San Diego

San Diego is beautiful. I have never seen so much natural beauty in a small town. Rob and I went sea kayaking at La Jolla Cove and saw harbor seals and their seal puppies. It was tons of fun - - the next thing I want to try is stand up paddling. Does anybody know where I can try that around here?

Dove Visibly Smooth: Product Review

Jennifer from the Zocola Group sent me a full sized sample of Dove's new Visibly Smooth Deodorant last month to sample. The deodorant uses a Pro-Epil Complex with natural extracts and Dove moisturizers to condition underarm skin and hair, soften underarm stubble and help underarm hair look and feel less noticable.

I have been using this for a full month and I do feel that my underarm hair has been growing in a lot finer. I am a shave-a-holic so I shave every day so I don't know if it is growing at a slower rate but whatever stubble shows up is definitely softer.

I am not a fan of the smell - - even though there was a pleasant wild rose scent it did not entirely mask the Pro-Epil complex chemical scent. Also, it has been really hot and muggy lately so the deodorent has not been as useful as my Clinical Strength Dove Deodorent which I love.

Final Rating: *** and a half stars. It does the job but it could be better. If they made a clinical strength version of this than I would totally be sold.

PS: I know this posting makes me sound totally hairy and sweaty but I promise you this is not the case.

Friends Forever

I recently realized that I do not have to be friends with everybody I meet. Not everybody is going to like me and I am not going to like everybody...and that's okay. I have also realized that some of my friends are not the type of people I want to keep in my life. If you don't like me for me than well that's your problem. If you are a negative person who puts me down then well...see ya! In the famous words of the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy:

"Nobody gonna take my pride nobody gonna hold me down oh no I got to keep on moving."

Ok I know what you are thinking...is this a Noxzema commercial or what?

Monday - Dinner and cocktails with my Ex-SHR.
Tuesday - Who knows!
Wednesday - Gala Party at the French Embassy
Thursday - Went grocery shopping for the first time in forever and made strawberry shortcake cookies from the latest edition of Martha Stewart Living (Diagnosis...Delicious!)
Friday - Robby napped while I made him my bomb ass Cuban Roast Chicken for dinner. Then I took a nap and Robby booked our vacation to San Diego next week. Mental reminder, request off work for next week!
Saturday - Very short hike at E.C. Lawrence Park with AJ - - it was too muddy so we decided to go to Target instead. Then went to a bbq at Rob's best friend's house. Ate crab legs! Mmm!
Sunday - Lunch in DC with some good friends. Listened to the live New Orleans themed jazz show on the mall with a pitcher of sangria. Grilled some veggies on my deck and watched the people fish in the lake behind my house. Life is good.

Makeup Tutorial: Hosted by Baby Smiley

I love searching the internet for new makeup tips. The girl below is one of my favorites - - she is very knowledgable and shows you how to do runway looks with drugstore brand makeup.
Check her out!

Weekend Recap

• I bought: green porcelain measuring cups, a green hand juicer, and cupcake embroidered hand towels from Anthropologie
  
• I saw: Rent the musical at the Warner Theatre and Up! (It made me cry - - alot!)
• I ate: a gorgonzola filet mignon at Red Rocks, spider and Philly rolls at Matsu, chicken kebabs from Ravi Kebab, and Vietnamese food at Saigon City
• I went to: a bridal shower, the mall, church, an eco friendly home, AJ's apartment, Megan's apartment, and Rob's house
• I hung out with: AJ, Megan, Devon, Kristy, Rob, Rob's family, my mom, Kristina, Darrin, Amber, and Angela
• I am happy because: BFW moved out
• I am pissed because: BFW moved out without cleaning the basement, his bathroom and left all of his dirty dishes in the sink
• I am sad because: Devon is leaving and I wil be lonely
• I am excited to: have my own space to decorate for a while
  

Recissionista Bride

Many people think that you need a big budget and a year of planning to pull off your dream wedding. This is simply not true - - with a little hard work, tons of friends, and fast decision making you can have a stylish, chic garden wedding.

This is a true story as my younger sister managed to throw a tasteful wedding ceremony and reception for 200 guests in my parent's backyard with a limited budget and time frame of a month and a half.

The entry way arch was decorated by a family friend.

Buying bridesmaid dresses at a bridal boutique wasn't really an option. It would have taken over a month for them to deliver plus we would have to pay for alteration fees. All of these dresses were bought at Lord & Taylor. Except for mine, I found it at Ross the day before the wedding for $60.00! All of the other bridesmaids paid ~$200 for their dresses. Suckers!


Tent decorations were handmade by my family using tulle, tissue paper, and white lights. Flower arrangements were provided by a family friend who is a florist. We got a discount on the tent because the caterer's son owned a wedding rental company.

Wedding photography services were provided pro gratis by a professional photographer who wanted to start dabbling in weddings. I highly recommend his company BLN Photography.

This whole wedding was about love for Kat and Paul which is why I think the entire wedding turned out so great. It was a casual affair but you could really tell how in love Paul is with Kat and in the end it was all worth it.

If you are planning a wedding or big social event and need recommendations on affordable but quality caterers, djs, rental companies, florists, or photographers please let me know!

Also, for other photos check BLN Photography and Rise.