Getting Old

When I was a wee one, staying up all night was all sorts of fun. Watch Animal Planet until midnight, play Sims with my friends until two, come up with new food concoctions at four, watch the sunrise, sleep until two. It was a fabulous system.

Sometimes, when I think back on those days, I forget I'm not twelve anymore. And now...sleeping is the new staying up.


I conveniently forgot that Friday night, when I thought staying up to watch the sunrise would be magical. It didn't start out that way; I just didn't realize how late it was until the Proactiv infomercial came on.

At that point it was 3 a.m., and I figured, why not?

But no. Those two hours between 3 and 5 a.m. are critical. I hit a roller coaster array of highs and lows at that point. It was rough. Especially after the coffee.

You know how it is. On normal days, when you sleep, coffee feels good and cozy in your system. When you haven't slept at all? It just amplifies the slap-happy and the being cold.

(I hope that happens to other people too?)

Anyway, it was on my bucket list to watch the sun rise overlooking the entire city.

I dragged my boyfriend. He had been up all night with his friends, too, so it was totally acceptable to convince him to go with me at five in the morning.

Bucket list item number 27? Check.

Ignore the grainy-ness of the photo. And the fact that we look like zombies.

Pretty, right? This town has certainly grown on me.

<3

Summer Skin

I don't know about you, but my skin isn't digging this heat wave. I feel like I sweat 90% of the day, and the other 10% I'm showering or swimming. So in honor of the steambath that currently is Central Illinois, here are some of my favorite summer skin savers.

1. Baby lips. One of the best chapsticks I've ever used, plus it comes with SPF.

2. True Blue Spa Pumpkin Renewing Face Mask. After a long day in the sun, this helps sooth skin. Also, it smells like fall and reminds me of pumpkin spice lattes on a walk in the woods. And not sweating.

3. Neutrogena Spray Sunscreen. This stuff smells and feels great, and I actually looked forward to using it.

4. DIY body scrub using extra virgin olive oil and sugar. The sugar is grainy enough to slough off skin cells and accumulated sunscreen, and the olive oil lightly moisturizes. I LOVE olive oil. I use it for everything, like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Windex. (Was it Windex?)


So there you have it! Your skin can still look healthy in these harsh conditions. Hair is another story entirely.

Have a lovely day!

P.S.-SPIDERMAN TONIGHT. CAN'T WAIT! I ADORE EMMA STONE.

My dress, a love story.

I was so excited about the story behind the dress from my last post that I just really have to share it. 

So around my birthday (which is in early February), I found this dress, and it reminded me of the one Selena Gomez wore on the cover of Cosmo. 

I wanted it. But it cost too much, even for a birthday splurge.

So I went back in April, and the price was down to $50, but they didn't have it in my size. I was determined that the dress would be mine anyway.

Fast-forward to two weeks ago. I look online to scope out some dresses. I remember the dress, check Express and–lo and behold–it's under the sale section!

It costs a grand total of $29, $20 with a coupon. And it is ONLY available in my size. Some call that good luck. I call it destiny. And it was perfect for the wedding we attended. I have a feeling that dress will make an appearance at several more summer events. Our story is just beginning.

                                                                            <3

Don't lie. You know you have a love story with something in your closet, too.

            

Wedding and a water fight

This was definitely a whirlwind of a weekend! Tom and I drove to my hometown to attend a friend's wedding and a family party. It was exhausting, and so much fun. And I kind of wish I could do it all over again.

First I showed him around Woodfield Mall.

Then we went to the most lavish, elegant wedding I will probably ever attend. (P.S.-This is the Milwaukee Art Museum. It was in Transformers 3.)

I didn't even know orchids existed in that color?!

The next day we went to my favorite little shopping town, Long Grove. 

Then we attacked each other with water toys. My favorite moment was when my 5-foot-nothing grandma walked out with the super soaker.

Christmas Card photo 2012? I think yes.

Domesticity at its very finest.

Have a good week!!!

Bullies, swing dance and other musings.

Today I read more about the bus monitor who was viscously bullied by seventh graders, (see video here, though you've probably seen it already.) A website started up for her raised more than $500,000 dollars to send her on a vacation; the intended goal was $5,000.

That's absolutely remarkable.

Consider how much effort goes into raising money for natural disasters or diseases. It takes time. It takes dedication. Sometimes, it takes a celebrity at the other end of the phone call. But in this case? That money was raised in 36 hours.
For me, this whole story has been an interesting look into the psyche of people. It's fascinating to see what makes us tick.

First of all, it's crazy how much hatred a 12-year-old heart can house. Maybe that's just it, though. They can't possibly understand the plight of another human being because they've hardly started living yet. And they take advantage of it. They conveniently forget that human beings have emotions and lives of their own. And there is no way they can possibly understand what kind of a wrench they've just thrown in their life.

Then it also says something about what really gets our blood boiling. I think it's because, unlike hurricanes and genocide, we all have someone in our life that reminds us of the bus monitor. We think of grandmas or moms or aunts. That makes it relatable, personal even.

But it's strange how easy it is for children to be heartless. And it's unfortunate, too, because by the time they realize the scope of what they've done, it'll be years later. And that's likely when they'll have the maturity to process the severity of it. But the fact that so many people came together to show that woman that someone cares really re-instilled my faith in humanity.

On a lighter note-

Tom and I went swing dancing last night!

So it was lots of fun because it was outside, it was free, and we did a pretty good job! I did not like, however, that we had to change partners often. I ended up dancing with a lot of old men and a few high school theater kids. But still, we had a good time. And I must say, we looked pretty classy.

But I was thinking how much I enjoy these college years. I enjoy finding free things to do. Everything is fairly simple (compared to real grown-up living), and it's easy to live a decadent life on hardly anything. Because a dip in the pool on a hot afternoon or staying out late for a scoop of ice cream feels indulgent. And I hope that I never forget that, because that's what life is about. 

Later on, when I've got a mortgage to pay and kids to raise and a retirement fund, I want to remember that these are the kinds of things that really make a life worth living. And for me and Tom, it's fun to find creative dates to do while we're living as broke college students. That feels like real wealth to me.

And tonight, my roommate is back in town and we're all going to see "Brave"! I can't wait. I read that it took three years to make her hair.

Happy weekend! 

A lovely summer weekend

So, first of all, there were a lot of good moments for photos this weekend, but I continuously forgot to charge my camera...so you'll just have to believe me that they actually happened.

It was a HOT weekend, and it's going to be that way all week. See, Illinois is weird. Other parts of the country stay within a 40 or 50 degree range all year long. But here? No way. Our winters are bitter, our summers are sweltering, and there is very few in-between. But I like the unpredictability of it all.

Anyway, why I brought that up....my boyfriend's family has a swimming pool! So we spent some time in it Saturday and Sunday, and I'm really thinking we should swim more today. In celebration of the 93 degree heat and sunshine.

Saturday Tom and I went to a renaissance fair. We spent $7 for a turkey leg, which I thought was ridiculous until I actually saw the thing. This sucker was MASSIVE. It probably could have fed three or four very hungry grown men. Then we watched some jousting, saw some people he knew, sweat like crazy, and then left to do some swimming.

Things change quickly, however. One minute it's sunny and hot, the next a seriously ominous storm makes its way in.

The view outside my window. Truly, this picture doesn't do the storm clouds any justice.

They were some seriously terrifying strato-cumulonimbus clouds. It was kind of cool. (Sidenote: I know cloud names because in third grade I wanted to be a meteorologist, so I went to the library and memorized the Weather Wizard's Cloud Book.)

Nerdiness aside, the next day was clear and bright. So for Father's Day, I made cupcakes from scratch for my boyfriend and his family. (A stick of butter in the frosting. A stick of butter in the batter. Paula Deen would be proud.) They were delicious! I ate too many. So worth it. I really missed seeing my own dad for Father's Day, but I'll be out there soon enough.

So it was very relaxing, and much needed. I also got to catch up with some old coworkers and witness drunk karaoke, so that was magical.

Have a good week!

P.S.-I will post about my excursions with the Asian Carp this week, but for now, here's a tasty little preview.

You can see just the edge of a fish in that hole. They are awfully creepy up close.

Settling in

It's been about a month since classes ended and work began, and I've finally settled into a sort of routine with it all. 

But what I love about summertime is that after work, there's no homework to take care of or late night emails that need to be handled right then and there. That leaves room for some spontaneity. 

Last week, for example, some friends and I went go-karting on a Tuesday night. Then we ate a ton of pizza and watched a movie.

That's Thomas and I before we rode the dune buggies for a second time. 

Then on Saturday, we went to my friend Lauren's wedding.

Attractive.

Me and some former newspaper people at Lauren's wedding.

And then after the wedding, I told Tom that I wanted to sit outside somewhere. But when we drove to the field he was going to take me to, it looked like this:

I took Tom on the ferris wheel for the first time in his life. He was not a fan. But that's another item off my bucket list!

And this weekend? Off to visit home, family and good friends.

Happy Wednesday!