snowed in!

Yup! All snowed in! This is the view from my back porch:


D is such a sweetheart. He had his last final this morning at 8AM and then WALKED to my house to spend the day with me. It was a cold 2.5 miles!

The news reports have said we're expecting an accumulation of 18 inches so who knows when we'll be able to get out! I'm just enjoying the day with roomie Katie and D (who is thrilled to have a snow day because he just bought a new huge TV and PS3...I'd say he's set on the couch for the next few days!).

My goals for today are to clean out my closet, do laundry, and pick out outfits for our engagement pictures (December 30th so excited!).

Happy Holidays to you all! Stay safe and warm!

xoxoxoxo

oops. holiday fail.

Christmas is in 7 days, correct?

Guess who has yet to make it to the post office AND yet to shop for a few certain people.

This girl.

Good thing I have today off. I am going to try and meet D for coffee early (today is his last day of finals- thermodynamics being one of them so wish him luck!), then a hair appointment at 9, post office (for gosh knows how long) right after, shopping, cleaning, and then dinner with D's sponsor mother.

Sometimes the holidays just creep up on you and all of a sudden you're way behind! I knew I was in trouble when I came home yesterday and my best friends Christmas gift to me was sitting outside my door, along with cards from my Nanny and parents in my mailbox. Oops!



Happy Friday ya'll, have a wonderful weekend!

xoxoxoxo

honeymoon!

Happy Thursday everyone!

I work 4 days a week (10 hour days), so it’s actually my Friday :) And in the spirit of Fridays I’m going to talk about our HONEYMOON!

D booked the trip a few months ago with the intention of keeping it a secret until we arrived at the airport the day after our wedding. I love secrets but this one drove me crazy! Luckily, he caved and we’re going to spend a week in JAMAICA!

We’re going to be staying at the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Resort & Villa. I’ve never been to Jamaica so I am so so so excited! I love the beach, warm weather and a good tan so this is right up my alley!

xoxoxoxo

coconut & fish oil

My Papa was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006, and after beating the disease (albeit with rounds of chemotherapy and expensive drugs) he vowed to get healthy the natural way. All of a sudden, summers at my grandparents were filled with my Papa informing us about natural healing methods, vitamins and herbs. Before we knew it, my cousin Jeremy was treating his sunburn with coconut oil, my Nanny was on St. Johns Wort, mom was cooking quinoa, and I was putting milled flax seed in my yogurt. Ever since then I have been interested in staying healthy ‘the natural way.’ Honestly my roommates think I’m a nutjob because I keep some of the weirdest things in the kitchen. I won’t go into detail about all of the herbs, oils, and vitamins I use but I will talk about 2 of my favorite.:

1. Coconut Oil- I use this when cooking instead of olive oil or cooking sprays (FYI you can buy it scented or non-scented if you’re not into the whole coconut thing!). I also spread it on my toast. Additionally, once a week I mix about 1 cup coconut oil with 3 tablespoons sugar and use it as a body scrub. I’ve purchased some expensive body scrubs and I must say this is the softest my skin has EVER BEEN. I use it on my face and it comes out so smooth I can’t stop touching it. My face is even slightly oily and this doesn’t irritate or cause redness.
2. Fish Oil- I don’t do anything fancy with the fish oil pills, and I know a lot of ladies take them for their omega-3s. Previously I used to take one pill before bed and called it a day. However, a few weeks ago I started taking the pills 3 times a day and my skin has never looked better. Call me crazy but if any of you ladies are suffering from acne give this a try.

From time to time I’ll post about my natural remedies, but for real all you ladies need to try the scrub and the pills 3 days a week and get back to me!

xoxoxoxo

updates!

Just a few updates this Monday morning!

1-ARMY/NAVY game was AMAZING. I had such a wonderful time and even better- Navy won! We stayed at the Warwick Radisson in downtown Philadelphia, I definitely recommend the hotel to any of you traveling to Philly. Great service and wonderful location. Of course we ate Philly Cheesesteaks at the famous Gino’s and then walked across the street to their famous competitor-Pat’s. Needless to say I’m barely fitting into my pants this morning! Philadelphia is a very cool city I was very impressed- definitely surpassed my expectations.

2-If ya’ll remember a few weeks back I posted about a few products I was ordering from Sephora- the YSL Singulier mascara, MUFE HD Microfinish Powder & the MUFE Matte Velvet foundation. I am VERY happy with all 3 products. The Singulier mascara is unlike any mascara I’ve ever tried (and I love me some mascara) this is the first mascara (besides Dior Iconic) that I will repurchase. With just one coat it does what Dior Iconic does in 4. The brush is angled ever so slightly (like 30 degrees) and that makes a big difference when you’re trying to get the inside & bottom lashes. As far as MUFE, I’m disappointed I didn’t try this brand sooner. The microfinish powder is AMAZING. I was using Bare Minerals Matte for awhile and am so glad I decided to try this powder. Keeps me shine free all day and really sets my make-up. The Matte Velvet is also great. I mix is on the back of my hand with my moisturizer before I apply it, and it’s wonderful. Evens out my complexion and covers any discolorations, redness that I may have.

3- D and I stopped at a J.Crew outlet on the way home from Philly yesterday and found some AMAZING deals. We probably got well over $450 of merchandise for only $230. I got the cutest camel coat that was regular priced $200 for only $67! Cant beat that!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

xoxoxoxo

GO NAVY BEAT ARMY

Happy Friday everyone!!!

D and I will be making the trip north to Philadelphia this afternoon for the Army/Navy game. If ya'll aren't familiar with the Army/Navy game, it is ranked the #1 traditional American sporting event. Here is a blurb I found about the game:

"Sure, there are better rivalry game in terms of rankings. But in terms of history, or what it means to those enrolled in the academies and the alumni, there is simply no bigger rivalry in college football than Army-Navy.

It began in 1890, when Navy challenged the newly-formed Army team to a game. Navy won that opening contest, 24-0, and leads the all-time series with 53 wins, 49 losses, and seven ties.

The game has been held annually since then, with only a few exceptions: After the 1893 game, in which Navy won 6-4, that almost led to a duel between a Rear Admiral and a Brigadier General, the two schools weren’t allowed to travel to play and the rivalry took a five-year hiatus. It has also been canceled after the death of an Army cadet, two times during WWI and twice when the teams couldn’t agree to player eligibility standards.

But it’s what happens after the game that is probably the most impressive part -- both teams meeting at midfield, go over to the losing team’s side and sing their alma mater, then they turn around, head to the winning team’s side and sing their alma mater. We can’t quite see Michigan and Ohio State doing that."

They've even got an entire website devoted to the game which you can find here.

I must add: its no secret I'm not the biggest football fan. However, for all you single ladies out there, this is enough to get you to a game...


(hint: you dont go to watch football!)

xoxoxoxo

got a light?

I found this very interesting. I love the Freakonomics column published by the New York Times. This article talks about the inefficiencies in the U.S health care system and why the U.S. only ranks 29th in longevity. Heavy smoking is mentioned near the end of the abstract

I don't know about you all- but I was shocked when I first started my new job at how many of my coworkers smoke cigarettes. Even more so- the number of coworkers that smoke 1-2 packs a day. Maybe it is

A) my generation (a know few friends that smoke, and feel like fewer early 20 year-olds smoke now than in years past)

B) that I grew up in Colorado, which is a relatively healthy state

Either way I just remember being shocked. This summer D and I were visiting family in Texas and I couldn't believe they allowed smoking in their bars! I have asthma so needless to say it wasn't my favorite night out.

Happy Thursday (and Friday to me)!

xoxoxoxo