July Favorites

Favorite Show:

If you read my last blog post then you know my favorite show in July is actually the wedding special!  There were two this month, the Lachey wedding and the Hefner wedding (or lack there of).  My last blog post was about these two shows.  You can find it here.  That post actually started off as part of this post, but then I realized that I had written about 600 pages worth of critique.  It needed to be its own post.  Be sure to check it out to get the full effect of my July Favorites post! 

Favorite Book:

I read this book in one day!  (Actually I think it took me a day to read all of the books in the series.)  It was amazeballs!  I have missed these girls!  If you have not read these books, you need to get on it!  Yes, I began reading them in middle school/early high school, but my mom likes them as well.  They are about four best friends and the life changing ups and downs they face- death of a parent, growing up, dating, etc.  It is called the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants because they find a pair of pants that fit them all well regardless of their different body types.  They pass these around as a way to "be with each other" even though they are all apart on summer vacations.  There are also two movies based on the books.  Have you seen them?

The movies were good, but I think the books are way better (obvi).  The last book just came out and it takes place ten years after the last one, so the girls are 29.  It has more of an adult feel than the others, but the girls are also adults now too.  I do think the author wrote this book in a way where you could read it without reading the others (she explains things well), but I recommend reading the previous books to really get to know the girls.  Its not really a spoiler alert because it happens immediately, but one of them dies!  You'll feel for all the characters more if you know them like they're your friends (and the previous books give you that relationship).  Another cool thing about these books is that each chapter starts with a random quote from people like Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson.  I'm OBSESSED with quotes, so I LOVE this aspect!  (I'm not going to lie I remember going through one of the books and reading all the quotes before even starting the book ;o) If you read this, comment below and let me know what you think!

Favorite Experience:

My favorite experience is a triple tie!  It is between these three things:

a.  swimming with a manatee in the ocean

I realized that I didn't even include this in my 4th of July post.  Where was my head at?! (Puppies!) Anyway...while at the beach, someone spotted a manatee!  I died!  I had even talked about manatees to David earlier that trip.  They are just so cute and if they were fluffy I would totally cuddle with them.  Instead, I ran a little ahead of this one, caught up to it, and then swam with it along the coast for a bit.  Sadly, no pics :o(

b.  David and I learning to play tennis together- both being newbies

You might be wondering about this one because I can see its ability to sound lame, but let me explain.  I think every couple should have a indoor and outdoor activity they can do together.  While I did take golf lessons while in Florida, David is basically already a pro.  On the other hand, with tennis, we are both new and on an equal playing field.  This makes it easier for me to be better than him in the future! 

c.  Britney singing her final song, Till The World Ends (blog here)

Favorite Accessory:

I just bought these gorgeous nude pumps from BCBG.  Although I love shoes, I am not a Carrie Bradshaw willing to throw out tons of money especially on shoes- they go on your feet and touch the nasty ground daily.  These were priced at $89.00 and when I went to check out they were $20 off.  Go me!  Still more than I would normally pay, but I have been searching for these perfect shoes for a year!  I am so happy I found these.  Other ones I tried on were too high/striperish, too shiny, too tall, way too expensive...but these were juuuust right :o)

Favorite Food:

I have been strangely obsessed with guacamole since David's aunt made some at the beach.  I had never really had it until then (like as just a dip with chips).  Now, I have been dipping my quesadillas, chips, etc into it.  So yummy!  My mom bought these 100 calorie guacamole packs from Wholly Guacamole (cute, right?!).  They are all natural and super tasty.  I eat this as a snack with chips and lemonade.  Great summer snack.  How do you say delicious in Spanish?!

Favorite Makeup:

This summer I have been using the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Glow Sheers instead of my normal foundation.  I really like it because it is lightweight- basically a tinted moisturizer.  It also has SPF 30, so it makes it even more perfect for summer!  It is always a good idea to wear less makeup in the summer- foundation, eye shadow, etc because your skin needs a break.  Plus, you'll sweat it all off in this heat anyway!

Favorite Puppy:

This is an Australian Shepherd.  One of my professors had two Australian Shepherds, Canyon and Sullivan.  She trained them on Cherrio's to be class pets.  They would come to our class and just sit there calmly.  They are super smart dogs and easy to train.  While in Siesta Key, I saw the cutest mini Australian Shepherd puppy (pictured below).  I want one!

Favorite Face Wash:  

L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Anti-Breakout facial cleanser is still my go to cleanser.  I just bought a new bottle of it last weekend.  That means my previous bottle lasted two and a half months because I bought it in mid-May!  That is with washing my face morning and night, after I workout, and sometimes twice at night when I don't use makeup remover wipes.  Craziness!  You only need a dime sized amount and then it lathers really well.  Economical and effective. :o)   

Favorite Drink: 

If you haven't already noticed, this is Minute Maid's Pink Lemonade (in the can).  I had these in Florida and I fell in love.  I try not to drink soda, but sometimes drinking water gets boring.  These do have 150 calories and are probably the same as soda sugar wise (minus the carbonation of soda which I don't like to drink because it makes you bloated), but I don't drink them a lot.  (Although they go great with guacamole!)  Plus, they're PINK! 

Favorite Workout:

Wednesday morning I went to my first Zumba class.  Zumba is a great cardio workout.  It is basically a quick moving dance class.  I never stopped moving.  Even in between songs we were supposed to jump in place.  Supposedly, one can burn 400-1000 calories depending on factors such as your weight and how much you put into the class.  I will admit that some moves were difficult because they were so quick, but i just tried to keep moving.  I really enjoyed it.  Saturday morning I went back again to a hip-hop Zumba type class.  It was National Dance Day, so I had to celebrate!  I loved hip-hop Zumba (better than regular Zumba actually)!  It was choreographed to all popular dance songs on the radio.  It also had more hip-hop type moves than salsa moves which were easier for me to follow.  Don't get me wrong, the hip-hop Zumba class still kicked my butt.  I walked out of the gym looking like I just ran three miles!  The hip-hop Zumba lady said she would be coming to Lifetime Fitness twice a month- I cannot wait to go back!  Maybe I can drag my mom along...she refuses though.    

The Month of Wedding Specials

My favorite show this month would have to be the wedding special...or lack thereof. TLC aired a two hour wedding special featuring Nick Lachey (of 98* boy band fame) and Vanessa Minnillo (of MTV fame). The week before, Lifetime aired a special about the breakup of Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris, which was supposed to be a wedding special, but Crystal ripped out Hef's heart and stomped on it. I shall explain-

If you are like me you were addicted to the tv show, The Girls Next Door featuring Bridget, Kendra and Holly. These three girls were Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. Yes, that is unusual to normal people, but he is Hef! Plus, this is a vast improvement from the seven girlfriends he used to have after his marriage ended in 1998. I digress- so, everyone that watched the show knew how much main gf, Holly, was in love with Hef and just wanted to get married and have kids. Unfortunately, that ended...supposedly because Hef can't have kids. Hef got a new main girlfriend, Crystal Harris. He also was dating the Shanon twins, but that ended quickly (thank goodness, not a fan). To every one's shock, Hef ended up proposing to Crystal! You could've knocked me over with a feather. I've always been Team Holly. Anyway...fastforward to months later...a week before the wedding- Crystal dumps Hef!

The show discusses all of this from planning the wedding to Hef and Crystal commenting on the aftermath. To make matters worse, viewers found out they actually cancelled the wedding the week before, but Hef and Crystal decided to just go back to dating. Seemed fair enough to me, but oh no, Crystal said she could not stand to be in the house a moment longer. She created a secret plan to get both of her cars out of the mansion and then said she was making a trip to Walgreens, but by Walgreens she meant San Diego. That was the end of that. Now she has been doing publicity and being super mean to Hef (example: her interview with Howard Stern). I thought the special was fair to both Hef and Crystal. Hef has new girlfriends now because obviously he must keep up his playboy persona...but if you watched The Girls Next Door you know how much of a romantic and sap Hef is. I'm sure Crystal broke his heart. My only wish is that someday he gets back together with Holly. And hes like 85, so he doesn't have much time!

On a happier note, the wedding special of Nick and Vanessa was to die for!  I loved every part of their wedding!  The special begins with a brief overview of how they met and how Nick proposed.  Super cute story of him asking her to be in his music video, by the way.  (She responded- "talk to my agent"...I love it!)  So they basically planned this destination wedding in the British Virgin Islands in two months.  They didn't want paparazzi to be there, so they were very hush hush about the whole thing.  They didn't even tell their guests where they were going.  His mom was not too happy, but Nick thought she would blab to her nail salon and it would get back to the press.  Too funny!  They had multiple parties in LA and Cincinnati (Nick's hometown) to celebrate with everyone they knew.  They kept the actual wedding ceremony to just a few close friends and family. 

There were some emotional parts where Vanessa talks about missing her mother (she walked out on the family when Vanessa was eight).  Although it was sad, it seems like she is marrying into a wonderful family that loves her.  It was cute to see how close Nick/his family was to her.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were many fun, happy parts too.  Nick and Vanessa surprised everyone with a wedding weekend in the British Virgin Islands at Richard Branson's (he owns Virgin Mobile) private island, Necker Island.  Everyone seemed to have a great time relaxing and getting to know one another.  The couple even organized Wedding Olympics, fun games for everyone to participate in.  These included sumo wrestling and a relay race.  Team Nick against Team Vanessa.  There was also a sunset private catamaran cruise (which I've always wanted to do!).   

Anyway- back to the good stuff.  Vanessa wore a Monique Lhuillier gown.  It was actually two pieces- a sparkly one piece top with a puffy/semi ruched gown attachment.  I loved it!  You couldn't even tell it was two pieces, but the two pieces are actually quite practical.   She had a different dress for the reception, but she actually could have just changed skirts from a long one to a short one if she wanted.  That's what I probably would have done.  Below is the sketch of her dress.  Below that is a picture of Vanessa and Nick coming down the aisle. 

The reception was really pretty because the ceremony looked like it took place at sunset, so the reception took place after dark.  Everyone was dancing and eating cake.  They smashed cake onto each other's faces and then fell into the swimming pool behind them.  They also ran along the beach and played in the sand.  It looked like a fun party and a great wedding.  They make a really wonderful couple, so I hope they have a great marriage.  They've been dating for five years already, so they're off to a good start! 

The only negative thing about the whole special was that I was disappointed in their lantern send off.  While planning the wedding they made it seem like they were going to have lots of lanterns like at the end of The Hangover 2, but in actuality, they only sent off one.  I was very disappointed in this, but it was the only downside to the whole two hours!  I definitely recommend watching both if they play again!

Kate Middleton- Absolutely Love Her!

Back in middle school, I had the biggest crush on Prince William.  At this time, he was in high school at Eton and I just thought he was the cutest!  Plus, there was always that Cinderella/fairy tale aspect to him.  I am not going to lie, I was a little disappointed that he graduated college when I graduated high school.  I would've gone to St. Andrews ASAP for him.  :o) I had magazines and books about William and Harry.  I even have a collage I made in middle school of them still hanging in my room today! Sadly, this is no lie!  I must admit that currently, my middle school crush has vanished.  To be honest, I don't really think he has aged very well.  I had a conversation with my mom about this and she thinks he looks just the same, but I think Harry looks the same and William has changed the most.  Even ignoring the fact that he is balding, which doesn't bother me at all, he still looks different to me for some reason.

Anyway, my new obsession is Duchess Kate, Prince William's wife.  I love everything about her!  I love that she is living a Cinderella story- going from being an everyday person to the future Queen of England.  I also love that she is so well put together at all times.  Even after partying with William and Co. well into the morning hours, she would always leave the bars looking great.  I read a book about her and it mentioned that she actually doesn't drink much (just a few glasses of champagne) and that before she would leave the bars she would always run by the restroom and make sure she looked okay.  In today's world where girls think its cool to be sloppy, drunk messes, I admire Kate.  And look, she landed herself a prince by acting so "uncool".  Who would've thought?! 

In addition to being such a classy lady, I also adore Kate because, lets be honest, the girl can dress (and with no stylist!)!  Most of the pictures below were taken during Kate and William's North American tour.  (I am so bummed I missed it, by the way.)  I think they always look so great together.  They are just the cutest couple.  I love that they dated for so long before getting married- unlike his parents who only went on a handful of dates (not that I don't love Diana...more on that later).  I definitely hope they last! 

Kate is wearing a fascinator in the picture above and below.  I am strangely obsessed with these types of accessories after the Royal Wedding.  They are just headpieces that include flowers, beads, and/or feathers and they attach to hair by using a clip, comb or headband.  Obviously, they come in all styles and colors.  In these pictures, Kate is wearing one with a maple leaf on it since she is in Canada.  I love how she went with the Canada theme!  Too cute!  Is it cool if I have people wear these at my wedding even though I'm not in Great Britain?! (Hey, maybe I will be...Harry is still single ;o)

I also love that Kate is brave enough to buy white.  (Yes, she buys her clothes.  She might rent them too, but I know she doesn't accept free clothes.)  Usually people avoid white because they think it gets dirty easily and that it doesn't always photograph well, but Kate rocks it!

While in North America, William and Kate hit up the BAFTA "Brits to Watch" event, which was filled with celebrities.  The picture above is of them arriving to the event.  Can I just say- FABULOUS!?  I love the flowiness of her dress.  Her hair, makeup, and accessories look gorgeous as always.  Can we talk about her hair for a bit?! 

I love that she gets blowouts, which are actually really popular now.  Blowout bars are popping up all over the country especially in NYC and LA.  Basically, its just a place that washes and blowdries your hair.  Yes, you can do that in the privacy of your own bathroom for free, but isn't it always wonderful when someone else is playing with your hair?  Obviously,  I wouldn't recommend going to one all the time, just for a wedding or a girls night out type event.  I doubt Kate gets them done all the time either- just for public appearances.  This summer I have just been letting my hair air dry naturally or I blow dry it instead of using a straigtener on it like usual.  I haven't straigtened my hair since May!  Obviously, I do this because its summer, but I also have been inspired by Kate a bit too.  Plus, its better for your hair, ladies!

Another thing I love is that Kate has been rocking the nude pumps trend.  I love this trend and have actually been looking for nude heels since last spring!  (I finally got some AMAZING ones from BCBG!)  They are supposed to make you look taller and slimmer, which is never a bad thing.  I also feel like they make me look tanner too- another plus.  Kate, Pippa (her younger sister), and their mother all wear these heels.  What a trend setting family they've got.  :o)

Also notice that Kate wears sheer pantyhose with every dress at every appearance.  Some might say that Kate is committing a crime of fashion here since pantyhose went out with the 80's (unless you're like 40+), but actually this is royal protocol.  I wonder if Kate has the fashion icon ability to bring these back into style for the younger generations?  They are flying off shelves in the UK at least.  We'll see what happens in the US.  I actually don't think they look bad at all.  They give her legs a little sheen and we all know pantyhose suck you in (never a negative where I'm concerned). 

As mentioned previously, I also loved Princess Diana, another royal fashion icon.  Although her life was very different from Kate's life, they seem a lot a like.  They both carry themselves well and both have a great sense of style.  I like the picture above comparing the two of them.  I only hope that after a few years of getting situated into the royal life that Kate gets involved in charities as much as Princess Diana did.  She does have some big shoes to fill, if I do say so myself.

To be a fashion icon, I believe you must have a good body as well.  I mean, no one wants a dirty old canvas to paint a masterpiece on, right?  Not that I think a fashion icon needs to be super skinny (and I actually think Kate is getting a little too thin), but they definitely need to take care of themselves.  Kate has always been very active and has participated in hockey, swimming, tennis, and rowing.  The picture above is of Kate vacationing with William before they were engaged.  I remember this picture came out and it was the first time people realized she had a great body!  She is definitely my fitness inspiration as well as my fashion inspiration. 

I know this post has been super long and random and it jumps from topic to topic from time to time.  I apoligize, but its almost over!  I just wanted post this picture of Chelsy Davy, Harry's on and off again girlfriend (currently off).  Can we just focus on the differences between her and Kate for a second.  She looks like a train wreck and this isn't even that bad of a picture.  She is definitely one of the girls that must think its cool to be a drunk, sloppy mess like I mentioned above.  I mostly just wanted to post this picture to end on this note: 

Stay classy ladies and always think- What Would Kate Do?

Sidenote:  I love the picture below- the hair, boots, sparkly dress. I die!  I didn't add it into my post pictures above, but it is probably my favorite dress Kate has worn.  I have searched the internet for something like it.  I figure replicas of her dresses would be coming out of the woodworks by now, but I have had no luck.  If you find something similar, please tell me!  I must have it!  Also, leave comments on your thoughts about Kate- love her or hate her, favorite outfits, etc.  I'd love to hear feedback!

Friday Favorites- 7/29

Happy Friday, everyone!  Have you had a good week?  Doesn't matter because its finally Friday! 

Welcome to Bora Bora!  I want to go here so bad...or Tahiti...or anywhere with these beach huts over the water where you can basically wake up, walk two feet and dive into the ocean.  Yes, please.  Sign me up!

Ok, these are supposed to be jello shots, which is cool but even if this was regular jello I would still be impressed.  To make these: you cut the orange in half, fill it with jello and when it hardens you slice it.  Genius!  Plus, you can always use the oranges for soccer game half time snacks or sangria. 

So- I don't particularly like this picture, but it reminded me of this great idea I saw one time.  For a birthday or bachelorette party, you make a bouquet of suckers like this and you sell them at the bar for $1.  Basically, guys are the only ones that would buy them, but it would be fun and a great money maker.  Even though no one would buy a sucker (except for me) under normal circumstances, they will want to buy one from a candy bouquet!  How can you resist?!

These are hilarious for back to school!  If I had long nails, I would totally rock these.  Maybe I will try to think of something tacky for short nails instead. 

This is the perfect office!  I might do the walls more Tiffany blue than mint blue...but I want this!

Is this real life?!  Maybe I should have been an architect (I wanted to be one when I was younger), so I could design my own future amazeballs house!?  Yes, I think so.

Magical.  I love snow fall.  I wish I had a picture of me like this.  Its perfect!  I would stand there and play the soundtrack to Harry Potter. 

This just makes me smile :o)

I think this would actually be an amazing engagement ring.  I usually don't like color with those, but this is too gorgeous.  I love the light blue and the vintage feel.  I would just stare at it forever.

I already have a lovely black coat and I think it needs a friend- like this perhaps?

I love flowers wrapped in paper.  I never see it in real life, but it happens in movies like You've Got Mail all the time.  I love that these have sparkly broaches too.  They go perfectly with the plain brown paper.  These are too pretty!

I adore this!  Pretty, pretty princess in PINK!

This is a cenote!  They have them all over, but this one looks like it is one of the ones near Cancun.  Cenotes are like sink holes.  They are caves, but the roofs have collapsed to form this open pool area.  People swim, snorkel, and scuba dive in them.  I want to be one of them!

This is the new matte nail color with regular nail color on the tips.  Maybe I will try out the matte finish soon. 

I love these outdoor plastic chairs!  Too cute!

These are plastic silverware chairs hung on the wall with hooks for necklaces.  This is a super cute idea.  I always have an issue with necklaces because they never fit in my jewelry holder.

The Carrie Bradshaw of Yoga

My good friend from high school, Donna Burke, was picked to write a blog post for Atlanta Yoga Scene every other Friday!  She has been doing this for a couple weeks now, but this week is extra special.  Donna created a vlog = video blog instead of just a typed blog!  I used to do vlogs back in the day and Donna and her family have always been supportive of my vlogs, so I wanted to give hers a shout out!  It is a lot of work to come up with things to say, to edit, and then finally post it to YouTube.  Today's vlog is about her top 5 favorite yoga accessories.  Donna works at Atlanta Activewear in Virginia Highlands, so she knows ALL about this subject.  The cool thing is that some of her top 5 picks are great accessories for ANY type of workout not just yoga.  My favorite would have to be the Sweaty Bands.  I have a pink Diva Band (pictured below) because I love to sparkle even while working out!  Everyone check out her vlog below and post comments telling her how much you love it!  Also, be sure to watch until the very end because there is a really cool surprise, I promise!  I have posted some other links involving Donna and Atlanta Activewear at the bottom of this post if you want to check them out!  Happy workout!

Rockin' my pink Diva Band!

Donna's Twitter:  @YogaInHeels
Atlanta Yoga Scene Twitter:  @AtlYogaScene
Atlanta Activewear Website
Atlanta Activewear FB Page
Atlanta Activewear Twitter:  @AtlActivewear

Friday Favorites- 7/22

Happy Friday!  I cannot believe that it is already July 22!  It is almost the 8th month of the year, which means its almost Christmas, which means its almost the end of the year?!  Blows my mind!  But, I must say I am super excited because I love all of the things that come along with fall- school (I need to get a job ASAP because it is weird it being my first fall with no school!), colorful leaves, Halloween, football, Thanksgiving, Fantasy of Trees in Knoxville, TN, Christmas season, NYE...ahh, it is my favorite time of year!  Is it too early to be ready for all of this?!  Anywoo- back to my favorites for this week!

These are anti-theft bags.  Genius!  They have fake mold spots on the bags so people won't steal your lunch.  This is too hilarious.

So, I am definitely a girly girl and love all things girly, but this boys room is too cute.  If I have the ability to recreate it with my future family then I definitely will. 

These book stairs are too cute especially leading too a children's room, but honestly who has separate stairs leading to a kid's room unless they are locked in the attic or something. 

Umm, I want these cookie dough truffles now!

This is a Lilly Pulitzer dressing room, but like the dressing room at Victoria's Secret (hot and light pink strips), I would totally recreate it.  I would do different words obviously, but I like the black cursive on pink paint.

This is too cute.  I want to hug an elephant.

Someday, this will be me.  Oh yes, someday :o)

baby + koala = i die.

These are pink and zebra cookies.  They are too cute and totally reminded me of my friend, Jessica.  Perfect idea for her birthday coming up- the big 25! yay!

This is so princess-y.  I can see Kate Middleton, and myself, wearing it :o) I love the flow and color.

This is just a really cool photograph. 

I adore these shorts!  I have been looking for ones in black, navy, white and khaki with a bow just like this. 

So simple and yet I have never seen this, but who doesn't like strawberry shortcake and kabobs?!  I love both!  Plus, one could add some whipped cream or chocolate dipping sauce to make these even more yummy!

I know veils are traditional and I doubt I could ever pull this look off, but I have always loved this type of wedding look.  It is so old Hollywood!  It reminds me of Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.

This is so funny!  And I must admit that I miss Thin Mints already!

True Story.

I can see this being true.  :o)

I really want to go down this water slide.  I wonder if it goes slow enough to see the animals above you. 

I'm not going to lie, this strangely fascinates me.

I think my Aunt Cindy made this once when we visited her in Alabama.  I definitely need to ask for the recipe! Yum!

Too cute! "I'm flyinnnng!"

I know I always put wedding dresses on here that I love, but this one I Love!  So glamorous and elegant.  I could see Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn wearing this for sure. 

Red velvet brownies with cream cheese frosting. I die!  These look almost as good as Red Velvet Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory...almost.  I must find this recipe too.