Boyfriend Pressies

Hi!

I made it back to DC safely last night. Along the way, I stopped in Pittsburgh to visit my grandparents and they are doing well. Then, Dan came over and we opened presents! Here's what I got him:

Dripless Pourer/Stopper from Pampered Chef! I ordered this from the party I went to and bought one for myself as well.

Orange Ginger Mint Tea from The Republic of Tea. Dan always orders this at Panera so I decided to buy him some of his own!

A Crosley Rochester Radio/CD/Tape/Record player! He loves old time radio's so I thought this would look perfect in his new house (I think the color I bought is different than this picture - his is more cherry wood)

I also got him an electronic dart board that I wasn't planning on getting him but I saw it on sale for SUPER cheap so I bought it on a whim (hopefully it works! ha!). Also, I had this cute picture of us from the Renaissance Festival and I gave it to him in a frame. He loved it ALL! :-) I am such a good girlfriend - not to toot my own horn or anything ;-)

Now, what did he get me? Here ya go:

Catch Phrase! I love this game and I am ALL about game nights with friends so this was perfect. I have never owned one myself and it's one of my favorite games!

The Sex and the City movie! Dan knows me so well! But, wait... this movie is just NOT comeplete without the...

SEX AND THE CITY COMPLETE SERIES! You guys, it is so pretty. It's so pretty that I want to hang it on the wall in the beautiful plastic case that it came in. I'm usually not a fan of pink, but it's like pink velvet!

Okay well I have to go and clean because I am having a possible sublet come to look at the apartment. M moved out recently to go travel (sadness!) so we need someone else until May. Tonight, I am going to Dan's house because he and his roommates are having a New Years Eve party. Oh and I got a phone call from my sister last night. She told me that I left my straightener in Ohio! I am so upset :-( I guess I have to go curly tonight? Oh how I miss my Chi Straightener!

I hope you all have a fantastic time tonight! This may be my last post of 2008 (eek!) so if you don't hear from me - see you next year!

Cheers!

Julie

Holiday Miracles

Hello readers!

Wow! The last time I posted was Christmas Eve and let me tell you... a LOT has happened since then! Honestly, I am quite overwhelmed as a blogger. I have so much to share and I do not know where to begin. I think I would like to share a side story with you. Something that happened so randomly while we were in St. Louis.

This occurred about 10 minutes after I wrote my previous post while we were in the hospital. The hospital staff told us we could go upstairs to visit Grandma in her new room. As we were leaving, we came across an older man who was passing out newspapers. He works for the hospital and had this huge cart with him. He asked us if we wanted a paper and was not at all clear in his speech. With further observation, I decided that he was cognitively delayed somehow. We decline the newspaper politely and turned away. He said "Wait, wait" and then robotically proceeded to go to his cart and pull out a binder. He placed it on a table and opened it to the first page and said "Read it" and pointed. My sister M, my mom, my grandpa and I all glanced curiously at each other. Then we started to read (click to enlarge):

I hope you can read at least the first part of it. I had my iPhone and snapped a picture quickly.

His binder

This man, James, was a candidate for a PhD studying microbiology. In 1975, he was riding his bike and was struck by a car in Boulder, CO. Now, his body works but his mind is not as sharp at it used to be. From the binder, I could tell that so many people care for him. His friends and family wrote letters and poems about the tragedy and there were numerous articles about him and his previous work. He was also in the army and was joking to the best of his abilities that my mom needed to do push-ups. We would whisper to ourselves, "Wow, that's amazing", etc and he would say "yep. yep. Push-ups!" with a huge smile on his face. I could tell that the binder had been through a lot. He must show it to countless people everyday. What a gift that his friends and family put that together for him to show to people!

James's story just proves that we need to be thankful for what we have. I feel that I have been complaining so much recently. For now on, I will stop and think about James. He was a Christmas miracle for me. As I was waiting to see what was going on with my grandmother, I meet this wonderful human being. Then, I find out that my grandmother was fine - it wasn't a heart attack after all. How wonderful! James was definitely our angel that day which is why I am sharing this story with you all. I know that he would want me to share it.

***********************************

I will post more about Christmas soon, but in the meantime, here is another Christmas miracle: We had 4 generations present! Here is my nephew Liam and his great grandpa. What do you think of their matching hats?

I typically don't like posting pictures of people on my blog, but I couldn't resist with this one! My sister M (Liam's mama) planned this picture because my grandpa wears these hats all the time!

Tomorrow I am making my way back to DC and will be stopping briefly in Pittsburgh to visit my other grandparents. Then, I will be back and will (finally) exchange presents with Dan and his family! I am super excited!

Btw, I know I have received some tags and awards recently and I have not been the best about my response. I will hopefully get to them soon - I really do appreciate them ALL! I am so grateful for you guys.

Talk to you soon!

hugs,

Julie

Update!

Hello everyone,

I am at the hospital right now - thank goodness for free Wi-Fi. Anyways, the doctor just came out and Grandma has NO BLOCKAGE! We don't know anything else other than that. We will learn more soon. This means she may be able to come home today! Thank you for all your prayers! 

Sorry for the quick post but I wanted to update you all. More later!

xoxo,

Julie

Another Emergency?

Hello everyone,

Right now, I just so happen to not be mobile posting. Instead, I am using my grandfathers computer. I am being very careful with it because he does not like others using it (he doesn't understand technology too well hehe). Anyways, we arrived yesterday and life was good. We had a lovely casserole which my grandmother prepared and it was great.

Come midnight, I was just drifting off to sleep. I was content by the Jodi Picolt book I was reading and was happy to go to sleep considering I hadn't gotten a full nights rest the night before. All the sudden, my mom comes in the room and told me that my grandmother (not the same grandmother from my previous post... she is my mother's mom) was having chest pains and they didn't know what to do. I quickly ran upstairs to my grandparents bedroom and she was complaining of chest pain around her left arm. After much comtemplation and discussion (and how she does not like the hospital), we decided to take her to the emergency room. My mom and I took her in and I was happy to be there for her. We stayed until 4 am and they said she had to stay overnight and that she was probably fine and this was all precautionary. I mean, my grandmother is extremely healthy for being 85. She walks about 2 miles a day and eats healthy. Obviously, we weren't too worried.

Recently that all changed. About an hour and a half ago she called and basically we learned that she may have Coronary Heart Disease and indeed had a heart attack last night. Ugh. Double ugh... Right before Christmas? Really? She may have to have surgery... In one way I am happy it's happening now and not when we aren't here. My grandpa is not in the best shape himself so if he had to take care of this on his own, that would not be the best. In another way, it's during the holidays and her goal is to entertain and spend time with her family. I am just not in good spirits but I am trying to be optimistic. I have to be optimistic. She is having a surgery tomorrow to see what's going on inside her heart.

I wish this post wasn't so negative but it's a blog right? I am supposed to talk about what's happening in my life. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I love you all!

xoxo,

Julie

Hello St. Louis!

Hello!

My mom and I just passed the Arch! All and all the drive has been
great. It started off difficult because of snow and ice in Ohio but
right as we passed that, the weather was great! My two sisters,
brother in law and Liam are in another car and are already there.
Anyways, I hope you have a great day! We are almost to my grandparents
house :-)

xoxo,

Julie

Meet Me In St. Louie

Hello everyone!

Well, I made it to Ohio safely! Sorry I haven't posted much, I have been getting over my sickness and spending time with the family. I made it here yesterday around 5:30 pm and then babysat my nephew, Liam. I didn't do much - just held the walkie-talkie in case he made noises while he slept (which he didn't). Thank you for all the comments and words of encouragement for Kilo and I. He is in Virginia with Dan and apparently, it was a cyst. Dan took him to the vet yesterday and had it drained (ew, yea, I know). Then, once we thought our problems were over, the cyst grew again yesterday. We're just going to take it a day at a time. He may have to go in again tomorrow.

Today I woke up and took my car to get a tire changed. Before I left DC, Jiffy Lube told me that one of my tires had a bubble in it. Not to sure what meant... but it did look bubbly (I may have hit a curb or something)! So, I changed it because we are driving a long way tomorrow and I don't want to risk anything. Then this morning, my dad had my sisters, my brother-in-law, Liam, and I over for breakfast. It was really nice - he cooked eggs and muffins! Yum!

Tonight, I made pizza using my new Pampered Chef Bar Pan for my family! It was a hit! I made their Caprese Pizza and mmm... it was delicious! I did, however, burn myself while taking the pizza out of the oven (ouch!).

Then... (*drum roll please*) I gave my mom and her husband their Christmas gift:

A BLURB WEDDING ALBUM!

With inspiration from Blue-Eyed Bride, I was able to put together a ONE of a KIND wedding album for my mom and her hubby! I'm not sure I've mentioned this before, but my mother got remarried last March. The wedding was very low-budget and included close friends and family. I was the photographer (I am very amature but LOVE doing it!) and I took about 300 pictures using my Nikon D40 that day. My mother hadn't put anything together yet so I went ahead and did it myself. The album turned out splendid! I totally recommend Blurb for albums you may need in the future. It's so simple and fun to use!

Well friends, it's 9:47 pm and I need to close this post. I am waking up at 2:30 am to drive the 9 hours to St. Louis to visit my grandparents in St. Louis. I can't wait to see everyone and for them to meet Liam! Also, I am not sure if I will have internet so I will be attempting some mobile posts from my iPhone. I may be testing this tonight.

If for some reason I don't post, have a LOVELY holiday with your friends and family! I will be back in Ohio on the 27th!

hugs and kisses,

Julie

Sick Me and Sick Rat

Hi everyone,

I'm not having the greatest night so I apologize for my sulking. I am hoping at some point, all my posts will be positive. I am in the mist of packing for Ohio tomorrow while becoming more sick by the minute. Poor Dan is out at CVS filling my prescription for birth control (he is the best boyfriend!) and getting some nyquil/dayquil. On top of that, I picked up my rat Kilo, and it is evident that he has a tumor. How did I not notice this before? It's huge. Maybe since it's so big it looked like his fat? I am not sure. I am just super depressed now. When are my troubles going to end? Now I am considering going to the vet tonight. My poor Kilo :-(

Kilo enjoying himself on a recent birthday

If anyone out there has ever dealt with rattie tumors, please email me tonight.

<3,

Julie

Books Galore

Hello!

Well, this morning I woke up with a cold... or something where my nose is running and my eyes are watering. Either way, I am happy because I just called the library and they have two books that I am looking to read while I am gone for the holidays! Here they are:

Remember how my roommate is moving out? Well, she let me borrow her book and I only got halfway through this week. She is leaving tomorrow (*tear!*) and obviously wants it back. I am picking it up at the library today so I can finish it! It's so good so far with very complex characters. I definitely recommend it!

I am also going to read Jennifer Weiner's follow-up novel to "Good in Bed". "Certain Girls" will be a sure HIT in my book! I am excited to read it. If you need a good book, definitely pick up "Good in Bed" and then read this one.

I am a huge Nicholas Sparks fan (as most girls are!) and I can't wait to pick up his latest book. It's obviously a hot want though so I am on the library waiting list. Has anyone read it yet?

Oh and I want to recommend to you an audio book. I know many of you are traveling for the holidays and are looking for a good one. I love audio books but I am extremely picky because if the narrator is bad, then I can't listen to it! Anyways, if you are looking for a light, funny, and interesting audio book, look no further than "Confessions of a Shopaholic".

This book and most the books in Sophia Kinsella's series are hilarious! I haven't read them all yet, but I think I may pick one up for my trip to St. Louis. Also, once you read or listen to those, look forward to the MOVIE that is coming out on February 13, 2009! Here is the teaser trailer (doesn't it look good!?):



xoxo,

Julie

Examining Wallets

Hello loves,

So since I lost my beloved Coach Wallet (seriously people, it was so cute!), I have been looking at other wallet options. Obviously, since I am obsessed with Marc by Marc Jacobs, I keep finding wallets by him... and specifically in the color red! He IS known for his jewel tones isn't he?

Marc by Marc Jacobs Softy Pocket Zip Clutch Wallet... $168 (I like this, but is it more of a clutch?):

Grained Leather Billford... $158 (Turnlock wallet to go with my Turnlock Marc?):

Totally Turnlock Patent Billfold... $158 (Patent will never go out of style for me!):
I just love his jewel tones not only in red but also in grape and green. :-) Maybe I can find one of his wallets on sale after Christmas? Hmm...

kisses,

Julie

It's Looking Up: Meet Marc's Twin Brother

Hello everyone!

Yesterday was such a long day for me. Again, thank you for all the comments and the ones I received today as well! It gives me so much hope. Dan and I were talking yesterday and we both hope that whoever broke into my car really needed the money. I truly hope that it was a parent and they needed the money for a very important thing (presents for their kids, medicine, etc). That's what is getting me through this so with that, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

So, after the whole ordeal (and right after I posted about it), I proceeded to clean up this whole mess. I went out to my car and took out everything (which was difficult considering there was glass everywhere!). I had a 2:30 appointment with the car glass place and with everything going on in my head, I completely lost track of time and did not end up there until 3. Ugh. When I arrived, I apologized profusely but the guy there just told me that he would work on my car but if others come in "on-time" he would have to work on theirs. Now, I completely agree, if I am late, bump me back. But, he basically did not even START to work on my car until 5:15. Then, around 5:45 (you won't believe this), he told me that GEICO sent a DEFECTIVE piece of glass. I go over to my car and there is a new piece of glass in my door, WITH A HOLE in it! Obviously, I was very upset. I told him that I wasted 3-hours waiting around and they couldn't even CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE PART WAS CORRECT? That takes like 5 minutes. So, he ended up putting PLASTIC (so classy!) over the hole and told me to come back tomorrow. I started tearing up. My list of things to-do is just so long and I wasted 3-hours yesterday PLUS an hour today.

After the car place, I raced home and headed to Tyson's to meet my friends R and L for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (yum!). However, before I met them, I made a LITTLE detour and I picked up MARC'S TWIN BROTHER! His name is Marc too (although Dan wants to call him Marcy-Marc for distinction) and he looks exactly the same as my other Marc! I found him $4 cheaper at Cusp. Yesterday morning, everyone was telling me to replace him (even you guys!). I even called my dad and HE (out of all people) told me to replace him, so I did (although I can't really afford him. ha.).

Then I raced over to the Cheesecake Factory. I love R and L, we always have great conversations! My friend R even gave me a cute holiday gift of different shower gels from the Body Shop! This seriously made my day, especially after the day I had!

Then, I went to Dan's house to stay over for the night. I love him so much. He really has been there for me thick and thin since this whole ordeal happened (and other times too of course!). He even was trying to "raise" money from his relatives and my relatives for a new Marc for me! That is until I told him my plans to buy a new one. :-)

Now, I just got back from the car place and it's just like new. Added bonus: It's clean too! I just need to wipe down the interior and then it will be perfect! Today, I have tons of things to take care of. I can't even list them now because it's so much. I hope you all have a GREAT DAY!

Oh and here are some current giveaways (in case you did not know about them!):

- Nina is hosting a Kate Spade and Calendar giveaway (for fashionista's to stay organized!)
- Lipstick Diaries is hosting a makeup giveaway! (Please mention that I sent you there!)

xoxo,

Julie

So Thankful

Hi everyone,

I want this post to be longer but I just don't have the energy. I just want to say that I am so thankful to have blog friends like you guys. Today has really been one of the worst days ever and along the way, I checked my iPhone for any new emails. I would receive comments from you throughout the day. All of them made me smile and some made me laugh out loud. THANK YOU! :-)

Tomorrow, I will post more I promise. Until then, I want to leave you with a link of some amazingly motivating and strong pictures. These pictures are a true inspiration for mankind.

I hope you enjoy! Talk to you tomorrow.

Julie

Goodbye Marc... It Was Fun While It Lasted... :-(

Hello nice people,

What I love about my blog is that it really shows me that there are many good people out there. The comments I receive along with the encouragement during rough times is amazing to me. Something terrible happened to me last night and I would like to share. Maybe with my experience, it won't happen to you.

8 pm:
Last night, I went out to dinner with Dan's family. Since it was raining, I left Marc in the car and took my ID and credit card in my jeans pocket. While I was there, his grandmother gave me my holiday gift. I was thrilled and she told me to wait to open it on Christmas.

11:30 pm:
When I arrived back at my apartment, it was pouring down rain. I decided to leave Marc in the car so he wouldn't get wet. I also left my gift from Dan's grandma because there was no point in bringing it inside since I was going to take it with me home anyways. Then, I went inside with my ID and credit card still in my pocket, while holding my umbrella.

8:15 am:
This morning, I had a meeting at school. As I was walking towards my car, I could see through my back drivers-side window. I knew something was wrong. As I creeped up closer, I could see from 10 feet away that someone smashed my window in. I took a deep breath, turned around, and told myself to take deep breaths. I told myself to get my roommate, M, as quickly as possible. She was still sleeping and I told her I needed help and someone to think logically. She took my keys and walked down to my car with me.

All the necessary steps were taken (insurance, police, etc) but I doubt I'll be seeing any of my items ever again. Many thanks goes out to M for being there to support me. I could not have survived this morning without her.

What I lost:

-Marc










- My Coach wallet from Dan
- Cash
- Dan's grandmother's Christmas present
- 3 gift cards
- My favorite lip gloss
- Possibly other items that I haven't noticed yet

I am very upset but also very lucky. It could have been a lot worse. They could have taken more but they didn't. My GPS was even in the glove compartment and the idiots completely missed that (stupid criminals!). I hope Marc is okay. I have a feeling he is homeless on the side of a street somewhere.

Anyways, my plans for the day have obviously changed. I have to clean out my car (all that glass), go get my window replaced, and find my sanity. I am so upset about my purse and the wallet. I am tempted to replace it. I don't know anymore.

I hope your day goes better then mine,

Julie

My Unusual Day

Hello friends!

Man, oh man, my day was unusual!

I woke up at 8 am early to register for the Cherry Blossom and just could not get through. The website was so jammed! So, I went back to sleep. Then I woke up again at 9:30 and was able to get myself registered. Brandi also wanted to register and since she had to work, I tried to register her (by being the great friend I am!) and again it just wasn't working. It was almost time for me to go to a job so in desperation, I called my mom in Ohio. I told her to go to the website and try to register Brandi. It worked! It's strange how that worked out! Also, during all of this, I was emailing back and forth with Mrs. Stilettos and she registered too! YAY! I am so happy we all are running it - Cherry Blossom here we come!

Then, I went to a contract job and when I was done, I LOST MY CAR.

I knew I parked it in a pay lot but I looked around in the wrong one! ARGG! So there I was, walking around in the freezing cold and in my heels...

...pushing my car remote so desperately hoping to here my Mazda beep. Finally, I gave up and went to the pay lot office. There, a nice man pointed me in the direction of the other pay lot. It was there that I finally found my car.

When I got home, a holiday gift was waiting for me!


This is a VERY special gift that I bought my mom. I really, REALLY want to share what it is, but I can't, just in case she were to read my blog. I can tell you that it's very creative and I'm sure she will cry happy tears. :-)

Tonight, I am going to Virginia to meet Dan and his family for dinner. Tomorrow, I have a full list of things to do (sending my swap package, sending my Pay It Forward packages, work, packing, cleaning, etc).

I may post later tonight but I'm not sure yet. I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday night!

xoxo,

Julie

Running, Weight Watchers, and Hungry Girl

Hello again!

Since school is over for me (jumping up and down!), I can now focus on myself again (at least for my winter break!). Tomorrow, I will be up at 8 am sharp to register for the Cherry Blossom 2009 10-Mile Run which will be held in Washington, DC on April 5, 2009. If you are a runner and live nearby (or want to take a trip to DC in April!), you should register! I registered last year (although did not run because of injuries, but more on that later) and the registration was closed within 4-hours. They also have a fabulous virtual training program. Last year, I followed the beginners plan and never felt better about myself!

Also, Weight Watchers has announced a NEW PLAN called Momentum. I have not learned it fully yet, but please visit their website for more information.

I'm sure by now you have all heard about Hungry Girl, but in case you haven't, let me fill you in. Basically, she is not a nutritionist but instead, she is just like one of us! She has tons of tips and information about eating right from a Hungry Girl's perspective (get it? ha...). I receive her emails daily and they are very motivating! She is the one who told me about Vitatops, how to eat healthy at Panera, great food finds, and so much more!


Geez, I hope I can keep weight off during the holidays. I am eagerly looking forward to speed walking with my mom every morning in both Ohio and St. Louis while having gossip time. Now that's a way to keep the weight off! Have a great night!

<3,

Julie

Philadelphia Possibility

Hello everyone!

GREAT news! I am officially done with school for the semester! NOTHING is left to do! Zero, zip! I am thrilled :-) Also, my grades weren't that bad: A, A, A-, B, B. I wish I could have gotten straight A's, but maybe that will be reserved for next semester (my last semester of classes).

Anyways, remember how I have internship next year? Well, I am actively applying and here are some location possibilities (as of now, these could change!):

Philadelphia, PA (I know there are a lot of Phillie bloggers out there!):

Pittsburgh, PA (my home town):


Boston, MA:
Cave Springs, GA (random town... I don't know a lot about it):



This is good because before, I was kinda all over the place with where I wanted to apply. The way it's looking now is that I predict I will end up in PA. I am hoping for Phillie just because I think it is a really awesome city and I would only be 2-hours away from DC and 6-hours from Ohio.

Anyways, I'm going to go back to cleaning. This week is all about: packing, cleaning, and preparing gifts! I hope everyone has a great Monday!

hugs,

Julie

Up on eBay

Hello again,

Long-time readers: Remember this purse? Well, I finally put it up on eBay tonight! It's up for 5-days... I hope I get someone to buy it. It's just not my style and TOTALLY authentic. I just want someone to love it as much as I love my Marc.

Okay well I think I'm going to throw on some jeans and head out to Sephora and Target! :-)

Cheers!

Julie

P.S. My Pampered Chef stuff came in today! I can't WAIT to make a pizza!

Holiday Agenda

Hello folks,

I hope your weekend has been as great as mine has been! As my semester is *finally* winding down, I can now look forward to what's ahead. Tonight, I am going to the mall (yay holiday hours!) to stop by Sephora to use a coupon and buy a gift. Then, I'm going to Target to buy some other gifts (which I won't mention them here just in case people are reading my blog!) and wrapping paper. I am determined to wrap neatly. Absolutely determined.

Since I am looking ahead now, I would like to share my tentative holiday plans:

On December 20th (or whenever all of my gifts arrive in the mail!) I will be driving to Ohio to be with the family. On the way there, I plan to stop in Pittsburgh to visit my grandparents.

On December 22nd my family and I are driving to St. Louis to visit extended family (Grandma and Grandpa, aunts, cousins, etc).

On December 27th, we are driving back to Ohio.

On December 28th, I am meeting two of my best friends for lunch! (I hardly ever see them!)

After that, I have nada clue what I am doing other than I would prefer not to go out for New Years Eve and instead stay in with Dan or go to a relaxed party. What are your plans?

I must say that I am very excited over the gifts I have gotten people this year. I am also bummed that I cannot share them with you because my family may be reading! Oh well... I promise that after the holidays, I will share what I bought. Also, since I will be in St. Louis for 5 days, I just know I will have to become a "mobile-blogging-pro" on my iPhone. I will probably have some test posts up until then so stay tuned.

Have a great Sunday night!

xoxo,

Julie

Going Away Party

Hello everyone!

It's Saturday morning and I *still* have school work left. But, before I finish that, I want to give you a run down of my night last night. First, as you know, I was extremely happy about my new Marc, so I proudly wore him as I went to my friend Dee's going away party (*sniffle*). Here are some pictures:

The party was held at her house so we took our shoes off, however, she had slippers for us to wear! How fun! (mine are the flip-flops!) Such a fun idea :-)

She is moving to Colorado so she had CO postcards with her new address on the back for everyone to take home. SUCH a cute idea that I will have to steal when I move.

Of course, no party is complete without the grub!

My friend Pri got a cupcake. Then, she took off the bottom part and put it on top like a little sandwich. HA! Loved this and told her I would put it on my blog.

As you can see, it was a great party! Sadly though, my roommate was ALSO having a party that night as well (in DC... Dee's was in VA). Dan and I wanted to go to both, but later in the night, Dan's back started hurting (he has terrible back problems... like a disc displacement or something), so we decided to go home after all was said and done. :-(

Oh! And Marc was a great hit! I left him in the coat room but throughout the night, I would bring a friend or two in to meet him (I'm such a nerd) and they thought he was gorgeous! YAY!

Well, time to get to work. Dan is in the kitchen making something (possibly for breakfast?). He got out of bed and told me he would be right back... then he came back and has been in the kitchen ever since. I am HOPING he is making pancakes (a girl can dream right?). I think it's pancakes because when he came in, I saw a glimpse of syrup... mmmm...

Have a GREAT Saturday! :-)

Julie aka Miss Mascara (ha!)

Hello, Marc

Hello everyone!

Thank you for all your supportive comments. It felt good to vent and you guys rock and made me feel a lot better. I did end up emailing my professor. Hopefully something positive will come out of this.

In other news, my Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag arrived today! I am absolutely delighted and this is my gift for a hard-working semester and I deserve it (especially since I bought it on sale)! Here are some pictures:

Ooooo the anticipation!

gorgeous!

as you all know, I'm not a huge fan of pink, but I do like this hot pink as the interior!

Isn't it lovely? I am obsessed with the turn-lock! It's so cool and has a neat feel to it. Also, I can take the strap off and it becomes a clutch - so fantastic! I am going to wear it tonight as I have some parties to hit up :-) Marc and I are going to become best friends (yes, I am referring to the handbag as a person).

Anyways, I hope you all have a fabulous night! The moon in DC is huge and beautiful, by the way. If you are near a window, be sure to look out because your view of the moon could be huge too!

TGIF and kisses,

Julie

Discouraged

Hi all,

Right now, I'm in the annoying process of looking at my grades for this semester and I feel completely discouraged. I feel that my grades never reflect my work. I recently got a B in a class in which I know I deserved an A. I put so much work into that class. I was up late, I did everything I could. My time centered around that class - but I guess it wasn't enough. And, do I know why I got a B? No. I don't. Will I ever? Doubtful. That's how my program is. They do not tell you why you get certain grades (unless it's something concrete like a multiple choice test). I just want to have straight A's just ONCE in my life. Just ONCE. I know, most people say that grades in graduate school don't count, but they do for me especially if I want a higher degree after this. I just hate putting so much of myself into something and not get anything in return. I know I did not fail, I know I will accomplish my goals, but it just sucks and it's how I feel every semester. I can honestly say that I hate my program. I love my field, but hate my program. That is very tough for me to say - I am afterall, a nerd. I love to read scholarly journals, I love to research, I love to LEARN. But this program has changed me. I am now in survival mode. I have one more semester left of classes and a year of internship and then I am done.

Thanks for letting me vent :-)

Julie

Yes, I am Still Awake

Hello again (you thought I went to sleep, right?),

Here is what has happened this my most recent post:

- My roommate and I ordered Chinese. While waiting for the Chinese to arrive, I literally fell asleep on my couch and woke up startled when M asked to bring her the money for the delivery guy.

- I ordered teriyaki chicken but instead, got BEEF teriyaki on sticks on top of rice (instead of the rice being in a cute Chinese container). I guess they thought I wanted the appetizer? Anyways, this did not make me happy. FAIL.

- Luckily, I got wonton soup and two egg rolls. The soup was good and so was one of the egg rolls. The other was not good. FAIL.

- Also, the Chinese take-out place did not provide us with fortune cookies. This is a big "no-no" in my book and therefore, I will never order from there again. (Anyone else with me on this? I need something sweet after Chinese!) FAIL.

- After munching down on Chinese, I then looked around at all your lovely blogs (and commented on some!). Then, somehow I fell asleep on the coach (this was around 8:30). Then, I woke up around 11.

- It took me awhile to wake up and frankly, I am still exhausted. However, I got up anyways and cleaned out my ratties cages. I sense that they are mad at me for being a disgruntled graduate student and never remembering to clean out their cages. Now, I hope they are happy. I even cut up a new (new for them, old and does not fit for me!) shirt for them to use as a hammock. Man, I spoil them!

- Then, I took a shower. In the shower, I had two thoughts:

1. I remembered that I received an email from Shop Bop telling me that they shipped my recent purchase. Then, I recalled seeing a "you have a shipment" sticker on my mailbox this evening (but I could not pick it up because the office was closed). I know this is sad, but I just put two and two together while I was taking a shower - my new MARC must be waiting for me! I checked my email again, checked the tracking number, and sure enough - DELIVERED! SQUEAL! :-) This makes me so excited because I have two parties to go to tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow night so I can wear my Marc with pride :-)

2. Considering I have two parties tomorrow night and have been in constant awe of Gwen's ever-changing nail color, I need to paint my nails. Maybe I'll do it when I am done posting or maybe I'll wait for tomorrow.

Well, those are my random tid-bits. If you have read through to this point, I thank you! I am off to bed now :-)

Cheers,

Julie

P.S. Don't forget to visit Purse Blog to enter to win a designer purse for the next 9 days!

Exhausted and A Crisis

Hey everyone,

Right now, I am sitting on one of my comfortable chairs in my family room and I would like to tell you about my day.

The day started off early (as usual) and I drove to Baltimore in sprinkling rain. Not my kinda thing. I arrived late because there was tons of traffic. Basically, when it's raining in the DC area, people forget how to drive (I'm sure my fellow DC bloggers's can attest to that!). Today was super busy and I barely sat down. I had a full list of things to do and it seemed like every time I would accomplish one thing, something else would come up. I barely had time to eat lunch (also usual). Today was just one of those days that I wish I wore my Uggs and not heels.

I was also looking forward to going out to dinner with Brandi and my friend R. However, I received a shocking email from R this morning that went something like this:

"Hey, I can't do dinner tonight because my apartment burned down."

WHAT?! I freaked out. I emailed her back and forth all day about her situation. Basically, her roommate was cooking (vegetable oil) and caught some oil on fire! As a result of that, there is also water all over her apartment now. Ugh, my poor friend :-( Luckily, the apartment gave her a new unit to stay in tonight because their apartment is unlivable right now. Please keep her and her roommate in your thoughts and prayers!

So, tonight instead of going out to dinner, my roommate, M, and I are ordering Chinese. It is her birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY M!) and we are going out tomorrow night in DC to celebrate.

Anyways, I hope you all are well! I'm utterly exhausted and plan on getting to bed EARLY tonight!

xoxo,

Julie

Finders Keepers?

Hello all,

I came across this article on digg and I thought you'd enjoy it! It just goes to show ya that there are still good people in this world.

Back to work for me - I am hoping to finish up everything by tomorrow.

Sweet dreams,

Julie

Feeling Wonderful

Hello lovelies!

Right now, I sit here feeling absolutely wonderful. My last formal project for school has just been turned in. I am not completely done yet as some of my field-based work still needs to be completed, but it's one more step to being done with this semester.

Just some random tid-bits for ya:

- Do you live in the DC/MD/VA metro area? Are you a blogger? Well, Miss Kate over at Nautical by Nature is organizing a meet-up. Please head over there to give your input on what days work for you! Thank you, Kate, for organizing this!

- My girl, Piper, over at Steaks and Cakes is hosting a fabulous Clinique makeup giveaway! Be sure to enter and check out her blog - she's awesome!

- Don't forget to enter yet another makeup giveaway over at Lipstick Diaries! Please say that Wearing Mascara sent you! :-)

- Danielle over at Well, That's Just Fabulous is hosting a giveaway too! She is giving away "The Holiday" on DVD. Today is the last day to enter so head over there NOW!

Well, I think that's about it! I think I'm going to go grocery shopping now to pick up some healthy food (shocker!). I do hope it's still raining because I am wearing my yellow wellies again today. There is just something about them that makes my day special!

I hope everyone has a happy hump day!

xoxo,

Julie

12 Days of Handbags

Hello loves!

I just want to inform you that Purse Blog is teaming up with Luxaholics to bring you 12 Days of Handbag GIVEAWAYS! Please, drop everything and head on over to Purse Blog NOW to register and sign up. You can enter each daily giveaway for a chance to win a designer handbag on each of the 12 days! Seriously people... don't walk, run over there!

On that note, I'm heading over to Dan's for the night. He is making spaghetti and garlic bread (best boyfriend everrrrrr) and we are going to watch the Dark Knight (which just came out on DVD today!).

Speaking of movies, are there any newly released movies on your holiday list this year? These are the only two on mine:

There are others that I want, of course, but these are the two new releases that I wouldn't mind showing up in my stocking this year! Anyways, I am OFF!

xoxo,

Julie

I Just Need to Admit It

Hello,

I just need to come out and say it: I am terrible at gift wrapping. There. I said it. I feel better now.

Today, I had the pleasure of finalizing my swap gift for Champagne and Sundresses. As I was wrapping, I decided that I needed to admit my faults to my fellow blogging friends. My wrapping skills just suck. I don't think I will ever be as good as my mother or as Hopsy. Until then, I will try so hard. I will try over and over until it looks somewhat alright. I usually wrap my gifts until they look good from far away. Maybe I should add embellishments to hide my flaws? Not sure. Oh, I wish I could be a good wrapper! When I had problems wrapping growing up, my mom would tell me, "It's all about geometry and angles." Well, I guess I was never good at geometry. One time I even got a seasonal job working for a clothing store. At that job, we were required to gift wrap the merchandise for our customers. At one point, my manager just said, "No, Julie. I'll just do it." Ugh. Until then, I will go by the saying:

"It's not on the outside, but on the inside that counts."

I am very proud of my swap gift and I hope that she likes it anyways. :-) If anyone has any step-by-step directions (really broken down folks) on how to wrap, please let me know!

Lots of <3,

Julie

My First Marc (Yes, I am Smiling!)

Hello everyone!

Okay I have not mentioned this yet, but I have been eyeing this one Marc by Marc Jacobs Handbag in black:

It's the Marc by Marc Jacobs Punk Posh Convertible Clutch. Anyways, I have seen it on ShopBop and then, it was randomly marked down 50% off! You all KNOW how much I love my Marc Jacobs and yet I do not own anything from him. NOTHING. Zero. Zip. Well, that all changed today my friends. This morning, I went to their website and it was not there anymore! Only the brown was there! I like brown, but I like black better so I was depressed... for like a full 2-hours. I even shared my depression with M (she owns two Marc's herself) and she completely understood. Later on, I went back on the website and it was back! Woo-hoo! So, after more contemplation with both M and Dan (he did not agree about my purse obsession), I took the plunge and bought my first Marc! It was so cheap for a designer purse that I had to buy it and it's so perfect for my first Marc - so cute and innocent. Also, it will go with everything and it's convertible! You can take off the straps and turn it into a clutch - SO chick! :-)

Oddly enough, right after I bought the purse, I went back to the website (to find a picture for this post) and the black was sold out! Did I score the last one? Wow! I am so happy I bought it! If you're interested, maybe it will come back like it did for me. Keep checking!

BTW, the brown one is still there if you're interested. The bag looks kinda small, but it really isn't (as you can see from my iPhone photo above from seeing it at Nordies). Good luck and let me know if you take the plunge! :-)

xoxo,

Julie

P.S. Sephora is having free shipping through Monday. It's a great way to buy makeup for gifts without braving the mall!

Pay It Forward Ladies: Need Your Addresses

Hey to:

rialeilani, SouthernAccent, and LyndsAU... I need your addresses so I can Pay It Forward to you! :-)

Email them to: wearingmascara at gmail dot com

Thanks!

Julie

Recipe for a Fun Cookie Night!

Hello!

I just got back from M's house for her Cookie Exchange/Birthday Party and it was delightful! Here is the recipe for a successful/fun party with a few girl friends:

Have tons of food!

Wear your favorite Christmas booties! I got these two Christmas's ago from Dan's sister-in-law... FAB! (there is a hole in them though, I must wear them too much! Oh well, love them anyways!)

Give a cute birthday card!

Wine and candy canes... always a good idea!

Get your hands dirty like Miss Brandi is doing here (making banana bread!)

Bring frosting to decorate in some of your favorite colors! I brought red, green, purple, and orange! I made this cookie for my blog readers - too bad I can't make a ton and send them to everyone! :-)

Be a super hostess (like M) and provide holiday bags for guests to take their cookies home in!

Pets are always welcome. This is M's rabbit, Cubby. :-)

I hope everyone had a great night! I'm off to bed - sleep well!

Julie

FABULOUS Giveaway!

Hello again everyone!

I just wanted to quickly mention that one of my favorite blogs, Lipstick Diaries, is having a FABULOUS giveway!

She is giving away a TON of makeup so please head on over there NOW and say that Wearing Mascara sent you! :-)

xoxo,

Julie

Relaxing, Jeans, Cookies, and Marc

Hello readers near and far!

Right now, I am completely relaxed and it's amazing. My LAST DAY OF CLASS was yesterday! No more classes for Miss Mascara (haha I kinda like that...). This means I have more time for:

- blogging
- Dan (bf)
- holiday shopping
- my ratties
- reading (I need some good book suggestions...)
- catching up on Gossip Girl and the Hills

I am not completely done with school for the semester, but no more all-nighters for me because my work is on MY time now! Woo-hoo!

In other news, Dan and I met at Tyson's last night for some shopping. My goal: Find jeans that fit me. Basically, this whole semester I have been wearing jeans that are way to big for my butt, simply put. NONE of my jeans fit me anymore. I guess I lost weight? Not sure but I certainly wasn't following what I was eating this semester! I guess I was on the I-had-too-much-work-that-I-forgot-to-eat-diet? Here's what it entailed:

- Being so busy that I forgot to eat
- Being so busy that I didn't have time to go to the grocery store
- Remembering I have to eat, so I had a slice of pizza for it's convenience
- An occasional glass of wine (or two)

Hmm... well, it may not be the healthiest diet, but it worked! I went down a size in jeans! From this point on, I am going to try to eat healthier and just watch my portions. If I learned anything from Weight Watchers last year, it was: Watch your portions.

So, I bought two pairs of jeans from Nordies. The good news is that Nordstrom's is having 30% off denim sale in their stores! This goes until Sunday! I was rather excited about this. Oh and while I was at Nordstrom's, I obviously had to visit Marc to say hello:

Hello, Marc... How are you?

I love the black!

Dan also had some nice finds yesterday at Banana Republic (he has an excellent fashion sense!) They are having a sale on sweaters (40% off) and he got some really cute ones! I especially liked the dark green sweater he scored (I picked it out of course). After shopping, we went to Gordon Biersch and met our awesome friend B for drinks. If you go there and like beer, have their Winter blend.. it's so yummy and sweet! A good time was had by all :-)

Tonight, my good friend M is having a simple birthday party which will include: a small number of friends, pj's, and holiday cookie baking! This will be a perfect ladies night and I can't wait! Soon, I am going shopping for ingredients with Brandi. This should be interesting and I am looking forward to learning about vegan cookie making from her!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Saturday!

<3,

Julie aka Miss Mascara (hehe)