Vacation Time in the Lonestar State

I am officially on my four day vacation and I could not be more excited. I moseyed on down to Dallas, Texas this morning to visit my good friend Casey. 

This weekend is going to be filled with eating, drinking, shopping and laughing. I already got a head start on the shopping, of course. 

This weekend is much needed after everything that has been going on at work. I'm glad I can clear my mind of anything Abercrombie related for days. 

I'll be taking plenty of pictures to recap you on my trip. Until then, Ill be relaxing and eating entirely too many tacos!

{Outfit Post} Pink and Red.

I have decided to do my first outfit post in honor of yesterday being Valentine's day. There isn't much I love more than clothes, so I felt it appropriate. The pictures could be better but there is only so much I can do with an iPhone by myself. I think it's time to charge up the 'ole hand held. Here goes nothing....

Red jeans; Delia's. Tan sweater; Gap. silk floral undershirt; Banana Republic.

I accessorized with gold and leopard print bangles, adopted from my sister since she doesn't wear them. 

Of course, gold watch; Michael Kors. Leopard flats; Banana Republic.

I usually am not a fan of wearing pink and red together. I decided to try it after some Instagram inspiration, and I figured Valentine's was the perfect opportunity. 

Now, I'm sure you're wondering what I big plans I had?! None. I used yesterday as a ME day. I went to Zumba, got my hair done, and sprint the afternoon watching You've Got Mail. Then ended the night with dinner and drinks with friends at On the Boarder. 

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's!

Best and Worst of the Grammy's

I was overall satisfied with the outcome of the Grammy's. I enjoyed the award show while stuffing my face with Japanese takeout. This automatically gave me the right to judge every performance, clothing option, and award winner. So here's to the best, and let's just hope the worst reevaluate a few things before their next public appearance. 

BEST

 Two words: Adele and snot. She absolutely rocks, and the fact that she announced her snot on stage makes her even better. She definitely deserved every award she received.

Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston. Beautiful, and I know Ms. Houston is very pleased. 

Bon Iver for the win. Very rarely does an indie up-and-coming artist win so it was great to see him get best new artist. Plus, his very awkward speech was icing on the cake. 

Glen Campbell tribute. After all he is dealing with, I love that he can still appear on stage without a care in the world.  

WORST

Taylor Swift's dress. I mean Taylor Swift in general is bad, but she could have at least worn a evening gown. Instead she wore her grandmother's moo moo. 

Katy Perry's hair. And the fact her new song is a desperate outreach to ex-hubby, Russell Brand.

Nicki Minaj's entire performance. I don't really know what happened, but I think she managed to piss of a bunch of Catholics. 

The fact that Florence + the Machine was not nominated for  a single word, or was asked to perform. They are phenomenal!!! 

All The Single Ladies.

Valentine's Day is that one day of year for the whole world to celebrate their significant others. For single girls, it means being blue and probably spending money we don't need too. I've come to the conclusion that there is no need for that, so this year instead of getting the Valentine Day blues get the pinks (or whatever you want to call them). 

What does that mean? Use the day to celebrate YOU and the people you love, be it romantic or not. It's a great way to take your mind off the consumer driven ideal of Valentine's Day and to have a little fun. So I did a little research, via google, to make a top ten list of fun, non-attached activities for all my single ladies out there. Que Beyonce. 

1. Make it a girls day. If you watch Parks & Recreation, we call this Galentine's Day. Host a dinner to celebrate the great girlfriends you have. 

2. Throw a party. The theme can be anti-Valentines. If you have watched Valentine's Day, Jessica Biel hit the head on nail with this idea. Just follow her lead. 

3. Have an eye-candy marathon. Just rent every movie your favorite Hollywood hottie has ever been in, grab some popcorn, and press play. For me, this means any movie with Jude Law or Ben Affleck or Adam Brody--and the list goes on. Looks like I have a lot of movies to watch. 

4. Play Dirty Santa, Cupid style. Which I guess would be Dirty Cupid. Get a group of single friends together, draw names, and send each other gifts on Valentine's Day. 

5. Cook dinner for YOURSELF. Head to the grocery store and whip up your favorite meal. It will keep you busy and it will be all for you. Then wait till the next day to do the dishes and relax. 

6. SPA DAY! Treat yourself to a mani, pedi, facial and full body message. The last thing on your mind will be the fact that your single. 

7. Set up an online dating profile. As a joke. Most sites give you a trial run, so you can see what all the hype is about. I personally wouldn't actually use the site, but you never know you could get lucky. It would at least be fun to see if you get any matches. ;)

8. Take a day trip. Hope in the car and drive to that close-to-home place you've been dying to visit. Check out the local coffee shops, boutiques and restaurants. Spend the day shopping all for yourself!!

9. Remind yourself that every couple isn't a happy couple. You would much rather be single than miserable. If you think otherwise, you are stupid. 

10. Forget what day it is! If all of the above fails you, just hide every calendar you own, your cell phone and computer and forget what day it is. You might not want to turn on the TV either. 

If you were wondering what you were going to do on Tuesday, being single and all, well now you have no excuse to sit at home sulking and watching Lifetime. Get out and show the world what they are missing! 

Thank you, Wrytestuff.com and College Life for the Valentine's Day ideas. 

{music} Thursday Tunes.

We all know I have a love for music, and searching for the best new music. It's been a while since I shared any of that with you guys. So i decided to dedicate this post to doing just that! 

This summer I joined Spotify. If you don't have it, I high suggest getting it. It's a great way to discover new music, create your own playlist, share with friends. And it's free, unless you sign up for the premium service. Premium allows you too listen to music and update playlist via your smart phone. With that said, I. Love. Spotify. 

I made a list of some of my favorite tunes right now, so check them out. 

-All I Ever Wanted by Airborne Toxic Event

-Somebody That I Use to Know by Gotye

-We Are Young by Fun.

-Eyes Wide Open by Gotye

-Dancing with the Devil by Wolf Gang

-Only If For a Night by Florence + the Machine

-The Valley by Eisley

-Kiss Quick by Matt Nathanson

-Skinny Love by Birdy

-Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

-Not Your Fault by AWOLNATION

-Bicycle by Jason Reeves

-Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap

-You Are a Tourist by Death Cab for Cutie

Happy Listening!! 

Justin.

I had the day off today. It was nice to have a break in the middle of such a busy week. I decided to spend the day with Jackie. We went to lunch, to the movies, and to visit Justin. I hadn't seen Justin since the Christmas Shindig. Which feels like forever ago. 

It was nice just being able to sit with him. It's still hard to believe that it has been six months since everything happened. It feels like it was yesterday. Going through all this, I feel like our crew is stronger than ever. But it still isn't the same. I am so blessed to have such a close group of friends that love each other like family. We miss and love Justin more than we can express, but there is comfort knowing together we are all by his side. 

When I walked into the hospital room today, Justin's favorite CD was playing. It made me smile. Here is a little tune from that CD, hopefully it will do the same for you. 

If you are reading this, say a prayer for Justin, his family and our friends. 

The Last Saturday

Today is my last Saturday of freedom. I recently took over the visual role at work, which means a change in my schedule. The worst part of that change is having to work on Saturdays, but the best part is not having to close down the store during the week. I guess you win some, you loose some. I will start my first floor set as visual manager tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but hopefully everything will run smoothly. 

In honor of my last Saturday of freedom, I did a whole lot of nothing today. I watched entirely too many episodes of the New Girl with my mom this morning/afternoon, and did some much needed room cleaning. If you don't watch the New Girl, I highly recommend it! You will laugh, a lot. I ventured out of the house tonight to do a little blogging and to go see a movie with Natalie. 

We are going to see Extremely Close & Incredibly Close. So yes, we are pretty much paying to cry our eyes out. And I couldn't be more excited. With the cast, the movie has nothing but potential. I mean Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, you know it's going to be good. The last time I, unknowingly, watched a movie about September 11 I cried a lot but it was such a great film. If you haven't seen Remember Me, go watch it--NOW. It tells the 9/11 story from such a unexpected perspective, and really inspires you to embrace every moment you have. What are you waiting on?? Go watch it! 

It will also help you understand the opening photo to this post. Happy Saturday!