Happy Monday

via

Those in the mental health field may find this a bit funnier than others, but poor, poor Monday... he has so many haters!! 

Happy Monday y'all!! 

♥,

Nicole 

10,000 viewers!!!

How did I miss this event??

I have been waiting on this event since my blog hit 1,000 viewers.

I took a glimpse and realized that sometime in the last week, my blog has hit

10,000

viewERS!!!!

This is a big deal to me...not quite sure why, but it is so I will do a little internal celebrating tonight! 

I started counting viewers in January 2010 but the website I use to count my statistics only shows me the past 52 weeks' information. Dumb. I don't know how many people viewed my blog before January 2010, but knowing that I started counting after I started my blog makes my heart smile knowing the number is even higher than it says! 

I selected the setting to count the number of individual people that visit my blog, not the number of times the public views my blog... that way I can say this many PEOPLE have seen it- and that just makes it a little more awesome!! 

Thank you, Blogger, for having a super convenient Pageviews link that gives you all kinds of stats on your blog.  I was curious, so I went to see which of my entries have gotten the most hits, and this is what I found:::

Thank you to all my friends and random people to have stumbled upon my blog! It's CRAZY to think that people from the USA, Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, the Philippines, Australia, Ukraine, and the Netherlands have viewed my blog!! 

Keep on comin' back y'all! And comment, comment, comment! I love to get random comments from people I didn't know knew my blog existed. If you're one of those people, click that FOLLOW button and stay connected!! ;) 

What I've been doing to occupy my time

I have been a super horrible blogger but it hasn't been because I wanted to be!! I always have so many things going on and I've been taking pics on my iPhone with every intention of blogging about them!! Here are some very very random things I've wanted to blog about...

• Taylor Swift's Journey to Fearless is on Netflix Instant. Do yourself a favor and watch it. It's so stinkin' uplifting, positive, and if you have a daughter, I highly encourage you to let her listen to Taylor Swift. There's not many singers out there that know and care that they "help raise today's youth" and Taylor is one of them. Who am I kidding? Y'all know I love me some Taylor Swift. AND, HOW DID I NOT KNOW that she had a Speak Now DVD out?? Netflix, you should have informed me of this!! That's next on my to-watch list.  Seriously, I just need to meet Taylor. 
• So, I've still been working on healing my hair.  My friend got me a keratin treatment that was on sale at Cosmo Prof. My hair needed some serious protein to build it back up to its original health! I'm not even going to lie... the stuff worked like a miracle from God!! My hair is dramatically less crazy and the ends don't look near as fried. I'm getting another to use next month.  I learned you're not supposed to use an excessive amount of keratin on your hair, because too much protein isn't a good thing. It'll actually damage your hair. So, I'll wait a month & use it again.  I can't wait!! I used Paul Mitchells' Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratin Intensive Treatment.  It comes with two tubes of keratin in an oil-like form. I used both on my hair (or, Addi did), and then you put the mask on it for about 10 mins.  I still have some of the mask to use in a couple days!! :) The stuff was on sale for $5 at Cosmo Prof!! I seriously need to get my cosmetology license just to be able to shop there on a regular basis. You would not BELIEVE the mark-up that salons and stores add to their products!! It's highway robbery for sure. For example, something that would be $12ish at Cosmo Prof I found at Target for $35.99!! No joke! So, between that keratin treatment today & Addi introducing me to Kenra products... I think I see some hair product shopping occurring in my near future.
• Did I tell y'all that I got Alex and iPad for our anniversary?? Yep, three years (this go-round), and all he can talk about is wanting an iPad (and a jet ski, but that's another story). Since they went down $100 when the iPad3 came out, and since there wasn't a dramatic difference in the 2 and the 3 to justify $100, I saved a bit of money & splurged for a 2. :) He was super surprised (after he realized it wasn't a digital picture frame) and he hasn't put it down since! Seriously. It's getting pretty sad.  Between Temple Run and Zombie Highway, I can't seem to get his attention! He's busy this weekend, so I forced begged him to let me use it this weekend. Yep, I bought it and I have to fight to get some time on it.  I see His and Hers iPads in our future. I'm finding the Psychology section of Stumble Upon really interesting.  Does that make me a nerd?
• My dad's painting some furniture for me... remind me to blog about that later!! I made sure to get "before pics" and I'll for sure take some after pics. 
• I got a pair of prescription eyeglasses on Coastal.com for a STEAL!!! I seriously saved over $300 since I bought there instead of at my eye doctor's office. Remind me to blog about that too. It deserves its own blog as well.
• I'm teaching my grandparents to Skype. Yep, you heard me right. They're tickled to death because Pawpaw gets to SEE his uncle that he hasn't seen in YEARS. That makes my heart smile! :) 
• And so does the fact that Pawpaw is continuing to lose weight, get his kidney function up, and feel great!! He even got in Mom's car today & drove around the block for a while. Don't laugh- it was a big deal!! We love that man and we are so glad to say that he is doing well. :) 
• I got highlights. Yeah, I can't go long without coloring my hair.  I'm working towards the lots of different colored highlights look. But I know I'll have to build up to it, especially after all the damage I did to my hair when I got that body wave perm. 
• I got my first Birchbox in the mail!! Remind me to blog about that too... (See?!?!) 
• I discovered What We Should Call Me and flooded my twitter with my favorite posts. I thought they were all hilarious but some of them were mirroring my life!! My friend Becky thought that I had a virus... LOL... no, that's just me, sharing the love!! Here's a great example.
• And I've lost 7 lbs!! Woohoo!! 

I think that about sums it up.
I told you I've had a lot on my mind to blog about. :)
Until later...

♥,
Nicole 

Hope during your season of waiting

I just wanted to remind those of you out there that have forgotten (while also reminding myself) that God is so so so good and when we think that we are missing out, it's just because He has a much more perfect plan for us.  We just see the here and now and often forget to look outside of our box and see how our disappointments could possibly be for the better. I vow to continue to try my hardest to keep the faith that God knows what He's doing and knows what's best for me more than I do.  Just when you think you can't take anymore, God finds a way to surprise you with the most richest blessings! Being patient, keeping faith, and (here's the kicker) attempting to not be so darn anxious while you wait is what pleases God the most. It also makes the ride a lot more bearable.

I hope that if you think you're missing out, or  you're bummed because something's not going your way, to please remember that God loves you and only wants what's best for you.  We often think we know what's best for us, but we don't. We really don't.

The following are some Bible verses and random quotes that I had found years ago (I'm sure it was during a time when Alex and I were not dating and I was having a hard time), but I just found so much hope in Bible verses and quotes. I still do.  I think they're super relatable and  say words that you often can't come up with yourself.  My current issues of waiting does not have anything to do with Alex. (So now y'all, this doesn't have to do with marriage, him proposing, anything of that nature. So hold the comments if you will.)  But these are something I held highly at one point, and I know that someone out there will be able to use them today for whatever it is they're going through.  They all are pretty ambiguous, meaning that they aren't specific to one area. You could be able to apply them to any period of waiting that you're currently going through.  I hope this finds it's way to those who need it.  :-)

"God may not always give us answers, but he always gives us grace."

"Sometimes it's best to forget how you feel and remember what you deserve." 

I understand that it's not understandable; only You, Lord, know EVERYTHING.

The bigger picture is so much more beautiful. ♥

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for but certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1

"Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts.

So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will." -Hope Floats

"Waiting for God's perfect timing can save you years of heartbreak.

Remember, God is faithful and always keeps His promises...even if you have to wait."

"Always remember, it's not what He's keeping from you, it's what He's SAVING FOR you."

Nicole got a body wave, I mean PERM...

So, this long blog post on haircare started like this: I got a hair cut.  It was an impulse hair cut, by a new hair stylist because I had the afternoon off and just had to get a haircut.  I need a shape to my growing-out hair and wanted it right now.  I am so darn impulsive, it's not even funny! I got a recommendation of a hair stylist from a friend, called, and got an appointment for 4:00. I was so happy! I will admit: I wanted something that probably wasn't possible.  My bangs are growing out. I don't like that tapered down the face look. I wanted a shape. I didn't want to cut too much off because I was growing my hair off. So, she did exactly what I asked her to do. She attempted to even out the growing out bangs but in the end, the front was a bit shorter than the back.  I didn't want to cut the back off because I want long hair more than I want a lot of things in life. I don't know if I was going to leave happy because my hair's just in that "in between" stage, and as you know, that phase sucks. But, she did exactly what I asked her to do, so, she did a good job in my eyes, whether I loved my hair or not.

Well, I had been wanting a body wave for a really really long time. I thought, "well, if I don't love my hair cut, now's the time to get that body wave I've been wanting so I can scrunch it when I want." Right? Right? Well, not so right...

I got a body wave perm and do. not. love. it. I think it has something to do with the fact that...
A) my hair must not have been 100% healthy to begin with, so I probably shouldn't have gotten one
B) some of the strands of hair won't scrunch as well- unfortunately it's the strands at the top of my head and around my face, so, you can see how this is upsetting
C) due to point B, I can't wear it down, and when I do, it's not pretty
D) it is much curlier than I wanted it to be, you know, on the strands that worked. I wanted a body wave, not straight up perm. {yes, I know body waves are considered a type of perm, but y'all know what I mean!}
E) it takes me longer to straighten my hair
F) I can't have my hair permanently straightened for another while. I'm currently trying to let my hair HEAL.

Went straight home & styled it myself with what products I had...Still was deciding my feelings

You can see in the picture above how curly it actually was. No wave here.. just straight up curls! Also, you see how my bangs are curly at the root and then not so curly at the ends? That's probably due to the fact that either the stuff wasn't left on the right amount of time OR my hair wasn't healthy enough to handle the chemicals and just fried.

Day 2 morning = why I was in a panic!

Day 2: Got to wear it half up already.. on my way to get products!

Thanks to my sweet friend Cassie, I learned a bit about styling curly hair. She has naturally super curly hair so knew what worked, what didn't work, everything. It was so nice to have her walk with me into Cosmo Prof and say "You need this!"   

She recommended the following:

Sebastian Professional Whipped Creme

I HIGHLY recommend this stuff if you have curly hair.  The can looks just like a whipped cream can, and the stuff looks just like whipped cream.  This is for you curly headed people who want to have defined curls without that crunchy look. This stuff saved my life.  I may or may not have used too much of the stuff. I bet it doesn't require as much as I used, but as you can tell from my statements above, I was desperate.  I ran out of the stuff within two weeks. {Don't judge me!}

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

Okay, so, the lady who did my hair used this stuff on my hair.  Then I saw she had some stuff for sale and I knew I needed some products.  I was debating between this and another thermal protectant.  Then I realized that this is a condition and a thermal protectant.... and repairs dry, damaged hair {need that!}, adds shine, smooths and controls frizz {gonna need that!}, stops hair breakage {need that!}, prevents split ends {need that!}, plus other things! She has this stuff for $12 and I thought "Not bad!" so I tried it, LOVED it, and have used half the bottle already. Again, I don't think your hair requires that much product, but I am desperate.  After I started mentioning it to people, I found out that this product is apparently the world's best kept secret. People use it for curly hair, straight hair, whatever! It's just a fabulous leave-in product that I will probably use for the rest of my life now. 

I also went to Wal-Mart to see what they had.  I bought the following:

VO5 Hot Oil Treatment

because an "intense conditioning treatment" sounded like something I needed. And it was less than $5.

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Extra Penetrating Oil

Disclaimer: The stuff I have looks almost like the picture about, but the link is to the stuff I actually bought. I bought the "Extra" Penetrating Oil, for dry and course hair.  I don't naturally have dry or course hair, but I was in a panic, and knew that this body wave perm had fried my hair, and my thought process went a little something like this: "fried = dry." Anyways, I love this stuff! The website says it "penetrates, moisturizes, renews, and creates softness and strength while protecting your hair from harmful styling heat and UV damage, giving you smooth, sexy tresses." That it does! I personally wear it more when I'm wearing my hair curly, but this stuff is worth the $5ish it costs! The benefits sound like a lot of the benefits of the It's a 10 leave-in product, but it IS oil, so don't use too much! :-)

Organix Weightless Healing Oil

The website says "This exotic precious formula of Moroccan Argan Oil Weightless spray instantly heals split ends, creating soft frizz-free perfection while protecting your hair from harmful styling heat and UV damage, giving a smooth, glossy, shine." And that it does! I spray it on before I blow dry it, and when I'm done straightening my hair, I spray a bit in my hands, then swipe my hands through the hair to prevent frizz! And, again, I thought my hair could use some "healing oil."

Oh! AND...

Joico K-PAK Shampoo & Conditioner

I saw these huge bottles of Joico K-PAK shampoo and conditioner for $16.99 each and thought they were a God-send! I previously have used Joico's K-PAK Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor and LOVED it.  It's an extra conditioner to use, to leave it for 5-10 minutes, and then to have the most conditioned hair ever, that's apparently more "repaired" than before.  I love the stuff & can't decide if I was surprised or not to see that Kourtney Kardashian was talking about also loving the stuff! Anyways, the K-PAK line was introduced to me by my fabulous friend, Ashley, and it's for damaged hair! {Aka.. what you have after you get a body wave perm and probably wasn't supposed to.}  I went to Ulta and swiped up a trial size of the Deep-Penetrating Reconstructor when I saw it for $5. Unfortunately it was only 1.7 fl oz. but I may get 2 or 3 uses out of it, so that's a good thing! I definitely recommend it for a weekly mask for your hair. And I'm loving the shampoo and conditioner.  I don't think I would trust any other shampoo or conditioner on my hair at this point in time.

SO...

I went about a week without using ANY heat on my hair after I did this. And I survived!!! Now I only straighten my hair 2-3 times a week, as opposed to every. single. day, which is what I used to do. I really just want to let my hair breathe and heal. It and I are not BFFs right now. And I don't blame it for being mad at me.  :-/

Momma got an iPhone! (Part 1)

So Momma got a new iPhone today.  She went from a flip phone to an iPhone & was always "this person" when it came to iPhones:

In the first hour of teaching from the ground up all about iPhones, I got the following funny quotes/scenarios from my mom:

• "What is this watery stuff? Why is it there?" (Referring to the generic background)
• "Why are these buttons jiggling?"
• Me: "Mom, they're asking for your security code."
  Mom: "Why?!?! That is my personal information! It's ****."
  Me: "OMG Mom! Not your Pin Number!!"
•  "Does IMDB have to be capitalized?"
• "It says I have six 'inboxes'."
• "What is that sound?"
•  Then she focused for a really long time on her new alarm sound.
  Me: "Mom, can we move on?"
  (She picks the alarm that sounds like a nuclear bomb is headed our way. That'll sound nice in the mornings.)
• I told Mom to search for the BB&T app.
  [5 minutes later...] Mom: "Dream car??"
  Me: "What??"
  Mom: "It's asking me what my dream car is."
  Me: "I don't know what your dream car is, Mom!!"

Then she ended it with a, "This is fun!!" 

It's so funny and a little frustrating to teach "the older generation" current technology but I admire her for trying! She'll get the hang of it soon, hopefully. I just warned her that she can not text and drive using her iPhone.  ;) 

I'm sure I'll be updating this in the future.  :) Until then....

My Current Favorites

Oh, you know.... took a nap after work & am up at 2:00 AM for the first time in forever.  That nap was much needed but now I'm realizing it may not have been my *best* idea.

So, why not share with you some of my current favorite things?? :-)

::: My new Thirty-One bag :::

 I lucked out & got this yellow monogramming before they retired that color. Why in the world they would retire this pretty gold color is beyond me. And I think they retired this print too!! Crazy!! But, this is 31's Retro Metro bag, and it is the best for carrying all my books and folders and crap to work & back every day!! The ONLY thing it lacks is a sturdy bottom. But, I'm going to carry this thing until it falls apart...and so far, it's handling this heavy load PRETTY darn well if I do say so myself.

::: Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara :::

mypinkchic

I {still} LOVE this mascara.  When I began selling Mary Kay, I began using their Ultimate Mascara.  It was my new favorite mascara. Then Mary Kay came out with Lash Love Mascara, and I have not used their Ultimate Mascara since! {No offense, Ultimate!} This stuff gets the exact effect I was looking for in a mascara.  My lashes are darker, thicker, longer looking, and not clumpy! I'll be honest... I would absolutely not recommend the I♥BROWNshade because it is the lightest brown shade of mascara I've ever seen! I would only recommend that if your eyelashes are whiteish blonde & you're not looking for the blacker than black mascara look. BUT- if you want a fabulous mascara, the I♥BLACK of Mary Kay's Lash Love Mascara is a win!!!

::: My Caboodles Neat Freak Grande Train Case :::

 The black faux leather case has just enough room for now to hold my cosmetics! I got it at Ulta and it was on sale for $36 instead of $48! I love me a sale, especially on things I searched EVERYWHERE for!

::: Special K Caramel Chocolate Protein Meal Bars :::

Enough said.

 ::: New Girl on Fox :::

This seriously is one of the funniest shows on TV right now! I love watching it & haven't missed an episode. Alex tries to act all big & bad, acting like he doesn't love the show, but he sure does "LOL" right beside me every week. And Schmidt and Jess are SO going to be TV's favorite couple in the future. Who's with me???

::: K-Love Radio :::

94.1 from Charlotte, NC is such a... "positive and encouraging" radio station (no really, it is).  Some of the DJs are a little corny, but what are ya gonna do/say on a Christian radio station?? I love hearing the stories about how K-Love has helped bring people to Jesus!! And I am always loving their song choice!! Check out the channel on your I Heart Radio app if you aren't in the Charlotte, NC area, plus it doesn't have all the commercials.

Alright, I think those are random enough for ya! Just a few of my current favorites! Nothing totally original, off the wall, or super interesting, but- that's me. :-)

Bible Verse Love on Pinterest

I am house-sitting for a friend's family & watching American Idol.
I need to
u-n-w-i-n-d
& how better to do that than share some Pinterest love with y'all?? :-)

Tonight's Pinterest sharing theme:

Bible Verse Love ♥

Follow me on Pinterest :-)

Mary Kay Expiration Dates

Hey hey! I'm back with another completely random blog post! This one's especially for y'all who purchase beloved Mary Kay products & wonder when the heck they expire!

We all hear about products expiring after a certain amount of time, or know we're told not to use certain types of products after certain time periods, but not really knowing how long is too long and what the exceptions are. Well if that's you, then this blog post is for you! Also, consider reading this if this is NOT you but you have to admit you've noticed that your friend's Mary Kay products come in different packaging than the Mary Kay products you're currently using. ;)

I was wondering about a certain Mary Kay product I had purchased a long time ago. I was thinking it was too old to continue using, but wasn't too sure, so I did some investigating.  I went on the Mary Kay InTouch website {for consultants} and found the following information. Hopefully it'll be as helpful to you as it was to me!

NOTE:  this system only applies to Mary Kay products. I have no idea how other companies note their expiration dates, or in this case, the date of manufacture.

I'm going to re-cap the info I found for you:::

Every Mary Kay product is labeled with an "easy to read" code right on the packaging. Yes, it's on the packaging, yes you can read it, but without these helpful hints, you won't know what you're looking at. Every product has it's product name on it, including the shade name, a six-digit part number (that you won't need), and here it is- a four-digit code.

That four-digit code is the product's date of manufacture. You can interpret the day code using the following legend:

Character 1: Letter representing the year in the decade in which the product was produced.

• R = 2008
• T = 2009
• V = 2010
• 1 = 2011
• 2 = 2012
• and for future reference... 3 = 2013, 4 = 2014, and 5 = 2015.

Character 2: Letter representing the month of year in alpha order, as follows (please note that the code skips some letters to avoid confusion and mistaken identification):

• A = January 
• B = February 
• C = March
• D = April 
• F = May
• H = June
• K = July 
• M = August
• R = September
• T = October
• V = November
• X = December  

Characters 3 and 4: Numbers representing day of month. For example, 01 = the first day of the month, 15 = the 15th day of the month, 31 = the 31st day of the month.

So, if you can put 1 + 2  + 3 together, you can figure out when your product was born!!

Most Mary Kay® products are produced to have a shelf life of three years from the date of manufacture. This is the standard for the cosmetic industry, not a regulation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the shelf life of over-the-counter (OTC) drug products such as sunscreens, antiperspirants, etc., as follows:

• If the shelf life is less than three years, then the expiration date of the product must be clearly indicated on the package. This is not required if the shelf life is greater than three years.

So, some Mary Kay® products may have an expiration date because they have a shelf life of less than three years. For these products, it is particularly important to check the expiration date before using them. These products are: 

• TimeWise® Day Solution Sunscreen SPF 25†
• TimeWise® Age-Fighting Moisturizer Sunscreen SPF 15†
• Acne Treatment Gel†
• TimeWise® Even Complexion Essence
• MKMen® Moisturizer Sunscreen SPF 25†\
• Mary Kay® Lip Protector Sunscreen SPF 15†
• Mary Kay® SPF 30 Sunscreen†
• Subtle Tanning Lotion
• Mary Kay® Tinted Moisturizer With Sunscreen SPF 20†
• Mary Kay® Tinted Lip Balm Sunscreen SPF 15†
• TimeWise Body™ Hand and Décolleté Cream Sunscreen SPF 15†
• Mary Kay® Cream Eye Color
• Mary Kay® Foundation Primer

† Products indicated with a single dagger identify over-the-counter drug products. Customers should carefully read and observe all warnings, indications and directions for use on the labels of these products.

So, UNLESS there is a blatant expiration date on the product, you can assume the product has a shelf-life of three years. It'll say something like: "EXP 4/12" if it does, and in that case, the product should be thrown away in (for this example) April 2012.

Unfortunately not all Mary Kay products have the dummy version of when to discard your products, so, this info will be good info to know so you can crack the code & see if it's been three years or not!! Lord, I hope not!! ;) Mary Kay products are great & always improving! New products are coming out & things change so so much in three YEARS so if it's been that long, find your consultant & get an updated facial! It'll be worth your time to pamper yourself & see what fabulous new products the company has come out with!

Side note: Someone remind me to blog about their new products & products I'm loving right now!! ;) I know I need to keep a list of things I need to blog about. Otherwise I'll just get distracted & make false promises! And I don't have time right now this second or I would blog all night!! :)

I hope this is helpful to someone out there. I know it was helpful to me! :)

PS: If you're a Mary Kay consultant & looking for this information yourself, here it is. And the info given in this blog is up-to-date as of today.  If you're viewing this five years from now, things may or may not have changed. Just sayin'...

My Week

Warning: This is not going to be a depressing post, but it may be long. :)

So, as you know, I had been having a pretty tough time lately.

Work has definitely been stressing me out lately.  I don't like being behind, but I don't want to commit to begin working all day, all night, and all weekend.  I know if I start doing that, I won't stop.  I've learned from my co-workers and quickly! Burn-out is all too much of a real thing in my profession and while it seems like you're just being lazy or not being a "team-player," I would like to call it actively attempting to avoid burn-out.  So, with that being said, when I'm scheduled for evaluation after evaluation, and left with little time in between each one, they quickly begin to stack up! There's supposed to be a two day turn-around for these evaluations, but if I get them scheduled one after another day after day, then that leaves a stack of them pending and deadlines out the window. And I hate that. But I think I would hate working 24/7 a little bit more.

SO- with that being said.... my sweet boy decided that I was a bit too stressed out lately and said the one thing that probably could have helped me the most. He said, "I'm going to pray for you." and then he did. He prayed that God would find a way to release some of my stress and find a way for some of my upcoming scheduled appointments to cancel, or no-show, or reschedule, or SOMEthing so I could have some time to actually sit and get caught up on work, at work. 

Let me tell you that God is still in the blessing business!!
Tuesday I don't remember what happened. But I know my 1:00 appointment didn't happen and my 3:00 did. I thought, "No biggie. I've had some time today to work. What's one more added to my list?" I was attempting to do something I've had a hard time doing lately. I was being positive! It probably helped that I woke up to a really nice text message from a friend (at 5:45 AM, mind you) and did a little work out in my living room before I got ready for work, felt like wearing a dress and fixing my hair & attempted The Double Bun from The Small Things Blog. I got lots of compliments on my hair-do & even got a tweet from Kate! :) Good sleep and good hair days really do help lift a girl's spirits!! Thanks Kate!!

Happy Tuesday!! 

Now Wednesday. Wednesday I had 3 appointments scheduled.  These appointments are a 2-hour time slot, so between that time, a lunch break, and the little things that need to be done or come up throughout the day, that didn't leave much time to catch up on my stack of evals pending, not to mention the three that were supposed to be added to that stack. (Now mind you: these evals get two hours of productivity, but are never finished in a two-hour time period.)
Well, on Wednesday my appointment times were at 10:00, 2:00, and 3:00.
Due to billing issues, it made more sense for me to switch my 3:00 appt with my co-worker's 4:00 appointment.
Then my 10:00 canceled.
Then my 2:00 came and I thought "Crap, I thought I was going to catch a break."
THEN my 2:00 got sick. All over the hallway.
Luckily I got to dodge witnessing that, and she rescheduled!! (Get well soon, 2:00!)
Then I kept working away until my now 4:00 appointment time...
Meanwhile, the 3:00 showed up! Phew! Dodged that bullet!! ;) (No offense, 3:00!)
Then my 4:00 no-showed.
I was 0 for 3 which is typically unheard of!!!
When I left at 5:00 I wasn't caught up, but I was closer to being caught up and I immediately called Alex and thanked him for his prayer, which was definitely being answered!!

Then Thursday I was scheduled for a 9:00 appointment in one city, and a 1:00 in another city.  This is frustrating when I want to get work done, but I don't mind the 30-minute drive listening to COSMO Radio!
Well, to make a long story a little bit shorter, both appointments no-showed, I took the afternoon off, and then made myself work on evals that evening while I watched American Idol.

It was a BEAUTIFUL 80 degrees on March 1st in North Carolina and I was taking 100% full advantage of it! After I waited for my 1:00 to show up late, and they didn't, I had to go run a work errand. Then two of my co-workers told me they wanted to meet for ice cream later, so, y'all know I didn't deny that. In between, I stopped by Gastonia's new Plato's Closet and found a couple little gems!

Candie's brand sheer tank for $5

Purple New York & Co. cami (goes great with my tank!) ~ $5

Another silky "work" tank ~ $5

Dana Buchman capris ~ $15

I need hours of free time to go back there & browse the aisles & try on everything. They have a TON of jeans there which I am determined to buy, but with the different brands there, I have to try on everything, which stinks! Amazing deals are worth it!! & I definitely needed some retail therapy ;)

After I headed back home I took advantage of the beautiful weather & walked a couple miles around my neighborhood. Oh and got a mani/pedi. :) It had been way too long & I am loving my dark purple shellac nail polish & bright pink toes!

Good sleep, good hair days, and mani/pedis....yep, that's the key to lifting a girl's spirits!!

Friday will be recapped with bullets because I realize how long this post is getting.

• It was an amazing work day. Caught up on work, more, but not definitely. Helped two clients and may blog about this at a later time. My clients melt my heart sometimes. ♥ 
• Alex & I double dated with Phil & Tashah to Outback to have our my usual... 6 oz. sirloin, sweet potato, and green beans. One of my most favorite meals!
• And I practiced two more hairstyles of Kate's:::

Day look

Then before we went to dinner I attempted the Double Bun again. This time I didn't get a good FRONT picture. I'll get better at this hairstyle sharing one day!!

Disclaimer: I can see how this appears to look like a messy bun.

I should have tucked that piece behind my ear so I didn't look gross. But you see here how it's a TALLER version of the messy bun, which paired with the curled bang looked halfway fancy.

So there you go! My fabulous week was definitely an answered prayer!! I am so so glad I could be more positive, get out & exercise and enjoy the beautiful days and be productive!! THANK YOU to those of you who read my previous posts & lifted me up. Y'all are angels and I love you! ♥

Wasting Time / Learning Hairstyles

I have seriously spent three hours in front of my computer since I came home doing absolutely mindless things.  Typically I'd be mad at myself for wasting precious time, but tonight I just needed to not think about all that I have been worrying about.

Side Note: Please pray for my Pawpaw.  He's been admitted back to the ICU tonight.  It was a bit unexpected and they are anticipating transferring him to another hospital to do dialysis.  Hospitals stress him out & he sure doesn't need another thing to raise his blood pressure. 

Reverting back to my normal blogging topics:::
The Small Things Blog has really kept my mind off things this evening. She has hands down the best hairstyle tutorials for girls with medium-length hair, and I mean real medium-length hair. Here's a link to all her tutorials for your browsing convenience. I don't know what some people are smoking when I Google "medium-length hair" and girls with hair to the middle of their backs appear!! Uh, wrong! I don't know if it's my conditioner or what, but my hair is SO soft but it seems SO thin now, and I swear I lose 100+ hairs a day. {Is this normal?}

My rut somewhat explained

So, I'm not going to lie. I talk about being in a rut. I talk about being down & out. I talk about yada yada yada. The cold hard truth is that I am depressed.  {Hence the previous post.} I don't think I'm alone and I don't think I'll be this way forever. So, that's why I'm being honest.  Usually my blogs are about YouTube videos I like, what's going on in my life, or probably something pertaining to makeup.  I didn't mean to go all clinical on y'all on the last post, but I know some people are interested and some people are ignorant. 

It's been super hard for me lately. I don't know why. For whatever reason, the devil is trying to attack me from left and right and for another unknown reason, God's letting it happen.  {I like to think of myself as a modern day Job, haha.} But in all seriousness, I know this season in my life is God allowing the devil to kick me while I'm down, just so I will have no choice but to turn to God for relief from it all.   I know that true joy comes from the Lord and some days I feel like it's been 100% God & God only getting me out of the bed, getting me out the door, and putting on a happy face.  I want to be the best for my clients and I'm really trying.  I'm actually seeing some great results from some of my clients, which makes me feel like I am making a difference, which really does help.  

It also helps that I have some pretty wise clients.  Like I said in my last post, one of my clients told me, "85% of your circumstances come from your attitude and your actions."  And I reiterated saying It isn't always about what you're going through in life, but how you view your circumstances and what you do with them. 

I don't always take my own advice, but I'm working on it. I think, "If my client told me that, what would I say to them?" or "What homework would I give them?"  The thing is- I've never been good at doing homework, so, that's something I'm working on.  I know I must get through this patch and I am seriously working on it.  It takes time AND EFFORT, but most importantly, God.  Without Him, I don't know where I'd be.  I really don't.  I am thankful each and every day that I am where I am, because so many people have it so so so much worse.  We don't even know.  We can't even fathom.  And no, I'm not talking about the pot-bellied children in Africa that we see on the commercials.  I am talking about people in your very small hometown.  I am talking about people you went to high school with that you didn't even recognize.  Or people who you pass in the grocery store, or people you talk to each and every day.  We have no idea what people are going through, what they've been through, or what they will go through.  This isn't a big "love everybody" PSA, even though I think we should love everybody, haha, but I am just saying....BE. MORE. AWARE. and be more compassionate.  Help others, on purpose, and without seeking assistance in return.  

That has absolutely nothing to do with where I was going, but honestly, I promised a part two and I wanted to deliver a promised post {for once}. So, my mind is in a million places, but I hope you understand a tad bit of why.   Please keep me in your prayers.  I know there's things I need to do, but it's really really hard sometimes.  I want to do and I want to give and I need to learn to take care of myself before I can take care of others. But, I know I can do this! Alex has been super helpful, being extra sweet and encouraging lately, which is what I needed.  And I know that at the end of the day, it's all God's doing.  I just need the devil to LAY THE FREAK OFF so I can do my thang. ;)

and I need to remember these things:

Thanks Pinterest for your awesome motivational quotes tonight. 

My PSA on Depression

I'm going to preface my next post with this PSA on depression.
Doing evaluation after evaluation, I can recognize depression much quicker than I could in the past.  What's it mean to be clinically depressed? (Not 100% sure? Well, I'll educate you.)

• To have what's called a Major Depressive Episode, you need to have 5 or more of the following symptoms during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning, while one of those symptoms are either 1) depressed mood, or 2) loss of interest or pleasure:

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, either indicated by a subjective report (for example, feeling sad or empty) or observation made by others (for example, appears tearful). In children and adolescents, this can be manifested by an irritable mood.
2. Markedly diminished interested or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others).
3. Significant weight loss when not dieting, or weight gain (for example, a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.  Note: In children, a failure to make expected weight gains could fall in this category.
4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day. {Or, what we like to call "difficulty sleeping" or "difficulty staying awake"}
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day, observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down.
6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day, either by a subjective account or as observed by others.
9. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent thoughts of suicide without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide. 

• These symptoms can't meet criteria for a Mixed Episode {Google it if you want}, and these symptoms have to cause "clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."  These symptoms also can't be due to effects of a substance (a drug, alcohol, or medication) or due to a general medical condition (hyperthyroidism, for example).  These symptoms also can't be better accounted for by Bereavement. 
• Also, having a Major Depressive Episode can mean used in Mood Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder, or a Bipolar Disorder. So don't assume one over the other! Get a professional diagnosis.
• Lastly, just because you don't meet the criteria (typically meaning you are experiencing 5 out of the 9, or one of the top two) doesn't mean you don't have a problem.  You can be diagnosed with what's called Depressive Disorder NOS ("Not Otherwise Specified"), or Mood Disorder NOS.
• And let me throw in here that medication can help, as well as therapy, but the most beneficial treatment course includes both medication(s) and outpatient therapy (what I do!).

Think you're depressed? Get an evaluation! Whether you have private insurance, Medicaid (or whatever state-funded insurance you have), or no insurance, you can get mental health evaluations- sometimes for super cheap, sometimes for free... it just depends.   Whatever county you live in should be a part of a what's called an LME. Google your county's LME (for example, if you Google "Lincoln County LME," you'll find our LME, "Pathways" and their website) to contact them for an appointment with someone who takes your insurance, or takes clients without insurance. 

I've seen counselors in the past, and it's really helped. I am ABSOLUTELY horrible at taking medications, so I won't say I've been successful at that. And I will be the first, and not the last to say, that just because you are depressed DOES NOT mean something is wrong with you!! It's not healthy to stay depressed for long, and that's why there's professionals out there willing and ready to help you help yourself. 

I had a client tell me this week, "85% of your circumstances come from your attitude and your actions."  That might be a tough pill to swallow, but it's pretty deep, and not necessarily statistically accurate, but you get his point.  It's isn't always about what you're going through in life, but how you view your circumstances and what you do with them. 

Stay tuned for a personal part two...

My current financial to-dos.... {Yuck}

This is a bit personal, but a more realistic, and it's what's on my mind, and I just feel like sharing. :)

There's definitely some things I need to cross off of my to-do list in order for me to NOT feel like I have things looming above me, things holding me back, or whatever else negative I am feeling because of these things.

I really need to :::

Get my 2011 tax information together. This basically involves my Mary Kay business.  The lady who does my taxes wants things categorized a specific way, etc. and she was nice enough to show me last year how to best organize my information so that coming this year to get my taxes done would be easy peasy. So much for that. I got my taxes done last February for 2010. So I thought- I'm only 1 or 2 months behind with the whole "get my tax information organized" thing... I'll get that done & spend the rest of 2011 organized & stress-free. CHYEAH!! So much for that!! I SERIOUSLY spent a YEAR telling myself the SAME thing OVER and OVER. Seriously, something is wrong with me. With everything going on, as it often happens in life, I just chose things that were to be pushed to the back burner and dealt with later. And now look, I'm avoiding going to find out if I'm gonna have to pay or get paid, all because I procrastinated!!
Yeah, so, I seriously need to get on that.

I also need to get my student loan repayment information ready to go.  I owe about a billion dollars in student loans {joking but it's not funny} and I can not afford to spend $234,324,988.59 every month on MINIMUM PAYMENTS. Thanks but no thanks, government! BUT thanks to the handy Income-Based Repayment Plan, I can make sure that the sum of ALL my loans' minimum payments do not exceed 15% of my gross income!! That is a definitely silver lining!! It'll take me longer, but hey, at least I can buy food & gas. {Still joking but not funny.} The thing is- they make it SO hard and COMPLICATING for someone to get all the right paperwork done for them to be able to get on this IBR Plan. They know what they're doing and they are very very mean people.  I can NOT wait until the day I am DEBT FREE!! That WILL happen one day!! I am claiming victory over these student loans!! I may be 99 years old, but I will rejoice...one day!! Until then, I'm going to work to make sure my children won't have to deal with the same financial CRAP I've had to deal with.

If I can get those 2 things done, I will have a serious weight off of my shoulders. Then I can focus on paying off my credit card!! Living without income from May to the end of  September was ROUGH, and I had to take desperate measures to fill up my gas tank, buy myself food, pay bills, EVERYTHING. I stooped to putting items on credit  & am STILL paying for it.  I hate hate hate credit cards, know how they should & shouldn't be used, but zero income equals zero income. What else was I supposed to do?? I was driving back and forth 30 minutes a day to an unpaid internship for eight weeks, plus moving. Plus living life. Plus had bills to pay.  I KNOW, nothing but EXCUSES. But what's done is done and I will rejoice when I get this thing paid off!!! I just had to spend $700 on tires. That's a chunk of change and I had to save up to be able to do that. I'm proud I am able to do things like that, and thankful for friends who are able to save me about $300 {Yes, my tires were going to cost $1,000} but, I wish that money could have gone to pay off that STUPID credit card with a 20-something percent interest rate. UGH, I hate credit cards!

Did you notice that these 3 things that are super stressing me out are all financial? And I want to be a stay-at-home-wife/mom. HA! I need to be thanking the good Lord above that I have a j-o-b and PROBABLY looking for a second job!  (Yes, I know Mary Kay is a second job. We can discuss this later if you wish.)

PS: Is it silly of me to wish that I had a job as a cashier somewhere?
Anyone know anyone hiring? :)

Beyonce, Jay-Z, Blue Ivy & others: The SNL spoof

This made me laugh today, as I lay in the bed on this rainy Sunday afternoon with a headache, TRYING to fill out paperwork on lowering my student loan payments.

The Beyonce impersonation is a bit off but the Jay-Z impersonation is spot on!! The Taylor Swift impersonation is funny too...and y'all know that's my girl!! This seriously made me "LOL" so I hope you all can enjoy it too. :)

Happy Sunday!!

Cross your fingers extra hard for {enough} snow tonight!! ;)

My 2 Cents on Valentine's Day

Well, my Valentine is I-don't-even-know-how-many hours away. He's training for his new job in Jackson, Mississippi and therefore away from me on Valentine's Day. Hopefully when he gets home we can go to Outback {our favorite} and go see The Vow. {Gosh I CAN NOT WAIT to go see that movie!} Being apart this Valentine's Day, the first thing I did this morning was send Alex a text that said something like "♥happy valentine's day lover♥ " & he sent me a reply text that said: "Happy valentines day to you too. There's a little something for you in the extra bed room in the top drawer of the white plastic drawers." I just want to say that I think it's precious that he took the time to think about me before he left town and thought of a way for me to be surprised in some way shape or form on Valentine's Day, even from a couple states away. He gets major points for this. ;) 

Seriously guys, all a girl wants for Valentine's Day is a little pre-meditated surprise.

That's it.

It doesn't have to be complicated, fancy, or expensive.

JUST SURPRISE HER. And PLAN AHEAD.

She can tell when you picked up a rose from the gas station on the way home, and she'll know that you did not plan ahead.

{This happened to me in the past. True story.} 

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's day no matter what your relationship status is! I hope it wasn't spent in anger, resentment, or jealousy because you spent this one single day of the year not attached. It's just not worth it. Also, think about all the ladies that aren't getting to spend V-Day with their man who's deployed. Or the widow who is spending her first V-Day alone. Seriously, your I-hate-all-things-Valentine's-Day twitter updates & Facebook statuses aren't bringing anything positive to this world OR helping you out. So rejoice you have a God that LOVES you and will ALWAYS be your Valentine!!! 

"This is how we know what love is: 

Jesus Chris laid down his life for us."

-1 John 3:16

Reflecting on 2011... in February

Yes, I know it's February. Yes, I know one would typically reflect on the previous year around New Years. While I did, I must not have submitted my post, and look what I found! Low & behold! A reflection on the year 2011. :) It went a little something like this ::: 

I just love looking back, reflecting on the past year, and thinking of what memories and lessons it brought. This new year is no different.  Some things didn't change at all this year {if you ask me if I have a ring on my finger yet, I might drop kick you. Trust me, YOU WILL KNOW if I ever get engaged!} and some things changed dramatically!!

I think I'll take a stroll down memory lane if you don't mind. Join me if you wish, and if not, well, you might want to stop reading. ;) This also is a great time to reflect on my hair colors & styles in 2011. I went from red to orange to dark brown to blonde to brown to almost black. Just a typical year.

Thankfully, I rang in 2011 with my boy. ♥

I spent January through April traveling back and forth between Hickory and Maiden for my school counseling internship.  Waking up super early after being up super late was not ideal, but I loved Maiden and everyone there and especially loved driving while watching the sun rising every morning!

This picture of my Mawmaw's Valentine's Day flag makes me happy. "All you need is love."

I do not miss these late nights doing work for the last school papers and projects but I do miss Baby hanging out with me while I worked. :)

And March & April was an exciting time! Alex bought his first house & we all spent a month fixing it up, getting it read for him to move in! It sure was an experience, and a trying time for this couple with two different tastes {me: good, him: whatever is cheapest} but we made it! :) We had SO much help from his family & his friends and he/we are so grateful for that! We definitely could not have done it all without them!

Alex and I celebrated {another} two years together on April 4th!

And spent lots of time with these two... :) Tashah & Phil are our permadoubledates!

And enjoyed the presence of this guy (on the left!)... Casey was such a help to Alex as he worked on his new house & we loved getting to know him as he spent time in NC! The boys loved him too :)

Easter 2011

AND let add that I was SO extremely happy to celebrate my graduation (a couple months early) with these folk!! My #1 fans... I love love love them! 

Johnathan, me, and Tori - all RDs at Lenoir-Rhyne GRADUATED!! It was a fun two years but we have to move on to paychecks & big people jobs!!

And I can NOT forget Maria! The one that makes us four! ♥ I shared so many good times with these ladies. I miss them like crazy!

I saw my little bestie graduate from UNCW! :) Such a big year for her!

Happy 25th birthday to my boy!!

I loved reuniting with my family for my cousin's wedding. It's usually Christmas when we're all together & that doesn't happen every Christmas. So it made my heart happy to have us all together!

Granny :)

My cousin, Courtney, the bride :)

Daddddd

Brother Bear

I love this pic of me & Alex!! Jumping off the high dive at the lake, enjoying the last days of summer with friends before we have to be adults & work full-time jobs.

But not before our beach trip with the Mullen family!!

And I got to hold a shark!!!!!

And look at this pretty pretty thing :)

I got to hang out with my Godson, Corbin, a couple times & watch him grow into such a handsome little one-year-old man!!

I chopped all my hair off & attempted to start over on this whole perfect hair journey I'm on.

And I celebrated my 24th birthday with some pretty awesome friends who I love so much!!

And, you know I started my new job, and my co-workers made me feel SO special on my birthday. Seriously.

And I told you it was a big year for my little bestie! She is a married woman now!!

And I got to meet my SECOND Godson, Carson!! He is a DOLL! Lindsey (and Rhine) make beautiful baby boys for sure.

Hahaha. Halloween at work was a hoot. I was E.T. for our costume contest. Yes, we are a mental health agency and YES we have Halloween costume contests. Which my fab new friend Ashley obviously did not participate in. (Boo!) I won runner-up to our executive director! Haha!

Amy!! (Also did not participate)

Alex and I spent many-o-Friday nights supporting our little cousins in their high school football games. They were both seniors & played first strings for their schools so we had to go show them some love!! And Mawmaw flew her Lincolnton flag for one more football season. *tear*

 

In October, Alex and I went with his parents to Boone to watch some Appalachian football and hang out in the pretty mountains before it got so cold I thanked God I didn't live in Boone anymore.  We had a great time! :)

And, the Lincolnton Wolves just kept winning.  So we spent all of November watching them win playoff games. It got cold and I had to constantly remind myself I loved my cousin. :)

We even went to NC State to watch the Wolves in the state championship!! They didn't win & it's a pretty sore subject all over town, but, I'm proud of my little cousin & was glad that he got to experience something so memorable!!

AND Christmas time came around. :) We celebrated with friends by eating, exchanging silly gifts, and waring our ugliest Christmas attire.

Addi didn't join us in the ugly Christmas sweater attire. She said ugly wasn't in her wardrobe. HAHA. Just kidding.

And, more importantly, I thanked God above that I got to spend Christmas with my Pawpaw!! He gave us another super serious scare, and even was escorted to the E.R. via ambulance while the family was at their house on Christmas Eve night, BUT God works wonders & we were able to celebrate Christmas with him the next day!!!!

This is him, showing me how much he loved his much-needed Snuggie.

You'll have to forgive me for posting this in FEBRUARY. My blogger brain must have been pre-occupied. But, as you can see, 2011 brought me lots of happiness and experiences and memories and milestones and life lessons. It was a rough year and it was a great year. I'm glad it happened & I'm glad it's over.

Bring it on, 2012!! I am excited to see what you have in store for me!!