This & That: Olympic Trials, Cooking, Hair and More...

It's been a while since I've had a good ole fashioned "random" post so here goes... 

1. Tomorrow, my brother-in-law is running in the OLYMPIC TRIALS! He's running the 800m in Track. He's a long shot to make it to the Olympics, but I'll cheering him on from home like crazy (the trials are in Eugene, OR and televised NBC Sports Network). We're so excited for him and proud of him!

2. On Saturday I have my company's annual party at The Edison in Downtown LA. I'm so excited to go to this venue. I hear it's amazing! The theme is 1920s and I'm not dressing up. I don't love that theme and I just did that in November.  The party should still be blast though.

3. I couple of weeks ago I put this little gift in the front seat of The Mr.'s car on a Sunday night so he'd find it on Monday morning when he got in the car to drive to work. I got the idea to do something unexpected and nice for my husband on The Dating Divas website. They have such cute ideas! He loved it.

4. The Mr. texted me this picture of our cat, Judah, the other day. I died. So cute!

5. I recently bought these Ria Summer Drink glasses from Crate and Barrel. I love how they match our house perfectly. And they are such sturdy glasses (I hate how breakable a lot of margarita glasses are).

6. I decided that I need to "pin" less and cook more from my recipe folder on Pinterest. So I made Grilled Corn Orzo Salad with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette from Iowa Girl Eats. It was AMAZING! I'll be making this again. Such a wonderful summer salad and it tastes great with Mexican beer.

7. The Mr. made Tequila Lime Chicken on his new Char-Broil Infrared Grill to go with the orzo salad. It was really good!

8. I mentioned that I cleaned out a bunch of old pictures from my parents house of me in high school and college. From the high school ones, I picked a few favorites and made this frame. It's now on my desk at home. I love seeing how little we were! I'm so lucky to still be friends with most of these girls.

9. Looking though old pictures made me want to grow my hair out. Here's a pic of me a couple of years ago with longer hair. I want it to be that length or longer again. Any tips for growing my hair out?

10. Speaking of growing my hair out, I think I need to wash and dry my hair less, which makes me think I should invest in some dry shampoo. What's your favorite dry shampoo? 

Bridesmaid Hair?

I love being a bridesmaid.

Yeah, you have to buy an expensive (and often ugly) dress that you'll never wear again, but isn't it amazing to be an integral part of a couple's big day?

As you know, I'm a Bridesmaid in my brother-in-law's wedding next weekend. I'm so excited!

I have my dress...

Yup, it's David's Bridal.

I got my shoes...

$18 at DSW! I {heart} DWS!


The only thing left is to figure out is how to do my hair.

Since the dress is pretty "poofy" on the bottom (that's the Mr.'s description, not mine), I want my hair to have some volume to it balance things out.

I loved my half-up hair that I had done for my friend's wedding in 2009. But this time I was thinking of getting a full up-do to mix things up a little.

I put together a little inspiration board for the hair-do that I'm thinking (I tried to find examples with bangs since I have bangs)...

(That's me as bridesmaid in 2009 in the lower left corner to show how my hair looks with volume on the crown)

Basically I want volume on the crown with a lowish, curly, side bun/chignon.

Do you think that will look good? Any other suggestions?

A Journey through my Scent Memories

The first night I hung out with the guy that would later become my husband I told him that scent is the one of the strongest forms of memory.

And for me that is so true. I've always been very "loyal" to a certain scents or perfumes throughout the years of my life, so whenever I smell a certain scent it takes me right back to that time in my life.

So I though it would be fun to take journey through the scents I've worn over the years. My "Scent Memories..."

Middle School and early High School - Bath & Body Works Sun-Ripened Raspberry


I wasn't allowed to wear perfume yet, so I loaded up on the sun-ripened raspberry body splash and lotion. The smell will always remind me of my teeny-booper days.


Sophomore and Junior year of High School - Roxy Hula

I felt like a chic little surfer girl in this stuff. I'm sad they don't make it anymore, I'd love to get a whiff of it.


Senior Year of High School through Sophomore Year of College - Tommy Girl

My first real "designer" perfume. One whiff of Tommy girl and I'm 18 again going to my first fraternity parties.


Junior and Senior Year of College - Michael by Michael Kors
My best friend wore this scent and I loved it so much that I started wearing it too. This is the perfume I was wearing when I met the Mr. and on my 21st birthday. When I smell it I think, "ahhh, to be barely legal again."


First years out of College (2005-2007) - Marc by Marc Jacobs

I'm not sure how I started wearing this. I was wearing it the night that the Mr. proposed to me. It will always remind me of Manhattan Beach summers.


2008 to Present - J'adore by Dior

I was wearing scent at our wedding and still wear it today. I'm sure that someday this scent will remind me of my newlywed adventures.


I wonder what my next scent will be?


What scent are you currently wearing? What scents have you worn over the years? What scents remind you of a particular time in your life?

No Shave November

November is the Mr's favorite month of year. And not just because his favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It's because November marks a time honored, masculine tradition, "No Shave November".

Yes, it's a real phenomenon. Even Brad Pitt may be taking part.

For those who have not heard of it, No Shave November is month where guys grow a beard for the entire month too prove their manliness or something.

The Mr's been participating for years and I hate it.

It's too scratchy and it makes him look like tree-sitting hippy.

In past years I've tried to talk him out of it by telling him that I would participate too and not shave my legs. But I quickly realized that was impossible since I'm slightly OCD about shaving my legs.

Then I told him "No Shave November" = "No play November." But I couldn't keep that up for an entire month as Newlyweds!

This year I tried to appeal to his vanity and told him how bad he looks with beard by showing him pictures of Thanksgiving 2008, like this:


And this:

(I'm mean, I know, I know. But I don't think he looks very good with beard, do you?)

But he was unmovable. All I can do is to count down the 20 more days until this month is over.

Are any of your men participating in No Shave November? Do you like hairy look or the clean cut look on you guy?

*Edited to add: Thanks for the hilarious comments. I can't participate in No Shave November myself to get revenge on my hubby because I'm compulsive about shaving my legs every day. Why? Because I wear skirts to work most days and if I go more than a day or two without shaving I start to feel really gross, like I haven't showered. I know, I'm weird like that. My friends and family tell me that I'm totally crazy to shave almost every day, but it makes me feel happy, and that's what counts right? There, now you've learned a new quirk about me!

I Punk'd My Husband

Yesterday evening I went to get my hair cut and the color touched up, just the usual.

My conversation with the Mr. before getting my hair cut usually goes like this:
The Mr: what are you going to do with your hair this time?
Me: I was thinking short and brown.
The Mr: Yeah, you shouldn't do that. Not a good look for you. You know I love your long blond hair.
Me: Ok. I'll do the usual. Blond highlights, just trim.

(No offense to the brunettes out there. I actually love dark, rich brown hair, it's just not a good look for me. I had dark brown hair for a semester in college and I looked horrid. I should scan some pictures just to show you. And it took me forever to get the blond back after being so dark. And I really like bobs too, but short hair with my round face, is just not good. Tried it in High School. Anyway...)

So last night while getting my hair cut/colored by my good friend Carey (she cuts the Mr's hair too), I joked that we should play a trick on the Mr. and get me a dark brown short wig. But when Carey informed me there was wig store JUST down the street, I knew that it was time for a good old fashioned punking of the husband!

So I went and purchased a wig. And when I got home I looked like this:


And when the Mr. got home from dinner with his co-workers I greeted him at the front door with my brown bob.

The look of pure shock and terror on his face was priceless.

(Best $15.99 I've ever spent... I know, I know, I'm evil, but think of as payback for the speakers)

"Yeah, I thought I'd try a new look", I said.

He just kept saying "No way. No way."

When I finally grabbed the top of my hair and pulled the wig off he screamed and then fell to the ground with laughter.

Exhibit A:


Don't worry, I still look like this:


Yep, that was the best punk ever!

100th Post - 20 Questions with the Newlywed Next Door!

It’s officially my 100th post!

In honor of this momentous post, I’m answering your questions! Seriously great questions everyone! I’ve bucketed them into a few key categories. Here goes…


Married Life

1) Shoshanah asked, “I don't know if you've told the story before, but how did you and your husband meet?”
We met the first week of our Junior year at the University of Southern California. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, but we met at the Campus Bar. We were both “Greek” (Fraternity/Sorority) and this bar is THE place for Greeks to hang out. We got introduced by a mutual friend, at the end of the night he asked for my phone number, and the rest is history!


2) Emily asked, “ What is your favorite thing about being married?
Living together and sharing the small moments – waking up together, making breakfast together, having our own home. See, we didn’t really live together before we got married, so living together full time is so great! But overall, just feeling like a “family” together is really cool.


3) ~K~ asked, “What is Mr. Newlywed's most annoying habit that drive you insane?”
Hilarious! A few months ago I would have said, either leaving dirty dishes in the sink or leaving his clean clothes in dryer – but he’s gotten so much better about both! {thanks hun!} He does do this “knee bouncing” thing when he’s sitting out the couch, sitting at dinner, or riding shotgun in my car. Sometimes the shaking just drives me bonkers!

4) Rachel asked, “Who cooks the most in your home? You or Mr. Newlywed? What is your favorite thing to make?”
I’d have to say it’s about 50/50 – but neither of us cook too much, especially during the week. The Mr. grills out a lot – steaks, salmon, bratwurst, chicken, etc. but I do more actual recipes. My favorite thing to makes are soups and stews in my crock pot! So easy, healthy, and tasty.



The Future

5) Crazy Shenanigans asked, “Where is the one place you would never want to live?"
At the risk of insulting someone, I’d have to say Alaska. Don’t get me wrong, Alaska is beautiful – especially in the Summer. But the thought of constant cold and darkness for half of the year makes me chilly and depressed just thinking about it! I'm a born and raised So Cal girl! I need my sunshine!

6) Tara cut right to the chase asked, “when are you two going to have kids? : )”
You sound like our mothers! Kidding! If it is God’s plan for us to have our own children, it will be between two and five years from now. This is going to sound crazy, but I’ve read so many infertility blogs that I’m so paranoid that I won’t be able to have my own children. Crazy, huh? Right now we’re just enjoying be newlyweds and focusing our careers and post-graduate education.

7) Brittany Ann asked, “Where do you see Mr. Newlywed and yourself in 10 years?”
Wow, a lifetime can happen in 10 years! Ideally we will still be living in Southern California (in a much bigger home) with one or two children. I’d like to be in upper management at that point, or even better, running my own business. But who knows, life could take us anywhere!



Southern California

8) Cristina asked, “What is the best thing about living in so-cal?” and Emily ask “what is your favorite part of living in cali?”
It’s cliché, but the best part is the weather. Living at the beach it’s almost always between 62 and 85 degrees and never too humid. And the ocean is so beautiful -- I find the ocean so calming and inspiring. I also love the cross-section of cultures. Billboards in Spanish, amazing Korean BBQ, you name it!


9) Shoshanah also asked, "do you have any favorite tourist-y things to do in SoCal?"
I love to go to the beach – beautiful and free! I also love shopping at the famous shopping areas – 3rd Street Promenade, Beverly Center, The Grove. The Sunset Strip is great for bars and restaurants. There are also some great museums in West LA, including the still active La Brea Tar Pits. LA also has great sports teams: Lakers, Dodgers, and USC Trojans! All of those teams have great venues and festivities for games.



Travel

10) Mrs M. asked, “What has been your most favorite place you visited?”
First of all, let me say that I am so blessed. My parents took me to so many amazing places growing up – All over Europe, Japan, Australia, the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, and all over the rest of the US so it’s really hard to pick one. But, I would have to say Australia. Sydney is just an amazing city. I also love London and Madrid.


11 & 12) Mrs. Potts asked, “What has been your least favorite place to travel?” and “What is your number 1, swear by travel tip?”
I really can’t think of a “least favorite” place. I really like traveling in general. When I was traveling to Seattle almost every week from Nov 2005 – Feb 2006 I experienced “the most consecutive days of rain since the 1950s.” That was pretty miserable. Like I said above, I don’t do well without sunshine.
My #1 travel trip is the one that my guest blogger Erin blogged about a couple of months back. Most carry-on roller bags will fit in the overhead bag with their wheels out. You don’t need to turn them sideways. It’s a huge space saver and can help you and other to not have to check bags!


Entertainment

13) Marie asked, “I noticed you reviewed American Wife. I loved that book as well! That said, what is your favorite book?”
Thanks for asking about books, Marie! Reading is one of my favorite things to do. My very favorite book is “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s told from the perspective of five women over a 30-year span. A-mazing book.
Other favorite fiction books: I Know This Much is True, Nineteen Minutes, The Lovely Bones, and A Thousand Splendid Suns,
Favorite Non-fiction: The Bible, The Barbarian Way, The Purpose Driven Life, and Outliers



14 & 15) Southern Bride asked "Where do you like to shop? And what are your top 5 favorite movies?"
My works clothes are all from Express, Banana Republic, Macy’s and Nordstrom. Most of my weekend wear is also from a combination of those places plus Forever 21. I like Forever 21 for cheap, trendy clothes and accessories.
Favorite movies are: Office Space, Jerry Maguire, Forrest Gump, Boondock Saints, and Father of the Bride. Random, I know!


Miscellaneous

16) Mrs. Potts also asked, “Your hair always looks so pretty. What products do you use?”
Mrs. Potts! How did you know that flattery will get you everywhere!? You are too sweet! So in all honesty, I’m really “mean” to my hair. Since I have naturally wavy hair, I blow it out and curl it about 6 days a week. I use “John Frieda Sheer Blonde” shampoo and conditioner and switch it up with Pantene Pro-V. I’m a total believer that your hair can get “used to” a shampoo/conditioner. My favorite product is Kerastase serum. Totally tames frizzies and smells amazing.


17) Katie asked, “when you were little, what did you want to be when you ‘grow up’?”
When I was really little I wanted to be a doctor. Then I realized that math and science were not my strong subjects; I was much better at social studies and history. Then I wanted to be a news reporter for a long time. Then in high school I really wanted to work in politics – press secretary, campaign manager, etc. Then at USC I got really interested in Business and ended up in consulting.


18) A Balancing Act asked, “What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?”
When my husband and I were first dating my parents came up for a Football game at USC. I was sitting apart from them in the student section. During the game I started to feel really sick from a medication I was taking and the Mr. took me back to his Fraternity House to take care of me. After the game my parents couldn’t find me and went back to my Sorority House. They ran around my house looking for me, making huge fuss until one girl told them that she thought I had gone to TKE Fraternity. They then barged into TKE asking every guy where I was. They finally found the Mr’s room and barged in to find me asleep on his couch. Of course the story got exaggerated (my parents found us hooking up, he drugged me, etc.) and was the talk of both of our houses for the next week. Needless to say, not the best first impression for the Mr. to make on my parents. But I guess all’s well that ends well.

19) Kelley asked, “If you could be any food, what would it be and why?"
Wow this is tough because I love food! But I’d be a potato – mashed, baked, boiled, fried, you name it! That way I’d be delicious, versatile, satisfying, comforting and loved by almost everyone in one form or another. Mashed potatoes are my favorite food -- we even had a midnight mashed potato bar at our wedding.


20) Ingrid asked, “when are you doing your Trash The Dress?"
This weekend! So excited Any tips??!!




WOW. This got really long! Thanks so much for reading it if you made it this far! Also, thank you all for reading my blog for the past 100 posts! You all are so amazing! Your support, comments, and friendship mean the world to me. I can't wait to share the next 100 posts with you all!

When is Picture Perfect Too Perfect?

Thank you all for the recommendations on magazines! I’ll definitely pick up a bunch of the recommended reads and report back.

I was looking through my post and I couldn’t help but notice something that most of the magazine covers have in common…ridiculous photoshopping.

It made me think of Jezebel’s critique on Faith Hill’s Redbook cover. You have to check out that link and let me know how far your jaw dropped.

In fact Jezebel has a whole group of pictures they've lovingly titled “Photoshop of Horrors”. Which includes this gem of Jessica Alba:





I mean, seriously? She was already tiny! In the retouched photo she lacks a ribcage. Which is, in fact, vital to life... at least last time I checked.

When I did my Boudoir photography shoot last summer, I found a really awesome God-honoring studio called Woman Captured to do the pics (note: the pics rocked!) Their goal is have a positive effect on the way our society views beauty and bring it back from its current state of distortion. They had a great video posted on their blog. It seriously worth a look:


It’s part of the Dove series.

What do you think about the rampant photoshopping? Love it? Hate it? Over it? Jealously wish you could get all your own photos professionally photoshopped?

Bangs, Bridesmaid Dresses, Country Music, & Peace Corps

What do these things have in common? They’re all the random things my mind this morning!

1. Bangs
For the first time since I was 8 years old, I have bangs. My friend Carey does my hair and did such a great job! I love them! So fun and sassy! What do you think?




2. Bridesmaid Dresses
C, one of my best friends from my Sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, is getting married in June! I’m so excited to be one her bridesmaids. I’m trying to be lowest maintenance Bridesmaid ever, since I know how hard it is to be the bride and the last thing you need is bridesmaid d-r-a-m-a. But I was really happy when she picked this adorable dress from Aria to be the Bridesmaid dress:



I love the sweetheart neck! And the dress is going to be a coral/pink color which I think will look good on me. Like with most bridesmaid dresses I didn’t get to try it (don’t you hate that about Bridesmaid dresses?), so I guess I have to hope for the best when it comes! Has anyone ever had an Aria Bridesmaid dress?


3. Country Music
This week was another crazzzzy week at work. Lots of stress and long hours and I may or may not have had a total meltdown on Wednesday. So definitely TGIF!!! One of the girls who works for me, B, and I were stuck in a conference room working on presentations and listening to my Rascal Flatts Pandora play list for several hours this week. We were talking about how we like Country Music when we’re stressed because it paints such an idyllic picture of life in a Small Town away from the corporate chaos we’re a part of in CA. Does anyone else feel this way?




4. Peace Corps
Next week, my best friend, L, and her Husband are moving to Ecuador for the Peace Corps. She’s going to be gone for over two years! I’m going to miss her sooo much! We met in Kindergarten and even though we’ve lived in different cities for a while now, not being able to see her for two years makes me so sad. I told her that she needs to blog about her adventures and then I can introduce you all to her.

Here’s a pic of us at my wedding (she was my MoH):


Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a great weekend!