time. Don't be fooled, while this may look minimal and bare, it is much nicer than where I stayed my freshmen year. Clemson was founded as a military college, so my first dorm was so old it had gun racks. Don't worry, it didn't deter me from using it as a closet!

Eating in one of the dining halls. Again, much improved from when I was there.

We participated in a lot of fun activities while we were there. One was getting a behind the scenes tour of all the athletic facilities. Here I am in front of the past QB's locker.

This is where the ballers hang out before football games.

We got to meet "Anna and Thomas Clemson." One of thecool parts of the weekend was that they focused on Anna's life. Thomas Clemson founded the school, but it was Anna's land and her idea!

We participated in some educational activities, filtering water and learning about engineering.

We took two hard-core exercise classes at the fitness center (Zumba and Spinning), and then came back and designed a beauty for the door decorating contest.

The last day, we woke up and went to breakfast at the Tiger's Den in the football stadium.

After breakfast, the girls got to engage in one of Clemson's best traditions, running down the hill.

All in all, it was such a fun weekend. I told her that her Uncle John would have to take her in a few years. That was only part I felt guilty about, I know how much my husband would have loved it.

Would you participate in something like this?

Why Memorial Day Matters.

2011-05-30T08:46:00.000-04:00

"What is Memorial Day?? For many, it is simply 3 days off work. For others, it's a lot of savings at stores nationwide. But for most of US, it's a day to remember our fallen troops that have fought in battles WORLDWIDE. If you post this, its because you know someone who serves, who was lost in battle, or you just understand that freedom is not free!"

While I will enjoy my day off, maybe partake in a sale or two, I will be thinking about all of those who served and lost their lives for America. I am especially thinking of my husband and his friends that he is deployed with right now. They give up so much just so we can have the luxury of a free country.

I hope you had a great weekend!

29!

2011-05-26T03:07:00.000-04:00

Where did the time go? I turn 29 today. I feel like just yesterday I was a naive freshmen, starting college.

Wish me luck as I embark on my last year in my twenties. I am a bit afraid of the big 3-0, but aren't the 30's the new 20's anyway?

This year I want to learn to be more charismatic and likable, find a new job, spend as much time as I can with my husband, and feel like I have accomplished enough for being almost 30.
Sounds reasonable enough, right?

Have a great day!

Feeling Postive this Week!

2011-05-23T10:25:00.000-04:00

What's going on with you guys?

I am feeling relatively good for a Monday. Probably for a few reasons...

-I went to Clemson (my alma matter) for the weekend with my niece. It as a special program to get girls interested in the school, and was so much fun. We stayed in the dorms, ate in the dining hall, and just generally had blast. It's nice to go back to a place where you have so many great memories, and also to introduce someone else to a place you regard as so special. (I will do a picture infused post of this later).

-My sister and her family are coming to stay with me later in the week. This is a big deal because they live in Arizona, and I don't get to see them much.

-My birthday is coming up this week. I hate celebrating birthdays (and getting older) without my husband, but he still manages to make me feel special from afar.

-Speaking of the husband, I have been feeling really connected to him lately, which is a accomplishment with him so far away. Don't get me wrong, it is hard with him deployed and gone so much, but when you really love someone, it is worth it.

-A few more weeks of work until summer. Although I will be having a summer job, it will be much less hours, a shorter commute, and generally less stressful (so I hope).

What are you feeling good about this week?

The Things that Happen to Me....

2011-05-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

Notice anything funny about this picture?

Well, besides the fact that it is crooked. Note to self, learn how to take good pictures.

Yes, I have exactly one rocking chair. It was not suppose to be this way. My lovely porch ornament was suppose to have a mate. I had been wanting rocking chairs for the porch since we moved in, but they were not exactly high up on the priority list, especially with their price tags.

Then one glorious day I was in the Garden Center of Walmart and stumbled on the lovely rocking chair above for $60. I couldn't believe it, it seemed too good to be true. I had not found any other chairs for under $100. While I was ecstatic about my find, I drive a small car and could not take it home that day. A few days later I roped a friend with a SUV into helping me. I was devastated to find that all the rocking chairs were gone. I asked a store associate about them, and she went to check to see if there were any left. She was gone for a significant period of time, but a smile erupted on my face when she came barreling across the store carrying a chair. She told me she walked to the front of the store to retrieve it. I felt like this was going to seem like a normal question, so I asked her if there were any more. She replied, "well did you want more than one?" Umm yeah, what in the heck am I going to do with one outdoor rocking chair?

I of course went to the front of the store to check for more, but there were none. I of course was consumed with guilt that the older lady carried the chair all through the store to help me, so of course I felt compelled to buy it. I just assumed I would be able to locate another chair at a different Walmart so it would not be a big deal.

Fast forward to today. I have been to 4 other Walmarts within a 60 mile radius in the past week and a half. There are none left! Yesterday I was brave enough to ask an associate again, and she told me they had one the day before, but ran out.

I checked online, they don't have any. I am just hoping and hoping they will restock soon. It's not even the end of May, they have to keep the rocking chairs throughout the summer. Don't you think?

I also set the sprinkler for an hour the other morning and it was still on when I got home that night, 14 hours later. Can't wait to see the water bill.

Does this type of stuff happen to anyone else?

Getting to Know You Sunday's

2011-05-15T17:44:00.001-04:00

It's Sunday, so you know what that means, it's time to play along with Keely's Getting to Know You series.

1. Have you ever gone to see a movie by yourself?
Sure, what are you suppose to do when you really want to see a movie and have no one to go with? The first time I did this was when I was a flight attendant in Memphis and we had a layover in Memphis. There happened to be a movie theatre right next to our hotel, so I thought, what the hell. The movie I ended up seeing was the Notebook. Probably not the best movie to see alone haha, I was a boo-hooing mess.

2. Would you rather go through a tornado or a hurricane? Well considering I recently witnessed the destruction a tornado can render, I would definitely pick a hurricane, not that either of them are a walk in the clouds.

3. Have you made summer vacation plans? Not yet, but it looks like my love will be home for a few weeks this summer so we are hoping to take a trip. We are just not sure where yet.

4. What's your favorite accessory? I am definitely an accessory girl. I love headbands with flowers and bows, long necklaces, and fun handbags.

5. have you ever been thrown a surprise party? I have had a few actually. Not big-scale events, but the thought was still very sweet. I had them at 16, 17, and 21.

6. Are you friends with your neighbors? Not yet. I would like to be more friendly with them, but I have not met most of them. My neighbor across the street saw me mowing my lawn a few weeks ago and offered to do it for me, which I thought was nice (I didn't take him up on it).

7. What's the last movie you saw in the theater? I just saw Bridesmaids this afternoon, what a funny movie. It was hilarious! Kristen Wiig is hysterical.

8. What's your favorite food network show? I don't really watch the Food Network, as I am more of a Top Chef fan. I don't even know if it's still one, but I did enjoy that show, Throw Down with Bobby Flay.

I hope you are having a good Sunday. Head over to Keely's blog if you'd like to play along.

What Up?

2011-05-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

Hi friends, remember me? Just checking in.

I am not sure how it happened again, but I went a week without posting. I attribute my lack of presence to a few things....

1. Sometimes I feel like if I don't have something witty or profound or beautifully written to say, why bother? 2. I know blogging is suppose to be a combo of doing it for yourself and the connections you make with other bloggers, but I can't help but feel discouraged when I don't have a lot of feedback and comments. I do understand that if you don't post religiously, it is hard to build a consistent readership. It's quite the conundrum really! 3. When J is deployed, I have to really turn myself into two people. I have to take care with everything for us stateside, which really can be time-consuming. I try not to complain because I know I don't have kids or even a dog for goodnessake. So in reality, it could be a lot more difficult.

After summing up my feelings so you could understand where I am coming from and perhaps to make myself feel better by clearing my head, I promise I am going to make more of a genuine effort to read and write blogs more often!

In other news, this is what else has been going on with me....

-I got a summer job at a financial aid office at a local university in town. Does that sound a little bit scary to you too? It will be a really good experience for me to learn more about it to help kids at the high school level. While I obviously know how to assist students fill out the FAFSA, it will be interesting to see how things work behind the scenes.

-I joined Weight Watchers last week. Today was my first weigh in since starting, and I am happy to report I am down 3.2 lbs. I have to admit, it really has not been that bad and I enjoy logging all my food intake and exercise. I am really wanting to lose some weight for good so I am hoping this is what it takes. Staring at Jennifer Hudson's cut-out during meetings does inspire me a bit, she is looking skinnier than ever!

-We didn't think John would be able to take leave during this deployment, but it looks like he should get to come home this summer for a few weeks. Cue the excitement.

-My birthday is in a few weeks. I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I will be entering the last year of 2o's. When did this happen? I hate to admit it, but I am a bit afraid of turning 30. Anti-aging tips/techniques are welcomed!

-Speaking of 30th birthdays, John will turn 30 next month in Afghanistan. I have not had any friends turn 30 yet really so I am at a loss for ideas. Anyone have anything funny/cute I could make or buy that will survive a trip half-way across the planet?

-I saw Something Borrowed last weekend and am planning to see Bridesmaids this weekend. I am such a movie person.

What's going on with y'all?

A Soldier in Afghanistan's Perspective

2011-05-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

It's not my thing to get all political on my little blog, but it's also no secret my husband is a few months into a year-long deployment in Afghanistan. I thought I would share his reaction to the news about Osama bin Laden.....

I woke up, turned on the TV, and saw it on the bottom scrolling ticker of ESPN (of all channels!). I rolled out of bed and gave an emphatic Tiger Woods fist pump, like I just sank a 30 foot putt at the Masters. We were all pretty stoked today.

Wedding of the Year!

2011-04-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

At first I was not that interested in the Royal Wedding, but the closer it got to the big day, the more I became enthralled with it.

I set my alarm and starting brewing coffee Friday morning at 4:45 am. I know my efforts were not in vain as I began to feel goosebumps watching Harry and Will head into Westminister Abbey.

With all the sadness in the world, it was quite refreshing for millions of people to unite in watching such a happy and feel-good occasion. We all grew up believing in fairy tales, it was exhilarating to watch one actually take place.

Here are few of my favorite moments from the day...

The brothers. They seem to have such a close relationship, and I love how Harry always seems to lighten things up.

The sisters. There were both gorgeous, and you could see that they got their good genes from their lovely mother. If I were Kate, I'm not sure I'd let my MOH wear white though!

What a beautiful, happy couple. They seem very down to earth. I thought Kate made an excellent choice with her dress. There are so many rules she had to adhere to with her gown, it's not like she could have worn some modern thing that many of us would wear to our weddings. It was a timeless piece that blended old and new quite well.

Harry and the kids, so cute!

Dress #2, stunning as well.

Cruising in their Aston Martin. No big deal.

Can you imagine your grandmother being the Queen? She looked quite cheerful in yellow.

Did you tune in? What did you think? I find myself not being able to get enough of all the details and pictures. It makes me think about my own wedding and what I would have done if money was not an object. I definitely would have had two dresses!

I'm Here!

2011-04-27T20:49:00.000-04:00

I know I have been a little mia lately, so I will feel extremely blessed if I still have a few readers out there....

But let me explain what I have been up to.

First, my school started Spring Break on April 15th. The next day a devastating tornado hit the area I live in.

Here is a picture of the Lowes in Sanford, NC, the town I work in. Luckily I was fine and so is our house. However, lot of people were not as fortunate.

The next day I embarked on the 10 hour trek to my hometown in New Jersey. I had not been there in over a year, so I knew it was time. I obviously wanted to see my family, but my Mom's house also sold. I had to help clean up and take some personal things from the house. While it is sad to say goodbye to the house (I lived there from grade 6-until college), it's mostly because it was my Mom's. Like I have said, I will miss the house, but I miss my Mom more. I did think about some of the memories I had there; chats with Mom, family dinners, getting ready for proms, first dates, graduation, Mom meeting John there, sleepovers, fun times with family, etc.....

It was hard, but I know it is for the best. Besides working on the house and seeing family, all I did in NJ was eat. I was in Carb City as pizza, bagels, hoagies, soft pretzels all I had my name on them. I need two weeks of detox just to recover.

Here is Bri, my cousin's girlfriend, my two cousins Matt and Adam, and me before going out in Atlantic City. Matty finally turned 21 a few months ago so I had to buy him a beer!

In other exciting news, I got a pair of Saunk sandals. I am not sure if you all have heard of them, but they made from yoga mats. I have to say, these are the most comfortable shoes I have EVER put on my feet. Pure bliss. I would highly recommend buying a pair.

Other than that, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. If I have not stopped by your blog in awhile, don't fret, I will be catching up ASAP.

I hope you're doing well!

Top 5 Celebrity Crushes

2011-04-14T11:56:00.001-04:00

I saw this topic going around the blogosphere today and felt compelled to participate. Head over to Meghan's blog to link up. I liked the idea of showing crushes from different periods of your life..... Elementary School

Joey from New Kids on the Block. Loved him!

Middle School

Rider Strong from Boy Meets World.

High School

Justin Timberlake. I am a little embarrassed how much I loved N Sync.

College

Jake Gyllenhaal. Enough said.

Present Day

I do think my husband is the cutest ever, but if I had to choose, I think I might fancy David Beckham a bit.

Who are your crushes?

Furniture & Housewarming Gifts

2011-04-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

I have not been really good at taking pictures as of late, thus my blog has been devoid of them, which can get boring. I love seeing pictures of people's homes so I thought I would share a few...

Here is the lovely bookshelf I put together, now complete with fillers.

New desk to accompany the bookshelf in our study. Is it really a study? I doubt we will be doing any studying in there, but we'll roll with it.

The couch in the study. I definitely want to do curtains in there and hang some pictures to give it more character.

On to the family room. I have been having a bit of a design dilemma. J was able to mount the tv and hide the wires in the wall, which we were happy not to have to pay someone to do. However, we still needed to do something with the cable box. We originally thought we wanted a tall cabinet, but we could not really find any we liked. We bought the entertainment console on the left, but I felt like it needed balance on the right so we got he the dvd stand. My friend suggested I put something on the left the same height as the dvd stand to bring unity. I am not sure I am digging it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Finally, I have had friends visit the past two weekends. I have very sweet and thoughtful friends who all brought kind and generous housewarming gifts. I thought you might like some ideas for the next time you have to bring a hostess gift....

Pineapple cutting board. It can be used for its literal purpose, decoration, or to serve appetizers.

Monogrammed cloths. Love!

Doormat.

Yay for a drinks tub. I laughed because I tried to convince the hubby to buy one for a party we had before he left. I love these for serving drinks.

Not pictured: hummingbird feeder, gourmet brownie mix, and a cookbook.

It's nice to have such sweet friends. I can't wait to return the favor.

What do you like to give for hostess/housewarming gifts?

Miscellany Monday

2011-04-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

Hi ladies, I hope you all had a great weekend. I am having one of those days with a lot of random thoughts in my head, so I figured it was perfect timing to participate in Miscellany Monday!

one For some reason, I have felt insanely tired for the past two weeks. I feel exhausted by the time I leave work at four, and like I could go to sleep soon after I get home. I have not done my hair for work in over a week because I am too lazy to get up in time, which is not good because the wet look does not suit me! I am not pregnant, but people keep telling me I should go to the doctor to get checked out. I hate making all that fuss though if nothing is wrong....

two Prom for my high school was this past weekend. I did not go this year, but I did spend three hours helping decorate Friday after school. Working at high school is interesting because sometimes you think if only you were young again, and other on other occasions you are so happy you to not be in high school anymore.

three One of my best friends came to visit this weekend. She moved about a year ago, so it was a nice treat for her to come see my and the house. We went shopping, had sushi, and drank lots of wine. A perfect combo for me!

four I am going to New Jersey on Sunday for the first time in a year over my spring break. I am looking forward to seeing my family, but it will definitely be a bittersweet trip.

five I am so ready for spring and summer, but my pasty out-of-shape self is not meshing well with the shortening of hemlines. I am in a beauty rut, which tends to happen when your husband leaves for a year haha. Time to get out of it! six Speaking of the husband, while deployments certainly are not fun, they often make you love and appreciate your spouse more and more. There's nothing wrong with that!

Have the best week!

Taking Pride In Your Work

2011-04-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

I never thought I would have to do it. In fact, my husband promised me I would not have to, but last Sunday I found myself engaging in an activity I never thought I could manage....

I mowed our lawn! This may seem trivial to some--but for me it was a major accomplishment. There are a couple reasons I view this task as such:

1-I am a girly-girl, as feminine as they come

2-I grew up with my just my Mom as my main-influencer for most of my life. My Dad passed away when I was 9, I have no brothers, and did not have any other strong male presence in my life growing up. Therefore, I don't know how to do a lot of things a father might teach you.

3-I have never been too interested in manual labor

4-My husband and I have a deal that he will handle all chores associated with outside.

So at any rate, I have never had to mow a lawn until this point of my life.

We were going to hire someone to do while J is deployed, but everyone wants to charge an arm and a leg for a small yard. A friend of ours offered to do it, but he is away at training at the present time. I could not wait any longer as my wild onions were growing higher and higher by the day (ie I was tired of my neighbors talking about me behind my back).

I followed some instructions from J on gchat on how to use a lawn mower and actually did it! It wasn't as easy as I would have liked. First, the bag was full from the last time J mowed the lawn before he left. Once I figured out how to empty it (while spilling grass all over the driveway), I then could not get it to start. I went back inside and re-read the directions the husband provided online, and finally got it to start. While the mower is self-propelled as J pointed out, it was a bit heavy to push, and especially to turn around. It may have taken me twice the time as a pro, I have to say the lawn looked pretty good once I finished. While this is not a task I enjoy or plan to do once J returns, I felt an odd sense of pride once I was finished. I mean I seriously felt like the accomplishment was right up there with me finishing grad school.

Do you feel overly satisfied when you do something that may not be that big a deal, but is not traditionally considered a feminine thing to do?

Spring Pretties

2011-04-04T21:28:00.001-04:00

If there's one thing I love in life, it's clothes. I have been trying to be good lately and not swipe my debit card in vain, but that hasn't stopped me from browsing online. Looking is free afterall. Here are some items I have been eying....

Forever 21

The Limited

New York & Company

Old Navy

What are you all planning to wear this spring?

Just What the Doctor Ordered

2011-04-03T10:05:00.000-04:00

First of all, thank you for your sweet thoughts and comments on my last post. I had a much better week and am feeling okay about things. I think it is easy to get bogged down and focus on the negative when you feel overheard. I have to keep reminding myself to look for the positives in life. My house might be a lot to take care of, but I am blessed to have such a great home. I miss my husband immensely, but I am lucky to have found the love of my life and have something with him worth missing. It can be burdensome to drive an hour each way for work, but some people can't find a job in this economy. I think it's fine and sometimes necessary to feel sorry for yourself once in awhile, but personally I know I have to be better at finding the good in things.

This weekend was therapy for my soul. My college friends came to NC for a visit and to see my house. I did not get a chance to take pictures, but we had a blast. We went out to dinner and to karaoke on Friday night. Then on Saturday I made a nice breakfast, we went to Zumba, to lunch at Jason's Deli, to the spa for manis and pedis, I made dinner, and we went to see Just Go With It. I have to say the movie was much better than I thought it would be. We topped off the night with gelato at Tutti Melon. I love spending time with my girls. They live in South Carolina, so while I may not get to see them every weekend, it is comforting to know they are not that far away. We already have a series of plans on the books for the upcoming months.

I hope you all had a good weekend. I have plans to do laundry, go to the gym, and relax a bit. Have I metioned how much I love weekends!

Are tears in vogue?

2011-03-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

Uhh, I have been an emotional wreck this week. The catalyst........

This lovely bookshelf from World Market. I recently purchased a desk and couch for our study. I wanted a bookshelf as well, but the furniture store did not have any in black to match the desk. I tend to stay away from furniture you have to put together for multiple reasons....you don't know exactly what you are getting, the items can get damaged during shipment, putting furniture together can be difficult and frustrating, and the list goes on...

However, after finding exactly what I was looking for on World Market's website with great reviews and remarks that a lady who was 8 months pregnant put it together alone, I was sold. When I received the bookshelf and assembled the pieces on the ground, I realized there was no way I could do it myself, the directions even said two people were required to perform the task. A friend came over to help me and left mid-way through as she had something to do. Of course a meltdown ensued. I did end up finishing it myself which you can see from the above referenced picture. However, this little incident made me feel so alone here in North Carolina. I guess the deployment is starting to get to me. It is hard enough for John to be gone, but then to have the stress of taking care of a house adds a lot. I guess I felt rather alone this week as I have no one to turn to for help when J is gone. There's no other way to put other than it sucks not to be so far away from your family. In this town, people come and go so unfortunately my friend base is not what I would like. It just is hard not to have anyone to depend on. That combined with my wild onion situation not getting any better, driving to work on a dry-rotted tire praying I would make it there, the stress of planning a girl's weekend at my house, and Jeremy dying on Army Wives, I have been a crying fool! I guess it happens to us all every now and then.

I am just hoping for a cry-free week!

Is this cool?

2011-03-26T09:52:00.000-04:00

I have nothing against them. They are young, talented, unbelievably wealthy, but is it me or do they always look like they are playing dress up?

Just a thought.

OMG, People are Crazy!

2011-03-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

I don't know about y'all, but I have been known to advocate for myself in public when people are rude to me. I don't go around starting fights, but I stand up for myself if the need arises.

However, after two recent headlines from the past week in North Carolina, I am starting to think I cannot exhibit that type of behavior anymore. Afterall, there are a lot of people with mental health issues and others that have no moral compass.

Headlines from Henderson, NC:
Driver, others charged after Vance County melee

Basically a man accidentally hit a pedestrian with his car. The friends of the person that got hit pulled the driver out of his car and severely beat him. It was reported there was no way the driver could have avoided hitting the man. Scary!

And a more frightening headline from the town I currently live, Fayetteville, NC:
Father, girl, 6, shot after crash on Bragg Boulevard

What really terrifies me is that I drove by the aftermath of this horrific scene. A car rear-ended another. The car that was hit was carrying a man and his two young daughters. After the accident, the man that hit the first car got out and began shooting at the Dad and his 4-year-old. The man was hit 3 times and the little girl was shot 4 times. They ran to a fast food restaurant to beg for help.

How horrific is that? It just makes you think. You never can be certain what will happen in your life. A soldier could be killed in Iraq or Afghanistan just as easy as on their way home from work in any town in America.

I am starting to think a good rule of thumb is not to be rude to strangers (even if they deserve it) and to exhibit kindness at every bend in the road.

Thoughts?

True Beauty

2011-03-23T19:26:00.001-04:00

It's a sad day as America has lost another of our icons...

When I think of true beauties, women who ooze old-time Hollywood glamour like Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O, Bridget Bardot--and of course Elizabeth Taylor, come to mind.

I read more about Elizabeth's life today, and it easily can be said she did a lot of living in her 79 years. It was interesting to read about her marriages (to a Hilton, a senator, a construction worker, and her friend's husband to name a few), film career, children, and philanthropic efforts.

"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them."
-Elizabeth Taylor

Sounds like a great motto to me. Thanks for making the world a little more beautiful Liz!

Trying New Recipes

2011-03-20T20:50:00.000-04:00

One of the goals I decided upon was to make two new recipes each of the months John is deployed. This serves dual purposes as it will hold me accountable to cook (which I like to do, but not so much when I am cooking for only moi) and to help me have some new meals to impress the husband with when he gets back.

Tonight I tried a Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe from Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here.

I will say, while it does not exactly look pretty, it was very satisfying and the calorie count was not too bad. Serve with a salad and you have a great meal sure to please. One down for me, too many to count to go!

And here are my flowers for the week! Have a great one.

Thriving vs. Surviving

2011-03-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

You could say this is not my first time around the block. It's not my first rodeo. Been there, don that. Wait, what are we talking about? Deployments of course. It is actually my third. Okay it's not really mine at all. It's my husband's as he is in Afghanistan and I am hanging out on my sweet reclining couch in North Carolina. I just deal with them.

I will briefly summarize the first two....

J's First Deployment 2006-2007:
We were not even dating when he left for this one. We got back together a few months into it. I was a full-time grad student, worked at a college, was completing an internship, and waitressing on weekends. I barely had time to breath. I was a complete novice to all things military related. Since we were not married, I wasn't privy to any information. I did make the bold decision to move to NC were John was stationed before he was back so I could get a job before the school year started. Looking back, I can't believe no one in my family questioned this move. Maybe they thought I was crazy, but they went along with it. Luckily for me, everything worked out!

J's Second Deployment 2009:
We were married and living together when he left this time. I was more familiar with the military-lifestyle and North Carolina. However, I was 9 hours away from my biggest support system, my family and Jersey friends. I was working for full-time so I kept myself busy with that and even took a part-time job.

While I got through both deployments, that's all I can really say....

I survived them!

While I am proud of myself for being able to do that, I feel like I need to accomplish more this deployment.

It's time for me to thrive.

Let's be honest for a second; while I do work full-time, I have no children or pets to take care of. It does take a lot of work to maintain a house (this if my first time having to worry about this as we lived in an apartment before) and the lives of two people, I have enough time where I should be doing more. This might be that last time I can truly be selfish and work on me for a year as we hope to have a child in the sometime not too distant future.

As cliche and superficial as it may sound, this is the self-proclaimed year of me. This is the year that I need to be productive and make all the things I have wanted to happen for a long time occur. I know it's not going to be easy and we are all work in progresses afterall, but this is my time to stop coasting along and achieve some long sought after goals.

It's been about three weeks since John left. I haven't exactly kicked off my year of me to a thunderous start, but you need a little time to sulk and feel sorry for yourself when they first leave. I've officially done enough of that, it's time to get to work.

Do you have any goals you are trying to accomplish this year whether your going through a deployment or just living life?

Crafting Is Not That Hard, Right?

2011-03-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

I have always been a person that loves fashion, interior design, anything having to do with aesthetics. However, that does not mean I would label myself particularly crafty. I have always had the motto why make when you can buy. I can't see purchasing all the items you need to make something if it is going to cost more than buying it already done.

Lately, I have really wanted a wreath for our front door. I found a local online store that was selling beautiful arrangements like this.....

While I really loved them, the penny pincher in me was not willing to pay the $75 they were charging.

So since I have a little time on my hands most weekends, I decided to take myself to Michael's Friday night. I had not see any of the coveted wreaths in person, so I had to go on instinct on what items I thought I would need.

I purchased flowers, the wreath, ribbon, and a wooden W. Armed with my hot glue gun, I started playing with the flowers and ribbon and viola, I ended up with this...

Not too bad for a first-timer I thought.

Here is a closer look. I think this little project may have inspired me to try to be crafty a little more often. I ended spending about $35 so I definitely came in under-budget and it honestly did not take that long. I see Halloween and Christmas wreaths in my future. I also plan on signing up for a sewing class. I would love to learn to make pillows and curtains.

And in the spirit of spring, here are some flowers in my house at the present moment. I love having fresh flowers on hand, it always brightens my spirits.

Happy Spring (well it feels like spring at least).

Random Thoughts....

2011-03-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Do you answer the door at night if you are home alone? My doorbell rang after 8 and I didn't answer it, but whoever it was rang twice. I normally am not afraid, but what would someone want that late? Then I got freaked out and started thinking every noise I heard was someone trying to get in the house.

I feel like I have nothing to talk about lately on the blog. I have been busy at work and before that I was consumed with spending time with John before he deployed. I love the blog world so I am hoping I find some inspiration again. Although I don't conceal my identity (I am terrible at keeping secrets-especially my own), but I know it's not a good idea to talk about certain things on here-work, family, too much personal stuff about my marriage/relationships. Those things are where most of my stories come from so it's difficult when they are off-limits. I am pretty much an open book, but I think you all will be able to relate on this one.

I really want a wreath for my front door for spring/summer. The one I want is from an etsy shop, but it is $75. It is adorable with flowers, ribbon, and a letter of your choosing, but I can't help but think that it is too pricey. I am planning on scouting out Michael's this weekend to see if I can find the things I need to make it myself. Anyone have a tutorial? Here is the link to what I want....http://www.etsy.com/listing/65429914/metal-letter-wreath.

This week feels like it is taking forever. Is it really only Thursday tomorrow?

I have been trying to decide what to give up for lent. I like the idea of giving something up, but sometimes I feel like it would mean more to do something productive in the spirit of lent. I am going to give up bread and make a genuine effort to be kind to people even when they are not being kind to me. My normal reaction when someone is being a jerk to me is to give it to them back, but I have realized lately that is not they way I want to be. I have to work on letting things go more.

I am now watching Top Chef, which always makes me want a snack. I will be back soon and want to discuss my goals during this deployment.

Hope you all are doing awesome!

Smile like you mean it!

2011-03-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends-

Lately my reason has been this....

Flowers and trees are starting to bloom in my neck of the woods,

Which also means bathing suit and short season is around the corner. It's early March, so that should still give me enough time to make some progress at the gym!

It's been almost two weeks since John left. He has gotten safely to his destination and we have been able to chat a lot the past few days. Call it Murphy's Law, but as soon as he left things started going wrong at the homefront. First of all, our sod became infested with wild onions. We are currently the eyesore of the neighborhood and after many phone calls, the landscaper that put it in finally agreed to take care of it free of charge this week. Yay, I don't have to figure out how to turn the lawn mower on! Then after living at our house for four months, I got not one, but three notes from our postal worker that our mailbox needed to be moved because it was facing the wrong street. Umm, hi, I don't know how to take it out of the ground and put it back in! I guess I better hurry up and find some help! Now to start stalking our builder!

I have been busy at work so that has been keeping me occupied these days. I appreciate all your sweet comments about my mom. She was a really smart, funny, say it like it is lady-y'all would have liked her.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by blog friends. Have a great week!

Images courtesy of Weheartit.com

Dear Mom

2011-02-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

(A card my mom sent me in college that holds deeper meaning now)

Dear Mom,

It's been one year today since you have been gone. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we were engaging in one of our daily phone calls and other times it feels like forever since I heard your voice.

People often say losing a loved one gets easier with time. I find that the more time marches forward, the stronger your absence in my life feels. With that being said, it has taken the majority of the 365 days, but I finally am at peace with what happened. I wish you were still here with me more than anything in the world, but I know I can't spend the rest of my life being angry because I feel I was slighted.

If anything I am lucky. Working with young people. I often come into contact with individuals that would do anything to have a mother like you, even for a little bit. You were always there for me-with encouragement, support, advice, love, and the truth when I needed to hear it. You gave me everything. You joked that I was a spoiled brat and perhaps when I was young I didn't realize how much you gave--but now I do and wish I would have been more appreciative at the time.

When I see someone my age in public with their mother, I always feel a longing for you. I know there are going to be so many times in my life when I will so badly want for you to be there with me, but you will, because you are always in my heart. Whenever I wish I could call you so you could tell me what to do or give me advice, I find myself reciting what you would have said. I already know because we were so close and you taught me so much.

Although I only had you here with me physically for 27 years, I have a bank of so many great memories to look back on. I am so thankful for all the time I had with you and especially grateful you were there when I got married. I am happy you got to know and like John, but also that you were my wedding planner. You orchestrated so many beautiful weddings in your life, it would have not been the same if you didn't get to do mine.

More than anything in life, I want you to be proud of me. I will spend the rest of my time here on earth trying to lead an existence that would make you feel like you did a good job as a mom. I hope with all my heart that I get to see you again.

I love you more and more every day.

The Past Two Weeks

2011-02-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days since John left and the overwhelming thought I had today is that I should have hugged him a little longer Tuesday morning. Afterall, that embrace has to last for a year! Wow, that's difficult to even type.

With that being said, we did have a great time together before he left. We got to spend genuine quality time that I know I will look back on to make the next 12 months a little easier.

We went to Wilmington for Valentine's Day Weekend.

We stayed at the Hilton downtown which was right on the water. It was a great location and made life easier as we were able to walk to all the restaurants and shops. We had a few lovely meals, drinks, and even got to meet up with a couple that we are friends with.

In the last few weeks we spent time with other friends, had a going away party for John, saw the Fighter, exchanged Valentine's day presents (a new wallet for me & photos for his Clemson room for me), watched movies, went out to dinner, spent an amazing day in Raleigh and went to a Clemson-NC State basketball game, cooked lots of yummy meals, went for drives, ran errands, and basically tried to prepare ourselves for our time apart.

I made him do a mini-photo shoot before he left as evident above. I told him, come on, I won't be able to update my profile picture on facebook for a long time without this!

Well here is our last picture for awhile. We are both adorning half-smiles, which is pretty fitting for the occasion.

I have a lot of good memories in the bank. It will be hard, but it's worth it.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

I Have Good News & I Have Bad News

2011-02-22T21:29:00.001-05:00

What do you want to hear first?

The good you say. Okay well then,

My blogging frequently starts today. My reading and commenting on other blogs starts tomorrow.

Now to the bad,

John left today for this deployment. I am feeling okay and doing better than I thought so far. I already miss him, but I need to to be strong. I am confident in our relationship and this is the year of me. Time to get serious and work on a few goals that I have been trying to acheive for too long!

In others news, there is a lot going on in the hair department.

Jen cut her hair. Yay, I love it. I am planning on chopping my hair off too in the next few weeks.

The Biebs chopped his signature do as well. I like it, everyone needs to reinvent themselves once in while.

In baby news,

Alyssa Milanno is pregnant. Yay, the Hollywood baby boom continues.

I loved this picture when I saw it. I think it's intriguing because I have not seen many pictures of R.Zoe pregnant, but I think it suits her. She is such a cute little pregnant lady.

That's about all I have right now. What's good and bad with you?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

Hi friends, I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you for your sweet comments on my last post- y'all are just the sweetest.

Also, I am wishing you the happiest of Valentine's Days!

love (lʌv)
— vb
1.
( tr ) to have a great attachment to and affection for
2.
( tr ) to have passionate desire, longing, and feelings for
3.
( tr ) to like or desire (to do something) very much
4.
( tr ) to make love to
5.
( intr ) to be in love

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

I hope you all feel very loved today!

Two Weeks Notice

2011-02-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

When my husband came home last night, he wrapped me in a tight hug and said, "if you could do anything this weekend, and price was no object, what would you want to do?"

Obviously I knew something was up right there, but I played along. "Probably go to the Bahamas or somewhere tropical."

Then it came out. He was told at work that he would have to deploy in two weeks. Of course we knew he would be going, but we thought we would have at least a month before he had to leave as he just got back last Friday from being gone a month for training.

It's frustrating because I feel like I need more time. I don't feel prepared at all. I am not ready to say goodbye again.

He told me we just need to have the best time we can over the next two weeks, so I am going to try to reject my tears and embrace the love.

How much love can you fit into your life in two weeks? I am not sure the answer to that, but I know I am going to try and suck up as much as I can.

With that being said, I am going to be pretty absent from the blog world for a bit, but y'all know I'll be back soon. I love you and blogging too much. Blogging is one of the things that makes these deployments easier for me.

Thanks for being so great!

Oh hello again...

2011-02-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hey lovelies-- hope you're having a fab weekend.

I was so excited to leave work Friday afternoon because I knew I was hours away from seeing my husband after a month! Unfortunately, it had been pouring down rain all day with no chance of stopping, but I had to go to the grocery store and stock up. When John is away I definitely cut down on my food buying.

We got home around the same time and had a nice dinner. We then caught up on this season of Jersey Shore. The next day we headed to the gym and then went to buy him a beater car to race. Don't ask, he is obsessed. We did at least get to stop for dinner at a nice hibachi restaurant!

Today I woke up and purchased this online:

I have been going back and forth about what vacuum to purchase, and couldn't commit to spending the money on a dyson. I read rave reviews about the Electrolux, so I am hoping it will be a good find. I will let you know how I feel once it comes in.

Once John woke up, I made a yummy breakfast of banana pancakes and eggs. There's nothing like a carb overload on the weekends haha.

We have plans to go to the gym and then watch the Superbowl. Sometimes just the ordinary is blissful!

I wanted to tell you two other things that happened/I observed during the week:

1) There is something magical about Wednesday nights. My cousin told me about this around a year ago and I was just reminded of it this past Wednesday. I went to the Target in our town after work. Keep in mind that the town I live in that has a population of almost 200,000 and there is not another Target in a 45 minute radius. Needless to say, the place is normally packed. However, on Wednesday night it was the least crowded I have ever seen it. My cousin told me that for some reason she noticed places of business--grocery stores, malls, etc, are always dead on Wednesday nights. At first I thought she was crazy, but I started noticing she was right. I know in the south a lot of people go to church on Wednesday nights, but not to such a great extent in NJ where my cousin who made the claims lives. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

2) I really need to find a new hairdresser. I go to a place where I like the stylist, but I find it to be a little overpriced. I got a root touch up on Thursday, which I have not done before. I normally just get highlights. She painted on the color with a paint brush and did not use foils. I am wondering what everyone thinks is a reasonable rate for a touch up? However, the real reason for me being turned off is the unprofessionalism of people in the salon....

As my stylist was washing my hair, she was chatting with another stylist. I had my eyes shut and was trying to relax. My stylist's co-worker was asking her what color she put on me and what my natural color is. They were talking in terms of numbers, ie I used a 7.5 on her, but she is really a 5. The other stylist was thinking that my natural color was lighter than it is, so he actually said right in front of me, "why is she going so light, is she going gray?" That thought interrupted me from the tranquil state I was trying to create. I said something like, "um no, it's because I had light hair when I was young and it progressively got darker." Then when we went back to the station, I told my stylist that the other stylist offended me. I am not even 30 afterall. How many people highlight their hair blonde? I am pretty sure it is a common request. At any rate, I shouldn't feel the need to defend myself to those people, but I thought it was so rude of that guy to talk about me like I was not there and then utter such a insensitive comment!

Anything exciting going on with you guys? Have a great Sunday!

Tuesday Blues

2011-02-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

Oh friends, I hate to tell you, but I am feeling in a bit of a funk--in blogging and in life in general.

Do you ever have days where you feel like you can't do anything right or please anyone? That's how I have been feeling lately. Hopefully it will subside soon or I will need to think of what I need to change to make things better.

I am a firm believer that your attitude in life really determines your general outlook. I think we have to chose happiness, but it's not always as easy as we would like it to be. Personally, I am very affected by other people. If someone says something to me that is unkind or judgemental, it runs over and over again in my head. On the other hand, if I ever make a mistake or hurt someone's feelings, I can't stop thinking about it. You know the type of people that are always relaxed, go with the flow, never worry, and nothing bothers them? I am the complete and utter opposite of that.

Also, I have realized lately that friendships are not all meant to last forever. I have always been the type of person that had a core group of female friends, especially in high school in college. I admit, once I moved away and got married, I did not do the best job of keeping in touch with people. I reached out to a couple of old friend's on facebook lately when I saw they had made happy announcements, and got no response. In typical Rachel fashion, I took it to heart. I guess I just need to remember as cliche as it sounds, you get what you give. If you don't put any effort into something, you can't expect any in return.

On a happier note, I am looking forward to my hubby coming home on Friday. Woohoo!

Also, I was so much more impressed with the ensembles for the SAG's than the GG's.

Mila wore my favorite dress of the night. While I think everyone remembers her from That 70's Show, it looks like her career is really going to blow up right now. Macaulay who?

Finally, I have been wanting a pair of rain boots, galoshes, whatever you call them, forever. Being short, I feel much more confident in heels. These wedge wellies are the perfect compromise. I want a pair stat!

Thanks for listening to me internet! I hope you are having a fab week!

So What Wednesday

2011-01-26T19:34:00.000-05:00

Head on over to Life after I "Dew" to join along....

Just an image to brighten your day. Boy, do I want a puppy!

SO WHAT IF....

1. I have not made it to the gym since Sunday. Work has been exhausting and I plan on going the rest of the week!

2. For the past two days I have set snooze for another half an hour and went to work with my wet curly hair look. It's not pretty, but who I am I trying to impress there?

3. I have resorted back my younger days and have an intense craving for sour gummy worms. I somehow rationalize that if it's not chocolate, it's not as bad for you haha.

4. I hope Kate Hudson has a girl so she will have an excuse to keep the baby's hair long.

5. I kinda miss Simon on American Idol.

6. I have been charging my cell phone in my bathroom at night because I blew a fuse in my bedroom and can't get the fuse box to open. I can wait for the hubby to fix it when he is home in just about a week.

Happy Hump Day y'all! Who's ready for Friday?

I Think We're Alone Now

2011-01-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was perusing one of the gossip websites (I mean who can remember which one, at least of my priorities straight of consuming excessive useless information. Hello guilty pleasure), and I stumbled upon this picture.....

Do you remember these 80's ladies, Tiffany and Debbie? This is them at an event recently. They look pretty good, right? Then I started thinking, I really liked Tiffany over Debbie better back in the day.

Afterall, she sang this beauty......

I can seriously remember my six-year-old self belting out this number and thinking it was the best thing ever.

Also, she opened up for New Kids on the Block when I saw then in concert in 2nd grade. Instant cool points!

So tell me, who do you prefer? Debbie Gibson or no last name Tiffany?

On a random note, I was thinking about what my husband and my combined couple name would be. You know like Brangelina or TomKat. Ours is Jachel for John + Rachel. No one actually calls us that, but I think it's important to know what yours would be. Do you and your significant other have one? If so, do share!

Miscellany Monday

2011-01-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

(One) It is amazing how draining the beginning of the semester is for a high school counselor. It is sort of like having 400 kids and them all needing something at the same time. Hopefully it will calm down soon!

(Two) I have less than two weeks before the husband comes home from training and I can't wait. Once he gets back, I have him for around a month before he deploys. Basically I am wanting time to hurry up and then slow down to a crawl. I am sure that can be arranged, right?

(Three) I am going to break up the week by seeing the King's Speech after work one night this week. Having something to look forward to definitely makes your days brighter.

(Four) Does anyone know when Glee is airing new episodes? I am tired of my faves (Desperate Housewives, Grey's, Private Practice) airing reruns.

(Five) I am starting to look forward to Valentine's Day because the hubby will be home this year. I teased him on the phone tonight about our first V-day together in 2001. We got drive-thru Zaxby's and lemonade from the gas station haha. Also, for some reason I pronounce Valentine-Valentime. I have no idea why.

(Six) Stay tuned for a great giveaway later in the week!

5 Question Friday

2011-01-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, hope you had a good week. I figured I would link up to My Little Life's 5 Question Friday as I have had a bit of a lull in blogging inspiration over the past few days.

Here it goes....

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

I have written about this before, but I met my husband in a Spanish class my first semester of college. At first, I didn't really pay attention to him. However, we would walk the same way home after class and I would make small talk with him. I mean it was the least I could do, I couldn't just ignore the person that was walking next to me. One day after class, he asked me to his fraternity's semiformal. I was really nervous, but we ended up having a great time. As they say, the rest is history.

2. What is your favorite room in your house?

I like most of the rooms, but my favorite is the living room. I love that is open and it runs into the kitchen so I can cook and watch tv at the same time, I like our new leather couches that recline, the fireplace, and our mounted flat screen. This is the room we spend most of our time.

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

I think I am the most uncoordinated person on the planet, so no, I can't do that!

4. What is your evening ritual?

My typical evening involves going to the gym straight from work, making dinner, having a little unwinding time on the internet (checking email, blogs, facebook, etc), and then cuddling and watching tv with the hubby.

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

I would say 5.5 to actually function. I obviously prefer more, but on weeknights I normally get about 6. I then sleep in to recharge on weekends!

Have a great weekend!!!

Sad, but true...

2011-01-18T23:10:00.000-05:00

Hahahaha. Thoughts?

At least it's not Monday

2011-01-18T21:27:00.001-05:00

I hope you all are having a good week lovelies. At least it's a short one for most of us.

I had a very proud moment over the weekend. I actually put a piece of furniture together without the help of a man! I wasn't brave enough to attempt this task myself, so my bestie Holly came over and assisted.

We assembled the baker's rack above. It was not an easy task. It was delivered in a box that was open and mangled looking, so I wasn't even sure all the parts would be there. Luckily they were and after a few hours we got this beauty together. It was in a million pieces so I am quite happy we were able to do this. The directions were lacking, so we had a few scary moments, but it finally came to. It looks good and is sturdy, I promise!

I forget to tell you all, I stumbled upon the secrets of staying young last week.......

Hang out with teenagers and wear headbands. I swear it works. I know what you are thinking, Blair Waldorf called and wants her look back, but I can't help it, I love 'em.

And finally, I can't end this post without mentioning the Golden Globes. For the most part, I was very underwhelmed with the fashion. Here are few I liked though....

Always perfect, but I think I would like to see her step out of the box a bit!

I thought this dress was very striking. While it is super-minimalistic, which is what Calvin Klein is all about, the color and back helped to make it stand out.

I know a lot of people don't like black for the red carpet, I love this dress, the embellishment, and Eva in general. Eat your heart out Tony!

Ruffles, one-shoulder, what's not to like?

There were quite a few frocks that I didn't like, but what can you do? What would we talk about if everyone was flawless?

Although I didn't love Natalie's pink gown, she redeemed herself at one of the after-parties.....

So cute with her parents!

Whose dress did you love/hate?

I hope the rest of your week rocks!

It's That Time Again.....

2011-01-16T11:46:00.000-05:00

It's one of the best times of the year for fashion lovers. Today marks the beginning of award season with the Golden Globes airing tonight. It gives us all a chance to see the beautiful designer dresses that we wish were hanging in our closest.

The Critics Choice Awards took place on Friday. Here are a few looks that I am loving....

Emma Stone in Balenciaga. She looks amazing and I almost didn't recognize her with the platinum locks. This dress is very 70's inspired, but is modern enough to look stylish today. I love the halter neckline!

Mandy Moore in Monique Llhllier. While Mandy has been mia for awhile, I love her her in this simple, under-stated dress in the color of the moment.

I have to admit, sometimes I just watch the red carpet and skip the rest of the award show. They always play the highlights on websites and the news later anyway haha. Will you watch tonight? Who do you think will be the best dressed?

It Never Gets Old

2011-01-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

As tired as I get of the up-keep of maintaining blonde hair, I have to admit that I really prefer myself that way.

I have been brunette since July. That might be a record for me. I kept it dark for over six months before I couldn't take it any longer.

Here I am today with lighter hair. It's not quite as fair as I have had in the past, but a nice happy medium. At least I match my blog header again!

In other news, I am now on twitter. Follow me at TokenYankeeRach or send me your twitter handle. I have to admit I did have a twitter account over a year ago, but I never really got into it. I am open to any twitter tips you may have.

Hope you all are having a great week!

11 in 2011: What are you looking forward to in 2011

2011-01-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's 1-1-11 and the last day of 11 in 2011. I really enjoyed participating in this blog challenge, thanks MJ and Kit.

I am not really sure what 2011 holds for me--but I am hoping it will be a year filled with positive change and personal growth.

I am also looking forward to the time I get to spend my husband. Although it will be a small part of the year, I plan on truly appreciating and making the most of it.

I am excited to travel to NJ and see my family.

I look forward to this being the year that I finally feel comfortable in a bathing suit.

I can't wait to pay off my car and credit card!

I am highly anticipating many girls weekends in my future, maybe even a little sky-diving will be happening.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Black Swan & The Missing Tree

2011-01-10T22:10:00.001-05:00

I sometimes shy away from doing reviews on here because I don't want to give too much away if anyone is wanting to see what I am talking about.....

However, I did get the chance to see Black Swan this past weekend. All I can say is WOW. It is definitely dark, but it is a film that holds your attention the entire time and leaves you thinking about it for days. Certain parts make you want to look away, but you find yourself not being able to. Natalie Portman has the performance of her career. Many other notable actors share the screen like Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder, and Barbara Hershey.

Before watching Black Swan I knew Natalie was engaged to the choreographer of the film, Benjamin Millipied. After reading more about it, I realized he also stars as her dance partner in the movie. If you know that going in and you can really look out for all their chemistry.

I am sure there are plenty of people that might not enjoy Black Swan, but I loved it!

On another note, a strange thing happened at our house. A few weeks ago when we had the bad snowstorm, one of the trees in our backyard fell a bit. We were hoping it would go back up since it wasn't all the way to the ground, but it started to look like it wasn't going to happen and we were going to have to cut it down. John didn't have time to deal with it before he left for training and vowed to take care of it when he returned. We didn't think it was that big of deal as there are several trees like that in the neighborhood, it wasn't at risk of damaging anything, and it was only on our property.

I know the tree was there pretty recently. I can't remember the last time I saw it, but definitely in the past few days. Today I looked in the backyard to see how much snow there was and get this, THE TREE WAS GONE. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Maybe the tree magically returned to its upright stature? I went outside to expect and I realized the tree had been cut down. I texted my husband immediately to see if he sent someone to take care of it and forgot to tell me. Nope. What in the world? I do not think the builder would do this without asking, especially since I noticed other houses with the same problem still have their down trees. Isn't that strange? Would someone really cut my tree down without asking me? I would love to get to the bottom of this, but it's one of those things I think I will never find out what really happened.

After having off for a snowday, it's time to go back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping the roads aren't too bad as I was sliding all over the place when I went to the grocery store today.

Hope you enjoyed your snow day if you had one and let me know if you see/saw Black Swan.

11 in 2011: Favorite Girls Night Out Event

2011-01-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am firm believer in the importance of time with your girls. If I could plan the perfect day/night with the girls it would consists of the following....

Mani/pedis,

Shopping,

Dinner and cocktails,

And concluding with dancing! (Yes, that is me with bleach blonde hair dancing on a couch at 3pm, rocking my flight attendant fingers a few St. Patty's days ago).

What do you like to do with your girls?

11 in 2011: Favorite Things to do on a Cold Winter Day

2011-01-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

This year we have been having more and more opportunities to come up with what to do on a cold winter day as it has been uncharacteristically freezing here lately.

There's nothing like watching a movie (or dvd box sets like the hubby and I tend to do, we are on Arrested Development right now),

cuddle up with your love (or blanket if you are home alone),

and enjoy a little hot chocolate or maybe even Champagne. Either one will warm you up.

What you like to do when it's cold outside?

11 in 2011: Favorite Healthy Snacks

2011-01-08T10:20:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love snacking? I try to keep my snacking as healthy as possible when I can (ie when I am not craving chocolate or carbs). Here are a few of my favorite snacks (brands and flavors included)....

What are your favorites?

11 in 2011-Favorite Memory of 2010

2011-01-07T03:44:00.000-05:00

I have two.

The first would be the last week I got to spend with my mom before she passed away. It wasn't exactly happy, but I will always cherish that time. I made sure she knew how much I love her and what she meant to me. She hugged me and comforted me when I lost it. I know it should have been the other way around, but what can I say, she was a good mom. On a lighter note, one of the nights my cousin and I were sitting by her bed watching Modern Family while she was resting-mostly sleeping. For whatever reason, we were laughing pretty uncontrollably. I know the show is funny, but I think it was more that we were welcoming the distraction from what we were dealing with. We thought she was asleep, but out of nowhere she said to us (picture with the stereotypical Jersey accent), "What's the matter with you two, are you high or something?" It made us laugh even harder that she said that, but for the record, we weren't.

The other really great memory I have from 2010 is buying our house. It is absolutely one of the best memories I have with my husband. It was such a happy time for us and we felt truly lucky to have something so great.

What's your favorite memory of 2010?

11 in 2011: Best Organization Tricks

2011-01-06T03:32:00.000-05:00

I am one who very much likes organization, sometimes to a bad OCD-like degree. I like everything to have a place and be put away, which really is one of the fundamental commandments of organization.

I am no master and have a lot to figure out, but I strongly desire to have a organized and clutter-free house. Something you will see a lot in my house is wicker storage bins. They nicely hold essentials and display them in an attractive manner. Great for living rooms, bathrooms, offices, you name it.

Something that drives me crazy is junk drawers. Drawer dividers really help with that.

I also have a few file folders stored neatly for important documents, organized by type.

I have a mail organizer that all incoming documents go in. I make sure to empty it once a week.

Every season I clean out my closet and donate clothes I have not worn in the past year.

I have been trying to turn my husband into a lover of organization. He is not much of a fan. To balance my analness and his more cavalier approach, I have implemented a system of compromises. I have a container for when you walk into our house to place our keys, wallets, sunglasses, etc. so they are not thrown on the counter. I put a storage ottoman on his side of the room so instead of laying his used but not dirty clothes on the foot of the bed or on top of the dresser, he can place them on the ottoman, which is not as visually unappealing to me. For our mudroom, I bought another storage ottoman for us to place our shoes in when we walk in the house. Although my husband normally puts his shoes to the side of it, I place them inside when he is not looking. I also bought a coat rack for the mudroom so I do not have to see jackets on the back of the kitchen chairs. Okay, now I fully admit I sound a bit crazy, but a clutter-free like makes me happy.

What are your tips?

11 in 2011: Places You Hope to go This Year

2011-01-05T03:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's day 5 of the 11 in 2011 challenge already!

While I love to travel and explore new places, my husband will be gone on a deployment for most of the year. I feel bad traveling without him (especially given the circumstances) so I will not be planning any big vacations. Hopefully we will go somewhere exciting when he returns!

There are still a few places I hope to get to though....

The husband is in Maryland right now for training, so I hope to go up there in a few weeks to see him. Although i didn't grow up too far from DC, I have never done all the touristy stuff. I would love to check it out!

It's been almost a year since I've been to the Jersey Shore, where I grew up. I plan to change that when I am off for spring break.

I normally make it to Charleston, SC a few times a year to visit girlfriends. I will keep that tradition going as it is one of my favorite places in the world and I love my too in-frequent time with my colleges besties.

I have another friend that lives in Wilmington, NC! I love it there and would definitely like to make it there this year.

Those are just a few places that I know I will visit. Maybe I'll add some more to the list....

Do you have any exciting trips planned this year?

11 in 2011: Best Leftover Recipe

2011-01-04T04:03:00.000-05:00

I am not really a leftover person. I am not sure if it's that I don't like eating the same thing over and over again or the fact that I can't come up with ideas to incorporate old food into a new dish. Maybe a little of both.

What I can give you is a simple recipe with very few ingredients that takes little time. It fits the perfect criteria for nights you don't have a lot of time to cook, but don't want to order take-out.

White Chicken Chili

Ready in 20 minutes. Chicken, white beans and green chiles in a zesty sauce. Enjoy chili with a burst of fresh flavor!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes 4 servings.

You Will Need:
1 pkg. McCormick® White Chicken Chili Seasoning Mix
1 tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup water
1 can (15 to 16 oz.) white beans, undrained
Assorted Toppings: Shredded Cheese, Sliced Avocado, Chopped Cilantro or Sour Cream

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

STIR in Seasoning Mix, water and beans. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with toppings, if desired.

I like to add corn and top the dish with shredded cheese. Very filling, low-carb (except the corn), and husband approved.

Enjoy!

11 in 2011: Favorite Work-Out Tips

2011-01-03T03:45:00.000-05:00

Wow, today's topic is a good one. I personally can't wait to see what everyone else has to say.

While I am no means a professional or have the body to prove it, I do spend a fair amount of time at the gym. My husband could probably be a personal trainer if he wanted so a lot of my tips come from what he gives me.

Here are my top work-out tips:

-You need to give what you are doing 100%. If you can read a magazine while on the treadmill or elliptical, you are not working hard enough. Personally I don't feel like I have a good enough work-out unless I actually sweat.
-To get results, it needs to hurt. I often tend to pick up a lighter weight to do arm exercises when I could stand to use a heavier one.
-Don't be afraid of lifting weights/strength training. I think a lot of women are hesitant to do so because they fear it will add bulk. Most literature/experts agree that is not the case. In fact, it helps you lose weight more quickly. I am really wanting some Michelle Obama arms!
-Find a work-out buddy. It makes it much more enjoyable to have someone to share the experience with and you will also be more accountable and less likely to feel like you can skip.
-Try a bunch of different things, there's something for everyone. A lot of people get bored and plateau if they do the same work-out every day. I like to mix it up with spin classes, Zumba, different cardio, etc. However, I know I need to try some new things like pilates and kickboxing.
-Drink lots of water before, during, and after you work-out.

Those are my tips. What would you add?

11 in 2011: Favorite Holiday Memory

2011-01-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

It's Day 2 of 11 in 2011 with MJ and Kit. Today's topic is your favorite holiday memory.

That's a pretty hard one for me as I have lots of great memories centered around family and friends from the holidays. I racked my brain to think of one that might be interesting to actually read....

Then I remembered when I was a little girl (probably around 12), my Aunt Franny and Uncle Hughie took me and a few of my other cousins around my age to NYC during Christmastime.

We went ice skating at Rockefeller Center,

to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular,

to St. Patrick's Cathedral,

and a few other fabulous things like seeing Cats and eating at restaurants that seemed so fancy and grown up to me at the time.

If you have not been to NYC at Christmas, you must go. I love that place 365 days a year, but it transforms into a magical storybook like city during the holidays. My goal is to get my husband there during December one of these days!

Thanks for reading! What's your favorite holiday memory?