We're moving!!! AKA best excuse to start blogging again

If you have been wondering what ever became of this blog and curious as to what in the heck I have been up to....then you are probably my mom and can just as easily pick up the phone and call, for crissakes.

Not my mom?  Oh well then helloooooooo there!!!  Welcome back -- do I have some news for you!
MVP and I are moving!!!!  To Philadelphia!!!!

To say that we are both pumped is an understatement.  MVP was offered a great new job.....I was very, VERY fortunate that my job made it possible for me to work remotely....and here we are, about 2 weeks away from the apartment being packed up and moved about 3 hours north on I-95.

MVP and I are both incredibly excited to be living closer to family members, especially our siblings and our nieces and nephew.  We are also really excited about being able to live in the city, not having to leave our house to be able to watch the Eagles each week and.....Wawa.  Obviously, Wawa.

DC has been my stomping ground for eleven years. I have had a ton of fun.  I have lived in 3 different houses/apartments with approximately 14 different room/housemates.  I have worked at 5 different companies.  I have been able to grow friendships I started in college and been so fortunate to meet many new friends who have become just as close.

I have gone on many, many bad dates.  I have had some great dates. I have fallen in love.  I have had my heart broken.  After I met MVP, and we started dating, I was often reminded of some of the places and dates and people I had to go through to get to him.  Sometimes as big and full of people as DC is, it felt smaller.  I wanted to so much to embrace this new relationship with this new person and felt like around many corners, there were sometimes ghosts of relationships past hidden in the shadows.

At the risk of getting into that uncomfortable touchy-feely zone with y'all, what I am really and truly excited about is starting this new chapter with my new husband.  Still feels very odd to say/type that word, but trying to get into the habit. I'm looking forward to lots of new places, new favorites and new memories that I am sure we will look back on fondly some day.  It feels really strange to admit that "out loud" here....but strange in the best possible way.  Does that mean I am finally growing up?!?!?

What I am also very excited about is that this new life update gives me the best reason ever to start blogging again.  I have missed it....I know I have said that same thing before, but TRUST you guys....I mean it.

So I am hoping that many of you may want to follow me and my fish-back-in-more-suitable-water story.  I promise to keep it interesting, keep it entertaining, keep it FUNNY and keep it real.

 

 

Wedding Wednesday -- my first trip to a Wedding Dress shop (sort of) ended in me buying a dress (sort of)

That's right -- my very first trip in person to look at wedding dresses ended with me buying a dress.

But not in the way you would think.....let me explain.

MVP and I went to Lynchburg, VA last year for a wedding.  I asked if we could go a little earlier than planned to scope out Church Street Bridal, a place that had been recommended to me on WeddingBee.  Church Street Bridal gets designer dresses donated to them from folks like Kleinfelds (of TLC's Say Yes to the Dress), think previous season styles or sample dresses.  They then sell these for a HUGE discount and the proceeds are used to help women and children in the Central Virginia area. A wedding win-win to say the least.

While I didn't find "the one" when I visited, the folks at Church Street Bridal were beyond friendly and I quickly followed them on Facebook so I would know when new donations came in.  MVP and I went to grab lunch and while we were there, I got an alert on my phone.

A Jenny Packham Mimosa sample was available for purchase from Vows Bridal Outlet (of TLC's I Found the Gown).  This was THE DRESS I dreamt about, lusted after and pinned more times than was necessary.

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Some quick texts back and forth with my mom and the dress was purchased and on its way to my apartment.  I was on cloud nine -- I couldn't believe my good luck!  

While it was not the way I had originally envisioned buying my wedding dress, it did involve some of the know-how I had learned from watching so many hours of wedding-related TLC shows, that is for sure!

However, this did not end up being the dress I ended up with....more in another post :)

Wedding Wednesday -- our wedding had a logo

I am usually better about writing if I have a "regular column" so to speak.  Since I had no time or mental focus to write about the wedding while I was planning, I thought maybe I could share some of it now that it is all said and done.

Something I realized early on in the process were that weddings had ....evolved, shall we say?  There were so many unnecessary and over-the-top new things that people were doing, I felt really out of the loop. But one of the bandwagons I *did* jump on was having a wedding logo.

Sounds ridiculous, right?  Trust me, I put that thing to GOOD USE.  I found One Fine Soiree on etsy, and after a few emails back and forth describing the look and feel I wanted, she sent us 4 amazing samples, and we chose the below.

I used it for the stamps for our wedding invites, made thank you notes out of it, put it on welcome bags, put it on the cake bags, MVP used it as part of his gift to me....I even used it as my facebook profile pic.  

But I think my favorite use was our wedding card holder.

You guys, I had the WORST TIME trying to find a card holder that was not super corny or look like it was highly flammable.  When I finally DID find one I loved....well it was two weeks out and they could not ship it in time.  

Then, I got an idea.  On my OWN and not from Pinterest!!  I swung by Homegoods and got a large glass apothecary jar for like, 12 bucks.  Then I taped a print out of the logo inside, busted out my favorite Sharpie paint pens and went to work.  

And voila -- a card holder that is not only un-cheesy, but something that can be used in our home in some way.  Super proud of my crafting skills on this one!  

Is there something you crafted for a wedding or a kids birthday party or some other event that you are still patting yourself on the back for? Do tell!

Why buy the cow when you can get the crazy for free?

While I do think MVP found himself a great match, I know he was also well aware of my tendencies to act like a weirdo charming eccentricities.  Some of these he warmed up to and joined in on -- like watching In the Kitchen with David on QVC or killing time wandering around a Costco.  Some he still wants no part of, like BRAVO.  And sometimes....well sometimes he just shakes his head at me and probably wonders what the hell is wrong with me.

This past Saturday night would have been one of those head shaking moments.  It was late at night - MVP was starting to drift off to sleep, I was enjoying some of the TV he hates watching  - Barely Famous on VH-1, to be exact.  It's like my Us Weekly came to life in the form of a tv show!

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I paused the TV to get a drink of water; while in the kitchen I heard really loud, but muffled, voices.  Grabbing my attention, I leaned towards the wall to see what was going on with my neighbors.  Nothing.
It took me a few beats to realize the noise was coming from underneath me.  So like anyone else would do, I lied down and pressed my ear to the kitchen floor.  JACKPOT!!  As a side note, the neighbors who live underneath us are HUGE JERKS and the one guy has come to yell at me on a few ocvcasions for "banging around upstairs" when all I was doing was walking to a different room. So I was even MORE curious to get a better sense of what the eff was wrong with them.  So this was justified eavesdropping.

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I must have lost track of time down there on the kitchen floor, because the next thing I hear is "What the hell are you doing?!?"  And that was coming from *inside* the apartment.

I looked up to see a very disgrunteld MVP.  "ummm, nothing," I stammered, "just listening to the guy downstairs."

"Well while you were in here lying on the kitchen floor, the TV unpaused itself and some porno movie is blasting at full voulme and we have the damn windows open!" he bellowed.

"Whoops, sorry I guess the last channel we watched before my on-demand binge was Cinemax. It's late, so they've changed over to Skinemax by now I bet."

MVP sighed heavily and trudged back to bed.  I reluctantly got up off the floor, grabbed that drink or water that I set out to get probably 20 minutes earlier, and headed back to bed.  Well, headed back to finish my show, then watch another horrible yet entertaining show (Walk of Shame Shuttle...yes that's the name of the show) and went to bed.

Just another normal, boring Saturday night......

Glow baby, glow!

I am a self admitted product hoarder junkie.  I firmly believe a new mascara/nail polish/moisturizer has the potential to change your life.

While cleaning out my inbox this morning, I saw an amazing deal on one of my FAVORITE products and just had to share.

TODAY ONLY, Ulta is featuring Laura Geller's Baked Highlighter (with brush!!) as one of their beauty steals. You guys.....this stuff.  Amazing.  I went through a whole one and am on my second.  Remember that hoarder junkie thing I mentioned? It means I rarely ever use something up.  But this....well this is just that good.

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First - The consistency of Geller's baked collection is crazy good -- it starts as a cream and is then baked for 24 hours.  It truly melts into skin and looks flawless.

Second - Contouring and highlighting is really having a moment right now, isn't it?  It can become a girl's best friend, but definitely takes some practice to make perfect.  This highlighter is THE PERFECT WAY to dip your toe in.

Third - This brush may not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it is perfection.  Use the larger end to lightly pat the highlighter along the tops of your cheekbones and give your face a smidge of dimension.  Better yet?  Use the other end of the brush to dot highlighter at the inner corner of your eyes.  Instantly makes you look alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic.  Seriously, this stuff can fake a good night's sleep.  This and coffee and no one will ever know you were up late binge-watching Netflix or dealing with a fussy toddler.

Fourth -- The deal today gets you the highlighter AND brush for $15!!  Ulta claims it is a $44 value (which I am sure it is) but I have bought it before from QVC (obvs) where the same set runs $26.50.

Spring is the perfect time to lighten and brighten and I HIGHLY recommend this highlighter to get your glow on.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Long time no blog, right?

The past year has been one that was busier than I was prepared for.  Survived another shakeup at work, but not without a LOT of stress and long hours.  Another (bigger) shakeup is on the horizon, but I can't even think about it right now or I will break out in hives.  And there was the small matter of planning the wedding.  Which was wonderful. And stressful.  All at the same time.  

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So here I am, coming back with my blogging tail between my legs, hoping I may still have some friends/fans/followers out there that would be willing to get back on board with me.  I am feeling my life starting to relax back into a normal and painfully boring existence...and that is a good thing. A very good thing.  

I have missed writing.  

I have missed being creative.  

I have missed trying to make friends and random strangers laugh.  

Also, I think MVP misses me writing.  Before I could come here and talk about online shopping and BRAVO and Pinterest.  Now HE has had to be the one to listen to that stuff.  So if not for me, do it for poor MVP.  Come read my blog so he doesn't have to listen to my nonsensical ramblings. 

Pinterest Goggles Are Real

I am trying to sloooooooowly get myself away from the post-engagement "PIN ALL THE THINGS!!!!!!" phase.  I mean really, given my pinning skills, this wedding is pretty much planned, right?

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Yeah...uh...not so much.  Planning a wedding with Pinterest is like having the unlimited meal plan at college.
"Chicken fingers for everyone! My treat since  swiping my student D is basically the equivalent of spending monopoly money, amiright?"

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 Wrong.  So. Very. Wrong.

I knew it before, obviously, but now that MVP and I are in the throes of planning, I feel like I have a permanent expression of "That costs how f*@king much?!?" on my face.

I have an ungodly amount try to keep a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to DIY projects.  Because I know I have been at the crafting rock-bottom before.  Sitting on the floor, crying, clutching a glue gun and looking around at the total mess I made of $128 dollars of "supplies" from Michael's.

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Have you experienced something similar? If you have (and it's okay if you are too ashamed to admit it...), this experience should be forever known as Pinterest Goggles***. Much like with beer goggles, what starts out as fun eventually takes a sharp turn down This-is-a-Horrible-Idea Avenue, and we don't have the mind to stop before it is too late.  And with both, there is usually a ginormous mess to clean up the next morning.

***I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS PHRASE HAPPEN.  That may also involve trademarking this phrase...so clearly I am not going to get much done today. If any TM lawyers have stumbled across this post, gimme a shout.

That said, there are a few things that I have seen on Pinterest that I would like to try.  Partly because they may be more budget-friendly, but also so I can feel like I am doing something other than just signing contracts and sending deposit checks.

The other day, I mentioned one of my ideas to MVP and showed him some pins so he had a visual.  

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Let's just say, he was not into it.  Not so much because of what it was, but because I was going to take on the task of making it.  I appreciated his concern, and tried to explain that I am well aware there is the very real possibility this project could send me off the crafting deep end a chance it may not turn out exactly right, but the wedding is 8 months away. That is plenty of time.

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He looked at me with that expression that simply says "I am filing this away so I can say 'I told you so!'"

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I think we agreed to disagree on the issue...and by that I mean we just stopped talking about it and he left to go watch TV in another room.  Feeling full of  "I'll show you!" moxie, I jumped on Amazon and loaded my cart with supplies.  Ordering online has an added bonus of not having that personal interaction with the Michael's/A.C. Moore cashier, who looks at you with a mix of empathy and pity as she rings you up for a shopping cart FULL OF STUFF that she knows is never going to come to its intended crafting fruition.

It's an endless cycle, people.  Just like the morning after a long, late night of drinking, when the fog and haze of the beer goggles has gone, you vow you are never doing that again.  And then later - could be a month, could be a year, you forget all about that promise.  That's me and my struggle with my inner-Martha-Stewart-wannabe.  Oh Pinterest goggles....I just can't quit you!!