About Me

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i have a thing for foxes, red doors, and new friends. i also love to shop. a lot. i have nothing profound to say...but you should visit anyway (that rhymed!)

Monday, February 27, 2012

bday weekend

hello bloggers! my you look older today! oh wait..that is just me looking older. 1 year older to be precise. actually i think i look the exact same...

it was a great weekend. full of friends, shopping and snuggling. just what i wanted.

Friday night a few friends and i went out to eat and back to my house for cake and cuddling. there was an air mattress blown up just for the occasion. i wanted everyone to sit together :) which it turns out..sitting on an air mattress is very difficult...

Saturday day, the mr took me to cincinnati and we shopped at ikea, and a few other places before heading downtown for a concert. foreigner. they were old. but rocked. i love the classics :)

we stayed in a hotel downtown and then got up the next morning and searched for some breakfast. found a brueggers and at some awesome bagels. we then realized that there was a starbucks across the street....it was the one where we had our first date! well, we didn't have our first date there, but went to grab some hot chocolate after dinner downtown on our first date. so that was a fun memory!

anyway...here are some pics of my weekend:

(some of my bday presents..love these shirts)
(just one of the many pics taken during cuddlefest 2012)

(old rommies...love them)(fake eyelashes, red lipstick, lingerie..wait what? yep. i am wearing lingerie as a dress...just go with it..)

(snuck in some cuddle time with my little neice)
(picked out some closet organization from ikea)

(rocked out with people who were at least 30 years older than me)
(my new earrings from joy..also my hair looked like a hot mess all weekend. it was great)

(before heading home we popped in this urban outfitters and shopped a little more..my poor husband..literally) (btw it is in a church!)


i didn't have a lot of time this morning..sorry if it is scattered and weird..but that is me. so..enjoy!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

my ship has come in!

ok. more like..my shipments. of items i bought. have arrived. after i ordered them online. i was sick last week. and missing my favorites in concert (shane&shane). so i shopped online. it soothes me. ok? geez...what is with the 3rd degree?? can't a girl shop from time to time?

sorry..had to sort that out... with..myself.

anyway. i've been doing some searching online for a few items..and found some great sales!

i wanted to find some great, comfy shoes..that aren't flip flops or flats...or tennies. these are definitely a lot oranger than i thought they would be..but i kinda like it that way! you can find them here...and they are cheaper now! score for you! blast for me!


This little clutch was just calling my name. i never buy anything red...and red snakeskin? i had to. i don't need this. at all. at least i'm honest....(besides it was only $10)


and last..but certainly not least..my new purse! i have been eyeing bowler bags for a while..and found this one on sale and UO. it is definitely large. but as i was told recently..by my friend who was pregnant...if you carry a larger bag...you look smaller (of course..this was advice she read in a pregnancy magazine...but it should still apply...right??!)
it also fits my cute little mac perfectly!!! (score for spain carry-on!)

(they still have it..but only in red..and $10 more..but it's still so cute and rooooooomy!!!)

tomorrow night i have a fun night planned with some of the lovely ladies in my life..they are required to wear lipstick...(i swear it's curtains for them if they don't..jk..nope..not all all kidding)...they have all had me salivating at the hints to my bday presents! oh i can't wait. honestly..they didn't have to get me a THING. getting to have a night with them has had me anxious all week! (but i'm still super exciting to see what they have picked out for me!)

i will definitely be posting pictures of my lovely weekend..first girls night. then out of town with my boo for shopping, eating, concerts, snuggling and a beautiful hotel!!! #ifreakinglovehotels

one more day of work...then...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

that awkward moment when...

you walk into the salon...and they don't have to ask you why you are there....

i have finally bit the bullet and made another hair appt. i was debating on what i should do for awhile now. should i stay red? should i keep going to the beauty school? what if they mess it up? (i go there for my color because they use redkin...and it costs $20!)
i also have an awesome stylist at a salon, but she is $$$. So i try to only get my hair cut with her twice a year.
i found another girl who cuts my bangs PERFECTLY. bangs are a big deal. if your bangs look good..the rest of your hair can look crazy. but she works at Ulta.

so basically: there are now 3 different places i need to go when getting my hair done. color. cut and bangs.
but lets be honest...isn't that excessive? yes. yes it is.

so i've just let my hair go. which is a TERRIBLE idea when you have light blondish/brown hair and you color it BRIGHT RED. the result...the most horrendous roots you have ever seen. they look grey. they are at least 2 inches now. oh my lanta. and believe me..they aren't the cool roots like all the cool kids have right now. (except for you sydney...sorry, but she really needs to do her roots...BAD)

fear not. i have made a hair appt for tonight. and i'm gonna ask her to cut my bangs. lets hope she has been a student for more than a minute.
(my first time at this school getting my hair colored, i asked the girl how often she does color...her response, "on an actual human??! this is my first time out on the floor!" she was so excited. i was petrified.)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

a year ago this weekend.

you may or may not remember this time a year ago..this weekend...or however you say that...but i sure do.
it was one of the best weekends of my life.
i posted about it before, but i never actually explained what happened.
my best friend Caris and i had planned to take a bday trip to Asheville,Nc. the morning we were supposed to leave, she called to tell me she couldn't go. flu. eek.
i laid in bed that morning trying to decide what to do..so i started making calls. i couldn't not go. we had tickets to the biltmore. and a hotel room.
i debated on how many people i was to call. before sounding desperate..or being offensive. (yeah you are like my 4th call).
but i started with my sister.
she said she prob couldn't go with me. work.obligations. being an adult. whatev.
then i moved on to my friend Kelly (my current roommate and housekeeper). she wasn't answering..how rude. (turns out she was in class or something dumb like that).
my husband had to work all weekend so he couldn't go.
(apparently when you own the company..you can't just call in sick. blast.)
so..i debated on if i should call anyone else. i was still laying in bed.
finally..my sister calls. yes she can go. she was leaving work to go home and pack. YES.
then..kelly calls back..she says she is definitely in.
YES YES.
so the 3 of us, headed out of town to the beautiful Asheville Nc.

a few things you should know:

1. mountains are freaking beautiful.
2. these two people made for the best weekend trip..possibly ever
3. i hated this haircut. short and awkward. but i was happy nonetheless
4. we took so many pictures that i'm pretty sure people thought we had never been out of town. ever.
5. dowtown asheville is perfect. but it is very easy to get lost. but..you can still take lots of pics despite having no clue where your hotel is.

6. asheville, nc is the best little hippie town ever. if not for the beautiful landscapes of mountains, wonderful restaurants, great shopping...this reason alone, would do the trick, Behold lavender creme brulee
There is a place called the chocolate lounge. there was live music, every dessert imaginable, and the coffee was french pressed. all things that make for a perfect late night jaunt.

7. the wind was fierce and so was the hair:

we shopped. we loved on mountains. we LAUGHED. we picnicked. we walked around the Biltmore like we owned it...and best of all..we were told that we should win fashion awards by a stranger.
yeah. you could say it was a pretty cool weekend.

wish i were in asheville now.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

i'll make bbq

happy vday!!

Here is a little treat for your valentines day:
click here
(i freaking love this guy)
and guess who is going out on the town tonight with the mr???

ME!

and he didn't even read my blog post the other day :)

it will be low key evening, which i am thankful for. it has been a very long week...and it is only tuesday.
it is busy season in my office. and it has been insane. it has been hard to stay interested in what i do. i don't have passion for being a travel consultant anymore. but i'm trying to stay content. i plan on being there for at least 2 more years....
i have no clue what i would do when i quit...have babies? ha
(Update: Caris had her sweet baby boy yesterday, and i am in love with that little guy! Mama and baby are doing great)
it is true that all my closest friends are getting pregnant/already pregnant/ or just had a baby.
but i am not there yet...i have too much to accomplish before that part of my life begins...because after all...once you begin that aspect....it never stops.
this is not be vomiting negativity on it. just stating my opinion for me, and my life.
When i made my "bucket list", i was very serious about finishing it. And maybe it won't be complete this year...or next (after all i said a marathon not a 5k originally)..but it sparked a desire in me to really pursue fun things that i usually a. don't make time for. b. think is too silly to do/want c. doubt my abilities.
I encourage you to make a list if you haven't. It doesn't have to be super complicated..after all i had fake eyelashes on there :)
but it does need to consider things that you wouldn't normally do, but that you have always thought about doing....then...START CROSSING IT OFF!
Once i started crossing things off...i started making more lists...maybe lists are my new thing :)
whatever your bucket list consists of...make it fun, but be serious about it...and most importantly
DO IT.

(Vito Santi S. 2/13/12 7lbs, 4oz. and perfectly italian in every way. auntie E is very, very much, in love with this little man)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

i adore being a girl

"I brake for birds, I rock a lot of polka dots, I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours, and I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. That’s just weird, and it freaks me out. And I’m sorry I don’t talk like Murphy Brown, and I hate your pantsuit. I wish it had ribbons on it, or something to make it just slightly cuter."

— Jess (The New Girl)

i wish i was in nyc right now for fashion week. blast!

but instead. i'm sitting on my couch. in my christmas pjs (it was 13 degrees out last night..i felt it was apropo).

but back to the issue at hand..being a girl is so fun! i don't really rock the polka dots..nor have i touched glitter in the last 24 hrs...oh wait..i did brush a glitter speck off my friends Cara's face the night before last...does that count?

either way..right now, femininity is so in. and i am LOVING it..lace, florals, pastels, blush, curls, glittery accents, and pops of corals and fushia..and bright lipstick!

Just check out this shots, listen to this song, and just try not to feel a sense of pride that you are the cuter sex:



Friday, February 10, 2012

a friend like no other

today is a very special day. 26 years ago, my beautiful friend Leanne was born.
you may remember her from a few others post i've done..here and here.

she is beautiful, kind, funny, compassionate, loving, and incredibly loved by many...me included.

we became best friends almost instantly. i honestly don't even know how it happened. all of the sudden we just were. but the most challenging thing about our friendship is that we have never lived in the same state since being friends. she is from my city, and is related to my brother in law. so we see each other as much as possible when she comes home to visit family. but we have really had to work on keeping our friendship going since it has mostly been over the phone..or skype..or gchat..ha (technology is awesome).

She is my most loyal follower...and never lets me forget it :)
if i haven't updated it in a few days...i know she is frustrated with me...she checks it everyday.
I didn't start this blog because i thought i had something to say that everyone needed to hear...or that i had the most awesome wardrobe everyone needed to see (although both of those are so true...jk...not really)
i started it as a joke...and then kept it up for Leanne. life doesn't always provide time for phone conversations. and sometimes you just want to know the silly things on your BFF's mind...
so Leanne...you are welcome :)
(the summer we became friends...then had to say goodbye)
(this would be right after we jumped into a lake..in january..we may or may not have been naked)


(my first trip out to st. louis to visit her, and go dress shopping..we were both engaged this summer)
(a loyal bridesmaid who came into town for one of my showers..she also was my lifesaver 24 hrs prior to the wedding..when i had a bit of a breakdown in the dressing room of victoria secret haha)
(she helped me get ready to become a mrs.)
(my photographer asked us to do something very..."us"...this is us figuring out how to look like we sound squeaky...(leanne has a very squeaky voice i like to mimick))
(This would now be my third trip out to st louis...this time...for her to become a mrs :).....this is also when she was getting a pedicure and the lady started waxing her toes...because "they really needed it")
(after she became a mrs.)

This is a long post...and there is so much more i can say. but just know this, my life has been so beautiful with her in it. and a lot squeakier too!

and for your bday Lee...here is the poem i wrote at midnight, to acquiesce your bday wish:

On a cold wintry day in November
I met this girl who's smile was so tender
she lit up the room with her sweet spunky spirit
and her voice so cute and squeaky, to anyone who
could hear it.
I didn't know that some chance meeting would bring me a best friend
who would soon by fleeting.
Our friendship has always had at least 400 miles between
but our bond was stronger and sweeter than any eye had seen.
Today is her birthday and i'm forever blessed
that God brought Leanne into this world
And that our friendship can stand any test.
-Love forever and more
Erica :)

(also...you have to admit Leanne, my poetry for you has come a long way from "pretty pretty leanne...thank goodness you are not a man")

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Valentines Shmalentines


this may come as a shock to you single ladies out there. but valentines day is just as disappointing when you are married as it is when you are single.

maybe you are among the few that thinks vday is just the best day ev. if you are...stay away from me. far away. seriously. i will cut you.

sorry.

BM (before marriage) (also..ha!)
Valentines Day- Definition
Person A- day where you dream of your true love and hope he is the most romantic soul on the planet. and that every vday from hence there forth you will whisked off your feet and ride into the sunset...
or
Person B- day where you plan and attend a party called "i think vday is the most horrible holiday and if it were a person i would plot its gruesome death"...and even though you attend this party with your girlfriends and have a blast shredding sweet and sappy vday cards....you are hiding person A deep down in your soul.

AM (after marriage)
Person A- You love vday because your spouse sends you something romantic to work, cards, fruit, and you go out to eat, or he fixes you dinner. not exactly being swept off your feet, but it was acknowledged and you felt special.
or
Person B- a day where you are annoyed by everyone at your work getting vday surprises because you think that 1 day a year where your spouse has to show you his/her affection is the dumbest thing ever. you would rather it in a spontaneous way..not in an expected way..and you clearly spell this out for your spouse..about how you think it is such a silly holiday. but all day you are like, "did he SERIOUSLY not send me anything???" "well maybe it will be waiting for me at home""yeah..surely he has a surprise for me"....but besides a kiss on the cheek and an obligitory "happy vday"...you get jack crap. (you will still lay in bed though thinking that any second now....a surprise right??) NOPE.
because after all....you have made it very clear that you loathe vday. and your spouse will be like most men and think that means you truly could care less about it. and will take your word. and why should you be upset with him..after all he listened and was respecting your opinion.....BUT SERIOUSLY...NOT EVEN A CARD?! nwrogh8 h4jktbkajgh8wyh4th!!!!!

why are we women so bipolar??????

sincerely,
Person B

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

the story of Jack


this is jack, if you feel like he has a perpetual look of insecurity or that his feelings have been hurt. you would be right. he is the needy-est creature i have ever known. i.am.so.in.love.

i used to make fun of newly married couples who got dogs. i felt like it was so cliched. i felt like it was the "norm" and so everyone did it. i try to steer clear of the "norm" but some how it finds me...


(killing cricket...yes!)

i had always grown up around dogs. i am very fond of them, but i never felt like they were mine, or that i directly effecting them in anyway. we have a family dog names Lady, who is 11, and thankfully still alive. she is a big deal in our family. but still..she wasn't mine..




the mr and i had been married about 9 mths (ironic? i think not..) when we got jack, July 9th to be exact. we weren't searching for a dog, but he found us (i love a good cheesy line). my husband had some clients who owned jack. mr would be at their house for different things and he would always play with jack. he would take pictures, and of course send them to me along with captions that said, "isn't he so cute?" "he is so fun!'. mr would always talke about this dog. i would, say, "we should get one" but the mr would always say, "the timing isn't right for us"
but then the call came; they wanted to give us jack. (this was actually in april). they were wanting to give him up because they didn't have enough time for him, plus they had small children who took most of their timewe were ex tactic. we prayed about it...I got to meet him, and then we said yes. well then they changed their mind. they loved jack too much to give him over. their decision was devastating to us. we were so close to owning a dog together, i was ready to let go of my pre existing notions of not wanting to be a cliche.

(so.very.dirty)
then a few mths later, we got the call again. except this time, as soon as we said yes, (no take backs), jack was in our living room. i went from being slightly judgy to people who's house smelled like dog, or had pet fur all over them...to letting this guy sleep in my bed...on my WHITE duvet cover.


(ruining my favorite makeup brush)

But. we are in love. he sleeps with us..he is a 90lb dog. he takes up all the room. the mr and i are falling off the edges...yet..we don't want to wake him because he looks so cute. yep. that is love.
he is our child. for now :) there are so many funny things he does, or has done, but...this is already a novel. i will add stories here and there, but for now, the story of us becoming a family will have to do.


Friday, February 3, 2012

buy buy butter

my personality is not an organized one. well, it is more of an organized chaos.

i have a few problems that have been brought to my attention..i'm sorry if this is going to shatter any facades that i was perfect...(btw i said FAKADE once during a speech in college..embarrassing!)

Kelly, our new roomie has some problems too...hers are the exact opposite of mine...she HAS to organize. she can't walk passed a closet and not open, to check and see if it is organized.....

these two personalities...just moved in together..

my husband shares Kelly's desire for organization, but isn't quite as crazy about it (sorry kel).

she has been "helping" me work through my issues....and the two strangest and most profound problems has surfaced.

1. i buy a lot of butter
2. i never throw away a receipt.ever.

these are the strangest two, but here are a few more...:
3. i move things from purse to purse...and never clean out the old one.
4. i save old/used wrapping paper
5. if i was on the show hoarders...my hoarding would be the clothes kind. i cann't throw away that old tank...it is my favorite! even if it is 12 years old and has safety pinned straps....

ok..i know you are curious...lets go back to 1 & 2.

buttalovin: (btw that is a song title..ew)
Everytime i go to the store...to do the major grocery/necessities shopping...i buy a thing of butter. my rational/mind set when buying said butter is , "oh i bet we are out of butter".. what makes this weird? we don't use butter. like ever. if i use butter, it is for baking cookies...which i do maybe like once every 3 mths. i use olive oil for everything else. which i run out of ALL THE TIME. but butter? nope. we are fully stocked.
see?
receipts:
if you have ever heard a mitch hedberg joke regarding a donut purchase...it is my favorite.
I Like this quote I dislike this quote

“I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughtnut... I don't need a receipt for the doughnut. I give you money and you give me the doughnut, end of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I can't imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, 'Don't even act like I didn't get that doughnut, I've got the documentation right here... It's in my file at home. ...Under "D".'”

yeah..well...i need that receipt. i will do absolutely nothing with it. ever. except maybe spit my gum into it. but don't you dare throw that receipt away...not for at least 6 months.
so kelly says to me, "i understand keeping receipts for clothing purchases a week after, or a large purchase...but i cannot imagine a scenario where you will need to prove you bought a pack of gum and some lipgloss from rite aid." (good point)

so..little by little kelly is helping me with my issues. my house looks tidy and put together, but under the surface there are bags of rolled of wrapping paper..in case i come up with something crafty to do...or kelly will throw it away.

there you have it. my confession. that felt good.