In the Nice Time...

Au Naturale

2014-04-10T11:35:00.001-10:00

First of all, I would like to start by saying that I haven't used any face wash, shampoo, or conditioner for almost two weeks!!! WHAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!

Last month, I participated in Proactiv and Etsy's Clear Confidence Challenge. They sent me a month's worth of face wash, a "pore-targeting" treatment, and face cream to use every day, twice a day. The challenge was to post at least 2 videos and 8 photos throughout the challenge. I didn't even bother to finish, but I've had many people recently ask me how it went. I didn't really think anyone cared, and that my photos were just annoying and taking up space on everyone's Facebooks and Instagrams, since most of my friends (and most people my age in general) have clear, beautiful, adult-like skin! Now that it's occurred to me that I just kind of left everyone who was supporting me in this challenge totally hanging without any closure, I thought maybe I should update.

As many of you reading this might already know, it started out great! My skin cleared up a little, and I got too confident in Proactiv's abilities and stopped taking my herbal Vitex chasteberry supplement (regulates hormones). Literally two days later, my skin was way worse than before starting the challenge. It was breaking out terribly, and was dry and red and damaged from the Proactiv. I reduced use to once/day, and used Josie Maran Argan Oil Cleanser in the mornings. That helped, and the skin that wasn't covered in breakouts was smooth and glowy…but the breakouts kept coming. Even AFTER I started taking my Vitex supplement again. This stayed the same for a couple weeks. By the end of the challenge, my skin FELT great, but LOOKED like I just hit puberty. BLEH! So, I didn't even bother to post any more pictures or another video because it didn't clear up my face and I looked ridiculous. Plus, I was less than interested in winning free Proactiv for a year, since I definitely wouldn't even open it. Proactiv might work for some people, just not for me. The ingredients are pretty common, though…just benzol peroxide and salicylic acid, which you can find in any drugstore face wash or acne treatment. The benzol peroxide can actually exacerbate cystic acne if you put it on your healthy skin though, which I think is what happened to me. YAY, right?

Anyway, I have tried literally every prescription pill and lotion and every wash/treatment, and I finally decided it was all complete bull. I follow this awesome girl on Instagram, whose page is all about skin care and what has helped her on her acne journey. She has BEAUTIFUL skin now, and she uses the oil cleansing method (OCM) to wash her face. She doesn't use ANY face wash, but just a mixture of castor oil and grape seed oil to clean her tiny little pores. She also uses a variety of carrier oils and essential oils to treat scars, breakouts, moisturize, etc. ANDDDDD is always posting awesome recipes for natural masks. Seeing the results she has had in the past year, I HAD to try this OCM thing…I mean, it wasn't going to make things any worse. It couldn't.

But first, I did some research. I found another blog here that is all about natural, simple beauty products, and she actually explains in detail how and why OCM works, and which oils to use on which skin types to balance to different oils in your skin and pull other oils out. I ordered some castor oil, grape seed oil, and evening primrose oil from a store on Etsy. It's extremely important to make sure your oils are 100% organic, natural, cold-pressed, unprocessed, etc…because there is no point if you are just going to put chemicals and poison on your skin, or if the oils have lost most of their "nutrients", for lack of a better word. I used the Josie Maran Argan Oil Cleanser and Melaleuca tea tree oil for about two weeks while I researched and waited for my box from the Etsy seller. I have now been using the castor oil/grapeseed oil to cleanse and moisturize for 1 day. OH, and I got enough for MONTHS, and spent less than $15.

Now, I know what you're thinking…putting oil on already oily skin = more oil. NOPE. Not if you use the correct oils for your skin type. It actually balances it out! The previously mentioned blog explains it all!

You can probably already guess this, but IT'S WORKING SO FAR!!! Yayyyyyyy!!!!! For ME, at least. Everyone really is different, and stuff like Proactiv might work for you for the same exact reasons it didn't work for me. My skin is bad because of hormones. Hormones tell your body which chemicals and oils to produce and how much to produce. Having too much of anything in your body in general is going to cause a negative reaction to let you know something is wrong so you can fix it. As of right now, my skin has done a complete turn-around from even just a week ago. With minimal makeup on, it looks almost perfect! I don't want to post any pictures yet, because I want it to be a really insanely dramatic difference for everyone to see when I do! I give it another couple of weeks! This isn't an overnight, magical fix. I did notice a huge difference right away, but it takes time for others to notice. So everyone will have to wait to seeeeee! :)

I absolutely recommend researching this method if you are feeling the same way I do about all the crap in the "beauty" isle at the store. Humans were not meant to have manmade or processed chemicals on their skin. AND if you are one of those people with "normal" skin problems, like aging or wrinkles or uneven skin tone…stop spending hundreds of $$$ on lotions and creams. Just ask the Googles what oils work for that. They are probably a small ingredient in that $150 night cream you just bought, and are cheaper and work much better in pure form.

Which leads me to the whole shampoo/conditioner thing!!! On that blog I mentioned up above, she also talks about using natural shampoo. Any shampoo at the store, no matter how "organic" it is, or how much Argan oil or Moroccan oil it has, is terrible for your hair. It is all detergent. Try reading the ingredients some time! It might be "sulfate-free", but it aint free of ANYTHING else! In the skin care and oil post on that blog, she recommends treating your hair and scalp as you treat your face when it comes down to what oils are coming in contact with your skin. Makes sense, since we roll around in our sleep and our face is bound to touch our pillow or sheets where our hair has been. She has DIY recipes for natural hair care, and also talks about Terressentials, but I didn't feel like buying allllllll the stuff her shampoo recipe calls for OR spending an arm and a leg on the Terressentials stuff. I found that a surprising amount of people just use water, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar to shampoo and condition their hair! Sounds like it wouldn't ever work, but it actually is AMAZING! No chemicals and crap in my hair, and my hair is already WAAAYYYYYY healthier and shinier than when I was using shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment! Everything I've read lists differing amounts, but it really just depends on your hair type. I have about 50 pounds of hair on my head, but the individual strands are very thin. My hair used to get oily very easily, but ever since I started using this recipe, I can go a couple days without washing and not be overly dry or overly oily at any point!

I use 3 cups of tap water and about a half cup of baking soda for the "shampoo". You can also add essential oils to make it smell good and treat your hair. Otherwise, it won't smell like anything at all. It doesn't foam up, since it doesn't have the chemicals and detergents commercial shampoos have, but I just pour it on my scalp, massage it in, and then rinse. It'll clean your ends enough when it rinses through them.

And thennnnnnn I just use water and apple cider vinegar as the "conditioner". I started out just pouring the ACV straight onto my hair and rinsing it all out with water, but that was conditioning my hair way too much. I now use a 1:1 ratio and leave it in for a few minutes before rinsing VERY thoroughly, and it is working wonderfully! Yes, your shower will smell like vinegar when you use it. Yes, your husband will run screaming from the bathroom because his eyes are burning and he can't breath. NOOOO, it is not really that bad. NO, your hair will not smell like vinegar after your rinse it out with water! Unless you added essential oils, it won't smell like anything at all! I have also seen people using white vinegar.

My hair is seriously SO smooth and soft and healthy and shiny, I cannot wait for my hair stylist to see it and ask what shampoo I've been using! JUST so I can say, "I HAVEN'T BEEN!" …Hopefully she doesn't read this before I see her next!

A Bit Judgy, Aren't We?

2014-02-20T15:37:00.000-10:00

Something happened to me recently that was very surprising. It shocked me to tears, actually. As humans in general, it is in our nature to judge. We make quick decisions about things or people or situations to save the time of investigating when our initial judgements tend to actually be valid most of the time. "Don't judge a book by it's cover", you say? Sure, there are instances where that advice proves helpful, but our tendency to assume because we are usually right is psychologically proven. That being said, some people definitely take it waaaayyyyyy overboard.

Most of the time, it is us females who are the overly snarky ones. I personally will admit that I am probably more quick to decide about a person than most others, and more than I should be. I describe it as being "picky about my friends". For the most part, it's all about someone's attitude. If they are a jerk, I'll let them know it and never give them another chance. They might not say a single word to me, but if they are treating everyone else like crap, or just seem overly douchey, I can't be around them without wanting to rip their face off. Could care less what anyone looks like, dresses like, etc. I guess that's how I validate judging someone new; that it's ok because it's based on their behavior. Anyway, I've never had many girl friends because where most girls can be overly critical, guys just seem to not give a crap. Well, my shocking thing that happened was meeting a DUDE that is way more judgmental than anyone I know.

Ok, so that is probably an exaggeration. Most people don't say what they think out loud, unless it's nice. As I mentioned, I'm not one of those people when it comes to dealing with douchebags. I find it extremely difficult to keep words inside, and to control my facial expressions at all, when I am around someone who needs a good smack…and kick…and push off a cliff. So I get it when I meet someone else who shares my high value of honesty. I'm just not used to their value of honesty being directed at me. This guy realistically probably isn't any worse than anyone else when it comes to sizing people up, but I just have never heard a male be this judgy. ESPECIALLY not to me personally, or directly to anyone's face for that matter!

We were at a gathering with friends, and were all up late drinking (first bad idea). We were all joking around and talking shit ~~(second~~ third bad idea…the fact that ~~we were~~ I was drinking tequila was the second bad idea. Ok, straight from the bottle. So we have now covered four terrible ideas), and I don't really remember how it got from that point to what it turned into. What it turned into, by the way, was later referred to as "brain mortal combat". That is really the only description that comes close. For the sake of the story, we will refer to this guy as "Judgypants". Judgypants kept saying he could tell more about me than I knew, and basically that he could size me up from this ONE time that we have spent time around each other. Naturally, I told him to speak his mind. I think my actual words were more like, "OH YEAH, Motherf***er?! Let's hear it!!!" We were all laughing and joking around still at this point. Whatever other drunken conversation we were all having continued, but he clearly was having issues holding back whatever he wanted to say. His wife kept telling him not to do it, which made me ever more curious. Because what grown man has to have his wife tell him not to act like a bitchy teenage girl to his friend's wife?! And like she knew what he was going to say?! WTF, right?! Me, being….well….me…of course kept egging him on just because by then I was so curious as to what could be soooooo terrible that he wanted to say. I mean, everyone knows I'm awesome and hilarious and badass. What, was he going to compliment me to death? Hah.

Anyway, Judgypants starts asking me questions about my childhood and my parents and how many siblings I have and basically trying to get my life story, acting like he's analyzing me. Not much to analyze. Pretty basic, boring stuff. He even got all proud of himself, first accusing me of having "mommy issues" until husband just starting laughing and shaking his head. Nope, that's not it! Then he tried "daddy issues", until husband nearly fell on the floor laughing. Not that, either. Both my parents are awesome, but nice try Judgypants. He basically kept guessing numerous random issues that are common for people to have, with failure after failure after failure. By this time, I was talking so much crap about how he just wanted to sound cool and really had no idea what he was talking about and was just going to make something up at this point to look like a badass and save face even though he was really completely oblivious to who I am.

Next, Judgypants asks why I wear makeup. Uhhhhhh cause I'm a girl and I like to look pretty and it's fun? What kind of question is that? Psh. I retorted with "why do you wear that t-shirt?!" Same reason. Humans care what they look like and how they express themselves to others. We argued about whether females should wear makeup/how much makeup for a good 30 minutes. Arguing in circles. Because of that fourth bad idea I mentioned…you know, that delicious golden liquid. So then, out of NOWHERE, he hits the nail on the head. He basically sums up my entire being - that I act the way I do because I'm extremely competitive, and a decent amount of self-conscious about how I look. He said it in more words, but that was the gist of it. THENNNNNNNN (and this is the part where I actually got so frustrated I starting crying, lol, thanks hormones!) he starts demanding answers for why I am self-conscious and insanely competitive. Not just asking why I am those things, but alternately firing loud questions and suggesting a million answers without me having a minute to think or configure any type of reply, and manipulating my words when I was able to form them. I was in between trying to legitimately figure it out myself why I am so competitive, determining the level of self-conscious most people are and where I rank on that scale, firing back answers, and rationalizing in my brain wtf just happened and why I was so frustrated. The whole thing was obviously pointless, other than to make me waaaaayyyyy more aware of what wearing makeup leads people to think. He seriously thought I had some terrible, traumatic childhood because I wear makeup. DUDE I'M NOT A DAMN STRIPPER, I JUST LIKE MASCARA!!! Annnnnnd it's no wonder I'm competitive, seeing as I grew up with a brother and we both played sports, and I am fairly good at most things I do and just would like to be the best. Nothing wrong with being awesome. And breeding competition makes everyone better, and I refuse to promote mediocrity. You're welcome.

It was just extremely surprising to see a guy think like that. I am sure more people are much more judgy than they reveal. We are all guilty of catching ourselves trying to find reasons people act the way they do, and often assuming that a typical cause is to blame. I did it just now, with the stripper joke. You probably didn't even notice because you were laughing so hard at my super witty sense of humor. I know it doesn't sound as shocking when I just type it out here, but I was seriously so astonished by it when it happened. I kept thinking about how I have never, ever met another guy who is THAT judgmental. I still keep thinking it. I'm not even over it yet!

Anyway, back to the story! Oh yes, there is more. The next morning, I wake up either still drunk or insanely hungover or both, and I'm wondering if this morning is weird for anyone else. Nope, everyone's eating breakfast and acting normal, like my brain wasn't just totally violated mere hours ago. I leave to use the restroom, and can hear jokes about the "brain mortal combat" that took place last night. Judgypants apologizes to husband for making me cry (don't flatter yourself, my hormones are trying to kill me), and husband says it's fine because I was egging him on and talking crap and asked for it (truth). AND THEENNNNNNNNN, Judgypants laughs about how he did the same thing to so-and-so's wife, but was actually mean to her because he doesn't like her. UH HUH. WHAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!?!?! This is something you do more than once? Because you think it's fun? Because you like being kind of a dick? Because you are the devil's spawn? I am literally in the bathroom, doing everything in my power not to yell "what" like a minion so I can continue to eavesdrop. I walked back into the room casually, like I didn't hear a thing and nothing was bothering me. Judgypants and his wife, our other friend, and husband act totally normal like we are all one big, happy family. Um, ok. I'll play along. But I still haven't made up my mind whether this guy is a complete and total asshole, or if he's just like every other semi-judgemental person in the world and just shouldn't drink, or if he's just like me and refuses to back down from a challenge regardless of the consequences. And next time, I'm sticking to wine. And wearing a brain-chastity-belt.

February Ipsy Bag

2014-02-18T09:23:00.001-10:00

Ok, I said I would review my next Ipsy bag…and I am! If you are unfamiliar with Ipsy, it's awesome. Very similar to Birchbox, but most of the stuff I have gotten from Ipsy thus far is full-sized instead of samples, and it's only $10! I have never tried Birchbox, but I LOVE Ipsy so far. Each month, you get different products in a little makeup bag, and the products are all picked out for you based on your style, skin color and tone, eye color, what type of makeup/hair products you typically like to use or would be willing to try, etc. This month, the makeup bag was pink with pink leopard lining…so fitting for the month of loooouuurrrrve! Actually, the whole bag seemed to be somewhat geared towards a Cupid-esque type theme, and the name was "The Look of Love". My bag contained a POP Plump Pout Mini, Zoya nail polish, City Color Be Matte blush, Uberliss RituOil, and Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base in One. Some of those names are total mouthfuls. Without Ipsy, I probably would have never tried any of them just because of that. In my mind, I'm like, "I got blush, some purple-y nail polish, an eye shadow stick thingy, lip gloss, and some weird oil hair product"…See, Ipsy even helps you become more cultured in the world of beauty products! Viola! Ok, so here are my reviews of each!

POP Plump Pout Mini - I am assuming this is a deluxe sample-size, or the smaller size they offer, just because of the "Mini" part. It is actually about as big as most of my other lip glosses though, so it'll last for a while. I've heard lots of complaints that it goes on too thick/messy, but it's very highly pigmented so you barely need any! I just used a thin layer, then blotted on a tissue like you would with lipstick. It looked like a glossy, pink lip stain! I actually love the color, and it stays on for a few hours without bleeding or drying up. It's like a lip stain with built-in gloss.

Zoya nail polish - I got the "Odette" color, and the alternative was "Dot", a very light pink. I only wish I would've gotten the light pink because I already have SOOO many purple colors that are so similar to this. Loved the brand and the polish, though! It's thin enough to go on easily, but pigmented enough to only need two coats. Dried pretty quickly with a cheap quick drying top coat. Nice brush, and the bottle is pretty. Also, Zoya is toxin-free! No toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin or DBP (dibutyl phthalate). I don't know what half of those are, so I'm pretty glad they aren't on my nails. Except that one sparkly nail that I used cheapy Ulta polish on. OH, and on Zoya's website the polishes are usually $9 each, so BAM! My whole Ipsy bag just pretty much paid for itself with only one product. Yes, this is full-sized.

City Color Be Matte blush - I got this in "Fresh Melon", which is actually quite a bit more pink than this picture makes it look. I've never used a matte blush before, always something with a little bit of sheen to it. I love the color, mostly because it goes well with the POP lip stain/gloss! It's another very highly pigmented item (seems to be a theme with my bag this month), so a tiny bit really goes a long way. I had to use a little extra photo finish powder over it to calm it down. Only downside: the first ingredient is talc. It didn't clog my pores after one use, but I probably wouldn't make it a daily go-to product just because I'm scuuuuurrrrred. Also, it is huge. I'd have to use it every day to actually get through all of it in the next year.

Uberliss RituOil - Ok, so I didn't realllllllly use this oil as it's supposed to be used. You are supposed to apply it to wet hair, blow dry, and straighten. I ran out of time, so I only got through the blow-drying. Also, my skin and hair get oily quickly, so I was a little overly cautious with how much I used. That being said, my hair was still poofy and frizzy after drying it, but it did immediately feel softer than what is normal right after a blow-dry. And the frizz calmed down once I braided it, and five hours later my hair was actually smooth and shiny. I'll keep using it just because the Argan oil is so good for healthy hair, whether I straighten it or not.

Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base in One - I received the Violet color, which is an Ipsy exclusive. In real life, it has more of a gold/copper shimmer in it. It is a liquid consistency, so you have to just dab it on and then blend with a sponge or your finger. I made the mistake of swiping on too much, and then when I tried to blend it just spread. So to avoid looking like I got in a fight, I had to layer light shimmery pink and shell colors over it. I left the cream shadow/base in my crease by itself.

The complete look, using all products from my bag! This was after working about 5-ish hours, so you can see that the blush stays in place nicely. The cream shadow had verrrrry little creasing, but like I said, I used too much. I did re-apply the POP lip stain. Pretty good bag overall this month, and definitely worth $10!!!

Let's Talk About...

2014-02-04T09:12:00.001-10:00

HORMONES. Those lovely little guys that make you crazy, angry, ecstatic, insanely hungry, or hate everything! It's safe to say all of us ladies have at least somewhat of a love-hate relationship with them. I am going to preface this post by saying that it is a bit personal, and boys…you just might not get it. Don't worry, it's not gross or anything. Just personal. :)

Ok. So, it's no secret to most of our friends and family that the plan was to start a family when we moved back to Arizona from Hawaii. This is about as far as most of you will read before freaking out because you think I'm about to say I'm pregnant. Well, you can stop...because I'm not. Haha! (takes a huge swig from wine bottle) The past few months have literally been a roller coaster. Everyone talks about the side effects of birth control, the pill to be exact, and how you'll gain weight, but your skin will clear up, and every month everything will happen exactly on schedule, and your cramps won't be so bad, and your PMS won't be so bad…BUT GUESS WHAT! No one ever talks about getting OFF the pill because it's like a freaking nightmare!!! It should be told around campfires out in the woods, and made into the next season of American Horror Story. Most of our friends are either pregnant or already have a kid or two, and are laughing right now, but the rest of you will want to read this! I wish someone had told me all of this ahead of time!

I never had issues with hormones before getting on the pill, and I was only on it for like 4 years. I had the typical, extremely mild side-effects of being on it. My boobs grew and my skin cleared up. Terrible, I know. When I stopped taking it, my body was being so crazy I seriously thought I was pregnant that next month! Super hungry, could smell EVERYTHING, had nausea the same time every day, ridiculously unbearable hormonal breakouts along my jawline, exhaustion, cravings, lack of monthly "visits", pretty much if it happens to a pregnant person, it was happening to me. Oh, and the mood swings! I was legitimately concerned that I had become manic-depressive. I would feel so content and happy and sometimes like I could conquer the world, but only like mayyyyybe 20% of the time. Then about 50% of the time I'd feel normal, and the other 30% it was just really, really, really bad. Like bawling for no reason, hated myself, wouldn't eat or drink anything all day, just laid there staring at the ceiling bad. And then the next day, I'd wake up and feel like a totally normal human being. I would get upset for no reason, snap at husband, then realize he didn't do anything to deserve my crazy pissed-off-at-the-world wrath, feel like crap about myself, and go into a terrible self-hate-spiral. And the really fun part is that I felt completely 100% hopeless that I would ever feel consistently normal or happy again. In all of my life, I had NEVER felt anything remotely like this at all. After a couple months of this, I finally realized that it wasn't ME or the move or lack of employment or any of the recent changes in our lives that was triggering these crazy mood swings. I also got tired of taking negative EPT tests each month because I was still exhibiting all the classic signs of early pregnancy. Finally, I started to research hormonal imbalances and what can cause them, thinking that the pill had just been magically regulating my out-of-control hormones for 4 years. On the contrary, getting off the pill was actually what made my previously normal hormones go crazy! And apparently, this is not uncommon. I read stories ranging from mild, tiny differences people noticed all the way to people physically unable to handle the sickness and having to go back on the pill because they just couldn't take it. Ummm, HELLO?! Why do you never hear about this?! Not to mention, the chances of actually getting pregnant when people are really TRYING? Uh yeah, it's like 20% a month. How the hell do people manage to accidentally get pregnant? What, are you doing it upside-down fifteen times a day and then staying in a handstand for the next 24 hours? Last I heard, if you have unprotected sex, you WILL get pregnant, and you will DIE. Mean Girls is a terrible source of information. Kinda like real high school. Anyway, it's just so strange how these seemingly important details get left out and NEVER talked about!

So, back to the researching part…I finally figured out that getting OFF the pill was making me crazy. I have a good friend who had a really terrible time when she got on the pill, and the only way she could describe it was that she felt "crazy" and would go from being so so happy to hating everything, including her newlywed hubby, in a split second. I didn't fully understand until the last few months. I really didn't want to go to the doctor just to be drugged up (yay, military hospital!), but I finally caved and called to make an appointment…just to be told that when we got here, and I filled out alllllll that fun paperwork and sat through that super fun and interesting health care brief, it was all for nothing because I wasn't even put into the system! Hah! Just my luck. So I started to research natural ways to regulate hormones. I found some alright methods, like eating clean or doing detoxes. I eat pretty healthy already, so when I started eating 100% clean it didn't make a big difference. I tried a couple detox bath soaks also, and would feel great and normal for the rest of the night, but not a big enough difference to last very long. And I'm not about to soak in a tub for 30 minutes every morning and night. Ain't nobody got time fo that! I tried it for about a week though, along with about a month of eating clean, and drinking numerous "calming" teas, and exercising more, and after a whole month there was really very little difference. The only difference was that I was learning to have more mental control over showing my crazy emotions, but I was still feeling the extreme ups and downs. Oh, and did I mention this whole entire time I was praying and praying and praying to get better. Praying for the answer. Praying for strength to just last long enough to figure out the answer. AND THIS WAS ONLY AFTER A COUPLE MONTHS!

I finally came across herbal supplements and essential oils, and can I just say that my new favorite thing in the whole entire world is Vitex!!! It's a supplement, the actual name is chaste berry, but the supplement-form name is Vitex. I think it comes in both a liquid and capsule form, but I've been taking the capsules. Seriously, after like 3 or 4 days of taking it, I noticed a huuuuuge difference! I felt, and still feel, like myself again. My skin looks like that of an adult again. I've been taking it for probably a couple weeks now. All I can think about is how I just wish someone had warned me about getting off birth control so I could've found this little miracle-worker months ago! I had never even heard of it before, and freaking GNC has it, and it's not even expensive! It is making me feel human again, and hopefully regulating my hormones enough for my body to figure out what it's supposed to do on it's own.

Also, I was so embarrassed that I was going insane, and when I did feel normal and happy the very last thing I wanted to think or talk about was my lack of sanity. So no one other than hubby knows how bad I was feeling, until they read this. Even my own mother! So, I hope the people I am closest to don't feel bad that they had no idea about any of this. Don't take it personally. Cause I seriously just didn't want to think or talk about it, and I didn't really want anyone to know. Like I said, this is a pretty personal thing. BUT, I really wish I had been warned or at least known that this happens to other people! So I am hoping that sharing this will help someone else know that they are not losing their mind, or hopefully give them a head's up for what they might possibly be in for in the future so they can prepare themselves! Because while everyone is different, and lots of people are probably just fine getting off the pill, it can be CRAZY! ;)

Whoops!

2014-02-04T07:52:00.001-10:00

Have you ever said you were going to do something, such as…ohhhh, I don't know, keep up your blog?…and then not do it? I should have an award for that.

Over 3 months since my last post, and I was going to try to post every couple weeks. Whoopsiesssss.

Well, as many of you already may know, I got a job. Remember the time I swore I'd never ever ever work in retail again? Ever? Hah, soooooo much for that! I discovered quickly that there are not many options out here, and as I mentioned before my degree is totally useless until I get my Master's. There are SO few options, in fact, that not only am I working retail…I am working a part time retail job. Ugh. It's embarrassing even just to type it. Not that being a glorified sales associate with keys should be embarrassing in any way to anyone else in that position, but with my experience, it's pretty bad. The other day, my store manager asked if I was feeling "challenged enough". There was a short awkward silence, and then we both just looked at each other and started laughing. At least she gets it. It is a super fun job, and the pay is decent. And all the girls are REALLY nice. And I get to make everything look beautiful. And to be honest, it is actually kind of nice to only work 25 hours a week. I still miss having money, and responsibilities, but I'd be making about the same amount doing admin work in an office (which is pretty much what a BA in Psychology qualifies you for these days. Ugh.), and I'm not stuck at a desk all day.

I do wish I could get a job that actually makes my education worth having, though. So I am hoping to start my Master's within the next year or so. Yay! At least it'll be easier to do that when my job is just to play with clothes for 5 hours a day. Haha!

Oh, and lots of other fun stuff has happened in the past few months! I actually did start a couple posts, but then never finished them and ended up deleting them because it would just be silly to post them now. BUTTTTTT, I helped Kelly Granado (who is even worse than me at maintaining her blog, lol) with her booth at the Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market, learned how to junk, sold a ton of stuff on Ebay, painted lots of stuff, sold some furniture, started an Etsy shop, had a photo shoot, renewed our vows, took a few trips, annnnd now here I am. Along the way, I also discovered Ipsy and Julep, both of which are totally awesome and addicting! Ipsy sends a customized makeup bag of products each month, some samples and some full-size, for just $10! I am on my third month and absolutely LOVE it so far! Awesome deal and I have loved everything they've sent! I highly recommend it, and if you decide to subscribe please use my link! :) Julep sends high-quality Julep nail polishes and other nail-related products. I love the polishes because they don't chip and go on soooo smoothly with no bubbles and are beautiful, but it's $20 a month so sometimes I opt out of receiving my box for the month just cause I don't really need 3 more nail colors every single month. BUT, if you are a nail fanatic and want to sign up, please use the link I posted! That way I earn my points. No biggie. ;)

Oh, and I could post pictures…but I am too lazy with this particular post. I plan on posting a review of my next Ipsy bag on here, but let's be honest. The chances of that happening may not be all that great, given my past blogging history. Stay tuned anyway.

Covering Ugly Countertops With Con-Tact Paper!

2013-10-10T15:24:00.001-10:00

I'll keep this short and sweet...when we moved into our house, I loved almost everything. Except for the linoleum tile throughout the whole house, the tacky gold plastic chandelier in the living room, and the gross salmon pink countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. You could tell between the tile, countertops, and wood used for the cabinets, there was pretty much no money in the budget for housing when these houses were built 10 years ago and they just picked the cheapest options. Which I'm guessing were on clearance because they are so ugly.

Anyway, I decided I would get rugs to cover the tile, a different light fixture to replace the chandelier, and I found out that you can cover ugly countertops with CONTACT PAPER!!! It took me 5 hours, but totally worth it!

Here is my kitchen with the ugly pink counters...

This is the roll of angel-sent magic sticky paper that would forever banish the ugly pink counters (or until we move, at least!)

The first square I got down...My countertops are much wider than the roll of paper was, and it's much easier to avoid bubbles and wrinkles if you put the paper on in smaller pieces.

And here is the finished result! It looks a little purple because of the light coming in through the window, but it's just speckled grey and beige. Apparently it's supposed to look like granite. It is a whole lot easier to look at and it's even shinier than the pink grossness.

If anyone decides to try this, my kitchen used just under 4 9-ft rolls. That was for all the counter space you see in the pictures, plus a few feet to either side of the sink. It probably wouldn't have taken so long if I had used a ruler or plastic squeegee thing, but I was using a small plastic scraper that was about 2 inches wide. Also, you might want to cut it to be flush with the edges of your counters. I tried leaving about 1/4 inch to fold underneath the edges, and it's difficult to get it to stay stuck under there. Still turned out pretty good, and I can't wait to do the bathrooms!

NEXT, I kill the chandelier!

>:)

Confessions of an Ex-Workaholic

2013-10-08T10:21:00.002-10:00

It has definitely been some time since I last wrote anything on my blog. To be honest, I completely forgot I even had a blog for a while. It is safe to say that A LOT has happened since my last post! Got another dog, lost our kitty, went through two jobs, and moved back to Arizona. Moved back to Arizona recently, in fact...and while we are beyond elated to be "home" again (or within a few hours of it, at least) this has been the move from HELL. Isn't that ironic? We were sooooooo ready to get out of Hawaii, and out of the five moves I have made, this was by far the most complicated and nightmarish. Things broken, things missing, errors with our bank accounts, etc. BUT enough about that!

Even with having to leave my friends and my awesome job and the beautiful beaches, moving back to AZ may just be the best thing that could have possibly happened to us! We are away from any bustling, busy city, and out in the desert at the foot of mountains full of hiking trails and wildlife where it has stayed in the 70's and 80's during the day thus far. I have actually legitimately needed boots and a sweater at night - and it is SO NIIIICCCCCE! Plus, one amazing thing about moving here was that we not only had a house ready for us right away...we got to choose from FOUR! Still so happy and surprised by that.

I also have decided that I will never work retail again. Those of you that know me, or have ever tried to get to know me but couldn't because I was always working, know that NOT having a job to go to every day is just NOT me! Now, basically being on vacation with husband for over a month was completely amazing! We got to see friends and family we literally had not seen in years, we got to finally spend time together without wasting all of it trying to figure out when we would have more than an hour together next, and we got to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. We got to breathe, eat regular meals, and sleep regular hours. Having a job with irregular hours when your husband has a job with irregular hours, right after he was deployed for the first year of your marriage and now you are living somewhere with an insanely high cost of living that is far, far away from all your friends and family - I know that all sounds like sooo much fun, but I guarantee it is not. It doesn't really give you a chance to be newly-weds or learn how to live with each other or even just enjoy each other's company. I mean, we didn't have any major problems because of this, but it was stressful. We both handle stress pretty well and worked together (for the most part. sometimes. sort of.) to take care of the house and dogs and would try our best to make time for each other, so I never really realized what I was missing out on, what most other normal people get to have, until these past couple of months.

Part of me feels completely inadequate and useless for not having a job, but part of me really, really, REALLY is enjoying living on my own terms. I told husband the other night, I am really struggling with trying to choose between happiness coming from having money and being able to afford whatever we want, vs. happiness coming from living life and not being stressed and/or tired from working for someone else all the time. I feel like kind of a mooching dirtbag for not contributing financially, BUT I feel like I have time to actually LIVE and DO THINGS, rather than showing up somewhere cranky and tired to work my ass off and need a venti-quadruple-shot-latte just two hours into my day only to have some big business, in which I am but a tiny speck, profit from it. Don't get me wrong - I LOVVVED working for Gap Inc. - It really is such an amazing company to work for, and they do care about and take care of every one of their tiny specks - and I made real friends both there and at my previous job. I miss seeing their faces and talking crap with them and laughing with them about crazy customers and our employees. I miss pulling over-nighters to do floor sets and being a zombie at 5 am moving around ridiculously heavy tables and shelves. I miss feeling needed and appreciated when someone comes to find me just to ask for my opinion or advice, or when I pull off something really difficult and surprise even myself. I really truly do miss having something to be stressed about. I miss having too much work and too little time. This sounds horrible, but I miss feeling important and successful and being accountable for other people and a fairly large amount of money. But for years, I missed out on so much more. We were in Hawaii for exactly three whole years, and while I was totally itching to get out, I feel like it flew by because we didn't get to do and see EVERYTHING. I didn't spend half as much time with my husband or friends as I would have liked to. There are numerous friendships that I really wish I could've spent more time developing. I constantly felt so guilty and like a terrible person for crating my dogs every day for 8+ hours. There are at least 5 or 6 big hikes we never got to do simply because when we finally had a day off together, husband would either get called into work or we would both be so completely exhausted. There were so many things we wanted to see.

I stopped working July 27th, and was devastated there were no Gap Inc. stores within an hour radius of where we would live here. I wanted to transfer so badly, but I had a feeling that maybe not being able to transfer was a blessing in disguise. I knew that after working for a company and for managers I actually really liked and even respected, I could never be in the retail world again and have the same expectations. Now, a lifelong career in retail was never and will never be my aspiration, so don't be under the impression that I am giving up my career or dreams just because we moved. I have been saying for a while that I want to be done with the retail world, but it is like a damn black hole that keeps sucking you in with it's shiny new product and charming people and irresistable-for-a-shopaholic discounts! Anyway, every since we found out we would be moving nearly to Mexico, it has been the same question from everyone - "What are you going to do for work down there?" My store manager joked that I could sell tortillas on the side of the road. Instead, I figured I could finally start using my psychology degree, since I did pay ASU thousands and thousands of dollars for it. WELL, maybe thousands and thousands of dollars in the future, I can get my master's and actually qualify for all the jobs in psychology that render a bachelor's degree about as useful as a crayon-scribbled drawing I made in kindergarten. I reconsidered selling tortillas once I did a thorough job search. It didn't take long. There's not much here.

I know this is taking foreverrrrrr and I am sorry and I swear I am about to get to the point of this whole post! Right before leaving Hawaii, we had joined a website where you can upload photography and sell it for a monthly fee. Husband had picked up photography as a hobby and had been practicing techniques and such for about a year or two, and had been learning a lot about it and got pretty good. Pretty good to the point of multiple friends asking where we got the 30x40 canvas print hanging on our wall, being surprised when we told them husband took the photo, and then asking if they could buy it from us! By this point, I had been learning a bit about the whole picture-takin' thing myself and wasn't too shabby. AND I had gotten pretty damn good at editing photos. Husband had shown his work to a few galleries and places like that, and they were interested until we told them we were moving away from the islands soon. They all only support local artists. People from the mainland are evil and malicious and only out to get locally owned businesses in Hawaii, apparently. SOOOOO, when we came across this website I mentioned, we figured we would give it a shot! Now, my crafty mother-in-law had also picked up "junking" in this time frame, where you go to estate sales, thrift stores, anywhere you might find something vintage or cool and different for cheap, which you can then hopefully sell for a profit (usually after fixing it up). I have always loved creating things, whether it be a pastel drawing or a scrapbook of our latest adventure or a beautiful visual display despite the fact that I never had enough product! (Yes, Laurren if you are reading this, that was for you and it was meant to be read in my stressed-out-yelling-voice! (: ) The truth is that I have never really felt satisfied or fulfilled if I wasn't creating SOMETHING that I could physically see the result or finished product. Sure, I was content when I was selling clothes or planning events because I had an income and when I was training groups of people to be awesome sellers or customer service-ers it was nice to see them develop and grow into their roles. I could say I am passionate about people all day long, and it's somewhat true...but it never gave me the same rush or feeling of accomplishment as when I have made something with my hands. I know it sounds cheesy and stupid, but I have always been very creative and I am beginning to realize that deep down, I am never going to truly be happy without some form of art in my life. I refinished a table at one point and had once made a birdhouse and a step stool as a kid at Home Depot, so I figured I could rebuild/refinish/repurpose old furniture and sell it. Some Pinterest-ing, Google-ing, and a trip to an art fair later, and my suspicions of using my artistic ability and creativeness to make a small profit have been confirmed. It won't be making much money, but between the photography website and whatever pieces I decide to make, it'll be enough. I will be working, hopefully I will be somewhat successful sooner than later, and hell, even if I don't make a penny I will be happy because I will be creating something. So there! That loosely sums up the past 3 years and where I am right now. I know this is sort of a long read, so if you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me!

I am going to go edit some photos, now! :)

Good Morning, Lovely!

2011-01-31T07:43:00.000-10:00

Most days, I wish I didn't work from home. I wish I could put on a nice outfit, get into my car, and drive to an office or store or something and interact with people face-to-face. We are planning on getting a second car soon so I can. However, on days like this, I am very thankful to be sitting at home in sweats.

Every Monday, there is a conference call. The company I work for is based on the East coast, and I am in Hawaii. So, quite a time difference! Usually, the calls are at 7 my time, so last night I set my alarm for 6:45 like a good girl and promised myself I would wake up on time to dial in, set myself to mute, and make some coffee. Welllllll, remember how I just said we are planning on another car? The idiots at the bank we applied for a loan at called my cell at 6:30 this morning. Really?!?! It says right there on the application that we live in Hawaii!!! UGH. I hate waking up, just to find you don't need to be up yet and also don't have enough time to fall back asleep. Needless to say, I stared at the phone for a second and then pressed ignore after silently cursing them.

Laid in bed for another 15 minutes just waiting for my alarm to go off, got up, told Roxie to get up, got growled at, told her not to be so rude and coaxed her out of bed and down the stairs. THAT should have been my first clue. Even the dog didn't want to get up. I call in, enter the super top secret conference call code, annnnnnd the computer lady tells me it's the wrong code. Uh, what? I enter it again. "There is no conference scheduled for this time." But I have an email! And a super top secret conference call code! And I missed the last two calls cause I was freakin exhausted and didn't get the emails that there was a conference until after I woke up, which was after the conference was over! I can't miss this one! I'M AWAAAAAKE!!! I read my email again. Call is at 1 PM Eastern time, so 10 AM Pacific time, sooooo 7 AM Hawaii time, right? Hah. WRONG. I check the time zone clock thingies on my computer...8 AM Hawaii time. hmmm...so, I don't have to be up yet, but I also don't have enough time to go back to sleep...interesting.

And that's how this post was born.

Anyway, I guess it's a good thing I didn't actually show up to work an hour early just to sit outside. And that I fixed our espresso machine yesterday. Hello, latte! hmmm...caramel or vanilla? Also, my mom told me I should "write about all the beautiful places in Hawaii" that we have been to. Stay turned for Beaches of Hawaii: The Real OC. Or maybe Lauren's Beaches: A Little Less Interesting and Much Less Sexy Than Bridget's Beaches. Or something like that. I'm still hammering out the details.

A for AWESOMMME

2011-01-27T20:50:00.000-10:00

Husband had a day off today! YES!!! I was so excited for today. We woke up and snuggled for a bit before getting up, and then I assembled a super cute outfit from clothes I have always had but never worn together. If you are a girl, you know what I mean. I then ran downstairs (he was watching tv on the couch), and said, "Don't I look cute?! Take me out somewhere today!!!" We were going to go to Cheesecake Factory, and it was going to be amazing and delicious. BUT, we didn't. Instead, we ended up driving all over the freakin island to get some stupid pin for his uniform for some stupid thing he has to go to early tomorrow because some stupid general is here. You think I'm calling everything "stupid" because I'm irritated and exagerating, but you're wrong. These things really actually are very stupid.

1- The pin goes on a shirt that no one ever sees, other than whoever will be at this specific event/formation tomorrow for a few hours.

2- The event tomorrow is stupid because no one is being promoted, deploying, or coming home. Nothing is happening!

3- The general really literally is stupid. Last time husband met him, he said MP's shouldn't be airborne. I may be speaking in code to some of you, but just take my word. The guy is an idiot. Hubby has to choose between wearing his airborne wings (showing that he is part of a major military police tradition) or combat action badge (showing he has seen combat) because of how their uniforms are set up, and he is going to wear his airborne wings. JUST to make a point. =) He would wear his red beret too, if he was allowed to.

After locating said pin, we just decided to come home and watch a movie. I made cookies. Chocolate chip. I hadn't made cookies in so long, and they turned out so yummy! I used the butter I made, too! We watched Chaos Theory and fell asleep because the end is so boring. And now I am awake and bored because it's still early.

On the bright side.....
I am taking this international films class because it fulfills some credit I needed, and I thought it would be interesting to see a variety of films with different cinematic styles from different cultures. WELLLLLL, this semester is based completely on the French New Wave. The films are French, in French, with subtitles. ALL of them are French. Twice a week, there is a certain film we are supposed to watch, certain chapters in the textbook we are supposed to read, and then discuss everything with our classmates on the discussion board (it's an online class). We've already done two films, and I JUST got the textbook in the mail today. (The bright side is coming. Just bear with me.) So, I've pretty much been guessing and trying to apply my English knowledge of analyzing literature to analyzing films. Give me a book and I'll analyze every word of it, but give me a french new wave film, and I feel completely lost. Definitely NOT my thing, or so I thought...until our professor sent out an email today. All it said was that grades for the first two discussions were posted along with individual feedback from him, and that he made a new post on the class blog. I just looked at my grade, and definitely got an A, with a message saying that my posts were his favorites. And we are supposed to have 3 postings per discussion, and I definitely only had 2 on the second one. Woops. He said he made an exception this time because what I wrote was so good. Also, what he put on the class blog was a message to everyone telling them to see my first discussion post, along with one other student's, to get an idea of what he is looking for in the discussions. ummmm... HOLY. CRAP. Definitely an awesome surprise after venting to a few people how I feel so lost with this class! I usually don't brag, but I felt it was well deserved in this case. Everyone cross your fingers that I continue to kick butt in this fashion! Thaaanks.

You Won't Believe It IS Butter!

2011-01-25T10:24:00.000-10:00

I know I just had a post yesterday, but I have done something pretty awesome since then.

I made butter.

If you are having the same reaction to this news that my hubby had, you are probably thinking, "She made butter? Now that's just crazy! How do you make butter? It's just butter!" Well, I will tell you. You put some cream in your fancy kitchen aid and you whip it. You whip it good.

This is my fancy kitchen aid (thanks Kelly!) in action.

This is the smooth, creamy, delicious butter I made.

This is the smooth, creamy, delicious butter I made on the yummy toast I had for breakfast.

And this is about how fast I ate it in real life.

Seriously, so delicious! You know when you go to a nice restaurant and they have the really fluffy butter that they serve in little balls, like they have an army of smurfs in the fridge who scoop them with tiny little ice cream scoops? Well it tastes just like that! I'm going to use some for baking cookies and see how that goes, so I didn't add anything this time. Next time, I'm going to just make a little at a time and try adding sea salt or herbs or something. Oooooo maybe I'll make some cinnamon butter!

I also recently got some pretty awesome news. For my cousin's wedding in March, I get to be on Teagan patrol! Teagan is my other cousin's adorable little girl, the neice of the bride, and the flower girl. So, I get to make sure she makes it down the isle in her sweet little white and lavendar polka dot dress. I'm so excited because she is pretty much the cutest little munchkin you will ever see, and I just love her to death! I can't wait to hang out with her!

This is Teagan. So you can see how adorable she is.

I can't wait to go home and see everyone! Hubby can't come because he has SRT school, but I'm still excited. I also get to finally meet my other little cousin that is already 5 months old and I haven't even seen yet! Ugh. Effing Hawaii. It's ok, in a few years we will be back home and I can just hop in the car to go see everyone whenever I want! 3...more...years......

Oh How Time Flies!

2011-01-24T19:50:00.000-10:00

It seems like January just started, and it is already the 24th! Goodness! Where have all the days gone?!

Since school started again, I spend literally 5 or 6 hours a day reading and taking notes. When I finally look up at the clock, I can't believe how late it is! Of course, I'm me, so I'm super far ahead in getting my work done. At least that means all the time I'm spending on it is paying off. And the fact that time is flying by must mean I'm finding it interesting...YAY!

All this studying and working has left no walk time for poor Roxie dog. As you can imagine, she is pissed. She went potty in our bedroom the other night. BITCH. Literally. Hah. Anyway, Roxie made a new friend! Actually, I think they became friends quite a while ago when they sniffed eachother through the fence seperating our back yards, but they got to finally play! It was glorious. Jackie is a husky mix, and about twice the size of Roxie, and they were runnnnning and tackling and wrestling and they were both loving it! It was good to see my little woofer have someone other than the cat to play with, causssssse that was just getting pathetic. I also discovered that my 2 year old dog still has allllllll her puppy energy. Even after Jackie wearing her out, it was only minutes after we got home that she was jumping around, ready to go again! Ugh.

Guess what else! I'm starting a gardennnnnn! Soon. Our awesome neighbors, who also happen to be Jackie's parents, are giving us their planter box! I can't wait to grow all our own delicious veggies! mmmmmm...all I can think about is making stew with fresh carrots and...whatever else you put in a stew. YUMMY.

At least we have good neighbors on one side of us. The ones on the other side are complete bags of douche. BLEH.

One more amazing thing about the past week: Husband got more than one day off! YIPPEEE!!! One day, we went to Target to treat ourselves to new pillows (we had always just gotten the crappy ones, but got nice ones this time. He got a memory foam pillow!) and ended up in the food section for about 20 minutes because we were hungry. I was getting some odd stares...walking from isle to isle, hugging my fluffy new pillow like a 5 year old and drooling over everything I saw. We left with a box of chicken fingers to go with the previously purchased mango habenero sauce from B Dubs, and a box of taquitos. Not the healthiest choices, but that's what happens when you're starving. We then went home, made half of each box, and had a movie night. Now that I think of it, we haven't gotten fast food in the past couple weeks, so I guess that kind of replaced a fast food trip. Note to self: just go to Target from now on instead.

Another day, we went to the gym with all intentions of working out. I was going to be on the elliptical while he lifted weights. 30 minute workout. NOPE. We got there and decided to play rackett ball instead, and left over an hour later when the guy finally told us they were closing. I was sooooo horrible and it was soooo much fun! I kept laughing at myself, and it's really hard to concentrate on hitting a little blue ball that is whizzing around, and bouncing off every single wall as a result of your husband hitting it as hard as he can, while laughing. He kept asking, "shouldn't you know how to hit a ball? I thought you were trained for that!" Just to be clear, hitting a ball coming at you from one direction with a bat is a little different than hitting a tiny-ass ball attacking you from all directions with a rackett. Also, if you don't like where the the tiny-ass ball is and don't swing at it, it just hits you. I'm covered in small, round bruises now. I think husband was aiming for me. Actually, I'm pretty sure he was aiming for me. It really was a blast though, and a good workout! I'm still sore today.

Ever since I typed "taquitos", I have been thinking about eating the rest for dinner.....um, BYE.

So it's Been Awhile...

2011-01-18T20:15:00.002-10:00

It has been a week...or two...since my last post, so I thought maybe I was due. First of all, I am still alive. And busy. VERY busy. I like it. What have I been so busy with, you ask? Well, I will tell you. I started school (YIPPEEEE!!!), started work (yippee.), and am trying to get a card business off the ground (.....yay.).

School is sadly the easiest of the three, so far. I am basically smushing 3 semester-long courses into 7 weeks. And when I'm done with those 3, I will have another 2 to smush into another 7 weeks. I am a Psych major, so I will be doing a lot of boring reading and researching for the rest of the semester, until I can take something fun, like a neuroscience or physiological psychology. And since I decided to do Psychology now instead of Bio, like I was going to do, I of course don't have the prerequisites I need for most of my classes. So, I will most likely have to take summer school.

I got a job! I got a job! It's actually probably the easiest job I have ever had, but still more work than school. If you have ever heard of CoachDeck, I have the Hawaii territory. If you haven't heard of CoachDeck, look it up. When I initially heard about what it is, two things came to mind: I wished someone had invented these things while I was still playing softball, so I could give one to all the coaches we dealt with that were less knowledgeable and experienced than us (I mainly mean high school coaches....no, you know what? I specifically mean high school coaches.), and I also was slightly jealous that someone else thought of this, and not me. Because it's such a good idea. Like I said, look it up. right here. Basically, I look for youth recreational soccer leagues online and contact them to see if they would like a free sample to show to the rest of their league, in hopes that they will buy five million, and I will be able to buy Hawaii and connect it with the rest of the country. Or perhaps buy an entire airline, and fly home whenever I want for freeeeeee. One thing I have learned in the past couple days is that it is MUCH more difficult to trap someone and sell to them until they cave and buy everything you say over the phone than it is in person. I could sell water to a fish if the fish and I were face-to-face, but I have had two people turn down free sample decks. They're FREE. No strings attached. No obligation to buy. You get to keep this and use it to pretend you're a good coach. FREEEEEEE!!!!! Hello?!?!?! Oh well, I guess they'll regret it when one of the people who didn't turn me down shows it to the board at the next meeting and becomes everyone's hero. And then the free sample rejector ends up using it anyway. HAH. I win.

Let's see...what else? Oh yes. Cards. I have been making cards for awhile now. It all started when my freaking amazing mother-in-law, Kelly, got involved with Soldier's Angels. Soldier's Angels sends deployed troops cards. We decided that we were also going to send cards to our deployed troop, but we were going to MAKE ours!!! You see, we both like scrapbooking, and hanging out together, and our soldier, and laughing, and LOVVVVVE, and cupcakes, so we decided to combine all of these wonderful things into each card. Here are a few examples...

I know. It looks like Cupid came all over the table.

Cupcakes! Loooovvvvvve! SMOOCHES!!!

There were a lot more cards than this, but you get the idea. Oh, and we even signed them with our last name (which also just so happens to be my husband's last name), so his whole squad of manly Army men in Afghanistan would know who their Valentine cards were from.

Our cards were so touching, a couple of the guys emailed a response back to Kelly! I will spare everyone the agony of seeing the actual picture they sent her, but it I will say it involved very minimal clothing and the giant heart shaped lollipops we sent along with the cards.

Anyway, this was about a year ago, and the beginning of my love of making cards. Since then, I have been making them for mostly for friends' birthdays and sometimes for other occassions or holidays. I like making cards so much (and I think I'm pretty good at it), that I decided I am going to start selling them. Now obviously, the ones we made for the boys were meant to be completely over the top and ridiculously cheesy. So don't think all of my cards are like these. If you want to see some, go here. Annnnnddddd maybe even buy one. or two. or ten. After all, Valentine's Day IS just around the corner!

Merry Almost Christmas!

2010-12-20T16:07:00.000-10:00

It is only five days from Christmas. FIIIIIVVVVVE. And it still feels like September to me, even after all the decorating and over-eating and sending out Christmas cards and shopping and wrapping and blindly rushing into the post office with the leaning tower of presents balanced in front of my face. Roxie even has on her candy cane striped collar, and occasionally sports her reindeer antlers when she's feeling especially fashionable. It's just a little hard to get into the holiday spirit when you live so far away from the people you usually spend holidays with. I know I shouldn't complain about living in Hawaii, because it's Hawaii, but it sucks that it's just soooooooooo isolated! It is the epitome of being alone in a crowded room. The island itself is like someone scooped up L.A. and dropped it into the middle of the ocean, and all the silicone and inflated egos made it stay afloat. It's super crowded to the point where driving becomes nightmare-ish. Now, obviously I'm not completely alone here, since my husband is also here (thank God!), and we have some friends, but we never really get to see them that much.

We did get to see them last night though, and dropped them off at the airport to go home to see their friends and family. We got to hang out for a little bit before they abandoned us here on this Christmasless island, and my friend (we will call her K), put it perfectly..."People don't understand when we complain about living here, because it's paradise. When you first get here, it IS paradise cause it's still like you're on vacation. But then you just start to live a normal life here, just like you would anywhere else, except without all your friends and family around". I was like YESSSS! THANK YOU!!!

Until today, K hasn't gone home to see her family in a year. HOLY. MOLEY. We have only been here 5 teensy little months, and I get homesick sometimes. I spent Thanksgiving this year staring into my cousin's kitchen via Skype, while hubby crashed out on the couch after working an ungodly amount of hours. I miss everyone so so so much. It was the first Thanksgiving I have ever spent away from family. I think we ate pizza rolls. Or maybe we didn't eat. I don't even remember.

I'm just happy that at least with Christmas, presents will cheer me up! That sounds bad, but whatever. I asked my husband last night when he was going to wrap my presents, and he said he might not even wrap them at all! GASP! =0 I was horrified. I had to explain to him that I need something to open. The tree needs presents under it! I told him the tree looks sad, and he asked if I wanted him to wrap it...ugh. It's just not the same without the suspense of what's in the box, and all the shreds of red and green paper and bows flying through the air. Even if the present is a dirty sock, the presentation still counts for something. Think about it this way...Would you eat a cockroach? Of course not! Well...would you eat a cockroach that was dipped in chocolate and sitting on a gorgeous silver platter, all wrapped up in a pretty box with a pretty bow? Hopefully not, but at least it would be a little less disgusting.

To make myself feel more Christmasy, I am now changing the font color of this post to red and green, and adding numerous random pictures of Christmas/holiday related things I found on Google. I know this may be annoying, so...sorry...sort of.

Smelly catttttt, smelly caaaattttttttt...

2010-12-16T21:13:00.000-10:00

I recently discovered that I am a dog person. Before now, I have never really identified myself as a "dog person"/"cat person", but just an "animal person". I just love them all! Every time I go to the zoo, I make a mental list of all the animals I plan on someday stealing. I am still looking for a purse big enough for elephant smuggling. For the longest time, I wanted to be a vet. This dream ended when I found out how much school was required. Also, I got a C in bio because I couldn't stay awake or understand a word my Hungarian professor was saying, and he told me I would never get into medical school unless I got an A, or maybe B, in his class...at least I think that's what he said. I couldn't understand. Anyway, the point is that I have always considered myself a lover of all furry, four-legged species of kingdom animalia. However...it turns out that I discriminate. I am species-ist, if you will.

I have never really owned a cat because my dad is allergic to them. Or their dander. Or whatever. I used to take care of a neighbor's cat when I was younger, and it seemed like no big deal. Feed her, clean her box, make sure she's inside at night. My parents have had dogs. When my husband and I got married, we got a puppy because he was deploying soon for 12 months and I wanted a pet that would keep me company. Not until recently have I owned a cat. A cat, might I add, that my husband will claim as HIS cat. A cat that he promised to take care of. A cat whose box I had been doing most of the cleaning of until the last couple of days...This cat that I at first THOUGHT was just soooooo cute is only making me realize how absolutely disgusting and un-cute cats are.

Now, don't get me wrong...I would never want anything bad to happen to this cat. His name is Spock. Spock is orange and soft and likes to cuddle and purs louder than any other kitty I have ever met. Spock gets along great with my dog. Spock is good for a laugh when woken up from a nap on the couch.

BUT, Spock's poop smells. Yes, I know all poop smells...but there is no way to describe the severity of this certain type of smell. I have picked up after dogs with no problems. Dog poop just smells like...well...exactly that. The cat I used to take care of NEVER smelled anything like this, and she was an outdoor cat so you never knew what she was going to eat.

I always gag when I clean Spock's litter box, but the other day I more than gagged. Had to run to the bathroom. I'm not sure what his issue is. We have the multi-cat litter with Arm&Hammer in it, and I add even more baking soda to it and spray it with a special litter box spray that neutralizes odors. We feed him healthy, holistic food. Blue Buffalo for indoor cats. He drinks plenty of water. His litter boxed gets cleaned every day. He isn't obese or anything...plays with the dog during the day and also plays alllll night long. I know because we have wood floors downstairs and he runs like a retard. Still, when we open our bedroom door in the morning, I can smell his litter box, meaning the smell travels out the door of his litter box (yes, it even has a full top and a door. I thought it would help contain the smelliness), out the laundry room and up the stairs, makes a turn and goes up the second flight of stairs, down the hallway, and to our door. It is horrifying. It's like he plays in it like it's a sandbox or something, and all the odors get fluffed up into the air.

I don't know what to do. Does anyone else have this problem? ANY suggestions are welcome and VERY appreciated. Also, if anyone wants a soft, orange, cuddly, purring kitty...let me know.

Does anyone have an OFF switch I can have?

2010-12-13T20:07:00.000-10:00

So, here we go. Blogging. I've always thought about starting a blog. I like blogs. I just never thought I would be much good at it. Who would want to read about my boring little life, right? I recently decided that I don't care if nobody ever reads it. So, like I said...here we go!

I have a problem that has only been getting worse and worse lately. It takes me hours to fall asleep at night. HOURS. I lay there with my eyes closed, hoping eventually my brain will stop running, but it just keeps going and going and goooiiiiinnnngggggg. All the thoughts in my head are like a swarm of bees. There are too many to count or keep track of, and my attention just darts from one to another every few seconds. It's kind of like this...I need to run tomorrow...we need groceries...Christmas shopping...I want school to start...did they get my application...when can we get a second car?...maybe I should just work instead...but we just have one car...tires need air...oil change...groceries...I want ice cream...no, I need to be running...paying for school...job...one car...crap!...I need to get to the post office...Christmas...I miss my family...I miss my grandma...now I'm sad...need ice cream...NO! FAT!...run tomorrow...I need to register for classes NOW...books...money...need a job...one car...DAMNIT.

And it just keeps going. And yes, the thoughts are all in that exact big, red, bold, scary font. At some point, I do fall asleep, but only after tossing and turning and trying to solve all of life's unsolvable problems in one night. I'm hoping that maybe this blog will give me a way to get all my thoughts out of my head, so they can't keep me awake at night. Cross your fingers.