The Holy Grail

It would be safe to say that I would sell my soul to the devil himself to get me a Birkin bag. I mean hello this bag is B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!! Not to mention every celebrity known to man who is a celebrity is carrying the Birkin right now. I think we have to credit Vicortia Beckham & Kimora Lee Simmons for really putting these fabulous trophies on the map not mention they both own over 20 which is valued at between $200,000-- $1 mil. Dying. But now stars like Kim Kardashian, Khole, Kim, & Chris all have them, Nicole Richie, Guliana Ranic, Hillary Duff, the list could go on & on. If you have no clue what I'm talking about I've included some photos of celebs with their coveted Birkin's in case you've been living under a rock for the past year. 

I'm not the only one to notice this fad in Hollywood either because I picked up two of my favorite celebrity gossip magazines this week and they both had articles about the Birkin craze in Hollywood. 


  While I'm not pulling in seven figures.....yet (wishful thinking) I will only be able to dream of holding a Birkin on my arm one day. Maybe it could make a good push gift?? Or how about skip the kid and put that money into a handbag? I like that idea! 

Gym 101

I have a very healthy obsession with working-out and because I don't really do much during my free time my schedule pretty much revolves around my working out schedule. Obsessed... maybe but at least I'm burning the calories instead of ingesting them. Since becoming highly active I hate to admit it but I kind of have become one of "those" gym snobs where if you take to long on a machine I get pissy, or people are goofing off and wasting my time because I am waiting for the machine they are sensually using. My biggest pet peeve is when I am bike riding on the trails and people decide to take up the whole width of the path then you have to scream (okay maybe not scream but I scream) that you're passing on the left. Of course they are giving you the evil eye because they had to move over. I take this boot camp class on Monday's & Friday's at my gym I attend and the class starts at 9:15 however if you're not there by 8:30 or 8:40 you mind as well do another work-out because you're not getting into this class. I compare getting ready for this class as if you're trying to time a fabulous Black Friday deal but instead it's to get a coveted spot in the class with the weights you need. We have now formed alliances with other members so if they get their first they set you up and vice versa. It's all fair in love & war. The kicker is when you set-up your station and you go get a pre-work out in on the treadmill or whatever and some new person thinks that just spots are set-up for them so as you come into the class you see someone is hovering over your spot- wrong that is my spot. 

  Anyways, I came across this article about the 11 Common Faux Pas Gym Mistakes and I thought maybe if enough people knew the proper etiquette we could all enjoy our work outs. 

1. Leaving Sweat on Equipment 

     Gross! By now every gym has enough access to towels, wipes, and cleaners to wipe down the equipment- just take an extra minute and clean off your nasty sweat stains. 

2. Resting too Long

    I'm not a body builder so I don't really exhaust this one to much but I could see where this could get frustrating. 

3. Using your Phone

   I would like to start out by saying we've all done it once or twice and secondly I kinda have to take my hat off to someone who is not only skilled enough to keep up a pace on the treadmill and still have enough breath to carry on a full blown conversation but also that you're also able to multi-task in that way. 

4. Eating or Drinking on the Gym Floor

   I have never seen someone eating on the gym floor however what cracks me up is the people mainly women who carry their Starbucks drinks onto the equipment. I love my Starbucks but please how is that helping you??

5. Hogging a Machine

  There is always that person who has camped out on a machine for hours on end and you can tell because they now have a lake around them with all the sweat they've produced while hogging that machine. I think that's their method of keeping people away because who would want a machine that is now drenched in sweat? Not me.

6. Leaves Weights Out

  I do lift weights and it is annoying when it becomes a scavenger hunt to find the mate of the 25 lb weight. 

7. Hovering

  I hate when people stalk you for your machine. 

8. Interrupting a Class

   You have to love the person that comes in late and then is trying to squeeze through to set-up when in reality there is no room and then is shuffling around trying to find equipment. Ever hear the saying, "Early bird catches the worm?" You missed it try again! 

9. Misusing the Locker Room

  I try and avoid the locker room as much as I can. My gym has a nice locker room but everything about it creeps me out- reminds me of my Freshman days in my college dorm room and we had community style bathrooms. Nothing friendly about it. But what I don't understand is how people can have full blown conversations with someone either naked or merely a barely there towel on. 

10. Leaving your Bag Out

  Never have done this- my gym bag is designer (I know roll your eyes) so my bag would be the first to get swiped and I'm not taking those chances.

11. Not Reporting Issues

  I've never had to do this- shocking 

Hopefully we can all share these useful tips and make the gym experience more user friendly. If you want to read more on these 11 tips click here

A Girl's Best Friend

A girl's best friend could be many things. . . chocolate, coffee, working-out, a pet, but I'm talking about nail polish. What girl doesn't love getting her nails done and picking a sassy color to match her mood for the day or event? Plus who can't love the hilarious names of nail polish. I would love to have that job. From Sugar Daddy to I'm not really a Waitress. You've got to love it. If I could come up with a nail Polish Line it would be called First for example, First Date, First Kiss, First Time, etc. Love? Okay maybe it's a work in progress. I am always getting my nails done I even wrote a blog about it and my break-up from my nail salon (it was a rough time). But we've moved onto a new salon and we are all good. So since I wear black & white everyday and I have to have a very classic look while in the work place I am limited to expressing myself via my nail polish- but nothing to crazy (dress-code rules). So I am always on the hunt for a good color and always asking clients what color they are wearing. I always make it a point to check out the name of my current color so I can share it if someone asks because honestly it's the worst when someone doesn't know the name. Annoying. I actually got one of my favorite combos from a client- she said she uses two coats of Essie sugar daddy & two coats of Essie ballet slippers. Loves it!! The nail techs don't always love doing it because drying time is like 15-20 minutes because of the 4 coats.

  I was off today and had a little bug up my butt to go check out some new Essie colors at the store. I have always been a big OPI fan but Essie just has some iconic natural colors that I adore. Plus their new Summer line is amazing with the greys & khaki's & glowing pinks. I recently had gotten my nails done and selected the color Merino Cool which is also by Essie and I LOVED. Plus got tons of compliments on it. Recently it was featured in Lucky! So today I bought 3 new colors: Angel Food, Topless & Barefoot, & Fruit Sangria. I am so excited and can't wait to hit the nail salon next week to test out these new colors. I also got an amazing deal at Ulta-- if you purchased two you got one free -- Loves it! 
  I have also been on the hunt for the best natural looking nail polish color because I always feel as I'm flipping through the latest gossip magazine the celebs always have the best natural looking nail polish. However on my hunt today I think I may have found my new fav natural color (Angel Food). 

Check out my colors I bought today.. 

Left: Topless& Barefoot, Angel Food, Fruit Sangria

                                                                          All my favorite Natual Color's by Essie 

All my Essie Colors 

So what are your favorite nail polish colors?? 

Obsessed!

So anyone who follows Chris you will have seen she ordered this amazing necklace from Etsy which is a replica of a necklace Taylor from Rachel Zoe always wore. 

Adorable! I've always liked this necklace but thought it would be uber expensive so never sought it out. So one day when Chris & I met for coffee she showed me the Etsy website which I'm now obssessed with and that she found the sideways cross necklace. Well needless to say Chris couldn't wait another second and ordered it right then and there. I however waited and once she got hers I had to get mine! So I ordered it stat. Of course mine took longer to get because I swear they sent it from the moon but no worries it finally arrived! 

The cute note & box

How cute! 

How it was packaged

Necklace on- close up

Me wearing the fab new necklace- excuse the sports bra

I have been wearing the necklace everyday since I got it and have gotten nothing but compliments on it.

Loves it! 

 

Veni, Vidi, Vici

When I heard these words they truly struck a chord with me in more ways than one. It means I came, I saw, I conquered in Latin. As I embark on my quarter life crisis (yes roll your eyes now- I get I'm still young) these words have become the motto I want to use to set the pace for my next 25 years. In recent months leading up to my big 25th birthday & golden birthday by the way many things have happened or I've had a new outlook on that has made me look at how I value my life & relationships differently. You're probably thinking huh?? Let me explain some take aways I've had thus far in my life & what I want to change going forward...


 I've Learned....


You have one life so live it to the fullest. Let's just be honest we've all done something at some point that maybe in the moment -- or morning after you cringed and thought what was I thinking?? I know I have, however as I hit 25 and closed the chapter on my single days I now don't regret that I drink I had that put me from tipsy to wasted, the nights I danced on the bar top & lived in the moment, the night I made out with some girls boyfriend and she confronted me in the bathroom (please he sought me out and he totally reminded me of Justin Bobby from The Hills), I called in "sick" to work because in all reality I was to hung over from the previous night I mean mornings festivities (don't judge my work ethic on a night of fun. Plus this was def in my early 20's and like you haven't done it...), you slept with someone who you thought their name was Mike but the next morning realize it was Steve, and the list could go on and on but my point is you live once & you must savor the moment. You never know when your life could change... 


It's about quality not quantity- I can remember when Facebook first became mainstream (yes I'm probably dating myself here but I was only a Sophomore in college) and it was about asking as many people as you thought were your friends or acquaintances with to be your "friend" but how many people of those 500+ people are you really friends with? Okay now I'll admit I don't audit my Facebook friends but I do audit my relationships I entertain in real life. I've learned it's not about how many friends you have but who you have & if they will truly be there for you thought the good times & bad. Also what value they bring to your life & what value you bring to theirs. In the last year I've done some major evaluating of my friendships and some people just had to go for one reason or another. Now all my friends in my life are people who I can truly say are my friends and will be there no matter what. 


Authenticity
  In life we've all wished we were someone else or wish we could be more like someone else or changed something we do to emulate someone else. At the end of the day I've learned that I want to be true to myself and I am who I am so take it or leave it. Now it's taken me years to get to this point because while I've always been very opinionated as a person I've always wanted everyone to like me and think positively about me. However I have come to the conclusion of who cares what others think I mean honestly. The people who know me and the true me know who I am and can appreciate that. I am the type of person is tells you like it is- it is very black & white with me- I'm a straight shooter. Now some people may find this abrasive but oh well it's a tough world out there so grow some thick skin. Over the past couple of years I have taken this 'say it like it is' mentality and not held back in certain scenarios and in some cases it escalated the scenarios or severed ties with people but at the end of the day the point was driven home. 
  For example, there was this girl who I wouldn't put in the friend bucket but I defiantly fell into her friend bucket. She was so much to handle- almost like a full-time job and she didn't get my schedule wasn't a Monday-Friday 8-5 I worked various hours and various days (no I'm not doing anything illegal I work in retail which at times the hours I work should be illegal). So long story short I couldn't handle the demands she was placing on this "friendship" and she didn't take no very well. Finally after many attempts I finally told her that she was, "on a crazy train headed down a one way road and I was getting off." Harsh? Maybe but rust me when I say I needed to be blunt as possible with her. 


Family is what you make it
  I've come to the conclusion that yes we all have family but at the end of the day you may not get along for one reason or another. In wake of getting married and learning this first hand- family doesn't always have your best interest or are accepting. So family is what you make it. My family right now consists of my husband, myself, our dog, & my mother. Couldn't be happier. 


I'm sure my list will grow as I get other light bulbs moments before my big b-day but I hope that you find these game changers I've had some food for thought for your own life. 

Mc Donald's is Super Sizing Itself!

Call me a news junkie, I read the newspaper (on my iPad) everyday as well as cruise the Internet for good articles when I came across an article about McDonald's. Now I normally don't blog about news pieces because they can be controversial topics and that is not my intention for this blog. However with my posting about Starbucks and there new drink size I got a lot of positive feedback around that so I thought this article could be a great follow up! 
   This time next summer the Olympics will be dominating our TV sets and will be hosted in London. Side Note: They are having quite the spotlight lately between the Royal Wedding, newspaper hacking scandal, and then the Olympics. So while London is preparing for the 9 million tickets to be sold and the mass amounts of people coming from all over the world other people are also gearing up for the big event. 

Anything significant going on there are certain sponsors that dominate the limelight and one of those sponsors is McDonald's. They have some super size plans for their mark in the Olympics. McDonald's plans to build a 2 story mega center that will span 32,290 square feet and host 1,500 seats!! They are expecting to serve 1.75 million meals during the Olympics which runs from July 27 - Aug 12. That is a heck of a lot of Big Macs and Fries! Maybe those people who buy those 1.75 million meals should participate in some physical activity afterwards because that is a heck of a lot of calories that is going to be consumed! Holy Cow! If you're a fast food junkie and plan on checking the Super Size place out after the Olympics you will come up empty handed because they plan on tearing down the place after its all over. 

I found a video that goes further into this story... 

McDonald's Super Size

       Hopefully after they leave McDonald's they don't go to Starbucks and get a Trenta iced beverage. 

iPad Gaget must have!

I think everyone needs to own an iPad 2 because it is quite possibly the best invention created this century thus far. Even Oprah said on her Behind the Scenes episode and she is in love with a thing even though being in love with a thing is so wrong. But this is the iPad people! 

I had wanted an iPad but didn't really jump on the iPad bandwagon until around Christmas time and at that point rumors were swirling of an iPad 2 so I decided to hold out for the 2nd one. So a week before the hubby & I were leaving for Vegas the iPad 2 was getting released. I had to work so the 5pm release time wasn't going to work with my schedule so what did that mean?? The hubby gets to have the pressure of getting me my prized possession. The pressure. Well he didn't disappoint well okay I originally wanted the white 32G but had to settle for the black 16G and honestly very happy with color & size. So now I felt like I would be that cool newlywed on the plane that has the fab ring and newest gadget..duh. So since that fateful day of having the iPad in my life it hasn't left my side. I love everything about it from all the apps to the convenience it serves. My life hates me for all the time I've wasted on it but that's okay. Plus with the iPad dominating 1% of all Internet traffic (which I fully contribute too) it is just amazing. One of my favorite apps is The Daily which is a newspaper you subscribe to for $1/wk or $36/year. Very interactive news source and neutral in delivering the news. What are your favorite apps? 

 A big thing with the iPad 2 was the smart cover which I was all over. I got the Orange one. 

Loves. 

However Chris told me about this awesome little gadget that she was loving. It is a little dock that props your iPad up and charges it at the same time!

 Love when a product double-dips. Plus the plug that you use to charge your iPad you plug into the dock so no need for all those extra cords (which is so annoying). The dock is perfect for when you Facetime. Which has now become my other obsession. It is such a great way to keep in touch with friends!