All the single ladies...

All the single ladies...put your hands up!  {I know I'm a dork, you don't have to tell me.}

Happy Valentine's Day, readers!

Thank goodness my momma knows where to buy boxes of chocolates.

And thank you to my brother for breaking up with his girlfriend prior to V-Day so that he could invite me to dinner and a movie. He is totally adorable. {I wonder how many people will mistake us as a couple...}

Vancouver 2010

I'm excited for the Winter Olympics to begin on Friday. 

Winter Olympics > Summer Olympics. Obvi. 

I have fond memories of watching figure skating as a little girl. Me and my best friend would lay on the carpet in our sleeping bags for hours watching Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Kristi Yamaguchi and others. This sport sure saw some drama in the 90s...

Ski Jumping, Speed Skating, and Snowboarding amaze me as well because I realize how many times I've been skiing and am still terrible!

Olympians have so much discipline. It is so impressive.

What is your favorite event in the Olympics?! 

 {check out the Vancouver 2010 website here}

Getting My Life Back....One Day at a Time

I left work yesterday at 6:15 ~ which is essentially like me taking a half day. As I was saying bye to my coworkers, my boss said "You're looking guilty."

Yeah, probably because slaves aren't ever allowed to stop working. Guilty.

Then today I left at 5:45. Total rebel status.

The irony is that the rest of the world has been totally against me. 

Yesterday, all power in my town was off from about 6-10pm. Sweet. I got off the exit by my house and thought the world was ending and no one had warned me. Police were directing traffic at every intersection, the gym was closed {I may or may not have celebrated at the sight of this}, and people were acting like maniacs.

Today, I wanted to get my nails done after work, but apparently the entire nail salon took a "snow day." That's funny ~ I didn't get a snow day. And I'm stronger because of it.

Oh well, nothing wrong with having some time to relax while the town shuts down.  

Please do not mistake this post as any form of complaining.

To My Best Friend:

May you have a wonderful Birthday full of love, laughter, and fun {presents are good too}!

I wish we could be together, but I am thinking of you and wishing you a very happy day!!

In honor of YOU today, here are the top 23 reasons why I love you to pieces:

1. It feels like we've been friends forever - we just "get" each other.
2. You are such a considerate person.
3. You always maintain a positive outlook on life.
4. Your laugh is contagious.
5. Said laugh makes me feel hilarious at all times.
6. You are so generous and never jealous.
7. You are driven.
8. Between surprise notes and setting the coffee pot each night, you make the best roommate any girl could ask for.
9. After setting the coffee pot, you make better lattes than Starbucks {and you're kind enough to share your tricks with me}.
10. You are good at pretending to enjoy watching movies and Friends episodes for less than two minutes until I fall asleep with me. 
11. You understand and comply with my OCD habits. 
12. When on occasion these habits get in the way of me living a normal life, you quickly bring me back to reality.
13. You are a blast to vacation with ~ from the Florida Keys to cruises to taking on Chicago.
14. You are such a sneaky "spy" {hint: Florida}
15. We share a LOVE for pizza {any kind, although BBQ chicken would most likely be the top choice if we were given an option}. The more I think about it...we don't really discriminate against any type of food...
16. You are an understanding listener.
17. You are fun to go out with 
18. ...and to stay in with.
19. You are so smart and level-headed, and I have so much respect for you because of it.
20. You give the world's best compliments, when in fact you deserve the praise.
21. Your voice is beautiful ~ whether it be singing while getting ready or during recruitment, I envy that you can carry a tune.
22. I miss you so much {ready for you to move back home}, but when we are together we still have so much to talk about.
23. I love that you love me back ~ and your family welcomes me as their own.  

Happy, Happy Birthday Krista!!!! 

The Bare Essentials

There has been a major struggle going on between my inner germaphobe and my {recent} tighwad instinct. 

Everyday as I literally scratch my face with the dirty, worn out bristles of my makeup brush {see below}, I think to myself: "Hey OCD, you might want to splurge on new brushes soon."

And the cheapster thinks back: "Are you serious?! Brushes are so expensive for no reason."

{Ew. Sick. Sick. This is the exact same brush - old stiff one on left, new luxurious beauty on right}

Well this weekend I gave in. I went to the Bare Minerals store only for new foundation, and left with much more. I made a new "friend" with the sales associate, and {as I usually do when someone lets me out into public} started making small talk with her. She quickly informed me I've been using incorrect makeup brushes all along...

Apparently, my blush brush is supposed to be angled...my foundation brush is only suitable for "light" coverage...you're supposed to have a separate brush blush and warmth brush, mixing is a sin....and on and on...

I decided then and there I needed to whip my makeup routine into shape. However, I must have given off a chincy vibe because my friend gave me $10 off for no reason and she gave me 2 weeks worth of samples of a primer for my foundation! She just said she liked me! {Add her to the list of friends found here}

Folks, get yourself some fresh brushes if you haven't done so in a while. My morning routine was exceptionally enjoyable today!

And needless to say, I will also be splurging for brush cleaner more often as well.

Come away with me...

The boss has been alluding to the work "we" are going to be doing again this weekend...and this is when I confirmed that I need a vacation!

Who's with me!? Let's start brainstorming!

We could...

• Go to the beach, but we'd have to go far south for it to be warm.
• Find a cozy cabin in Gatlinburg ~ it's cost effective and there's Dollywood!
• Go out to California and tour vineyards in Napa ~ sounds delightful! {ol' boy lived in California for a summer and said this was his favorite part about it...I'm not completely random and losing my mind}
• Visit Chicago and do some serious shopping!
• Hit up Vegas...gambling, shows, and all!

Anyone else have ideas?  I think it would be fun!! We're young and single and have money to spend, so let's enjoy ourselves =)

Sweet Surprises

On my way home at 10pm last night, after 13 hours in the office on a Sunday with Mr. Big Guy {the boss} and no lunch or dinner, I had a slight lapse in my quest to maintain a positive attitude...focus on the good stuff...blah, blah, blah...


THEN, I came home to a surprise hanging from the door to my apartment.

Just the pick-me-up I needed!

My friend left a goodie bag full of brownies, pictures, new socks {labeled with the days of the week to fuel my OCD tendencies}, and tattoos {which, as she described, were in case I need a reason to get fired}. 

The tattoos made me laugh out loud. All I could picture was rub-on tattoos on my cheeks during our reviews with the President this week. She's right...probably wouldn't go over well.

I am so thankful for friendships and RAKS {random acts of kindness}!