First world problems: cell phone edition

These days, I love that you can keep your cell phone number FOREVER. Change providers? No problem! Take it with you. One basically has to die or move to a deserted island without cell phones (wouldn't that be nice) to really relinquish your number. 
Granted, if you can't pay your bill and have to relinquish your phone, I'm sure they take your number. Which is really sad. And we aren't going to focus on the sad. We're going to focus on the fact that someone who used to have my company cell phone number probably moved to a deserted island. Right? Right. 
So I have a personal cell phone and I got a company cell phone when I started with my current position in early 2014. 
At first, I'd get strange texts on said company cell. Baby daddy texts (for real), strange photos of children, the "hey where are you" (or really "hay. whr r u?") texts or calls into the wee hours of the morning. I figured they must have just flipped the phone number really quickly. Bummer. I mean, someone moved to a deserted island and didn't even tell his friends. That sucks. ;)
If the text was inappropriate or referred to me as "boo" in any capacity, the number got blocked. But if it was okay, I'd respond and explain this was no longer who they were looking for. They'd thank me and we'd all move on. 
Until they didn't.
Seriously it has been almost a year and a half. I get calls at like 3 a.m. approximately 2 times per week. I just got a text saying someone is sorry to hear about what happened. Best part? It was from a number I'd text back to say this wasn't the cell phone they wanted... LAST YEAR. It was still in my text stream. GET A CLUE and delete the number, jerks. You're obviously not that sorry to hear what happened... B/c you don't even have the right number! 
So, while my interest was piqued and I sort of wanted to respond to play with them, I thought better of it and just blocked them. Not my fault you can't figure out your friend moved to a desert island. Hell, he probably moved to get away from the morons who can't figure out he changed his number. 
Anyway, this post has nothing important to say, but if you've ever had a secondary phone issued, you likely feel my pain. It's frustrating to be in a work meeting and have my cell blow up. I walk out to take what MUST be an important call on my work cell...and no. It's someone looking for "J." I would love to assume they mean Jay, the shady character from Serial. I mean, maybe they could help me track him down and get some answers. But alas, I have no idea who their "J" is and I don't care. But seriously...if I get ONE MORE CALL....
Also I feel sort of badly for this J guy. Well..obviously he's on an island so that's cool. But his friends sort of suck. 
Annnnnnnd there was 60 seconds of your life you'll never get back. 

Thoughts on 30s: Tuesday edition

Being in your 30s is awesome, mostly. 
I mean, I can afford a lot of the things I couldn't afford right out of school. (Obviously... since I was broke as a joke out of school...) 
When I go to bars/dinner with friends or Eric, I'm a cheaper date than I used to be (read: two glasses of wine = t minus tipsy Jackie).
  I get to have actual conversations with friends when I go to dinner or drinks b/c we pick places with chairs and ambiance, not college bands screaming into a small space. 
I have a 401K. And I get excited about that. 
But then there's some stuff... The stuff like "Can I wear a romper?" I mean... really... I can do what I want. (The 30s also makes me care less about others' opinions). But also... can I wear a romper? haha.. I mean, I totally did. And I totally will continue to do so. B/c IdowhatIwant. But it's just funny b/c I find myself going "Wait.. is this hemline appropriate for a 30something professional?" I reiterate... We can do what we want. But am I alone here? You ever do that? And you don't have to be in your 30s to feel this way... Duh. But seriously.. if not for Loft, Banana, etc, I'm fairly certain I would have no idea what to wear like ever. (#firstworldproblems)
Those cute Target sundresses? Were they always so SHORT? I mean...no one needs to see my ass when I bend over. Then it's like "Maybe if I go a size up, it'll be better." But then...no.. it's frumpy dumpy and yet still short. I mean, right?
But then I mean, there's no need to wear skirts to my ankles everyday. And I totally don't plan to do that so don't misunderstand. It's just a new phase to find myself asking myself a lot "Is this too short? Too tight? Tooooooooo?" Or "I should really buy more investment pieces... not random sale stuff..." (WHO AM I?!) Anyway... just had to share. I wear what I want and I enjoy that more in my 30s than I ever did before. That said, I sort of want to go back to my 21 year old self and be like.."Honey, that tiny miniskirt you're tugging at? Right. Stop tugging at it. Rock it. You're cellulite-free and legal to drink. Own it." haha! Granted, I'd also tell that girl to stop tanning and save more money..lol!
Anyway, just random thoughts for your Tuesday... 

Here I am... (rock you like a hurricane)

The song's in my head. Seemed fitting for a blog title. 
Where have I been? Where have YOU been? Where have we ALL been? (I dunno. I've had coffee and a coke.. I'm all hopped up.)
It's been a helluva last month or so. Life is good. It's not that. I'm just ready for warmth and sunshine, I think. I NEVER get sick. Okay.. I rarely get sick. That's a better assessment. Guess who got sick twice last month? Right. I also someone tweaked my back bending over (#oldpeopleproblems) and ended up on steroids and muscle relaxers. Then...then...THEN... (attempt at dramatic affect) my pain meds that were fairly "benign" - as the doctor called them - made me lose my cheeseburger at work. So that was a special day full of all the dizzy and all the never-eating-another-burger-from-that-one-place. 
That's the fun of commuting, friends...being sick that is. Because when you're sick and you're an hour away and possibly carpooled to get here, you are stuck. You are stucker (new word) than stuck. Someone near me was on maternity leave and so I laid down in her office and took a nap once. B/c my office doesn't have a door. The struggle was real. 
Add plummeting oil prices making things a bit intense around work and the struggle was definitely real. Very bad time for sick days, me thinks. On that note, I don't want to talk too much about stuff, but I will say I've never worked through a layoff anywhere. But it sucks. It's sad. No matter how many people are impacted, it's tough. That's all I'll say about this, but yeah. And...when people go off about big oil and how bad it is yada yada, I can't help but get mad. B/c there are so many jobs, so many families. And not just oil. Manufacturing. Construction. All of them are tied together. So yeah...It's a tough time. 
Anyway, I digress...
What else is new that isn't so serious.. Hmm...I have a hair appt this week and I'm looking forward to it more than I've looked forward to most things the past two weeks. I'm over my ombre and want some straight up summer blonde back in my life. And I love having my hair played with. Oh happy day! :) *Insert mental image of that emoji girl primping her hair* 
In other news, I want a weekend away, but alas, Eric and I are re-doing the house plus the falling oil prices are interesting. Combined, we probably shouldn't flit off to spend all the dollars right now. #adulthood Oh.. speaking of the house. You guys. We have a neighbor...who seems lovely. But he is of the opinion that we are like 3 inches onto his property line with our fence. *Please imagine my face right now.* Since this is the public internet, I'll leave it there, but just know I'm looking forward to remedying the situation and rocking and rolling. (Eric told me I'm not allowed to go to the meeting b/c lawyer Jackie tends to come out when I'm irritated)
Other than that, I've been doing some retail therapy... *head hung in shame* and enjoying the spring weather whenever I can! If you're my friend on instagram, you've likely seen that. 
I'd like to come over and rant more. I'll do my best there. Peace, loves! *insert me throwing up a peace sign and duck face lips because I just really did. Wow. Too much caffeine.*

Spring fashion wants

Seasons change and I need want alltheclothes. 

While I love all the brights and fun patterns that will start popping up soon in all the stores, I am pulling back on spending because Eric and I are re-doing a house after all. BUT...there are a few items on the list that have been on the list for more than a year that I've given myself a pass to purchase if I find...haha.. (I'm an attorney. I can make a rational case for most things. It is what it is.)

So what am I looking for that I feel like I look for every year? 

1. Two words: white.jeans. 

I refuse to spend an arm and a leg on a clothing item that I (1) can't wear to work except casual Fridays and (2) can't wear for a super long time because of the silly rules about white but also b/c Tulsa gets HOT in the summer. Nobody wants to be in jeans in mid July. Trust me. 

So I remain on my jeans quest. White skinny jeans...preferably under $100...that are thick enough to not see the pockets through them (blech) and long enough to be sort of ankle length on my 5'7 frame. Picky? Maybe. Oh and they need to be cut so they don't make me look 40lbs heavier than I am. What is it with poorly cut white jeans that can make you look so bad?! Eek. 

2. A cobalt blue dress. Easy enough right? WRONG. 

I love blue so much! I want a cute, classy cocktail type dress that's cobalt. But honestly... this is probably more about finding the dress itself. I feel like it's hard to find a cute, classy age appropriate dress in your early 30s...for like a wedding event or professional cocktail party. I feel like I see tons of stuff that's too frumpy or too skimpy. Meet me in the middle, designers! And make it blue. K thanks.

And what else am I keeping an eye out for? 

1. Cropped fitted chinos in fun colors. 

2. Mara Hoffman's swim line. Why are her adorable suits so expensive?! I feel like other brands are starting to copy her styles and I'm more than happy to pay less for a copied version...haha.. 

3. Pretty maxi dresses. I mean, I always want pretty maxi dresses so this isn't exactly news. 

Anyway...random rants on this hump day. Anything anyone else is watching for this spring? 

Opinions are like....and everybody's got one.

Random rant...
Lately, I have been SO put off about the amount of commentary on well...everything. Every news story has a trail of hundreds of comments of people being flat out RUDE. Even the ones I agree with...It's just overload. 
When did it become okay for people to use social media as a way to voice opinions in a way that's blatantly rude and tacky? And ATTACK other people in comment threads for having a different opinion? 
It has always worn on me but lately, it's just.so.ridiculous. 
I mean...what on earth gives people the right to use social media as a sword to insult other people while also shielding themselves behind a laptop? 
And then I see some of the comments and genuinely worry about our society that we have seemingly so much negativity everywhere. 
Granted maybe the normal people are just refusing to jump in the deep end with all the overly-opinionated crazies so maybe that's why everything seems so weighted. 
For example... You guys have likely all seen the GoD@ddy stuff with the puppy and the subsequent ad pulling? Right. I shared all that on my facebook page, asking friends to help get the ad removed by signing the petition.. b/c well..the add was really distasteful. Anyway...they took it down. So... I went over to their Facebook page and wrote a comment thanking them for removing the ad, listening to the public, and trying to remedy their mistake. 
Dudes. 
A few people lost their sh*t...on ME. 
Like "THIS WAS NOT A MISTAKE. THEY HAVEN'T FIXED ANYTHING." 
I retorted a few times (b/c I'd had some wine and that sounded like a good idea) about how we are all on the same side and those people needed to lock it up before going after someone on the same.freaking.side. 
But they didn't. No, nothing was hurtful or even really derogatory. And I just didn't care enough to engage with them. So I mean whatever. My panties aren't that ruffled about the comments themselves. It just irritated me so much about the principle behind it. I ended up deleting my comment entirely, despite it having more than 100 likes with people agreeing...b/c the crazies were just annoying me with the incessant posting and the subsequent notifications I was getting on my phone as I was heading to bed. Ain't nobody got time for that. 
And today, I was online reading some random article about nothing important, got to the comments section and saw it again... CRAZIES trying to form a hostile takeover...haha...
Anyway, this is random, but I just don't understand and it's so weird. People are so touchy these days...and also feel like they're experts on everything...and that everyone needs to know exactly what they think on each and every matter. 
It just breaks my brain and makes me ready for happy hour. And also makes me think the issue is most prevalent on Facebook and maybe I should dial it way back on the good old Crazybook. I guess there's just SO few things that push my crazy buttons. Life is too short to get that worked up about everything. And if you're going to get worked up, channel it in a positive way that will make an impact...not just as a negative crazy sitting behind a computer. 
(And no, the irony is not lost on me that that this entire blog post...and hell...this entire blog...is my opinions on everything...haha.. Whatever.)

The last Tuesday of January

I do a lot of communication for work. And I have always sucked at headlines. So just go with my horrible blog post title.

But seriously though. Last Tuesday in January. WHAT? 2015 is HAPPENING, people. I feel like I just said haaaaaay to 2014. Anyhoo...whatever. 

And with my least favorite month February around the corner, I am trying to wear all the cute winter/spring clothes before it's 90 degrees in April before we've even blinked. B/c here's my new plan. All the cute fashion bloggers are blogging about winter clothes while I'm still wearing sleevless dresses in Oklahoma. So I'm channeling their cute November/December styles now. B/c I can. And in February, I will commence with wearing my lightweight spring sweaters that quickly become too heavy for actual "spring" in Oklahoma but are definitely too light for winter. I'm making my own seasons for fashion. I do what I want. And I don't work in Manhattan. I work in a small town in OK. No one cares. 

Moving on...

I have been wanting one of these cute clutches from Gigi NY for awhile. I loved it already but when I saw it had a monogramming option, I was hooked. But they're sort of expensive, right? Especially for a clutch! I mean...it's a big clutch and is leather, but still. Well...I found a great deal on The Knot's wedding shop for these clutches for a new year's sale. The sale is off now, but the listed price is still considerably lower than the store's website AND offers free monogramming, which is not offered from the Gigi site. AND my bag arrived from the actual store...which was cool. I'm sure they have an arrangement with the Knot to sell a certain amount. Fine with me! :) And watch for sales. Maybe they'll have another. 

Here is a photo for actual scale...

What else? Well I got sick before Christmas. Lame. But then I got better- Yay! BUT...then Eric got sick with a cold...and I caught it last weekend. Hell. I had Friday off and had to get an oil change b/c I am only in town during normal business hours on that every other Friday I have off and was WAY overdue for an oil change. Cold or no cold, I was going to the dealership. People moved away from me b/c they thought I had some infectious disease or was upset at the TV b/c my eyes kept watering and I kept blowing my nose. I took a selfie and I look like my boyfriend just broke up with me....or like I'm high. Either way, people didn't want to be my friend at the car dealership (not a bad thing). 

Other than that, our Christmas tree is still up, oil prices are still down (I work for oil & gas), and good TV isn't back for 2015 yet. EXCEPT.. Do you watch Marvel: Agents of Shield? With the sickness infecting our household, we watched season 1 on Netflix and are now fully caught up with the current season (season 2). In a week, friends. I'm a winner. But it is really good! I'm excited for it to come back in March! I love all the XMen, Wolverine, etc. stuff and if you to, too, you'll like it. :) 

So yeah...that's all I've got. Oh and this. I want this. 

Monday Musings

It's Monday. My husband is home today for MLK Day. We're not closed so I may or may not be using my lunch to blog since I'm eating at my desk. Whatever. 

It's 60 degrees here today! Wahoo! It's been so cold in the past few weeks that I've been taking a tunnel from my building to the building next door with the cafe and coffee shop. Seriously people.. It's only like a 50 feet walk outside but I've been going down escalators, taking a tunnel and then going up escalators in the next building. I am loving this 60 degree business. 

So what's new? Not much. 

I got my her did... This is a bit of a story. I wanted to go sombre towards my roots (subtle ombre... whatever) in early fall...around the same time my stylist was going on maternity leave. You should always make changes to hair when your stylist is going to be out. (Sarcasm font needed). Anyway, I had it touched up in the interim, but it just still looked "rootish." (I make up words on my blog). I was so frustrated b/c I felt like I was paying a lot to look like I had roots. (#firstworldproblems). Anyway, she's back and my hair is fixed! Darker roots, lighter hair and blended better! Hooray! It's the little things in life, right? 

Top two are before. Bottom two are after. 

Eric and I saw Garth Brooks! If you are anywhere near Tulsa, your Facebook feed has likely blown up with pics from one of his seven concerts here, but so cool that he did so many shows to make sure his hometown fans got to see him! I really don't think I've met a ton of people who are FROM Oklahoma that don't dig at least some of Garth's music... Even if you don't like country music, he's an icon. 

Loved it when he sang The River and the whole BOK Center lit up with cell phones... So cool). 

Our ladies Fantasy Football Team (Sacks and the City) had our awards brunch. We even have a trophy to be passed on...I have to admit I used to make fun of Eric with his fantasy football stuff... but it's pretty awesome. I learned a lot and I think we all got pretty competitive! ha! 

And since it's MLK Day, I wanted to share one of his quotes... I love this so much for so many reasons. 

I actually just spent last weekend in Dallas at the first ever board meeting of a group I've joined that hopes to better regulate dog breeders- specifically breeders who have several litters per year and/or breed in a commercial (large scale) way. Regulations would only help the good breeders by differentiating them with positive attention...and they would hurt the large scale horrible breeders. So it really does make sense. Honestly, I'm not sure if this is the group where I will devote the entirety of my time. I think we're all still figuring out mission and vision, but it's an amazing group of people that I'm sure will do great things. I just feel like I have to do SOMETHING and you can't find out where you'll land if you never start looking, ya know. 

It hurts my heart when I see posts about people receiving their new puppies from the airport... or picking them up at a truck stop or Wal-Mart parking lot. Maybe it's fine. But... the odds are against it being fine. And that's not me being crappy. It's just true. A great breeder wants to meet you, wants you to see the puppies' parents, wants you to see where they are raised...and not just in photos they email you. A great breeder doesn't typically ship puppies site unseen or have a "receiving room" where the puppies are held but the parents are "unable to be viewed right now." I'm not a martyr. I didn't know any of those things. But now I do. And I can't UNknow it. And it makes me almost cry when I see someone paying those people thousands of dollars for the puppy while the puppy's parents sit in a wire crate suffering, likely never to feel grass on their paws. And on top of that, the odds of that puppy having something wrong are high, thus costing the new owners lots of heartache and expense. It just saddens me all the way around. 

As a little (hopefully helpful) PSA....just because these are things I would have liked to know before I adopted my first pup. If you are interested in getting a full breed dog and choose not to rescue, some things you can do:

* Check the breed club's website for recommended breeders. And I don't mean the AKC. I mean the dog breed's website. The AKC only collects fees for licensing. They do NOT inspect breeder facilities.

* Do a google street view/aerial view of the place you're looking to adopt. Does it look like a farm? Farms are okay, buuuuuuut maybe consider increasing your scrutiny if it looks like some sort of farm. Does it look like there are kennels outside or in the back? Just be careful... 

* Ask the right questions. Check out some that the Cavalier Club's site recommends asking here. 

That was a rant I didn't intend, but really.. we've got to hit these bad breeders where it hurts- their pocketbooks.

Anyhoo, I hope you're having a good Monday in blogland, friends! :) 

Virgin Gorda Recap

Let's not talk about the fact that I haven't even recapped the entirety of our wedding or honeymoon from 2013. (Oops). Instead and in an effort to keep blogging more (and b/c the wedding and honeymoon posts seem so daunting since there's so much detail I'd want to cover), I'll recap Virgin Gorda from our trip in early November 2014. 
Some of what I really love about blogging is that it sort of lets me keep a little journal of things in the moment (or two+ months from the moment in this case...whatever). So in the spirit of giving myself something to look back on and escaping from these ridiculously frigid temps we've got going on, here's our Virgin Gorda adventure from 2014! :)
Why VG?  We wanted to book a trip for our year wedding anniversary but we didn't know where we wanted to go. It had been a long year... long. Eric's work was insane, I'd changed jobs and while I love my new job, that sort of thing is an adjustment, right? And then we bought a house...after seeing 100+ homes and losing several in the bidding process. All of these are first world problems, but while it was a good and exciting year, it has also felt quite long. We wanted to get away but for the first time in our history of being together, we wanted it to be somewhere TOTALLY chill. We're usually "Let's go see and do and explore!" I mean, we love us some beach time- don't get me wrong. But we also love to experience culture, be pretty active, etc. on trips. A good mix is best. But this time? We really wanted to focus on getting sand on our bums and running the batteries down on our kindles. We wanted SOME activity and the ability to eat and explore locally without feeling unsafe, etc, but the predominant feature was relaxation and checking out from reality for a week. 
We looked a ton of places and ultimately realized it was pretty easy to get to the British Virgin Islands and it also allowed us to really get away. The same cost and distance could have gotten us some other places, but none really gave us the "away from it all" we wanted with that proximity. I mean really... it's a quick flight from Atlanta to St. Thomas and then an hour ferry to Virgin Gorda (or most other islands in the vicinity). Easy peasy. Tulsa is sort of the hard part since we're so landlocked and major flights don't leave from here.. 
We saw that VG gave us exactly what we wanted... It's not overly developed so has lots of local flair and natural beauty. It's safe and people are friendly. It allowed us to explore a little but also to plant our bums on the beach. And our hotel was in a sort of hard to access location on the island, had no tvs in the rooms and had spotty wifi. Heck.yes. 
And now for the photos: 
Someone saw our photos on facebook and was like "Was anyone else there?!" ha! Honestly...there weren't a ton of people...which was GLORIOUS! Plus, we went in late October/early November so hurricane season had just ended and places were re-opening. We scored some great deals that way...and had a lot of places to ourselves. 
Our first day (we arrived the night before really late), it rained a lot. But...well... a rainy day in VG is better than a sunny day at the office. And our view from breakfast (and every meal we had at the hotel) didn't really matter that it was raining. Gorgeous. 

It cleared and we wanted to see the beach, so we took our hotel-provided beach cruisers (adorable, right) and rode down to the beach! The property is large, but they actually only have 31 suites. We could have easily taken a stroll to the beach, but what fun is that when you have bikes?! :) 

This was actually not the first day, but we didn't get a ton of bike photos so I'm using it to describe the first day anyway)

We got to the beach and realized we were the only ones on it! ha! I tried to make an arrow pointing to Eric, but I sort of failed miserably. Squint and you can see him in the center. We later realized we really were some of the few guests on property at the time. It definitely filled up more as the week progressed and the season started getting rolling again after being closed for hurricane season, but pretty awesome to have a nice beach to ourselves! And even when the place is at capacity, something tells me it's not ever crowded with only 31 suites. Oh... I should probably mention where we stayed...We were at Biras Creek. :)

Hotel beach from the other angle...far end of the photo above.

Since Biras is tucked away in the North Sound, it has views of the Atlantic and the Caribbean which was really cool. But...since they were so tucked away, they were only accessible by boat...so they provided fun little beach whalers for a few hours each day to guests who wanted to explore a little. We obviously took them up on that one day...

We anchored down on a gorgeous beach nearby and took some self timed pics before snorkeling and seeing tons of beautiful fish!On that note, we saw so many cool things snorkeling... We even caught a lobster on one adventure in an organized trip from the hotel. Okay okay...our guide caught the lobster but we were there. That counts. (November was lobster season so it was legal). Anyway...I digress... 

Eric and his trusty GoPro. You actually see it above in the boat photo, too. He took SO much video and some cool images. We actually haven't even gone through them all yet. But I had to post this b/c seriously.. That thing was in his hand the whole trip...haha!

That said, I am really thankful we had the GoPro b/c it let us get some really cool shots of fish, underwater stuff, boating and snorkeling...like this one! Yes it is highly edited with a filter b/c the actual image washed us out a lot with the sun backlighting us so much. But it's still cool, right? :)

I look like I'm trying to communicate very seriously with my hands...haha...

We actually did take a break from beaching to go on an "easy" hike near our hotel. There are several hikes and we opted for one labeled easy. Okay... we're from Oklahoma. It is FLAT in Oklahoma. So...while this wasn't a death-defying hike by any means, it was pretty darn vertical and the opposite of easy...haha.. But we really loved it and are glad we did it b/c hello amazing views! It was just funny that our expectations for "easy" were much different than the locals.

A pic of our typical perch... Didn't stink.

A vacation must include pina coladas for me. Seriously. Not even being sarcastic. Give me all the pina coladas.

Before dinner, we wanted a pic before the sun went down... But as I mentioned before, the resort was on the empty side of things part of the week...haha.. Enter the self timer again. I think we did alright... This was also before I dropped pasta on my brand new blue silk dress and almost ruined it. I really should post photos of things like that too...

One of the things I REALLY wanted to do was visit The Baths. The pictures from it...wow. I just had to see it. Someone at our hotel told us to go early before any tour groups visited since it's a major attraction in VG. Anyway... it was well worth the visit and the short little cave hike to get there. Gorgeous naturally made caves/pools from massive boulders...

I should mention that to get to the Baths, we had to get to the mainland from our hotel. Biras has a great ferry that runs all day long to get folks to and from the main area of Virgin Gorda in about 5-10 minutes. And then they even set up a car for us once we'd arrived so we could go explore on our own that day.

After the Baths, we headed to a gorgeous beach called Savannah Bay. I relaxed and read my Jack Reacher books (Seriously, I have sort of become addicted to Jack Reacher series) and Eric tried to get cool shots of the waves with the GoPro. I'd say he succeeded... This is pretty darn awesome, I think. (I just had to steal it from his instagram b/c I didn't have a version I could access to add on my computer since the GoPro stuff is on his..so it looks weird.) I'll have to come back and add more of his cool wave pics when we get them all sorted out.

 Sunrise from our little beach condo. Another Eric photo. I take selfies and random photos. He takes professional looking ones...haha.. Eh well. It's a good mix.

And, after a week, we said goodbye to fabulous VG. :( But to keep things interesting, we booked a plane to get us to St. Thomas for our flight home instead of taking the ferry again. Storms were bad and the ferry is hard when it's raining b/c you're in the lower area with like no air. So...a little plane seemed better. Little did we know it was storming so bad that the ferries were all cancelled anyway...and the plane... had no visibility all the way to St. Thomas. Soooooo...yeah. I am not remotely scared of flying and that flight...I think it took a day or two off my life...hah... Thankful for a good pilot and guardian angels...

Anyway, it was a truly fantastic trip, much needed getaway and great celebration of one year of marriage! :) We tried to compare it to our previous trips and it's so hard to compare trips or locations. They're all so very different and we've been in such different places when we've visited, ya know. Like this one, we wanted total r&r whereas others, we wanted adventure... So just hard to compare. 
If you're curious about VG, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll try to answer questions!
This was a really long post. I'm likely the only one reading this entire post...b/c well... it's fun for me to revisit...haha... So yeah... forgive my novel and if you stuck with me, I owe you a pina colada. 
Stay warm and dream of the Caribbean... I know that's what I'll be doing... ;)

The Resos.

A little late but here for resolutioning! Also does calling it "reso" make me "basic" or whatever? I heard abbreviating things makes one basic. Also...please know how tongue in cheek I say that b/c well... I'm in the camp that's so over everything being called basic. Can't we just build each other up as women instead of calling things "basic?" It's dumb. Let's make that a resolution. Okay...moving on to the real ones. 
In random order, I present the list of things I'd like to do/work on in 2015...compiled with great thought in mind in my leather bound resolution book...wait...no... it was just the notes section of my phone during the past few days...
So these are vague. I know you're supposed to be all "spend 1.5 hours doing ___ per week by cutting down on ___." Yeah. Mine are more like "Enjoy life..." (Insert rainbow and daisies). And there are a lot b/c they're all pretty darn attainable, I think. 
1. Be on my phone and social media less in 2015. Okay... so I want to have a resolution to blog more but then it sort of contradicts this one. That said, I feel like sometimes my social browsing is just so mindless. Blogging isn't mindless. So maybe it wouldn't count? I dunno. I've just found that when my computer is "not responding" at work or when I'm waiting in line for something, I'm on my phone. And well...that bothers me about myself. On one hand, take advantage of any down time and peruse the social sites while nothing else is happening. On the other? Can't I just sit there without being entertained for a few minutes? Gawd. Anyway...we'll see how this goes but I have some tactics I plan to employ to make it happen. 
2. Get more sleep. This is a no brainer. I'm a night owl. I have always been a night owl. Those that said "Oh...you'll be less a night owl as you get older..." They're totally-without-a-doubt-100% wrong. I mean, sure I've HAD to dial my bedtime back from like college hours. Obviously. I still stay up way too late for my typical 5:15 wakeup so I can commute the hour to workie work these days. So yeah. More sleep. 
3. Do laundry more frequently. This one is funny but serious...ha! I got used to living in an apt with laundry in the basement so I often wait until ALL THE WHITES are dirty before washing. It drives Eric crazy...lol! And speaking of... Eric... He washes like 4 times per week. So yeah...maybe the Griffins have a happy medium we need to meet. 
4. Focus on the present...while also working on achieving long term goals. It's a balance, I know. But I really want to be good at BOTH...which is truly challenging sometimes, right?
5. Shop less. (Needs no explanation...unless Loft is having a sale...in which case this can start tomorrow). 
6. Continue to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Obviously. 
7. Prioritize time with friends and family. This also means saying no to things that are NOT a priority and take time away from things that are. 
8. Actually DO something to help animals (specifically dogs). I share a lot of stuff on social media about animals, education, rescue, etc. But I haven't really gotten involved in anything. I will do that this year. I've already dipped my toe in one organization and I'm interested to see where it goes. It's hard to find my niche b/c I just don't think I can be the person that goes in and physically rescues animals from bad situations. I seriously think I'd need to be on medication if I did that. It breaks my heart in a way that I just can't even explain. But I'm a lawyer who works in communication.. There's GOT to be something I can do with my skills that is helpful, ya know. 
9. Travel somewhere different in the United States! Sort of silly, but Eric and I have gotten to go a lot of great, amazing places, yet we haven't explored a lot of the US together. And with finishing our house this year, we'll be working to saves a little cash flow...so I'd like to take a long weekend and go somewhere we've never been together- Seattle, Portland, Maine, Connecticut, San Diego, Charleston...There are definitely a few places on our list. :) 
10. Speaking of the house, finish renovating our new house! :) We should be in it by the holidays this year, just depending when demolition officially starts. 
11. Do more things with Eric that make us laugh or learn. 
12. Read more books! Goal= 30 books this year. I realize that's a low goal for some, but I'm not really a voracious reader these days... Just depends how much I'm traveling for work, etc. When I have down time, I love to read. I read 4 books on vacation this year alone. Just need to make the time. 
13. Plan a trip with my mom to celebrate her retirement from teaching school after 30 years! (She retired in December). I said I wanted to take her on a trip and I want to make that happen. She's never really been anywhere tropical so I was thinking even a cruise or something. Mind you, I've never been on a cruise, so recommendations appreciated. 
14. Pay off student loans. You guys. I avoid talking about this stuff on here but law school at a private university is expensive. I'm getting really close and when I do, you will inevitably see a present to myself in the form of a handbag, a home furniture item or something like that on my instagram...b/c that's responsible. Whatever. 
15. Reinstate our 3rd weekend date night. :) We got married the third weekend in October, so we started to have a fun date night the third weekend of every month. He plans one, I plan the next. It fell by the wayside with busy schedules and stuff. Blah. I want to do that this year and keep it up all year. 
And now that I've rambled adequately, here's a pic from NYE the other night. :) Sparkles, red lipstick and a handsome date for the win!

Happy 2015! Let's make it a good one! 

Tuesdays are for blogging

Happy Tuesday after Christmas! Oh wait...that's not a thing. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! 

Eric and I had a great holiday that included: making the dogs wear sweaters, getting to rock my new VS pjs, spending lots of great time with family, eating lots of good food, receiving lots of very sweet gifts, seeing some movies and being in denial that work must resume. I really think someone should pay me for holiday-ing. I'm pretty good at that. 

We're getting scary good at self timed photos...The below is from Christmas Eve. :)

Gracie is giving the stink eye...likely because she loves her sweater so much. ;) (Actually, she was falling asleep...haha!)

Anyway as far as holidays go, it was a great one. :) I tend to spend a lot of time stressing and guilting myself about seeing everyone for a good amount of time, doing everything and wanting to make everyone happy for the holiday...while also trying to maintain sanity and figure out some traditions for Eric and me to start for our little family. I hope I'm not alone in all that craziness. Thankfully the holiday always goes seamlessly so I'm not really sure where all the self-induced guilt comes from. I just really want everyone to feel special b/c everyone in our lives really IS so special to us. I couldn't imagine people who have families spread across the country or divorced folks to visit. We are so lucky to have everyone so close. 

After a nice chill weekend, I went in to the office Monday but worked from home today... 

Therefore, these were my coworkers... 

They're ruthless bosses. ;) 

...and these were my work shoes. 

I'm pretty sure I could get behind this whole "working from home" thing. That said, there's no photo of my face or hair b/c I haven't showered today or put on makeup. So there's that. 

I am currently in a state of frustration at several fashion blogs I follow b/c they are making me want all the things. ALL THE SALES. And then all the NEW things for spring. I think "I might want utility pants..." Within about 15 minutes, I am like "I MUST HAVE UTILITY PANTS" and am insanely searching for any that are on sale. I really need to get a grip. Glad to be meeting a friend for a drink tonight b/c I'm pretty sure I'd end up with some weird purchases if left to my own devices for a few more hours. 

We're expecting some serious sleet on New Years Day, which should provide a great opportunity to post some goals/resolutions. I'm trying to keep a list. Mine are pretty simple this year. 2014 has been  a really solid year... It's actually crazy to think of all the things that can happen in just 12 little months. This year alone, Eric and I got a new house and I started a new job. In isolation, a year doesn't feel like a long time, but the things that can be accomplished...just awesome. We're headed out with some friends for NYE tomorrow night and I may have gotten a new sequin dress. After the holiday food, I'm fairly sure an errand tomorrow might include going to get some spanx before the eve. Eh whatever. 

Since I was cranky last week...

I had to make time to come over and post when I'm NOT cranky. B/c well... I'm rarely cranky...and I rarely post these days...and I don't like seeing my most recent post as spewing rants. (I like using the word "spewing" in everyday language.) So, instead, here's a heap of random before I've had coffee. 
* I think I need an intervention with my "must save all the dogs." Don't get me wrong... I LOVE that. But.. well.. I've friended so many groups and rescues on Facebook that my feed is like one rolling replay of the sad scene from Old Yeller. I think I just need to maybe organize what I'm seeing on a regular basis a little bit more. B/c seriously...I think Eric is fairly concerned I'm about to grab a posse and go Red Dawn on some puppy mills. I guess I just like to think that if everyone was educated about what went on, they wouldn't ever get a dog from a bad breeder (bad breeders=puppy mills). But sadly, that's not true. It seriously makes me SO upset that people can just turn a blind eye b/c what they don't know can't hurt them. *sigh* I just never knew that most puppies online were from mills. I never knew that those places could register their dogs with the AKC b/c there's no real regulation. And while I have rescued and consider myself informed, I still never knew. I never knew that some of the worst puppy mills are maintained by the Amish (what?!). (Seriously- read this). So I'd think that if I could help educate others, they would do their research... But I've learned some people still wouldn't...and that makes me so sad and disappointed in humanity. To me, it's just sensical to go MEET the dog in person...to meet the breeder...see where the dog lives (unless of course you rescue...which I'm obviously majorly a fan of). B/c good breeders...they WANT to meet the buyer b/c they want the dog to end up somewhere good and safe. The ones set up on the corner of a parking lot? Maybe not a solid breeder. The ones who will ship you a dog from the web without any references or meeting you? Not a solid breeder. Anyway... I've gotten really wrapped up in it lately and it's sort of impacting my sanity. It feels good to be so impassioned about something, but it also feels a little helpless to just read about all the dogs that need help. So... must clean up the Facebook feed and shift focus to organize my efforts a little more before I decide to start a literal one man army and march in for the puppy mill apocalypse. 
* So haaaaaay...how about I talk about something else... Like these amazing leggings. For real, people. These are the best leggings in the history of leggings. (Is there a history of leggings? I'm sure there is...) Anyway, on one of my recent work trips to Houston, I visited the Galleria (seriously the only think I do to entertain myself in free time there). I popped into Loft and tried on some leggings with a sweater I thought I "needed." The sweater was a toss back. But the leggings... wow. I didn't even expect to like them. They were just to gauge the sweater...but gosh I.love.these.leggings. They're ponte so they're thick and they fit so well. They hold their shape, hold their color after multiple washes, don't pill (at least mine haven't) and are actually quite warm! They're very dark black and matte...not sort of shiny like some can be. I mean...shiny can be good but not when you're wearing something super tight on your derriere...haha...Anyway, I'm 5'7 and the length is great for me, but they also have them in petite. I'm typically a 4-6 and went with a small and they're great. I only say that b/c sometimes I go with a medium in tights/leggings but the medium was too big in these. Small was perfect. They're 50% off today and you won't regret it if you get these leggings. Trust me. I hadn't found a pair of leggings I liked...ever..until these. I mean they have like 600 positive reviews. Can't go wrong there. 

Link to leggings at Loft

* Eric and I met with our builder again last night and I think we're thisclose to final plans for our new house! We are both SO excited and so thrilled with what we've come up with. January will likely start demolition! We're moving the kitchen to another room, which will then move the dining room where the kitchen is and increase the living room space. We're adding an outdoor sitting area, a master suite and some other really fun stuff! I can't freaking wait to get started! That said, I'd better buy all the leggings and other stuff I can now b/c something tells me Eric is about to ground me from shopping when this gets underway...haha... And admittedly, I'm thrilled but also kinda bummed that this is likely the last Christmas in our little cottage house. I love this house! We just need a leetle more room for a potentially growing family (at some point...not yet). Wanted to share a pic of our tree and stockings in our casa this year. :) I really love our little decor set up this holiday. It may or may not need to stay up well into January... 

Annnd that's all I've got. Except I bit my cheek and now it's all weird. Don't you hate that? Aside from that, Tuesday is looking pretty good... I hope you have a good one, friends!

B/c maybe my coffee hasn't kicked in yet...

My life is FULL of things to be thankful for so to even rant or complain is often just...well...dumb. But when I re-read my posts and am all sunshine and daisies, that doesn't feel very authentic...haha...I mean we all get annoyed at things, right? So, while the things that annoy me are admittedly first world problems, I'm going to share some anyway...
* When people say "You aren't going to even pay attention to those dogs when you have kids someday." I hear this one A LOT. And I have to preface... It's not from friends, family or people who I know really well. It's typically acquaintances or pseudo strangers. And while friends/family have made allusions to it before and it still bothers me, it's more like "Oh goodness..what are you guys going to do with your fur kids when you have babies..." in a teasing/sweet way. But not rude like "YOU WILL DISREGARD ALL OTHER LIVING THINGS WHEN YOU HAVE BABIES." And yes...that is exactly how some people communicate it...maybe without the yelling caps lock on, but that's how it feels...lol! 

But anyway... here's my thing... Why even say that unsolicited comment? It's like you telling me "Look at this awesome thing I love" and me saying "Well, you won't even like it once you have something totally different that doesn't even relate at all." How is that even tactful or appropriate...or sensical?! And actually...it's not even like that b/c I am usually just hanging out and make a passing comment about our dogs when the unsolicited comments occur. And no, we don't have kids yet, so I feel as though any defense I have is basically fruitless to these comments and ends up just making me angrier, so I just say "Well, we'll see..."And okay... I get it. I'm sure we'll get frustrated at the pups more than we do when we have human babies...and won't baby them as much as we do...fine fine. But really... you're talking to someone who just joined a freaking legislative advocacy group to fight puppy mills. I love dogs. And I REALLY love mine. I didn't get a dog as a placeholder for a baby. I didn't get a dog b/c I thought it was fun. I got dogs b/c I love dogs. So for someone to say something like that to me is not only disrespectful, but also hurtful b/c they're insulting my love for my FAMILY. 
Sure...they're furry family...but they're my family. And really.. why say anything at all? Why the comparison I didn't even ask for? Dogs are not kids. Kids are not dogs.So yes.... they will be treated differently. I just don't get it. And it's not like we treat them like royalty now... I mean we walk them, we play with them, we enjoy them, we love them...I don't have sceptors or crowns for them. I don't get it. 
* Are you up to date on Walking Dead? If not...stop reading.... Have you stopped? Seriously.. Stop. B/c here comes a spoiler... I am mad they killed off Beth. Just when I was starting to like her. *sigh* I will miss her songs and goodness. Also she was starting to kick some butt and I liked that.   * I don't love allthedry skin. Allthedry is totally one word. I used to be on the swim team so with regular swim practices in high school, I grew a hatred for dry skin induced by chlorine. I am pretty much addicted to moisturizer. But I feel like nothing is working. Recommendations appreciated. :)
* Debates on Facebook. Good grief I can't stand that if I post something fairly benign, someone can fine a way step in and debate on it. If I was that person always engaging in debates or posting politically charged statuses, fine. But goodness. I have entirely better things to do than stir up stuff on Facebook. Sheez. It actually happened to me today on a post I never anticipated would create a debate...about our college's ex football coach. Sheez. Anyway....
* I travel to Houston for the last time this year later day...and I am so thrilled it's the last time! B/c I am over traveling. I want to be home. And let me say.. I love my job and am so thankful for it and the people I work with. But I'm just ready to settle in for the holidays and not have to pack all my toiletries in a one quart baggie. :)
If these are my biggest annoyances as of late, I'm doing pretty well, I think. Also the baby photo I posted in this post that found on a meme site sort of made my day...haha... Happy Wednesday, friends.