Through Hubert's Eyes #2

As long as I can remember, I've always looked forward to decorating the Christmas tree.  This year was no different.  Here's one of my favorite ornaments :)

As long as I'm on here...

wow...it has been quite a while since my last post...tsk tsk tsk...

I happen to actually be on the computer, so I figured, why not post something.  I'm on the computer right now because once again, I've procrastinated and am just ordering Christmas cards from Shutterfly right now.  Yes, right now.  I am praying they don't take too long to ship back to me so that I can get them out in time for Christmas.  If not, here's at least proof that I did them!

*update* 

I got them in the mail already! I love that shipping was so quick! Woo hoo! There's hope for me yet...Now I just have to get them in the mail!

Simply Scarlet Snowflake Christmas

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Through Hubert's eyes

Technically, I guess it's Hubert's "lens", but I had to think of something semi-creative for this series of posts.  I decided to periodically post some pictures taken with my Nikon D40, a.k.a. Hubert.  I've really been neglecting him lately and need to get back into the swing of things, so I thought this would be a nice motivation.

Like I said, I've been neglecting Hubert lately, so all I have to offer for now is an old picture.  This one was taken last winter at the MN Landscape Arboretum, one of my favorite places to take pictures and walk hand in hand with my hubby.  We had our first snowfall here this past Saturday, so I thought this was a good way to begin.  Hope you enjoy :)

Song of the Day

That time of the month must be approaching because I'm in a melancholy/wallowing in sadness mood today. Weird because it's almost 70 degrees out in November...in MN -- I should be ecstatic! So I have my monthly guest to blame I think lol.

Anyways, due to my mood, I've been listening to my playlist of love and heartache songs, including "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. I just love the intensity and passion in her voice. I think every girl (and boy) can relate to this song if they ever had their heart broken. The lines, "who do you think you are?", "You don't get to get me back", and "Don't come back for me, don't come back at all" are some things a lot of us have probably said or thought about the other person. What I love about this song the most is that it's about heartbreak, but also, strength.  Overcoming that heartbreak and knowing when to say that's enough and knowing that there is someone better for you is a wonderful message.

I also really like the music video to this song. I love how it's like an interpretive dance of the song's lyrics.  If you have time to check it out or if by some miracle MTV or VH1 actually plays a music video, definitely check it out!

Lyrics and video (not the music video though, just the song with Christina's picture on YouTube) provided by lyricsmode.com:

Lyrics | Christina Perri lyrics - Jar Of Hearts lyrics

My New Baby

I have been meaning to post something about my new baby, but like I said in my previous post, it's been a little hectic lately.

I decided to take advantage of the Sephora Friends & Family sale and finally took the plunge and bought myself a new flat iron!  There is nothing wrong with my old one (that's part of my predicament, lol).  I bought it a few years ago and it still works fine, which is good because I did spend around $100 on it.  At the same time, I've been wanting a new flat iron, but haven't bought one because my old one is perfectly fine.  I've been eyeing a certain one and doing lots of research on it and reading about lots of great reviews on it for at least a year.  However, it was quite a bit more than I spent on my old one so I've been putting it off.  I decided, why not just go for it?  I prefer to wear my naturally curly and thick hair (read between the lines -- a big mess) straight, so I don't see a problem with making an investment on a really good flat iron.  Like I've mentioned in the past though, it's hard for me to part with a lot of money.  I did find a great deal though on Sephora that had the professional GHD, a travel hair dryer, and a heat safe carrying case for not much more than just buying the GHD by itself.  I finally said screw it, I'm just gonna buy it.  And I'm so glad I did!

So...here she is, my new GHD flat iron!  I LOVE her!  And yes, I named her, lol.  Her name is Crystal Gayle, "CG, my GHD" for short, lol...omg why do I admit these things...

The unveiling....

... cue angels singing ...

... wait for it ....

... aaaaaahhhh!!! ....(that was supposed to be angels singing)

isn't she pretty?

AND this travel blow-dryer is awesome!

So, here is my review of the GHD...

Obviously, I love it.  I've been using it for the past couple of weeks and from the first time I used it I noticed a huge difference in use and results.  Like I said, I didn't think anything was wrong with my last flat iron.  BUT when I used the GHD, that's when I noticed that there were some differences.  The first major difference was the time it took to heat up.  I never thought my old one took that long to heat up because I would turn it on and put heat protectant in my hair and by the time I was done, the flat iron would be ready.  With the GHD, I turned it on for the first time and I was literally just combing my hair and about to put my heat protectant in and then it beeped saying it was ready to go already! Crazy.  Another big difference I noticed was how smooth it went through my hair.  My old one worked fine, but sometimes a hair would get stuck, but really it was not big deal...with the GHD it just glides through my hair, amazing.  Another thing I should note is that the GHD doesn't have a heat setting, you just turn it on and it's technology somehow reads your hair texture needs and adjusts itself accordingly to straighten your hair.  I was pretty suspicious about this feature because my hair is SO thick and SO curly that I was like, "how would this thing know??".  But she does, she does know, lol.  I don't know how, but she knows.  My hair straightens faster and in my opinion is a little shinier and not so flat.  I know that sounds weird to say because I do want my hair to be straight and it IS a "flat" iron, but it's hard to describe...my hair still has some volume even though I'm straightening it.  I also really like that I can flip my hair out or under and also use the GHD to curl my hair.  

Anyways...I love it and would definitely recommend it if you are a person who straightens your hair a lot and if you don't mind making an investment on a flat iron.  If you're perfectly happy with your current flat iron and you don't straighten your hair often, then I wouldn't recommend it because it is an investment.  My only real gripe about this purchase is the carrying case that the GHD came in.  I knew from the picture that it was sparkly, but in person it's much more sparkly than I thought and even had some glitter fallout, annoying!  So, I'm not sure if I'll be using the carrying case, but that's a pretty minor gripe I guess.  The travel blow-dryer that came with the set though is awesome and works just as well as my regular hair dryer.  

If you're wondering how I came up with her name, Crystal Gayle, it's because my co-worker teases me about wanting to have mermaid long, straight hair.  She teases sometimes and says, "so do you want to be Crystal Gayle?" (For those of you that don't know, Crystal Gayle is a country singer from the 70s who has extremely long, black, straight hair.)  Hence, the name CG.  I don't want my hair that long though, maybe just a few more inches ;)

I heart CG  :)

A Day Off

I had a really hectic week last week.  Work was really busy, I had friends in town, met the newest little addition to my family of friends, and helped plan and co-host a bridal shower.  On top of that, we've also been doing a lot of painting and decorating around the house.  Needless to say, I needed a day off...and here it is! Ahhhh....

I started today with breakfast with my hubby before he headed to work and tried not to rub in that I didn't have to work today.  Then, I finished up my cup of coffee and caught up on some YouTube videos.  Because of the YouTube videos, I decided to practice my "bridesmaid" makeup and I'm not really sure how it turned out...I think it's too much makeup lol.  I love hanging out at home and doing random things.

And, of course, I thought I'd take my first opportunity to catch up on blogging today :)

I think the bridal shower yesterday was a success.  It was for my brother-in-law's fiance, hosted by my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I.  I really hope that the bride-to-be had a great time!  The shower was held at my house and it was the first time that I decorated/prepped for games, etc, by myself for a shower so I was kind of nervous.  Luckily, I have been to many bridal/baby showers and have creative friends that have taught me well.  I kept it pretty simple since I knew there would be a lot of people and not much space in my house, so I had a mixture of various shades of purple flowers around the house, some balloons, and a small table with a wedding gown centerpiece, favors (Hershey's kisses in dark chocolate, the bride's favorite kind of chocolate), and a guest book/keepsake for the bride that I added some personal touches to.  I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself.  :)

Here are some decoration pics from the shower:

 

Hmmm...what else to do today?  Maybe another blog (or 2? lol)...I have to catch up from last week!

Sunday Fun-day

I always look forward to the weekend...one, because it means I don't have to work and two, because it usually means I get some good food!  Lately I've been trying to eat healthier during the week and then let myself indulge more either on Saturday or Sunday...ok, usually Saturday AND Sunday, haha. Little steps, I guess.

Today, Ryan decided to cook some burgers for the football game.  Even though the Vikings lost (again..boo), we had an awesome lunch, thanks to the now named, "Snorky's Megaburger".  I have to say, it was really good.  I definitely will be working out extra hard tomorrow, thank goodness I didn't eat the entire thing!

So here it is..."Snorky's Megaburger" in all it's glory: an all beef patty with cheddar cheese in the middle (like a Juicy Lucy), with an egg, another layer of cheese, hot sauce, and bacon on top, in a toasted whole wheat bun (the healthy part, lol).

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Little Things

"Good morning.....good morning, love....."

This is the song that popped into my head this morning ("Good Morning", by John Legend) because I woke up and saw this...

I love the puffy white cotton ball clouds and had an immediate smile on my face.  Waking up to this and the best guy in the world was not a bad start to the day.  It's the little things like this that I need to remember to appreciate. Good morning, it is!

Happy Friday!

I am really liking the song "Raise Your Glass", by Pink. It's the perfect Friday song to get ready for the weekend. I'll be having some wine tonight while I paint my office. Oh yeah, I know how to party!

Happy Friday!

This one's for a fabulous mama

One of my good friends, Karen, also has her own blog, Lifestyle of the Pregnant and Fabulous, and she usually has a post called Tuesday Shoesday on, well, Tuesdays. I thought it should only be fitting that I dedicate this one to her :)

I am in my brother-in-law's wedding in December and have my bridesmaid dress fitting this week. Wait, am I a bridesmatron? How does that work now? Anyways, back to the point...

I had to buy shoes for my dress fitting so that the seamstress knows how much of the fabric to hack off (I'm estimating 2 feet because the dress is so long and I am sooo short). Those who know me know that I am more of a sneakers/flip flops girl, so shopping for shoes last night was definitely interesting. Most of the heels I tried on were either too high, too short, or so skinny that it brought back flashbacks of a scene from Single White Female (stillettos, anyone?). Don't even get me started on how I looked walking in them.

I finally decided on the shoes below. They are super comfortable and the heel is high yet sturdy. I'm not sure how wedding appropriate they are, but I thought they were pretty and I figure I can also wear them with jeans too (ha...yeah, I actually laughed while typing that...). I was just told to get black heels, and these are black, so I think they'll work? If not, the dress is long, lol. I do really think they're pretty and very comfortable, so I should be ok. And I love the flower detail on the toes :)

Ok, so here is a quick picture, I need to go practice walking in my new shoes!

A Case of the Mondays

Mondays usually mean the start of a work week for me and sometimes I have "a case of the Mondays" (a line from the movie, "Office Space"). I say "usually" because...I have today off! Woo hoo! I haven't had a day off since summer so this was a much needed break. I still woke up early, but it was nice to get up and have coffee with my husband before he went off to work. I have some things I planned to do today, but we'll see where the day takes me, haha.

I was going to use this as an opportunity to mention a song that gets me up and going for the work week, but now that I'm trying to think of one, I'm drawing a blank...figures. Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself to think of a triumphant classic. Although...I am really liking "Check It Out" by Will.i.am and Nicki Minaj at the moment...I honestly hated it when I first saw them perform it during the MTV Music Awards, but it has become one of those catchy songs that gets stuck in my head...therefore causing me to like it...sneaky! I catch myself singing along to the "check it out...check it out..check it out..check it out.." parts and now it just picks me up and puts me in a good mood.

Whether you're at work or have the day off today, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Focus

I've been kinda slacking on this blog ever since I started it...I'll admit mostly due to laziness, but sometimes I also have no idea what to even blog about ("Today I woke up, washed my face.."...blah blah blah...). I feel like blogs need some kind of direction, theme, or focus, but what kind of "theme" is the life of a 30 year old woman?? My life and mood sometimes changes day to day (just ask my husband) and sometimes I have plans and sometimes my life can be a little boring. I thought to myself, if this is really going to be about my life as a 30 year old woman (and eventually a woman in her 30s...yikes!), then I need to really ask myself: What are my passions/loves in life? What are my goals? What are my dreams? What seriously pisses me off? What moves me?

I know that such a general theme will make it a little harder to be focused here, but that's something I really want to do with this blog. What makes this 30 year old tick? I'm going to try to blog more often and really share with you the "lifetales of the ho-hum days, adventures, & everything in between".

So currently, what are my passions/loves in my life?
#1: Ryan, my husband. Obviously (and I'm sure you've noticed already) he's going to be crawling all over this blog because he is THE love of my life. Period.
#2: Photography. I love everything about photography. Taking pictures, looking at pictures, learning new techniques about photography. Right now it's more of a hobby to me, but who knows...someday, maybe I'll quit my day job ;)
#3: Music. I've always had a special place in my heart for music. I tie moments and memories to music. I love how a song can draw up any emotion and bring back memories.
#4: Science/Biology. Ok, so I'm totally geeking out right now, but I heart science. Put me in front of the Discovery channel and I'm in heaven. I love learning about the human body and enjoy researching and learning about new developments in science. It's just an amazing thing to me and is one of the reasons I became a nurse.
#5: Crafts. I love scrapbooking, making cards, and other "crafty" things. This is another hobby I love and I love to share it with people. I even have my own craft room :)
#6: Baking/Cooking. This is a newer passion for me. I've always liked to cook, but lately I've really been getting into more recipes and baking. I started baking cookies a couple years ago for Christmas and lately I've been in love with baking mini cupcakes. Too bad my mixer broke :( Someday I dream about being the mom who always has baked goods and makes the best cookies. My kids are gonna be fat, aren't they?

What are my goals in life?
#1: Have a family. Ryan and I have taken our time in the "starting a family" department, but I think we're getting there (well, honestly, Ryan IS there, I am getting there, lol). We've really enjoyed our life as boyfriend/girlfriend and husband/wife and we're looking forward to daddy/mommy. I can't wait to have kids and start our own family traditions. Most of all, I can't wait to see a miniature version of Ryan.
#2: Travel. I love to travel and have been fortunate enough to travel to as many places as I have, but the travel bug is strong within me and I can't wait to visit more places with my husband and someday, our children. I also have friends all over the country now so that gives me more reason to travel!
#3: Get healthier/lose weight. This has been a goal of mine for the past 10 years...let's just say the Freshman 15 didn't just last my Freshman year of college...and wasn't just 15... Beyond the weight issue, I just want to be healthy so that I can be with the love of my life for as long as possible and be able to keep up with my kids in my old age!
#4: Happiness. I know this is cliche but really, this is what I want the most in life, not only for me, but for everyone I love.

Apparently I don't have too many "goals" in life, lol. I've never been too career oriented I guess...I've always just wanted to be healthy, happy, surrounded by those I love and love me. Maybe I'm super boring?

So...what has this seemingly never-ending ramble led to? Hopefully better blogging...or at least more blogging, haha. Looking over what I have typed out so far, maybe future blogs will consist of photos I've taken, "song of the day"s, random facts, rants, raves, and baking fiascos? We'll see!

So what are your current goals and loves in life?

Day Trip

Yesterday, Ryan and I went on a day trip to Duluth. We haven't been back there in a while, so it was nice to take the time to go there, just the two of us. We met and fell in love in Duluth, so thinking of it always brings a smile to my face. We almost booked a hotel there last week but then decided not to because the rooms where we wanted to stay were too expensive and we were thinking we wouldn't really need to stay the whole weekend. We were right, lol. There really isn't much to do there after we've already done everything there is to do there. A day trip was perfect.

We arrived in Duluth around lunchtime so we decided to eat at Grandma's Saloon & Grill. This is the place where we had our first date. Unfortunately, "our" booth was taken. I'll be the first to admit the food here isn't that great, but we like to go here more for sentimental reasons. We still remember what we had that night during our "study break". Surprisingly, I don't have a picture of this restaurant, and I had planned on taking one during this visit, but of course I forgot. Ooops...next time, I guess. Grandma's restaurant is right next to Miller Hill Mall, so we decided to walk around this little mall...it hasn't changed much, BUT the changes it had were baffling...they now have a Five Guys and they are getting an Ulta...I couldn't believe it myself.

We then made our way to Canal Park and wandered around a bit. This area has a boardwalk around part of Lake Superior, which will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was at this lake, by the lighthouse, that Ryan and I stared out into the night after he found out his mom was going to divorce his step-dad. It was at this lake that Ryan and I decided to get back together after breaking up early in our relationship. It was at this lake where we've had some of our most heart to heart moments and life changing conversations. This lake holds a certain magic for us and has been there for us for the good and for the bad. We tried to find "our" rock, but the water was so rough and high that it was covered, figures. Since we couldn't get to "our" rock, we decided to find a proxy one and take some pics and attempt to get the lighthouse in the background...and had some major fails, haha. Here they are in all their glory.





Woo hoo! We did it!







Ryan and I did discover a fun, new activity by the boardwalk...Wheel Fun Rentals! This is a "bike" ride along the boardwalk in this contraption I can only describe as a side-by-side-tandem-bike-carriage-thing. I'm sure you've seen things like this before, but if you haven't, check out their website because I obviously can't explain it. It was something new for us to do though and we loved it. It was also very affordable, great exercise, FUN, and a beautiful scenic route of the lake we love. I also had so much fun ringing the bike bell at kids because they giggled when we'd pass them. The only negative thing I can say about this was that I could barely reach the pedals! Ugh. We love new discoveries like this and can't wait to do it again. I think next time we'll go slower though because after we got off the bikes, our thighs hurt and my ::ahem:: backside hurt lol, I know, TMI. I do regret not taking more pictures while we were riding the bikes, but I had to concentrate I guess, haha!






After our bike ride, we roamed around a bit more and browsed at some more shops in Canal Park. We stopped at Hepzibah's Sweet Shoppe and I got a peanut butter caramel crisp for the ride home. I love cute little candy shops like this.






We ended our day at Bellisio's, an Italian restaurant. We worked up an appetite so we were both hungry and ready to eat! I enjoyed my lobster ravioli with jumbo shrimp and Ryan had pasta with Italian sausage. We also shared dessert -- mango gelato! Delizioso!

With our bellies full and the cool lake breeze in the night air, we made a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Ryan got a brownie covered with chocolate and mini M&Ms for the ride home. What a great day and evening! Until next time Duluth, thanks for everything.

A Birthday Gift

Ever since I got my iPhone, I've been addicted to YouTube videos. When I get bored I look up videos about makeup, music, comedy, but mostly makeup lately lol. Sometimes I end up finding a totally random video and I have no idea how I got to it. Today I was looking up music videos while I was working out and I came across covers of songs by Taylor Swift (see previous blog post for how this girl somehow won me over, haha) and then that lead to covers of other artists, then I came across this video. It's not a cover of a song, but has a song in the background that is one of my favorite songs by Train, called "Marry Me". The song, however, is not why I'm posting this video. I didn't even make it a minute into this video without starting to cry, so take this as my warning. Maybe you won't even cry, but I did. A lot. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but if anything, I feel like this video will just inspire people to appreciate everything, keep believing, and love hard.

I don't even know how to "introduce" this video, so here you go...

Mine

I brought this on myself. A few years ago, when a new "it" girl was being talked about, a country singer turned pop star, I tried to fight liking her songs & succeeded in the beginning ("Teardrops On My Guitar", anyone? puke). A year or so ago, I lost my fight in wanting to roll my eyes at these songs and Taylor Swift won me over with "Love Story" and "White Horse", among other songs.

Her most recent song, "Mine", brings tears to my eyes. Tears of joy because it reminds me of the earlier years of when Ryan and I first met and fell in love. When I first heard this song it was like she reached into my memories and pulled the lyrics right out of my heart. Some of the likeliness is uncanny. This girl is a genius lol. So while I sit here downloading this song off iTunes, I thought I'd leave you with lyrics to a song that brings tears to my eyes and a smile on my face, because it reminds me of a time when I met a boy, and we fell in love by the water...

And of course, here's a picture of Ryan and I from almost 12 years ago, can you believe it?


Mine, by Taylor Swift

You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables
Left a small town and never looked back
I was a flight risk, afraid of fallin'
Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts

I say, "Can you believe it?"
As we're lyin' on the couch
The moment, I can see it
Yes, yes, I can see it now

Do you remember, we were sittin' there, by the water?
You put your arm around me for the fist time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Flash forward, and we're takin' on the world together
And there's a drawer of my things at your place
You learn my secrets and figure out why I'm guarded
You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

But we got bills to pay
We got nothin' figured out
When it was hard to take
Yes, yes, This is what I thought about:

Do you remember, we were sittin' there, by the water?
You put your arm around me for the fist time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you remember all the city lights on the water?
You saw me start to believe for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

And I remember that fight, two-thirty AM
You said everything was slipping right out of our hands
I ran out, crying, and you followed me out into the street

Braced myself for the goodbye, cause that's all I've ever known
Then, you took me by surprise
You said, "I'll never leave you alone."

You said, "I remember how we felt, sitting by the water.
And every time I look at you, it's like the first time.
I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter.
She is the best thing that's ever been mine."

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you believe it?
We're gonna make it now
And I can see it

I can see it now

My current obsession

I've realized throughout the years that I tend to have an addictive personality...luckily I haven't taken up drugs or smoking and my drinking phase was satisfied in college. When I find something I want, I just constantly think about it in my head....and think about it, and think about it. And when I almost buy it, I think about it some more. And then when I do buy it, I sweat as I'm paying for it because I usually wait to buy the really expensive things. I am not kidding when I say I sweat...I literally am sweating at the cash register.

Anyways, my current obsession is the Paloma Picasso Bead Bracelet from Tiffany & Co.



It's a bead bracelet with multi-colored gemstones that is just so different from the usual Tiffany & Co. jewelry that I'm used to seeing (and also obsessing over). Don't get me wrong, I still love the other logo type jewelry and the signature keys and charms, but this piece just really sticks out for me and is something I would totally wear. It's something that can be worn with more casual outfits and is just so fun. I heart it.

I'm gonna go think about it some more as I look over the Tiffany & Co. website and my bank statement. Then I will probably email a link to my husband, hehe.

What is your current obsession?

QOTD (Quote of the Day)

OK, so I know that I don't have a quote every day (really, I've tried to post something as often as possible, but I keep forgetting or run out of time)...but I came across this one today and thought it was great.

"Live from your heart, it will never steer you wrong."

When I saw this quote, I thought about my life and realized that this is so true. The times in my life when I wavered and didn't follow my heart or my gut instinct were times when things did not turn out the best that they could have. As we get older, we so easily try and make sense out of things, try to reason with things instead of just letting things happen. We start to second guess, overthink, and distrust. It's so much easier to believe in everything when you're young because no one has told you otherwise yet and it's so easy to trust when you haven't been deceived. I try to remind myself of that feeling and every day, I try to follow my heart and believe in the unbelievable. Even if someone proves you wrong, at least you believed in something.

So my advice for today is follow your heart. Go with your gut. Believe in the unbelievable. That's when the unthinkable happens. It's when I followed my heart that I truly fell in love and it's when I believed in good that I saw miracles happen.


(image from weheartit.com)

Eclipse

I usually try and think of an intriguing title for each blog entry, but the basic title of "Eclipse" just says it all.

So, it happened. IT finally happened....Eclipse finally came out in movie theaters last night at midnight (12:01 a.m. to be exact) and I was able to watch it with one of my best friends and fellow Twilight addict, Ann.

I honestly don't really even know where to start...there is so much to say, but at the same time I'm speechless. It was definitely my favorite of the three movies so far, they just seem to get better and better! I will admit there were some moments that were disappointing, but they were few and far between. And really, the only reason they were disappointing to me was because they weren't done exactly like the book (meaning same conversations, but different setting) or the scene/moment didn't last long enough for me. If it were up to me, each movie would be 6 hours long lol. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that pretty much every favorite moment of mine from the book made it into the movie, which was so satisfying! My favorite song from the soundtrack was even in the part of the book that I pictured it in (I have a strange obsession with matching songs to events/moments, don't ask me why). Kudos to David Slade! THAT is how you turn a book into a movie! I can't imagine that any of the fans of the books will be disappointed by this one. And of course, Edward (Rob Pattinson) looks HOT in it. And ok, ok, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) doesn't look so bad himself lol.

So now that I've finally seen Eclipse, it's time for me to see it again...and again...lol. AND now I have to wait for Breaking Dawn...ugh...the wait is going to be so long and excruciating. But at least I'll have the books to tie me over for now.

Here are some pictures of me getting ready for Eclipse night, hehehe. Sorry for the poor quality of my camera phone, but they were taken right before I left and luckily my husband humored me and took the pictures. I also added on a couple more from the past week that were Eclipse-crazed related.

Stopping at BK for the Eclipse cups, which I will say was disappointing lol. They didn't even have any crowns like they did for New Moon. And yes, I asked the lady if they had crowns lol.



Look! I sparkle in the sunlight! Ok, I don't. It's what was left over from swatches of lipgloss that I wiped off, but still....



Eclipse Premiere Night!!! Me in my Eclipse gear...

My t-shirt...



my bracelet....





and don't forget the tickets!



Here's a pic of my Eclipse countown...I was 2 seconds too late after midnight, lol



Since I love great quotes, I'll end this entry with one of my favorite quotes from the Eclipse book. Surprisingly, it was said by Jacob. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still Team Edward ;)

"It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like...gravity moves. When you see her; suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her..."

GO SEE ECLIPSE!

Juniors?

So...I know that I've already established that I am a crazed Twilight fan. I've really restrained a lot of my excitement, not because of embarrassment, but mostly because I would not get anything else accomplished and people would be even more sick of me talking about Twilight related things than they already are, particularly my poor husband, who, bless his heart, humors me every day.

Today I'm going to make an exception because EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I already received a package in the mail that I just ordered a few days ago. Over the past few weeks, I've been on a hunt for a t-shirt to wear to the Eclipse premiere on 6/30 (to the movie, not just out in public on a random day lol...not that I haven't done that with some past Twilight related shirts...). I was very disappointed in the selections online and with what was at the mall. The one shirt I had seen online that I thought would've been at the mall wasn't even there when I checked, so I ended up ordering it online a few days ago (along with something else that I'm very excited about).

So here they are...drum roll please...

A very bad picture of my official Eclipse t-shirt that I will be wearing on 6/30/2010. I got it from hottopic.com and it says "Marry Me"/"Change Me" on it. I will say I wasn't ecstatic about it, but it was slim pickings lol. I also was worried about the sizes because apparently the sizes only came in Juniors (Juniors??). I mean, I know most fans are probably younger, but still..lol. I ordered a size bigger than usual, but when I got the package it was so small I cringed at the thought of the juniors baby T that was inside. I prayed when I opened the package that the t-shirt would fit me and luckily it does...barely...but it does lol. AND the other item I was so excited about and randomly saw when I was ordering the t-shirt is the charm bracelet from Eclipse (breathe, breathe...). For those of you who don't know, Bella wears a charm bracelet with a heart shaped diamond and a wooden wolf in Eclipse. I won't say anything more on how or why, but I've wanted a bracelet like this ever since I saw one when I went to Forks. I didn't buy it there because it was more money than I wanted to spend, but now I regret it because it was great quality. The one I ordered obviously is just mass produced and not the best quality, but it will do for now :)

Ok, NOW here is the picture, lol. Sorry about the rambling. I am just SO excited. I would even have taken a picture of myself wearing both, but honestly I am not looking the best right now lol. The charm bracelet is on top of the t-shirt on the right side. The picture on the t-shirt is of Edward putting a ring on Bella's finger from the movie. I'm not a fan of movie t-shirts, but like I said, slim pickings, lol.

Fish Tales

I've really been slacking on my blog posts lately, so I decided to post something about my latest adventure -- Fishing!

Ok, for some people, fishing may not be such an "adventure", but being that I am not an outdoor girl, I think of it more as an adventure than a day at the spa.

Ryan and I headed up north a couple weekends ago to spend some time with his grandparents and go fishing. His mom, step-dad, brother, and future sister-in-law were also up there too, so it was a wonderful time!

I must say that I am actually very proud of myself. This wasn't my first time fishing, but I definitely don't consider myself an expert quite yet (due to Ryan's family, I was initiated into fishing long ago when I received my first fishing pole from his grandparents for Christmas...one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received to date). I'm so proud of myself because I caught lots of fish (largemouth bass particularly seemed to like me lol) and even helped out getting the boat ready, like cleaning off the anchor before we started the boat again, helping put out and bring in the buoys, etc. I even put my own bait on my hook (ok, only if it was a worm...no leeches for me!). I am really enjoying fishing and am in the making of becoming a fisherwoman! :) Now, don't get me wrong, I also asked Ryan if I had a tick on me most of the time too...some things will just never change.

The thing I loved most about the trip was spending time with Ryan's family. Words can't describe how much I love them. From chatting on the boat, going for walks, having fish fry's, getting ice cream, campfires, and lots of laughing, I can't help but think about how lucky I am to not only marry the man of my dreams, but to now also have another family that I love just as much. It's truly a wonderful thing.

Here are some pictures from the fishing trip...can't wait for the next one :)

My first catch!



Ryan's first catch, hehehe



One of the many largemouth bass I caught (ok, by "many", I mean 7...I don't really know that's "many", but it is to me lol). Ahh..my "delicious bass"...that was a reference to Napoleon Dynamite in case you missed it...



My favorite fisherman <3

Girlfriends and Makeup...

...Need I say more? Girlfriends + Makeup = good times

Last night, a couple of my best girlfriends and I went to the MAC cosmetics store to get our makeup done. Ann made the appointments a while ago and she, Shirley May, and I were all looking forward to it.

Being that I personally don't enjoy "too much" makeup, I was definitely nervous about it. Let's just say I like a more natural look and don't wear that much makeup everyday. I basically wear mascara (granted, lots of mascara, lol I love the look of long lashes!) and carmex on my lips most days, and on weekends I'll add eye shadow, maybe eye liner, and powder. I will admit that when the makeup artist was done with my makeup, I did think it was way too much eye makeup, but that is my opinion lol. I'm sure Ann and Shirley May had their own opinions.

I wish I had pictures of Ann and S. May's makeup up close because their makeup turned out beautifully! Their eye makeup was definitely full of color and ready for summer.

The only pics I have are of the 3 of us at Mall of America afterwards and my "haul". They're not the best quality since they were taken on my phone, but you'll get the point....we all bought a lot of stuff. Yet somehow, I feel like I need to go back to get more...uh oh....

Last night definitely reinforced one of my oldest beliefs...nothing is better than having great girlfriends...

Here are a couple pics of the girls and I with our MAC bags:




Some pictures of the "To The Beach" collection:








And now...drum roll please...my MAC haul and thoughts so far:

Products shown still in boxed packaging:



Products shown with packaging closed (so that you can see how cute this collection's packaging is!). The name of this collection is "To The Beach" and you can see the theme of it from the seashells, starfish, coral, and sea-horses throughout the line of products:



Products open to show color:



What I bought and my thoughts so far:

1) MAC Cleanse Off Oil
- this is an oil based (but mineral oil free, yay!) makeup remover. I saw great reviews on it on youtube, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was very gentle and not greasy at all (I have oily skin). It also didn't irritate my eyes like some other eye makeup removers have done in the past. You put it on dry and massage the oil on the areas where you want to remove your makeup and then add water to emulsify it into a milky-type cleanser and then rinse off. I'm so glad I bought this because I love it so far. Granted, last night was the first time I used it, but with all the makeup I had on my face (especially eye makeup), it took off EVERYTHING! Never in my quest for makeup removers has this happened. My hope is that it doesn't break me out. So far, so good, and by the way, my skin felt SO soft and not greasy at all afterwards. I still used my usual cleanser after this.

2) Powder Blush in Hipness
- one of the things I really wanted to get was a bright, summery blush that would give my face a pop of color. This blush was it. I liked the look of it so much yesterday that I used it today even though I didn't need to get ready. I was just excited to put the blush on again, and that, for me, is a great sign.

3) Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark
- I hate the feel of liquid foundation on my face, which is why I have barely ever used it. When I've wanted some coverage on my face or have zits I want to cover up, I've turned to Bare Escentuals for years. The makeup artist put this on my face and it felt even lighter than the Bare Escentuals powder foundation, which I didn't think was possible. I love this because it gives the coverage I want, while at the same time giving me a natural, glowy look. It feels like I have nothing on and maybe it's just me, but it seems like my skin is softer too after I put this on.

4) MAC 109 brush
- I still need to wash this brush and use it with the MSF (Mineralize Skin Finish), but when the makeup artist used it last night I just fell in love with it. It's a different brush with shorter, compact bristles, and so soft. I was told that it's a great brush for powder, blush, and contouring (not that I know how to contour). For some reason I have an obsession with makeup brushes, which is weird since I probably only need 2 or 3 brushes. I think it's because I like the way they feel on my face, lol. I am washing this brush later tonight and am looking forward to using it tomorrow!

5) Eye Shadows in Sand & Sun (matte, light peachy color) and Firecracker (veluxe pearl, deep hot pink color)
- I don't have much to say about these except that I really like the colors. They're different from anything else I have and I feel like I'll be able to use them with other more neutral colors too, hehe.

6) Lipglass Lip Gloss in Easy Lounger
- this one I'm not so sure about. I really liked it last night, but I used this again today and I didn't realize it had so many glitters in it! I stepped out into the sun, looked at my face, and my lips looked like a disco ball. It also left little pieces of glitter around my mouth where it must've rubbed off and I think it's so annoying when you have that one piece of glitter on your face just sitting there. I'm sad to say it, but this might be going back to MAC. On the bright side, maybe I will exchange it for something else?...

I wanted to end this entry with a quote I found (if you can't tell already, I'm a sucker for good quotes). Basically, like I've mentioned before, I believe so much that a great girlfriend is better than any medicine, any money, and dare I say, any makeup on a bad day. And even better on a good day. So to all my wonderful girlfriends who make me smile, laugh, and snort, this one's for you.

"We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun."