Monday, May 27, 2013

The Sunday (er, Monday) Currently #7

 A day late, yes, but no matter, here we go!
 
Currently
 
Reading: Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon, and the newest issue of Bust. Forgot how much I love this magazine!
 
Writing: as usual, not a whole lot
 
Listening: at the moment I have Aaliyah in my head. Anyone remember that old song of hers, Are You That Somebody? Classic.

 
 Thinking: about how awesome the goodies I got in the mail from Rachel are! Full post to come soon :)
 
Smelling: rain, rain and more rain. Yesterday we had to try three different routes to get home from Justin's parent's house because the roads were flooded. Fail, Mother Nature.
 
Wishing: I had this coming Saturday off work so I could help with the moving process. My dad is coming down, so Justin won't have to do everything by himself, but still.
 
Hoping: our roommate stays upstairs playing his video game all day. I just want time to myself, dangit!
 
Wearing: what has become my day off uniform, sweats and a tank
 
Loving: Iced coffee, I could drink it all day. But then I'd be a crazy, over-caffeinated weirdo talking a mile a minute. So maybe it's better that I don't.
 
Wanting: Wedges. Heels hurt my feet too much and I can actually walk in these! Particularly looking for ones that are cute, not open-toe so I can wear them to work, and not super expensive. Let me know if you spot any!

 
Needing: to make myself some lunch, but I haven't yet decided what I want.
 
Feeling: relaxed, and excited to move!
 
Clicking: random articles on Thought Catalog. Seriously, I get sucked into this site for hours just clicking from one article to the next. 

Per usual, linking up with Lauren for this post!
 

 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Back to the 90s

The 90s were a pretty sweet time. To be honest, I like the 80s more, but I was only around for what, 3 years of it, so it doesn't really count.
 
Anywho, as I was doing the dishes after work today (how interesting, right?), I found myself humming an old tv show theme song, which is what gave me the idea for this post.
 
And so, here are some things you probably haven't thought of since the 90s.
 
 
TGIF
The best thing to ever happen to Friday nights! Full House, Step by Step, Family Matters...so many good shows. Btw, the song I was referring to above? The Family Matters theme. I wish that show was on Netflix, I'd SO watch it!
 
source 
 
Skip It
It was my goal in third grade to master this. I saw other girls at recess who could keep jumping for pretty much the entire half an hour. Me, I was lucky to last 5 minutes.


 
Gak
That lovely, slimy, whatever it was that came in blob-shaped container and smelled oddly good. Think Play-Doh, but different. It was fun until dropped on the floor, and then it would get covered in dirt and filth. Or someone would step on it and it would get ground into the carpet. Sorry mom!

source
 
Spice Girls
I was obsessed with them in fifth grade! I was part of a group of five girls, and we each decided who we would be when we 'put on our concerts'. I always had to be Sporty, despite my lack of athletic ability. I wanted to be Baby, but I wasn't blonde. Around this same time there were countless viewings of 'Spice World', and to this day I still remember how disgusted I was when the spy popped his head out of the toilet. And yes, I do, own the movie. Don't judge me!

source
 
Giga Pets
I had a baby t-rex and I loved that thing! We couldn't have them in class so I had to feed it and clean up its poop at recess...lol. If I ever find it, I'm so putting in new batteries and bringing it back to life.

source
 
Dunkaroos
Sooo delicious! Like the dessert version of those cheese and crackers with the red stick. I've discovered that birthday cake Oreos taste scarily similar, try them and you'll see!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Sunday Currently #6

Can I just say how glad I am that it's Sunday? Finally, a day where I don't have much to do!
 
Currently
 
Reading: Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon. So good, I already have another one of her books for when I finish this one!
 
Writing: nothing, except this post
 
Listening: new favorite this week is Karmin.
 
 
Quite possibly the most pop-ish hip hop I've ever heard, and I'm in love. Just happy music, that's been my jam lately!
 
Thinking: about what a strange show Justin is watching. It's called Falling Skies and it has Noah Wyle in it. As a former ER addict, all I see is Dr. Carter. Sorry not sorry.
 
Smelling: fresh air after the rain
 
Wishing: we would have won the lottery last night. Every once in awhile we buy a ticket just for shits and giggles. I wasn't expecting to win, obviously, but it would've been nice.
 
Hoping: that the new registers at work this week aren't going to be a huge pain to learn how to use.
 
Wearing: black yoga pants and a hot pink tank 
 
Loving: Amazon Instant Video, it's like a second Netflix! 
 
Wanting: some new crafty supplies. We got a bunch of cool stuff in the papercrafting department at work and I kind of want all of it. I have to keep telling myself that we're trying to get rid of things, not buy them. But still
 
Needing: to make another eye appointment. Apparently I have an abnormal nerve in my eye and they want to run some tests. Best case scenario, it's nothing. Worst case scenario, it's the beginnings of MS. I know, lovely right? Thanks eye doctor, for your optimism.
 
Feeling: lazy, if anyone wants to come do some packing for me, I won't argue with you :)
 
Clicking: Bloglovin', gotta catch up on my favorites and some new discoveries!
 
Linking up with Lauren for this post!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The more you know!

So today I have something a little different!
 
I asked the lovely Rachel some deep and meaningful random and awesome questions. Can I just say she has great taste in movies?! And she lives in a really interesting city! Intriguing, yes? Here we go!

source
 
 1. If you could go back to any age you've been so far, what would it be and why?
 
Hm...21, I wasn't the smartest person out there and made some mistakes I wish I could undo. I'm a better person now, but I hurt others and I wish I could take that back.

2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
 
Morning person. I would rather go to bed early and get up early than stay up late if work needs to be done. However, I'll party like a rockstar all night if I'm with fun people and the time is flying by.

3. Coffee, tea, or something else?
 
I used to drink coffee. But I don't like it black, and all the other crap (white chocolate caramel mocha anyone?) isn't very good for you. So i quite coffee. I'm acclimating myself to green tea with honey. My fave is the loose leaf packets by Tazo.

4. What's something you'd recommend a visitor to do for fun if they came to your city/town?
 
Geez. I'm in Las Vegas, the city of anything goes. Personally, I love the hiking out at Red Rock Canyon on the edge of the city. But if you're into the lights, glamour, and crazy people- the Beatles LOVE show by Cirque de Soleil is pretty good too.
 
 
 
 

5. What's your favorite song at the moment?
 
Pirate Flag by Kenny Chesney. Beat this Summer by Brad Paisley. Cruise by Florida Georgia Line. (Have you noticed the country trend-take from that what you will about me) I'm a HUGE music fan. I can never pick just one.

6. Would you consider yourself more imaginative or practical?
 
Um, I don't know. I suppose it depends on what its in reference to. My hubby would probably call me imaginative, because he tends to think I'm not very practical.

7. Favorite season? Why?
 
Oh how I miss the fall. The southwest desert has two seasons- hot and cold. It will literally change overnight without warning and no build up. Plus, we don't have many trees or plants here and I miss the changing of the leaves.
 
8. Last book you read? Did you like it?
 
I'm almost done with The Apothecary by Maile Meloy. It's a little younger than my usual preferences, but it's really well written. It's a great story of suspense, magic, and growing up, but not in a way that I've seen a ton of before.

9. What is your earliest memory?
 
I was 4 or 5 and somehow got up on my mom's sewing table. I managed to get a hold of her rotary cutter (cutter=sharp) and slice open my thumb. It hurt pretty bad and there was a lot of blood.

10. Five favorite movies of all time?
 
OOOH! I totally just had this conversation with a co-worker, so I'm ready for this question! (Sidenote-all time really means at the moment, because the next movie I see could, ya know, knock one off.)
    1. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (I've concluded that series movies count as 1-no it's not cheating)
    2. Harry Potter movies
    3. The Sherlock Holmes movies (the newest ones with Robert Downey Jr.)
    4. The Avengers (which includes all the individual super hero movies-my Hubby got me hooked)
    5. The Princess Bride
Did you like how I got out of naming just 5?

Super cool, right?! Except that cutter blade story, ouch! Thanks for taking the time to answer these, Rachel!



 



Monday, May 13, 2013

The Sunday Currently #5

I spent all yesterday with my mom and grandma celebrating Mother's Day, so I didn't get a chance to do this. Better late than never, right?!
 
Currently
 
Reading: the newest issue of Glamour on Zinio. I won a free subscription from Lauren and it's pretty awesome!
 
Writing: my to-do list
 
Listening: I've been loving Ellie Goulding's newest album Halcyon, it's been constantly playing in my car for over a week now!
 
Thinking: about how much packing we have to do for the move.
 
Smelling: coffee, one of the best smells ever
 
Wishing: for my bank account to magically double in size...all the bills seem to come in at once
 
Hoping: it'll be a good week at work; we're doing a lot of department resets and it can be stressful at times
 
Wearing: pjs, waiting for my clothes to be done drying so I can shower
 
Loving: all the pretty flowers outside, I forgot how much I love tulips!
 
 
Wanting: to be done with my workout for the day, but I gotta stick with it
 
Needing: to make an appointment with the eye doctor. I want contacts again, I'm getting tired of the glasses every day.
 
Feeling: good, relaxed, optimistic
 
Clicking: on all the blogs I need to catch up on!
 
As always, linking up with Siddathornton!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Just a moment

This is going to be a short post, because I have I just got off work and have to be back there at 9 am.
 
Today I'm sharing a moment of my day for Blog Every Day in May. Since I forgot until now, here is a nice photo of the dessert I'm eating.
 
 
 
It's a Skinny Cow snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich, and it's divine. Yum yum :)
 
Now I'm gonna watch some Bones and doze off...peace out!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

How wise

For Day 8 of the linkup with Jenni, we're all sharing advice.
 
I don't really have one major piece of advice, but rather some little tidbits that I feel are helpful/useful to know.
 
Some of these are from personal experience, others I've learned secondhand. I'll let you guess which ones are which. :)
 
1. Don't paint your nails ten minutes before you need to leave for work. You will get nail polish all over everything, and then you'll be mad.
 
2.  If you hated how a certain hairstyle looked on you five years ago, it's not going to look any better now. Same for certain hair colors.
 
3. Don't drink your mother's wine with some of your high school friends and then try to disguise it by filling the bottle back up with food coloring and water. She will notice.
 
4. Stepping on Legos may be the most painful thing ever, and is to be avoided at all costs.
 
5. Always flush spiders and other bugs down the toilet after you kill them, just in case. You don't want it to come back to life and climb out of the garbage, do you?
 
6. Naps are one of life's greatest gifts, take them whenever possible.
 
7. Sometimes the only way out of a bad mood involves a sugary snack.
 
8. Stop worrying so much about what other people think.
 
9. If you see a light-up button on an outlet in a bathroom, don't press it, you might get electrocuted.
 
10. Just keep swimming.


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Tuesday Topics: Two Must-Do Bucket List Items

I missed out on this linkup last week, but now I'm back!
 
Linking up with Lauren and Tiffany for
 
 
 
So, two things on my bucket list that I must do.
 
Just two?!!
 
1. Visit a tropical island
 
 
This has been a dream of mine for as long as I can imagine. Confession time: I've never even been to a real beach and I've never seen the ocean. This would be awesome beyond belief! If I had the money, I'd be booking tickets to the Caribbean for Justin and I right this minute! Which reminds me, we still haven't decided where to go on our honeymoon...hmmm :)
 
2. Get a dog or cat (maybe both!)
 
 
When I was growing up, we always had a dog. Justin's family had multiple dogs and cats. Since we've started living together none of our landlords have allowed pets. So, the day we finally get a house of our own will be the day we get a pet! Every time I see someone walking their dog or playing with a cat, I absolutely melt. Animals make everything better!


My biggest fear

Today's question, courtesy of Jenni, is about the thing I'm most afraid of.
 
That's a loaded question, isn't it?
 
I have a lot of little fears, but I'd say the biggest is losing the people I love.
 
I would be devastated if I lost Justin or any of my friends and family.
 
I hear all the time about people losing their loved ones to cancer and other diseases. I can't imagine how much that must hurt.
 
Then there is losing someone to a natural disaster, like a tornado or hurricane. Or to a random shooting or bombing, like what just recently happened in Boston. It scares the daylights out of me that these events occur, and often there is little to no warning.
 
But there is an upside to all of this negativity. It makes me want to enjoy every day more and surround myself with everyone I love. I'm more grateful when I see things in this context. It doesn't prevent bad things from happening, of course. But I can't live my life overcome with fear, or I'll never be happy. And I'd much rather be happy!

What I do

What do I do (but not in terms of a job)?
 
Props to you, Jenni, these posts are really making me think!
 
Let's see here....
 
 
I read.
Oh gosh, do I read! Since I was really young, few things make me happier than diving into a new book. I've finished 200+ page books in one day, just because I couldn't tear myself away. I'll put it this way: if I could read all day and get paid for it, I would!
 
 
I love.
Justin, my family, my friends, animals...the list goes on and on. I feel so lucky to have all these people I care so much about. And animals, well that's just a given. I'm always cooing over other people's puppies and kitties. The day we're able to get a pet will be an awesome one, that's for sure.
 
 
I nap.
Sometimes there's nothing more soothing than napping for an hour or so. I'm not sure why I'm tired so often, but on my day off there's almost always a nap involved. It's like hitting a reset button, and when I wake up I'm much happier.
 
 
I workout.
A new part of my routine lately has been working out. Going for walks, doing ab challenges, and the Tone It Up routines. I have to push myself to do it sometimes, but I'm always glad I did. I'd eventually like to get into running too.
 
Speaking of working out, I need to go do that now!
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sunday, May 5, 2013

The Sunday Currently #4

It's Sunday, and you know what that means!
 
Yep, it's linkup time!
 
 
Reading: the newest issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I'm still on my decorating ideas kick and drawing inspiration from everywhere I can.
Writing: my to-do list for the week. I keep procrastinating on things that have to be done, and it needs to stop!
Listening: to the birdies chirping in our yard. Spring for the win.
Thinking: about how I need to run to Target later to pick up a few things. I might look at some swimsuits while I'm there, hoping that goes well!
Smelling: hairspray, it's my secret weapon on days I don't feel like doing my hair.
Wishing: there were more hours in the day. So many things I'd like to do, so little time! Also, that I lived somewhere that this was possible:
 
Hoping: Justin will be back from his guys weekend early enough that we can have a date day :)
Wearing: truth? I'm still in my pjs...but that will change after this post.
Loving: that the stupid snow we got on Thursday is gone!
Wanting: to be done with my workout for the day, but I know I'll feel better once I do it.
Needing: Lunch. I'm looking at you, Little Caesars.
Feeling: Productive, I'm close to catching up on all my blogs for the week!
Clicking: Etsy, still looking at wedding invite options.
 


New friend!

So today's challenge post is about a blog friend of mine. I've just recently connected with her through the Hello Box project here, but I'm already way excited about making a new friend!
 
Meet Rachel, from My Wholesome Home!
 
 
 
Why Rachel is awesome:
 
~ She's super nice! I've never really emailed back and forth with another blogger before, so this is definitely a plus!
 
~ She has awesome recipes, especially this two part one here and here. As someone with little to no talent in the kitchen, I'm impressed and in awe! Despite my lack of cooking skills, I will be trying this!
 
~ She has the cutest pug ever! Seriously, look at this face!
 
I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on here, but pugs happen to be my favorite dog in the world. They're so sweet, their facial expressions are priceless, and I love the happy snorts they make :) Someday, when Justin and live somewhere that allows pets, we will have a pug of our own.
 
~ She's a book lover, just like me! There is nothing better than a day spent reading, and Rachel has quite the extensive book collection, which I am jealous of! Too bad we don't live closer, we could start a book club. :)
 
So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Rachel's blog, you'll be glad you did!
 
 


One of my faves

Quotes. Picking a favorite is really a challenge for me, I have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to them.
 
So when I had to choose one for this linkup, I decided to go with one that's relevant to my life lately.
 
 
It took me a long time to acknowledge this, but it's so true. I used to have some friends who were all about image. They were seemingly perfect all the time and from the outside, it looked like their lives were charmed. It turned out they weren't such good people, and were quick to judge anyone who wasn't like them. It's not true friendship if you have to constantly censor yourself, to do and be the right things all the time.
 
I'm extremely grateful that in the past few years I've made a few true and genuine friends. We don't have to be doing anything cool or impressive, we just have fun and enjoy being together. We listen and try to help each other when problems arise. Isn't that what friendship should truly be?
 
Long story short, I'm a lucky gal.


Friday, May 3, 2013

That uneasy feeling

Linking up with Jenni once again!
 
Today's topic is what makes me uncomfortable.
 
 
I like to think I'm pretty laidback, but there are some things that bug me, no matter what. 
 
They include:
 
- public speaking
 
- thinking about paying bills
 
- spiders and centipedes
 
- having my feet touched
 
- people who are blatantly racist or homophobic (major dislike)
 
- getting lost while driving
 
- anything math related
 
I'm sure there are more, but these are what I could come up with for right now.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


The expert of....hmm

So for the next linkup here, I'm supposed to educate you all about something.
 
I thought to myself, what do I know a lot about?
 
And then it dawned on me...taking leisurely baths.
 
(If the photo below is what bath time looks like for you, consider me jealous.)
 
 
So I bet you're wondering how I became such an expert at baths?
Well, practice makes perfect, and considering I take at least 3 baths a week in addition to my daily shower, I think I'm getting pretty good at it.
 
First, run the water. It should be hot, but not insanely so.
Unless you're me, in which case your fiance will dip in his toe and proclaim it feels like lava.
This means it's perfect.
 
Add the bubbles. Extra points if they're the kind that turn the water fun colors.
 
While the water is running, gather your reading material and something to drink.
 
Baths are the prime occasion for reading celebrity trash magazines like In Touch and US Weekly. How else are you going to know if LiLo went to jail again or Amanda Bynes got even crazier? Exactly.
 
Pour some yourself a drink (I like moscato myself) and head to the tub.
 
Sink in and zone out for a good hour or so.
 
And that, my friends, is where I'm headed now.

My life in 250 words

After seeing a lot of bloggers talk about the Blog Every Day in May challenge, I was like, 'oh yeah, I can do that!'
 
 
As you can see, it's the 3rd of May and I'm just now starting. Oopsies.
 
 
BUT! That means you'll have plenty to read today!
 
 
First up, we have my life in 250 words or less:
 
 
I was born on November 16, 1986 in a small town in Iowa. My parents drove me home from the hospital in a blizzard. When I was 3 my sister was born, and 4 years later I got a little brother too. As a kid I loved to read, play Barbies and get my sister in trouble. (Love you Sam!)
 
My early teen years were spent obsessing over the Spice Girls and Titanic. Oh, and reading magazines, especially the articles about boys because I hadn't had a boyfriend yet. In my spare time I was trying to perfect that hairstyle where you twist back your hair in butterfly clips, but it never worked for me. Damn.
 
In high school I finally had a few boyfriends, and when I wasn't with them I was hanging with my group of girls. I did all the usual stuff, prom, plays, etc.
 
When it was time for college I ended up changing my mind a lot about what I wanted to do. Sociology, family services, nursing and studio art were all considered at one time or another, but I could never decide. While going to school I started my current job (Hobby Lobby) and eventually decided to work there full-time. Also while in school I met my fiance Justin in one of my art classes. We fell in love and now here we are four years later, getting married this September!