182.621 Days of Happy

Warning: This post is going to be mushy, gushy and lovey, dovey. Read at your own risk!  Don't say I didn't warn you- Sorry. 

Six months ago today, little Wesley and I made our relationship official. It was even posted on Facebook so you know it's legit. Looking back at where I was a year ago, I would never have thought that I would be in such a great relationship with such a wonderful, loving man. The big kicker is- we met online.... And even crazier! I was a bit skeptical when we went on our first date. Read about my initial thoughts on him here, and about how I changed my mind about him here and here.

The thing that I love most about Wes is the fact that he is not the normal guy that I tend to go for, looks and personality wise. But he is everything that I have ever wanted.

Six months seems like a very short time to know someone, and it is, but I am quite positive that he is my penguin, my lobster, my stud muffin. Is he annoying? Sometimes. Most of the time I am happy every second that I am with him. He makes being in a relationship easy, and trust me. I am a seasoned dater and that is a rare thing to come by. I don't question how he feels about me because he tells me. I never have to worry about what I look like with no make-up on and greasy hair because he lets me know I'm pretty anyways. He welcomes me to any social outing that he's going to, not because he has to, because he wants to- unless it's a boys night of course! He is also smart and successful. I got a catch ladies. Seriously.

SO when did I know it was love? Actually, it was pretty early in our relationship, when I met his friends for the first time. And lucky for me, they are just as amazing as he is. It was also when I saw how he interacted with Roxie. Any guy that is willing to take my pup on walks and ball runs while I am at work is a keeper. Sometimes I wonder if she likes him more than me... She might. I'm okay with it.

Other reasons he's great: There are so many, however, some that come to mind are...

I once complained my feet hurt from working on them all day. I came home and he had got me Dr. Scholl's (for her.)

He lets me sleep in on weekends, makes bagel/coffee runs AND take's Rox out.

He remembers little things I say that I don't expect him to.

He never ever tells me I'm being a bitch. He'll tell me that I'm in a "saucy" mood, or sometimes tell me that I'm being fresh. Thats my que to drop my attitude, and to be honest, I don't even mind. How can you be mad at the world when your boyfriend tells you your being fresh, and then kisses you? You can't. It's impossible!

He bribes me with pretzels and beer. Nuf said.

He's up at 6:30 a.m. every morning to watch stocks and read the news on his ipad. I think that's sexy.

He's political too, which I also like... So different from me!

He like Baseball and Football. The two most important sports in my opinion.

He likes to go all out on vacations. Which is nice because vacations should be times when you spend a little more than you normally would.

He never judges me. I'm the kind of girl who says what she thinks, good bad and ugly. He appreciates that and I appreciate him for it.

He is the king of puns and witty jokes. Some of the stuff he comes up with baffles me, but darnit it's funny!

With all the above said, I have never been happier with my life as I am right now. In a few months we're taking the next step and moving in together. I'm so excited I'm giddy. I can't wait to see where our adventures will take us. <3

*Today I linked with Shell and Poured my Heart out at "Things I can't Say".*

What I'm Loving Wednesday: The Horizontal Tango

Get your filthy minds out of the gutter! While I do like the "Horizontal Tango," *wink, wink.* What I'm talking about today is stripes. Hotdog style.  I have always been obsessed with patterns but what I've been really into lately, according to my Interiors Pinterest Board are Stripes! Stripes are fun because they can help elongate or widen a room and be both feminine and masculine. Take a peek at some beautiful interiors featuring the horizontal line.

Happy Hump Day!

Snap Shots

Black and white photos have a very magical quality about them. Here are some very beautiful pictures I've come across via Pinterest.

This photo isn't exactly beautiful. I love the look on Sophia Loren's 

face over Jane Mansfield's very large bosoms

Possibly Twitterpated

I am really liking E-Harmony. It has given me the opportunity to meet interesting people that I may not have thought to talk to on a normal basis. I used to not think myself as a people person but it turns out, I am! I like talking to people and hearing their stories and what they're doing in life. I also like that because I have been so busy on these said dates, my DVR is backed up with un-watched shows. It's kind of nice not watching so much TV. Haha! I'm so lame.

So far I have seen 3 guys. The first one, Toby Flenderson is what I'm calling him, was sweet but not for me. The second, as I'm sure you have read, is Wes, ie: Steve Zahn. I told you about our first meeting here and the second date at the Mexican restaurant along with him discovering my blog (leaving me mortified) here.

Note: After talking with my Mom, I had originally decided it was best to stop writing about my dates  because I'm starting to have feelings for Wes and I don't want to ruin it. About an hour ago though his Mom, who lives in Connecticut sent me a friend request on Facebook. I uncomfortably accepted, teased a VERY embarrassed Wes and decided that I would write about them anyways. I have nothing to hide and these stories are special. So read on Diary Readers!

Even after my blog he wanted to see me again and he planned a very romantic date for Sunday (I know, crazy, right?) I had previously planned a coffee date that morning with a security architect for Boeing. I already knew that I was liking Wes, but had made this date and wasn't going to break it. Besides, it was just coffee and the poor guy was actually leaving that afternoon for Seattle for business at the Boeing there, so he literally scheduled me in his day, which I thought was nice. Because I've been working on Saturdays the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to sleep in on the weekends like I would like to and am thus sleep deprived. This coffee date was at 10:30 in the morning- earlier than I would have liked. As terrible as it sounds, I wasn't too excited for it and didn't want to shower in the am, get ready for him and then come home and re-shower for Wes.

You might think this weird. Really I didn't want wake up earlier than I had to to spend time curling my hair, and if I did it in a different style I wouldn't have been able to curl it without showering for my later date. So I didn't shower. I rolled out of bed, tried to conceal my greasy morning hair and threw on some make-up. When I met Mr. Boeing, I thought he was nice. He was clearly shy and a little awkward but I could tell he was sweet. For the first 10 minutes the conversation was just me asking questions, trying to make the situation less awkward than it was. He did a lot of mumbling and I thought to myself, "Dear god, I don't think I will make it through this." But he finally started opening up and the date was really enjoyable. It lasted until 1pm which was WAY longer than I had intended, and although fun, I don't plan on seeing him again. Wes texted me to say he was picking me up at 5 for a "sunset" dinner and at this point I still needed to find an outfit, take Rox on a walk, and get beautified.

I said goodbye to Mr. Boeing and rushed off to the mall to find an outfit that was fancy enough for the Montage Hotel, in Laguna Beach (where our dinner date was) but casual enough that it didn't look like I was going to a club. 2 hours  of shopping later, I still hadn't found anything. I was really running out of time and finally bought a dress, jacket and shoes without trying any of them on. Risky I know! It was going to be a miracle if everything fit and looked halfway descent.

I got home at 3:15, ate a quick soft pretzel (my favorite,) rushed through a walk with poor confused Roxie and dashed into the shower to get ready.

I had gotten lucky. My outfit looked cute, I was having a good hair day, and at 4:58 I was putting on my last piece of jewelry when he showed up at my door- (that's right, I decided he wasn't a psycho serial killer and gave him my address to pick me up) with a bouquet of un-bloomed pink lilies. He told me that he chose the un-opened flowers so that they would bloom while he was away in Utah for a ski trip. Very clever. (It's Wednesday now and they are almost fully blossomed and beautiful.) I thought that was impressive but it got even better when he opened the car door for me.  Chivalry will never be dead. As it turned out, the restaurant that we had originally planned to go to at the Montage was being renovated. He had already checked into this and had a back up plan! We went to this cute little sushi place across the street instead and then went to the Montage after for drinks and desert.

I know this is silly. And I said before that I think it's ridiculous when men brag about their car, but Wes really does drive a really nice one. And it's so new it doesn't even have plates yet! I felt really cool when we valeted it at the hotel! Because it was 80 degrees that day, the night air felt amazing, I didn't wear a sweater the whole date. We sat outside on a patio and drank fancy overly priced wine. I like wine but don't know what's good and what isn't so he picked mine out for me and it was exactly what I would have wanted it to taste like. We talked for a long time, believe it or not we still haven't run out of things to say yet! Once we had finished our "fancy" wine we walked down to the beach.

I mentioned before that I thought he was shorter than he posted on his profile.... When I took off my 6" heels to get in the sand I noticed that he was, in fact, a whole head taller than me. He wasn't lying after all! Yay. We went to the water and dipped our toes, looked at the stars and finally had a real first kiss. It was magical. It really was. I could have stayed out on the beach all night but both of us had to work the next day and at 10 pm we decided to head home. Kill Joy. On the car ride back we held hands and he even walked me to my door. We chatted another minute, kissed a little more and made plans to hang out this Sunday, after he gets back from his ski trip.

I literally fell into my pillow that night. It was the best date I had ever been on.

Why Complicate Life?

Missing somebody? ...... Call

Wanna meet up? ...... Invite

Wanna be understood? ...... Explain

Have questions? ...... Ask

Don't like something? ...... Say it

Like something? ...... State it

Want something? ...... Ask for it

Love someone? ...... Tell them

Nobody will know what's going on in your mind......

It's better to express rather than to expect......

You already have the NO, take the risk of getting the YES.

We only have one life. Keep it simple silly!

I saw this on Pinterest and liked it so much I thought I would share. Happy Wednesday Diary Readers!

What I'm Loving Wednesday- Monkey Bread!

Tonight, out of sheer boredom (Revenge was a repeat this week. So bummed!) I went to one of my favorite websites: StumbleUpon.

For those of you who have never heard of this amazing interweb wonderland let me just say, YOU ARE MISSING OUT. Like Pinterest, I could spend hours on this site. This particular time I decided to 'stumble upon' food themed pages and take a peek at what I found:

MmmmMmmm!

I might need to make me some of this ! What is it? It's Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread from The Sweets Life. Although I'm planning on making this for only moi, this would be great as an appetizer for a party or for Super Bowl or even something fun to do dinner! And the great thing is you could add other 'pizza topping' items if you wanted.

I'm basically going to copy and paste everything that Natalie wrote because I haven't made these yet and she clearly is a pro. When I do make it though, I'll be sure to take a couple of pictures and write a review. So here it is, pepperoni pizza monkey bread, by Natalie from 'The Sweets Life.'

This bread takes a little bit of time to prepare, but in about half an hour I had filled my bundt pan with little dough balls, each with a piece of pepperoni and cheese stuffed within it. I was a little disappointed when I finished because I felt like my bundt pan should've been fuller. It puffed right up in the oven, however, and I removed it from the oven when it was nicely browned on top. The monkey bread released from the pan easily and after snapping a few pictures, I immediately dug in. 

My new definition of bliss: warm dough with a cheesy center and a bite of pepperoni. The garlic butter that I'd brushed on each piece was noticeable, but not so much that you'll be suffering from garlic breath all day! I'm quite certain this will be my new go-to recipe for potlucks and football parties, especially since I still have pepperoni left over in the fridge! You can certainly make your own dough and marinara sauce, but this recipe is really easy if you pick up those ingredients (I used Trader Joe's dough and basil marinara for dipping.)

Ingredients:
-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-4 tbsp butter
-2 lbs pizza dough (I used 2 balls of Trader Joe's fresh dough)
-6 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (about 48 pieces)
-pepperoni (about 48 slices)
-2-3 cups marinara sauce for serving

Directions:1. In a small saucepan, heat garlic and butter over medium heat until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and allow to sit. Brush the inside of a bundt pan with the garlic butter.
2. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten. Place a slice of pepperoni and a piece of cheese on each, folding the dough around the cheese and pepperoni and pinching well to seal.

3. Brush the pizza ball with the garlic butter and place in the prepared bundt pan. Continue until all dough has been used.

4. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 35 minutes, until top is browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.


That doesn't seem too hard does it girls? Happy Hump Day!

Lazy Wednesday and Furry Friends

Today has been one of those filler days. Ya know what I mean. I had plans to do things but just didn't feel like it. I wanted to be creative but just didn't have it in me today, and the weather is grey and a little chilly, so it's perfect for doing nothing! I'm also recovering from a cold and this is my first day off from work in six so it felt nice to spend the better half of my morning and early afternoon in bed applying for big girl jobs before grabbing In n' Out for lunch. When I sat down to blog, I couldn't even decide what I wanted to write about, until I skimmed through my blog folder and came across these little gems. I am a sucker (as I'm sure all you are as well) for little aminals. When photo hunting through blogs, I'll sometimes find an animal picture that I cannot pass up but never use it. So as a treat for you and a lazy day for me, this Wednesday I am loving sweet little animals!

Happy Hump Day!

 

What am I loving Wednesday? Betsey Johnson of Course!

I'm sure you all know that Mercedes Benz fashion week is going on right now, and as much as I love all the designers, there is one in particular that stands out the most! Betsey Johnson! I have to admit, I am a little bias. I was lucky enough to work for her as a design intern and temporary personal assistant at her New York showroom in 2007. Working there and moving to The Big Apple was one of the greatest adventures of my life and looking back on it, I didn't realize how fortunate I was to have such an amazing opportunity. That story I've been meaning to write about, but will save for another time. Lets get back on track to what's really important right now, FASHION!

New York designer Betsey Johnson has built her long-standing career in fashion by following her own set of rules. Known for her celebration of the exuberant, the embellished, and the over the top, she has been rocking the fashion industry with her unique and original designs since the 1960’s. Her commitment to remain true to her one-of-a-kind vision has afforded Betsey continued success in an industry known for its fickleness. Her ability to change with the times while keeping her designs pure has not gone unnoticed. At the 1999 CFDA Awards, Betsey was presented The Timeless Talent  Award created especially for her, which recognized her influence on fashion throughout her career.

So yesterday was Betsey's day to show off her Spring 2012 collection and after checking out all her adorable designs I was nothing short of amazed. She definitely didn't disappoint! Take a look for yourself. These are a few of my favorites.

(Side Note: How freaking fabulous are those pantyhose? LOVE!)

What did I tell you? Super cute huh? Sometimes her clothes are a little off the wall (even for me) but these garbs are pure perfection. Looking through the slides made me nostalgic for when I worked at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week for the BJ Spring 2008 "Prom Queen" themed show. SO much so I dug up some pictures from my photo library for you all to look at.

These are the other Design Interns I worked with working hard to put together the invites for the show!

This is what the back side of the Invitation looked like (The front side pic I had was very blurry. Sorry!)

Here I am spray painting the center pieces for the VIP section tables of the show on Betsey's 5th Avenue Loft Penthouse apartment roof. Yes, you read that right. I was on her roof! I have pictures of her whole house that I plan on posting soon! So stay tuned!

That headband she's wearing... I made that!

I love this polka dot number. And how cute are those little socks?

I helped sew on those booty ruffles!

It's hard to see but those sunglasses were glittered. Lovingly sprinkled by a bunch of us interns!

This was one of I really like!

But this one was by far my favorite! Wouldn't you just die to wear this dress to prom?! Shoot. I'd wear it to the grocery store! So pretty!

And of course Betsey steals her own show every time by cart wheeling at the end! Even at 69 she still did it for yesterdays show! Betsey, you're the best!

As one journalist recently put it, "if Betsey Johnson didn't exist, we would have to invent her, simply to remind ourselves that fashion can be fun. She's the original wild child and she is set to paint the town pink!" 

Happy Hump Day Senoritas!