Happy End of April!!

Today is the last day of April and I am proud to say: I MET MY GOAL!! I wanted to blog every day in April and it happened :) I didn’t get to complete the DIY projects that I wanted to, but there’s always time for that in the future!! April was a great month… my baptism, Easter, and the things I’ve learned at my job were definitely the highlights!!

I’m also really looking forward to May! I have some exciting Bandwagon Wednesday’s lined up and I can’t wait to post them each Wednesday all month long… if you’re anything like me you’ll be singing along with the playlists long after May is over :) They’re all about beautiful, confident, loud, and most of all, DIVALICIOUS women!! I’m excited!!

I’m also really excited about the Maid of Honor/Sister of the Bride things happening this month! Between Kay’s shower and her fiancé moving into their apartment – it’s going to be busy, fun filled, and extremely happy!!

And now one more thing to close out April: the HTC Inspire. I’m in cell phone heaven. I’m a happy camper :) Seriously. And I’m treating it like a newborn baby. I will not drop this thing. Not now, not neva.  (knock on wood)

Also – thank you so very much to all of my readers. I really appreciate your readership and would love it if you’d e-mail me with suggestions or requests about things you’d like to see here on Gertie Girl. I want to get to know my readers better as well, so stop by yesterday’s post and leave me some random facts!!

Thanks again and here’s to May!!

wow this post was really exclamation-pointy. sorry.
blame it on the non-dinosaur/archaic/screenfreezing cell phone ;)

Random Fact Friday

Soo a big part of this whole blog thing is getting to know the girls/guys  you follow. You start to recognize their writing style and you feel like you can actually hear them saying the things you read, you recognize the people in their life, and you start to feel like you know the person!! That’s one of the reasons I love blogs/blogging.

So I’ve decided to have a Random Fact Friday!! I’ll share a few facts about me and you can share a few facts about you!! It’ll be like having coffee at Starbucks without the overpriced latte, smelly clothes/hair afterwards, and actually being in the same place at the same time… Ok here it goes :)

1. Speaking of Starbucks – I get the same thing every single time I go – BIG shocker there :) Either a White Mocha hot, iced, or frappucino’ed

2.  When I get in my car I think I’m Danica Patrick. Or Speed Racer. But Danica is prettier. I don’t always drive really fast… but I  love to drive. And I love to get where I’m headed. ** Also side note. I google imaged Danica Patrick and was slightly horrified.
I chose the Got Milk campaign because it was the least racy picture.
I never realized she was like the Kim Kardashian of NASCAR. Weird.

3. I love chocolate. Milk is my favorite, Dark is definitely ok, and White is tasty but uncommon. And while I love chocolate – I hate candy. Sure I’ll have a starburst or a handful of sour patch kids – but other than that I think it’s gross. Easter candy has no appeal to me… and neither does Halloween really. I’m not a candy kid…

4. I love Disney World. Love love love love it. And one of my dreams of all dreams is to be Belle in the Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios. Belle was always my favorite and this past January I teared up watching the shortened show again. It’ll never happen. But it’s nice to have dreams like that, don’t cha think?

5. And since I’m still on the Royal Wedding high… I’ll add some humor. The fact: I love hats. I think it’s super cool that everyone wears them to Royal Weddings. It sets a Royal Wedding apart from any other one… It’s classy, It’s fabulous. Humor: Was anybody else thinking this?!? HAHA. Oh dear. Yikes. The blue one isn’t too bad. But if I saw the other sister I’d want to throw something through it… And how is that staying on and not driving her insane?!? Crazy. Slightly upstaging the bride? I think so.
Thankfully Kate was too perfect to be upstaged :)

 

Hope you enjoyed the random facts!! Leave me a comment with a five about you – and let me know what you thought about the Royal Wedding!! Didn’t Kate look AMAZING!?!?

Are you getting up at 4am tomorrow?

Well if you’re living on the East coast/Eastern Standard Time you should be! If you live in California you might just be staying up all night!! And if you have no idea what I’m talking about – yah crazy. And you might live under a rock. No offense. Seriously. But over the pond here in America we’re pretty much obsessed with everything about British royalty. So if you don’t know that Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married tomorrow… we’ll you’re a little oblivious ;)

But it’s not too late… you still have a few hours to get all ready for the big event!!
And there are like 20 channels running Royal Wedding programs as we speak, or type/read, so don’t get too stressed.

I’ve come to realize that I’m pretty much obsessed with Kate Middleton. And I’m ok with that :) She’s gorgeous. She’s classy. She’s a commoner. She’s flawless. And she’s living a modern day fairy tale. Someone at my mom’s work made this fake invitation for me… I got a kick out of it!! And people all over the country are having viewing parties with their friends and relatives… but I’m still sick so I’ll probably be watching alone… not quite as cool – but I’m not gonna miss this ‘cause of darn strep throat!!

I think all the speculation over Kate’s dress is pointless. We’re all gonna see it in a few hours anyways!! But I LOVE the fact that this wedding is couture and the guests will be showing up in hats… I wish that was cool over here :)

 

Hope you’re planning to watch with friends and some tea… and possibly a British accent. That’s one thing I’ll definitely be using – the fabulous British accent :)
Happy wedding watching!!

Bandwagon Wednesday: Center Parts

Yes. Center Parts. And more specifically: center part  pony tails. This is such a random post but within two days I saw all three of these pictures. So I figured the trend was starting. Remember when LC wore that braid across the front of her head in the place of her bangs on The Hills and every girl from age 16 to 26 started doing it? Yeah. The center part pony tail could be the next LC side braid.

But back to the pony tail. If you’re like me you instantly think of yourself in second, third, or fourth grade. You didn’t really care too much about your hair and weren’t too aware of your appearance. So you hopped out of the shower, brushed your hair, parted it down the middle, let it air dry, and then swept it back into a bumpy pony tail after it got on your nerves. It definitely was not stylish. It was haphazard and comically cute.
After all, you were in the third grade.

Well my friends, that totally hot hairstyle is making a comeback.
And it’s being worn by Hollywood's sexiest, most confident, and most adored ladies.

Gwyneth Paltrow – singing Adele’s Turning Tables on Glee

Beyonce – promoting her new single in Paris

Kim Kardashian – on some red carpet promoting something

Now I think all three ladies totally work this hairstyle. Why? Well they have amazing faces. During Glee the camera kept rotating around Gwyneth's face and her bone structure is so amazing that it was great to have her hair back away from her stunning face. The center part worked because her face is really symmetrical. And same for Beyonce and Kim. It’s also really important to remember that someone else is doing their hair and make-up. So do I like this hairstyle? I suppose. I’d rather see really pretty natural flowing hair, but this is pretty too. I just think it should stay in Hollywood. It’s one of those things we common people can envy from the middle class :) Plus – if we tried this on a sunny day we’d have awful sunburn on our scalps. And when that starts to peel it is not fun. Just ask my sister :) Sunburn aside, I kind of hope this doesn’t catch on. Some people can definitely pull it off, rock it, and whip it back and forth ‘cause they’re that fabulous… but I’m not a humungous fan of this. Who knows… maybe it’ll become the girls night out ‘do like LC’s braid and in a month I’ll be kicking myself because I didn’t “own that pony tail, work that up-do”. Have you ever worn your hair like this? Send me a picture!! I want to envy your symmetrical face and amazing cheek bones :)

Happy Birthday Mich!!

 

To My Dear Michele:

Happy 20th Birthday!!

Love: Me

[Right after graduation]

Michele and I have known each other since elementary school but became friends in middle school and really close friends in high school. Michele is the kind of friend that will beat up someone if they hurt you. She is the kind of friend that would get out of bed in the middle of the night to talk if that’s what you needed. She is the kind of friend that sees the good in you and has your back.

[At my graduation partayyy]

My senior year in high school didn’t start out exactly like a fairytale. But Michele and I had similar schedules and we practically live in each other's backyard. We both took 4 classes at school, went home for lunch, and then headed to the middle school for the Career Study program. We began carpooling and eating lunch together every day and she truly was my best friend. She was there when I was struggling. When I couldn’t trust people and I had very few friends, she was there. She encouraged me to be a little rebellious – and I definitely needed it. We skipped Career Study to watch Obama’s inauguration and then an unhealthy amount of Friends. We also skipped once to go get our nails done and watch an unhealthy amount of Friends. We went to see No Doubt and Paramore the week before graduation. And after graduation we went to the local diner together. We did everything together and wherever we went, we sang on the way.

[At the concert… give us a break… there was a monsoon that day]

That’s how Michele and I met. We both love to sing. In middle school we were both in Chorus and in 9th grade (which is still in the Middle School in our district) we both signed up for Chorus Major. As we bonded that year we had the opportunity to sing a song together for a select concert. We got to sing it again at our End-of-the-Year Awards Assembly as a farewell song to our friends and teachers before we moved on to the big-bad high school. Our senior year we carried on the tradition and sang together at our Baccalaureate-type night called Reflections. Both times my dad accompanied us on the piano. Singing with her those two times was scary because we were in front of hundreds and then thousands of our peers, but was also so fulfilling. We were finding closure to two important stages in our life in the best way we knew how with our best friend by our side. If I had footage I’d share it, but somehow we never got it. In 9th grade we sang the very popular For Good from Wicked and in 12th grade we sang our own, vamped up, better than the original (if I can say so myself) rendition of The Climb by Miley Cyrus. To this day we still harmonize without thinking as we listen to the radio :) It’s perfect.

[Singing together at Reflections]

Since college we haven’t seen each other or spent as much time together as we used to, but we both understand. When we do see each other and catch up it’s as if nothing has ever changed and we pick back up where we left off. Michele is a beautiful girl with a  smart, lovely, hilarious, adventuresome, loyal, down-to-earth, spunky personality.
And I love her :)

[At the middle school, inside a moon bounce, on field day]

Happy Birthday Mich! Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate in person :(
We’ll live it up in a few weeks when you’re home - my treat :)

Easter Festivities

Yesterday was one fun Easter Sunday!! We went to church, came home to get food ready and opened our Easter baskets, and then headed to my grandparents for Easter Sunday dinner with the extended family. The service at church was definitely the highlight! The sermon and music were incredible! My pastor made a really cool analogy in his sermon. 

He talked about how in life we compare everything to ladders. We have to get good grades to get into a good college, so we climb to the top. A’s are at the top and F’s are at the bottom. We have to climb the corporate ladder because the high salaries and power are at the top. We put our two year olds in Spanish classes, ballet lessons, and music lessons because we want them to be well-rounded and ahead of the curve. All we do in this life is climb, climb, climb. To be the best athlete, the best hostess, the best business partner, the best whatever. But Jesus Christ climbed from the top to the bottom. He left perfection and heaven at the right hand of God. He left holiness to come to earth as a man. And then He died on the cross because He loved us. He died to pay the ransom for our sin. He already climbed the climb. And there’s no way we could ever climb our way to heaven anyways. For that reason we need to lay our ladders down and stop climbing. Jesus is our redeemer. 

The pastor has brought a ladder out onto the stage as he started the analogy and as he  prayed to close the service and laid the ladder down. The worship band came back out as he was praying and started the next song. As they got to the chorus the curtain opened and laying at the base of the cross were lots of ladders. It was such an amazing visual. I almost started crying. It was really powerful. They were singing The Stand by Hillsong and it’s been stuck in my head ever since… It was a great Easter service!

Kayla and I received Easter baskets of sorts :) Sarah lucked out with an outfit in addition to her basket!! HAH! My mom doesn’t stick to conventional rules… and we’re ok with that :) I also got tired of sitting around the house in a skirt so opted for pajama pants. Nice touch, huh?

The Easter Egg Hunt at Nana and Poppop’s was eventful to say the least. The yard was soaking wet from all the rain we’ve had recently. There was total confusion about how many hard-boiled and how many plastic eggs everyone was supposed to find. And then she had prizes for certain things… someone’s egg had rocks in it instead of M&Ms…. someone else’s had a 2010 penny… Yes. She went all out. And I was the luckiest of all. Due to the fact that I’m not feeling 100% better and I’m on antibiotics for strep throat AND Tylenol and Advil Cold & Sinus my basket was left on the front porch. I picked it up, mom insisted on a picture, and then I plopped on the porch swing to watch my cousins traipse around the yard. Quite fun :) 

And then last but certainly not least – Family Picture Time! Every year this is quite the to-do because the sun is always in our eyes or it’s too bright out to smile without squinting. The children all hate it but the mothers insist. This year’s actually isn’t too bad!!

Thankfully we got all the outdoor festivities completed before the rain came. Afterwards everyone relaxed, watched the Flyers game, and ate the candy out of their baskets. Sadly, I haven’t eaten anything yet :( I took one bite of a Take 5 and my throat felt like it was on fire!! I can’t wait to be back to my healthy normal self. Strep throat is no fun. At least I’m out of bed and was able to come along today… It was a really nice Easter!!

Hope you had a great Sunday as well! What was the highlight of your celebration?

He is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter everyone!!! I thought I’d add a few songs that say it way better than I could.

The cross that cost my Lord His life has given me mine.

How He came to pay our ransom 

Through the saving cross He bore 

How He watches o’er His loved ones 

Those He died to make His own 

How for them He’s interceding 

Pleading now before the throne

There in the ground his body lay, light of the world by darkness slain – then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as he stands in victory sin’s curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His and He is mine. Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

Jesus has overcome. 

And the grave is overwhelmed. 

The victory is won. 

He is risen from the dead.

Because a sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God, the Just, is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me. Behold him there, the risen Lamb. My perfect, spotless righteousness, The great unchangeable I am, The King of glory and of grace! 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!! And if you like peeps and jelly beans – eat up :) 

I couldn’t pass this up ^^ too stinkin’ cute :)

words, pictures, & numbers

If you love something, set it free; if it comes backs it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was.

8.20 9.9 11.27 12.24 3.24 4.23

My Must-Reads

As we all know, there are some REALLY amazing blogs out there. We all follow our favorites religiously. I’m pretty sure there are many blogs that I’m missing out on because I’m so stuck on my personal favorites. So I decided I’d share a few of my favorites with you, and in turn you can share a few favorites with me!!

1. Lauren of Busy Bee Lauren!! She is fabulous. She’s down to earth, she’s real with her followers and herself, and she’s in love with her husband Ted. She loves the Beatles, photography, traveling, and fashion. Her style is SO amazing. She can look gorgeous in a vintage dress or jeans and t-shirt. She’s totally lovable. You will be hooked!

2. Michelle from Three Men and a Lady. This lady. I am SO jealous of her interior decorating skills. Her bedroom makeover is probably my favorite thing ever. I love clean looks, I love grey, I love yellow, I love owls. Sadly, they’re moving – so her incredible entry way will be someone else's. Hopefully the next people who live there like stripes :) And she also just had her third child – another boy!! Congrats Michelle!

3. A. Ann from Resolved2Worship. This woman inspires me every day. She has seven children and is currently pregnant with number eight! And these children are gorgeous!! They also have the coolest names ever. She is an incredible mother, and incredible wife, and most importantly – an incredible woman of God. Her intimate thoughts are poured out on her blog as a way for her to stay focused, but also as a testament to others. She recently told the (I think twelve?) twelve-part love story of how she and her husband met. Crazy good!! And her Christmas card photos, along with all the photos of her kids, are incredible! The music she has on her site is also so Christ-centered and uplifting…

There are many more that I follow and love but these three are my among my top favorites :) I’ll probably be making a must-read tab soon… so stay tuned for that!

And don’t forget to comment and let me know which blogs I need to check out!

Under the weather

Today started out really bad and then kind of continued to get worse. And I’m pretty sure it isn’t done yet. Which means today is the worst day ever.

Highlights of my day:

1. Getting an e-mail from a friend at my old job which is owned by the same company I work for now (A bunch of nursing homes united). One of the ladies asked if the rumors about me being engaged were true. Unfortunately they are false. And this was not the exact rumor I needed to hear about today.

2. Sucking on halls cough drops all morning at work. Then getting in my car and dropping two unwrapped halls underneath my seat. I gave up. And possibly took it out on my steering wheel.

3. Laying in bed all afternoon with a fever. Did I mention the flu ROCKS? There is nothing I love more than sweating through chills for hours and being in so much pain that I don’t want to move an part of my body. Fingers and toes included. I think I have contracted full-body-arthritis.

On a good note I watched this past weeks Glee (and loved it) and I'm drinking ginger ale from now till forever.

Hope your Thursday is significantly better than mine :)

Bandwagon Wednesday: ABC TV

I started off this week talking about threes so I’m gonna keep up with that theme :)

There are three ABC tv shows written/directed/produced/whatevered by the same lady – Shonda Rimes. They’re all medical/doctor shows. And I love them all.

* DISCLAIMER – I do NOT agree with everything on these shows. AT ALL. I watch it all with a grain of salt. Or a handful.

1. Grey’s Anatomy – I love this one because I think the writers do SUCH a good job of including the whole cast into it. There are so many characters but viewers really get to know all of them. I also think the writers do an incredible job of communicating realistic reactions/comments/events. Hospital Shootings – not super common, but not far out of the realm of possibility these days. Sadly. The reactions to the shootings – DEAD ON. LOVE GREYS. Most of all I love Meredith, Cristina, Bailey, Lexi, and OF COURSE Jackson.

Yes. Jackson Avery. You may recognize him as Lena Kaligaris’ love-interest/artist-friend from Sisterhood. Oh you don’t remember him? Let me give you a visual. Ah yes. Jackson.

 

HhhOK Moving On!!

2. Private Practice – the Grey’s spin off revolving around Addison Montgomery who used to be married to Derek Sheppard. This show is based in L.A. at a private practice – hence the name. No mystery there. But this show really deals with the ethics of the medical practice. Almost every case has some moral dilemma. And it’s really neat to see how each individual doctor’s previous history and experience shapes their decisions.

Also this cast is just amazingly beautiful. Addison, Naomi, Sam, Violet. Oh, and Naomi (Audra McDonald) was in the one movie adaptation of the musical Annie. And Sam (Taye Diggs) is married to Idina Menzel. They were both in Wicked and Rent. Yes. Amazing. Did I ever mention I love Broadway? Well I do.  And I love Taye Diggs. 

3. Last but not least – Off The Map – this is a doctor show about a medical clinic in Central/South America. The medical supplies are limited. The technology is outdated. The sterilization isn’t ideal. And the doctors are just as damaged as their surroundings. The cases that come into the clinic are SO interesting. One time a wild life photographer fell and broke his pelvis. The only reason he wasn’t bleeding out and dying was because a snake (the kind that suffocates you to death and I can’t remember which kind that is) was wrapped around him. The snake was constricting him to death but was also keeping his body aligned enough so he wouldn’t die. Yeah. Crazy.

Ryan Clark will be familiar to the Twilight fans – she was the original Victoria. And Otis Cole was dating Dr. Bailey on Grey’s last season or two seasons ago – I forget. This cast is pretty neat too – I can’t wait to learn more about them as the seasons pass…

 

Anyways – Grey’s and PP are on Thursdays, Off The Map is on Wednesdays. And they’re all on Hulu. You should definitely tune in. Again, I don’t agree everything – especially their personal decisions. But I’m not the average American either. So yeah. The medical cases and the characters are what really make these shows so appealing. The medical stuff is really really interesting – sometimes a little gross – but SO neat.

Do you watch any or all of these? Whose your favorite character??

Summer Must-Haves

So I’m pretty much craving the beach A LOT. I just want warmth and sunshine on my skin. Tan skin. And the smell of the ocean. AH. Can’t wait for summer….

Love this nail polish color

and this beach cover up

Annnd this floppy beach hat

I’ve always wanted to wear a floppy beach hat on the beach. But I’ve never really had twenty bucks to spend on the hat when I need money for gas to get to the beach. Maybe this year will be different?  Hope so. Skin cancer is pretty serious – and this would be a pretty cute way to protect my skin. Yes, that definitely justifies the purchase…

One of my favorite beach trips of all time was last May. All my girlfriends from school spent the weekend in Delaware at my friend Kelsey’s beach house.  It is one of my favorite memories of freshman year. We woke up early the one morning and drove to the beach at 5am to watch the sunrise. It was so beautiful!

We also went to the beach every night after dinner. It was chilly ‘cause it’s not SUPER warm in Delaware in May. But that didn’t stop us :)

Only a few more weeks!! Can’t wait to plan our next trip to DE :)

Good Things Come in Threes

Tall, Dark & Handsome… Spicy, Sweet & Sour… Good, Bad & Ugly… The Three Stooges

Point Taken. But tonight I thinking of another set of threes.

The Flyers. The Phillies. and The Sixers.

All three teams are playing tonight. The Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs playing against the Buffalo Sabers. The Phils are at home against the Milwaukie Brewers. And the Sixers are playing the Miami Heat. Which happens to have their own threesome. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. Blah, Blah, Blah. That’s all beside the point. The point is that tonight is fabulous night for Philadelphia sports fans. And guess who’s dating a Philadelphia sports fan? Me. Guess who’s boyfriend came over for the night? Me. So guess who is sitting in front of the TV flipping between all three games? Yes. You guessed it. Me. Lucky, lucky me…

I love the Phillies the most – can’t wait to get to a game this year!!

But it’s not all bad. Because we had ice cream sundaes. I ditched my pre-wedding “eating good during the week and eating whatever I want on Fridays” diet. And it was SO worth it. I tell you what. Turkey Hill’s newest flavor is heaven in a gallon of ice cream. It’s called Double Dunker. It’s Mocha ice cream, Cookie Dough Chunks & Brownie Chunks. I KNOW. To. Die. For.

Like I said… good things come in threes :)

Music for a Sunday Drive

Today I don’t feel like doing anything. And no, not the Bruno Mars song. I don’t like that song at all. But just in general – I don’t feel like doing anything. Which is nice. For once I have a few solid hours of time for just me.

A long shower. Taking an hour to get ready. Doing all of my laundry. Painting my nails – this hasn’t happened in months!!. And window-shopping online.

In honor of a very relaxing, spring Sunday – I figured I’d share some of my favorite music. I think it’d be the perfect soundtrack for a Sunday drive… A few country songs are stuck in my head cause I’m on a country kick right now, so they made it to the play list. I highly recommend Colder Weather and Don’t You Wanna Stay. Hope you have time for a Sunday afternoon nap – they’re the best :)

Happy Birthday to a Life-Long Friend!!

 

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.”

This quote is embroidered on a handmade quilt that is hanging in a 7th grade English teachers room. It was chosen for the quilt because she is the kind of lady who truly impacted my life and continues to do so years after I had her as a teacher. I was assigned to her homeroom in 8th and 9th grade because she was our Student Council Advisor. I had her for 9th grade English. And my senior year I spent every afternoon in her 7th grade classroom in the Career Study program. We always got along when I was in middle school but we became even closer during my senior year.

Diane is the most vivacious, witty, down-to-earth, and hardworking woman I know. She’s an AMAZING English teacher - she makes grammar fun. She’s a great mom of two kids. She goes to all of their practices, games, and events. She runs half-marathons and also does triathlons. She’s super trendy – in the good way. Her clothes, her hair, EVEN her car – they’re all fabulous. I have so many memories of the time we’ve spent together in the past and I know she’ll be one of those people I keep in touch with my whole life. She was always a listening ear when I needed to vent or needed advice. She always helped me to laugh about the things in life that weren’t worth being too upset about. And best of all – she always encouraged me to do my best, to be my best, and to live my life to the fullest.

A Few Favorite Memories

Middle School:

• James Blunt’s song You’re Beautiful had just come out and she sang it almost ever day before class started
• Calling her mom multiple times during school and having her answer every time without missing a beat
• Reading Romeo and Juliet in her classroom and making a mental note to always weigh the pros and cons of my decisions in life
• Cleaning out her closet a few times a year – and signing it before I left in 9th grade

High School:

• Being completely obsessed with Twilight at the same time
• Taking off our rings, putting cuticle oil on our nails, and lotion-ing up every day before classes ended
• Wearing her engagement and wedding rings just for fun
• Her use of the word “snarky”
• Walking out of the middle school on my last day of Senior year – she told me not to cry because I’d see her again. I remember walking down the end of the hall and looking back one last time. And I did cry. It was a bittersweet moment…
• Having to call her by her first name for the first time and not by her Mrs. name after graduation. Pretty sure we both cracked up cause it was too weird :)

I’m sure there are many more that I can’t even remember at the moment but these definitely are the highlights.

Some people just make you happy, make you smile, and make you want to be around them. She is one of those people – such an infectious personality. I’m thankful every day that I can call her a friend. Happy Birthday Diane!

1/2 Off Friday!!

My favorite thrift store has a huge 1/2 off sale one Friday every month… and that Friday was TODAY! Kayla and I got there fifteen minutes before it opened and there was already a line of about 40 people. You have to get a purple sheet of paper and write your name and phone number on it and put it on the furniture items you want and then go get in line to pay. It’s a big deal. And we were reminded to “follow the rules” more than once.

We were pretty smart because we stopped by yesterday morning to scope the place out. I saw a covered storage bench on wheels that I really liked but it was $45 and I doubted it would still be around come this morning. It was in pretty good condition and that was a good price. I figured someone would snatch it up. But guess who did the snatching? Yours truly :) This morning it was still there! So I got this pretty young thing for $22.50. Right now the fabric matches my room, but eventually I’ll get new foam padding and reupholster it.

I had to move my room furniture around to make it fit. I’ve arranged my bedroom about five different ways since I’ve been home. My dad always shakes his head when he sees it a different way. Oh well :)

Kayla said she’s going to start giving me things to fill it. And she already called it my hope chest. I DETEST the term hope chest. I don’t understand it. Why is it called a hope chest? Not a preparation chest. Or a love chest. Why hope? Do people hope you’re prepared for marriage? Does your family HOPE your wedding actually happens and you move out? Are all of the items inside supposed to give you hope for a wonderful life? I don’t know. It makes zero sense to me. And it’s also a bit annoying: “Oh I can’t I wait to put this in my hope chest! Thank you so much grandma!” I don’t know. I just don’t one. But you understand the meaning behind it – please PLEASE let me know!!

So just to be clear: this is not a hope chest. At some point, yes, it may hold items that will move with me to my first home when I get married – but this is NO hope chest. It’s a bench. Or a chest. Or a bench chest. :)  I’m so happy about the amazing deal I got on it!! For now it’ll hold my afghans and extra pillows :)

Hope you have a fabulous Friday and an even better weekend :)

If I was any better…

“If I was any better, I couldn’t stand it!”

That’s the response I got from one of the resident’s when I asked him how his day was. He quickly told me that this was a common phrase long ago and that I shouldn’t place much faith in it because you should never get tired of feeling great. While I totally agree with him, there is a part of me that likes this old saying.

Life is wonderful. Spring is finally here. All the trees have blossomed. I am blessed with an amazing family and fabulous friends. I have a job and I have a car. I have virtually no stress in my life. I am in good health. I have no crises in my life. Life is wonderful.

The only things that could be better: a beach house, having the luxury to shop till I drop, see my best friends every day. But even then I wouldn’t appreciate the beach, shopping, or my friends like I do now. And I’d probably become a rich snob and annoy my friends to death and then end up with a lot of stuff and no friends. And that would be a real shame :)

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the things I don’t have. It’s insane how selfish I am. Thankfully, God puts people in my life that speak nonsense and make me stop and think. It’s nice to reflect back on all the wonderful blessings I have in my life at the end of the day… because “If I had it any better, I couldn’t stand it”.

Bandwagon Wednesday: Pearls

Pearls are so classic. They can be super gorgeous on a bride. They can be very stylish on a businesswoman – they’re very first lady. And they can be super pretty on the every-day lay-day.

 

I am in category Numero Tres. Obv. Because I am neither a bride or a businesswoman. Ha. Anyways. I love pearl studs. They are my go-to accessory. Whenever I can’t decide which pair of earrings to wear – I pick my pearls. I used to think they were too dressy for the everyday but then I facebook stalked a girl that Mark knew from high school and she wore them all the time and I had a girl crush on her and I was convinced they were totally acceptable. SO if you feel like you can’t pull them off because you’re going out to run errands or go to the movies and you’re not walking down the isle – fear not. Pearls are/can-will-should be your best friends.

My pearl earrings, despite my extreme love for them, seem to be the disappearing sock of my jewelry hutch. I lose them like resident’s at the home lose their keys. Mark has gotten me pearls for ever holiday since I met him – because I always lose them. Bless his heart. They’re an easy gift that I wear ALOT. So he knows he can’t go wrong :) He also got me a charm for my Chamilia bracelet that has three pearls in it. That my was Christmas present this past year. I wear it every day. I love it. Again – it might be a bit fancy for my CVS run but I honestly think that A. it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed and B. I should feel fabulous about one thing every day… And if that’s my really nice bracelet – so be it!!

I also love this one… I used to bird watch with my mom when I was little and I have two sisters… so this bead would be symbolic for the girls in my family…

Basically I love pearls. I love everything about them. They can dress an outfit up or just make a cute outfit even cuter! If you’ve never really been into pearls I encourage you to go for it!! Pearl studs go with everything. They add a touch of class and elegance – and what lady doesn’t want that?!