How I justify my actions

My ex-bf is engaged to someone who is not sure whether she likes men or women. 

True story.

Prior to him she only dated women.

Now they are engaged.

Is now a good time to mention that we broke up a little over a year ago.

That means that in a year...he met someone, turned her straight, and proposed.

I can't make this crap up people.

I know 99% of ya'll could care less but this is what is on my mind right now.

Also, I'm using this engagement as justification for everything right now.

So down the road when I am in serious debt or an alcoholic...we will all know why.

Lush Cosmetics

Let's talk products.

At the prime age of 24 I still break out like 14 year old.
It's embarrassing.
I have tried everything under the sun.
All those products people swear by...yea I've tried them and they don't work for me.
Until...Lush.

Run to your nearest Macy's...or Lush store or wherever and try some of these products immediately.
They people who helped me were awesome. They test the products on you right there and are more than willing to give you test size products to take home before you commit to buying the real thing.
That is some AWESOME customer service people.

1. Herbalism
The most amazing face wash I've ever tried. It leaves my skin feeling so soft, and has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my breakouts. Lifesaver if I do say so myself.

2. Tea Tree Water

This is kind of equivalent to a toner I guess. But definitely doesn't dry it out as much. I just spritz a few sprays of this on after I wash my face or in the morning and WAHLA! my face is no longer an oily hot mess.

3. Vanishing Cream

The best moisturizer I have ever had. Seriously. Normally I don't like facial moisturizer because my face does not need any help getting even oilier (is that a word??) than it already is...but this stuff doesn't leave my face feeling oily at all! It's amazing!

I actually found out about these products from another blog and thought I would share them with some of my readers. Besides who doesn't love an excuse to spend money on more products discovered through the blog world.

Olympics 2012

People. I'm having withdraw from the Olympics. It is beyond ridiculous how sad I am that they are over and that I have to wait 2 years until they are on again...and even then its just the Winter Olympics. 

We all know the summer ones are better.  

Watching the Fab 5 or Fierce 5 or whatever they're calling them now was one of my favorite parts. I'm 24 and still dream of being a gymnast in the Olympics. It's pathetic. 

Also...let's discuss swimming. I've decided it's one of my favorite events to watch. Anyone agree? I yell at the TV anytime a race is on...and I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that I am obsessed  with Michael Phelps. No one can argue that he is not amazing...22 medals, 18 of which are gold...that is ABSURD.

I also think Missy Franklin is AMAZING and so cute.

It also makes me sad to think that Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won't be back to the Olympics together. 3 gold medals in 3 Olympics...

Is anyone else as in love with the Olympics as I am? You guys can thank me later for only posting once about the Olympics when really I could have gone on and on and on every day that they were on.

I need some desgin help from my blogger friends!

Okay so I don't consider myself an idiot (obviously) but sometimes when it comes to design stuff on the computer I am completely lost. No...I take that back. I am beyond lost. 

My best friend Amy recently got engaged and as one of her bridesmaids I feel it is my responsibility to throw her an engagement party. We want to make it fun and personalized and obviously etsy has some great stuff but I just feel like it would be a lot cheaper for me to design banners and cupcake toppers, etc. on my own. So how do I do this? What program do ya'll use? Where do you get your backgrounds/graphics/etc? 

Help a girl out here!

My life lately via photos

It has been far too long since I've posted on my good 'ol blog and instead of boring you with paragraphs of what I've been doing lately I thought I would just share some pictures instead. 

Huge storm went through Cincinnati and we lost power on a Friday night. Simple solution: light candles and have a power hour via music from an iPhone! 

Celebrated my friend Rachel's bachelorette party at Norris Lake. She's getting married this weekend!

 Had some of the best sangria I've ever tried! If you're ever in Cincinnati go to Bakersfield and get their Sangria pitchers. You won't regret it trust me. Also, its even better around 3 in the afternoon on a Saturday when you're bored and decide to go bar hopping for lack of anything better to do.

 Still loving my job! I have the most amazing co-workers and awesome kiddos.

Surprise! I made another visit to Chicago! 

I really am going to make a better effort at posting more regularly. I miss this little 'ol blog and the blog world!

25 Things I Learned in My Twenties

Has anyone seen this article on thought catalog? One of my best friends from college sent it to me yesterday and I find a lot of the things so true. 

If only I could have learned some of the lessons NOT the hard way...

1. You can’t date a jerk and expect to turn them into a good person. Jerks are fully committed to being unpleasant. Those brief moments of tenderness they give you are designed to trip you up and give you false hope. It’s best to stay away altogether.
2. The rumors are true: your metabolism does slow down as you get older! That means if you’re still eating whatever you want, there’s a good chance you’ll start to gain an awkward amount of weight. It won’t be too drastic but your clothes will start to hang differently on your body and you’ll feel an overall feeling of unattractiveness. Start to be conscious of what you eat and strive to live a healthier lifestyle if you want to get your teen body back. (Let’s be real though, that might not ever come back.)
3. You’re going to lose touch with a lot of your friends. With some people, it will be expected but with others it will feel like a punch to the stomach. No friendship is truly safe in your twenties. You’re undergoing so many personal and professional changes that there’s bound to be some casualties along the way. Don’t worry though. You’ll end up with the ones that matter. If someone’s no longer in your life, it’s for a reason.
4. You’ll be jealous of everyone who’s more successful than you. That’s okay. Just transfer that jealousy into something productive, like working really hard so you can one day eclipse them and make them feel jealous of YOU.
5. You’ll question every decision you make and never feel completely certain that you made the right choice. It’s pointless to wonder though. You’re here now so you might as well make it be the right decision.
6. You’re going to give your heart to a few people who don’t deserve it. Then, one day you’ll come to your senses and ask them to give it back.
7. You’ll see your parents get older. You’ll come home during Christmas break and see new lines developing on their faces. One day it’ll just hit you that your parents are old and going to die. There’s nothing you can do about it, besides treat them with kindness and visit as much as your budget permits.
8. You’ll have a boss who makes you feel like you’re nothing. It doesn’t have to be in a Devil Wears Prada way. The cruelty can be much more subtle. Don’t let them get to you though. They have no idea who the hell you really are and you’re probably going to have their job someday so…
9. Doing drugs is fun until it’s not, until it starts affecting your life in negative ways and leaves you feeling guilty and wrecked. If that happens, you should stop doing them.
10. You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.
11. You’ll know how to make twenty dollars last an entire week because you spent almost all of your paycheck on groceries at Whole Foods and drunk cab rides. This lesson in frugality will serve you well.
12. You’re going to betray your convictions. You’re going to feel shame. You’re going to continue to put yourself in situations that aren’t good for you. And then, slowly but surely, it will become less frequent. It might not ever go away completely but it won’t be as bad. In the meantime, stop shame spiraling about it. It gets you nowhere.
13. Loving yourself is hard. Hating yourself is harder.
14. You’re going to hook up with someone who you would never touch in the daylight sober. Just don’t freak out too much about it. Consider it to be your good deed for the day.
15. You’re going to have people in your life who are toxic. They may say that they love you, they may say that they have your back, but they don’t. Get rid of them.
16. You’ll have moments with someone that are so intense, it’ll feel like you’ve been electrocuted back to life. You’ll hold on to these moments for a long time. They’ll give you hope when you’re going through the motions.
17. You’ll always care about your first love. That doesn’t make you crazy, it just makes you human. When relationships end, it’s not so cut and dry. You carry everyone you’ve ever loved into every relationship thereafter.
18. You’ll enter your twenties as a fashion disaster and (hopefully) leave them looking fantastic. If you don’t know how to put yourself together by then, I really don’t know what to tell you.
19. You’ll realize that the Internet can be a cruel son of a bitch but, you know, www.whatever.com.
20. So much of what you think matters doesn’t actually matter at all. It’s kind of rude. Like, thanks for making me believe in things that are ultimately so inconsequential, you jerk.
21.  You’ll treat someone terribly. Whether it to be a lover or your friend, there’ll be someone whose feelings you take for granted. We focus too much on whether or not someone is hurting us. The reality is that we might actually be the one who’s hurting someone.
22. Doing “grown-up things” doesn’t make you a grown up. Shopping for housewares, buying a plant, embracing domesticity — these things don’t create maturity. If you’re still a baby who hasn’t figured things out, you’ll remain a baby, no matter how many times you pay your rent on time.
23. Don’t force yourself into loving anyone. If it’s not working in the beginning, it’s probably not going to work ever.
24. You are so lucky to have everything that you have. Stop crying about an unreturned text message and get some perspective.
25. Don’t go too long without having sex. Ever. 

Bloom

There has been a lot of buzz going around the blog world about the book Bloom lately. I of course couldn't resist jumping on the band wagon and reading the book too...HOLY HELL AM I GLAD I DID! I don't think I have ever read a more inspiring book in my life. Since reading it the first time, I have read it a second time and used post-its to mark my pages. When I am having a bad day I go back and re-read some of Kelle's inspiring words. Bloom really puts life into perspective and I love how Kelle talks about celebrating Down Syndrome. 

I work with a little girl named Payton and she has down syndrome and autism. She is 10 years old and is the most stubborn sassy child I have ever met and has a personality that goes for miles. Her laugh is contagious and her smile spreads across her entire face. Don't be fooled though...if you tick her off she has no problem telling you. She has some of the funniest facial expressions and because of the autism she can't always express her emotions so I can only imagine what Payton is thinking when she gives us "one of her looks". She is also one of the most beautiful children I have ever met and while I was reading Bloom and looking at the pictures I kept imagining that's what Payton looked like as a baby. That was totally random but we talk about how perfect Payton is all the time and it reminds me of how Kelle refers to Nella. 

If you have not heard of this book you should check out Kelle's blog. You will be hooked and it will immediately inspire to you to drive as fast as humanely possible (or at least at a safe speed) to the nearest bookstore/target and pick yourself up a copy. You will not regret it. I promise. 

Has anyone else read this book? Did you love it as much as I did?