8.28.2012

Recent Reads: If I Stay

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I enjoyed every second I read this book, which I finished in mere days (with work and other life things, it usually takes me at least a week).
I had heard about it from this article on HelloGiggles, instantly put it down in a memo on my phone so I’d remember to look it up, went to Target for something totally different, saw it staring me in the face, and bought it without a second thought.

Quick Rant: I hate the critic quote on the cover of this book. There are so many excellent quotes from all sorts of wonderful newspapers and magazines and authors and critics when you open the cover, and they chose to suck readers in by using a popular franchise that is nothing like this book at all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Twilight and I suppose it would help the book sell, but it’s an excellent book that could do well without that little quote. You have me at a great premise.

Anyway, If I Stay is so different from anything I’ve ever read. Our main character and narrator is 17 year old Mia Hall, a cellist who is on the verge of graduating high school and awaiting an acceptance letter from Juilliard. She has a cute, emo-punk boyfriend, Adam (he’s a year older) and a super supportive, loving family in her mom and dad (two former punks who understand a love of rock and roll, music, that lifestyle, and being young and in love) and her younger brother Teddy.

It’s a snow day in Utah. Nothing much catches on the ground, but school has been cancelled and the Hall family decides to enjoy a day off, venture out to see some family and visit a bookstore and enjoy some time together.
All of that changes when they get into a car accident.

Mia wakes up in a ditch, wondering how she got there, and tries to find her family. Her parents were killed immediately in the accident, so she goes looking for Teddy, and when she thinks she found him, she is actually looking at herself. The accident has put her into a coma, and for whatever reason, she is outside of her body. She feels no pain or connection to her injured self, but she has no idea how to change the circumstances and get back into her body. She only learns her choice when a nurse at the hospital tells her grandparents that Mia is the only one who can decide whether or not she wakes up from the coma, no matter what the doctors do.

This means our out-of-body heroine needs to choose whether or not she wants to live or die. A heavy choice, obviously.
She has lost her family, but she still has a lot to live for. She just isn’t sure if she can handle the weight of it all.

This is such a beautiful book. And, obviously, very sad. But there are bits of hope, bits of love and happiness and memories and wondering about the future, a future without the most important people in your life. I really liked it because it tackles a topics we all deal with in life…our mortality and the mortality of those we love, relationships with friends and lovers, choosing our future in one way or another.
And it was done so beautifully and the storyline is unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I would highly recommend this book. It’s just a smidge over 200 pages, so it’s a fairly quick read.
Just don’t finish it in the waiting room of a doctor’s office.
It might get a little embarrassing if you start to cry.

8.27.2012

Weekend

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Thank you, Dove chocolates, for this reminder.
It’s kind of the perfect advice for a weekend like the one I just had.

This weekend wasn’t ideal. Brad was out of town yet again for a wedding. I had work Saturday morning. I am completely broke ‘til payday, so I had to tell a couple different people I couldn’t join them in drinks or meals because I don’t have any money for anything “unnecessary” until then. My sinuses bothered me.I only had one day to sleep in.

But I still made the best of what I had. Despite the fact that Brad wasn’t home, I still crashed at his place. I wanted a little break after spending so much time with my family last weekend. A little me time. Plus, I wanted to sleep in a big comfy bed and be there when Brad got home. He was still here Friday night, so we went to Ipanema Grille, and both got drunk off of meat and Brazilian cocktails.
I can’t stress enough how wonderful that place is. It’s intimate, the service is top-notch, the people are so nice, and the food is amazing.
GO GO GO.

It was nice of Brad to take me to dinner. We haven’t had a little date in a while. I had a lot of fun.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching movies (3 on Saturday alone), reading, and relaxing.
Not too shabby.

I’m ready for a 3 day weekend! Labor Day is coming up, and I don’t have to work! 3 full days of freedom. And I’m planning on spending every last second having fun with my main squeeze and some friends! Plus, 3 days to sleep in? Thank you, God!

Here’s to a good (and hopefully not painfully slow) week!

8.24.2012

Dinner Last Night: Buffalo Chicken Chili

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For the second week in a row, I’ve made dinner in the crock pot. This is Buffalo Chicken Chili, courtesy of a Betty Crocker recipe I was given via Facebook! It was so damn tasty. It wasn’t as Buffalo-y as I had hoped, but it was so delicious. Also, if you plan to make this recipe, expect more of a soup than a thick chili texture.

I made sure to cover my bowl with blue cheese and Colby jack, and scoop everything up with Tostitos multigrain scoops! I nearly died.
Heaven in my mouth.

Once again, it’s Friday. I have work tomorrow, and Brad is heading to Philly for a wedding so I’m winging this weekend.
Hoping to fit in some fun.

Have a great one guys!

8.23.2012

25

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I feel the need to get a little serious for a moment.

It is very easy for me to forget my age. It’s not intentional, it’s just that it never really mattered that much to me. Aside from turning 21 and being able to legally buy alcohol, each birthday has just meant adding a new digit to the age box. I don’t really fear getting older, though I do want to enjoy the selfish, young years while I still can. And I am pretty sure I’ll always be a little goofy and crazy and never really grow up.

But let’s be honest. 25 is a rough time. Maybe every age is rough in it’s own way…but 25 has this certain…extra hump to tackle.

The thing is, I am smack dab in the middle of my 20s. When I turned 20, I was still in college. I still had a couple of years to go. I still had classes to schedule, papers to write, presentations to prepare, parties to go to on the weekend. Things weren’t 100% set in stone, but I knew what the next couple years of my life would look like. I went into my 20s knowing what to expect for the next few years, and I was totally coddled by those expectations and ideals. I was just another college student doing collegiate and crazy things.

When I graduated college, I felt a huge gap open in my life. I was only working part-time at Blockbuster Video (remember that popular video chain that used to be everywhere but is now a world wonder if you can find an open one?), with no actual idea what I wanted to really do in my life. I suppose I never knew. I chose Mass Communications as my major because a) I knew it would interest me and b) it was the only major with careers attached to it that I could possibly see myself doing. I always loved writing, talking, creating…but I didn’t nail a specific thing to focus on, so my education was for naught. I don’t regret going to college but I don’t know if it really helped me in an economical way. During that post-grad summer, I spent a lot of time in my pink fluffy robe, watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall an embarrassing amount of times, refusing to eat most of the time, and lamenting over my loneliness and lack of direction in life.

When I got the job I have now (it’s been nearly 3 years, oy), I was excited to be one of the first people I knew to get a full-time gig with health insurance and benefits. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything I ever studied in my life or anything I’ve ever wanted to do, but it was something I thought about doing for a little while and it happened to fall in my lap. Now, I just can’t get it out of my lap. Or get out of it’s lap?
I don’t know.

Slowly but surely, my friends all got jobs, careers even (I am surrounded by graphic designers and teachers…why is that my main group of friends? Not that it matters, I love y’all.), made enough money to move out of the house or out of the town or made something different of themselves. Meanwhile, I am still sleeping in the bed I got when I was 13 in a sloppy bedroom I don’t really care to clean cuz I’d rather just move out, under my parents’ roof, with family arguments and debates over bathroom and laundry time. If you asked me at the beginning of my 20s if I thought I’d still be here at age 25…I’d have said no. But I wouldn’t have had a better answer for you either.

To top it all off, more and more people are popping up engaged or married. I’m super-happy for these people, but I don’t plan on getting married anytime super soon. I want to, and I can see it being a thing in the future, but I don’t want to do that until I’m financially stable and more comfortable in life…and I haven’t the slightest idea when that might be.
I don’t even know how I’ll react when my first pregnant friend comes forward. I may go catatonic for a few days.

I can’t help but feel completely lost at this point in time. I’m not sure what I want to be. I don’t make enough money to drive a car other than my ‘93 Buick, to move out of my parents’ house, to even pay a little extra on the bills I owe. I just want to be financially stable. I know with more money comes more responsibility. I don’t expect to ever be rich or have everything I want (I wouldn’t know what that would be anyway), but I certainly don’t want to be 30 years old and still at home. Lord save me if that happens.

Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of good things in my life. I’m lucky my parents allow me to stay in their house without paying rent (just make them a yummy dinner every Thursday…small price to pay). I’m lucky to have a wonderful boyfriend who is also my best friend. I’m lucky to have amazing friends who accept me for the crazy gal I am. I have a good life when you take away all the “important” things.

I don’t know what the point of this rambling is.

I know I’m the one who has to make choices and take action. Nothing will happen unless I do this.
I guess I just wanted to share how I feel.

In case I’m not alone.
I hope I’m not alone.

8.22.2012

A Cure for the Workday Blues

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What should you do when your day (or week) just isn’t working out?
Go on a sushi date, of course!

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Brad had a certificate for Pearl, the sushi bar at the casino, so we decided to make it a no-cooking night and gorge on some yummy sushi.
The other good thing about Pearl? They have a happy hour where all of their tasty Martinis are half off.
We didn’t really need to drink 3 a piece, but we sure did, guys. We sure did. (Yin was my poison of choice. SO good.)
And that would explain why I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours when we got home.


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It was the best way to forget about the terrible days we both had!

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8.21.2012

Recent Reads: The F*ck Up

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I recently finished a book recommended to me by my friend Catie. The Fuck Up by Arthur Nersesian was published over 10 years ago and I had never heard of it. But I was intrigued by the title and the description on Amazon.

The title is definitely cheeky and crass but there could not be a better one for this story. Our narrator is definitely an anti-hero (we never learn his name). He tumbles, crashes, runs into and runs away from every horrible situation he gets himself into. It’s the early 80s and we only know a little bit about our narrator: He has no family, he never finished college, and he is living with a girlfriend…but cheating on her. As things usually go, his girlfriend finds out about his wandering ways and kicks him out of the apartment.
After that, his “mistress” wants nothing to do with him (though she never gave him what he wanted anyway), he loses his job, and ends up crashing at his older friend Helmsley’s, who falls in love with an emotionally and physically abusive woman who leads him to his end.

It’s hard to put this book down as our narrator/pathetic hero lies, steals, and cheats his way through the streets of NYC.
He has no hope in life, no real guide keeping him in a straight path, nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Though I can’t relate to his actual story, I related to his ultimate conundrum: What’s the point of this life?
It’s especially hard for him because he can’t seem to get a grasp on anything stable or honest or real.

The end was a teensy bit anti-climactic for me, but I suppose there was no other way for it to end.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this fictional character’s messy life, cringing and shaking my head all the way through.

8.20.2012

From the Weekend

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This weekend was a lazy, lounge-y sort of thing. Brad was out of town with his family attending a wedding, and I had a shower to attend yesterday, so I spent the weekend at home. This is very rare. I try to stay at Brad’s as much as possible, especially on the weekends.
But it was really nice to have some time at home with family. I needed it. They drive me a bit crazy, but I love them anyway.

I’m so glad The Hunger Games is out on DVD! I couldn’t wait to watch it again, I put it on as soon as I brought it home. I watched it with my mom and my sister (neither of them had seen it) and it took us about 3-4 hours to watch it. We always end up chatting and missing things or refilling our wine glasses or making a grilled cheese sandwich (a lot of those things were my fault, I admit).
They loved it, which makes me sooo happy! That movie, those books, are just so good. I’m geeking out all over again!
I can’t wait to share it with more people who haven’t seen it. And 2 discs of special features? YES.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I’m not ready to get back to the boring grind, but I’ll make the best of it however I can.

Here’s to a great week!

8.17.2012

Dinner Last Night: Set It and Forget It

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I had a dentist appointment right after work yesterday (boo), so I knew I wasn’t gonna have time to do my usual post-work grocery shopping and slow and lazy cooking. I bought a 4 lb pork shoulder the day before, threw a bunch of spices and a whole onion in the crock pot with it, and let that sucker cook for about 11 hours. MAN OH MAN. I can’t express how much I love pulled pork. But the fact is, if you put anything in the crockpot, it will more than likely be amazing. And the best part is, you don’t even have the touch the damn thing for like…8 hours.
You don’t even really have to do proper mixing. Everything meshes together on it’s own. Lazy cooking to the MAX.

I’m glad it’s Friday. These weeks have been so rough. And as the 8 hours I’m work drrrrraaaaagggg on, my evenings blow by. I come home, get comfortable, and the next thing you know it’s 11 PM. I don’t even know how that happens. Not fair.

I’m looking forward to my friend Crystal’s bridal shower this Sunday!
I think I’m finally kinda getting the hang of this wedding season thing.
This was the first year I actually had/have friends I have known forever who are my age tying the knot.
I’m spending my own money (not relying on the family, like with relative weddings) for presents and cards and whatnot.
I’m a big girl now.

Have a great weekend, folks!

8.16.2012

Sister, Sister

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My sister and I might reside in the same house, but we are hardly in the same place at the same time. It’s rare we get to spend time, just the two of us. After a stressful last week, I decided to use my Saturday hours for a half day yesterday. I left at noon (instead of the usual 4:30PM), changed, and Maria and I headed to the Hometown Auction, something I don’t get to enjoy as a full-time worker as much as I used to
(last time was vacation, before that was last year’s vacation).

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I love wandering around, eating delicious fries, and buying $1 books and the cutest (and most ridiculous) Hello Kitty iPhone case ever. I love my sister. And getting out of work early. And wine. There’s always wine with us.

8.15.2012

Etsy Lust List

Here’s this month’s list of wonderful Etsy things I wish I owned.

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This Bunting Flag necklace from Rare Indeed is super cute. I’d love these adorable flags hanging from the ceiling, so it’d be like a party around my neck! This entire shop is chockfull of super cute, unique, handmade items. I’d be happy with anything.

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This coffee cup ornament has the molecules for caffeine on it, which is cute already. But add the little pocket for gift cards and messages and I’m in love! What. No Mints? is filled with hand-sewn geekery. I think this would be such a sweet gift for anyone!

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When I was in college, I was attracted to crazy beaded necklaces, obnoxiously large hoop earrings, and chunky plastic rings. I’m not knocking that jewelry, and I still love a good kitschy piece (hello, Hello Kitty ring!), but I’ve become a bit more simplistic.
This Little Bird Ring from Proteales is so delicate and precious.

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I have nearly every item on Flapperdoodle saved on my favorites, but I narrowed my blog choice to these adorably sweet pendants.
Eloise and Ernest Play Telephone makes me super happy. I love that the she’s chatting and he’s just listening. I don’t know what I would do with these, but they are just so sweet and lovely and adorable…like everything else in the shop.

8.14.2012

Peach and Strawberry Sangria

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For a while now, I’ve wanted to make my own sangria. Sangria is one of my go-to cocktails if I go out for dinner. Wine is always good, but toss some fruit and maybe a little liqueur in there and it’s extra-tasty! I’ve only ever had it when someone else made it, so I decided to have a go.
I purchased a bunch of “sangredients” as I like to call them now, and mostly followed this recipe for Peach and Strawberry Sangria.

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My verdict? I think I could’ve used a little less peach schnapps. It made everything a bit sweeter than I’d usually prefer. Then again, I’m used to a red sangria. It definitely wasn’t a fail, but I definitely have some tweaking and perfecting to do.
But all that means is I get to play around and try some new recipes and tasty combinations!

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8.13.2012

Weekend

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Here’s one of many photos taken this weekend, specifically Saturday night. I had such a good time cutting loose with my friends. It waextremely necessary…last week was a bit painful for me. I am bored beyond all belief at work…days are hard to get through.
It’s time to move on, I just need to figure out how/where/what etc.

The good thing, though, is that once I bitch a bit about whatever is bothering me (or at least have some quiet downtime after work), everything melts away. I dread going to work in the way that anyone does. But I don’t bring home the drama or stress of work. In fact, on Friday, I did a lot of ranting and raving to my mom and to Brad about the crappy day I had. But after dinner, even though I thought about talking about work, I felt that I actually couldn’t. It had left me and there was nothing else to worry about.

I worked Saturday, but treated myself to a yummy Canteen 900 sandwich, finished the remaining episodes of The Inbetweeners on Netflix, took a nice nap, and spent all night (and early Sunday morning) having too much fun with some of the best people a girl could ask to know.  
It was all too short. But every moment was worth it.

Here’s to a better week this time around.

8.09.2012

Currently…

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…watching The Inbetweeners and Skins (British TV rules, and both are available on Netflix).
…listening to whatever plays on Pandora’s Chillwave station.
…reading “The Fuck Up” by Arthur Nersesian.
…excited about the LivingSocial deal I got with some friends to go zip lining!!!
…happy that I got to purchase 3 pretty polishes from OPI’s new Germany Collection (before any sell out)!
…sad that it’s already August, and that summer will be ending so soon.
…stressing about financial woes.
…hoping I’ll have the patience and drive to continue exercising.
…thinking about what I want to make for dinner tonight.
…wishing I had a place of my own to decorate and call home.
…anxious for the weekend to get here already!

8.08.2012

Time Well Spent

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I am aware that I’m lucky to have a job, some money, a way to pay my bills.
But I am completely uninspired with my job (and I don’t make enough money to save for a car or to get a place of my own, or even with other people!), mostly sitting in my chair, waiting for 4:30, hating that I spend 8 precious hours a day cooped up when I could be doing so much more with the time I get from day to day. I was sooooo bored yesterday, I made a list of all the un-boring things I could do if I didn’t have to work this job, or work at home, or not work at all (but, of course, be financially secure..wouldn’t that be nice?!).

I would perfect cooking and baking from scratch. (Or at least make more attempts to.)
I’d visit Farmer’s Markets regularly for fresh ingredients for whatever I’m making that day.
I would go for little photo walks and explore my neighborhood and new places.
I would start everyday with a nice breakfast, coffee or tea, and lovely music.
I would work on writing of all kinds. Blog posts, stories, maybe even article pieces.
I’d read as often as possible (which I do now) and start a monthly Book Club (which I want to do).
When it rains, I’d have movie or TV show marathon days.
I would make it a point to do exercise everyday, whether it be the gym, a bike ride or walk, or even take up a class.
I’d plan to host monthly dinner or cocktail parties with friends and family.
I’d learn to sew so I can fix thrift store pieces I buy that need a little tweaking.
I’d keep my house/apartment neat and organized and always add little pieces to make it cozy.

And yes, I’m aware I could and should do some of these things anyway.
But it’s hard when you’re tired after 8 soul-sucking, inspiration-killing hours and you only have evenings and weekends to work with.
And very little money.

8.07.2012

Fun with Nails

For years, I reserved nail polish for my toes. I was used to messing up my nails, painting way out of the lines, getting lazy and let the polish chip to oblivion. I figured it wasn’t worth it. My toes were easy to ignore for a while. It was hard to tell if I had messed up and they lasted forever. So I stuck with that. Until I tried Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish strips. And then I fell in love with nail polish and nail art.

It started off with the strips, but then I got into actual nail polish. Wanted to try it out. And if you read this blog regularly, you know I really enjoy my OPI and I like to share the different things I try on Nails and Ales posts. Unfortunately, this summer has been filled with the same cheap beer, so I don’t have any new ales to show you. But I do want to share some of my recent nail art endeavors.
They aren’t perfect by any means, but it’s been fun to experiment.

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(Again, I apologize, some of these are a bit messy)

I finally got some nail art polishes. L.A. Colors Art Deco polishes in black, white, and pink.
My first trial was this semi-tribal look. This was easy enough. I just used OPI’s No Room for the Blues and A Roll in the Hague and alternated nails. I used the regular brush to put the horizontal stripe in. And then I used the striper polish. It was SO easy and effortless. You must try L.A. Colors Art Deco. It’s amazing. The formula is smooth and opaque enough to cover any polish.

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This was my second time using the striper and the first time doing a tape manicure. OPI’s Pamplona Purple served as the base. I used a bunch of tape to do the triangles, my favorite being the upside down triangle on both of my ring fingers. For that part, I used one of the new Essie metallic polishes, Good as Gold. And then I used the striper polish to trace the outline and separate the two. I really liked this.

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Braided nails were a lot of fun to do. I want to try this again with different colors. This came from one of CutePolish’s amazing tutorials
I used OPI’s Pink Friday, Did It On ‘Em, and Fly (all from the Nicki Minaj collection, and covered it with Essie’s Shine of the Times flaky top coat to add a little extra oomph. I liked these colors together, so fun, and this braided style is super easy.
No extra tools needed, just the regular brushes that come with the polish!

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Theses are the nails I am currently rocking (I took this picture right after painting them, thus the tiny messes here and there). These watermelon nails were super duper easy and they are so yummy and happy! There are so many ways to do these depending on the colors you want, if you want to do the whole nail (or just a slice, like CutePolish), and how much detail you want to put into it. I was based mine off a  photo on HelloGiggles. I used OPI’s Sparrow Me the Drama for the fruit and Jade is the New Black for the green rind. I finished it off with a swipe of white striper beneath the green line, and made my seeds using the black striper. Again, super easy and so fun!

 

So that’s my nail art right now. I’m so glad I’ve gotten into it all. I’m not the craftiest or artsy-iest person in the world, but nail art has been one of my favorite (and, as of late, few) creative releases. Hands are a part of everything we do, so it’s fun to look down at them and see something bright or cheerful. And they are a great conversation starter! I love talking to people about my nails or their nails.
That’s how I found out where to pick up my L.A. Colors!

Can’t wait to share more in the future. And hopefully we will get back to the Nails and Ales soon.

8.06.2012

Weekend

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A quick but satisfying weekend. I was all worried about my little bout of volunteering on Saturday, but I decided not to let it get in the way of fun. Friday night was spent on the back porch with some drinks and cigars. The actual volunteer work on Saturday went by quick and was actually quite fun! I took picture of kids on pony rides. It was fun to watch the contrast between complete hams and really shy kids.

The rest of the weekend was spent with my friends. I cried from laughter twice. It’s rare I even do that once.
I love laughing. And I love my friends. And coffee talk. And cute puppy cuddles.

I’m not ready for reality, for the work week. Bring me more fun!!!!!

8.03.2012

Dinner Last Night: Pesto Chicken Florentine

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I don’t know about y’all, but this week seemed to drag in my opinion. I’ve been desperately waiting for today. I just haven’t had the patience to deal with people or work or boredom for 8 hours straight. I was thisclose to totally copping out and skipping making dinner altogether. Money has been stressing me out (so I didn’t really wanna buy groceries, the prices really rack up depending on my ingredients) and I have just been sick of it all. But when I want to make a cheap, quick dinner, I’ve realized pasta is the way to go.

I discovered the recipe for Pesto Chicken Florentine through the AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner iPhone app. It’s been really helpful. There are a few shortcuts here, but it made for a delicious meal. I bought fresh garlic bread from the bakery at the store, a great compliment. And you can never go wrong with a salad chock full of cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sunflower seeds, and more.
My mom and I blasted the Frank Sinatra Pandora station and I drank our favorite cheap red wine, Riunite Lambrusco.

Totally worth it. The meal cost less than 15 dollars and everything was done in about 30 minutes.

 

I’m so glad Friday has arrived. Not so happy that I have to spend a good portion of tomorrow mandatorily volunteering for work.
I know, I’m forced to volunteer. That doesn’t make much sense, eh?
But otherwise, I don’t have to wake up super early either Saturday or Sunday, I get to spend time with my boyfriend, and I’m looking forward to a much needed girls night. No clue what I’ll really be getting into, but that’s the fun of it all!

Have a great weekend!

8.02.2012

Ash Bar

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I’m gonna be honest here; This summer I’ve dabbled in the art of cigar smoking. I don’t like cigarettes and I agree that smoking in general is a harmful habit, but cigars are an interesting leisure activity that has become prominent within my group of friends.
It’s not something I crave to do, but I’ve enjoyed trying a cigar here and there, puffing on a stogie, and enjoying the aromas.
Last Wednesday, Brad and I went on a double date with our friends Catie and Will to Ash. It is a super-cushy bar with leather couches, big flat-screen TVs, a great selection of food and booze, and a nice little room stacked with your choice of cigar.

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Each of us had an amazing Italian meal from the restaurant upstairs, Buca de Vino. I had the Farfalle Carbonara and nearly died from deliciousness. After our dinner, it was time to head into the cigar section, pick our choices, and sit on a comfy leather chair for a nice beer, smoke, and conversation.

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I’m so glad Catie and I decided to do this. It’s important to make weeknights just as fun as the weekend. Big thanks to ReferLocal for their voucher deal. It’s an excellent website that offers some great deals on restaurants, bars, and events around the area.

Can’t wait for the next double date!!

8.01.2012

July Photo a Day Challenge Completed

It’s the first day of August…blowin’ my mind! I can’t believe we are on month 8 of 2012, and that summer will eventually be winding down. Sad thoughts I’m not prepared to contemplate yet.

But, with a new month brings the conclusion of another Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day challenge!

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Here’s my month via photos!

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1. A self-portrait of me in my aunt’s bathroom mirror. The less hair around my face, the better.
2. Acting busy blogging and such.
3. The best part of the day is when I get out of work and I can put my feet up!
4. Chilling in a 3-foot-deep pool with my favorite people is an understatement of fun.
5. Laundry on the floor.
6. Brad’s big, comfy computer chair.
7. Brad’s parents keep a lovely garden.
8. Grilled chicken and broccoli and shells for lunch.
9. Big empty IMAX theater for The Amazing Spider-Man.
10. I don’t have just one favorite color, but here are a few.
11. A postcard letter from my friend Jenna in California.
12. Salty, grainy texture on the shuffleboard table at a dive bar.
13. Cheap, white shoes that I’m completely open to decorating and changing.
14. This building holds Canteen 900, one of my favorite spots ever.
15. Brad’s fingers as we wait for our friends at brunch.
16. A cute, hand-painted sign at the Hometown Auction.
17. The show Misfits is a massive addiction of mine. If you haven’t watched it, DO IT. SRSLY.
18. Cherries left on my breakfast plate.
19. Honorary pet Artie being his dang cute self.
20. Ellie’s cute puppy eyes.
21. 9 o clock on my way “home” to Kingston, my man, and my friends.
22. Upside down shot of my favorite new maxi skirt.
23. My sweat reflection post-gym in the mirror.
24. This is a photo I took of a stranger back in 2010, the beginning of my Instagram relationship.
25. The heart on my cute “Love Bites” Me & Zena ring.
26. Sunshine on a cute house.
27. On the road to Brad’s after work.
28. Ice cold water in a cup.
29. Along with a couple of mugs, a new book and a Bridal Shower card were the last things I bought.
30. Super calm with my feet in the water.
31. Give me a toothbrush and I will destroy it.

I can’t wait to go for this month’s Photo a Day!

 

And…side note (but super important!)
Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mommy!!!!
I love you.

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