It's true...

My blog seems to be dead.

I hesitate to officially say I AM DONE WRITING! so let's just say "this is a break."  

I just kind of lost the desire to write at the beginning of the New Year...  I'm not sure why.  I kept thinking I would get back into it, but 5 months later...  

But now maybe that I've written this, the drive and motivation to share all of my ridiculous happenings will come back!  

Or maybe not.  But either way, I'm kind of sad about this bloggy break.  I loved writing my blog.  Not sure what happened.

I blame it on Facebook. 

Love you all.  :) 

Travel Size!

So, after almost 2 years of traveling full time, I decided to clean out my "travel" supplies.  15 empty plastic baggies later.... you can tell what I steal every single time from hotels (Neutrogena products!).  

Caren sent me this, and it is the coolest thing I've seen all week. Watch all the way through!


Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

GATOR HUNTING

I went gator hunting with my cousins in Wild Dunes today.  

I mistook a fast moving golf cart for an alligator and was slightly taken off-guard (screams)  but eventually we were rewarded. Awesomeness. 

Also saw many turtles. Actually a disturbing amount of turtles. I love Charleston!! Alligators!!

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Victoria British Columbia

This week's trip has been a mixture of fantastic and fabulous and tiring and horrible.  I'll spare you the details.  Let's just say that I got 1 free day of car rental from National and 1 free hotel stay from Hilton.  

One very very great part was afternoon tea in Victoria.  After I did my visit, I ended up at Murchie's... I ordered a pot of English Breakfast tea (yum) and a piece of tiramisu (horrifically delicious, omg omg omg).  

I sat in a comfy leather chair and read my book, drank my tea, and ate my tiramisu.  It was a GOOD break.  It was a perfect hour or so.  

Basically, I LOVE CANADIA.  It was surprisingly more different than I expected, but I had a fantastic (but tiring) day in Victoria.  And my last cabbie even finished several of his sentences with an "Eh???" which I very much appreciated.

Now its time to hike to my gate at Sea-Tac.  Going home!  Yay!  

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Wisconsin has redeemed itself.

So today has been a mess - I was running late from the minute I woke up, it seemed, I almost forgot my passport, my flight was really tough because of wind shear, I walked and walked in the rain trying to find my rental car, I couldn't figure out the token system at the Doubletree Madison for parking.... And plus, I'm crabby. So. Kind of an annoying day.

But! When I checked in, the gal at the desk asked me if I was having a rough day (after she explained the token system for the 3rd time) and I was like YES OMG! We both laughed, and I went up to my room.

So 10 minutes later, someone knocks of my door. I open it, and it is a guy from the front desk with a little bag tied with a bow. It had a little bottle of wine, a wine glass, and chocolates. And there was a note, saying they were sorry I had been having a hard day, and that they hope this would cheer me up!!!!

SERIOUSLY.

Yet another example of why I choose to stay with Hilton.

It even kept me cheery when I got lost on the U of W campus in 3 inch heels trying to find The Gap in drizzling rain. Now I'm sitting in a local coffee shop drinking a great americano and thanking goodness I wore my hair curly today.

And that my April Glamour said 97% of women said it was okay to wear your natural curls. Ummm.... THANKS I WILL.

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Fort Lauderdale, FL

I'm back! 

Actually, I'm in Fort Lauderdale.  I'm not staying at the same 300 Star Beach Resort as last summer, but this hotel is pretty fantastic, too.  My suite overlooks some harbor.  Or something.

It's a little chilly to go to the beach, but I'm still working in my hotel room with the balcony door open and it is beautiful!!!  

PS:  it is way sunnier than the picture makes it look!  Bad, blackberry, bad!  

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Inspiration

I've been MIA because I've had no inspiration!  And I still have none!  So you can provide it.... please....  :)  Suggest something!  

Orange Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Spiced Whipped Cream

Oh My Gosh, make this.




I made dinner for some friends last night, and this was the "fancy" dessert. It was pretty easy, and really delicious. I found it in this month's InStyle. Go fashion magazine recipes! :)

(Dinner was Hearty Beef Stew with no peas because I hate peas, and drop biscuits from Joy of Cooking. I mixed them in my food processer, and lets just say I will never do it any differently. I hate mixing biscuits with my hands.)

Orange Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Spiced Whipped Cream

CAKE
8 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick, cut up)
3 tbsp bourbon (I used Seagrams 7 whiskey)
1 orange, zested
4 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar

SPICED CREAM
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour sides of a round 9-inch baking pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

2 Melt chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Mix in bourbon and orange zest; set aside.

3 With an electric mixer, beat eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl until mixture is thick and pale yellow ribbons form, about 6 min. Fold mixture into chocolate little by little. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

4 Bake for 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

5 With mixer, beat cold heavy cream until frothy. Add confectioners' sugar and spices; continue beating until soft peaks form. Chill in refrigerator.

6 Transfer cake to a serving platter; garnish with spiced cream and chocolate shavings.

Notes: I didn't use a double boiler, and I used 1 bar of bittersweet baking chocolate and 1 bar of semisweet baking chocolate because that is what I had. I also didn't line with parchment paper because I don't have any, but using it would have caused me a great deal less stress, as I almost destroyed the cake in my clumsy attempt to get it out of the pan.

PS: That beef stew is freaking amazing, and I make it all the time. I usually freeze a couple of bags of it so I can just defrost a couple of servings when I have no food in the house and am tired of Special K.

A new day!

I'm excited for the next four years!

But I'm sure glad that although a lot of responsibility rests on the shoulders of Barack Obama, ultimately, God is in charge.


....help us work for that day
when black will not be asked to give back,
when brown can stick around,
when yellow will be mellow,
when the red man can get ahead, man,
and when white will embrace what is right.
Let all who do justice and love mercy say amen and say amen.

Text Messages

The text messages between me and Kara make me laugh out loud. I wish I would have kept more of them (I let my BlackBerry automatically delete things older than 15 days), but here is a gem from this morning.

Background: 2 nights ago, I had two nightmares: 1) that I died in a plane crash (really scary) and 2) that Joe Jonas died.

I DON'T KNOW WHY I DREAMED ABOUT JOE JONAS. I just know that in my dream, the high school girls at my church were really, really upset.

Kara and I were laughing so hard on the phone when I related this dream that I got a headache. For some reason, it was just really, really funny (and disturbing) that I dreamed about Joe Jonas.

Today:

::chit chat text messages about when we are meeting for lunch::
Kara: Bring Joe Jonas.
Sarah: He's dead, Kara.


Kara moves to Texas this weekend, and I hate that. I mean, I'm excited for Kara. Yay.

Cable Update

Can't get DirecTV because the receiver won't work on my property. SUCK!

There is no way I am paying for Time Warner cable, so I guess I'm back to ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and 18 religious channels.

Sigh.

Alert!

Hell just froze over!

I got cable!

DirectTV, to be exact. Time Warner was $65 a month (!!!) and that was like 40 dollars more than I wanted to spend.

I can't believe I did it, to be honest.... they come on Wednesday to install.

Living in a hotel for 11 straight days over Christmas with my best friend REALLY SPOILED ME. Now I'm used to:

1) cable (resolved)
2) great pillows (resolved)
3) room service (still an outstanding issue)
and
4) Taylor around 24-7 (still an outstanding issue)

Happy New Year's Day!

Welcome to 2009! I hope you had a fun New Year's Eve!

Today I braved IKEA and bought a magnetic knife rack.



I have always had TERRIBLE knives, and what stopped me from getting new ones is that I didn't want a knife block on my countertops. Then I realized (.... 4.5 years later) that I could put up a magnetic rack! So I bought two nice knives at Macy's this week.

Note: I still regularly use knives purchased at the Five&Dime corner store on McMillan my freshman year of college. They are awful. My other knives cost $3 from IKEA 4 years ago. I also own a Pampered Chef spreader.

So I went to Lowes yesterday morning and they acted like they had never heard of such a travesty. Even though their website said it was in-stock. AHEM.

So today I went to IKEA and after 45 minutes, found it. (Plus a duvet cover for my guest room - Kara, it's white! Flora better beware. And a couple of white planters to hold things around my house.)

And it only took 30 minutes and maybe a couple of swear words to hang it!

Tools I Used:
Power Drill
Drill Bits
A LEVEL (:::applause:::)
Hammer (don't ask)
Screws
Little grey thingies for screws in drywall

Number of Holes I Drilled:
5

Number of Holes Required:
2

Number of Phone Calls Made:
2



And there we go! It STILL wasn't exactly level but I was done drilling holes in my lovely yellow walls so it will just have to do.

Chris & Taylor's Wedding Number One: Vietnamese Style.

Photo by Liz

What a fantastic trip! It is hard to put into words how special it was. I went down so early so that I could go to the Bridesmaids Luncheon the week before the wedding, and I am so glad I did. Spending the next 10 days with Taylor before her wedding was really awesome.

We spent most of the time running around, doing last minute wedding errands and Christmas shopping, eating, and laughing hysterically. Day One's hysterical moment consisted of me watching Taylor re-park her car for the THIRD time, yelling in astonishment, "NOT BETTER! NOT BETTER! Oh my gosh, SO NOT BETTER!" It was awesome.

Too much happened to blog about, but I'll start with Friday - aka, Wedding Number One: Vietnamese Style.

We woke up early-ish on Friday, and ate breakfast in bed in our hotel room... for FREE, because they messed up our order 3 times and by the time we finally got silverware, everything was cold anyway. So that worked out well for us. :)

We got ready for the ceremony, and I did Taylor's hair, which made me really, really nervous for some reason. We spent 45 minutes in the bathroom, me looking incredibly grim, and Taylor laughing at me. It turned out great, and STAYED great, so, Thank You God!


Photo by Liz

My other crazy moment came on our way to Taylor's parent's house for the Vietnamese ceremony..... I went from being tense and stressed, to laughing out loud really hard, to crying - all in less than 60 seconds. It happened, and I just looked at Taylor staring at me, and was like "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!" Apparently all of HER stress had been finding an outlet... through ME! So I dropped Taylor off, ran to the drug store, and engaged in a bit of retail therapy in the makeup aisle, and then relaxed.

Back at Taylor's parent's house, we waited for the Asian Invasion - all of Chris' family (like 25 people!) came in, brought gifts, and then took Taylor back to Chris' house. We all followed, and then the ceremony began. It was incredibly meaningful, even though it was a hybrid of what a true Vietnamese wedding ceremony would look like.

Chris and Taylor served all of their elders tea, and then after the tea ceremony, everyone gave them wisdom and advice (and gifts!). I teared up a few times. It was great to see the love and affection that everyone had for them. I loved it!

Then we all went over to the church for the wedding rehearsal, and then the entire bridal party plus a bunch of relatives went to a reception hall for the traditional 10-course meal that follows a Vietnamese wedding. It served as our rehearsal dinner (with about 80 people!).


Photo by Liz

Chris began by saying, "I know a lot of you might be a little nervous to try this traditional Vietnamese/Chinese food... but I encourage you all to at least try it. And we have chicken fingers in the back for anyone who needs them." So funny!

For the most part, everything was delicious. There were a couple of touch and go moments.... such as the jellyfish in the first course that Chris told our table was a vegetable. I took a bit, and it was so chewy and cold and so obviously NOT any vegetable that I had ever had, I had to (discretely) (I hope) (probably not) spit it out. That chewy texture is just one that I do not handle well. Later, we discovered... it was jellyfish. NOT A VEGETABLE, CHRIS. Not a vegetable.


Photo by Liz

After the dinner, Taylor and Liz and I headed back to our hotel.... and I got pulled over by a cop. I was going 59 in a 45. Whoops. Was NOT paying attention at ALL. So he walks up to my window and he says, "I clocked you going 59." And before he can say much more, I immediately begin saying, "I DON'T LIVE HERE I AM SO SORRY THIS IS THE BRIDE SITTING NEXT TO ME I'M DRIVING US HOME FROM THE REHEARSAL DINNER I'M SORRY DID I SAY I DON'T LIVE HERE AND SHE IS A BRIIIIIIIIIDE!" I also started pulling Taylor's ribbon bouquet closer and closer so he could hopefully see it, to prove SHE IS A BRIDE.

As I slowly died in the front seat, he took my license and ran it, and then came back and let me go. WHEW. All I could say that night was "THANK GOD FOR MARRIAGE."

Whew. So, we head back to the hotel, Donna (Taylor's mama) shows up to spend the night with us, and we all relax in the hotel rooms, and then Liz & I pass out from exhaustion.

The End. (for now)

Shopping with Kara

Yesterday, Kara & I met for lunch, and then went to Z Gallerie so she could pick up some fancy new bedding for her new house in Texas.

Apparently, "creepy animals" ranks HIGH on the trendy-list of late 2008. See below:


Many sparkly birds. I love this picture.


Wart hog? Not sure. But it definitely was creepy.


A velociraptor!


Ok, not creepy, but this was the first thing we saw when we walked in. They use cute to lure you in!


Also, I feel like an adult right now because I just bought expensive pillows online. Usually I buy my pillows at TJMaxx or HomeGoods because pillows are incredibly boring. But I've been sleeping terribly for months now, and I keep waking up with a sore neck and aching shoulders... and I've been thinking for the last couple of months that it is due to my pillows and how I sleep.

Taylor and I stayed at a Marriott for 5 days last week, and the pillows were fantastic. And I felt great every morning. So I looked them up online today and BOUGHT some!

Flora is happy to see me.

She won't stop climbing all over me!

Wedding run down to come soon!!

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Happy Christmas!

Breakfast with my parents and grandmother, gifts and lunch with Taylor's family, a long nap and then a Vietnamese dinner at Chris's house. Where I listened to this adorable 4 year old tell me a long, long story about the fishy princess (Ariel) and lipstick. It was a great day!
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North Carolina!

Having a wonderful time... no time to blog, but I arrived Friday morning and we've been busy having fun since then!  Highlights include the Bridesmaid Luncheon and watching Taylor park really badly (me, watching her park for the SECOND time, correcting the first time: ummm.. not better!  NOT BETTER!  NOT BETTER!).  I've had Starbucks every day and ate the best oatmeal cookie of my entire life this afternoon.  Looking forward to seeing my parents on Christmas Eve, and then the WEDDING on Saturday! 

 

This is a picture of our adorable hotel room - its really huge - this picture doesn't show the entry or the bathroom.  We're staying at the Brookstown Inn (until we move to the Marriott on Christmas Eve), and I love it!  Very cozy. 

 

 

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You Know You're a CRA when...

It is funny to me that almost every single one is true.


You might be a CRA if....

1. You think working on weekends is normal.
2. You have ever used a bathroom on an airplane...to change clothes.
3. Crying babies on an airplane don't wake you up.
4. You have enough frequent flyer miles and hotel points to take the entire State of Montana on a free vacation.
5. You can pack a week's worth of clothes in one carry-on suitcase.
6. Something beeps or rings on you when the plane lands.
7. Half of your voice messages are from recruiters.
8. You can survive on a diet of peanuts, pretzels and soda.
9. You can recite the ''airline safety speech'' verbatim.
10. You silently laugh to yourself when you hear someone at the Atlanta airport say ''I can't believe we are going to be late again.''
11. You belong to every single frequent flyer program and frequent hotel guest program in North America.
12. When it is time for you to buy a new car you don't have to test drive any because you have rented every type of vehicle available.
13. You know the three letter code for at least 15 North American Airports.
14. When you check in to the hotel the desk attendant says, ''Welcome Home.''
15. You spend more time at the airport than you do at your desk.
16. You have two checking accounts... One for your paycheck and one for your expense checks.
17. You change time zones at least 2 to 3 times a week.
18. You get up at 4am to catch a plane for a business trip.
19. You can identify every major US city from 30,000 feet..............at night.
20. You are on a first name basis with your local Fed Ex driver.
21. You call a friend in CA to help you find your way back to hotel because you are lost somewhere in MO or KS, not sure which, never mind where.
22. The TSA official asks you "Will I see you at the bar Friday night?"
23. You wake up in your own bed and immediately think "Where am I and where am I supposed to go?"
24. You think you're driving to your site in Pennsylvania and you see the WELCOME TO WEST VIRGINIA sign.
25. You get lost in the desert, but just keep driving- thinking "I've been here before, I know I can find it."
26. You're a "regular" at 6 different Starbucks in 6 different states.
27. You have to fly to all the way across the country to spend time with a co-worker that lives 10 minutes from you.
28. You forget to pay your bills for two months because you weren't home when they arrived.
29. Your friends and family begin every phone conversation with "Where are you today?" ..... and sometimes, you don't know.
30. You can help lost peoples at the all the hospitals and airports you go to; you actually begin asking when you see someone looking confused.
31. No one understands what you do, just that you're gone a lot!
32. You know 4-5 numbers by heart: Skymiles, Avis/Hertz, Hilton/Marriott and at least one credit card (with security code).
33. You know exactly how long it takes to get from your front door to a gate in the A concourse vs. the B concourse at CVG.
34. You're not surprised to run into a friend/co-worker at the airport, you're more surpised that you don't run into someone you know there.

:) It is a good life! :)

Kara's Goodbye Party

or, the "We Hate Tex-as Party."

One of my BFF's from work, Kara, is moving to Texas in early January. So, several months ago (it was still summer at the time), we started planning a surprise going away party!



I invited her to some dinner at a place near Caren's house... like 2 months in advance. Hahaha. But Kara is Kara, so she didn't really think anything of it.

As the date approached, things started to unravel.... the place where Kara & I were supposed to meet CLOSED before the party was supposed to start, then our friend Laura got sick and couldn't GET Kara to Hyde Park, and then KARA'S CAR WENT INTO THE SHOP so she couldn't get HERSELF from Kentucky to Hyde Park.....

So I thought fast (because I am a genius) and said, "It's ok! I'll come to Kentucky and pick you up and we can have dinner near your house!"

And then Caren placed a CAREFULLY TIMED CALL to me while Kara & I were driving and invited us to a "spur of the moment lasagne dinner". All the way up in Hyde Park.

It worked out pretty well, even though Kara, although not SUSPICIOUS, was a little like "weird timing on Caren's part!"


I got Kara a framed picture of Flora for the guest room in her beautiful new house. No house is complete without a little Flora glaring down on people.


Kara, me & Sharon


Caren trying on Kara's new (to her) cowboy hat. Along with NECKMUFF.


A few of us at the end of the night.


It was a super fun night. I'm terribly sad about Kara moving to Texas, but as she has pointed out, we both have jobs where we travel constantly and frequent flyer miles abound. Whatever.

Bookcase!

My parents bought me a big bookcase for Christmas, and during our "Family Christmas" celebration this weekend, my dad and my cousin Sam put it together for me. I helped! By watching.

I have a TON of books in my house - 2 bookcases that were totally full and then books crammed onto every table or shelf I have. And I thought this bookcase would alleviate all of that..... turns out, no. With the bookcase in my bedroom, and this bookcase, I have just enough room to store all of my current books. I moved my old bookcase into my guest room closet and am using it for extra storage.

This morning, Flora discovered the new playtoy.




I love this picture!!

Best. Manicure. Ever.

And my lame but funny (to me) attempt to capture it on film. (Also proving that I AM WORKING, see my computer)

So, after I closed out my site this morning, I noticed my nail polish looked AWFUL and was all chipped, so I went to a little salon near my hotel. (Christy, it was the All Seasons salon at Broadway and 95th... you definitely need to go.)

And wow - it was the best manicure ever. Not only did she do a fabulous job on my nails, but when I arrived, they took my coat and brushed it for me! And then while she wrapped my little paws in hot towels, she gave me a back & neck massage!! And then when my nails were drying, she gave me ANOTHER back & neck massage!

And then, to top things off, when I left - she put my coat on for me, buttoned it up, adjusted the collar, and then tied my scarf on for me. I almost said, "okay, bye Mom!"

And all for the low cost of $12 + tip!


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New York City

I arrived this afternoon and after some work and exploring, met Christy for dinner at Kashkaval. We had cheese fondue with bread, veggies and meat, a tapas plate of various yummy things, wine and then chocolate fondue for dessert..... It was amazing! Such a fun time.

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Las Vegas Hilton

It has eyeballs.

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These are a few of my favorite things!

Here is my not-so-great-but-good-enough review of my favorite bath and beauty products. Not me for - (seriously mom, I'm set) - but in case anyone wants to try any fun new things or ask for something for Christmas they wouldn't normally buy for themselves. I really, really, really like the products I use and so I thought I would share them!

Let's not discuss price here. This is stuff I love, but don't ALWAYS use. These are also purchases spread out over the years - most of this stuff lasts a very long time. And I'm a master at finding half-off deals, free coupons, etc. Also at accepting gifts - haha. And makeup is just something I don't mind spending money on, because I don't use a ton of it and it lasts for a long time, and I cut back in other ways (generic foods, freezing house, working from home, etc.) Okay, I'm going to stop justifying myself to you all and get to the fun stuff. I just wanted you all to know that I recognize not everyone finds this important or necessary for themselves. But I enjoy it, so please take this post in the spirit in which it was meant.

Face

Moisturizer:
This lasts a long time. They came out with a 20 SPF version shortly after I bought mine - I'll be getting that when this runs out. Apparently it is known as some miracle cream, but I just like it because it moisturizes my face and does a good job and has good stuff in it.

Hope in a Jar (Philosophy)

Foundation primer:
I used to not really get the point of this, but this product has convinced me. It helps my makeup stay on all day and not look cakey.

Primer (Laura Mercier)

Foundation:
This. Is. Amazing. My first time wearing "real" foundation - I've always used tinted moisturizers or really light-weight formulas. This is still light-weight, but I think it is amazing.

Moisturizing Foundation (Laura Mercier)

Lipstick:
I love lipstick, but can't wear the heavy stuff because my lips get so chapped. This is like a chapstick with color. It is great.

Stick Gloss (Laura Mercier)

Blush:
I love blush. I think everyone should wear blush. I probably wear too much, but I just love it so much. This stuff also last for-ev-er. I've had mine for almost 4 years. The color below is kind of ugly. Mine is pink... with tiny sparkles. Go me.

Blush On Color (Origins)

Night time:
I started having problems with sun-spots on my skin this summer and got this to put on at night. The retin-A made me break out at first and that pissed me off, but now it helps keep my skin clear. (I guess that is what retin-A does - brings all of the blemishes to the surface at first - at least, that is what someone told me.)

Help Me (Philosophy)

Mascara:
I like to wear a ton of mascara and this stuff is great. Took a little bit of time to get used to the gigantic brush but after trying 4-5 different mascaras (drug store and fancy) over the last couple of years, this is one I have repeatedly bought.

Bad Gal Lash (Benefit)

Eye Liner:
Also grrrrrr-eat. Goes on thick or thin, doesn't smear, stays on all day/night. Very soft pencil, so it is easy to get it close to your lash line. Doesn't sharpen ALL that well because it is so soft, but I've never had it break.

24-7 Eye Liner (Urban Decay)



Body

Perfume:
I've been wearing this for a few years, and love it. It smells great and is very simple. I bought the matching lotion recently, but it is not very moisturizing... I will not be purchasing that again.

Baby Grace Perfume (Philosophy)

Lotion:
I always come back to this... the cream is much more moisturizing than the lotion.

Moonlight Path Body Cream (Bath & Body Works)


For Fellow Lizards

Chapstick:
This is for nighttime - I smear it on every night and it truly does help my lips not be so chapped. I got mine for 50% off, and looking around online, it appears not to be available anyone... but if you find some, snap it up, it is great.

Lip Clinic Baume de Nuit Night Lip Balm (Bourjois)

Foot Cream:
This stuff is great and I use so much foot lotion that I find it hard to justify buying expensive brands.

Targeted Therapy Deep-Penetrating Foot Cream (Curel)

Shower Oil:
I just began using this last week, and it is really good for my dry skin. Awesome to use as shaving lotion, too.

Amande Shower Oil (L'Occitane)

Baby Oil:
I've used this for probably 10 years. It smells great. Word to the wise: do NOT put this on in the morning before you go out to the beach/pool/etc. I usually put this on every morning, and one time later in the day I went to my friend Nicole's pool & totally forgot I had put on the baby oil that morning. I used sunscreen and STILL got one of the worst burns I've ever had. Bad, bad, bad.

Lavender Baby Oil (Johnsons)


Nails

Nail Polish:
I rarely get manicures or pedicures, and that is because I learned that if I buy a bottle of this, my nails automatically look like they have had a professional do them. You can usually find a 2 for 1 deal at ULTA, Sally Beauty, or Beauty First.

OPI Nail Polish (OPI)

Pumice:

These work WAY better than any scary callous removers or grater-type things for making your heels soft. And they only cost $1.50.

Mr. Pumice Pumi Bar (Sally Beauty Supply)


This thing is amazing. Totally freaky, but truly works. The annoying thing to me is that if you tip it upsidedown, the "stuff" falls out of the pedegg... so I tend to sit over my sink in the bathroom and use it.
The Ped Egg (Drugstore.com)




The end. Tried & tested by MEEEE. PLEASE also leave comments if you use any miracle-products......
------------

Did anyone go shopping on Friday? We made it out of the house around 11:15, ate lunch, went to the jewelry store and then went antiquing. That is my kind of Black Friday! :)

My mom cracked open my childhood piggy bank to fund her skipbo deficit. So wrong.

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Happy thanksgiving!!

Pictured: kicking some family rear end in SkipBo. $$$!! 

And no matter WHAT my mom says, I did not cheat.  I beat her fair and square.  

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Troll Baby Birthday

On Sunday, I drove up to Columbus to celebrate Gretchen's birthday. I shopped with my mom for a few hours, and then we all met at Texas Road House to party down. I got some great pictures:

Mom sometimes can't figure out when to smile:


I tied the BirthdayBow on her head:


Troll Babies #1 and #2:


Wendy tried to light a match on a peanut. I wish I were kidding:


Chanting waiters, happy Dad, not-so-thrilled Gretchen:


Mom & Grandma Lucy:


So much fun! Then I drove home. The end.

California Fun

I was in LA last week, and so was Kara! We were SO excited to find this out. After work on Friday, we had a late lunch at the Nordstrom Bistro (where I thought the waiter-dude was totally hot and I think he heard me say so), went shopping (and bought nothing), drank wine at the hotel bar (Kara had a shirley temple) and then had dinner at a Mexican seafood restaurant (we both had chicken) with my second cousin David, his wife Yolande, and their son Nathaniel. It was so much fun!

I learned that there is something unique about Kara that I have never known anyone else to lay claim to: she has gotten a telemarketer to hang up on HER. The proudness on her face while telling this story was awesome. She is my hero.

We also had the same flight back to Cincinnati on Saturday morning. So we left together at 5:15 for LAX. Kara got up at 4:00 to take a shower and do her hair. She looked very nice. I got up at 5:00 to take a shower and put on too much eye makeup. I looked okay.

The gate agent worked a little magic (seriously) to get us 2 seats together, and we had the best time. The flight was completely full, but I was in 18 A and Kara was in 30 A and NO LIE - the people in 18B and 30B HAD ALREADY REQUESTED TO SIT TOGETHER TOO. How insane is that?!

:::insert funny story about the two gate agents that only Kara will understand:::
"Block off 30 A" "What?" "Block it off!!!" "It's blocked!!!"

We watched Mama Mia! and... I watched it for about 5 minutes. And all of a sudden, I ripped my earphones off and shook Kara and said, "OH MY GOSH, I THINK I'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS IN SPANISH!!!!!"

We died laughing. I had thought maybe they were speaking Greek... because I thought it was taking place in Greece?

It was really, really fun to have someone next to me - we got dirty looks from the old man across the aisle for laughing too hard, and it was nice to be able to seat-dance and sing quietly to MAMA MIA HERE I GO AGAIN MY MY HOW CAN I RESIST YOU...

I also loved Pierce Brosnan singing. He was awful, and it was incredible.

Photographic Proof of our Trip:

I didn't really know I had a dimple in my cheek. This is like picture #6 because I kept cutting off pieces of our heads and making it blurry or just bad.

Also, there are KANGAROOS in CVG. Kara won't like this picture, so it is thumbnail sized. But that is a large KANGAROO next to her:


And then we got on the FastPark bus, were delivered to our cars, tipped our driver in quarters because we had no $$ left, honked and waved, and drove off. It was the best trip! Traveling with a buddy is always so much fun.