Bachelor Recap [01.18.2016] - Top 5 Moments

top 5 memorable moments from last night's bachelor:

the Lack of Becca - 

Okay, this was really more of a "lack of" moment. Am I the only one that noticed Becca was hardly around in the interviews, and didn't seem worried about making time to talk to Ben even though she hadn't had a date that week? After last week, maybe there was just an understanding between them and she felt confident. And maybe she knows that the more you talk in those interviews, the more likely the producers are to edit them to say something else. I do like Becca though, so I hope it was just a slow week and I was definitely glad when he gave her a rose.

Lauren B's one-on-one - 

I'm sure it was terrifying at first, but those planes looked like so. much. fun! I think if I ever had the chance to see a city via one of those or a helicopter, I'd choose a plane like that hands down. A lot of their conversations seemed super-sappy and I didn't think there was anything particularly spectacular about the date in general, but it did seem like they had a blast - how could you not??

Lace's exit - 

I mean more power to her. Recognizing that maybe she needs to work on herself before she can fully commit to a relationship is a big step, and to make that realization on national television, holy cow. My fiance said he thinks that now when girls know they're not getting a rose they just decide to leave on their own. While that might be true sometimes, and most of the time we'll probably never really know, I'm not sure it was the case here. I think there was something about Lace that Ben found interesting, and there wasn't much this week that made me think he wasn't going to keep her around.

Jubilee's massage - 

Yikes. I was starting to warm up to her during the one-on-one date when she seemed to be loosening up around Ben. It was obvious the other girls were upset when she just offered her date up, when they all would have taken it in a heartbeat, but I truly think she was just being totally awkward because she seemed to take a while to open up. And I did feel bad that the whole night when she had the rose already that the other girls were making her feel bad for it, but taking Ben away for what was maybe a 10-20 minute massage was a little over the top. Maybe she was coming from a good place, and her intentions were certainly better than Olivia's (we'll get there soon), but to take so much time away when she was safe, and to take him in a way that made him almost unapproachable was just unnecessary, at least in my opinion.

Olivia - all of it. 

Where to start? She is a stage-five clinger for. sure. I think she has referred to herself as "Olivia Higgins" no less than half a dozen times each week. And that's just what the camera catches. Not to mention how completely insensitive she was when she pulled Ben aside right after he'd made the announcement about the passing of his close family friends and she started talking about her cankles! Are you serious? Also - who is she that people are writing blogs about that? [This is a real question you all, am I missing something?] I was starting to like her just a bit towards the beginning when she kind of owned up to hating her toes - which is crazy in itself that that's what they decided to pick on - I just thought it exuded such confidence for her to just be like "yeah, I do have ugly toes, I hate them too." But overall I think she needs to take it down a notch. Or ten.

What did you think of last night's episode?

Have a great day, y'all! 

xoxo 

TGIF, winter is here! (or is it?)

Well, I have already officially failed on some of these resolutions, most notably the one aiming for 3+ posts a week. I honestly don't know how most people keep up. I suppose if it was a full time job for me, I would have the time. Maybe? But the past few weeks I've worked probably 65 to 70 hours a week for the past few weeks and I barely have time to eat, let alone whip up a few posts. But, enough with that, because I made it happen today! How has your week/life been lately? Let's catch up!

Friends 

Y'all. I'm not sure I've made my love and affection for Friends clear before, so let me take this moment to reveal to you how obsessed I am. As in, I own every season on DVD, and in some cases more than one copy. I cried at the finale. I regularly watched "Joey," the not-so-successful spin off. I can recall almost every episode. I have seen every episode at least half a dozen (or maybe a dozen) times. I watched it so often on DVD that I can tell which scenes have been left out of the Netflix versions - yes, it's true. Obsessed. And now, thanks to NBC, I can relive it all over again!
Have you heard the news? There will be a reunion of sorts and it is the day after my wedding, so basically I'm treating it as a wedding present from NBC to me. Logical, right?

The Bachelor 

Ah, another season of the Bachelor is here. I used to tell my self that I wasn't going to watch it this season - every season - and yet I would inevitably end up watching it. And if I started mid-season, I would binge watch to catch up. Those days are over. I am officially a Bachelor/Bachelorette-watching girl (I am not prepared to call myself a fan, yet). So far this season, all two episodes, has been about on par with the prior seasons. Although I will say I'm glad they didn't try to bring back the idea of starting out with two Bachelors/Bachelorettes, because that was just painful to watch. But is definitely an interesting twist to have twins, and two prior contestants. I'm very interested to see how far Becca goes. She already seems much better than last (last) season in terms of showing some personality, though I'm sure a lot of that comes with the familiarity of the process. And of course there's Lace. There's always one of them. I'm honestly a little surprised he didn't send her home pre-rose ceremony on the first night. But actually, I'm not sure that a Bachelor has ever done that, though I know a few Bachelorettes have. Feel free to prove me wrong if I'm not remembering correctly. Who are your front runners so far?

Winter, is that You?

This weather has been insane. We woke up to at least two inches of snow on Sunday, and then had blizzard like conditions on Tuesday, but only for about 15 minutes, and then just frequent snow, and yesterday the high was 60! Our wedding is a little over a month away and I used to think I wanted snow - just enough to be pretty, not so much it ruins plans - but with as cold as it's been I'm starting to rethink that. Maybe 60 degrees in February wouldn't be so bad!

Making our House a Home

We closed on our house right before Christmas, and as of Wednesday have officially moved everything out of our old Condo. despite the fact that we are more than doubling our space, it still feels like we have so. much. stuff. and trying to find a place for all of it has been more difficult than I would have imagined, and of course knowing that we will (most likely) be adding lots of wedding presents to the mix as well, for which I am oh so thankful. My mom keeps telling me I need to "live with it for a while" and then decide what I can keep, what we still need to buy, etc. But y'all, I am so impatient! I want to have every room perfectly decorated right now! I am doing my best though to re-purpose a lot of the things we have, and use them in decorative ways that I might not have considered before, so that is helping things find a place and making our house look like a home.

Ready for the Weekend

I don't know about you, but after having two short weeks thanks to Christmas and New Years, these last two full weeks have seemed like they were never going to end! I am so excited to be going into a three day weekend, even if I do have to come into the office for a little bit on Monday. At least there will be another short week following. Plus, I have the chance to go home and get a lot of wedding plans sort of finalized (!!!) and run some errands, and I am really looking forward to that. Turns out planning a wedding in a town you don't live in anymore is a bit challenging! Do y'all have any plans for this 3-day weekend?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxo 

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 
Wednesday Showcase

See You Later 2015!

I think I have finally recovered from the holiday craze and am one-hundred percent ready to jump in to 2016!

Y'all, it has been a crazzzzy couple of weeks! First of all - WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE! Which really itself is what has contributed to most of the chaos around here lately.

Of course in addition to that is still the wedding planning, which starting to all come together, while still feeling like there are a million things to do - more on that tomorrow. But all in all, it is has been a great few weeks and I wouldn't trade it for anything, well, except maybe for a little extra sleep.

I don't know what it is about this year, maybe the wedding, maybe the new house, or maybe the fact that for the first time I'm not heading back to school after the holidays, but there is just something in me that wants to make this year the year. You know, making resolutions and keeping them, getting rid of old bad habits and welcoming new positive ones. This year is going to bring about a lot of change, and I don't want to get lost in the shuffle and forget what is really important to me and what really matters. So, for possibly the first time ever, I am setting goals for myself and for my family. Real, written, goals. And for the sake of accountability, I want to share them with all of you as well, in hopes that we create a network of support, and I want to know your goals and resolutions as well!

These Short Term goals are really things that I am hoping to accomplish in the next month or so. I keep a to-do list every day, although there are certain things that obviously cannot be done in a day, but still require some kind of timeline/deadline. The wedding is less than two months away, so clearly that will part of the resolution has to be done soon! I also don't love living in a complete state of chaos, so I would like to get things as settled as possible in the new house. What are some of your short term goals? 

If I'm being honest, a lot of these Long Term Goals should really be life-time goals, but y'all that is hard to think about sometimes. Like, I know I should eat healthy, but I also know I love ice cream. You know? 

But seriously, I am really hoping that by sharing these goals I can stay accountable and be diligent in my every day decisions. I don't think any of these goals are unreasonable. I have generally been an active person, so working out often isn't intimidating, it's just difficult keeping that schedule when my day to day feels so unpredictable. Similarly, I've always done well keeping a budget for myself, but now there are two of us, so I feel a little more guilty if I want to go a bit above the budget, while expecting my fiance and soon to be husband to abide by it. But this is a new chapter and I am so looking forward to it! 

Are you a big goal-setter? Like I mentioned, I'm not the type to make big resolutions, or any kind of resolution that is actually tangible, so I am really looking forward to see how this turns out - any advice welcome! 

I hope you've had a wonderful start to 2016! Cheers!

Have a great day, y'all!

xoxo 

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Wednesday Showcase

Wedding Wednesday: 86 days to go!

Today's post covers one of the things that I personally love to think about, but am always hesitant to talk about - lingerie! In addition to all of the wonderful events my bridesmaids planned for my bachelorette party, they also planned a mini-lingerie shower as part of the weekend and it was so fun!
I don't know about you, but I don't tend to buy a lot of nice lingerie for myself because I never really viewed it as a necessary expense, and it is obviously something that you aren't going to wear on a daily basis. Well hey, I mean you could, but you're not as likely to, so it is one of those things that I do enjoy receiving because I'm not as likely to buy it for myself. And now, despite (or because of ) all of their wonderful gifts, I am currently addicted and want to fill my closet with many more beautiful pieces!

Like most all clothing items, everything has its season. Which is always a great excuse to update any part of your wardrobe, right? (I am great at rationalizing any purchase.) A few weeks ago I shared how I Winterize My Beauty Routine to prepare for the cold winter and warm tones. So now, I want to share with you some ways to winterize some of the other personal items in your routine. In the summer we all tend to lean towards bright colors. I swear there is something about neon colors that actually makes me look more tan! But as the colder weather comes in and that color starts to fade, I like to tone down the color just a little and have some softer, warmer jewel tones around me.

Adore Me has some beautiful lingerie pieces out right now and these are some of my favorites, which pair great with deep red colors for winter, and some all over warmth used on your face and neckline. While I generally prefer brighter colors, I'll take any excuse to try something new, and changing seasons is always a good one. As much as I'd rather be in bright yellows and pinks, I am at least (usually) aware enough to realize those colors are generally out of place this time of year.

I think my absolute favorite is this green set because the color is so rich and it really sets the mood for a warm romantic evening. Combine that, with some intense eye makeup, like this set from MAC, and you won't need anything else.

Or, this beautiful sapphire blue - and it matches Essie's Fall Bell Bottom Blues to a T!


And my runner up to the green set above, is definitely this Peaches and Cream set, paired with Clinique's Plum Brandy to really pull together that fall or winter look with out going too dark.


Isn't it fun to think about updating every aspect of your wardrobe as the seasons change? It's something I'm still working on myself, but I have really enjoyed thinking about this lately, especially as I transition more in to work and don't have as much variety in my day to day outfits. What do y'all think? And check out some additional makeup combinations below!

It's kind of Friday today, yay! Have a great day y'all! 

xoxo

linking up with:

Wedding Wednesday | Wednesday Showcase 

TGIF, sip sip hooray!

I don't know about you, but things have been a little crazy around here lately! Lots of late nights at work this week, but also lots of fun celebrations to balance things out :) How has your week been?

sip & skimm

I know it sounds like I'm beating a dead horse, but seriously you need to check out the Skimm! With so many things going on in the world right now, and an upcoming presidential campaign, I honestly don't know how anyone can keep up with it all. The Skimm is a great way to feel like you're at least close to knowing everything that's going on, or at the least knowing about everything that's going on. I have been a subscriber to some form of daily news email, whether it be the local paper, the WSJ or Washington Post, and I have to say, the Skimm surpasses them all, by miles. It has the most far-reaching topics, but not so many that it's overwhelming, and they are always on top of the latest news. Plus, one of the best parts is that it only comes to your inbox ONCE/ day, no exceptions, and no weekends. Unlike Gap, who I think can tell when I delete without opening, and sends me another email. I swear it's happened before.
Anyways - seriously, if you haven't checked it out yet you should, and if you are interested you can become a Skimm'bassador and take part in super fun events that are held all over the country. Last night Louisville Skimm'rs hosted a Sip and Skimm at a local restaurant and it was so. much. fun! If that hasn't convinced you yet, then surely this will - you get a shout-out on your birthday!

bachelorette party

My bachelorette party was a couple of weeks ago, and I think I am still recovering! Have you ever had a bushwacker? It might be the #1 reason that I love Nashville so much! It's essentially an alcoholic milkshake, and it can really creep up on you if you have a couple :) I would highly suggest trying one if you ever get the chance - or making one at home. I've done it, and the results actually weren't half bad! We had such a great time that now I really want all of my friends to be engaged so we can go back ASAP!

in the lobby

Despite choosing three other colors as my fall favorites from the Essie collection, I ended up purchasing "In the Lobby" last week, and I could not be more pleased! I will say it is not nearly as purple as their stock photos make it look, but more of a merlot-deep red. If you are looking for a staple fall nail color this is one could not be more perfect! Have any of y'all tried it? What did you think about the stock color vs. the actual color? [I will update with picture! I'd already repainted my nails a different color without thinking]
I swear these fall colors just came out, or maybe I was late to the game, but I'm already seeing and loving the winter colors as well! I wish it was still cool to have each nail painted a different color so I could wear them all at once!

house hunting part 3

Eventually I'm going to stop numbering these because it is just reminding me how long it takes. I know, finding a house is not a fast process. But I am a very impatient person, and when I know what I want, I really want to do what I can when I can to get it accomplished. Maybe I can call myself driven or determined, rather than impatient. That sounds a little better, right?
Well, anyways, we put an offer in last week! It was countered, and then we countered again and they accepted!!! We are still in the inspection/survey/financing stages, but we are planning to close before Christmas and I am so excited!

one year engagediversary

One year ago I got engaged! It is still surreal to think about sometimes, and I have never been happier. We are also exactly three months from getting married (!!!), which is crazy when I know there is still so much to do! The planning has definitely gone in waves of doing absolutely nothing for a month, to having three appointments in one day. But, so far it seems to be working out alright. We are going to dinner at a new restaurant tonight to celebrate, which I am really looking forward to because we've been so busy lately that we haven't had a true date night in what feels like months. Any married friends want to share some advice for these last few months of planning? I am all ears!

Have a great weekend, y'all! Go Cats! 

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 

Wednesday Showcase | Turn It Up Tuesday