Take a Gander

As to where these bad boys are a hangin'.

MOVED

Due to some technical difficulties, I've had to move the blog to a new destination.

All of my old posts are over there and I've been attempting to chug right along.

Hope to see you over there!

Shameless Plug?

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You know you wanna.

Resolutions

So this last week or so I've sat down and actually thought out some resolutions that I think I'll be able to stick with.  I decided to stray away from the typical "lose weight, stop procrastinating, be more organized" kinds of resolutions because those always seem to fall through.  

Instead I've decided to start doing small things that make me feel better, both physically and emotionally; and I want to do things that make others feel better.

Because I get the feeling 2012 is gonna be awesome and I want to share that awesomeness with others.  So, without further adieu...

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Stop swearing on Facebook.  For those who know me in real life, I swear like a sailor.  Combined with the fact I got Facebook back when you had to have a college email address means that I'm used to saying whatever I want without the consequences of adults seeing it.

But now that my mom AND grandmother have Facebook pages, coupled with the fact that employers are looking at the social networking site, I figured it would be a good idea to tone it down a little.

There's still gonna be the occasional bad word on the ole blog though.  I can't change who I am, I can only restrain.  My apologies in advance.

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Do yoga at least five times a week.  I've been doing pretty well with this one and already my back pain isn't nearly as bad as it usually is.  I do end up swearing at the unnaturally bendy yoga instructor on my DVD.  I can't even bend over and touch my toes and that woman is folded in half resting her butt on the back of her head.  Unfair, I tell you!

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Learn more new words.  I have a pretty expansive vocabulary already (I'm not trying to sound like a pompous jerk, I just read a lot), but I enjoy learning new words (because I'm a huge nerd).

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I want to show more gratitude.  I'm a pretty sarcastic, pessimistic person, but I'm a die-hard romantic and optimist on the inside.  I have a friend who's always doing something sweet to show thanks, and I was recently on the receiving end of that from her, and it just felt really nice to be appreciated.  So I'm going to start paying that forward.  You know what they say, giving feels better than receiving.

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And last but not least: wear red lipstick.  This sounds pretty trivial but it always makes me feel so grown-up and pretty when I wear it.  Granted, this is when I'm playing big girl dress up at home, I think it's going to take some psychological adjusting when leaving the house.

So there you have it, my resolutions for 2012.  Have you made any?  How are they holding up?

Houston, We Have Lift-Off!

After months of not having internet at my place, the "Verizon guy" came and set up Fios!  Let me tell ya, it's been a royal pain in the rear trying to piece blog posts together when you have to plan a trip to the local coffee shop into your day.

Now I don't even have to brush my teeth when I want to write a post!  But I will because dental hygiene is important.

Soooo, you know what this means?  "Before" shots of our new casa!  Enjoy!

Isn't it cute!?

View from the front door.  Check out that peach dining room!  It was like walking into a cantaloupe.  Pictures don't even do that neon hue justice.

Why yes, the first piece of furniture in our living room was the TV.  We clearly have our priorities in order around here.

Sassy purple kitchen.  And by sassy, I mean terrible.

Hello, cat urine-colored sink.  Our entire master bathroom was done in this color.  You don't even want to know what it's like to bathe in a shower the color of pee.  Gross.

The den.  AKA, the Casey Cave.  AKA the only place I'm allowed to use lots of color.  Ryan's all about some neutrals.

This color is only acceptable when used on Levi's.  NOT in our master bedroom.

The "band room," as Ryan as dubbed it.  Clearly "music room" doesn't adequately convey the sense of cool Ryan is going for in here.  I just call it the man cave.

So, there you have it!  We're movin' and shakin' on getting the place spruced up so I'll have lots of fun to follow!

You Never Know

Where you're going to find a little inspiration.

Who knew my place of employment could give such sage advice? Embrace some happiness today. :-)

Stupid Electricity

So yesterday as I was writing up the long-overdue house tour post, the power went out at Starbucks.  And now my camera is dead so I can't upload the pics onto my computer right now... because I was on Ryan's yesterday.  Grrr.  So instead I'm gonna show y'all how to DIY some beadboard!

When we moved into the new casa, the kitchen was not one but two frightening shades of purple.  So that nonsense had to change and change fast.  So in stepped that guru of home deliciousness, Martha Stewart.  Ok Martha didn't really come over but I did purchase her beadboard wallpaper for 35 bucks from the Home Depot. And now for iPhone pics and a how to!

Sneak Peek

Here's a little sneak peek at what's been going on at the new casa.

I'm up to my eyeballs in paint and boxes here but I've got a home tour to show you guys soon!

Jack-elopes and Rhinoviruses

So I meant to post yesterday but got completely laid on my ass with what I'm assuming was some kind of Spiderman version of the common cold. I couldn't even get out of bed. Fortunately today I feel a lot better.

Ryan and I went to sign our lease today! We move in on Wednesday and we couldn't be more excited.

But Tuesday was our really big day. We went down to the courthouse and Ryan made an honest woman out iof me.

That's right. We're married. Get it? Jack-elope? I know, I'm a riot. We're shooting at having a ceremony next spring so I still get to go through the exciting/stressful wedding planning.

I'm cool with that. 'Cause I'm stuck with my best friend with the rest of my life. :-)

Hello, Friends!

Let's ketchup.

I can't believe I've let two weeks slip by without a post!  Actually, I can, because it was kind of intentional. I personally hate to be blown off, so I'm truly sorry I did that to you guys, but it was all in the name of spending some much-needed quality time with my family.

And that was just week one.  Week two has consisted of doing a bunch of grown-up type things.

For instance.... WE FOUND A HOUSE! After months of hunting and creeping around back yards, we finally got a place and it is P-E-R-F-E-C-T for us! There are spare bedrooms! A garage! A fenced-in back yard! THERE'S A FIREPLACE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

We move in on the 14th and Ryan and I are both super excited. Now if only we could stop arguing about TV stands. ;)

We have a reaaaalllly big day tomorrow.  Can you guess what's gonna happen!?

I'll leave you in suspense until then. ;)

Happy Monday, friends!

Haircut!

After a couple months of hemming and hawing, I got a hair cut yesterday!

About two years ago, I thought it would be a really cool idea to grow my hair reaaaally long.  You see, I'd always had pretty short hair.  Like... Kate Gosselin short (but way more classy and a lot less porcupine-y).  And then I fell through the mirror into blog land and found out that "boob hair" is super cool.  And I had boob hair!  Such a fulfilling moment of my life, I tell ya.

Things were going well, and then we went on vacation.  And my hair asplode.  I guess it was the mixture of Gulf water and chlorine, because all my ends decided to just freak out and split all at once.  I tried to ignore it, I really did.  But the hair at the nape of my neck kept getting all dreadlock-y and all I could do was braid it.

I couldn't even style it anymore because it would just get all tangled and crazy.  I had to cut out more than one knot.  Eventually I just had this weird, frizzy, wavy matted thing living on top of my head.  It kind of reminded me of a shaggy sloth.

Those split ends were mocking me.  And I had way surpassed boob hair.  I could use my hair as a scarf.  Or a slutty shirt.  Once your hair starts doubling as bad clothing, it's time for a trim.

Now dammit if that ain't the most attractive thing you've seen all day!  I had a major case of triangle hair... pyramid hair...

So anyway, I booked an appointment with an apprentice at a local salon and this girl for real worked wonders.  Wonders, I tell you!

I haven't had a different hair style in four years.  And man, sometimes change is good.  Like when you change your underwear.  Or your haircut.  Or the channel when reality TV comes on.  But I digress...

Ta da!  I didn't know my hair could get that curly!  I'm so excited.  I had this big shit-eating grin all day yesterday and couldn't stop looking in the mirror.  My hair bounces, people!

Don't judge me.  It's the only way I could figure out how to take a picture of the back of my head.

And I'm not sure why, but I feel like a bonafide grownup with this haircut.  Not a semi-grownup, a real grownup!  Oh, and the best part?  My cut was free! F-R-E-E!  Because my stylist is still an apprentice her cuts are free and her colors are only thirty bucks!  I know, right!?  I'll give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor.

If any of you are in the Virginia Peninsula area and want to know the name of the stylist and salon, just shoot me an email!

Have a happy weekend!

Stickin' It to Design

I must have gone and lost my damn mind.  Seriously. 

 

Yesterday I got this crazy idea to go outside and get some sticks.  Pretty harmless, right?

Just some sticks, sittin' around my apartment, all innocent like.  For the record, Bear was really confused and kind of pissed that he couldn't chew on these sticks.

He was even more confused when he couldn't chew on them after I painted them.

"Quit taking pictures of those sticks and let me chew 'em, already!"

Not bad, if I do say so myself.  But I wasn't content to just let them sit in a vase on my coffee table.  And I had to get them out of the dog's reaches, so...

 

I put 'em on the wall.  Not only did I put 'em on the wall, I hot glued them to the wall.  I'm pretty sure there's a line in my lease that says you can't hot glue shit to your walls.  And if there's not, there should be.

I just hope it doesn't mess up the paint.

I think I kind of like it.

So, done anything completely irrational lately?

Editing Photos in Picnik

In Friday's post I briefly mentioned that I had edited all of the photos in Picnik.  If you've never used it, Picnik is a free, online photo-editing program.  Just upload your photo, edit, save, and you're done!  You can even print from Picnik.  I know, how sweet is that?  So today I thought I'd delve a little more into the world of Picnik.  This also gives me an excuse to post 23857 pictures of my dog.  ;)

So, here's the original photo.  It's not a bad one, but it could use a little touching up.  Note that Bear's ears are in the "I just heard the phrase 'do you want a treat?'" position.

A Perfect Day

So the other day I said I was going to wake up early and go jogging.  That totally didn't happen.  But what did happen was way better.  I brought Bear to one of our favorite trails with the full intention of jogging but I forgot how much running hurts.  I am many things, but a glutton for punishment isn't one of them.  I also brought my camera and kept stopping to take pictures.  So what was supposed to be a 20-minute jog turned into an hour-long walk with just Bear and I.  And it was perfect.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

It was so quiet and peaceful.  It was like walking in a cathedral.  Only better.  I'm not a very religious person, but sights like this remind me that there has to be something greater out there.

Bear was not impressed by my need to stop and take pictures every ten feet.

I love the fact that this trail is never packed with people.  It's the only place Bear can run free off his leash and I don't have to worry about being screamed at by park rangers.  One end of the trail dead-ends at the reservoir, and Bear always gets to swim around and make a mess.  Unfortunately he didn't get to today because he just got a bath yesterday.  He was NOT happy about his lack of a swim.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Dang it if that ain't the most handsome mutt you've ever seen.

Bear kept sticking his tail in the shot.  He was getting pretty antsy at that point.  He doesn't understand why his human wants to just sit around and take pictures when there are so many things to sniff and pee on.

Did I mention that it's a perfect 70 degrees out right now?  Autumn in Virginia is probably the most perfect thing ever.

P.S.  Have you ever tried Picnik?  It's probably the best thing ever.  I edit all my photos on there and it just turns them into magic.  AND it's free.  Doesn't get any better than that.

Have you been having any fall adventures lately?

Thank You, Anthro!

As soon as I buy new book cases I'm totally doing this:

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Also, I am requesting either (or both) of these couches as a housewarming gift. 

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Start pinching your pennies, people!  We need to can make this happen!

Debt

Before I graduated from high school, I really wish someone would have sat me down, smacked me across the face, and said "Listen up, 'cause this shit is important" and then proceeded to tell me the following things:

1. Go to community college for two years and get all the stupid core classes out of the way, and then transfer to a real university.  Because if you don't, you'll be in college an extra 3+ years because you can't manage to show up to Sophomore English.

2. Don't get a credit card, because you're going to be way too broke to make the payments, and then lawyers and creditors are going to start calling and harassing your 80-year old grandma.

3. Don't be a Music Major!  Get a real major so you can get a real damn job when you finally graduate.

4. Start exercising, because you're going to be too broke to buy real groceries and your main form of sustenance will be something off the McDonald's dollar menu. Every. Day. And fat ain't cute and you can't afford to buy new jeans every time you gain or lose a pound.

5. Live at home until you're 30.  Yeah, living with Mom sucks and you hate her rules, but having roommates with alcohol/drug problems who do things like beat your dog, file false police reports on you, and bail two days before $1100 of rent is due are WAY worse than being home by midnight.

6. Just don't date. Boys will ruin your grades and the bad sex is way overrated.  Just make sure you make it to a certain bar on September 16, 2010, 'cause that guy is actually worth keeping around.

7. You can't raise your brother, make good decisions for your mom, or repair the relationship with your dad, so quit stressing out over it. All that crying you do while driving is probably going to cause you to wreck (again) and you can't afford to total another car.

That being said, I think it's pretty apparent I'm under a LOT of stress right now, most of it being caused by financial burdens.  I wish just a few short years ago I'd really understood what living above your means actually meant.  More importantly, I wish I had understood the consequences.

I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately, and when that happens I tend to just hide from everything so I don't end up having a giant panic attack (been there, done that, ain't fun).  Seriously, I didn't get out of bed until 2 pm today.

When I get like this, I remember what my friend Jamie told me, and it's some of the best advice I've ever gotten: "You can't do everything all at once.  You need to break things down and take care of one thing at a time."  So that's what I'm going to try to do.

Here's what needs to happen in the next month:

Tomorrow I'm going to wake my ass up sometime before noon.  I'm going to take Bear and go for a jog. Because like I said before, McDonald's is making my ass bigger than it already is and I don't need that extra stress.

Tomorrow I'm also going to apply for Federal Student Aid for next semester.

On Friday I'm going to send off the check to make the first payment on my student loans.  It's due on Monday and I can't afford to deal with any late charges.

On Monday I'm going to pay off the $140 hold on my student account and attempt to get registered for the last two classes I need in order to graduate.

On December 1 I'm going to pay my rent.

Through December, I'm going to save up for all the money that moving requires (damn you, security and pet deposits!).

Once Ryan and I move in January I'm going to call those pesky debt collectors and set up some kind of payment plan.

I've got to get a handle on my money, I can't keep living life hiding from my bank statements.  And I'm pretty sure my family is going to disown me if those lawyers don't stop calling.  

On the up side, my car will be paid off in May, and that means that not only do I not have to worry about car payments, I can also drop my car insurance down to liability and that will save me a little money too.

Breaking things down I just realized that I only need $250 by Monday to make sure my immediate concerns are taken care of, and that has alleviated the stress a little.

Am I the only 20-something that feels like they've been thrown out on the wind with no sort of idea how to be a grown-up?  You'd think they'd have some kind of class or handbook for this sort of thing.

I wish I was rich enough to just have some kind of financial advisor.  But then, if I were rich, I guess I wouldn't worry so much about my car being repossessed. 

Living Room Inspiration

Despite the fact Ryan and I have no idea where we'll be moving to in the near future, I've got design inspiration on the brain.  We've narrowed our choices down to two houses (even though those plans can change in a second), and I'm already dreaming up furniture layouts.

I posted about the colorful vs. neutral quandary I was having, and some of the owners of those lovely living rooms gave the tip that I should keep the big things neutral and bring in color via accessories.  Well, I've been Pinning like a madwoman, and here are some of the ideas I've slapped together.

As much as I love bright, colorful spaces, I just can't get neutral rooms out of my head.  So here's a sort of not entirely logical progression in lieu of going from entirely neutral to adding that perfect pop of color.

Completely neutral and completely perfect.  I think one of the things I love most about neutral rooms is how much plants shine in them.  This room would border on boring if it weren't for some simple potted plants.  Downside: my cat looooves chewing on house plants.

Again, the perfect shades of white with the same lovely plant action.  What can I say?  I love leaves.

The next two design boards are by the lovely and talented Darlene of Fieldstone Hill Design.  The way she adds subtle colors to an already beautiful neutral background makes my heart pitter patter.  This is more in the direction I want to go in with my own space.

And then there's this living room.  Designed by Jamie Meares of i suwannee, it is probably one of the most prefect rooms I've ever seen.  I especially love the fact that it's a gorgeous room that looks like you could actually live in.  I'm especially diggin' those dark orange velvet chairs.

So, there you have it.  Aside from writing music for my high school group, these living rooms are pretty much the only thing I've been thinking about lately.  And of course, Ryan thinks I'm completely crazy.

P. S.  This pillow is going to come live with me someday.  Hopefully that someday is in the very near future (A.K.A. after I pay rent!)

Hope you all are having a lovely week so far!