It’s around that lovely time of year where I am reminded that I am getting older. And while a part of me wants to go on a bender of champagne and injectables, the other part of me wants to pay it forward. In this case, in the form of a teensy bit of wisdom I’ve learned through years of crazy highs and deep dark lows. Take it as you may. I am by no means a super-accomplished, worthy woman. I am but a humble gal in her 30’s with a sh*t retirement account, still making plenty of mistakes and buying too many items in the dollar section of Target. And here is what I know..

1. admit mistakes with grace

far too many people cannot admit to their own mistakes. far too many people point the finger or find an excuse. own your sh*t and people will love you for it.

2. be politely upfront

especially in dating. unless you are less than 25 years old and TRULY not looking for Mr. or Mrs. right. say what you mean and what you want, politely.

3. don’t be afraid to be “normal”

i sometimes feel like society has made us all feel like we need to be weird to be cool. but it’s not true. don’t force yourself to listen to indie bands if you just really love Taylor Swift.

4. stay out of the goddamn sun

nobody is insusceptible to those UVs. and your SPF 8 sunblock isn’t helping. do yourself a favor and find shade.

5. don’t ignore red flags 

this is also especially helpful in relationships but also in general. I ignored red flags all over the place and it left me heartbroken again and again. trust yourself.

6. stop buying cheap vodka

if  you are above the age of 23, quit buying Burnett’s will ya? not saying you have to run out and get Grey Goose but for the love of God pay more than $9 for a fifth.

7. it’s okay to feel sad

i, like so many, tried masking pain with other (more unhealthy) options in my youth. i’ve now learned it’s perfectly fine to sit with pain, acknowledge it and just feel it. i promise it goes away faster this way.

8. see the bigger picture

do not sweat the small stuff. life seems too short to get caught up in the details. think bigger, look outside yourself. i feel like this is especially helpful in problem solving.

9. challenge your beliefs

don’t allow the news, your parents, your friends or what you consider to be “cool” resources dictate what you believe. challenge your views, thoughts and beliefs. be authentically open-minded. this has served me so well.

10. have low expectations

the happiest people i’ve ever met, expect so little. do not rely on others to make you happy or fill your bucket. find a way to fill it yourself.

SO. Hi hunny bunnies.

Oh, did I mention we’re engaged? Happened a few months ago. It’s pretty darn wonderful.

I saw this questionnaire on Facebook and knew right off the bat I wanted to ask David these questions about me. So I did. And it was pretty funny. I encourage you to do this with your boyfriend/girlfriend/husbando/wife/goldfish.

WITHOUT ANY prompting, ask them these questions and write down EXACTLY what they say.

1. What is something your girlfriend always says to you? “Am I pretty?”

2. What makes your girlfriend happy? Sparkles

3. What makes your girlfriend sad? Betrayal

4. How does your girlfriend make you laugh? Snorting

5. What was your girlfriend like as a child? Graham crackers

6. How old is your girlfriend? 8 going on 9.

7. How tall is your girlfriend? 5’11 and three quarters

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Sleep

9. What does your girlfriend do when you’re not around? Watches videos on her phone

10. If your girlfriend becomes famous, what will it be for? Singing

11. What is your girlfriend really good at? Singing

12. What is your girlfriend not very good at? Putting stuff away, like cereal boxes.

13. What does your girlfriend do for a job? Office manager

14.What is your girlfriend’s favorite food? Pizza

15.What makes you proud of your girlfriend? Everything

16. If your girlfriend were a character, who would she be? Ariel

17. What do you and your girlfriend do together? Everything

18. How are you and your girlfriend the same? We’re fun, tall people.

19. How are you and your girlfriend different? I’m a boy and she’s a girl .

20. How do you know your girlfriend loves you? Her actions

21. What does your girlfriend like most about you? My mouth

22. Where is your girlfriend’s favorite place to go? To go see Tate

Hey all you turkeys!

Have a nice Thanksgiving? good good

While we were out procuring ingredients for Nan’s “crack” green bean dish at Freddie’s a few days ago, I happened to cross paths with the loveliest display of WnW highlights I had ever seen. They had the rainbow one, a bronzy striped one, the blue tinted one which I already have and then a couple more shades that were brand new.

Of course this took precedent over the green beans and Nan and Gare stood there patiently as I got BACK in line to make my purchase.

Feast yer eyes!

I purchased the shades Blossom Glow and Botanic Dream. (The one on the left is coming off WAY more bronzy than it is.)

First up. Blossom Glow!

This shade is absolutely stunning. It is a light champagne, blinding highlight. I like it better than the shade Precious Pedals and THAT is sayin’ alot. I am 100% in love.

Next up, Botanic Dream.

I had such high hopes for this soft pink color but sadly, the color just doesn’t pack the same punch as the other. The above swatch was VERY heavy and as you can see, the glow is just not there. I do think this would be lovely as a blush topper though.

So there you go! Any other drugstore highlights I need to try? LEMME KNOW!

My dear mother.

All she has ever wanted in this world was a big, loving family that loves to play games, sit around and eat licorice and drink wine. When she was a kid she told me that her friends had to tell her to go home at the end of the day. She’s a real people-person, a chit-chatter, she may or may not invade your bubble. She is without a doubt the most creative, fun-loving woman I know and I am so glad she’s passed down these traits to me. Her and I are the party girls.

Unfortunately my extended family is all spread out over the great state of Washington and with everyone married and having kids these days, family get-togethers are a real toughie.

This year, Nan had the brilliant idea of getting everyone together BEFORE the craziness of the holidays began and calling it…

FESTIVUS. (for the rest of us)

And for those of you who are not Seinfeld fans please unsubscribe :

Festivus is a holiday celebrated by the Costanza family that revolves around an un-decorated pole, feats of strength and of course the official airing of grievances.

So we came, we were festivious (I’m making that I word I guess) and had a fabulous weekend.

Here’s what went down. And I apologize for the over-abundance of pics of Tate and E. They’re impossible not to photograph.

Tate is now a full-on miniature Ben Johnson (his dad). He is man of adventure, curiosity and of course, few words. He fights my cuddles, hugs, kisses and drive-by grabs fiercely and consistently. These behaviors become even more amplified when E is around, as he adores her. I may as well be chopped liver.

Night one was spent with E putting on a puppet show for Tate where a set of paternal twins (a bear and a dog) go to Starbucks. She wrote the whole thing out on paper before hand and girlfriend’s execution was impeccable. Tate grunted in appreciation and then tried to incorporate a piggy into the show, with E lovingly accepted.

Then, pants were removed and E pulled Tate around on a blanket for a good half hour.

The next day was Festivus so naturally, Nan and I wrote a commemorative song for opening ceremonies to the tune of Oh Christmas Tree. It went something like this:

Oh Festivus! Oh Festivus!

The rest of us love Festivus.

Oh Festivus! Oh Festivus!

The rest of us love Festivus.

It is the day where we drink wine,

share feats of strength and then we dine.

Oh Festivus! Oh Festivus!

The rest of us love Festivus.

We prepared food, started drinking wine around 2 pm and subsequently began covering the Festivus pole in grievances.

My aunt Con brought over gifts for Tate and E, including the best necklaces ever:

And (because of her passionate rendition of How Far I’ll Go from Moana the previous evening) E got this fabulous Moana outfit:

Then we were presented with Festivus shirts to honor the holiday, which are definitely pretty amazing.

The rest of the holiday was spent playing games, jamming out with the cousins, playing cards and just kinda laying around.

 

All in all, it was simply perfect and I cannot wait for next year’s festivities!