now think about your dad...what's your dad like...

my title is from a very very silly, but favorite, youtube video. it seemed like a good title for this post. i know i said i was going to post about cargo shorts...but in light of some news i received this morning...it didn't seem fitting.

i received an email this morning that a very dear friend of mine lost her dad. he had been fighting cancer for some time now. my heart broke.
i'm not the type of person who can you be ok just sitting thousands of miles away from this friend while she is hurting. i need a plane to France. stat. anyone?? i want to be there...helping, hurting with her..and hugging.
i have had several close friends lose their parents. it is devastating. some were expected. some were unexpected. either way...whether you were "preparing" for it, or not...it is equally crappy in every way. of course..this is what i'm told. i have not lost my parents.

this isn't supposed to be a depressing post, but i don't care what you think..i can't just be ok posting about anything frivolous today, when i have loved ones who are hurting.

love on your parents today. if they are still alive, thank the Lord for his provisions....and don't miss any opportunities to love on them.

(this pic was taken at disney world...right before each of us dropped our light up toys in the pond..all 3 of us did....my dad was so mad...hahaha...i think he should have been mad about his all white outfit)
(my dad wanted boys..but he got 6 girls instead..this is during one of our "roughing" up sessions..he would wrestle with us so he wouldn't raise "sissy's" yes my dad is that guy. he raised some pretty sissy girls anyway :) )


i will be with my friend in a few weeks, but i would trade that trip in a heartbeat to be with her right now.

my date with lee

have you ever spent an ENTIRE day with a best friend? vacations don't count.

like you literally were together from sun up to sun down? probably very rare.
well that was what i did on saturday with lee. she was in town for only a few days.
so we had to make the most of every moment.

i picked her up saturday morning, and we went and grabbed coffee. and we sat and talked
and loved and drank. it was fabulous.
then we went to target. who doesn't love target?? we just walked and shopped, and talked.
one time, the day before her wedding, we went to target to grab a couple of things..fast trip, in and out. we ended up standing in target and talking for 2.5 hrs. woopsies.
when you are with a friend like that, where you have a deep connection with, 2.5 hrs just flys.
especially when you are hundreds of miles a part 99% of the time.

we literally did just whatever came to mind. we forgot to take pics most of the time. or the pic turned out bad...so we couldn't post it..but here are a few:

(this is an example of ones that didn't turn out..we are actually laughing at how bad they were!)
most of our day did consist of eating. buuut this last pic is of lee eating dark chocolate with cayenne pepper...it was weird..yet fascinating. also. can we discuss the girl in the background??? maybe another time? ok..
we also got makeovers at Sephora..well i did. ha.
Lee had told me about some makeup she had gotten samples of at Sephora, called "make up forever"...which is muy $$$. but worth it (still working on feeling this way). a girl there had me take my makeup off and she redid it with the MUF. it looked awesome.
but here is the thing..1. it's expensive. 2. i am pretty sure it is called make up forever because it takes FOREVER to put on. seriously..it has like 6 steps.. moistuizer, primer, foundation, concealer, setting powder...etc..so they gave me samples of all of that stuff..for FREE! woo hoo. if you want some free new makeup...go to sephora, they will hook a sister up!
i used phrases like, "i really want to buy new makeup, but i'm not sure if i want to commit from just one use..." (free samples will be thrown at you).

the rest of the day consisted of sad movies (the vow), spicy thai food (we literally killed parts of our tongue...it was so great!), and cuddling on the couch.

lee, it was perfect in every way. missing you mucho today!

stay tuned for tomorrow's post..it's about the ever offensive: Cargo Shorts

cinnamon almonds

this is kelly. you remember, by freakishly organized roommate? the one who discovered my love for buying butter and keeping receipts??
yeah well she is also a dietician. but don't let that fool you. in her hand she holds a few cinnamon almonds....i found some on sale when i was at the grocery. so as i fixed dinner she munched on a "few"...i didn't pay much attention, but i heard her say..more than once, "erica, these are so freaking good..eat some" well..this is how i found kelly after about 37 almonds, curled up on our couch:
"does anyone else feel really weird and sick to their stomach?" she was feeling a little rough.

did i mention she was a dietician?

hey old friend

blogging is like catching up with a friend. if too much time goes by, you have so much to talk about, but it's so much...you end up just saying, "life is good..just busy"

so hey friend..life is good...just very very busy.

i've been meeting friends for breakfast, which is so totally worth it..but definitely cuts into my blogging time. work has been very busy, and i have had to work some long hours....so by the time i get home, blogging is not on this frazzled mind. plus..i don't know about any of you other bloggers, but the pressure of finding something to blog about...can be overwhelming. i mean, i think my life is pretty awesome, and funny..no, hilarious, things happen to me all the time. but putting that into a blog post is daunting.

PLUS, you have to have pictures...if you don't have pictures, people are less likely to read your blog. that being said, i didn't start this blog so people would read it. honestly. i started it because it was therapeutic, and i enjoy writing. but i have read, and i have noticed, pictures bring a blog to life.
There are lots of posts i have coming..one i'm very excited about...when Leanne was here last week, we spent the entire day together, which included lots of food, shopping, movies and my favorite...SEPHORA. i will be posting about our adventure soon.

i leave for Spain in 15 days. holy cow. i still need to tan, lose 7 lbs, and have a brand new wardrobe..i'm working on this :) i definitely plan on posting every last detail about Spain before i go, while i'm there, and it will included many similes...

a few good things and some not so good things

THE GOOD THINGS:
1. starting your work day off by meeting a friend for breakfast.
-i have the same routine every morning. so when my friend asked if i was willing to grab breakfast before work i was exited to oblige. mostly because she is literally about to pop out a child (because "popping" them out is all that it entails right??? right???). so we met for breakfast and had a riot of a good time. ya hear me? a riot.
but i noticed that i was literally whistling while i worked. this. is. crazy. not only because...who whistles in a small office..but because the past few weeks at work have been so stressful. and don't get me wrong. it was still a very stressful day, but i felt more at peace.
so i did it again. i had breakfast this morning with Leanne! yes leanne is in town. and it is heavenly. of course she flew in so literally at the time we were supposed to meet up..i get the call that she needs a ride. silly lee.
we didn't have long..but it was still so rewarding. and again, i felt more relaxed at work.
i recommend doing this.

2. a. making dinner while your husband chats your ear off about everything and nothing.
b. making something for dinner that satisfies your husband and he talks about it an hour later..about how good it was. (something you should know...feeding my husband is an ordeal. he needs food STAT. he is a large man (6'4, 210lbs) and has the appetite of 7, 14 year old boys. no lie. so making a home cooked meal, that only take 45 min or so...is 35min too long for him)

3. trying out new recipes and they are a success! (see above to understand the success part)
- when i work and get home..i literally just want to put yoga pants on (which my friend has dubbed "after work to eat leftover pizza and watch netflix" pants. and i literally want to do nothing. but i decided to make a new recipe a week. and it has been so fun!
(Tortilla soup and Quiche!)

4. Coming home.
-isn't it just a really good thing? i came home this evening, to a husband who was cleaning the house (after an equally stressful day) and he had planned a fun night of pizza and a movie for us.
it's gloomy out, i of course didn't dress apropo for rain..so my flats got all socked and everything felt a little moist from running to my office to the car...and getting home and putting on those great pants we talked about, for a night in. is just great. i love home. and lamp.

4. -best friends and their babies
-bloggers..if you have a best friend. and they have a baby. and you get to "help" them by holding said baby for 3.5 hrs and letting him snuggle oh so close to your chest...it is a VERY good thing.

NOT SO GOOD THINGS
1 -i bought a groupon for tanning..i know. i know. but it's for a good cause. (a healthier glow..duh)
so i went for about 10 min. (i was taking it easy)..and let's just say...my cheeks are RED. painfully RED. and i ain't talking about my face. OUCH.

2. sweet clients (sarcasm)
- "honey you must be having a slightly better day today...you sound a little less uptight"
(just take a few moments to imagine how irritating this was to hear...and times it by 100)

3. soggy dogs
-(this title is offensive..i'm aware. i wrote it and I'm offended by it.)
just picture this:
rain+damp muddy ground+uncontrollable excitement+ a golden retriever= stinky, muddy, smelly greeting when i came home.

i am sure i can come up with more...but who wants to hear me complain?

tornados, sunshine, and snowstorms, oh my!

I don't have much time to post this morning, but i had to share about our weekend.
Friday our whole city was on alert that a huge storm was on their way. Our office closed early and everyone was sent for cover. no joke. i was half terrified and the other half in disbelief. I have lived in this state my whole life, and in my city there has never been a tornado around me. plus..our weatherman suck here. anyway...the mr and i, plus jack headed to my parents basement...along with the rest of my family and their dogs...it was hilarious and fun.
Our city was unaffected, and we were relieved, but then we found out that neighboring cities weren't so lucky. here is just one of the images from Friday:
this is only about 45min from my house.
scary.
i know other states near us had many more fatalities and loss, but this still hit very close to home. i started thinking what would i have grabbed if i had seen this coming for my house? photos? wedding dress? my favorite clothes? it sounds silly, but i have seen many pictures from this weekend of houses being completely destroyed....you would have grabbed stuff too!

After the storms friday night, we had the most beautiful Saturday. It was warm, and the sun was bright, no rain in sight (i can't help but rhyme sometimes guys..i'm sorry).
And then...low and behold....

SNOW!
I couldn't even believe it when the Mr woke me up and told me to look outside, 5 inches! we don't have much snow here...maybe 1-2 inches. and then every couple of years we get maybe 3-5inches. But after such a warm weekend, it was so surprising! and cold...i put my winter coat up weeks ago..i'm boycotting winter..it is time for spring.

The snow is slowly melting, and it is very pretty to look at..but thankfully i have this to look forward to in 23 days:

i can't get the weather for while i'm there, yet..but if it is this warm mid march, i'm sure it will get even warmer! #ihatecoldweatherunlessitischristmas

opposites attract

i have a lot to say for this post. i don't have it all organized in my mind, so i apologize in advance for it being scattered.

i married the polar opposite of me. i've been thinking of how to demonstrate, and then i saw our shoes sitting together.
exhibit a:
my husband wears old sneakers. every day. doesn't matter the outfit. his trusty old sneakers are snuggled comfortably on his feet.
these yellow shoes are my favorite shoes in the whole world. aren't they fabulous? (the answer is yes) i saw them in a magazine and i just had to have them. i put them on my christmas list a few years ago. my sister Rachel bought them for me...but not before making sure i knew she hated them. in fact..all of my sisters hated them (fact: when you have a family made up of 8 women...you have to have TOUGH skin..don't even get me started on when i started wearing red lipstick.. that is for another post...)
thankfully, i don't care. i don't care if my friends hate what i wear or my family, if i feel good, and love it...then it doesn't matter.
the first time i wore these shoes i felt a little insecure. i was thinking about what my sisters thought about them...and doubting my love for them. but i pressed on..and you know what? i had 7 girls/women come up to me while i was out and compliment my shoes :)
GO WITH YOUR GUT.

i have a pretty unique sense of style. i went through a very vintage stage..i wore some pretty strange crap. but i loved it. and one day i will post a picture of my favorite vintage skirt..it has every color of the rainbow on it and ribbons that flow free from it. my sisters really hate that one :)

back to my husband and i.
he doesn't divert too much from his cargo shorts and polos.
i hate cargo shorts and polos.
in fact i used to say i would NEVER be interested in a guy who wore the aforementioned outfit. but...alas...i married him.
he does NOT get my style. he would prefer if i wore jeans and a t shirt everyday. because it is "plain"...omg i am not a fan of plain. if i wear jeans and a t shirt, you better believe it is accompanied with TONS of jewelry or something.
oh yeah..and i mix metals. Rachel, it doesn't bother me..at all. gold and silver at the same time??? the horror :)
but despite my family, my husband, and even some of my friends, i wear what i want, and what makes me feel good.
style isn't what is in, or what is fashionable, it is wearing what makes you feel good...and wearing it with confidence.
it is good to have a husband who is different than me. and who isn't a fan of my clothing choices, it makes me deal with insecurities and learn to step out of comfort zones. He doesn't care about fashion or what all the "cool kids" wear, he literally just throws on whatever is clean. i admire that about him.
I have been put together with this man for a reason...and it does not involve fashion!