Shoesday

Happy Shoesday...I mean, Tuesday. Freudian slip, huh?

As the proud owner of around *cough, sputter, cough* pairs of shoes (More than 50, less than 100) I feel it my duty to keep up with the trends of the shoe world. Well, I guess not so much the trends as just the cute-ness of the shoe world. Heck, even my coworkers know of my shoe obsession. Just yesterday a coworker told me of a pair of multi-colored shoes she passed at Macy's that reminded her of me.

Because you know you're officially "about" something when people see that thing and it reminds you of them.

But I guess it could be worse. At least she didn't say she saw a city bus, an elephant or a fire hydrant that reminded her of me, right? Right.

So, join me this Shoesday and gaze upon some of adorable (and fabulous) new additions to the shoe world...

shop

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Dang, I need me another pair of shoes, now. That first pair? I'd wear for days at a time during the summer. Ah, I long for the days of pedis and open toes. I'm sure most of you recovering from Nemo do too. Just think...we only have few more months. 

Allow Me to Introduce...

[Note: This post might seem a bit braggadocios, sappy, or otherwise too happy for those of you who share my love of sarcasm. I apologize in advance to those of you who would interpret this post in that way.]

Hello bloggy friends.

Well, if you followed my Chronicles of Online Dating blog post series, you'd know that I stopped posting about that because I started dating someone more-than-casually. Remember?

Well, good news...things have become official. Yep! We are a couple now. Hooray! So, allow me to introduce you to M.

Yeah, I know this pic is weirdo. However, it's all I have of the two of us together. Allow me and my picture taking ways to work on getting a better one. :)

I'm so excited to begin a new relationship with M. He makes me happy and he makes me feel pretty. Oh, and he bought me shoes. What more could a girl want, right?

Thanks for reading my quasi-annoying girly relationship post. Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

Friday Randomness

Today's post is brought to you by my random late-night thinking. Let's just see where my stream of consciousness thought patterns take us today, shall we?

Strap on your helmets, kids. This is gonna be a wild one!

Oh, maybe I should address...I usually write my blog posts at night or the night before. I tend to think I'm funnier at that time. However, in my 28 years of life, I realize that it's not the time of day that decides my level of humor, but how sleep deprived I am. Yep. Whenever I ride the Benadryl train to sleepyland I tend to have some crazy stinking dreams, but I'm not so funny in awake life. (Benadryl helps me sleep more soundly.) However, when I am unmedicated and thus, lacking in proper sleep quantities, I can never be completely sure of what comes out of my mouth.

Case in point: today after I got off the phone with someone at work, I announced to my coworkers that I could tell the ethnicity of the person I was talking to over the phone. (For the record, I announced that he was half southeast Asian and half something else. He had a checkered past but was back on the straight-and-narrow. He has a few [regrettable] tribal tattoos and a shaved head.)

I honestly have no idea where that came from. For real.

Also, while talking to Mr. Lots of Dates, I also realized that my "favorite animals" are not the kinds of animals that people normally name as their favorites. Ask someone what their favorite animal is and you might get answers like: tigers, pandas, koalas, monkeys, elephants, giraffes. Ask me what my fave animals are and you'll get: flamingos, seals (or sea lions*), pajama cardinalfish and sloths.

Really, April?

Speaking of sloths:

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You're welcome.

Also, so, apparently the art of saying "you're welcome" is fading away with the older generations. My dad and I were having a conversation the other day about how he thinks it's rude when people say "no problem" after someone thanks them for something instead of "you're welcome". I tried to explain to him that "no problem" is basically saying the same thing. You're welcome for doing/saying what I did - It was no problem to do/say what I did. He still thinks it's rude. Another generational gap between the Boomers and the Millenials. After I explained to him who the Millenials are (because I'm one of them) he said, "Thanks for the lesson on generational nomenclature." To which I obviously replied, "No problem".

NOTE: I think that this blog post has gotten progressively funnier as I get progressively more tired. Coincidence?

*I'm still not sure on which out of seals or sea lions I prefer. Sometimes I think one over the other but then I like certain breeds (types) of each. However, anything with a bulbous nose (like the elephant seal) is disgusting. So, maybe I like the sea lions. However, I think seals are what do the shows and stuff at zoos. So, point for seals. There is an evil seal in Happy Feet...or is it a sea lion? You see!!!!!

And, that's all I got for y'all tonight. I promise to return next week with good content and good writing. None of this randomness. Though every once in awhile it is quite entertaining to just turn off the filters and type.

Hakunamatata!

Things I Love Thursday

Ladies and gents, some days I just feel the need to share with you a few things I'm currently loving. Today, is one of those days.

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I know, I know! Arm parties are on their way out. But I just am over the moon about a rose-gold watch with rose-gold bracelets. So feminine and girly. 

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Dang, pearls have my heart. These pearl and crystal cluster earrings pretty much have it all!

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I'm pretty sure that these shoes would be absolutely horrid to walk in. But they're cute. That's all that REALLY matters anyway.

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Sorry, y'all. This had to make the list. I don't know what exact kind of cake it is, but I know it needs to get into my belly. The end.

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I can think of a few people who might appreciate this...

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Obviously, this one is totally true. 

//1 Random facts to make you feel smarter.

//2 Yasi blogged about a website that lists student discounts for popular retailers.

//3 This cool infograph shows how singles use technology in dating.

//4 Where does your city rank on the most dangerous and least dangerous city rankings? (My city is #211!)

//5 As a big fan of the MD, it's surprising to know that the McDouble actually costs the restaurant money. So much, in fact, that they are considering raising the $1 price tag. 

//6 This working girl needs to invest in a few of these stretchy wonders the next time she heads to Target.

//7 And while she's there, maybe one or two of these as well.

So, thank you for putting up with my rambling for today. Happy Thursday and come on back tomorrow, ya hear?

Wedding Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, friends. Today, I want to talk about weddings.

No, not mine, my sister's wedding. She got engaged back in December and has decided on a September wedding. Since December she and I have feverishly been discussing her plans for venues, dresses, flowers, music, food, and all the rest of the "stuff" that comes with having a wedding. So, for today's post, I thought I'd share some of her ideas and dreams for her wedding.

Ashton & Spencer

September, 2013

• Outdoor wedding & ceremony at a rustic, clubhouse located on a private lake
• Rustic, country, casual with hints of vintage southern style
• 200 people or less
• Colors: brown, tan, champagne, canvas, pale green
• Bride and groom's favorite foods and barbecue with fixings

The photo above is of the bridesmaids dresses she chose. I put together this little palette to show her what the colors would look like together. Y'all, these dresses are from the Target Bridesmaid dress line. They are inexpensive, cute and have pockets!!! Win-win-win! She has 6 attendants: 3 in this chocolate color called Spanish Brown and 3 in this lighter color called Blank Canvas. (Don't worry y'all, she has graciously agreed to allow me to wear the Spanish brown. The Blank Canvas would be very close to my skin tone. Either way, I'll probably be getting a spray tan.)

She's also going with white and pale green hydrangeas. Gorg.

The closer we get to September, the more excited I am.

Photos taken from here.

Valentine's Gift Ideas For Him & Her

Ah, Valentine's Day. This big holiday is getting closer and closer. (I believe it's on the 14th this year...;) ) If you're at a loss when it comes to gift ideas for those you love, allow me to make a few suggestions...

Valentine's Gift Ideas for Her by aprilanne147 featuring versace perfume

Glitter Clutch | Beige Tassel Bag | Gold Bow Studs | Rose Gold Watch | Black Patent Heels | Glimmer Votive | Viva La Juicy | Bright Crystal | White Statement Necklace | Amazing Grace

valentine's day gift ideas for men by aprilanne147 featuring sport hats

Knit Turkey Hat | Plaid Shirt | Kenneth Cole Cologne | Lacoste Blue | The Art of Shaving Kit | Ugg Slippers 

You guys...the turkey beanie...I die. It's amazing. Also, speaking of love and amazingness...did anyone else see "the kiss" on New Girl last week? My heart stopped for a second. (I'm pretty sure it did, at least.) Missed it? Click here to view the clip.

Weekend Update

Happy Monday, friends!

What say we inaugurate the new week with a re-cap of the weekend that was? I say, yes! Of course, you will receive said re-cap in list form. Because, I roll with lists.

1. I went on another awesome date this weekend. Seems like my intended blog post serious about the sagas of online dating has gone a completely different way. Sorry/not sorry. :D

2. For my date, I decided to finally introduce this guy to my love of wearing color. I started out wearing black and then slowly have introduced more color in my wardrobe for each date. This weekend, I paired royal blue with green and wore my bright red coat. Good news... He didn't seem to be scared at my apparent resemblance to something from Sesame Street.

3. Also, re: the date, we waltzed through a local fish/aquarium store and I was so excited to find that they not only had some pretty cool fish but they had my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FISH IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Yep. The fish in the middle pic below are Pajama Cardinalfish. I mean, how cool is the name?!?! Showing my dork status here...

3. I posted awhile back about my church and the campaign they were doing to purchase and remodel a home that will be used to rehabilitate AMERICAN girls rescued from the sex trafficking industry. Our goal was to raise $150,000 to be able to purchase and up-fit the home.

Yesterday, we found out that the church raised over $389,000! I'm blown away by our church's generosity and the willingness of people to respond to such a great need. Truly overwhelmed, y'all. Here are some pics from the giving service where we also had our youth/student choir lead worship.

4. Finally, this awesome weekend was topped off with a Ravens win! Hooray! To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of either team, so I had to resort to my very clever and very scientific method for choosing which team to root for...

Mascots - bleh, neither
Coaches - don't like Jim Harbaugh so much, so +1 Ravens
Colors - purple over red, in my opinion, +1 Ravens

I wasn't nearly as attached to the Ravens as my blog friend Kim is to the 49ers. (She like, lives near SF, so she's a bonafide Niners fan.) However, I'm glad they won. Also, the blackout? Cray cray. A FB friend of mine captured exactly what I was thinking when the power in the New Orleans Superdome went out...

New Orleans = 1
Roger Goodell = 0

BAHAHAHAHAAHA.

Linking up with the lovely, Sami & Leeann for this update!

Confessional Friday

Friday is my favorite day of the week. Why?

Because it's when the weekend starts!!!

Also...

Confessional Friday!

So, how about we get right to it, shall we?

//1. I confess that I was more-than-slightly-excited when I saw these beauties popping up in the yard. These are my favorite flower. They are so cheery and bright. PERFECT for a dreary January.

//2. I confess that I wore a color combination this week that totally reminded me of my middle school. Our colors were blue and orange and our mascot was the Wapitis. (Yeah, how many of you know what a Wapiti is pre-Googling?) It's a kind of elk thing. Or a moose thing. Something like that.

//3. I confess that my sinus-y, allergy-like symptoms just might be the result of this...

Folks the first (cold) picture was taken on 1/25. The bottom one (warm) was taken FOUR DAYS LATER on 1/29. Shake my head.

//4. I confess that sometimes being a good multi-tasker has its down side. Like, when I'm typing an email, sending a text and simultaneously talking to a coworker...and get my wires crossed. Then I type in an email what I meant to send in a text and verbally speak my text to my coworker. Shake my head.

//5. I confess that I think I'm a pretty funny person naturally. However, I do believe my humor is escalated whenever I take Benadryl. Perhaps it is sort of like delirium...?

//6. I confess that it slightly bothers me that the first 3 confessions had photos and the last ones don't. But, it doesn't bother me enough to change up the order of the confessions. Heh.

//7. I confess that I go to bed FREEZING! Like, with multiple layers of clothing. Then, randomly, in the middle of the night, I wake BURNING UP! Why such body temp extremes? I'm so strange...

Linking up with Leslie @ A Blonde Ambition blog. Also, HOLY CHICKEN FEET IT'S FEBRUARY!

My Prozac Playlist

I was listening to the radio the other morning and the radio talk show I listen to was doing a segment called "Prozac Playlist". Now, their initial premise was for each member of the radio show to share a song that always puts them in a good mood-no matter what.

So, I'm taking this a step further and doing a whole list of songs that ALWAYS put me in a good mood when I listen to them. Then I'm gonna actually make a playlist out of these songs and put them on my phone whenever I need a little pick-me-up.

So, in random order, my Prozac Playlist*...

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
C & C Music Factory

Some Nights
Fun.

Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
Backstreet Boys

Shake Ya Tail Feather
Nelly, P Diddy, Murphy Lee

Lady Marmalade
Mya, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Missy Elliot, Li'l Kim

Pop
*NSYNC

Layla
Eric Clapton

Feelin Alright
Joe Cocker

Fireflies
Owl City

You Are Good 
Israel Houghton

Do you have a Prozac Playlist* of songs that instantly lift YOUR mood?




*No disrespect intended to those who take Prozac.

OOTD: New Faves

Cardigan | Pants: New York & Co (similar) | Top | Shoes: Target (similar) | Necklace: old

Well, y'all this is officially my new favorite outfit. I can't stop wearing it! It literally encompasses some of my absolute favorite things: stripes, navy blue, sequins and flats. Of course, I'll try experimenting with other colors I can wear this same top and pants with. I love the mustard, but can't wait to try it with coral, kelly green or even red!

Y'all, I loved the outfit so much I wore it to work. Yep, WORK! I thought the sequins might be a bit much for daytime...and maybe they were. But it certainly did make me feel sassy all day. So, I'll definitely be putting this tank into my daytime repertoire.

Would you ever wear sequins or glitter to work?

Linking up with Miriam and Lindsey.

The Chronicles of Online Dating: Episode 4

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Alright y'all...

Good news and bad news. So, let's do the good news first, okay? Good News: things with Mr. Three Dates are going very well...in my opinion at least. Which brings me to the bad news: I won't be sharing as much detail regarding my dates.

Mama's got to have a li'l bit of privacy, you know? 'Specially when thangs is going well...

Anywho, on to a more...general subject. Can I just talk for a minute about the stigma of meeting someone "online"?

Well, I guess I should ask the question...is there really a stigma associated with dating online anymore? Honestly, whenever I've told someone that I've met a sig-oth online, I rarely have any weird reactions. Perhaps the times are a-changing and this has become more widely accepted? Or maybe, this is just the case in my circle of influence. Generally, someone's reaction to you meeting someone via an online dating site can be classified in one of the following categories:

1. "Oh, that's awesome! I wish I had the guts to do that!" - These are the people who would probably support the idea of meeting someone online, but for whatever reason, haven't actually tried it.

2. "Really? You're not scared to do that?" - These people generally focus on the "dangerous" aspects of online dating. It's probably too hard to see past that to the benefits of online dating. Maybe this response is also given with some sort of side-eye. ;)

3. "Which one did you use? I've had great experience with _____ before!" - These are the ones who are online dating savvy. They know all about it, have tried it and may even compare notes with you.

4. "Oh, that's nice." - These are the small fraction of people who might "look down on you" for meeting someone via an online dating site. Maybe they are just more old-fashioned in their approaches to dating? Maybe they've been burned before with something similar? Maybe they are Mennonite? For whatever reason, there still seems to be a small margin of people who are fairly hostile towards this concept.

To them I say, phooey. If my GRANDMOTHER can support (and, dare I say be happy for) the fact that I met someone online then can't everyone else? That's what I thought.

To catch up on the other episodes click here, here and here.