The Daily Distraction

Blog Every Day in May - Things I've Learned

2013-05-23T05:33:00.004-07:00

For day 23 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I'm supposed to talk abut things I've learned that school hasn't taught me. Here are some of mine:

(1) Communication: the school I went to for kindergarten to graduating high school was pretty strict Southern baptist so they were pretty closed minded and judgmental. Sorry Southern Baptists out there, but this school really really was those things. They didn't want to hear your opinions or thoughts on things. They wanted to tell you that your parents were going to hell if they got divorced and that was that. No seriously, they told us that. I cheated on a Bible test in that teacher's class as retaliation. :) So outside of school and especially in my current relationship, I have had to learn how important communication is. There is not ever one side to something; we all have our own thoughts, feelings, and opinions and we have to be respectful of that. Listening is just as important as speaking. And most important is being honest about what you're thinking and feeling. If I don't communicate to Mike about things that are bothering me or things that I want or need, I shouldn't be allowed to be frustrated or sad that I don't have these things.

(2) Science: I mean.....seriously....we were taught creationist science so yeah....had to learn actual science outside of school...

(3) How to Dress Yourself: our school had a dress code and uniforms on and off (aren't you jealous of my schooling?!) so learning to properly dress myself was learned wayyyy later. Good god, looking at old pictures of myself, I was dressing so unflatteringly. Is that a word? This might sound dumb, but learning to dress yourself in a flattering way is super important for women and can help so much with your confidence.

(4) Saying No is Okay: I used to be a big people pleaser and it made me end up with a lot of friends who were not good to me and took advantage of me. You can say no to people and you can stand up for yourself. You will lose friends, but they are not worth keeping!

(5) To Be Yourself: I hid a lot of myself in school because I was afraid of being judged, losing friends, and just afraid of being honest. Putting on a facade of being a happy person when you are really struggling with internal issues is only going to make you unhappier. Just be honest with yourself, be true to who you are, and don't be afraid of reaching out to people for help.

No Reply Bogger

2013-05-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

Okayyyy so I've been responding to my blog comments lately via e-mail not realizing that a bunch of you don't have an e-mail attached to your profile so I've been basically e-mailing the great void. Whoops. So if you've ever commented on my blog and thought I didn't respond, I'm going through my posts today and catching up! Sorry guys! And thank you for all the wonderful comments, I just love you weirdos.

Blog Every Day in May - Rant

2013-05-22T05:16:00.003-07:00

For day 22 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I'm supposed to rant on something; get on my soapbox and tell you how I really feel. The only thing I would feel really comfortable ranting about on here would be unemployment and I already did that here. The other things that would inspire that from me would be religion, politics, gay rights, etc. and I just don't want to bring those kind of argumentative issues to this space. One thing I actually really hate that people who are staunchly one religion or one political side do is to force their opinions on you and not care whether what they are saying offends you. So, there's no way I'm doing that on here; I'm not shoving my opinion down your throat or ranting at you about something you may believe or feel passionately about. If you're curious about how I feel on a certain topic, just ask me, but I won't be standing on my soapbox any time soon. Instead, here is a cute picture of my dog. Have a great day lovies!

Blog Every Day in May - Archives

2013-05-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

For day 21 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I'm supposed to share some of my favorite posts from my archives. Here they are!

A Letter To My Fellow Patrons of Stater Bros - This post still makes me laugh every time I read it. This was one of my first blog posts from way back when I was unemployed (for the first time) in 2009 and spent my days grocery shopping for my mom and Mike and apparently cracking myself up on the internet.

Engaged - Our engagement story. Still one of the greatest days ever even though I'm pretty sure our engagement is super unromantic compared to most people's it's so perfectly us; I love it.

Some Well Placed Capers - our wedding ceremony words by John, our officiant. Make me weepy every time I read them. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

The Big Day - a post all about our wedding.

The Rules of Grad Student Chic - because the entire time I was in grad school, I dressed like a hobo (kind of like right now...)

Baby Flu - when baby fever gets overrun by fear and the overwhelming feeling that you should not be allowed to procreate.

Happy Yellow Cardigan - my first real outfit post. Oh man I miss my bangs...

Pretty Housewife - some of my prettiest outfit photos ever. Pretty proud of taking these myself. Also, how shiny are our counter tops?!

My Boys - just a regular day with my husband and dogs. I love this post because I love those darn boys so much and I miss our little house and backyard.

Soccstars - because who doesn't want to look at 8 million pictures of my husband being a soccer stud?!

Full Circle - because a story about me sharing ice cream with my dogs from the same spoon just about sums me up perfectly.

Sunny Day

2013-05-20T11:29:00.003-07:00

There are days I hate being unemployed. It makes me feel useless and pathetic and terrified. But then there are days when on my afternoon walk, my pug finds a patch of grass he loves and starts euphorically rolling around in it. And I let him do it because he looks so incredibly happy and excited about this patch of grass. And I stand there for so long, that my corgi gets tired and lays down in the grass panting and squinting up at the sun. And an idea comes to me that I should keep the dogs out here; enjoying the grass and the sun and the rare moment of perfect weather in this otherwise rainy week. So I tie their leashes up to a tree outside our apartment and plop down on a towel with my kindle and a bowl of water for the pups. And just like that, unemployment isn't so bad. Because today, on a Monday, I'm outside sitting with my feet in the grass, the sun on my face, a breeze ruffling through my hair, and my two sweet pups laying beside me staring out at the world. And then I just feel nothing but lucky.

Blog Every Day in May - A Struggle

2013-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

For day 20 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to talk about something we're currently struggling with. Which, to me, is basically the same thing as what we talked about on day 16...but maybe I did that day wrong? So I had to really dig for something else to talk about. Which I guess is a good thing? Having a hard time coming up with things to complain about?

Other than the always frustrating unemployment which in turn results in money issues, my other struggle is my mental issues when it comes to fitness. As you've read on here, I've recently gotten more into working out and I love what it does for me. My upper body is getting more toned than it's ever been and my legs are looking great. Mike constantly comments on how high my butt is now and how much he can see my leg muscles. These are all great things and make me feel so good about myself. BUT for some reason, most days when I show up the gym, I feel like shit about myself. I put on my super tight workout pants and although I realistically know I look good in them, I immediately start to think I look like a fat load. I sit in that stupid squat press leg machine thingy and it makes me have to bend at the waist and I get a little fat roll and I feel like shit the whole time I'm doing the squats. Instead of focusing on the fact that when I first went to the gym, I couldn't move that machine and now I'm doing 4 sets of 12 every time, I focus on how not cute I look while doing it. I stare at myself in the mirror in between sets and decide I have a double chin and my hair looks stupid and my skin is bad and it goes on and on.

So, my struggle is to overcome that mental crap. Instead of beating myself up, I need to feel good about the fact that I got off my ass and went for a run and then walked our dogs for half an hour and then went to the gym for an hour and a half. Every night. I should be proud of that. I beat myself up about the fact that if I dieted better, I would be thinner, but I just don't want to diet. I need to get over that. I'm not going to be thinner, this is how I look and I should just get over it. I need to stop calling myself fat. I need to stop beating myself up. I really need to stop this before I end up having a girl and teaching her this awful behavior.

So that's what I got. Girls are nuts, eh?

Blogger Book Swap - Character Crushes

2013-05-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

For this week's Blogger Book Swap Link Up, I'm supposed to either do a soundtrack for a book I love or talk about a character crush I have. I've been horrible at these link ups because I wasn't reading a ton when I started, I have a horrible memory, and Mike and I are in the middle of our yearly reading of all the Harry Potter books. We're nerds. So my character crush is weird and inappropriate, but I have literally been having dreams about making out with this guy. Even though I'm like 5 years older than him and in my mind he's always going to be like 13 which makes me creepy and I should shut up now.

But seriously? He's adorable.

Who is your character crush, appropriate or otherwise?

Blog Every Day in May - 5 Blogs We Love

2013-05-19T05:28:00.001-07:00

For day 19 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to tell you about 5 blogs we love and why. Here are mine!

Nat The Fat Rat

(1) My absolute favorite blog of all time is Nat The Fat Rat. Up until her, I had been haphazardly blogging and reading pretty much solely fashion blogs. Then I found her and read her entire archives in one weekend. She was the first lifestyle blog I'd ever read and the first really true-to-herself, silly, weird, random blogger I'd encountered. Her blog is cute and silly and makes you feel like you're part of her life and really makes you want to be her best friend. (That makes me sound creepy)

couldawouldapica

(2) Couldawouldapica is a DC blogger who blogs about fashion, life, recipes, design, and her love for DC. She's one of the only bloggers I read who isn't out there putting her blog button all over other people's pages, trolling for affiliate links, or pushing sponsors. In fact, it took me ages to find an actual picture of her to post on here, she's too busy posting beautiful pictures of the city she loves and her adorable dog. She's just herself and blogs about whatever she wants to; it's really refreshing.

Kendi Everyday

(3) Kendi Everyday is the first fashion blog I ever found and she's still my favorite. She is really one of those rare blog success stories that starts with a regular Joe taking poorly lit outfit pictures and ends with them being one of the biggest bloggers out there making their living in the fashion industry. And she's cute and down to earth to boot, love her!

Mish Lovin' Life

(4) If ever there were a blogger that I could meet in real life and feel completely comfortable with and have an immediate bond, it would be Mish. I feel like she's an Asian, prettier version of me. Seriously you guys, she's so weird. I love her. Her blog has BLOWN up in the last couple of years, especially since she quit her job and spent six months travelling the world with her hunk of a boyfriend. She's hilarious and inappropriate and I just love to read her blog.

Faux Fancy

(5) I love reading Faux Fancy because these girls are real and you can tell they really love the things they're blogging about. Their blog eats, sleeps, and breathes blogging and you can tell their love for all things fashion, DIY, cooking, and event planning in their posts. Also, I know MK in real life and I'm pretty sure that crazy bitch is my spirit animal.

What are your favorite blogs?

Blog Every Day in May - Childhood Story

2013-05-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

For Day 18 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to tell a story from our childhood and delve really deep into it. I don't really feel like writing much today. Yesterday was an odd/off day especially with the blog and the internet in general so I'm just going to post a couple of pictures and tell a quick story. Here goes!

These are some of my favorite pictures of my sister and I as little kids. She's the cute, skinny blonde and I'm the giant headed monster. Fun fact: I never outgrew those cheeks. They are still hanging around as my husband loves to remind me by calling me "puffy cheeks" all the time. The top right picture is the one I'll tell a story about. I used to always hug people like that. I was short and had no sense of private space and didn't get that clasping my hands in someone's crotch might be uncomfortable for them. I got separated from my mom once in the grocery store and she found me standing like that with my hands clutched in the crotch of some complete stranger I thought was my mom because I was too short and dumb to look up at her and realize it definitely was not.

I also peed in Baskin Robbins once.

Both those stories might be made up, I have a horrible memory.

Dreaming of a Vacation

2013-05-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

Lately, Mike and I have been dreaming of taking a big vacation to Europe. We keep staring at my savings account with all that tax return money we got this year thinking of how we could stretch that to a week long trip including plane tickets. Which we could do, but probably shouldn't do until this little lazy girl gets a dang job. Our favorite trip of course was our honeymoon to London and we just cannot wait to go back. The two places I've been dreaming of lately are Amsterdam and Italy. Ohhhh they both seem so dreamy and relaxing and tasty. Maybe I have a thing for canals because I keep looking at Venice when planning an Italy trip. I love the way Mike and I travel together. We want exactly the same things out of trips: food, relaxing, wandering around. Neither of us like to take organized tours nor do we care for "activities." We're happiest just exploring on our own and stopping often to grab a drink and some snacks. When making travel reservations, our biggest priority is usually the hotel. We tend to go towards modern boutique hotels, but when looking around for Venice, Italy choices, I think it would fun to get a romantic hotel room; something historic and cozy. Like this:

I mean seriously, I don't think we would ever leave the room. (That sounds dirtier than intended...only slightly though) Here are some inspiration pictures for our two dream trips. Where do you guys dream about going?

Amsterdam

I love the buildings in Amsterdam. It's like DC but older and on water and you know, European.

I don't know what this building is, but I want to visit it.

Can we stay at this hotel please?

Italy

Dreaaaamy

Can you imagine sitting here enjoying a bottle of wine?

Blog Every Day in May - Favorite Photo

2013-05-17T05:23:00.001-07:00

For day 17 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to show you guys a favorite photo of ourselves and why we love it. Here's mine!

It was really hard to pick a favorite photo. That sounds conceited. I am not, trust me. But I have mastered the art of a good selfie and with all the outfit posts we've taken and the 800 wedding pictures, there were some good ones to choose from. I chose a wholly unflattering one of me crying because I just really love this moment. I was not, up until this point, a wedding crier I especially wasn't an "I'm so happy and overwhelmed with love" crier. That was not me. I started out our ceremony standing calmly with my hands together in front of me, totally playing it cool and ready to get the ceremony over and the reception going.

And then John (our officiant) started his speech and he hit the line, "After all, it is 'The bad

things in life often open your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before.'" And I lost it. And Mike, my unemotional, cold little robot I always joke about reached over and grabbed my hand and it was the sweetest moment and I lost it even more. Mike's protective hand covering mine and the goofy grin on his face while John did the ceremony was one of the best moments of my life. I'm so glad I broke down and cried and let go of some of the stupid things I was holding onto before that point.

(And also, my hair looks really good in this photo...so there's that.)

Blog Every Day in May - A Difficulty

2013-05-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

For day 16 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, I'm supposed to tell you about something difficult with my "lot in life" and how I'm working to overcome it. Here goes!

The biggest difficulty I'm facing right now is of course my unemployment. This is the third time I've quit a job to move somewhere for Mike and the third time I've had to struggle to find jobs I actually want to apply for. Yet again, we're living somewhere that is relatively small and without a lot of industries other than the government. With sequestration going on, the government isn't really hiring so that has closed a lot of the jobs I've applied for and there really isn't much else around here to apply for. When I venture outside our area and apply in DC, I'm now competing with a huge group of people and I usually get overlooked. The biggest problem is that I've been trying to apply for jobs I actually want; that can become careers. I haven't caved and started applying for receptionist or retail positions yet, but it's getting tempting as we round on 6 months being unemployed. I want to actually like my job, crazy as that is. The problem lies in the fact that these jobs I want, I don't have enough experience in so I don't get considered. So basically, if you don't choose your career in college and work in that field the whole time you're in college, you aren't getting a job in it later in life. I'm 30 and trying to find my career. It's hard as sh*t.

The way I'm trying to overcome this difficulty is by applying for unpaid positions to help me get experience while I look. Yesterday, I accepted an internship that I think will be great for my resume and possibly turn into a paid position in the future. I've also been sending writing samples around to local people looking for unpaid writers. Anything to get experience and show that I've been doing something with my unemployment.

BUT we'll see how it goes. I've given myself until month 9 of unemployment before I start applying for soul-sucking receptionist jobs. Wish me luck!

Blog Every Day in May - A Day In My Life

2013-05-16T05:37:00.002-07:00

For Day 15 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to do a post showing a day in our lives. I did this same post a little while back seen here, but might as well do it again! (Spoiler: not much has changed except I'm even more boring now)

7:30 - Woke up, cuddled the dogs, checked my e-mail, lazed in bed.

7:45 - Got up, put in my contacts, put on some more appropriate clothes and took the dogs for a walk.

8:00 - Fed the dogs breakfast and got myself some coffee.

8:15 - Drank coffee while answering e-mails and checking out pointless web sites.

9:00 - Ate breakfast in bed while watching an old season of Top Chef with the pups.

9:15 - Took a shower.
9:30 - Remembered I was supposed to be taking pictures of my day for this blog post. Whoops.

9:45 - I actually did my hair and makeup today!! Also tried on fifteen different outfits for my Skype interview.

10:15 - Got ready for my interview and did a couple of blogs.

11:00 - Interviewed with an awesome lady for a super cool internship.

11:30 - Was offered the internship. Wahoo!!

She'll probably regret hiring me after seeing this picture...

11:45 - Celebrated with a tasty lunch of Panera tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, one of my favorite meals ever.

12:00 - And some cookies for dessert of course.

12:05 - Mike came home from work and I sat with him while he ate and we read Harry Potter together. Because, in case you hadn't noticed, we're nerds.

12:30 - Played with the pups.

1:00 - Watched the Mindy Show season finale.

1:30 - Looked at Reddit. (My unemployed life is super exciting you guys.)

2:00 - Played Batman Legos.

2:45 - Took the dogs for a walk where I had to pick a dirty animal bone out of Tuffy's mouth. Gross.

3:00 - Had a snack in bed with the pups because...what else am I supposed to do all day? (Fat Kid)

3:10 - Watched old Top Chef in bed and cuddled the dogs. Please do enjoy my double chin in this picture.

Tuffy did not enjoy my smooches.

4:00 - Got sleepy so I reheated some super old coffee and ate two more cookies. (Super Fat Kid)

4:30 - Fed the pups.

5:00 - Mike came home and we talked and got ready for the night.

5:30 - Went for a run. It is hot as sh*t out there today so when we were done I looked like this hot mess.

6:00 - Took the pups for another walk.

6:15 - Off to the gym for shoulders and abs.

I earned the gym rat badge on Foursquare the other day which I am freakishly proud of.

7:30 - Target for snacks and sunscreen.

8:00 - Dinner! Chicken and brussel sprouts tonight. Oh MAN how I effing love brussel sprouts. No joke, I can go to town on those bad boys.

8:30 - Played with the dogs while Mike cleaned the kitchen.

8:45 - Read Harry Potter and drank some wine.

9:30 - Walked the dogs again.

10:00 - Showered while Mike ironed his clothes for the next day.

10:30 - In bed with Mike, the pups, and some 30 Rock.

11:00 - To sleep!

(I'm so sorry you had to read this whole thing)

Perfect Little DC Weekend

2013-05-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, we took a quick trip to one of our favorite vacation spots - Washington, DC - to celebrate our second anniversary. Washington, DC has quickly become one of our favorite cities in the world and each time we visit, we fall more and more in love with it. I wish we had taken pictures, but we were so relaxed and content just walking around looking at everything...we didn't take a single one. If you are considering booking a trip to DC and making it one of your new favorite vacation spots, here is a perfect little non-touristy DC weekend.

First, stay at Hotel Madera on Dupont Circle. This is the perfect hotel for this trip because of its location. You are just a few steps away from shops, restaurants, and bars and the blocks surrounding you are filled with trees, historic buildings, and gorgeous row houses. It's also far away enough from the more touristy sites such as the monuments, mall, and museums that you won't be bunking with a lot of tourists and noisy kids. (Does that make me sound like a snob? Too bad!)

Second, have breakfast at Firefly, the restaurant attached to Hotel Madera. I did a restaurant review of their breakfast over at my food blog which you can check out here. It's obviously super convenient since you don't even need to leave your hotel, it's really cute, and super delicious.

Third, take a walk to the Smithsonian Zoo. It was a pretty good walk, maybe 15 to 20 minutes, but completely worth it. First of all, like all walks in this area of DC, it was gorgeous. The row houses and mansions on the way are breathtaking. Take a minute to step aside while passing over the bridge on the way and look down and the huge expanse of trees and parks below. It's gorgeous. Secondly, the zoo is free and is set up, as described by our concierge, like Central Park, but with animals. It's really casual and spread out and treated by a lot of people like a regular park as evidenced by the large numbers of joggers running by you. It's definitely a great way to kill a couple of hours for free in DC.

(Does anyone else think pandas look like humans with weird makeup on? The ones at this zoo FREAKED ME OUT they looked so much like people)

You've got two options on how to end your perfect little DC day. If you are willing to spend a lot of money, have dinner at Komi. Seriously.......seriously...so good. Ridiculously good. Worth every penny. And, of course, a short and pretty little walk from Hotel Madera. Make reservations and come starving!

If you want to save some money but still eat really well, go over to Estadio which is also a pretty close walk to the hotel. Estadio is delicious and amazingly priced and if you go for nothing else, get a gin and tonic and a cheesecake. Two of the best things I've ever eaten.

While there are of course a million things to do and eat in DC, if you do the above, I promise you'll have a perfect, relaxing, and delicious little DC trip. (And next time I'll take pictures of ours!)

Blog Every Day in May - 10 Things That Make Me Happy

2013-05-14T10:50:00.002-07:00

For day 14 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are supposed to talk about 10 things that make us happy. Here are mine!

1) This guy. Just, always.

2) My fur babies.

3) This cheesecake. From a weekend in Washington, DC getting to eat at one of our favorite new restaurants, Estadio. Oh man guys, this cheesecake was GOOD.

4) Wine. 'Nuff said.

5) - 9) Family. Oh how I love these weirdos.

10) Cheese. There is no happiness in my world if there is no cheese.

What are ten things that make you happy?

Blog Every Day in May - Apologies

2013-05-13T07:34:00.002-07:00

For day 13 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to issue a public apology. Here are mine:

Dear Mom,

I'm sorry I never paid you back for the $1,500 phone bill I accidentally racked up when Mike was living in London. I'm also sorry that I'm too stupid to make international phone calls properly.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Dad,

I'm sorry you wasted all your time and energy moving me from Texas to New Jersey only to have to come back six months later and move me all the way back to California. If it helps things, I used that furniture you bought me in New Jersey for like 8 years after that.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Mike,

I'm sorry I'm the kind of wife who is always picking at you and wishing her life was different/better. I'm also sorry I'm not a more motivated person or a better cook.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Me,

I'm sorry I effed you over so hard by dropping out of college, not picking a field, not interning, and not working in that field which has now resulted in you not having a field and being lost while trying to find a job you might actually not hate. I'm also sorry I hate working out so much which results in your chubbiness.

Love,

Me
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear All My Friends,

I'm sorry I'm such a sad, weird little person who spent so much of her time trying to fake being happy and hide her weirdness that she didn't have time to be a better friend. I'm also sorry I hate talking on the phone, but I really really do.

Love,

Val
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Everyone Reading This Blog,

Sorry this one was a downer...sometimes it can't be helped!

Love,

Val

11 Questions

2013-05-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

The super cute Lacy over at LacyMeeker.com nominated me for a Liebster Award! Since you guys might be sick of me doing these at this point and I keep nominating hte same people and you know I love a good list, I figured I'd make it simple and just answer her 11 questions she did for her nominees. Here they are and make sure you check out Lacy here!

1) Why do you blog? I started blogging a couple of years ago because I was unemployed and home alone all day and bored. I've always loved to write and fancied myself a funny and creative person and I thought this was a good outlet for it!
2) Is your main job blogging or do you have a "real job?" I wish I was getting paid to blog, but I'm nowhere near that level! I have no "real job" right now though so I do kind of treat blogging like a job and put as much effort as I can into it right now.
3) If you could only eat one thing forever, what would it be? CHEESE!
4) Describe yourself in 6 words. She is too weird for words. (Nailed it)
5) What is your cure for "bloggers block?" If I run out of stuff to blog about, I'll enter a link up which helps give you a topic to blog about or I'll do a wishlist or a Pinspiration post.
6) What is the best book you have ever read? I love so many books, but my all-time favorite is probably In Cold Blood.
7) Weird question...if you were something in nature (tree, flower, cloud, star) what you be and why? I would probably be a flower because I'm delicate and dainty and get stepped on very easily and am not very strong. Whew, that got dark!
8) What is your favorite kind of music and why? I love all music genres really, but my favorite since I was little is Broadway. I love to sing and was raised going to and listening to musicals so it's ingrained in me. I am so effing sad SMASH got cancelled. Ugh. (I need a life)
9) What has been your favorite trip to ever take? My honeymoon to London. Amazing.
10) Do you have a favorite lifetime memory? What is it? That's a tough one. Probably sitting in that Indian restaurant the last day of our honeymoon. We were just so happy and excited and everything was so new and just starting out.
11) If you had one day to do whatever you wanted, money is no object, what would you do? Why? I would take everyone I know to Disneyland and buy out the whole park so it was just us. My husband loves Disneyland so much and I think having it all to just us and our friends would be so fun and memorable and silly. That would be a great day! (Also I'd buy myself a lot of shoes)

Thanks again Lacy!!

Blogger Book Swap Link Up

2013-05-12T16:36:00.002-07:00

For the Blogger Book Swap Link Up this week, we're supposed to talk about what books have our favorite covers, books that surprised us based on the cover, and whether or not we judge a book by its cover. I, for one, get really drawn to books with cool covers, but I judge a book by reading the first couple of sentences and seeing if I want to read more. I honestly could not think of a favorite book cover or book that I've been surprised was good when its cover was bad. I can remember books that have shocked me with plot twists, drawn me in through their characters, or romanced me with their words, but when it came to covers I was drawing a total blank. So instead I Googled cool book covers and here are some for you to enjoy. (When in doubt, Google it.)

{image via}

Not the new Leo movie cover, thankyouverymuch.

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Oh man, how good is Beowulf?! One English professor read it to us in the original language and it was cool. Like, transports you back in time cool. Love it.

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What about you, do you have a favorite book cover?

Blog Every Day in May - Something We Miss

2013-05-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

For day 12 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to talk about something we miss. Since today is Mother's Day, I'm of course going to talk about my mom. Moving away from California was hardest because of the people we had to leave behind, especially our moms. We are currently trying to lure them both to move here with promises of grand-babies but we'll see how that goes. My mom is silly and snarky and smart and awesome and I miss her tons and tons. She is going to HATE this blog post because she hates pictures of herself, but I don't care MOM! (I'm the sweetest daughter ever) Love and miss you and happy Mother's Day!

Blog Every Day in May - 10 Words

2013-05-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

For Day 11 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we need to sell ourselves in 10 words or less. Here are mine:

funny

short

sarcastic

passionate

sympathetic

flirtatious

quirky

clever

emotional

giving

Not sure quite what I just "sold" myself for, but those words pretty much sum me up.

What are your words?

Blog Every Day in May - An Embarrassing Moment

2013-05-10T05:17:00.001-07:00

For Day 10 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to share one of our most embarrassing moments. I embarrass myself a lot. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth, fall down, or just generally do stupid things on a daily basis. But here is one of my worst ones...

Back when I was about 21 and living in Bakersfield, I was single and not super happy about it. Since my break up with my first "love" at 19, I didn't really have a serious boyfriend until Mike and I started dating years and years later. I dated around, got my heart broken, all that mess, but it was never a good, stable, serious relationship. Needless to say, I did not love Valentine's Day during those single years. I was young and dramatic and you know, thought getting a man to love me was super important at the time. Also, I regularly went out looking like this:

The word you're looking for is classy.

So, this one particular Valentine's Day, I classed it up with my jeans, Ross heels, white tips, and a tight tank top and headed over to our favorite bar for a Valentine's Day Singles Party. And I proceeded to get LIT. As in, not cute, not standing, not okay drunk. And somehow, even though I'm sure I did not seem lucid, I ended up getting interviewed for the local news about the event. All I remember being quoted as saying on camera is, "I'm single and bitter." Lovely.

As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, I show up to work the next day hungover and unable to quite remember the events of the night before. At this time, I was working for a local Mercedes dealer in customer service. Our boss was this giant guy with an alarmingly deep voice. When he spoke to you, you couldn't help but think this is what the devil's voice would sound like. He was intimidating. So I'm sitting in the lunch room attempting to keep my head from falling forward into my food and devil voice boss walks in and talks to a couple of people and on his way out, looks at me who he has barely acknowledged my entire time working there, and says, "I saw you on the news last night" and walks out of the room.

Shit.

Blog Every Day in May - A Moment

2013-05-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

Today, for Day 9 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are supposed to show you a moment from our day. Here is mine:

My moment from today is one of the few and far between where I really enjoy my unemployment I was laying in bed this morning watching a movie, drinking coffee in my pjs with the dogs asleep next to me. It was lazy and peaceful and easy.

Then I had to get up and fill out my unemployment form where I list all the jobs I've applied for and never heard back on and I remembered why I hate being unemployed so much. But this morning, that was a-okay.

Blog Every Day in May - Advice

2013-05-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

For Day 8 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we're supposed to give you a piece of advice. As someone currently sitting at home at 10:00am, unshowered, in leggings, and with nothing to do the rest of the day...this was kind of daunting. Who am I to give anyone advice? But, I'm gonna anyways. Deal with it. (I'm sassy today)

Here goes:

Buy a bra that fits properly. That seems like a stupid thing to advise people on and everyone probably already does it, but yeah no, we don't. I wore cheap, ill-fitting bras forever. And it makes you look schlumpy and chubby and uncomfortable. Like this:

Okay, that's a bad picture of me anyways, but seriously. My boobs look horrendous in that this. And I look far fatter than I should. And here it is with a properly fitting bra:

My boobs are like 18 inches closer to the waistband of that dress in the first picture. Also, I miss my bangs. Anyways, buy a good bra. It's more comfortable and you look way better. I just got a great bra from True&Co. They send you 5 bras to try on and you keep what you want and get charged for those and return the rest with free shipping. It's pretty awesome. I got this bra. It's comfortable as crap (isn't that a lovely way to describe that?) and my boobs look great in it. And no, this post isn't sponsored by True&Co (I wish) I just really effing love my new bra.

What's your best piece of advice? Is it as silly and pointless as mine?

Firmoo May New Arrivals

2013-05-07T06:01:00.001-07:00

We've talked on here before about how much I love Firmoo, their great selection, and their first pair free program.

Well, they just got some new arrivals in for May that you need to check out!

I have this pair in black and red, but those yellow ones might be calling my name!

Don't forget, these are all part of the first pair free program, you only pay shipping! Check out Firmoo now!

(I can't help but use this many exclamation points...accessories get me excited)

Now for the fun part! If 50 people or more, go check out Firmoo's first pair free selection here, come back and leave a comment on this post with which pair they would want, I get to give away a free pair of glasses.

Go do it!

Blog Every Day in May - Things I'm Afraid Of

2013-05-07T05:44:00.003-07:00

For Day 7 of the Blog Every Day in May Link Up, we are talking about things we're afraid of. Which is kind of a downer. So to start, here is a picture of my adorable dogs:

Okay, now to the depressing stuff.

I am afraid of, above all else, not doing things. Of missing out on something. Of regretting that I never did something. Of not taking a job and realizing later on that was my dream job. This is actually a really obnoxious things to be afraid of because it makes decision making ridiculous. I am already filled with so much regret from past decisions that I have made that I'm unable to let go of and I'm really afraid that I'll make new decisions I'll end up regretting later.

Does that make sense?

I'm also afraid of the dark and cats and heights and bridges.

I'm a peach to be married to, let me tell you.