Short Hair... Do Care

Alright Y'all I need your help... I am desperately trying to grow out my hair and would love some input on what you use and what works. I have heard various tips and tricks and although I haven't tried any yet I am eager to see what others have tried and what worked for them. Prior to chopping off my locks I had long hair... I mean long

Then

Now

Before moving to a new city and starting a new job I had the idea to chop it off to have a fresh new start with a new look. And don't get me wrong, I love my short hair and have loved it but I am READY for my long hair again. I tried cutting back on using my blow dryer and straightener but am clueless as to what else to do.  I've heard of different oils, taking biotin, and using horse shampoo but would love some extra input! 

Thanks Yall!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Sleep Deprivation + New Obsession

Alright Y'all wish I could say I had a great big post for you but I am exhausted. I have been working since last Tuesday... straight. Yes you read that right, I am currently going on day 7 of working in a row and will not have a day off until Thursday. Sleep deprivation could be my middle name. 

Tonight I was supposed to go over to a friends to watch Bachelor and I was lame and cancelled because I didn't think I could make it through the whole show. I did mange to cook an easy dinner of a salmon cake with sweet potato fries and asparagus and also do some laundry which was WAY overdue. 

This week will be filled being boring- gym in the a.m, home to dinner and a glass of wine followed by an early bed time. Am I in my mid 20s or in my mid 70s... sheesh. 

I will leave yall with my newest obsession. This foundation is no joke. 

Coming from someone who has tried them all- MAC, Tarte, Makeup Forever... this is definitely my favorite. I put it on in the morning before I leave for work and love that when I get home from work it still looks the same! I encourage you all to try this wonderful foundation and let me know what you think!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Thoughts of Thursday

- I am an absolute baby when it comes to cold weather! Here in Richmond we are having freezing temps and this girl is NOT thrilled about it. My next life choice might need to be a move to some where warmer

- For the life of me I can not get myself to be a yogurt person. I detest the taste of yogurt- plain or greek. I wish I could make myself like it because I know its good for you but I just can't get used to it. 

- I have a few friends who recently just got engaged and I may or may not be using their engagement parties as an excuse to buy new dresses. 

- Is it wrong to want to have a glass of wine every night? Normally I indulge in one about 3 nights a week and the other nights its a serious struggle to not pour a glass while unwinding or cooking dinner.

- I think there should be a warning for when a scary movie preview is about to come on, I have been left speechless and scared to death at the end of one of those commercials. 

- I have almost no savings account. This may seem like a frightening comment but I am comforted by the fact that none of my friends do either. The first few years after college your supposed to be semi broke and with no savings right?

- Cable companies are such a rip off! I wanted to get rid of my cable and just have internet and get a roku box and what did my cable company say... it would be MORE expensive to just have internet then it would internet and cable. Dumb. 

So there you have it... my thoughts of the week. Per usual they are all over the place. Hope everyone is having a great week and staying warm in this weather!

A Great Weekend With Friends

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to travel down to Wilmington, North Carolina to spend some much needed time with some girlfriends. I had Friday off and got into town around 5, just in time to pop open some champagne and begin a lovely weekend! 

Here's a few pictures from the weekend:

Grabbing lunch in downtown Wilmington, obviously great weather called for sitting outside and enjoying a drink!

With the Bride to be!

At the Martini Bar!

Wish I would have taken more pictures but overall it was a wonderful weekend spent catching up and relaxing. 

Also this weekend I was finally able to try out my new boyfriend jeans! A few weeks ago I posted that I was searching around for a pair and I found a great pair at Gap! I paired them with strip long sleeve tee, blazer, and black pumps. If you haven't checked out Gap's boyfriend jeans, I highly recommend them!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Rocky Start, Thanks Sunday Funday

I've never been a huge Sunday Funday participant and normally fill my Sundays running errands, doing laundry, and preparing for the week ahead. This past Sunday I planned to do my normal and had just gotten back from the grocery store when a friend asked if I wanted to grab a drink and watch the Ravens game at 6. I had nothing else going on so I decided hey your young go grab a beer. Well friends... one beer turned into 3 AND a glass of wine and before I knew it.. this girl had officially become a member of Sunday Funday. I woke up on Monday morning feeling less then stellar and not thrilled about heading in to work, especially with my new hours and knowing I would be there until 6/6:30. And if your even wondering if I made it to the gym for a workout.. that was no where in the cards. 

Also on my agenda for Monday morning was to find a dentist because over the weekend a filling of mine had fallen out. I did manage to find one but the only time they had was during the middle of the day. I talked to my department at work, who much to my amazement and joy said to just take the day off and consider it a mental health day. (No, they did not know about my Sunday activities) Did I luck out or what! 

I wish I could say I filled my unexpected day off being productive but I called it quits after a load of laundry and my dentist appointment. I did get to catch up on Revenge and Girls from last night... both my two favorite shows and this happened while recuperating....

As for future Sundays, I think I'll stick with my routine of doing boring adult like things or at least pretending. For those of you that are able to participate in Sunday Funday without feeling miserable on Monday... I applaud you. 

How do you spend your sundays?

Yours truly, 

Em

Heres To This Week

Happy Monday Y'all!

Brace Yourself....

Alright Y'all I am officially the worst and have been putting off blogging for quite some time! Anyone else just keep pushing it back and back because you know when you post... its going to be a lot. Life has been kicking me in the toocas lately and I have been crazy busy so far this month! And by busy I mean I am working every weekend but one in January, I've traveled to NJ for less then 24 hours for a family get togehter (so worth it!), and will be spending my one weekend off traveling to Wilmington, NC! ... Yea, crazy!

My hours at work have also changed and I have been working 9:30/10 till about 6/6:30. So far I have loved my schedule and it has given me the opportunity to get my butt to the gym early in the morning! I am going on week 2 of kicking up my working out and so far I am feeling great. I have also been trying out a lot of new recipes! I figured the best way to catch up on everything I've been up to would be upload all my happenings...

A new favorite coffee spot- bonus for the cute cups AND they use almond milk to make their smoothies! 

A yummy and quick dinner- quinoa with mushrooms and spinach with homemade sweet potato fries

A girls night spent with wine and Bachelor- love it

A Saturday night spent at the gym... real exciting

Power food salad for lunch- edamame, spinach, mushrooms, sesame sticks, avocado, and chick peas with Trader Joes Cilantro dressing... amazing

A little night cap of Yogi Green Tea

Super green smoothie- spinach, almond milk, banana, ice, and a dab of almond butter

Treating myself to a shellac manicure before my girls weekend. This was my first time getting a french manicure and I can't say I'm a fan. I think my nails are too short and would have looked much better with a color. That being said... you live you learn. 

Fortunately I will be heading out of Richmond this weekend and escaping the snow and cold weather to meet up with a few of my girlfriends to celebrate one of my best friends engagement! She is the first of my group of friends to get engaged and I could not be more excited to hear all about the details and her wedding plans thus far!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

A Lesson In Being Flexible For The New Year

Well Y'all... second day into the new year and I have already had a lesson in something I will need to keep working on throughout the year... being flexible. I have always considered myself a flexible person and by no means do I consider myself a Type A but I am all about some list making and planning. OK so that's kinda type A. In yesterday's post I described how my week was going to go, including my meal plan and to do for each day. 

Well wouldn't you know, rather then wake up hungover yesterday morning like the rest of the world... this girl woke up with the flu. I had a fever, the chills, and was so achy ALL day, it was miserable! I had planned to head back to Richmond yesterday and also grocery shop for the week... but clearly that didn't happen. I decided to stay home another night and rest up yesterday and today. Needless to do, my to do list for the week is a bit off. 

I did manage to drag my sick self to the grocery store today once I got back in to town to pick up a few things but you can bet that I did NOT make it to the gym. 

I will be heading back to work tomorrow and to the gym after and am eager to get back on track. I was a little bummed about starting off the new year like this but it made me think about flexibility. Did I want to be sick for the start of the new year... absolutely not. Did it throw off my week and plans... yes. However it was important to take the take to rest and get better so that I could make more to do list and get ready for crazy busy weekend coming up!

Do you think you could use a little more flexibility in your life?

-Em

A Weekly Structure

Now that the holidays are officially over, it time to face the music and get serious about my routine. This means, back on track with morning smoothies, going to the gym more then twice a week, and getting back into meal planning! For this week, I have decided to post my project week schedule, in hopes that it will increase my chances of sticking to it!  

Wednesday I will be heading back to work and working a normal day and hoping to get out at normal time and will be making a beeline for the gym. Last week my gym was closed from Christmas until the after the new year and I can't wait to get back there! After the gym I also plan on heading to the store to grab a few groceries to get me through the week!

Here's what's on my grocery list:

-Sriracha (recipe to come)

- Bananas

- Baby spinach

- Lemon

-Quinoa

- Almond butter

- Apples

-Shrimp

-Corn

Meals/Schedule for the week:

 Wednesday

Roasted butternut squash and tofu with black beans (recipe to come) 

Grocery shop

Gym

Thursday

Shrimp with roasted corn 

Barre Class at 7:15

Friday

Omelet with feta and sweet potato fries (recipe to come)

Barre Class at 4:00

As for today, I think I will do a bit of lounging and relaxing on my last day at home. Hope everyone has a wonderful first day of the year!

How are you spending the first few days of the new year?

-Em