What I'm Loving

I am loving...

My school I'm at and how nice & welcoming the staff have been to me.

The fact that the brakes on my car don't sound like straight up metal on metal anymore.

The weather outside! Cool, crisp mornings, 70something-degree weather on the way home that allows me to  roll the windows down, put my sungs on, & blast the radio on the backroads home! 

The fact that it took me 2 hours but I cuh-LEANED my car o-u-t! The inside of that thing's never been so clean! {The outside's still dirty, but, let's not talk about it.}

All things FALL ♥ 

The fact that my shows are coming soon! TV will take over my life in less than a month. {Thank God for DVR}

That me & my manski are working on improving physically and spiritually, together. ♥ 

That I realized if I run a little slower I can run longer. Who cares how fast I'm going? 

That my big 2-5 BIRTHDAY is in less than TWO weeks! It just hit me. September has gotten here too fast. 

That our mandatory all-day-on-a-Saturday training the day after my birthday was rescheduled. 

That my job offers a paid day off in your birthday month! My birthday's on a Friday and I opted to work on my birthday and take the following Monday off. Genius? I think so.

That I will be taking off the entire Thanksgiving AND Christmas holiday with the kiddos. That's what I get for not taking any vacay this year. :-)

That I'll have two months off next Summer. YES, I am LOVING that already.

Toms. I don't know why it's just now hitting me. But I have GOT to get a pair for my birthday. Now to figure out which pair...the black glittered ones {for those dressy slash casual days at work} or the burlap ones {great for fall}?!?!

The fact that I called Verizon today to ask why my iPhone's voicemail isn't working and the lady witnessed a glitch I was experiencing with my phone, transferred me to Tech Support, and the fab customer service rep said those seven magical words:  "We're just going to replace your iPhone." Apparently my phone cutting off EVERY time I try to talk on it isn't because I live in the boonedocks. It's because my phone's stupid. And iPhones aren't supposed to be stupid, they're supposed to be smart! And I am pretty excited about having a phone that works! 

What I'm hearing about the new iPhone 5 that I WILL be getting in December. Better start budgeting for that now... ;) 

And my new shampoo & conditioner that is working a MIRACLE on my hair and makes me smell like I just left the salon every day! 

I think that's it for now. I needed to remind myself of all I'm LOVING right now instead of harping on all the NON plans we have for this future wedding day of ours! :) Gotta love it! ;) 

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. :-)

DigiTwirl

I have definitely been MIA in the blog world lately, but trust me, it's not because I haven't had something to say! I started my 2 internships lately & have officially said GOODBYE to summer! More on that later...Right now, I have to finish something that's due today for our first internship class. Yep, I'll be in class for FIVE hours today, and other days this summer. I'm just hoping it doesn't interfere with my direct client hours (that I need!)....

Until I have time to really catch up with you, I wanted to share with you a website I found yesterday, reading I'm an Organizing Junkie's blog. It's DigiTwirl's website and it's "The weekly web show that makes tech work for you." Sounds iffy, but I'm not gonna lie....I spent time yesterday watching all of her videos. There's some pretty good stuff on there so I thought I would share! They are three minute videos to "solve your modern day headaches." t's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're like me and like things organized and like to use technology to help whenever possible! 

Happy Hump Day!!

Goodbye January

I changed my calendar over to February today! I will missing seeing this picture (below) every day, making me smile. Click the picture if it's too small for your liking, but, it says:

She welcomes the years

with arms open wide

and loves life with the

kind of passion

that comes

straight from God.

I love my wall calendar! I always find the best, most cutest, inspirational calendars at Christian book stores! And *as always* ... on sale. :)

Reality Check

It just hit me. I go back to Hickory in less than 2 days. This Christmas break is almost OVER.

Did I tell you I had 11 {yea, that's not a typo- I said ELEVEN} papers to write before mid-January & planned to do some over break? Well, guess what...I didn't. Did I tell you I wanted to get on a good sleep schedule while I was at home? Didn't do that either.

My first week of break was full of last  minute Christmas things and spending time with some of my friends I hadn't seen in a while! then came the two days of Christmas, followed by a *fabulous* snow storm that started Christmas morning, and then a couple days of Christmas clearance shopping... and then the rest is a blur!! Time has flown by and that is not good!!

It's funny about time flying...it flies when you don't want it to & ticks slowly along when you're anxiously awaiting something! That figures. I guess we all need to learn to cherish those special moments because they'll be gone before you know it and to be a little more patient and a little less anxious for those things we are waiting on. Easier said than done....*trust* me!

Now that I know it's coming I am anxious ALREADY. What was that...a whole one second before I quit practicing what I was preaching?? Great, Nicole... I say I'm anxious only because I dread what's coming...packing the car up & heading back to Hickory, only to need to unpack things, get things ready for the upcoming semester, taking down Christmas decor at my apartment, getting things ready for the new transfer freshmen coming in, oh, and those eleven papers I mentioned above. So much for a peaceful week before school starts!! I am just ready to get the car packed up and get up there and get it all DONE! I do *not* want to start this semester off with a messy apartment and a to-do list a mile long.

One thing I am looking forward to is living back in Hickory. I've probably gone to Hickory six times in the two weeks I've been home in Lincolnton. It's about a 25 minute drive, but six times...with rising gas price!! It gets old after a while. All my favorite stores are in Hickory & I do my grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart. {Lincolnton needs to hurry up & get theirs up & running!} Hickory also has something else Lincolnton doesn't have....and that, my friend, is a *Starbucks!*

I have never been a Starbucks coffee fan {therefore I don't usually go to Starbucks} but I found myself with two $5 gift cards, {much} thanks to sweet Maylen and sweet Maggie. :) I went up through the drive-thru and said to the man behind the speaker, "What do you have hot and non-coffee tasting?" He listed a couple seasonal-sounding drinks that sounded a bit nasty to me, until he said the beautiful words..."and we have a caramel apple spice." My world will now never be the same.

Starbucks.com says, "If you’re longing for the toasty warmth of a woolly blanket and crackling fire but don’t have the luxury of escaping to a cabin, we suggest a freshly steamed Caramel Apple Spice. Prepared from 100% pressed apple juice sweetened with cinnamon syrup, whipped cream and our own buttery caramel sauce, it strikes a soothing balance between sweet and tart that never fails to hit the spot."

Doesn't that just sound delicious??? Trust me, IT IS! I get it with no whip cream on top {and usually spill it all over my arms as I am walking into class}. Just go ahead, take my word for it, and go on out & get you one before they quit selling it because I'm sure it's a seasonal drink! You can thank me later.

Kittens: Inspired by...KITTENS!

Delana, who is pretty much me, but younger, posted this video on Facebook tonight. Now y'all tell me...either I'm delirious from staying up so late every night working on the end of my semester OR this is some FUNNY STUFF! I watched it one time in disbelief, then watched it again and laughed the whole way through!! I wish this girl would have done more videos like this. But anyways, thank you, Delana, for posting this, making me laugh, and improving my night! Now I can share my newest favorite YouTube with you!

 

 

 

Some great quotes from this fine piece of work:

• "I want pie! I want beef jerky!"
• "I'm her Mom!" "No. she's. not."
• "We are eating PEPPER! and CHIPS!"
• "bow wow chicka bow wow chicka bow wow"
• "I have to got POTTY!!!" "Look down to his feet..." "Pssssssssssssss!"

Hahahaha!!! Man!! I love this kinda stuff!!

What are your favorite YouTubes?? Send them my way! Funny, or fabulous!

The Boys of Fall

I am in love with the new Kenny Chesney song "The Boys of Fall."

Alex is completely obsessed with football and I never really understood it until I went to watch my brother, Pat, play Friday nights for North Lincoln. Watching this music video takes me back and makes me miss those times. I can't believe my little brother is almost 20 years old! I miss Friday nights at Lincolnton High watching football games...but the experience is totally different when you're there, rooting for someone you love, {and understand the game I need to add.} I should note, Alex played for Lincolnton, and I "went to watch him" but I didn't understand a lick of football then and, well, couldn't tell you anything that ever happened during any of the games. It was different for some reason when Pat started playing. I started to understand the game and actually look forward to going and watching the games. Now I get to go see my cousin Nick play for Lincolnton and I can't wait for those fabulous Fall Friday nights!!

Actually- I can't wait for FALL in general because I am sickly looking without a tan. {Thank you summer school & work!} So I'm ready for cute boots and scarves weather & cool nights! Not to mention those BEAUTIFUL sunsets.... Fall is seriously the most awesome time of the year.

I never got a pic with him in his uniform but don't think I didn't snap a few after some of the games!

And I have to throw in this one of my bestie, Ale, and I because she sure was a NL supporter with me during our college years....Lord, love us! :)

Now here is a future trip down memory lane for Pat from his football days... ♥

interception!

NL's first TD of the season, made by Pat, but of course called back. Ugh!

ready to go!

Homecoming Senior Year

Senior Night

one of my most favorite pictures ever

senior night (again)

"Dropping the bomb"

the crowd joining in!

Dropping the bomb again!

Mom is his #1 Fan!

Family supporters in Salisbury for the playoffs!

"The girl on page 194"

So, on the elliptical this past week I was reading Glamour magazine. I have no idea what issue I was reading but the editor's page was referring to all the comments she has received on "the girl on page 194." They included a picture and immediately I was interested!

Apparently in the September issue of Glamour magazine, they began a story on feeling comfortable in your skin and posted a small 3 inch square picture of Lizzi Miller.

Lizzi isn't a celebrity, or a supermodel. She is just a 20 year-old model, sitting comfortably wearing just her underwear and a smile. So what's the big deal, right? The big deal is the photo shows a belly that looks...wait for it...normal.

With all the six-pack abs and flat bellies we see in the media, it is really easy for a woman to forget what a realistic stomach looks like!

Lizzi is a size 12-14, which is the average American female's size, believe it or not. Unfortunately, for the "modeling world" she is considered plus-size. (We all know the downfalls having a "modeling world" mentality can do to a girl. We've all heard, or even experienced, the horror stories.)

"When I was young I really struggled with my body and how it looked because I didn't understand why my friends were so effortlessly skinny," Lizzi told Glamour magazine. "As I got older I realized that everyone's body is different and not everyone is skinny naturally--me included! I learned to love my body for how it is, every curve of it. I used to be so self-conscious in a bikini because my stomach wasn't perfectly defined. But everyone has different body shapes! And it's not all about the physical! If you walk on the beach in your bikini with confidence and you feel sexy, people will see you that way too."

Here's a toast to the woman on page 194, and to the spectacular sexiness of owning who you are.

And kudos to Glamour magazine for posting this, realizing true beauty, and for committing to celebrate all body shapes!