Sunshine questions!

The lovely P!nky nominated everybody for The Sunshine Award, and since I am feeling somewhat creatively stunted today (cripes - that is like a regular theme over here), I decided to accept the "nomination"!

Here are the rules:

{1} Acknowledge the nominating blogger.

{2} Answer 11 questions the blogger has created for you.

{3} List 11 bloggers that deserve the recognition & love (not including the blogger who nominated you).

{4} Post 11 questions for the nominated blogger to answer.

1] Breakfast or dinner?

Dinner, hands down. I pretty much could live without most breakfast foods for the rest of forever. They mostly just annoy me. 

2] What is your biggest fear?

Having to watch people I love die painful, miserable deaths. Also, I'm a bit nervous at the thought of dying a painful, miserable death myself, but if it came right down to it, I'd volunteer for it any day if it meant I could spare someone I love that torment..

3] If you could live in a movie which movie would it be?

"Pitch Perfect". I'd be Becca...because, duh. 

4] What is your dream job?

I WISH I KNEW THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION!! One day, I think, "Therapist". The next, I'm all like, "ooh, I'd make a great nurse." "HR". "Just own my own business." "Professional blogger." 

You see? I'm struggling with the concept. 

5] You're given $10,000 and it can only be spent on clothing, where do you go and what stores do you visit?

HOLY CANNOLIS, CAN THIS PLEASE BE A REAL THING?? 

Um, okay....I'd go to Victoria's Secret, Lulu Lemon, Silver (for jeans), and uh.... Gosh, I don't even know. Maurice's maybe? I don't do a lot of clothes shopping, so I'd have to really think about it. 

6] If you could go back in time, what period would you like to visit?

I think the Roaring 20's would be interesting..before the crash. 

7] What is your favorite piece of candy?

Depends on my mood - sometimes I'm all about some chocolate like a 3 Musketeers, and other times rabid dogs couldn't keep me away from gummy bears or airheads. Okay, maybe rabid dogs could, but common sense, not so much. 

8] You have to get rid of Blogging or Facebook, which is it and why?

Facebook, no question. Because blogging is fun, but Facebook is stupid. And actually kind of creepy. 

9] Where do you want to retire?

Some where amazing and warm. NOT in the midwest...because let's be honest, I've lived here for almost 30 years now, and I'm bored with it. 

10] Tell us about your perfect day!

My perfect day would involve Boyfriend, my family, delicious beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), an ocean beach, salt on my skin and sand between my toes, and the smell of sunblock and waves and fruit and hot skin. 

11] What teacher was the most inspirational in school?

This is a tough one to answer. My mom was the only teacher I had all the way up until college, and there were only a couple of instructors at NP that I even liked, much found inspiration from..Peterson was pretty good, and his passion for history was contagious. Snell was awesome, and even though he was so much smarter than I am, the way his eyes would light up when we'd talk about Aristotle and Socrates and a bunch of other things all over my head kind of made me like Philosophy.. And Weber was just awesome. So I'm not sure. :-/

And now we're on to my questions! 

1.) What is the talent of which you are the most proud? 
2.) You have 24 hours to live. How and with whom do you spend it? 
3.) If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
4.) What is your go-to meal? (Can be either for comfort reasons, because it's the easiest thing ever to make, because it's delicious, because it looks impressive, whatever.)
5.) If you could write a letter to the American society and make only three points, what would they be? 
6.) What is your favorite kind of potato chip?
7.) When you're having a crappy day, what is a sure-fire way to turn things around for you? 
8.) What is your favorite nice thing to do for your best friend/significant other?
9.) Why do you live where you do? 
10.) What is your favorite type of office supply product? 
11.) Tell me the best or funniest joke you know. 

And the nominees are....... (side note, please go visit these girls' blogs!! I promise, in no time flat you'll start to love them as much as I do!)

1.) Kaylee @ With love and heartness
2.) Sarah @ Venus Trapped in Mars
3.) Taylor @ The Daily Tay
4.) Liz @ Fitness Blondie
5.) Kenzie @ Life According to Kenz
6.) Bethany @ Love Grows Design
7.) Amberly @ Life with Amberly & Joe
8.) Stephanie @ Not Entirely Perfect
9.) Samantha @ Hooah and Hiccups
10.) Justine @ Sleepy Single Girl
11.) Bonnie @ The Life of Bon

I finally saw The Wizard of Oz.

                                                   Monday Monday, can't trust that day,

Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way

Okay, but let's be honest: this Monday isn't as bad or frustrating as it could be, since it's a Holiday week, which means three-day work weeks for most of us. And for those of you who DON'T get the three day work week, and have to work on Black Friday.....well, sorry 'bout it. 

And also *shameless plug* - please, please, please go enter my Erin Condren giveaway!! It's such a great company, and a fantastic product.. I know you'll love it! :) 

Moving on... So I had a pretty good weekend, overall, so I'm linking up with Sami to discuss. 

On Friday, I worked all day, which was a little complicated, because Boyfriend was sick so he was sleeping on the couch, and I was trying to be quiet.. But we managed, and I still got a lot done, and he started feeling better, so that's awesome. We also had lunch from Panera for the 2nd day in a row, so I'm thinking that might have had something to do with the day being generally good. 

On Saturday, Boyfriend went to the library to try to catch up on the work he missed from being sick, and I stayed home and did some more work. Working for yourself is awesome, but sometimes it is hard to tear yourself away from work when it's sitting on your kitchen table staring at you, instead of sitting on your office desk, patiently waiting for you to come in on Monday. I digress..

Saturday afternoon, we went to see "Catching Fire". IT. WAS. AWESOME. 

Seriously, it was so amazing. I loved the books, so before the "Hunger Games" movie came out, I was a bit nervous that it might be frustrating for me, but they have done SUCH a good job making the movies match the books! Boyfriend hasn't read them, but when we left the theater, he said that he wanted to go buy the third book in the series right away, because he wanted to know what happened. :) 

We also visited a delicious Chinese buffet for dinner that night, and then parked our fat selves on the couch for another movie - "The East". It was really different than what I was expecting, but was still pretty good. 

On Sunday morning, we got up and went for a walk through the skyway/subway system in the town, since it was bloody freezing outside, but we had gained like, eleventy billion pounds from the Chinese, and were totally bloated from all the sodium. We explored a bunch of different spots around the city, and got some Starbucks, which you know..is always awesome. 

In the afternoon, Boyfriend watched football, but for some reason I just wasn't in the mood/was completely crabby, so I went in the bedroom and watched "The West Wing" on Netflix for a few hours, then went wandering around the town for a while. I stopped at the library and picked up a book, and then went to the mall and got a new pair of jeans and some shirts. I always feel bad getting new clothes, since I have literally no space for them right now, plus I have a bunch more clothes in the storage unit in Vegas, but then I think...um, no, the clothes in Vegas aren't doing me any good right now, and I need some warmer clothes, so I suppose it's okay. 

But I do think that having to wear a bra on a Sunday should be some kind of stupid punishment for people who did bad things during the week. The same goes for having to wear pants. And I know, I know, I didn't have to leave the house, but I was grumpy and restless, so I think it turned out better for all involved parties for me to take my crabby ass somewhere else until I turned my mood around. 

And then when I got home, we watched the "Wizard of Oz" on TV, which was awesome, since in all my born days, I had never seen it. And now I can scratch it off the list of movies Boyfriend thinks are amazing/classic but I haven't seen because I grew up under a rock. :) 

Confessional Friday by my planner (giveaway)

If you were my daily planner, you'd probably have a whole lot to say. So, in the spirit of giving, I offered my little planner the opportunity to take over the blog today for Confessional Friday. 

So here we go.


I confess // sometimes I am impressed by Jordan's ability to make sure her bills are paid on time, and her penchant for always writing down the confirmation number of the payment on my pages.

I confess // I think Jordan eats meals out way too often. If I could write on myself, I'd write something about meal planning, or jot down a link to an article about how much healthier food is when prepared fresh at home.

I confess // for all the eating out she does, Jordan does not go to the gym as much as I think she should ever, which is disappointing to me.. She shops a lot, and as previously mentioned, goes out to eat a lot, so I don't think it's the money that's stopping her... She also mentioned moving a time or two though, so maybe that's what she's waiting for.

I confess // I am a planner to longs to be used to my full potential. I want to be covered in writing about appointments, have little notes stashed here and there through my pages, and be a source of constant joy and inspiration to my owner. Jordan's nice and all, but I know she could use me for so much more.

I confess // I really do like the cover Jordan made for me. Her nephews sure are cute!

I confess // homegirl needs to relax more often. I have my fingers crossed, waiting for the day this girl takes a vacation some place warm, and gets tipsy on drinks with umbrellas in them. She would do real well to just chill the hell out.

I confess // that even though it may sound egotistical, I know I am destined for greatness. I am, after all, a beautiful, completely customized Erin Condren Life Planner. Ergo, my sole purpose in life is to simultaneously make Jordan happy, and keep her organized. And I'll be damned if I'm not the best thing for that. I like to think I have magic powers.

~~~~~~~~~~~

So I totally got my brand spanking new Erin Condren planner the other day. I may or may not have staked out the window of my apartment so I could make sure I knew when the FedEx guy got there. I also may or may not have run out the door when he did get there, screeching that the colorful package was mine. (As it turns out, both packages he had were mine, so the screeching was probably a little unnecessary. Oh well.)

And then I opened the box. And here is the awesomeness that was inside:

These two.. I mean, seriously. I just can't even, with all the cuteness. 

And again. I just want to look at the cover, all the time, because it's adorable-ness overload.

Who doesn't love a colorful, inspiring quote right in the front?!

Awesome full month view - space for writing notes and marking important things 

Quotes on top of every monthly page

Plenty of space each week to document all my happenings - plus a "goals and notes" section on the left! LOVE IT. 

Totally handy little pocket folder in the back, very aptly labeled..

This planner comes with its own little zip bag, to keep things organized and make sure everything stays put!! GENIUS.

                                        **disclosure: i was given this product in exchange for my honest review. all opinions are my own.**

I am so, so, so in love with this planner. Honestly, I have been rocking a Barnes and Noble book for years, and I had gotten pretty used to that system, but I don't think I will ever go back. The ability to customize the cover, all the fun bells and whistles, and the amazing add-ons* that you can get have me completely sold.

* Add-ons include, but are not limited to, customized stickers (both words and pictures), a pen holder, and canvas bands to hold the book closed. I did get some customized stickers, but that was all. You can even get matching note cards, gift tags (they sent me some as samples - I know what I'll be using on every Christmas gift this year!), and business cards, too! 

And now for the really fun part! The Erin Condren team has graciously offered to give away a $25 gift certificate code to one lucky winner! They throw some awesome sales at random times, too, so $25 can go a really long way! Good luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cara Box - Reveal!

This month was my second time participating in the Cara Box exchange. The first time I did it, I sent my box, but never got one, so that was a bit disappointing. But this time was very different, and it was so much fun!

My first partner was Jill. We had a blast getting to know each other. I found out this girl lives in one of the prettiest states in the Union (Tennessee), loves anything pumpkin related, and has a banana tree named Burt on her back porch. Sounds like fun, doesn't she?? Well she is. Go visit her, and say hi.

My second partner was Justine. Oh. My. Goodness.

Do you ever have those moments where you meet someone, and you just instantly click? And you know like right from the start that you're going to be friends, and that's just pretty much that? And you feel completely comfortable telling them your whole life story, and they tell you theirs and you can just sit and commiserate with them about all the things you have in common and how silly other people are?

That's how it went with me and Justine. I can't even tell you how many novel-length emails went back and forth between us in the last couple of months. It's been so fun, and it's so nice to meet someone (even online) and know right away that they will have your back, and they're there for support any time you need it.

So now, on to the reveal!! Here's what she sent me:

1 // A very sweet card of encouragement that totally made me smile

2 // A cute little notebook. I love it because it's small enough to fit in my purse, plus I needed a new notebook for blog topic ideas anyway! :) 

3 // An adorable coffee mug. There are also two packets of salted caramel hot chocolate mix (YUM!) and four Sharpie pens in there. (Side note: This is just further evidence that this girl gets me, because Sharpie pens are like, my absolute fave, but I never told her that.) 

4 // 'Tis the Season scented hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works

5 // A package of DELICIOUS caramels

6 // Nail polish, in a really dark blue color, which is awesome, because dark colors on my nails is my jam

7 // A little candle from Bath and Body works in the Peach Bellini scent. Another favorite that I didn't mention to her, and she just magically got right. :) 

8 // An eyeshadow pallette from Ulta. It got a little banged up in the shipment, but I love the colors, so I'm still going to clean it up and use it. 

How fun is this??!! Justine and Jill were both such bright spots in my life over the past couple of months. I have so enjoyed getting to know them, and I am looking forward to meeting some more girls through future swaps! If you are interested in joining future swaps, keep an eye on Kaitlyn's blog for sign up dates!

Sunday Social

I haven't posted in over a week. It's not because I haven't wanted to, because believe me...I've wanted to. It's because I haven't been able to figure out what I wanted to say, or if I even wanted to say it. Once things are out there in the interwebs, they're impossible to take back. So I have erred on the side of discretion, which I've heard is the better part of valor. So sorry for the disappearance, and I'll try to do better. 

I do have some awesome content planned for this week though..And a really fun giveaway that I am SUPER excited about..it's an opportunity I've been trying to get for a long time, and I finally did, so I can't wait to share. :) 

I haven't participated in a Sunday Social for a while, so I figured I'd join in on it this week. It's kind of a fun way to get to know each other, don't you think? 

Name 4 jobs you've had in your life: Legal secretary, Dispatcher/911 Operator, Customer Service Rep, business owner

Name 4 movies you would watch over and over: Pitch Perfect, The Princess Bride, You've Got Mail, and It's A Wonderful Life. 

Name 4 places you've lived: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada

Name 4 of your favorite foods: Pizza, Honeycrisp apples, steak burrito bowls from Chipotle, and bagels

Name 4 things you always carry with you: Generally speaking, I will have my phone, chapstick, my wallet, and keys, though sometimes I will leave my purse at home on purpose. 

Name 4 places you've been on vacation: Ummm I don't take a lot of vacations to interesting places. I grew up going to Nevada to visit my grandparents, and then when I lived in Nevada, I took a couple vacations back to Minnesota. And my family spent a week in San Diego playing on the beach one year, and we also had a Christmas vacation down in Florida, so I suppose those count too.