Music Thoughts & Julep Becky

Music Thoughts & Julep Becky

by | Dec 11, 2015 | Throwback

Julep Becky
Now’s a good time to subscribe!  Get this beautiful box for just the $2.99 shipping fee!
*Julep is a monthly subscription service that you can skip or cancel any time you like
**Note.  This polish was nearly impossible to capture on camera.  I’m still not happy with how the pictures came out.  This is a duo-chrome like you’ve never seen before.  For those of you who were all head over heels for Essie’s The Twill Of It, this is like that but better.
You guys?  I’m going mad.  I spent the last few days manically searching for a song that I knew none of the lyrics to.  The only word out of the entire song that I could remember was “hideaway” which is only slightly unfortunate since there are two songs out at the moment devoted to that word.  
Do you have any freaking idea how hard it is to find a song when you can’t google a sound in your head?  Yeah, it’s next to impossible.  The song is nice and all, but there’s an instrumental bit in it that I just love.  I did everything from search full albums of artists I thought the song might belong to, to stalking the radio station playlists like it would save my life.
Finally, last night at nearly 11PM, I found the song.  I don’t know why it was so important to me, it was just a song I liked.  But there you have an inside look into my brain where apparently music is really, really important.  For what it’s worth, the song was Roses by The Chainsmokers.
Speaking of music being really important, I have a strange relationship with it.  It 100% fuels my writing.  So for weeks on end, I’ll listen to songs that make me feel a certain way, trying to capture that emotion from every angle so when I sit down to write, it pours out of me.  Like a strange masochist, I’ll dive deep into the hardest and saddest moment of my life, the memories I’ve pushed outside of my head, sometimes ending in a puddle of tears in a coffee shop corner, all for the sake of a good scene.
Currently, songs on repeat:
Army, Ellie Goulding
Afire Love, Ed Sheeran
Wild Things, Alessia Cara
Happy Friday, friends! 

Stuff & Things: Catch Up!

by | Dec 10, 2015 | Throwback

++You know how you all have that one Christmas song that you just have to hear to feel like the season has officially launched?  Well I din’t realize it until yesterday afternoon, but oddly enough that song for me is Same Old Lang Syne by Don Fogelberg.  Not technically a Christmas song at all, right?  But I used to fall asleep to Delilah (anyone remember her?) when I was young.  And I would feel all the feels when that song came on.  Don’t read too much into it.  I can’t run into my old lover at a grocery store on Christmas Eve.  He sleeps in the bed next to me.

++ I watched the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for the first time this week.  I’m painfully out of touch with most of pop culture and its obsessions, but I actually really enjoyed it.  I know there are a lot of politics and body shaming that surround the event, but here’s why I liked it: 
  • Most of the models (and all of the Angels) were actually fit.  I’m all for supporting a healthy body image, but I was so freaking happy to see that most of those girls looked strong, not frail and weak.  
  • The makeup was tastefully done.  Everyone looked naturally beautiful, not drag queened out.
  • The hair was kept soft and casual.  
  • I enjoyed the music and performances–with the exception of that stupid can’t feel my face song.  Why can’t you feel your freaking face?  That’s not normal.
  • And to be 100% honest?  I love lingerie.
++I’ve been shit when it comes to emails lately (I’m so sorry, I’m working on it, promise).  But what’ even worse is I’ve been allowing things to fall through the cracks.  I usually read an email as it comes through on my phone (sometimes, sometimes not).  I’ll make a mental note to reply….and then by the time I get home and settled, emails are the last thing I want to do.  So I implemented an If This  Then That recipe for important, time sensitive emails.  If I star (or flag) an email, it’ll put an actionable todo with the email’s information in a note I have set up in my Evernote.  Do you guys want more information on this?  I can do a whole post about it.  It’s kind of changed my life.
++ I’ve been feeling that itch every single morning to just be lazy and grab breakfast, but I’ve resisted.  What’s your goto breakfast?  I alternate between 2 eggo waffles with 2 scrambled eggs and a egg & cheese bagel on a Thomas bagel.  I know you all are going to tell me that I’ll get fat eating that much every morning, but trust me when I tell you if I don’t start my day with a proper amount of protein, I’ll end up on the floor sicker than sick.
Alright friends!  That about does it for today!  Sorry this post is coming to you 1) live and 2) a little later than normal.  I’m working on finding my groove, and I’m battling some weird sickness that leaves me feeling super fatigued, dizzy, and lethargic.  And before your minds go there, no, I’m not pregnant.  

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FRIENDS Obsession & Brunch

FRIENDS Obsession & Brunch

by | Dec 9, 2015 | Throwback

My senior year of HS, thanks to the now husband, I got seriously into FRIENDS.  I got my first DVD box set that Christmas from my awesome Aunt (thank Aunt Marie), and it all kind of went downhill (or uphill, depending on how you see an obsession with a TV show) from there.
I went to college 5 hours from home, and besides my brother, I didn’t know anyone.  And I had every intention of transferring to a school that initially had given me a small envelope.  So my free time was spent in my dorm room, FRIENDS playing in the background, and my nose in a book.  I got straight As that year.  I blame it on FRIENDS.  Duh.
Anyway–to the point of this post.
Saturday morning, things were buzzing.  My neighbor was having a Ladies Christmas Brunch, and I was so excited.  She was in and out of our place to use our oven while I painted my nails and the husband slept.  My other neighbor needed wrapping paper, so she popped in and out.  
It’s just like FRIENDS I shouted excitedly to the husband while I also tried to explain to him in mid-slumber that he would also have my neighbor’s dog during the event so she wouldn’t snatch everyone’s food.
That’s all you’ve ever wanted, he replied.  Truth.  I guess my life goals have been met.  Some of you want babies and careers.  I want FRIENDS.  Typical.

The brunch was absolutely gorgeous.  My neighbor is too cute and got all Pinteresty.  I’ll never understand how anyone has the patience to pull this kind of stuff off.  The mimosa bar was my favorite!  It’d been a hot minute since I’d last had a mimosa, and now l think we should drink them at every breakfast.  I mean…it would make the day a little easier to tackle, right?

I meant to bug Hillary for the recipe to this amazing breakfast casserole before this post, and somehow I forgot. (Probably because I forgot to add it to my ical, and therefore, it doesn’t happen).  I’ll have that recipe up in next week.
These adorable donut reindeer were totally my favorite treat!  I mean, how freaking cute are they?  The seem easy enough to make: 
  • Mini chocolate donuts
  • M&Ms (bonus for xmas colors)
  • Mini pretzels broken in half
Okay.  That’s all from me for today!  Hope you all had as fun of a weekend as I did, and you know, met your life’s goals! 
**In totally unrelated news, did you know I wrote a book?  Well, I did!  With Christmas travel comes lots of car rides and too much family time, so download Yeah, maybe for a quick little escape into the dramatic world of HS we all remember too fondly.
We Create Our Own Realities With Our Words

We Create Our Own Realities With Our Words

by | Dec 8, 2015 | Throwback

amelie's french bakery

Sundays look a little different around here lately.  Kim (you know, my blogging friend who turned out to be my freaking neighbor) and I make a point to try to meet on Sundays to handle blog stuff. It keeps us accountable, we bounce ideas off one another, and to be honest?  It’s nice to work with a friend.  Blogging can feel sort of isolating sometimes, so it’s fun to feel like I have a “coworker.” Does that make any sense?
Anyway.
On Sunday, we took the light rail into the city to check out Amelie’s new uptown location.  While these meetings are primarily about blogging, we end up doing some catching up, just chatting in general.
We hadn’t seen each other in a couple weeks (Kim is a bit of a travel bug), so we had a lot to catch up on.  And it’s no secret that things have been pretty rough around here lately.  But something shifted in the last few days, a breakthrough maybe.  And it didn’t become apparent to me until it was in my face on Sunday.
I get laser focused when things aren’t going well.  I can’t see outside of it.  I speak it over and over.  I complain (I know, shocker, right?).  And you guys?  We create our own realities with our words; with how we let ourselves believe things are.  I’ve been toxic the last few months, focused on all the wrong things, and only expressing my disappointments, my frustrations, my failures.  I can’t tell you how many times the phrase I can’t do this literally came out of my mouth.
And most of that talk was surrounding my inability to find balance.  To find focus.  I was letting the excuses dictate my happiness.  And I was letting my life run me.  And then a dear friend called me out on my shit.  I’m not kidding, they basically told me that I can convince myself that it’s because of xyz that I’m stalled out, spinning my tires.  But the reality was that I was standing in my own way, and until I just owned it, I wasn’t going to get anywhere.
Talk about a reality check, huh?  The shift didn’t come immediately, but my eyes were definitely open after that, and so were my ears.  I could hear the words coming out of my mouth, and even I was sick of myself.  And once I was aware of it, things started to change.
As we were sitting in Amelie’s on Sunday, I told Kim I felt better than I had in months.  I was excited and happy again.  And the truth is, the crap that I’ve been dealing with hasn’t exactly gone anywhere, it’s still there, and it’s still a big deal.  But I’ve stopped letting it dictate and control my life.  Instead, I’ve started speaking about the things that make me happy, sharing the things I love.  
This weekend was one of the best I’ve had in months.  Everyone around me was in a good mood, and it felt contagious.  But then it dawned on me that maybe I’ve been getting my own attitude mirrored back to me all this while.  If I’m a cranky bitch, that’s all I’m going to see.  If I’m happy and excited and sharing what I love, maybe that’s what’s contagious.
The truth is, none of us are immune to the realities of life.  You see it everywhere, Adulting is hard.  But time doesn’t stop just because things get hard.  And that’s important to remember for two reasons: 1) it’s not permanent.  Things always change.  But also, 2) that you aren’t able to get this time back.  It’s still time that’s precious.  And you have the capacity to shift your perspective on things and pave the way to your own happiness.
Not to get all self-helpy on you or anything, but sometimes we all could use a bit of a reality check. 
In other, partially unrelated news, the s’mores French macaron from Amelie’s?  holy sweet goodness, you guys!!  Also, I could go for another round of that iced mocha.  Freaking delish.
**Housekeeping Note: just to keep you all in the loop, I’m currently operating on a Tuesday-Friday blogging schedule to try to keep some semblance of sanity around these parts.  Okay, carry on 🙂 

Stuff & Things I Want: Christmas List Edition

by | Dec 3, 2015 | Throwback

I didn’t really grow up making Christmas lists.  Santa Claus knew what I wanted, and beyond that my mom worked her magic.  It wasn’t until I was grown up and married that people started asking me what I want for Christmas.  
Namely, the husband.  So I write these posts for him and any other husbands out there.  And maybe for you, too.  Because I’ll be honest, I’m really bad at coming up with a list of things I want, so I definitely checked out your posts to narrow my thoughts down.
So here we go.  I’ve got it broken down into categories for you!  

Things I Really Want but Won’t Ever Buy For Myself:


Lush Bath Bombs.  I’m busier than I’ve ever been.  I spend all day taking care of everyone but myself.  I don’t ever stop.  I’d stop for a Lush bath.
Toshiba 1TB External Hard drive. This one might seem a bit strange, but I’ve been bogging my system down with tons and tons of high res images lately which are slowing my machine down.  I’m not specifically attached to any one external drive in particular, this was just the cheapest one I found, and it’s easily accessible at Walmart.  1 Terabyte should be plenty.
Tart Matte Lip Surgence in ENVY. I have been lusting after this one particular lipstick for way too long.  I always want it, but can’t ever bring myself to actually purchase it.
Taylor Swift Wonderstruck.  I’ll admit it.  I’m seriously in love with this scent.
Tervis Water Bottle. I’m pretty sure I drown myself in water daily.  I can’t ever have enough water bottles.  Plus, I really like the design of these.  And I like it even more that someone can pick out a pattern they think I’d like.

Can’t Go Wrong:

Target Gift Card: I am absolutely desperate for clothes.  This is probably more of a “need” than a want.  #truth
Sports Bras (small): I see these pretty much the same way I saw toilet paper in college.  Totally necessary but I don’t want to spend money on them.  But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to get dressed for a run and realized that all (read: 3) of my sports bras are in the wash.
Yoga pants (small): Are we sensing a theme here? I have a really hard time spending money on clothes.  But living in an apartment has made me painfully aware that all of my lounge clothes are…not really appropriate to walk the dog in front of people.  Yoga pants are necessary.  And let this be clear: I don’t wear them to do yoga.
Starbucks Gift Card: It’s unfortunate, but apparently my writing mojo lives at Starbucks.  It is what it is.

Books:

Daring Greatly Brene Brown
Rising Strong Brene Brown
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo