Just A Little Time

Hi friends, it's me, Sam! You know... the author of this ol' blog here. I'm just making sure y'all still remember me seeing that I was gone for a long week without any word of where or why!

After receiving crappy news at my last doctor's appointment, I kind of put everything on hold. Don't worry, I'm not dying or anything-- and in time, everything will be just fine. The waiting is going to be the hard part.

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again... life has been nuts. Stressful, overwhelming, fun, difficult, trying, happy, not so happy... you name it, life lately has been it! With the good comes the bad and I'm slowly accepting that.

Here's a little bit of the GOOD stuff that went on while I was away...

 Last minute Halloween costumes for a Halloween Hootenanny at the Hart's Home!

 Fun shenanigans with great friends! We stayed up until FIVE am.. I don't even know who I am!

Family foot portrait, stuck together pretzels, snuggles, a milkshake for a bad day, football watching in pajamas.

See? Not every day is a rainy one over here! Sometimes we all just need a little time to ourselves to let everything settle and calm down. I'm glad to be back, though!

Monday Randoms

Howdy y'all, happy Monday! Are we ready for this week ahead? I'm feeling good and ready to get it started!

+ I started my new old job on Friday and was just so busy that I didn't have a moment to fit a single tweet, let along a blog post in. I missed this little world I have here on the internet, but sometimes it has to take a back seat. I'm pretty sure I wont be able to keep up with 5 posts a week now, but am going to do my best.

+ Speaking of that ol' job, I "trained" all day Friday [9am-2am], and let's just say I felt like I got hit by a bus. My body is used to constant moving from taking care of the boys, but my feet are not used to non-stop walking for 17 hours straight. I came home, went straight to bed, and moaned myself to sleep-- I don't think my feet have ever hurt so bad! I know it's like riding a bicycle, my body will just have to get used to it again!

+ This is NOT how you put on deodorant. Ouch! And yes, I wear men's deodorant-- it works and smells much better than women's! Don't judge.

+ I think it's time for a hair cut [and time to clean my mirror]... I look like Cousin It [Adam's Family anyone?] PS- please excuse the trash hole that is the background of this picture, someone thought it'd be great to tinkle on our comforter so I was in the process of changing the bedding.

+ I am going through a candy phase. I picked up these babies as an impulse buy the other day and then somehow a few days later I ended up with a box of Turtles, Sour Patch Kids, and candy corn. Thankfully I think I got my fix because my waist does not appreciate all that sugar.

+ I got bit by something [pretty sure it was a chigger] last week at my aunt's house and woke up the next morning to this beautiful sight. WHAT THE HECK! It is the weirdest bite I have ever seen in my life!

+ Something else I can't get enough of? These bad boys... fantastic childhood memories for me right here in a little donut! [Can you spot a little beggar in the background?]

+ Two words: Sock obsession. I have always had a deep love of all things fun and/or fuzzy socks. Christmas  and holiday themed are my favorite hands down, but anything other than a plain color can make me dance out a happy jig! I always get socks for Christmas and am NEVER disappointed to find them in my stocking. Right here is 48 pairs of fun socks, and is only about 3/4 of my stash. I might have a problem...

+ I can't get over how big Guero is getting. He weighed in at 50 pounds 2 weeks ago and at the rate he is growing, he is probably 55 by now. Insane! I'm not sure what I'm going to do when he is full grown- I can hardly handle him now! Isn't he handsome?!

Have a beautiful Monday, friends!

Weekend Things

Hello, friends! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend, we sure did over here in our neck of the woods.

As I mentioned before, Saturday was our 5 year anniversary. Unfortunately, Raymond had to work most of the day [the rain has his schedule all sorts of messed up], but I on the other hand, got to sleep in.

Naturally I spent the morning lounging around on the couch watching an Awkward marathon on MTV. Have any of you watched that show? I magically stumbled upon it during the first season and while it's about a girl in high school, the humor and dialogue are completely aimed for an older audience in my opinion-- that or my sense of humor is a touch on the immature side. <--- wouldn't surprise me!

I finally got the will to peel myself from the couch and into the shower so I could run a few errands and ended up hanging out at my parent's house for a few hours. I love that they live only 20 minutes from me & I can drop in and annoy them whenever I feel like it! Another good thing about hanging out at the 'rent's house is the fact that I don't have to worry about food. Does anybody else notice that even though you become and adult and are in complete charge of your own grocery shopping, your parent's always have the best snacks/food at their house? Not complaining, just acknowledging!

Because we're still dating [ahem- meaning not married], we don't go all out and crazy when celebrating our anniversaries. We spent Saturday evening/night BBQ-ing and hanging out with good friends. We ate delicious food and played quite a few games of the beloved corn hole while watching football and listening to music. Life really doesn't get much better than that, and being who we are, it really was a wonderful way to spend our special day evening together.

Of course Sunday was spent watching [more] football and an over-due visit to our favorite little hole in the wall, Crawfish Shack. I've mentioned this place before on the blog and I cannot recommend it enough! If you're a lover of all things seafood, GO! I promise you will not hate me for it.

The weekend was rounded out with snuggles from our handsome baby boy that is growing much too fast and lounging on the balcony watching the rain. A perfectly relaxing weekend if you ask me!

I love him!

Oh just sleeping on mom's pillow like I'm a human. No biggie.

This photo melts my heart. Sleeping on my tummy.

Rainy Days

Using R's safety glasses to chop onions

Just Call Me Katniss

Hello & happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Our weekend here was filled with a whole lot of... not a lot.

Friday night was the usual for us-- Raymond's softball game. They beat the team they were playing by quite a bit, which made for a happy boy. One bad thing about games at 9:00 pm? No time for dinner between work and game time, so we ended up hightailing it to get some grub (and drinks) at 10:30 at night. So bad, but so so good.



Saturday was spent running a few errands, doing a few things for the blog, and cleaning out our closet and dresser helping R clean his motorcycle. I wasn't in the mood to sit inside the house, so my crazy self marched downstairs to the oh-so-hot garage and polished away on the chrome of his bike. By the end of it all, I was in desperate need of a shower and water! I don't recommend volunteering to clean anything ever if you don't have to.

In other random news, I posted this picture to Facebook and my grandma said "Katniss Sheridan?" (Sheridan is my last name for those of you that don't know, and Katniss is obviously the main character from The Hunger Games.) I didn't even think about it when I braided my hair that morning, but I wont lie and will admit that I am totally digging the comparison. Just call me Katniss! I also got Tomb Raider from an old friend (Hi Kyndal!). I'll let you all decide for yourselves:

via

via

I am not a big fan of Angelina (Team Jen!), so I'll take Katniss over Lora any day of the week, as if it really matters haha.

Moving forward from my obsession, Sunday was spent grocery shopping, and making phone calls to the surgeon's office. I had my stitches removed over a week ago and I noticed Sunday morning that my wound was starting to re-open. Totally gross, I know, and totally LAME. Now I've got to drive another hour and a a half both ways just to have it looked at. I'm not excited at all and it totally ruined my plans to finally go swimming and get back to working out today.

Luckily my sulking was overshadowed by a Sunday Funday we had planned to meet some of our newer neighbors. We ended up having a blast BBQing, letting the dogs run wild, and chit chatting for hours.

Another great weekend in the books, and now it's time to sail through this short week before we head out of town on Friday for a family reunion!

See you all on Wednesday!

The Heart Attack That Wasn't

My family (on my father's side) has a history of heart attacks. His grandmother died when she was 47 of one, and he had one last year at the age of 48. I can happily say that my father is fine, and healthier now than he was before, but it was definitely the scariest thing my family has ever experienced. While my dad was in the hospital, his doctor told my brother and I that we both needed to get ourselves checked out just to be safe, seeing that this type of thing runs in our family. You're never too young to prevent. Naturally, I didn't take his advice. I'm only 23 for Heaven's sake!

Sunday night as we were laying down watching TV before bed, I noticed that my vision started blurring. Everything that I tried focusing on was a blur yet I could see everything to the sides of said thing just fine. I chalked it up to watching too much TV over the rainy weekend. After closing my eyes and vowing to stop looking at the TV, I explained my issue to Raymond and sure enough, while I was looking at him, his mouth and nose were blurry. At that point I insisted that I just needed sleep. So with the beginning stages of a small headache I took some Ibuprofen and drifted off to dreamland.

Just short of an hour later, I woke up with a splitting migraine on the right side of my head that lead into my jaw, neck, and shoulder. Growing up I was used to getting migraines, but I have been lucky enough to not have one in almost a decade. That being said, this pain I was having was not how I remembered a migraine to be, and immediately thought something was a little off. Shortly after, I started feeling shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. Once again, something just wasn't right.

After a few trips to the medicine cabinet, I gave up and tried to go back to sleep. The pain on my right side just got worse, and I started to notice a tingling in my fingertips. Within minutes, my entire left hand and arm were numb and that's when I freaked out. After googling heart attack symptoms in women with one eye closed and a noodle-like arm (not easy by the way), I woke Raymond up in tears, sure that I was having a heart attack. He assured me that I wasn't and sat there patiently with me rubbing my arm, and finally calmed me down enough to convince me to take a hot shower. After a long 30 minutes, I had feeling in my arm back and was calm enough to lay down again. Finally around 2 AM I was able to drift off to sleep.

via

Monday morning I called my dad to inform him and get his expert opinion (dad's know all, duh) on the situation, and in the end we concluded that I indeed did not have a heart attack, and it was just an anxiety attack. Apparently my mom started getting anxiety attacks when she was the age that I am now, and my dad also gets them from time to time. Just another thing to thank the 'rents for passing down to me! Thanks, mom and dad!

But really, I am thankful that I am ok, and that I wasn't having a heart attack. Now I need to go make myself an appointment to actually get checked out. And if you read all the way to this point, thank you and I'm sorry.

Crash

Every night on my drive home from work, before I get onto the highway (35 for you locals) I take a peek and see what traffic is like. Being that I typically work until 6:30, it isn't too bad. Unfortunately last night... it was bumper to bumper for as far as the eye could see. My first thought? "Dang it, there is a wreck and it's going to cause me to sit here all evening when I could be home with my lovies."

Turns out I was right. There was a wreck... on the OPPOSITE side of the highway. So why was the North bound side of the highway at a stand still? The answer: Because the wreck was so bad that the fire department had to use both sides of the highway to get to the injured people. As I drove past the wreck I couldn't help but see at least 6 cars that were involved crushed to pieces. Some just had the bumper pushed in, others were missing the entire back half.

I saw a man just sitting in the driver's seat with his head back, waiting for the whole thing to end. Another woman whose brand-spankin' new car had done a complete 90 degree turn into the concrete wall dividing the North and South lanes sitting in her seat talking to an officer balling her eyes out. Another woman behind her, laying on a stretcher with her neck stabilized. And then at least 3 more cars behind them... all involved.

My heart immediately sank and I felt tears well up in my eyes. Right then I said a prayer and asked God that he take care of every single person involved. The next thought I had was that I was the biggest B alive. How could I complain about getting home later than usual while these people aren't getting to go home now at all. So there I sat comfortably in my car, thanking Him that I was on my way home to my loved ones while these people were being hauled off to the hospital.

I quickly then reminded myself that driving is a privilege that we all take for granted and think we are the best at. I don't care who you are, how well you think you can drive, one small mistake and you could be crushed to pieces. I will be the first to admit that when I find out there is a wreck up ahead I curse the thought of it.

In February of 2011, I got in a wreck (my first and only). I was going 70 mph on the same highway and while I had enough time to slow down enough to where I didn't get hurt, I was still going fast enough for my car to be considered totalled and the air bags to deploy. If you have never been in a wreck, know that it is one of the scariest things to have to deal with. I was balling my eyes out and was so shaken up I wasn't sleeping well for a week. Thoughts of it just kept running through my head and kept me tossing and turning wondering "what if I would have been paying better attention?"

The whole point of this post is to just remind us all that car accidents are called accidents for a reason. Nobody wants to get in one, nobody means to get in one, and nobody wants to be stuck behind one. Just remember the next time you're waiting in traffic due to one, say a little prayer for the people involved rather than curse them. I know that's what I'll be doing.

Random Recap

My weekend was completely random and almost completely boring thanks to being unable to move around too much...

Raymond went out Sunday morning to pick up breakfast and brought back tacos... and an extra one just for Guero. I cannot get over how spoiled rotten he is!


Big head, Sitting on daddy's lap, Nap time


Being forced to sit still and move with caution really makes me realize how much just walking to the car can do for a person. I Cannot wait to heal and get back to our usual weekend water volleyball games and working out. I'm weighing the options of canceling my gym membership. I really want to get into running (seriously) again and I don't feel like I can do it on a treadmill. I want to invest in some DVDs such as Brazilian butt lift and some yoga videos.


Taking care of mama while daddy works


I ended up making a sprinkle cake for our friends' going away party the other week. It actually turned out pretty cute but my crappy cell phone picture just doesn't do it justice. I will say that the entire thing got wolfed down before the other gourmet cake that was there. Homemade for the win!

Here in Austin there are a few bridges that are known for housing bats. A lot of people will go stand on/under the bridges and wait for them to fly out. There are so so many bats all at once and it really is a pretty neat thing to see.We went to dinner with some friends on Friday evening where we sat outside on the patio. The restaurant is close to one of the bridges (old McNeil and I35 for you locals) and we just so happened to catch all of the bats. I just wanted a picture and wasn't expecting anything good because it was on my cell phone, but I ended up with this really amazing picture of R throwing up the Horns.

Obviously I've been having to take pictures with my cell phone and it's because my digital just blows these days, and am in the market for a new one. I don't want anything big and fancy but something that will still take quality pictures without breaking the bank. I would love any recommendations!

Saturday night I was actually able to get out of the house again for a few hours and it was to wish my BFF a happy birthday. She's an old lady now (29) so I had to make sure I could be at her party in support of her last year as a 20-something. Happy birthday again, Val! Love you, ya old hag! ;)

PS My aunt is having foot surgery today, so any prayers and well wishes sent her way would be greatly appreciated!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

It's Hump Day! WAHOO! This week has actually been pretty nice to me and is going by somewhat quickly. It's probably because we've been completely busy with a 15 year old boy in our home! Raymond and I are used to being in bed by around 9pm, and asleep shortly after that. Now that we've got a teenager to entertain for a few days... our sleep is lacking! And PS for those of you that don't have kids or teenage boys, they eat like machines. I kind of knew this already, but not to the the extent that it is. It's insane.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a couple of  extremely important updates on the ol' blogger-ooski (just made that one up).

• The past 2 weeks have been so stinking busy for me, and the next couple are not going to calm down. R and I will have been out of town for 3 weekends in a row by the time March is over and done with. Weekends are usually our catch up time on cleaning and relaxing, so being out of town so much has really left our weeks packed to the brim! So, if my posts are lacking, please just bare with me! I am trying to figure out the best schedule that is going to work for me, and I'm thinking a M-W-F type is what it's going to be. Either way, when I figure it all out, you will be informed!

• Also, I know my blog design is probably boring you all to death. It's pink and... well, that's about it. I've had ideas in my head since I made the darn thing and just haven't had the chance to get things done. I mean, it involves picture taking and designing and so once again, I'm just extremely too busy to think about it right now. I'm hoping to have something more enticing for your beautiful eyes within the next couple months!

Thanks for baring with me through my messy out of control life and I'll catch ya on the flip-side!

Random Friday

Well, guys and gals. I really have nothing of great importance to discuss today... since I usually have such important stuff to talk to you all about.

• We're supposed to have a softball tournament this weekend, which would be my first time to actually play in a game. The stakes are extremely high, so I've been nervous all week about it. When I say high, I mean each member of the winning team gets a free case of beer high. That's the best prize anyone can win around these parts. Add a free turkey leg or a hot dog and you've got yourself the damn party of the century! Unfortunately, it looks like the amazing weather we've been having has been put on hold for 50 degree, windy, and stormy crap, so the fun weekend planned will have to wait.
• Since the rain is halting our plans, we're probably going to head to Brownwood to visit with his family. I'm pretty excited to get away for a while and relax with some awesome people!

• Even though my knee and ankle have been hurting, I decided to try running again today and had no problems. WTH joints! Pick a side and stick to it! Preferably the non-hurting side, please. Whatever, I was able to get my workout for boot camp in, so I'm fine with it.
• Our lease with our apartment is up in about 2 months and we are finally going to move into a house! Not sure where yet, but I really don't care at this point as long as it's not in the ghetto where the prostitutes roam. We've thought about buying, but the timing is just not right for us right now. I don't really care, I am just ready for more space... and I cannot wait to spend all of our money on new crap!!!!! (sorry, babe. It's happening.)

Whatchu got goin' on this weekend?

I Die, I Die

Remember those resolution things we all make at the beginning of the year? No? Me either... I wish. I made a resolution to run more often this year. And so far, I have been doing a damn good job of it, if I do say so myself. I run every day at the gym, whether it is for 10 minutes or 50 (haha).

Yesterday morning as I started my 20 minutes of cardio for boot camp, I noticed a slight pain in my knee and ankle. I know the ankle thing is from when I ate it down some stairs, but the knee thing? No idea where the heck that creeped up from. I can typically stretch out my ankle after warming up for a few minutes and the pain subsides, but today I just about wanted to rip my leg off. It didn't help that I had lead-legs either. With all that being said, if this whole knee crap doesn't go away, I'm probably going to crumble and die inside. I have just begun to enjoy running, and now I've got to stop. Damn you old lady joints!

I absolutely must share this video with you guys. I saw it for the first time yesterday and have now watched it enough times to count on two hands. Every time I watch it, I have tears streaming down my face and my heart feels like it is about to burst from my chest from laughing so hard. Please take some time to watch this, and then share it with the people you love and want to make laugh. Or you could share it with the people you hate too, and then they could pee themselves and be really embarrassed. Your call.

And if you're too high and mighty that this video doesn't even make you crack a slight chuckle, well then you don't know real comedy when ya see it. Now remove yourself from my blog! Just kidding... but really, it's hysterical, right?

What Year is This?

I just caught a glimpse of the date on my phone. March 7?! When did this happen? Pretty sure I was just in the middle being shocked that it was already Feb. 29... yesterday. Ooof, my brain just can't seem to accept that the days are flying by.

This is sort of a love-hate thing with me. I'm really excited for summer this year because I cannot wait to top last year. Last summer was absolutely awesome and I definitely wouldn't trade it for anything, but that just gives me hopes that we can make this one even more supercallafragalisticexpialadocious. Forgive me if I spelled that wrong.


Biggest Bash of Summer 2011

 

The After Math



ACL - Fav. Picture of ALL Time



Responsible Life Guards


Anyway, I kind of hate this because I'm definitely not excited about sweating just by walking to my car. Especially when I need to look good. Nothing says sexy like sweat drops down your spine! I'm also a bit worried because I have high hopes of actually liking the way I look in a swim suit the first time I put it on, and I definitely have quite a bit of work to do if I want that to happen.

Luckily I made a spur of the moment decision to join boot camp and am really happy that I did! Like I said yesterday, I was getting really bored in the gym and being that I'm not a fitness expert, I wasn't sure of any new moves to include my workouts. So far, I have been impressed. I definitely thought I had more strength than I actually do. Just changing the position of your body can make a mundane-to-you workout completely difficult again! Today's workout definitely left me huffing and puffing, and even thought I'm not where I want to be yet, I know that I am on my way and my goals are in arm's reach!

One Day!

Hot 'n' Pink...

... isn't just the way I like my steaks cooked. But we'll get to that in a minute.

This weekend was pretty stinkin' awesome if I do say so myself. The weather here in Austin was absolutely amazing and probably couldn't have been any better. Which is why the entire 2 days were spent outside.

Friday evening Raymond and I met up with some friends of ours for dinner and drinks. We tried out a new-to-us restaurant, Longhorn Steakhouse. Everyone was pretty satisfied with their meals, except for me. It wasn't awful, but my steak was just a bit (a lot) chewy for my liking. The pricing was average for a steakhouse, though. It also didn't hurt that we had good company!

Saturday morning was an early rise for us, being that we had a kickball tournament all day. I actually didn't take part in the games, and just went along for what we like to call "moral support" aka free beer and food. We arrived to the fields around 10:30am. Being as responsible as I am, I managed to wait until almost noon to crack my first beer. It's a good thing, too, because 8 hours later... we we're still going at it. Now, I don't know if you've ever drank all day in the sun... but it sure does have more of an effect on me than drinking indoors does. Something about that hot sun makes that beer go down as smooth as water. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we all had a great time! The night was finished off with a sushi dinner and we were asleep by 10pm.

With the weather being perfect again on Sunday, we met up with some friends for a little softball practice. Again, we had an absolute blast and spent about 4 hours in the blazing sun catching, pitching, and hitting.

Evening eventually rolled around and we finally called it quits for the weekend. It was a long and tiring one, but if I could do this every weekend, my life would be complete. I had so much fun and the weather could not have been more fantastic! The only downfall would be this:

Pretty sure raccoon-eyes and redneck aren't my best looks. Ouuuuchhhh....

Girls Love It, Guys Hate It

The other day I was reading an article about beauty mistakes that turn men off. While the article states that these are mistakes, I'm pretty sure most women do these things on purpose. I will be one of the first people to tell you that I truly believe that women dress to impress other women. Sure they want their man to think they look great, but what they really want is to make others jealous. Now of course, not everyone is like this, and maybe you don't even know you're doing it? But just ask yourself, how many times have you envied another woman's outfit/hair/body/etc. I can name about 427 million times for me.

Now that I am in an established relationship, I definitely feel myself becoming more interested in the way my man views me rather than anyone else. Sure, I used to be worried about looking good for others out there, and there is still part of me that doesn't want to look like a trash bag, but for the most part, I want Raymond to think I've still got it. Keep the fire alive, people!

As I was reading this list of so-called mistakes that we as women do, I wasn't shocked at all. But I was somewhat relieved that I don't do many of them. In fact, only one to be exact!

• Fragrance Overload - I totally understand this one. There are women in the gym every morning that seem like they pour a bottle of the stuff over their heads sometimes. I just don't get it. What is attractive about making someone unable to breathe? Sure, you don't smell bad, but you can't be smelled at all because you're making people hold their breaths around you. I personally haven't worn perfume in over a year. I ran out of my favorite and just haven't bought anymore. I think men's cologne smells better than any women's fragrance out there, so every now and then I will use a spritz of R's. He's not a fan of me doing that. Sorry, babe!
• Caked on Foundation - I have always been someone that uses foundation. While my skin isn't awful and I only get the occasion pimple(s) around my lady time each month, I was blessed with my families un-even skin tone. It's nothing crazy and awful to look at, but I guess I am own worst critic (as we all are), and insist that I need foundation. I typically don't wear any makeup during the week, because nobody really sees me, but once the weekend hits, I wear one layer of Cover Girl. And to be honest with you, I don't even know what type it is, because that's how often I wear it.

• Overdone Eyelashes - This is one I have never been able to wrap my head around. Maybe it's because I have naturally long eyelashes? Either way, fake eyelashes don't ever look real. No matter what you do to them, they look fake. I think they should definitely be saved for Halloween and other dress-up events of the sort. I also can't stand the mascara commericals that promise they aren't using fake lashes, and that their product is really giving stars those lashes. Get real! Pretty sure I have seen those stars in other shows/movies and they look nothing like that! Besides, if you're eyelashes are fake, there is bound to be something else fake, right? Or maybe I'm just a mean B.

• Dry Skin - Okay, this one is HARD to deal with, am I right? My skin type would definitely be classified as normal to dry. I know a lot of people complain about oily skin, but the opposite end of the spectrum isn't all rainbows and unicorns, either. I definitely have to make sure I moisturize daily if I want nice skin, and still some times it's not the best. If I'm wearing pants that day, you can forget about it! I'll definitely share my skin care routine with you guys some time, because I have a great facial system that keeps me looking so fresh 'n' so clean, clean.
• A Sloppy Shave - Ding ding ding! This is the one I am guilty of, sometimes. I get my workouts in during the morning hours, so that's also when I shower. I wish I could be one of those people that only needs to shave every 4 days but unfortunately, I shave in the morning and by night, I've got pokies. Not bad, but enough to be annoying. Also because I shower in the mornings, I'm typically in a hurry so I don't get the best shave I probably could. Meh, whatever. There are bigger fish to fry than this one!
• Yellow Teeth - This one goes without saying. I mean really, is there anybody out there that actually likes dark teeth? If there is, I don't want to know them.
• Sticky Lipgloss - Again, I don't even wear the stuff because not even I can stand the stickiness of it. I am definitely a Carmex, Burt's Bees kind of gal. Ladies, your man should not have to wipe his lips of sparkles and glitter after he smooches you.
• Orangy Self-Tanner - It's not a secret that I am as white as they come. I mean really, my mom is from Nebraska and my dad, from London. White girl in the house! I don't tan easily and when I do, I get to a shade and just stay there. Of course I wish I had beautiful olive skin but instead, I'm ashen. There are worse problems than this, of course. I don't fake tan and have used Jergens stuff once. My knees and palms were the beautiful shade of our TX Longhorns jerseys. PS that was in 6th grade so I give myself a pass on that one. Nothing says sexy like Oompa Loompa.

• Stiff Hair - I can't do anything with my hair other than throw it in a clip or leave it down to strangle myself, so I typically don't do anything to it. Natural-ness to me is a touch wavy and scraggly. I got a compliment on it the other day shortly I had just rolled out of bed and brushed it, so I guess it can't be too bad. The only product I ever use besides shampoo and conditioner (daily), is hair spray if I curl it, which hasn't been in about 6 months, and it is never enough to where I can't run my fingers through it.
• Smokey Eye Overload - I don't even know how to do the smokey eye look, let alone put on any eyeshadow, so I'm definitely out on this one. I wish I knew how to do a suttle look, but I would probably never use it anyway. I do think that if you do it correctly, it can look super pretty!
• Bold Lipstick - Okay, maybe I am guilty of two of these. I love the red-lip look on some people. Unfortunately, Raymond hates it. I have done it twice and both times he said he was not a fan. I can see how it can look a little to over-done, but I guess my girly side has to come out every now and then!
• Hair Add-Ins - From the moment I saw the whole feather craze, I was not a fan. Raymond had no idea what I was talking about and the next day he came home and said he tons of girls with them in their hair. I am just not a fan of hair accessories in general. The headbands with huge flowers and stuff... they just seem better suited for little girls, as in 12 and under. And that's not the look I'm going for these days. Also, ix-nay on the whole headband across the forehead thing... I bet that leaves a nice and sexy tan line!
• Neon, Dark, and Patterned Manicures - Again, I don't really do anything to my nails. The toes are usually always a shade of pink or red, and the nails are plain. If there is a special occasion, I might paint them red or a nude shimmer. Nothing special here.

So there ya have it. Am I totally boring because I don't do anything to myself or am I smart because I'm free of most of these mistakes? I suppose it's up for interpretation!

Are you guilty of any of these things? What else do you think women do that men hate?

Random Wednesday

There is something about Wednesday that gives me an extra oomph to get through the week. Yesterday I was feeling like this:

But now that I know I've only got 2 more days until the weekend, I feel like I will pull through and make it to Friday.

- I am pretty sure that I am accident-prone. Lately, everywhere I turn, I run into something, scratch or cut myself on something. Last week I was reaching into my gym bag to retrieve my shampoo and gashed my finger open on a razor. It definitely looked like I ran my finger over a cheese grater, but luckily it didn't hurt as bad as I had anticipated.

That picture above is actually from about a year ago when I stabbed myself trying to get the seed out of an avocado. The knife definitely hit bone and I just about passed out when it happened. Tip of the day: always use a spoon to remove seeds!

- A few weeks ago Raymond and I were heading into the store and as we looked up, the sky above us was completely filled with birds. Not pretty birds, but those nasty jet black parking lot birds with the pointy beaks and bulging eyes. Something about them just gives me the creeps! I felt like we were in the movie "The Birds". Anyone ever seen that movie? Acting at it's finest, for sure!

- I picked this baby up at the grocery store the other night. They were on sale for $1 from Valentines day. That's much better than the almost $6 there were priced at before! I got through about 3 slices of it before I called it quits... it was just so messy and hard to eat. The rest is camping out in the fridge until I get my paws on it!

- I am in desperate need of buying new tires. I have been putting it off for months now... real safe, I know. But they are SO freaking expensive -- as in almost $200/tire expensive. Ugh. Anyone know of any good deals out there?

- The sunsets here have been so amazing lately. Maybe I am only noticing them more because it has started to get dark earlier so I see them on my drive home, but either way, they have been beautiful!

Happy Hump Day!

Morning Breath

A few weeks ago I heard about a website (xojane.com) that was asking women to take pictures of themselves first thing in the morning. That's right, without even getting up to brush or tinkle, just roll over and snap a pic. They call it the "natural look".

My first thought was no big deal, right? I mean... sure maybe my hair would be a mess or something. And I'm pretty used to never wearing any makeup unless it's a special occasion (aka the weekend), so that wouldn't come as any shock to me.

Well.... let's just say that my best moments are not in the morning. I look like a hot mess. Actually, more like a disaster. I mean, my hair is about 400 feet long right now so when I sleep it wraps around my neck and practically chokes me out. Of course the first thing I do when this happens is just grab it all and toss it over my pillow, inevitably creating a nice nest for some rats to take shelter in. And let's not even get me started on the double chin that laying down can give ya. Let's just say that if you're going to take a photo while laying down, make sure its from above your eyes.

So, in the end... unless taking this picture was going to save someone's life, I just can't muster up the courage. And because that's not the case, and I'm definitely not getting compensated to show my amazing "natural look" to you all, I have to pass.

This is as close as you're gonna get for now:

You're welcome.



Would you post a picture of your morning look?

I Hate Everything

Hey guys and gals, hope you're all having a fantastic morning! I'm going to go ahead and apologize for my lack of posting last week, being that I was busy having a self-pity party.

I really cannot complain about my life. I have an awesome family and boyfriend, and really have everything I could ever need. Well, last week I couldn't wrap my head around that, and decided that I was so unhappy and hated everything. I guess every one needs a crap-fest every now and then, right? Sure, there are things that I definitely would like to be different, but everything that I don't like about my life can be changed and it can be done by me. I just need to find the nads to make it happen!

With that being said, I'm working on making some changes in my life and plan to be back to my regular blogging self now.

Pity party over as of...... now.