How do I Love Thee?

Ode to my Work-Out Shoes:

Dear Work-Out Shoes,

First of all, I call you work-out shoes, because I am a tennis player and tennis shoes are made for playing tennis. You, my dears, are made for a very different purpose. You are just meant for working my little butt out, and shall never worry about touching a grungy tennis court. 

My old shoes, and when I say old I mean ooollld, had seen better days. They had no traction left, what was once white was now a light brown color. And the laces! Don't even get me started on those frayed catastrophes! It was time for them to meet their final resting place. I knew I had to bite the bullet and buy a new pair, so I would no longer be the embarrassment of the work-out community. That is where you came into play.

I do believe you are everything I am looking for in a work-out shoe. You are pink (but not overly pink gag). You are lightweight. Seriously though, I didn't know shoes could be so light. Basically you are the whole shoe package, and when I put you on I feel like I can conquer the world.

There has been countless times where I haven't wanted to go to the gym, but then I thought about getting to wear my beautiful gym shoes, and I got my booty up. How can a shoe be sheer motivation? I don't know, but you have figured it out! 

Thank you, dear shoes, for being my workout buddy. Together, we are getting in shape so I can have an awesome beach body. And the best part is, the more I work out the better I will feel about myself, which means I will want to keep working out. I love you work-out shoes, I really do. 

Love,

Kai

The Lookbook (Kinda)

I don't know if you know this, but I am NOT a model. Oh, you realized already? Okay good, just making sure we are on the same page. One thing is for sure though, I am more than inspired by Sydney, Carrie, and Frankie (to name a few) for their courage to get in front of the camera and work their outfits. So I made a promise to myself that next time I got suitably dressed, and actually had time to take pictures, I would do it! 

{Top: Target Scarf: F21 (years ago) Leggings: Target Boots: Target Socks: Boyfriend's}

I have been loving the boots with socks trend that has been going on this winter, but have never had the guts to try it. This day was a particularly cold day in San Diego, so I thought why not. Also, I don't think I ever take these boots off. Obsessed.

Hey guys, did you know how awkward posing is? Super awkward. I am working on it. When in doubt, look down.

{Adorable Bow: Sandy a la Mode}

Are any of you followers of Sandy a la Mode? You should be! I won this little beauty in one of her awesome giveaways, and am in love with it. I have a slight obsession with bows, and really want to invest in one in every color. 

There you go. I tried my bestest to be chic. This outfit is easy and fabulous. Perfect for date night, which is precisely where I wore it. Boyfriend and I went to see Sucker Punch, which was awesome. Girls kicking butt while wearing stilettos? Yes please! 

I am making a vow to myself to try and get in front of the camera a little more. It is all about being confident in who you are, and what you got. I am working out more, and eating healthier, so all I can be is positive. And it is about time I show off some of my clothes right?

And if all else fails, maybe I can win some shapewear from Lulapalooza's Vedette giveaway! Love how she is encouraging women to be sexy with a sexy (and slimming) giveaway! Enter here. 

Thank you FTLOB for inspiring me to start my own LookBook!

You Learn Something New Everyday!

News flash: My brain has quite literally stopped working. I am sorry for the lack of blog posts, but the truth is I have been deathly sick since Sunday. Actually, boyfriend and I are both sick and miserable together. I looked at him and told him I felt bad about not blogging at all since Friday. He said I should just do a blog post saying "I'm sick." Thats it. Spoken like the man of few words that he is. While this is tempting, I don't want to disappoint you guys that much.

Anyways Kels gave me the perfect idea, something that allows me to write, and not strain my brain enough to come up with my own unique post. Perfect for little Sicky McSickerson (me). So here is 10 new things that you may or may not know about me.

1. What is your dream job? 
Easy. My dream job would be a stylist. I have always loved dressing others, even more than myself. I truly believe I have a keen eye for what looks good on people. My favorite thing is taking people a little outside their comfort zone, and making them try on things they would never even glance at before. That is how you find the real gems. Seriously though, if you ever need a shopping buddy, I am your girl! 

2. What is your favorite drink?

It is a tie between coffee and diet coke. Haha gosh can you say caffeine addict?

3. What is your most important beauty secret?

I would say mine is to wash your face everyday! (even I forget to do this) But when I start the routine of washing my face in the morning and evening, I can notice a big change in my complexion. Also, I could never go a day without blush. Which is weird because I went through a long period where I never wore blush. But I feel like blush adds the perfect amount of cheer to any face.

4. If you had an all-expense paid vacation to go anywhere, where would you go? 

I never know how to answer this question because the truth is that I have never been out of the country. (gasp) So I guess my answer would be anywhere!

5. If a genie popped up right now, what would your three wishes be?

a. For my family, friends, and I to live a long and happy life.

b. To be able to travel the world.

c. To never have to worry about money. (but also not be obscenely rich. Just comfortable.)

6. If you could only have one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

Oh my goodness. Such a tough question because I LOVE food. Also tough because I haven't eaten much for the last 4 days due to my sickness, and am missing food greatly. I would probably say pasta and bread. I don't care if those are two things, I think they go hand in hand.

7. What one talent do you wish you had? 

To sing. I have always been extremely jealous/inspired by people who are musically talented because I can't carry a tune. I think it is an amazing way to express you artistic energy.

8. Who is your biggest celebrity crush? 

Cmon now. We have been over this. But if you don't already know, currently I am crushing on Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Read more about this gorgeous man here. 

9. If you could look into the future, would you? 

Probably not. I am kind of a worrier (Nick is laughing at my use of kind of). So I think if I knew my future, and it wasn't good, I would spend my life worrying about it. Gosh I am freaking myself out now just thinking about it. 

10. What made you start a blog? 

I used to stop by some blogs from time to time, and I knew I wanted to do one. Some of my friends and family knew how much I loved to write, so they encouraged me to start it. I think the hardest part was figuring out what the heck I would write about. But the best part is finding out that some people actually give a hoot about what you have to say. :)

Just Fabulous!

Hey all! So this week's Fab Friends Friday is dedicated to my girls who don't have buttons. (Or I am just dumb, and can't find them on their blogs) Either way, they definitely deserve just as much attention because they are well...FAB!

I am obsessed with This Free Bird, and Carrie! I am always so excited to ready her blog because if she isn't featuring a FAB outfit or trend, she is telling some hilarious story. A lot of the time she finds a way to mix both together. (queue any story about Blanket) She is full of spirit, and a trend setter! I would pay her lots of money to be my stylist. What do you say Carrie?

Not only is Sprinkles in Springs an amazing blog, but Kara is equally awesome and a total sweetheart! She is quite the fashionista and artist. I love the way she finds creative ways to mix and match clothing items that I seriously would never think to do. She is so innovative, and always has something nice to say! 

You know when you look at someone's blog and wish you had their closet? That is what happens every time I go to Frankie Hearts Fashion! Her fashion sense is truly inspiring. My favorite part of her style is the way she mixes textures, patterns, and most importantly COLOR! I mean her last outfit post not only had fur, but stripes too! Her risk taking approach to fashion makes her a style icon in my book.

Meri always has the best stories on Meri-Goes-Round. You know when some people put up super long posts, sometimes you skip them because you are lazy and don't wanna read that much. (Or maybe thats just be me being a bum?) Anyways, that is never the case with Meri! She is such a talented writer, and I find myself getting lost in her stories. Not only that but she has been such a good supporter of my blog too! Thanks Meri!

I am especially excited to feature Molly of Molly & Marsh because she is a mommy-to-be! She just recently found out she is expecting, and it has been exciting to read about her journey! I am so happy for her, and love reading about her joys, and sometimes pains, of being an expectant mommy! Well, I suppose she is already a mommy because she has a beautiful puppy named Tupelo (Cutest dog name ever b.t.w).

I don't know about you, but I love finding bloggers that live in the same city! Olivia has been the first SD blogger I have found, and I love love love reading her adventures on Olivia.Dee! And on top of that, I feel like I really relate to her. She is like a blogging sista! She writes about her daily life, and I love that. I also love how she shows us more about her through photo challenges. I think pictures are a great way to get to know someone!

So there you have it. Some pretty fabulous girls if you ask me! Make sure you check out their blogs a.s.a.p! I promise you won't regret it! 

Awkwarness and Awesomeness...and a Winner!

Awkward

- Watching the movie Everybody's Fine, thinking it was going to be a cute happy movie. Turns out it's super depressing. I hate when movies sneak attack me like that!

- How shady the people working at the middle kiosks at the mall are. I always feel like I am getting hit up for drugs when they stop me.

- When you think someone you don't know is waving at you. You decide to wave back, confused, and then look behind you to find the person they were actually waving at. 

- The bi-polar weather happening in San Diego. One second it's raining, one second it's sunny. How is a girl supposed to plan an outfit?

Awesome

- Nick and I have been together a year and a half! We are celebrating this weekend by going to the Zoo, dinner, AND to go see Sucker Punch in IMAX! Does that not sound like best day in the world or what?

- My boyfriend. He is awesome. I love him to pieces and am so luck to have been with him for a year and a half! Hopefully for many more years to come.

- All the book recommendations I got from you guys! I don't know where to start!!!

- SDSU is playing today in the Sweet 16!!! I am super nervous. But I am definitely sporting Red and Black at work today! Go Aztecs!
- Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. Here is the  AWESOME winner of My Complicated Giveaway!

Congrats Brooke! You know I luv ya! Email me and I will send you your CSN Gift Card! Woo!

Man of the Hour

Preface: Boyfriend I love you. :)

      If you were to ask anyone, I tend to have a lot of celebrity crushes. But, my celebrity crushes are a little our of the norm. While the hunky muscle men  (Brad Pitt, Ashton Kutcher, Kellen Lutz, etc.) are visually appealing, I tend to be attracted to celebrities who are more off beat. Don't get me wrong, if Ashton Kutcher came up to me and kissed me, I probably wouldn't resist (sorry baby), but that is besides the point.
     I guess to explain myself I would have to let you know who my last two MAJOR celebrity crushes have been.

1. Jason Segel- The Funny Smart Adorable Guy. No but seriously, he wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. He is a main character in How I Met Your Mother, which is my favorite TV show. AND he is a big part of the upcoming Muppets movie. He is seriously funny, and seriously good at what he does. 

2. Zach Braff- The Quiet Creative Guy. I don't know if you have seen Garden State, but it was written and directed by Zach Braff. Not only that, but he chose the songs that were on the soundtrack, which is one of the all time best soundtracks ever. His creativity and talent are amazing.

     So as you can see, a guy who has some serious talent and is passionate about what he does is what makes a celebrity crush for me. Now that you have my celebrity crush backstory, we can get into the Man of the Hour....

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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Annnd SWOON. Can that boy rocks a suit or what? I don't know about you, but I remember JGL (yes his name is way too long to spell every time) from a little TV show back in the day called 3rd Rock From the Sun. Anyone? He was an awkward little teenager with long hair, but boy has he grown up.

(EDITOR'S REVISION) I forgot one of my personal favorites with JGL, 10 Things I Hate About You. This movie was one of the movies that defined Junior High/Beginning of High School for me. I don't know if you know this but it is actually based on Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew". JGL playing the cute nerd trying to get the ungettable popular girl was absolutely heart warming. I think we were all rooting for him right?

He first got some notice for a small production movie called 300 Days of Summer (which was amazing), and you might have more recently seen him in a little movie called Inception. Ever heard of it? He did a great job in the movie if I do say so myself. Not only does he look and act sleek and suave throughout the whole movie, but he pulled off a freakin' SPINNING ROOM FIGHT SCENE. That must be hard to do, I am only assuming because I have never actually been in a fight while a room is spinning.

Now I am excited to see his next big role, in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises film. My brother over at Tennis en Fuego, sent me here, where they discuss his new villainous role as Alberto Falcone. I am so interested to see JGL play a villain! I think he will do a great job playing someone less likeable than his other character in the past. He is a serious actor, who only chooses quality roles, and that is why I like him.

     

I know what you are thinking. Wow, he IS amazing. There can't be anything more cool things about him, right? Wrong! I just recently started following him on Twitter (@hitRECordJoe) and found out that he owns his own company, called HitRecord. It is an amazing concept for a company, which caught my eye because the amount of pure creativity that is going on there is on another level. I could try to explain to you what I'm talking about, but you should just visit the website and check it out for yourself. I think it is a pretty visionary company, that encourages creativity and art to flourish and grow. That is just my opinion, check it out for yourself.

For those, and many other reasons, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is my Man of the Hour!

Monday Monday....

Alright, STOP! Collaborate and listen.

No but really, before you move on, have you entered my giveaway yet??? If not, you should. Click the link for more details. 

Happy Monday everyone! I didn't do much of anything all weekend, and I am completely 100% okay with that. I am so grateful for all of your book suggestions! I am going to buy one of them this weekend and start reading. Stay tuned to see which one I choose first! Anyways, as always here is one of my weekly features, sure to include lots of awkward pictures of yours truly. 

Wear it to Work:

 {Top: H&M}

Look guys! I straightened my hair! It is a straight up miracle! I also wish my bangs would just grow out already. I am THIS close to cutting them again because they are bugging me so much. But I will resist, and see how I like my hair without bangs for the first time in a long time. This top is pretty much fabulous, and it is my friend Emily's. We had a clothing swap a while ago and we've had each others clothes for more than a few months. I am sure we will return each others clothes at one point, but until then I am not complaining. :) 

 {Top: Target Earrings: F21 Scarf:??}

So here is the army green shirt I was discussing last week, when I spent entirely too much money at Target. Let me tell you, it was worth it because I just love it! It is just SO super soft! I would definitely recommend you guys go to Target a.s.a.p and buy this bad boy. I think they refer to it as the slouchy tee? It comes in a bunch of colors, and I want every single one. And don't you just die over those big bold earrings! Too bad my hair is ridiculously thick, so you never really see them.

 {Top: Urban Outfitters Scarf: Mom's closet}

Turns out I owned more than one green shirt. Crisis averted! Funny thing about this shirt. When I tried it on in the store, I tried it on backwards and bought it. Then the third time I wore it I realized the tag was in front (weird right?). Light bulb! I had been wearing it backwards (and loving it) the whole time! But I choose to think of this as a "glass half full" situation because now I have two shirts for the cost of one! This scarf is my mom's, which I stole from her closet, so I am not quite sure where it's from. I think we should also address my scarf addiction, because I am wearing them in 3 out of these 5 pictures. But moving on...

{Top: Free People Scarf: MY MOM!}

That's right. You read correctly. That beautiful scarf I am wearing was made by my equally beautiful mother! Isn't she just so talented? If you guys like it, I am more than confident she can make you one as well. (Seriously, let me know if you are interested!) Also, lets talk about my lion's mane of hair. It is so ridiculously thick, I don't know what to do with it half of the time.

     Another week of office fashion for you. Since you guys are so AWESOME at challenges, I think I will give you another one. Has anyone noticed (I mean you can't really tell) that my make-up is the exact same in every picture? Call it laziness, or what have you, I have become complacent with my make-up skills. I need some new fresh make-up ideas for the spring, that are still office appropriate. I am excited to see your ideas!

Recommendations Anyone?

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So I have had a sudden urge to start reading more books. But here is the problem, I don't know what books to get. That is where YOU come in! I was wondering if any of you guys could recommend some good books to me? I am looking to buy a few and read them in the next few months. I was thinking if I pick the books you have recommended me, I will feature your blog on here and do a book review, all thanks to you!

There is a catch though. I think of reading as an escape from reality. So, I am not really interested in reading about a post-apocolyptic world where kids are forced to battle for survival against the zombie mutant slugs (or something?). I guess the word for what I am looking for is happy. I want to read something that gives me a pleasant escape from the everyday. So, give me your best recommendation! I am excited to see what you all suggest!

Japan.

I will be participating. And I hope you will too.

Also, I just got an email from LivingSocial.com. Click on that link, donate $5.00 and they will match it! 

Awkward and Awesome

Awkward

- Wearing one of my ONLY green shirts on Wednesday. I had just bought it at Target and was too excited to wait until today.

- Having a huge bruise on my chin from Hudson (my dog) literally headbutting me. He finds a way to injure me daily.

- The guy at Starbucks rapping my order back to me. Um, I think someone has had too many cups of coffee.

- Thinking the guys at the burger place said "You're cute" to me, and when I said "excuse me?" he said "I said thank you". Oh. Does that make me conceited?

- Going to Target to buy razor blade refills and ending up leaving with 2 new shirts, 2 yoga mats (on sale!), work-out shorts, oh AND flats. Rule #1: Never go to Target alone. Rookie mistake.

Awesome

- How SDSU will be dominating in March Madness! We will go all the way this year, I can feel it!! Go Aztecs!!! 

-The dessert I made last weekend. Trust me, you WILL be hearing about it.

- Seeing a Grate Dane that literally came up to my chest at the dog park. I love big dogs! 

- My friends. I have truly AWESOME friends. You should be extremely jealous of the people I get to hang out with. They are the coolest people in the world.

- Buying a new bra that fits perfectly. Is there anything better?

- MY GIVEAWAY! DUHH!! Have you entered yet?    

Mini Date

Nick and I dedicated last weekend to just us. I don't remember the last time we have spent two days in a row together, with absolutely no distractions. It makes me so happy that amidst our busy hectic lives we know its important to make time for us. Since it was b-e-a-utiful outside, we decide to have a Day Date!

Day Date's are the best because you get to soak up the sun AND be with someone special.

 Double Rainbow!!!

What did we decide to do on this Day Date of sorts? Why I'm glad you asked! We got to do something that the inner 5 year-old in both of us was thoroughly STOKED about.....Mini Golfing!! 

Now, I'm not sure why but I love the kitschy atmosphere of the mini-golf course. I think it reminds me of   my childhood, and how mini-golfing was the thing to do back in the day. There are a few standard requirements for a miniature golf course, the most important of which is a theme. No course is complete without some ridiculous theme, shown creatively for each of 18 holes.

We had two themes to choose from, Pioneer Frontier or Storybook Land. Um, no competition there. Storybook Land, duh!

{Left out the "k" on accident. Don't judge me.}

{No, your eyes are not deceiving you. There most definitely was a hole made out of a GIANT shoe!!!}

So amidst the fun and games, there was a teeny bit of competition. I don't know if you know this about me, but I DON'T like losing! So naturally it was on like Donkey Kong. Duh. I was determined to win, especially because last time Nick kicked my little (big) booty.  But don't worry, I had been working on my strokes, or my form...or whatever it is you work on to become an expert mini-golfer. 

{Look at that follow through on the right. Skills.}

I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats to discover who won this little mini battle (literally).  

I did! I did! I did! 

I won by 2 WHOLE points! And also incorporated a happy dance somewhere there in the mix. But, I couldn't rub it in his face for too long because he is just so garsh darn cute! So, I took the high road, and rewarded him for 2nd place with a big kiss! He's a lucky man....

{Game Face}

{Mini-Golf Champion!}

It was a great day, with a great man! I guess that means I'm the lucky one. :)

ALSO! Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!! You have until next Wednesday, but remember that saying...the early bird gets the worm. (Except you would be the bird?? and the worm would be my giveaway prize? Just go with it.)