Looking for Alaska - A Review

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words–and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. (from John Green's website) 

Honestly, I thought I might call this post "John Green is a sadist" because I think the man enjoys ripping out people's hearts and displaying them like hunting trophies. I mean, I haven't even read The Fault in Our Stars yet because I know it can't end well…. because stories about teenagers with terminal illnesses are always a barrel of laughs. 

I chose Looking For Alaska to read, because I had heard good things and I thought it would be safe. Be warned, I was wrong about that. John Green now has my mangled heart in a trophy case. Don't get me wrong - the story is great, well written, interesting and the characters are likable, relatable, and I feel like I could have gone to high school with them. It is a coming of age story that will stick with you. But it broke my heart. 

I think one thing really, really killed it for me though. You never forget the day you lose someone you love. Ever. That will make more sense to people who read the book, but it upset me on a deeper level than just reading a book that got sad. 

Read at your own risk folks, it is a really good book, but it might be too much for the sensitive reader. 

To Me at 17

The hubs and I visited my Nana and Papa last weekend at my teeny-tiny hometown. I had a bridal shower to go to for my high school BFF and we decided to just make a weekend of it and spend some quality time with my family. It was good to unplug for a bit (Nana and Papa have no wi-fi!) and just be. But you know how it is when you are all snuggled up in your childhood home with people who have known you since you were in diapers. Nostalgia sets in for sure. I have been thinking a lot about the girl I was in high school and the ways I have changed and grown since that time. Then, this week while doing my regular blog-trolling, I happened upon Lauren Conrad's blog in which she gave her 18 year old self advice. The timing was perfect and I was inspired. I spent that whole drive to work thinking about what I would tell that 17 year me. Here's what I came up with:

1. Be Brave. Oh hunny, you are about to embark on some big-life changing adventures (hello college!) and you need to put on your big girl panties and embrace it. I know it is so, so scary to leave the only place you have ever known, but let go of that fear and embrace the newness. Don't be afraid to leave your dorm room. But, it is still OK to let Janna drive your car in heavy traffic until you get used to it.

2. Be intentional in your friendships. Growing up with the same people for the last 17 years has made you complacent at working on friendships. They were just built in. You don't know how to work and maintain them yet, and because of this, you are going to lose some really great relationships that you probably would've been able to hang onto for life. This is going to be something you regret in the future.

3. If it isn't drugs or sex, just say yes. - I heard this advice given to a college freshman and while it seems a bit wild, you should really just abide by it. There are going to be so many opportunities that come your way and you need to at least try new things, and if it isn't sex or drugs, it probably won't hurt you.

4. On boys -  Now, I am actually pretty proud of the boys you have dated up to this point, but you are about to have a serious lapse in judgement. Be a little picky. Have some standards as to how you should be treated. It all works out, and you are super happy now, and more than a little embarrassed about that one guy - you will know him when you see him… Also, your next heartbreak will be your worst, it is going to rip out your heart, get confusing, and you still get through it just fine, but it is messy and you should probably not listen to that Faith Hill/Tim McGraw song "Like We Never Loved at All" while walking to class. Also avoid Norah Jones at all cost after this one. Also, say yes to camping. You will thank me later:

5. Study Abroad. I know the thought of that terrifies you, but, see #1. You will never have another opportunity like that, so also, see #3.

6. Stop rushing things. I know you feel like you have to get through school as quickly as possible to be able to start real life and I know that you feel like school is too expensive to drag out - but finishing in 4 years instead of 3 and a half is Ok. Take a light load that last semester and live. it. up.

What about you? What would you tell your 17 year old self?

Stuff I Loved!

I love a good stuff-I-love round-up, so I thought for my once-in-a-blue-moon posting schedule that I am on at the moment, that would be a good way to hit some high points and cover a lot of ground.

Products:

There are two new products that I have become a pretty big fan of.

First up, Loreal Extraordinare Gel-Lacquer (although, that name is quite the mouthful guys). This is a 3-step at-home-no-fancy-light-required gel mani. The first time I tried it I went FIVE DAYS with minimal chippage. That is huge! I am usually happy if I can get through three days without chipping which then leads to obsessive picking until I have effectively scraped off all nail polish and my nails look like they've gotten in a fight with a shredder. I started with a fun, summery red and after my amazing experience went back and bought a stormy gray and two shades of orchid. I could give you the actual colors, but that would require getting up and walking to my bathroom to look, so I am sure you can understand why that's just not happening.

The other product I am digging is this magical potion I found on pinterest. The pin said that you put it on your hair and magically wake up with it curly! I thought, hey, I have got to try that magic! It is called Sebastian Potion 9, Wearable Styling Treatment. I like to air-dry my hair by just tossing it up in a loose bun and sleeping on it and I usually use a leave-in conditioner anyway, so I switched that out for the new product. It does give my hair extra texture to work with and really lends itself to a messy-curls look. I just refine it a bit with my brand-spanking-new CHI curling iron that I looooooooooove, which takes all of 2 minutes and then I am out the door. A perfect lazy-girl hair product.

Watching:

I have watched nothing but Animal Planet's River Monsters on Netflix this week. Jeremy Wade is an insane silver fox and am in love with this show that is a marriage of crime drama and fishing. Just give it a go, you can thank me later.

Reading:

I am currently reading Ender's Game, and because I am in the middle of it, I can't give a full opinion quite yet, but I am digging it. I also plan to watch the movie before giving it a proper review in it's own post.

Doing:

I might be crazy, but I decided to train for a 10K run in September. It gives me exactly 12 weeks to work up from running 2-3 miles to 6 miles. *gulp* I felt like I needed some extra motivation through, so I needed something to work towards. I did my first week of training, which was some easy short runs and a 2-miler. I hit my personal best on my mile and 2-mile time this week!

Shopping:

So, I am not sure if you've been anywhere near the internet for the past several days, but in case you haven't, Nordstrom is having a sale. I am not a typical Nordstrom-shopper - its all too expensive for me, and I just stay away to avoid tempting myself into splurging on things I just don't need. Welllllllllll, I did make one itty bitty Nordstrom sale purchase of a scarf, but I am super excited because I have been wanting a faux fur scarf since Christmas and just could not find one that lived up to my expectations. This purchase has now led me to trying to track down a new winter coat and boots (two things which I actually am in need of). Oh and yes, I do know it is July, but if you had lived through the last winter in the polar vortex of Chiberia, you would want to be well-prepared too!

Listening:
Considering I am still on a high from the Blake Shelton/Band Perry concert I saw last night, I will leave you with one of my fav's from each of them
Better Dig Two - Band Perry (this is on my running playlist)
Ol' Red - Blake Shelton (this is an oldie, but a goodie)
Honeybee - Blake Shelton (Alright, I couldn't pick just one)

Ooooh - I feel like it would be remiss to mention the one thing I did NOT love this week and that's only because in a roundabout way it brought a lot of hilarity to my life on Friday. Cheap coffee tumblers are not a good life-choice! Here - read my amazon review for yourself and I am sure you can figure out why me and my co-workers got a laugh.

Youtube Yoga

When I was in college and actually started thinking about maintaining physical fitness for the first time in my life (helllloooo Freshman 15), I wanted an easy-non-cardio-don't-make-me-actually-sweat workout. I thought, Eureaka! Yoga is easy!

Now, all you Yogis out there don't start gunning for me yet...

I was so wrong. Yoga is totally challenging and actually DOES make me sweat! I loved it - and if it hadn't been for 3 jobs and a crazy class schedule and a serious relationship, I probably would've taken waaaaaay more advantage of the free classes at our rec center. However, se la vie, and I didn't do as much yoga as I would've liked. Fast forward 5 years (holy crap, I've been out of college for FIVE years?!) and I still love yoga, but I had fallen out of doing it with any regularity.

When I picked up running a couple years ago (wow, I still feel like such a beginner!), I started having some inflammation in my hip (something about an extra vertebrae and a pelvis that likes to twist). The first bout of inflammation I treated with ice and chiropractic care and proper running shoes. Then I stopped running for 6 months, ya know, because of that hip... and internship... and job.... and oh yes, a polar vortex. (I have lots of great excuses guys!)

Running and I were on a break.

But we are working things out now. 

My renewed relationship with running now has  the added component of regular yoga. Since I am cheap and my husband is probably the biggest fan of youtube.com I've ever known, I decided to give it a whirl and see if I could find some post-run yoga stretching for my hips on the ol' youtube.

I found that and so much more! Here are a few of my favorite videos:

My go-to post run stretch:


I love her whole channel and this video really got me sweating:



This was harder than I thought, and dang, I was sore afterwards:


Oh and an oldie but a goodie!:


I love that all of these are free and the only equipment you need is some stretchy pants and a yoga mat, but still a great work out in the comfort of your own living room!

Disclaimer here - I am not any type of fitness guru and you should have some common sense and not do stuff if it hurts or your doctor tells you not to - kapeesh?

A Stylish Mama

So, today is Mother's day - never my favorite day out of the year since losing my own mom to cancer 17 years ago. It has absolutely gotten easier to celebrate this day over the years and I have a lot of amazing women in my life to celebrate on this day.  Women who treat me like one of their own, mentor, and help to guide me along this crazy thing called life. It is a complex thing to celebrate this day but today I want to focus on something I love - style. I saw this adorable blog about what women have learned from their mom's about fashion and ModCloth's instagram and blog have been filled with "mom-inspired" outfits all week!

I love the idea of celebrating mom's style because most of the time a mom is going to be a big source of your fashion and style choices, even unconsciously. My own sweet mama was definitely my biggest style inspiration just by her own love of clothes, fashion, shoes, and all things accessories. Some of the biggest fashion lessons I learned from her were:

- If you've got it, flaunt it. (aka dress for your body, every one has something to flaunt! Play up your assets!)

- Always look put together, because how you look affects how you feel. My mom was often undergoing some sort of medical procedure or treatment for her cancer, but by god I dare you to find a hair out of place. She felt better if she looked put together.

- When in doubt, buy the shoes. She is the reason I inherited by Imelda Marcos level shoe hoarding habits. She had dozens and dozens of shoes, and she found a way to wear them all!

- And perhaps most importantly, be confident. Be OK with who you are and embrace yourself. It may have took some urging by her best friend (hey, we all have self-confidence issues now and then) but it was brave and amazing of her to bare her adorable little head during her chemo. She also had a blonde wig that she wore because, as she said, "Blondes have more fun".

So today, in order to honor her, I am wearing an outfit directly inspired by my mom. I have lots of 80's - 90's fashion inspiration photos to choose from, as you can see from above, but when I first decided to do this post I picked this one:

Just look how adorable she is! :) Stripes are totally on trend right now and I love red. I thought this would be the perfect outfit to try to emulate. So I tried. And I tried. And I hated the new top I bought (I am actually taking it back) and it just didn't feel right.

I went back to the photo album. I learned that my mom wore white jeans a lot. Like, she even had a pair of white overalls! I learned that she also wore pastels. a lot. I also learned she apparently had her photo taken in winter a lot, or she was just always cold, because I swear the woman is wearing a turtleneck or heavy knit in almost every photo! Then I started to re-think this whole post and thought that a photo album was making me a liar…

Then I took a minute and breathed.

 I decided to go simple. So, I  went back to some of my favorite photos, of some of my most cherished memories. I changed my mind and picked this one:

A snapshot from our last vacation together in Sedona, AZ. The time when my mom was being amazingly brave. A classic outfit - a floral top (even if it is a turtleneck (IN ARIZONA MOM - REALLY?)), jeans, and a long sweater. That I can do.

So here is my version. Updated print and silhouette and let's not talk about acid wash, but ultimately the same concept. Plus, I think she would've liked it.

Happy Mother's Day Mama.

Has your mom influenced you fashion sense? What's the best style advice your mom gave you?

Friday Favorites

I like to hop around the blogosphere to see everyone's Friday posts because they are all usually so upbeat and lovely. Everyone is celebrating the fact that it is Friday, the hard week is over, and the weekend is just a few hours away... It is like a party on the internet and I love it.

I want to put out some positive Friday-vibes on my little corner of the interwebs too, so I thought I would just throw out a couple things I am loving from this past week! (Prepare yourself for this to be all over the place, I love lots of things!)

1. Jif Whips

This is heaven in a dish. Oh my goodness, it is light and fluffy and super delicious. I am telling everyone I know about this stuff and my husband and I are going through almost 2 tubs a week! We are constantly fighting over the chocolate one... its almost like candy or nutella but FLUFFY. Really, there is no going wrong here.

2. Nurses and Teachers

Hey it's nurse and teacher appreciation week - I know a bunch of both and they are some of the most giving, loving, patient, kind people with stomachs of steel... I mean kids and patients = body fluids. *shudder* But really, I do think you are amazing and respect all of the really hard work you all do to make the world better either by teaching or by nursing. :)

3. The Originals

If it is wrong that my husband and I bond over smutty supernatural shows, then I don't want to be right. We both totally love this new CW spinoff (even better than the original... har har) and always watch it together. Elijah is my favorite. I think the hubs prefers Klaus. :)

4. Pinterest - Geek Section

This section of pinterest truly speaks to my soul... or at least my funny bone. When I need a pick-me-up at work, I spend 5 minutes here and giggle to my heart's content. It's also full of great gifs of Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) dancing. Go ahead. Click here, here, here, here, here and here. You will thank me.

5. Summer Country Music
Now this truly does speak to my soul. Some of the new country songs hitting the air waves are seriously taking me straight back to 17, laying in the grass, watching the stars, and being carefree. It's nostalgic, bittersweet, and just lovely. (Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back to 17 for a million dollars, BUT it is nice to get all reminisce-y)

You can check out some of my absolute favorites right now on the ol' youtube.com:
Luke Bryan - Play it Again (I mean... swoooon)
Black Shelton - My Eyes
Keith Urban - Cop Car
Band Perry - Chainsaw
Eric Church - Hometown
Rascal Flatts - Rewind

What are YOU loving this week?? Products, music, websites?? Share in the comments!

Happy Friday!

Product Review: Primer (for yo face, not yo wall)

Since I have some great friends who are in the middle of a home-reno, paint primer was the first thing I thought of when I wrote my title, which is why I needed to clarify this is primer for the face! I actually had no idea what primer was until about 5 years ago when shopping for wedding-day make up. Any girl needs to know that her wedding day make up will stay put and stay flawless and primer helps to make that happen. It also helps moisturize and some have SPF protectant. I literally used it 1 time and relegated it to the bottom of my make-up bag because, as the meme goes, "ain't nobody got time for that".

Well, as I have grown out of my early 20's baby face and have been turned on to more grown up make-up, primer has actually become a regular part of my make-up routine. I have tried several and will share my thoughts about them with you here!

First up, the wedding day primer:

Make Up Forever

I just got another sample of this in my recent Sephora order and was reminded of why it works so well. This is definitely a high quality product, it is light and silky going on. The smell is light, fresh, and clean. It is very thin consistency, so a little goes a long way. It is a higher price tag than I would typically spend - $35, but a fantastic product. 

Benefit Pore-fessional 

This is another super silky product and you could wear it alone if you just wanted very sheer coverage because it is very slightly tinted and helps to even out skin and cover up pores to make make-up glide on easily. I also like this product, but I tend to get a little shiny in the T-zone by the end of a day when I use it. However, I do not like the smell of this one. I can't even describe it to you, but I find it to be icky, but not quite icky enough to not use. This one can also be pricier than I am usually willing to pay ($31 for full-size) but you can get a mini version to try for around $10.

Neutrogena Primer

This was is totally budget friendly ($10 or less) and has a mattifying effect which I loved. It is fairly light consistency and also a thinner consistency so it spreads on easily, and make up goes on easily over it. It kept me pretty matte all day, which is a win in my book. I got it at Target, but I've been back several times and can't find it again!

My fruitless hunt for the Neutrogena primer led me to try this last one -
No. 7 mattifying primer.

Whoa man. Matte for days baby. This one has kind of a sticky formula, which took some getting used to, but it is very effective and budget friendly too. I am using it every day, but probably will try to find something a bit lighter on my next trip to the store since the weather is warming up, I try to go lighter on the facial products in the summer. It is about the same price tag as Neutrogena - $10 or so.

If I had to pick out of all of them, I would go for the Neutrogena one, because it is budget friendly and it had a mattefying effect without being super sticky. However, the Make-Up forever one is definitely a winner in my book as well, and it is a brand I love (I use their foundation and blush too!) but I feel like you should save where you can.