All About Pinterest

So, I have officially graduated from Aveda!

Woo hoo!

And I was hopeful that upon graduating I would dedicate my extra time to blogging. Evidently that has yet to happen, and I blame it on...

That site just consumes me. 

Whether scanning wedding images;

{so romantic}

 perusing hair and style photos;

{stunning}

or just getting ideas for dinner;

{Buffalo chicken wrap.. yum!}

 ...two minutes on pinterest quickly turns into twenty.

But the thing I love most about pinterest, it that it really helps me visualize my style, especially for decorating. 

I love the idea of picking out fabrics, and furniture, painting and hanging curtains, and then delving into the personal touches that make a house, a home. 

However, for me, this task has never been particularly easy.

Enter pinterest! 

Just from clicking 'Repin' on images that I like, I have created a whole board of my own photos that collectively capture my personal style... and I love it!!

Here are a few of my favorites...

I love clean, white rooms, that have a lush inviting feel, and I LOVE chandeliers!! 

Although decorating isn't a priority in our busy life right now, I can't wait to refer back to my inspiration boards when we are one day furnishing our dream home. 

But in the mean time, you can find me wedding planning, pinning, and hopefully sneaking in a blog or two :)

Are you on pinterest? Come find me, here

A Ticket That Hurts Deep

About a week ago, I got pulled over on my way to school.

The thing about being a girl, and getting pulled over, is that you always have this tinge of an expectation that you won't actually get a ticket.

In fact, as I was awaiting the cop to walk up to my window, I felt a sudden thrilling rush.. "How will I be able to get out of this one?" It was kind of like a challenge.

Instantly all of these great excuses started running through my head...
"I thought the speed limit was 65."
"My school just moved and I have rarely driven on these roads."
"I was just going with the flow of traffic."

But this mean cop, didn't give me, or my excuses, the time of day. He told me I was speeding, asked for my info, and walked away.

Five minutes later, would you believe it? He was back writing out a ticket!! My first one ever.

My friend Dominique was with me, and the first thing I asked him was, "what happened to my cuteness and charm?"

I began counting and realized, I have been pulled over six times (only once for speeding though!) But six times... and this is my first ticket, so I suppose I was due. But girls, am I alone, or is it a bit of an ego crush to get a ticket??

$135 later, I think my pride is hurting more than my bank account!!

It's 2012??

Is it really 2012? The past four/five months have been a complete blur!

Between football and school, trips to visit family and the holidays, I feel like time has truly flown by. Which leads me to my New Year's resolution (never mind that it took three days to come up with.. like I said, a blur) - to slow down, live in the moment, and indulge less.

I guess those could be considered three resolutions, but they are all of the same nature.

I am in the final stretch of my cosmetology program, and I want to enjoy the last few weeks that I have, while in the moment. Then we will be thrust full force into the final months of wedding planning, which I am determined to slow down and appreciate the process. Something that hasn't been easy with my busy schedule.

Looking back on the past month, there have been some wonderful events, but these images remind me that I need to work on simplifying my schedule in order to appreciate the here and now... so that my memories are more vivid than my photos.

Fun times with women on the team

Mike and me,  finding the perfect Christmas tree, decorating and wrapping gifts for our family and friends.

My little sister visiting from California, and going to a Bengals game with me

Celebrating the wedding of one of my close friends, with some of the greatest girls I know!

As it is time to say good bye to the incredible year that was 2011, I'm so looking forward to what this new year will bring. I will slow down, live in the moment and appreciate each new adventure. And, what better way to start than a trip to Houston, for the Bengals first playoff game?! 

2012, I am ready for you!

I Love You...and Your Little Quirks

Mike and I have been living together for about two and a half years; yet we are still learning about each other, and ourselves, every day.

Something that always gets us laughing, are the little traits we each have, that we probably wouldn't have even discovered if not for living together.  Here are a few of our laughable, loveable, strange little quirks.

Mike makes a nutritional "potion" every day. After mixing and drinking, it never fails that I will find the spoon in the glass, sitting in the sink, on the counter, or in the living room.

 Spoons in glasses, everywhere.

I  never shut things. Cabinets and drawers are always left just a little bit open. (Yet, apparently I "slam" car doors.)

Mike closes lids really, super tightly. I can always tell if he's had a drink from my water bottle because the lid is on so tight, that I can barely open it.

I will come home from school and leave a sweater or a jacket on the back of a chair... for days. I won't even notice, until Mike will finally ask, if I'm ever planning to put it away.

Good or bad, these little idiosyncrasies are what make us, us, so we can always laugh about them.. because, we love each other exactly as we are, quirks and all!

Do you and your hunny have any funny characteristics that you may not have realized, without each other?

Halfway There

I'm halfway through my cosmetology program, so as each class does, we got a week break from school. So in an effort to use my limited free time wisely, I decided to visit my college friends, my sister and see a close girl friend from Ohio get married in NC... all within seven days.

Here are a few pics from my tour across the country...

Arizona girlies

Sisters in California

Columbus friends with Ashley, the gorgeous bride!

Although it was an amazing trip, I feel as though I spent half of it in an airplane, I am in need of a vacation, from my vacation. But still, I can't believe I'm half way finished with school, and then our wedding will be right around the corner! Time does fly.

Before I sign off,  I can't post without a shout out to the Bengals for beating the undefeated Bills on Sunday! And congrats to my man for a last second fg that put the team on top!

{photo}

It's gonna be a good year!

Football's Back

Football season has finally started. I am sad I missed out on getting into a Fantasy league this year, but at least things are going well for my 'reality' team!

The Bengals kicked off their season with a 9/11 tribute that brought tears to my eyes..

Here's a pic of Mike about to kick off at the start of the game. The Bengals beat the Browns, and he had a great game!

It was a little scary being a Bengal's fan at the "Dawg Pound", but luckily we had a great group of friends for support:

Hope your team had a winning weekend, unless of course your a Browns fan! ;)

The Things That Make Us Happy

One of my best, best friends, Carly, was in Ohio this weekend. She was in town for a wedding, so I just got to see her for one night, but even just a guaranteed fun dinner with great girl talk was worth the drive back to Columbus to see her!

To say Carly's life has been busy lately would be a giant understatement, and I have been going pretty non-stop recently as well. So, as we were talking about how exhausting it can be, even when you're busy with fun and exciting things, we realized we were both feeling a mutual distress. 

When life gets crazy, we tend to sacrifice the things that make us happy. For me, its yoga, running outside, blogging, reading, making dinner with my fiancee. 

Between school and the wedding planning, I find time to do a quick work out video when I get home, and then end up spending any down time watching mindless reality TV.  Don't get me wrong, I love RHW of just about every city, but there's only so much trashy television even this girl can take.

So, I'm making a vow, and I think every overworked female out there deserves to do the same. Even if it's just ten minutes a day... I need make time for the things that make me happy. Because those are the things that make me, me!