Month: January 2016

My mom got me this magical purple Tignanello purse for Christmas and it’s just so awesome that I HAD to share it because, seriously, you NEED THIS PURSE IN YOUR LIFE. I liked it when I first saw it but once I realized it is a magic T.A.R.D.I.S. purse that you can fit your entire life into I absolutely fell in love with it. Look how tiny and cute it looks on the outside when it’s all closed up. That’s an iPhone 6 Plus if you are looking for a size comparison.

This little tag is actually a mirror. Adorable!

The best part of this purse is that it unzips all the way to the base of the purse so although you can stuff it full of things, it makes it very easy to get to any of your stuff once it’s opened. And seriously, LOOK AT ALL THAT STUFF! And I still have lots of little pockets to fill!

For a better look at the contents I pulled it all out and laid it in front of the purse.

Here is an even better view of all the things opened and pulles out of their containers. Yes, I carry all this around with me every day because: LIFE.

From left to right:

• Pink case with my Dior prescription sunglasses
• Blue Case with my regular Brighton sunglasses
• Ipsy case with pens, highlighters, tabs and whatever washi tape I’m using for my current week in my Bullet Journal
• Selfie Stick (shut up)
• Makeup: Michael Kors perfume/lipgloss pen, Cover Girl lipstain, hand cream, a matt lipstick from Ipsy, jellybean case full of pills and my contact case.
• iPhone 6 Plus
• Michael Kors wristlet and matching card case with my car key attached. I keep all my cards and cash/change in this so that if I just want a small purse I can grab it and leave quickly.
• Bullet Journal which is a Leuchtturm 1917 in Berry and I LOVE it.
• Hairbands. For that thick hair life.
• The rest of my house/work keys.

Normally I also have my portable phone charger and cable in there too but it’s currently on my desk at work charging. OOPS! Left it there over the weekend.

AND THERE IS STLL ROOM.

There are a ton of places you can buy Tignanello purses like Macy’s and Nordstrom but they are REALLY affordable on QVC which is, I’m sure, where my mother got mine.

Mandatory Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post. This purse was purchased for me by my awesome mom, I was not asked to review this product, the manufacturer of the product does not even know I exist. I just REALLY like this purse.

Ben via chat: Just ordered this

Me: Plugs? Are they for the butt?
Ben: No. They are for the car.
Me: hehehe I KNOW! I’m so funny.
Ben: …

A few hours later.

Me: I just ordered this.

Ben: $850,000!?
Me: Right!?
Ben: What even is this?
Me: It’s a poster! An $850,000 poster. But free shipping!
Ben: I’m so confused.

Mission accomplished.

I miss her. I miss her on my pillow at night. I miss our daily cuddles when I get home from work. I miss flopping down onto my bed and her protesting from under the covers because I didn’t notice her there. I even miss her reminding Kumo every night that she was the boss of him.

I just miss her. But missing her means that for a long time she was here and I got to love her. And that love is so very much worth the pain I feel now. I know that it will pass and in the end I’ll just be left with a life time of awesome memories of how much she loved me but hated every other living thing on Earth.

The earliest photo I have tagged of her on Flickr. Taken January 26th, 2004.

Checking out the backyard of our house in San Jose. She never really liked to go outside and would only go out if you were out there with her and she would always try and position herself between you and the door. So if you moved like you were going inside she could be sure and dart in before you and never be left out alone.

This is the day we brought Hans home. This photo sums up pretty well how she felt about it.

I probably moved a muscle causing her to think I was about to go inside and abandon her outside alone forever and ever.

Reminding Hans that she is the boss of him.

“I am going to hug you to death.”

“Happy Fucking Halloween.”

She always found my clean clothes to be the most comfortable spot to clean her butt.

Her amazing eyes and that tiny pink spot on my nose were always my favorite things about her.

And, or course, my most favorite photo of her I ever took.

Goodbye, friend. You left a really big paw print on my heart and I will cherish your memory forever. <3

I’m in a dark place. For the last two weeks I’ve been spending every bit of energy I have to pretend that I’m okay. I am not.

If you know me and you’ve seen me you probably think I’m great. At work I’m really good at pretending that I’m perfect. Around friends I’m really good at putting on the happy face. Online I post happy status updates and smiling photos. It’s a lie. Every single second of every single day I am fighting back the need to lay in a dark room and cry.

It’s exhausting. I am exhausted.

I am trying very hard to hold on to my Furiously Happy. Happy memories and the people near me who love me are what are keeping me afloat right now. Without the support I’ve been getting from online friends, kind words of understanding support from real life friends and, most importantly, Ben’s constant understanding, support and love, I would be lost.

It sucks. It sucks so bad. But I know that it’s temporary. I know that this will pass. The scary part is that because of the situation, I know it’s going to get more painful and more sad and more exhausting before it gets better.

But it will get better.

It will.

“Without the dark there isn’t light. Without the pain there is no relief. And I remind myself that I’m lucky to be able to feel such great sorrow, and also such great happiness. I can grab on to each moment of joy and live in those moments because I have seen the bright contrast from dark to light and back again. I am privileged to be able to recognize that the sound of laughter is a blessing and a song, and to realize that the bright hours spent with my family and friends are extraordinary treasures to be saved, because those same moments are a medicine, a balm. Those moments are a promise that life is worth fighting for, and that promise is what pulls me through when depression distorts reality and tries to convince me otherwise.”
– Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

Me talking to Ben about KC tonight: I’m so torn. I don’t want the responsibility to make these decisions. But I don’t want anybody else to make them for me because I can’t let go of that.
Ben: Wow, you basically just described our entire marriage.
Me: …

It’s true though. I don’t want to decide what we are having for dinner but if Ben chooses incorrectly I want to punch him. Why can’t he just tell me what I want and get it right every time? I really don’t understand what’s so hard about that.

Fun is always easy to have when Julie is here! Whether we have an adventure all planned out or just play it by ear, it’s always awesome. I think the best part to me is just getting to spend time with her. Long talks over lunch, laughing in the car or just walking around and exploring new parts of a city.

And the BEST part! No selfie judgment! No matter how many times I say, “Hold on! Let me selfie!” SHE GETS IT. *BIG HEARTS*

Here is an album of all my San Francisco photos. I know that some people get annoyed by how many photos I take but I LOVE that I can look back now and so many of these make me giggle and remind me of a really awesome day.

I’ll just share a few of my favorites now.

Cassidy tried to photobomb ever selfie she could.

Julie also happened to capture pretty much the absolute BEST PHOTO EVER TAKEN of Ben and I at dinner on New Years Eve. Pretty sure I’m going to get this one framed and hang it up somewhere.

Here are all the beauty things I couldn’t live without in 2015! I really wish I had more time to do these monthly but LIFE AND STUFF. So since it’s the end of the year I thought I’d just do a yearly wrap up. Going to break these posts up between categories because I realize that some people don’t care about beauty products and some people think tech is boring.

Eminence Eucalyptus Cleansing Concentrate: When we were in Pennsylvania in September we had a spa day at an amazing little spa and the absolute best facial I’ve EVER had. I had them use products for my oily skin and when she put this eucalyptus face wash on my face I wanted that moment to last FOREVER AND EVER. It smelled so amazing, like driving through an actual eucalyptus forest which I loved because we had a eucalyptus tree in our front yard growing up. The face was was so cooling but didn’t make my skin feel tight at all which I hate in a face wash. When we were leaving my aunt surprised us with gift bags that contained the products that our esthetician had used and so I’ve been using it since September and I am HOOKED. This is for sure one of those products that I will buy over and over and over. My skin has never been more clear or looked so healthy.

LUSH Dark Angels Face Cleanser: I’m including this for 2015 but I’ve been using this cleanser for years. It’s amazing. I know there are many people out there that will tell you that you should only exfoliate once a week but I use this every other day. My very oily skin gets a scaly feel after one day and if I don’t exfoliate often then it makes my foundation look caked on and gross. This is gentle enough to use every day and makes my face baby butt smooth.

LUSH I Love Juicy Shampoo: Along with my extremely oily face I also have EXTREMELY IN ALL CAPS oily hair. I am so very jealous of you ladies that can go three days between washes and I have tried every single technique to get my hair to that point but it’s never worked. I have to wash my hair every other day AT LEAST. Day one I wear it down and then day two I have to wear it up because it’s just oily enough to have to put up. I can use dry shampoo but it only works for about 6 hours and then the oil starts to really show through again so I usually just throw it up.

The only reason I’ve been able to get to the ever other day point is because of this LUSH shampoo. It has an amazing orange-y citrus scent and gets my hair AMAZINGLY clean. The clean scent lasts throughout the first day and my hair seems much less oily the second day. If you don’t have oily hair but want a once a week deep clean that will strip all the other products out of your hair this is perfect for that.

The best part is that you just have to use the tiniest bit of shampoo. I have very thick hair and a quarter sized dollop gets the job done and done well so a bottle of this lasts for quite a long time. It’s also vegan and like all LUSH products absolutely no animal testing anywhere along the production line.