Salon Effects

So many prints to choose from!

I tried Salon Effects today, for my nails. This is the stick-on kind of manicure that you can buy at the store.  Here's the one that I bought:

Pink Glitter

And here's how it turned out:

Sorry if it's a bit blurry...apparently the sparkliness created a reflection! I got a sparkly metallic pink color and I love it! It was a bit difficult to figure it all out, but once I got the hang of it, it wasn't so bad.  I think next time I try it, I'll be a pro at it! 

I saw another on that had words on it, like a newspaper, but in cursive font.  I loved it! I might try that one next.  Or maybe a crazy animal print! 

OMG...I was looking online for images for this, and look what popped up!

Um yeah, I think we know which one I'll be trying next! SAweeeeeet! 

No wonder I love this new job!

Mini Zipper Pouch



All-In-One Organzier

I get to sell cute bags like these...and when I buy them it's great marketing for me, since everyone sees them and asks questions!

Score!

I'm using the top one as a pen holder for when I do 31 parties (I figured it would be good because then everyone is passing it around and admiring it!)

I'm thinking of using the pink one as a (cute and stylish) car trash can. 

:) 

I'm so excited -- my first Thirty-One party is tomorrow and I'm hosting it at my house.  This will be the first time we will have a lot of people over at once since we've moved in.  I LOVE hosting and having people over, so I'm excited I can finally do it!

Birthday Weekend Post

*I wrote this while we still didn't have cable :)

Birthday Weekend


Friday-


Everyone at school wished me a Happy Birthday all day long, including my students. I felt very loved! My co-worker got my some beautiful sun-flowers, while another got my favorite snickerdoodle cupcakes from this awesome Cupcake Bakery down the street from my school. A student of mine got me a half dozen cupcakes from the same place too! (She got me 2 red velvet, 2 cookies and cream, and two key limes). One of my homeroom students brought in some Halloween cookies for me. Another homeroom student gave me a Starbucks giftcard (the parents of this student brought me a pumpkin spice latte in the middle of the day, the day before). A student from my math class got me a Coach wristlet! No joke! I was shocked!




Red Velvet <3

 So I ate a snickerdoodle cupcake during lunch and enjoyed every single bite of it (pretty sure I moaned a bit, that’s how awesomely scrumptious those things are). Right after school ended, I got ready for my Happy Hour at Howl at the Moon in Baltimore, which is a dueling piano bar. I re-curled my hair and painted my nails at school, before leaving. When I got to the bar, my friend Kelly was waiting outside. We both went in, and were shortly joined by four of my co-workers. As the night went on, I had a total somewhere around 18 people or so that came. It was soooo much fun!

However, if you’re easily embarrassed, you should be warned that Howl at the Moon is not the place you want to go to on your birthday! Within the first hour of being there, they asked if it’s anyone’s birthday or not, and of course my whole section of friends made it very clear that it was. The entire bar, yelled “Get on stage, Jess!” When I got on stage, they had me place my hands on the piano facing away from the bar of people and shake my bum while they played music! Thankfully, I had two friends who went with me! It was a bit embarrassing, but funny. Later on, my old roommate put a song request in, with another request: to put the birthday girl Jess on the piano as they played. She told me she did this, and I was really hoping they wouldn’t see it or ignore it…NOPE! They asked me to get on the piano. They gave me a stuffed black cat, and started singing about something that rhymes with…mussy. It was pretty raunchy, but it was amusing nonetheless. Although I didn’t appreciate the longggg time I was up there in front of the entire bar, I think I was a pretty good sport about it and made the most fun out of it.


The night went on for a bit, and I was there for around 5 hours or so. I was happy to have a mix of people all in one place: some family (cousins) came, my sister and some mutual friends of ours, my co-workers, my guy, my friends and their hubbies, etc. It was a really great way to spend my birthday. Dan and I left after a while, and started walking to our cars. When I almost reached my car, I got a text message that I had won some crazy prize from the bar and reached “rockstar status.” My sister grabbed it for me, since I had just left. She said it was some pass that would make it so I never had to pay a cover again at that bar, and I could skip the line when I get there every time as well. Sweet!


Later that night, I uploaded my steps** from my pedometer to the internet for the last time for my school competition. I was in the lead last night at 11:30pm (it ended at midnight) so I’m pretty sure that I won, but I’m not totally sure. I’ll keep you updated.

** I TOTALLY WON THE CHALLENGE! OHHH YEAAAA **

Also, I should mention that when I came home, I came home to some beautiful flowers from my awesome boyfriend! :)

Saturday-

We woke up, got showered and ate some breakfast and left the house to go to… TIFFANY’s!!! Although it took some major deciding, I decided on a beautiful heart pendant necklace. It’s super sparkly and feminine and awesome and I LOVE it! Dan wanted me to experience it all with him, and also make sure that I get something I really wanted, so he decided to take me with him, as opposed to surprising me with something he had picked out. Then we met up with his brother and sister-in-law to help them move some couches. We spent some time with them for a bit, and of course we had to stay long enough so that we could see our special K. :) We left there, came back here and then took a two hour nap. So far, so good! What a great day! 

What a great weekend! (I didn't go back to write about Sunday, and now I forget, so Friday and Saturday is all you get!)

Why must I have such expensive taste?!

I am not someone to go right for expensive jewelry.  BUT I happen to LOVEEEEEEE a lot of the necklaces at Tiffany's right now, and it's frustrating how pricey they are!  Here's some background: necklaces are my thing and always have been; particularly a single pendant on a simple pendant.  Heart jewelry is especially my thing.  I also enjoy stuff that represents teaching too, like apples.

So you can imagine how much I have been swooning over all of these pieces of jewelry:

I know I already bought myself a chi for my birthday, but I may need to indulge in something shiny too...it's soo tempting!

Our first piece of art!

"Virginia Tech Love" by ArtSharkDesigns at Etsy

So we picked out a piece of art together! For the first time EVER! Yes! Our first buy for our house that we will be moving into in October.

I'm going to get a black frame for it.  I'm SO excited!  If you didn't know, it's a picture of a couple walking on the campus of Virginia Tech.  I love how the picture is mostly black and white with just a splash of color and I love that it incorporates Vtech since we spent a large part of our relationship in Blacksburg when Dan was going to school there.  I'm so excited about this and can't wait to hang it up! :)

These boots are made for walking...and shopping

Ok so the other night I went looking for a one piece bathing suit.  I have been meaning to get back into swimming because I love it and it's a fun workout.  But I only have two piece bathing suits, and those don't work well when you're actually trying to swim.  So first I tried Ross, and they didn't have a single bathing suit out at all! I happened to pass by the shoe section and scored some really cute brown suede boots (on the left above) for 20 bucks! (And with no sales tax since it was no sales tax week!).  I have been looking for some cute brown boots! On the way out of the store, I remember thinking how funny it is that now all 3 pairs of boots that I own are suede...

This is ironic because after Ross I went to Target to look there (they didn't have anything for me as far as a good swimming suit went either) and found some cute brown leather-looking boots! (on the right above)  I almost didn't get them because I really don't need to be spending money on boots, but the Fall is coming sooner than I think, and I know that I will get a lot of use out of them for work and such.  So I got them. 

Can you blame me for being such a sucker?! They're so cute!

Lots of Colors

I got my hair done yesterday.  It turned out completely different from what I had pictured/wanted, but I'm pretty happy with it.  It's funky and fun, and definitely different from what I normally do.  Plus, it's just hair right?  I'll probably change it up again in another month.  So whatev!

What do you think?

New Bling!

I just bought this baby today at Amazon :)

I had a gift certificate from doing this online teaching survey, so when I found a very affordable, pretty amethyst/diamond accent square ring, I decided why not?!  This didn't cost very much at all, but I'm still considering it a nice piece of jewelry for myself!

Hmmm, is it time for a change? (again)

Still not happy with the blog's title.

It used to be "Writing is my best outlet" because it is...but then it sounded too cheezy for me.

Then it's Live Love Write...but I'm not in love.

I need some ideas!

I was thinking "Write On" would be kinda funny, but not sure. What do you think?

Maybe something with journal in it? Or teach? Or thoughts? voice of a teacher? It's not all about teaching though...so I'm just not sure! Curious ramblings of a twenty something year old? Random reflections of a self-confessed organization nerd?

Something with teaching or life in general in the title could work too...

It's so hard to choose a great blog title!

Needed a change

Like the layout and design?

I needed something new, and found this super cute background. :) It's so happy and colorful. Exactly what I need right now!

:)

I'm just full of love today...for etsy!

Check out these cute prints from "The Big Harumph" etsy shop.

LOVE it!

Ha, I also love this one:

I'm in love....with this Etsy Shop!

Check out these awesome prints from one of my new favorite etsy shops, Volume 25!

Don't you love it?? :)

It's been a while!

Ok, I'm still alive! I've just been crazy busy! But I've been having fun too, so it's cool. :)

My birthday was awesome! I had some great family time and some time with my best friends as well. Georgetown cupcakes made a delicious apperarance, as well as Maggiano's wonderfully italian food. :) Here are just a few of the awesome gifts that I received:

Hand-Stamped Teacher Necklace from Etsy :)

Wooden Love Sign <3

A fabulous dress that I ended up wearing to Amy's Wedding

Some fantasticly bright stud earrings from my favorite Etsy Shop


So all in all, it was a great birthday!!

~~~

In other news, the working out early just doesn't work for me. It's too hard and if anything it makes me less motivated. So I'm just going to have to figure it out in the evenings. Which I have been doing pretty regularly lately. I'm still going to my Pilates classes and although I missed the last 2, I will continue going to the Zumba classes. I've also been working out at the gym here and there as well. :)

Hope all is well with you all!

Early Mid-Life Crisis??

So lately, I feel as though I'm constantly thinking of the things that I have always wanted to do, but have yet to do so far. I'm thinking about several things all at once, and it makes me wonder if in the back of my mind, it's because I know I'm getting older and sooner or later I will get to the point where doing some of these things won't be possible anymore...so I should just do them now.

What things you ask? Well, I just so happened to make a collage to showcase a few of them...

1. Buy myself an awesome diamond necklace. I've never really bought myself something really nice, and I've always thought that it would just be nice to be able to do that for myself. I'm in the market for a heart necklace (big surprise!). For those of you who don't know, I am all about heart jewelry. I'm not really sure why, but hearts have just always been my thing. I've found a possible winner, but I'm still on the lookout for something amazing. I'll probably be doing that in the next month or so as my birthday gift to myself. :)

2. Take a dance class again. I have been dancing all of my life!! I took ballet classes when I was younger, jazz classes as I got older, dance in high school, joined a company in college, and continued dancing through theatre throughout high school and college. I miss it! I miss stretching every day, learning new combinations, working on form, performing...all of it! I've looked into taking classes at HCC before, and I think I may start looking again for this Spring. It's just something that I really want to do again. Last Spring I took a Hip Hop class with a friend through Parks and Rec. That was fun, but I really miss the authenticity of taking a class at a dance studio.

3. Get a tattoo. I've talked about this before, and it's still on my mind constantly. I'm not sure exactly when I will be doing this, but it is for sure now, and will most likely happen before the end of the year.

4. Learn how to play the acoustic guitar. It's just a cool thing to know how to do!! I have always been interested in music (I played the flute in band for 9 years) and the guitar is such a laid back-have-fun kind-of instrument.

5. Learn how to do a back walk-over and/or back handspring. Ok, I know this sounds odd, but when I was younger, I LIVED to do gymnastics. My parents couldn't afford the classes, so I was never really in gymnastics classes, but I practiced and pretended as though I was every day outside in our backyard. I would do round-offs, cartwheels, splits, and of course land with my arms in the air and a smile on my face just like the pros. BUT I never quite learned how to do a backwards walk-over and I've always wanted to!! A back handspring would be even more awesome, but I think for right now a back walk-over would be more realistic. (Google them if you're not sure what I'm talking about, there is a difference). I can already get into a bridge from standing up, so I'm half-way there. PLUS the music teacher at my school is a gymnastics teacher and she said she could help me (yes, I actually asked her...I'm serious about all of this stuff, people!). I'll keep you updated on my progress.

6. Learn how to line dance. I already know a few dances, but I SO want to be one of those people who just walk into a line dancing bar and just chime in oh-so-effortlessly. There's a place around here that gives lessons once a week, and my roomie and I have been talking about going here and there to brush up on our skills.

7. Take a cruise! This plan is already into action. Dan and I are planning on taking a cruise for our 3 year anniversary (which is 18 days from now!) in the Spring, during my Spring Break for school. We plan on going to the Western Caribbean. I can't wait!!

8. Learn how to play the piano. I never had much interest in the piano when I was younger, UNLESS my grandfather was playing. He was the most amazing pianist. He played the piano for 2 hours a day since he was 5 years old, played in all of these well-known concerts, played with jazz bands, etc. It was awesome. Since he passed, I've missed hearing the piano. I'm very intrigued by it and I really think it would be great to play. Dan is interested as well, and we have even talked about having a piano in our house one day to encourage our curiosity. :)

9. Travel the world! Ok, so this goal won't happen overnight. BUT I would like to start somewhere! Other than Canada, I have never been out of the country!! And as far as this country goes, I have only ever been on the East Coast! I personally feel that that is sad! I need to see the world! I want to taste new foods, experience new culture, meet new people, speak new languages and just live! I'm sure my cruise in April will give me the travel bug and influence me to start planning more trips. Europe is most-likely my next out-of-this-country stop. As far as within the U.S., I have been wanting to go to California to visit some family as well as travel through wine country, so maybe that will be my next US trip.

Well, that's it for now. I know there's more, but I tried to keep it to 9 (mostly because that's how many collage pictures I had, lol).

Do you have a yearning to do something special anytime soon?

I'm in love!

While helping Jen find some ideas for her bridesmaid dresses, I found this beauty...

Kneelength, sleeveless, comes in a variety of 42 colors, it's pretty reasonably priced considering it's a bridesmaid dress and they usually go for big bucks (only $135) ANDDDDD drumroll please...

IT HAS POCKETS!!

I'm in love!! No, I'm not planning my own wedding currently....BUT you better believe this dress will be on my mind when I do (or something very similar).

I also love this one too...this is the same one that a friend of mine had at her wedding in this color (apple):

Bonus: They're so cute and fun, they could be worn to other events or other fun occasions!

What do you think?

I changed the layout and design of my blog. I felt like it was time for a makeover. Let me know what you think!

:)

You know you're happy when...

you smile to yourself when no one else is around :)

Reasons to be happy right now:

1. I have a fantastic boyfriend who I know I'll be with forever. He makes me feel very loved and I can't wait until we're closer to each other and together all the time!

2. I finally found a cute makeup bag/train case to hold my all of my makeup! Bonus: Polka Dots!

<--Polka Dots!! :)

<--Notice the cute blue and pink stripes on the inside!

3. I have one of the 2 outfits I need to have for Dan's Graduation this weekend!

I found this at Ross a couple weeks ago for under $20!

<--I wanted to make it more nice looking and not as summery/beachy so I found this cute cable knit sweater at Target today. I have a newfound love for yellow. Last year I was all about the gray. This year, it's yellow.

The only thing I'm not so sure about is which shoes to wear...I don't have any yellow or blue shoes and I don't really want to go buy some. I do have some nude colored wedges that could go with it. I also have some simple black heels that basically look like a classier flip flop with a pointy heel. What do you guys think?