A few bloggy things:

Is there a "messiest desk" competition? I would win.

Is it me, or did April just fly by? Man.

• I'm filling out my calendar for May, and I'm excited to get started!! (If you need a good printable calendar, Audrey at Oh So Lovely has some great ones!)
• I made a Facebook page for my blog, but I haven't had the guts to publish it yet. Or put anything on it. Am I cool enough for this? Hmmmm.
• I finally made a blog button. Okay, I made several because I'm so indecisive. I'm not in a place to pay for sponsorships right now (weddings are 'SPENSIVE, you guys) but is anyone interested in doing a swap? Let me know!
• I've had this blog for about two months, and I'm already thinking about a total rebranding. It would stick with my love of confetti, and I'm thinking it would be better to do it now, when I only have 30 followers, than later, when I have a real, established identity.
• People with a custom domain: I'm thinking of taking this route. Any advice? Anyone willing to talk me through the process? Do I keep all my GFC and Bloglovin' followers or do I have to start over?

Also, I just have to say: thanks for sticking around, you guys! This blog has been going through a lot of growing pains and switches since I started, and you guys are great. Seriously. I was worried about being able to make friends on here, but I've already met some of the greatest people!!! I'm so happy I started this blog.

Sometimes, I just don't understand.

My friend Sarah gave birth to a baby boy on Friday afternoon. No complications, nothing. Everything was great. Sometime overnight, the baby passed away. They don't know why.

My mom called first thing this morning and told me. I can't imagine what it's like at her house right now. I can't imagine anything she must be going through. I can't imagine being 25 years old and having to make funeral arrangements for your baby.

We say stuff like this all the time, but I don't know why bad things happen to good people. It's something I'll never understand. It's not fair. Life is not fair.

I'm revamping the way I do my weekly gratitudes to encompass more stuff on my blog. I'm still keeping the confetti theme, because I kinda love it, but I'm also going to recap what happened on the blog this week, as well as things that I've read (or laughed at) around the internets.

I'm also posting this one way, way late because last week was absolutely insane. Better late than never, right? Right?!?!

The most excited part of last week was Garrett's 33rd birthday! We got to relax and drink lots of wine. and ate a lot of cupcakes. All were much needed. Garrett's dad underwent two heart surgeries last week, but he's doing much better now, and should be out of the hospital by the end of the week. Thanks for all of your thoughts and kind words! I co-hosted my first link-up on Thursday with Jamie and Jaime, and that was just as great as I thought it would be.

Unintended consequences of the Boston Lockdown? Getting stuck in a one night stand. Yikes.

The Onion told us about a plan to introduce brunch in wealthy schools.

So, you call yourself a serious blogger? If so, you should read this. Actually, read it even if you don't.

Want to know why how the environment got ruined and why we're all broke? Utne breaks it down, gif by gif. (Warning: language.)

Also, Tumblr provided the best gif of all the gifs last week, so obviously I have to share:

(That's exactly how I relax on Friday nights, too.)

Did you watch the White House Correspondents Dinner? If you didn't, here's a recap, including video clips. Watch them, you won't regret it. 

Did you have an American Girl doll when you were younger? I did, and I loved her, so when I saw this article on The Atlantic about how they weren't radical anymore, I was intrigued. And you know what? They're right. What can we do to change that?

Wawa macaroni and cheese. We don't have Wawas here, so I have to get my fix in when I'm in Virginia. This week I had it THREE TIMES by accident. Don't judge me, it was right beside the hospital and so convenient. And so, so good.

Music for a Sunday Evening in the Park. Greensboro released their MUSEP schedule, and I am so, so excited!!! I love my city.

Okay, from now on, I promise to always get these out on Fridays from now on! Thanks for sticking with me. =)

Sunday Currently

I've seen several bloggers with this mug. Great minds think alike, right?! 

Reading a transcript of the White House Correspondent's Dinner from yesterday. I watched it, but... I'm reading it now. Ridiculous, I know.

Writing a To Do list for the week.

Listening to House Hunters on TV.

Smelling coffee, again. 

Wishing I was still at Garrett's.

Hoping it stops raining before I leave for lunch (doubtful).

Wearing pajamas, still. And I am so cozy.

Feeling caffeinated and relaxed. Glad I got to sleep in. Also, a little antsy because I skipped my first Confetti Friday on Friday. Yeesh. There's just been way too much going on!

Loving being able to see my brother yesterday and today! 

Needing to do laundry. Any volunteers? 

Clicking through assorted Twitters and blogs, getting other people's reactions re: WHCD.

I've also been thinking a lot about Jenni's Write Every Day In May challenge. I already have a few posts planned, but I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and do it! Her prompts will be a great backup on days where I can't think of anything to write. Is anyone else thinking about doing it too?

Hope you guys have all had a great weekend!!

[Linking up with Lauren]

Thursday Thoughts, and my first time co-hosting a Link-Up!

I'm co-hosting my very first link-up with Jaime, Jamie and Dani today and I'm super excited! I've never done this before, so you know, be gentle and stuff. =)

This week has been very.. umm... interesting. As you saw, Garrett's birthday was on Monday. I was planning on staying until Tuesday (I don't take off work for my own birthdays, but I'll do it in a heartbeat for other people's birthdays. I'm cool like that.) so we would have some time to relax and hang out and, you know, be a normal couple for a while. How novel, right? Our weekends usually fill up so quickly, especially now that we're planning a wedding, that it's really hard to find time to relax together.

I digress. Anyway, we got a call on Tuesday morning that Garrett's dad was scheduled to have heart surgery on Thursday to repair some blockages they found. We knew it was a possibility, as he's had a few appointments with doctors and cardiologists over the last few weeks, but it seemed to all happen really quickly. We went from "it's something the doctors want to keep an eye on" to "I'm having surgery in 48 hours" really fast. When stuff like that happens, obviously you want to be close by, not four hours away, right? Right. Garrett said I don't NEED to stay, but of course I'm going to. The doctors are super optimistic, so we're not too worried. Obviously we are, but it's pretty routine, so you know.

Anyway, me spending the week here was a nice surprise. We get to do normal things like go grocery shopping and talk about our days while we cook dinner. I mean, last night we sat and stared at each other for 20 minutes trying to decide what we were going to do for dinner. For those of you that live in the same are as your partner, it sounds ridiculous to notice things like that, but for us, mid-week dinner is absolutely a luxury.

So even though the reasons behind my staying all week are kind of crappy (keep Garrett and his dad and the rest of his family in your thoughts today!) it's been really nice to be able to just have a normal relationship for once.

And in case you're wondering, we ended up just picking up a pizza for dinner. Papa John's garlic sauce is my weakness. Not even sorry about it. =)

What's on your mind this week? Link up below!

<div align="center"><a href="http://tobystailsblog.blogspot.com" title="Toby's Tails"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMC4WCvHNhh_ZqxIYbx7jjld0wVc8wRTiJ4e9bAXXoye_9xoI46LWJqcquojGpZ-42ltqwrcqRVErianLoGehvAk-qWhOCHtfxEKwc76WswZIp1v0aGcl1-vnktDIaAl1wFFQDehtrZW4q/w497-h373/2013-02-26" alt="Toby's Tails" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Trashiest TV in the Land

It's no secret that I love some truly, truly awful TV shows. Just awful. And I'm not even a little bit sorry about it.

So obviously, I tuned into the premiere of What Would Ryan Lochte Do? on E!

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Look at this beautiful, beautiful idiot. Just look at him. So beautiful. And so, so dumb.

I wish I had been taking a shot every time this boy clearly just got lost in his own brain. I mean, it is truly intriguing. (I'm going to create a drinking game. I AM! It's going to be next week's post.)

He's a SHOE DESIGNER! Did you guys know this? I didn't. But I'm so glad that I do now. I did some research to see if you could buy his shoes online but couldn't find anything. Trust me though, if I find an online store somewhere, you guys will be the first to know!

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised to see how much air time his family got. The relationship that he has with his brother (who he also lives with) is absolutely precious. Maybe it's because I love my own brother so much, so I love watching other people interacting with theirs, but man, it is just too adorable.

He's kind of a dummy, but I'd be lying if it wasn't a little endearing. I mean, I surely wouldn't want to marry him. But to be a 28 year old guy who was thrown into an international spotlight recently, he and his family seem, on the whole, pretty freakin' normal.

Did you guys watch? What did you think? Would you let Ryan Lochte take you on a date to a sushi place? I probably would. I mean, if I wasn't already getting married, of course. I just... really like sushi.

Now, changing gears a little bit - I've mentioned briefly on here that I love Teen Mom. I love it. I can't get enough. I tuned in to Farrah's Dr Phil episode and watched every second on the edge of my seat. This home movie (ahem) situation that she has going on right now with James Deen is beyond entertaining to me. She did something shady, and she got caught. But instead of owning up to it, she's lying and complaining and being totally awful about it. That girl is eight different levels of delusional, and I think it is hysterical.

PSA: Did you miss Farrah on Dr Phil on Friday? You can watch it here! The quality isn't great, but it's better than nothing and I promise you won't regret it.

But something happened this week on Teen Mom 2, and I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been bothering me this week.

MTV has been criticized before for filming things instead of interfering. They took a lot of heat for filming Amber Portwood hit her boyfriend in the head, and then airing it to teenagers. My issue isn't necessarily with the abuse - obviously it's horrid, but I would never recommend someone get in the middle of a domestic dispute. You could just make it worse. What bothers me more is that not one person on the film crew tried to remove Leah from the situation. They didn't have to take her out of the house, just pick her up and move her to a different room so she didn't watch her mother hit her father.

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Anyway, that's kind of a tangent. Monday, we saw Keiffer try to score some dope for Jenelle. Apparently, her depression was starting to get the better of her, so Keiffer offered to go get her some dope with the last $70 that they had. He actually said the word "dope." On TV. And MTV decided to air it.

Now, I love reality tv shows. But there's a line. And I feel like it keeps getting crossed. Why doesn't MTV just stop filming her? It's doing her way more harm than good, and I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who's just kind of uncomfortable watching her now. Stop filming her, let her fall out of the spotlight, and then maybe she can REALLY get the help she needs instead of getting arrested for heroine like she did this week. Yikes.

Who else watches Teen Mom around here? What do you guys think about these awful, entertaining, completely delusional women?

Weekend Recap

Double posting today (did you hear? it's Garrett's birthday!) because this weekend was pretty freakin' great, you guys. I just gotta tell you.

I got into town on Friday around four, and took some time to relax. 

Saturday, we had lunch with Garrett's family. Tottenham is his favorite soccer team, so his sister in law made Tottenham cupcakes!                      

We didn't want to take them into the restaurant, so naturally, we ate them in the parking lot. We're cool like that.

Om nom nom.

Awesome, right?

Sunday, as you saw, we vegged out, drank, watched baseball, and were generally super lazy. 

The only thing I need now is the beach!

Have I ever mentioned that Garrett has mad bartending skills? Because he does. I'm not specifically saying it's one of the reasons that I'm marrying him, but it helps. It definitely helps.

This drink is a fruit punch, pineapple juice, coconut rum concoction, and it was aaaaaamazing. Other notable weekend drinks include approximately five different kinds of wine, and White Russians made with International Delights Iced Coffee instead of milk. Yummmmmm.

Garrett had some things he needed to work on Sunday night, so I decided to catch up on some TV. First on the list? The RHOBH Reunion, naturally.

Garrett, how do you feel about listening to the Real Housewives scream at each other for two hours? 

Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh well.

Hope you guys had a great weekend too! Did you do anything awesome? I want to hear all about it!

Also: Happy Earth Day, everybody!

(via)

It's Garrett's Birthday!

So, the tall guy turns 33 today. And in case you can't tell, we have a lot of fun together.

(no, he doesn't know I'm posting the duckface picture until.. well.. right now. sorry, babe!)

I'm not a super mushy person, but I love this man. I love him a lot. And I can't wait to spend many, many more birthdays with him.

Sunday Currently

Sun's out, guns out!!!

(Don't worry, I'm judging myself.)

Today has been all about drinking on patios, maxi dresses, sunshine, baseball and laziness. And it has been wonderful.

Currently....

Reading nothing! I just finished Silver Linings Playbook (review forthcoming) and I haven't decided what I'd like to do next.

Writing tons of emails. I think I'm almost caught up! I'm awful at returning emails, so I'm pretty proud of myself.

Listening to Orioles baseball.

Smelling coffee. I spilled some earlier, so the smell is lingering. (Whoops!)

Wishing I didn't have to go home on Tuesday. Buh.

Hoping the grocery store won't be too crowded later.

Wearing that dress you see right there. It's Calvin Klein but I got it from Marshall's last year.

Wanting to eat all the birthday cupcakes. I'm not gonna. BUT I WANT TO.

Feeling content, relaxed, and excited for Garrett's birthday tomorrow!

Loving this wonderful, lazy weekend we've been having.

Needing the dishes to do themselves and my grocery list to write itself. 

Clicking through Bloglovin', catching up on everyone and finding some new blog friends!

[Linking up with Lauren]

Sorry not sorry, this made me laugh. =)

(Mostly because it is the dumbest, dumbest holiday.)

(Man, what a week, right? Still sending good thoughts to everyone in Boston as well as Texas.)

Some things that have made me smile this week...

It's Garrett's birthday weekend! I've been known to uh... kind of make a big deal about my own birthday. But I also love making a big deal about other people's birthdays. Especially the love of my life, right? This weekend is gonna be awesome.

Free coffee! I redeemed my free coffee from my own birthday today for the drive, and it was the best caramel macchiato I think I've ever had. (Double points because I had my reusable cup, right?)

Gettin' tan, man. I took a picture of myself a few weeks ago and my skin was glowing it was so pale. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but only slight, okay?! Anyway, I immediately trucked it over to Ulta to pick up some Jergens Natural Glow, and have been using it for a few weeks. They changed something because now it smells amaaaazing, so that was a nice surprise. Anyway, I don't glow in the dark anymore, so that's pretty exciting.

My Dad is back home! He was in Vegas on a business trip, but he got back last night. It doesn't matter how old I get, I still like it when my dad is close by. Sorrynotsorry =)

I packed in advance for my trip to Virginia. Yeah, this shouldn't be a big deal. But after two trips to VA with no underwear and a trip to the beach where I packed three open cardigans and no tank tops to go underneath them, I decided I really needed to prepare better. So I did! And I gotta say, I'm pretty freakin' proud of myself. (It helps that it was soooo easy to leave this morning because I wasn't running around haphazardly into a suitcase and hoping it all went together once I got to Virginia.)

Wine and a relaxing (and quiet) Friday night. This one might be the most exciting... Garrett is working for a few hours, which means I have a little bit of time to relax, drink some wine, and.... not do anything else. At all. I'm beyond stoked.

Despite everything that's happening lately, I hope you've all had a great week, and an even better weekend!!

Excessive laughter in room 311

So, my grandpa has been in the hospital for the last 48 hours. Nothing alarming. He has cancer, and his blood counts were low after his last chemo treatment. Normally they don't even admit people who are just getting a transfusion, but the blood transfused (I'm no doctor, okay? go with it.) until about midnight, so they just let him stay overnight. And then today, he was having more tests done for something else. There's a lot going on, but nothing life threatening.

Anyway, my grandpa is such a ham. He will talk to anyone, and he always has a good attitude. Even though he's 79, he's always been very active and social, but the chemo has just exhausted him (as it does to most), and that's been hard on him.

Yesterday, while he was getting settled in his room and the nurse was asking about his medications and all that, they asked him if he had gotten a pneumonia shot before, because it wasn't on his chart anywhere. He said he did, but the nurse asked if he was sure, and of course, he goes "I know I've gotten a pneumonia shot, because I got it in my butt and I REMEMBER a shot I got in my butt!" He was laughing, not yelling, of course. My mother was mortified. I couldn't stop laughing. After that, every time the nurse walked back into the room, she'd start off with "don't worry, I'm not going to give you a shot in your butt!"

My family is far from perfect, but we can find laughter in preeeetttttttty much anything. And I love that about us.

My heart hurts today.

Some Monday things...

• How I ever lived without International Delights Iced Coffee in my life is just beyond me.
• My weekend was good. Very relaxing. Got some good shopping done, and spent some QT with Meredith. One of us will be out of town the next two weekends, so I'm glad we got some time in!
• I watched the MTV Movie awards last night and they were awful. Just awful. Does that surprise anyone? No? Didn't think so.
• They DID show the first trailer for Catching Fire, and it looks amaaaaazing! See it here. I can't wait!
• I realized after I watched it that by the time it comes out, I'll be married!! So crazy.
• Several blogger friends have announced their pregnancies lately and I'm so excited for them! (No, YOU have baby fever. YOUUUUUU do.)
• I have a lot to do before I leave for Virginia on Friday. It makes me tired just thinking about it. But I miss that tall guy something fierce. And it's his birthday weekend! So excited.
• I'm so excited about Bigs and Littles! Getting the email this morning made me super happy, and I can't wait to get started!
• Several stores have some great online deals going on right now. I'm on a self-imposed spending freeze, but if I wasn't, I would probably be buying...

This colorblock tee from Neiman Marcus to throw on with my favorite white shorts and some flip flops
$50, take an extra 25% off all sale items

 This anchor tee from J. Crew because I love anything with an anchor on it. Seriously, anything.

$29.99, take an extra 30% all Final Sale items with code SPRINGTHAW

This striped georgette top from The Limited because I love things with stripes more than I love things with anchors, true story.

$49.50, take 50% off your highest-priced item, as well as 30% off each additional item

Also - linking up for the Monday Mingle today!

(top photo via)

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This seemed fitting for the weekend. I love the blogosphere, but I can't wait to get out this weekend and enjoy this gorgeous weather!

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!!! xox

Some things that have made me smile this week... 

Lunch with my future mother-in-law. I don't get to see her that much since she lives so far away, but it was nice to be able to grab lunch with her as she was driving back through VA on her way home last weekend. I love her.

Another weekend of beautiful weather. Okay seriously. I love spring. Sorry I'm not sorry. =)

Spending time with Meredith this weekend. We've both been so busy lately, it's been forever since we've seen each other. (Okay, like three weeks. But that IS forever when you live approximately seven minutes apart, right?) So tomorrow is for lunch, some shopping, some coffee, and lots of girl time! I'm super excited.

Summer's WEDDING! My friend Summer is getting married today! She lives in California so we weren't able to go, but I'm so excited for her! Yay for 2013 weddings, am I right? =)

This picture (via this blog). I think that sums it up quite nicely, right?

Happy Friday, everybody!!! xox

Thursday Thoughts

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Linking up with these lovely ladies today because MAN do I have some thoughts!

Yesterday, I was talking to several of my friends about a pretty well-known blogger over on Tumblr. I think this girl is absolutely fantastic - she always looks great and she puts out great content (she has two daughters that I just LOVE reading about). The thing I like best about her though is that she is ALWAYS positive. I know her life isn't perfect, but she only chooses to highlight the good things in her life, whether they're huge (her daughter starting preschool) or small (being happy about using a bright pink pen instead of a boring black one). 

At one point during the conversation, one of my friends (who I really love) said "I just wish she'd post about something bad that happened to her EVER. Just once. Then she'd seem real to me." And it really got me thinking. So much so that 36 hours later, I'm still thinking about it.

I started thinking about the ins and outs of blogging. It's easy to get caught up in reading about other people's lives. I love it. I love being able to share my life with all the awesome people in the blogosphere. I know no one's lives are completely void of problems, 

One of my main goals for this blog was to not complain on it - ever. For several reasons - one, what does it accomplish? Nothing, right? And two, does it make me feel better? Not usually. And that's not to say I think my life is perfect - it's far from it. And I do my share of complaining to my close friends, my parents, and Garrett.

So back to what my friend said - do we, as women, owe some negativity to each other to make ourselves seem real? I don't think we do. I think the world is full of crappy, awful things, and I'd much rather focus on all the great things. We're all smart enough to know that no one's life is perfect, right?

I'm sure I'll complain about something on here eventually. I think that's part of being part of a community: you see the good, and eventually you see the bad, too. And after all, I'm only human, right?

But until then, I'm going to work really hard to post happy, positive things on here, and I look forward  to reading about all the happy, positive things that happen in your lives too. That's what it's all about anyway, isn't it?

A Confession: I LOVE Reality TV.

I love it. I get sucked into it all the time. I love watching The Biggest Loser. I'll always stop on any of the Real Housewives. (except Miami because no. Does anyone hate the Miami housewives as much as me?) I think Garrett questions our relationship every time he walks in and Rachel Zoe is talking about how "maje" something is.

So obviously, when I started seeing the previews for Ready for Love on NBC, I was kind of intrigued. I mean, it really did look different. Getting matchmakers involved? I could be into that.

So obviously, I watched.

And I'm not even lying, I'm kind of obsessed with it.

First of all, I had no idea Guiliana and Bill were hosting. They're one of my favorite celebrity couples. So that was a nice surprise.

Last night, we met Tim Lopez, who's in the Plain White T's. Tim is stinkin' adorable. As it turns out, he was married before, but the distance and pressures of being a *rock star* were just too much.

Each matchmaker chose four girls for Tim to meet. Tim talks to each girl (without seeing her face) and eliminates one from each group. Those girls go back to the house where he "gets to know" them. In this case, each group writes a verse to one of Tim's songs, and then they sing it together.

Afterwards, the girls meet back on stage, where the matchmakers coach them. I think this adds an interesting twist that you don't get on other shows. I'm not so naive to think that the producers and casting agents don't guide some of the things that the matchmakers say, but it's still interesting to see their suggestions, as opposed to a producer who is just looking for ratings.

Now. This show is definitely has its issues. The thing that stood out to me more than anything is when one of the matchmakers said "don't be yourself! be sexy!" I mean... really? Really. For a show that claims to "empower" its female contestants, that's an... interesting thing to say.

And towards the beginning of the show, Guilana says that Tim will talk to each girl without being able to see her, because people tend to choose people based on how they look, and we should get away from that, right? Sure. But all twelve of these ladies are absolutely gorgeous. I'm not saying that all your problems go away when you're beautiful, because they don't, but talk to me when you're putting women on this show (and others) that don't have that stereotypical beauty. Know what I'm saying?

All in all, I'm still going to watch it. I was just looking for something to fill the Bachelor-shaped void in my life, and this might be just the thing.

Spoilery thing: I'm super glad he sent Leah home. She gave me a creepy crazy kind of vibe. 

Did anyone else watch, or am I totally alone here? (It wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure.)

Eventually, I'll stop talking about how thrilled I am that it finally feels like springtime.

But that day is not today.

Hope the weather starts to warm up for the rest of you soon!

(via Katie Daisy)

Stuff I love: Dr Jart

Full disclosure: I still get zits sometimes. It's super annoying as a 25 year old woman.

Because of this, I've always been a full-coverage-foundation kind of girl (I've been using Revlon Colorstay for five or six years now). I've never been a fan of tinted moisturizers. They never provide enough coverage, and if they do, they don't last all day, or even half the day. To me, that's totally unacceptable.

When BB creams came onto the scene, I didn't give them much thought. To me, they just seemed like glorified tinted moisturizers. People swore they were different... but were they really? I had tried a few samples here and there, and so far, they weren't different. Not at all.

But then I got this in my March Birchbox.

This stuff is a game-changer. It covers everything I need it to cover, and it lasts all day (with a touch of Make Up For Ever MicroHD powder on top). I never thought those things were possible in a foundation that wasn't already classified as a long-wearing foundation.

I never knew what it was like to feel like my skin was breathing through my foundation. How novel, right? It feels so good on my face. I don't use it every day, so I can't attest to the skin-enhancing benefits. But I can tell you that my skin feels moisturized and wonderful while it's on, and it's easy to remove so I don't feel like it's still hanging around and clogging my pores after I take it off.

I'm not going to ditch my Revlon yet, because on super long days, I want something I know is going to last all day and all night without any touch-ups at all, but this is definitely going into the rotation.

If you're looking for a full coverage BB cream, I highly recommend this one!

Dr Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Cream, $36 via Sephora.com

“What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing, and knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.”

Margaret Thatcher

Agree or disagree with her politics (to be clear, I mostly disagree), I believe the world lost an incredibly inspirational and powerful woman today. The things she was able to accomplish as a woman, in a time where it was even harder for women to be heard than it is now, is truly inspiring. She will be missed.

Sunday Musings: On being an independent woman... who really loves being in a relationship.

It's gorgeous outside today. (Don't worry, the patio filled up right after I took this picture!) Garrett has to work, so I decided to get out of the apartment and head down to Starbies. They have a ton of outside seating, and who doesn't love being able to sit outside and blog? 

I've always considered myself to be incredibly independent. I think it's one of my best qualities. I've never been one of those girls that needed someone to come over to set up her DVD player or kill a spider. I much prefer shopping alone. I'm a pro at cooking for one. I value my alone time a lot.

But it's weird how all that independence goes out the window when you meet the person you want to share your life with. 

Let me explain - I'm still just as independent as I was before Garrett and I started dating. I still very much enjoy my alone time. There are nights where I just want to do my own thing, whether that's going to get something to eat and shopping, or laying around my house watching the Real Housewives ruin their respective cities while I eat Kraft macaroni and cheese. (I'm made of pure class, I tell ya.)

But those nights never last that long. Because as much as I enjoy the quiet (or not so quiet when my TV is on Bravo), I enjoy the loudness that Garrett usually brings way, way more. It usually doesn't take long before I'm looking for my phone to text him about this thing that I read or saw or laughed at. 

Take right now, for example. Garrett referees soccer most weekends, so that's where he is now. I've been looking forward to this time to lay around, drink some coffee, catch up on my reader, and just bum around a little bit. But as much as I love my coffee shop time (and everyone needs a break from their partner at some point), my mind keeps wondering to him, and how it would be nice if we were sitting here enjoying this weather together. We probably wouldn't even be talking that much. I'd still be sitting here blogging, and he'd be reading or working on something, occasionally breaking our casual silence to point out a cute dog that's walking by or to update me on the soccer scores. 

I never, ever thought I would say this, but I might even be more independent now. Being in a relationship can be very empowering. I know I have unconditional love and support no matter what, and that's a great feeling. One of the main reasons that our relationship works is because we both have things we enjoy doing separately, as well as things we enjoy doing together. 

I always make the analogy that your life is like a cake, and a relationship is like the icing on that cake. You spend your life building your cake. You put in all your favorite ingredients - chocolate chips, extra butter, all the stuff that makes it huge and fluffy and awesome. Then when you're done creating, you put icing on. Your cake is great already, but then you find the perfect icing that sends your already-awesome cake right over the top. 

I'm glad to have found my icing, even if I have to drive 4.5 hours to find it.

How do you maintain a sense of independence in your relationships? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Some things that have made me smile this week...

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! WWDTM is my favorite NPR show. I usually don't get to listen to it on Saturday mornings, but they auto-download to my iPhone, so I listened to a few episodes on my drive to Virginia yesterday. It's sooooo funny! My dad listens to it too (he's the one that introduced me to it), so after we both listen to it, we talk about it. It's nice having something little that we share. Oh, and speaking of driving to Virginia....

I'm in Virginia! I hadn't seen Garrett since March 17th. Which is a long time. But now I'm here, and everything is good again.

Free(ish) wine. My good friend Miriam and her cute hubby Dan wanted a date night a few weeks ago to celebrate Dan's new job, so I volunteered to keep their adorable baby Juliet. As payment, Miriam bought me three bottles of wine. I promised Garrett I would save them for when we were together, so we have free wine for the weekend! That's always fun.

Bailey's Vanilla Brown Sugar coffee creamer. I bought this on a whim at the grocery store yesterday, and it is sooooooooo good! Next time you need to buy coffee creamer, I highly recommend this stuff!

Hope you've had a confetti-worthy week, too!

Brief thoughts from a new-but-not-really blogger.

Like I said, I'm not new to blogging, but Blogger is a totally different world than Tumblr, and I have a lot of questions!

Like Google Friend Connect.. I see it on lots of people's blogs, but when I google it, it says it doesn't exist anymore. So what's the deal there?

What other websites do people like? I've seen that several people use Chictopia. What else do you love?

I gotta say, it's very intimidating to try to break into a new blogging scene. My Tumblr blog is very well established, and has a good-sized following. But now I'm basically a nobody. While it's weird to not know anyone, I have a fresh start, and that is a great feeling.

I should start over more often.

April Fool's!!!

Are you looking for a hilarious-but-not-awful April Fool's Day trick?

How about these Cupcake Nuggets?

They look JUST LIKE chicken nuggets.... but they're made out of cake instead!

How fun!

Find the full recipe here

Images and Recipe via The Cupcake Factory


What about you? Got any good April Fool's tricks?!