Wedding Wednesday: Shoes

Alright loves- I need to decide on wedding shoes. I think at the reception Ill probably wear something very comfy for walking around/dancing so Im not looking to find a pair that Im foolish to believe Ill be comfy in all night.


Here are some shoes for the ceremony I found. None of them look particularly comfortable. If any of you know anything about the Nina brand- i.e. they run big or small or theyre death traps, etc- please share your wisdom.

These: The color of the shoe would match my sash perfectly; the lace ties in the bulk of my wedding dress and the black ties in my bridesmaids dresses- but are they too much?

These:  They would match match my sash.

These: They are a fun color like Id assumed I wanted all along

So, ladies, thoughts? Any other brands I should check out?

Happy Birthday To Me!

Happy Birthday to me! Its officially been 27 years of Desiree. This will be my last birthday with my maiden name and my last to splurge on a gift for myself without asking for permission to spend as much as I want. I bought myself a new dress but much to my frustration I cannot find a picture of it online- Ill post a picture later if I remember to get one while were out.

Tonight I will be celebrating with my love over dinner, drinks and desert and I plan to overindulge like crazy.

Nostalgic- Missing My Mom

Growing up in my house was anything but ordinary. I tease my Mom all the time for her unconventional ways but I cant help looking back and feeling very nostalgic for some of the littler things we did as a family and the things she did for me. Many traditions were instilled in me that I never really realized would carry on and possibly be passed on to my own family.

My Mother allowed me to open one gift on Christmas eve- we would video tape the openings that night and the next day and send them to our family that lived back east. It made for some awkward moments but looking back, it really was such a fun idea.

Birthdays were huge in our house. My Mom always made sure to wish me a happy birthday right at the time I was born (1:22 AM). Wed switch every other year between a huge party or a trip. Its hard to remember all the places we went but my favorite memory was being told on the way to the airport wed be landing in Florida that evening to visit Disney World. That was an unforgettable birthday.

My Mom used to cut fresh lavender from our garden and stuff it into my pillow cases. At the time it annoyed me more than anything because it was crunchy and would poke me in the face while sleeping. Now? I cant smell lavender and think of anything besides my Mom and her devoted ways of loving me.

After 12 years of studio dance I tried out for and made the drill team at school. I had to be in the gym as early as 530 AM everyday. As if her waking up to drive me there herself wasn’t enough- she still made sure I was up and out the door on time once I got my license. She always took a few extra minutes to make me a healthy breakfast and set it in my car next to my vitamins so I could eat on the way. When it was hot outside shed turn the car on and blast the AC to cool the car for me and when it was cold, shed turn on the heater so it was nice and toasty by the time I had to leave.

Its funny how while growing up we so often take these little symbols of love for granted. Now as I grow older and take steps closer to having my own family, I only hope I can love my child and make sure to show it in my own ways as much as my Mother did. She truly made me feel like the center of her universe every single day.

Kindle

With my birthday rapidly approaching (Tuesday, hint hint) my Mom has asked me what I want. I am having a hard time thinking of any ideas and wanted to get some feedback from you, dear readers. Do any of you have a Kindle, if so- do you like it? What are some benefits of using one rather than an actual book? I see positives and negatives and wondered what you all thought? Help!

Body Image At An All Time Low

As if I didn’t already have serious body image issues (see below post when I ate 7 peanut butter cookies) I found someone to make me feel even worse. I watched Np/Tuck way back in the day and gave up right around the time the carver struck the fifth time. It scared me too much and I lived alone at the time- sue me. Now that Im all grown up and share a home with a large man that will protect me from said intruders. One small problem…


Enter Kelly Carlson aka Kimber Henry:

Excuse me while I go and develop an eating disorder- and sincere apologies for the ‘smut’ on my PG-13 blog.

Try It Thursday: Drifter Pale Ale

As Ive mentioned before, Im a pretty big fan of pale ales. Widmers Drifter is no exception to this rule. With its unique citrus flavor, smooth drinkability, and distinctive citrusy hops, Drifter Pale Ale is truly an original. Brewed with generous amounts of Summit hops, a variety known for their intense citrus flavors and aromas, Drifter has a taste unique to the Pale Ale category. True to style, the bittering hops are perceptible enough to give the beer a crisp, clean, quenching finish, yet also soft enough to keep the beer smooth and balanced.

I should mention that this particular beer has 5.7% alcohol and 187 calories so even they taste like you can toss them back, keep a running count!

Hops:

Alchemy

Summit

Nelson Sauvin

Malts:

Pale

Caramel 20L

Caravienne 20L

Caramel 80L
Carapils

Suggested Food Pairings:

Fresh Seafood and Shellfish

Grilled Steaks

Wordless Wednesday: Books Im Reading

Booo

I had a bad day today. Work annoyed me and a supervisor at work (not my own) made me cry- the only saving grace? I cried when I hung up the phone, not in front of him.
The rain seems so fitting after a day like mine and I do believe the peanut butter cookies will help heal my wounds as well. Can I spare the calories? Nope. Do I care? Nope.

I missed a mani/pedi date with some of my best friends because my boss failed to mention that I would be on a crew drive tomorrow. And so, I spent the afternoon scrambling around trying to get a days work done in what typically takes about a week.

To top it all off, I have to be at work at 7 AM tomorrow for a sales meeting which in turn means I have to go to bed... pretty much right now.

Whats the point? At least I have a job that pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head. Sure, I may not have had a bad day if I didn’t have a job, but Ill take my job any day. Id rather have a bad day than no day at all.

Countdown

Seeing as how my birthday is creeping up this year I thought Id pay tribute to my 26th year with 26 random facts. Everything you ever needed to know but didnt care to ask...

1. The could eat pizza every single day of my life if it wouldnt make me the most obsese human alive


2. When I first joined facebook (over 5 years ago) I was "married" to my lifelong best friend. We only recently changed our relationship statuses when she got engaged- aka- she broke up with me

3. I treat my dogs like humans

4. I do not know how to play any musical instruments besides the recorder... and the kazoo

5. I screen my phone calls ALL the time- my friends tease me that they can call and then text and Ill only respond to the text

6. My middle name is Kara

7. I have a weakness for expensive purses and jeans, peanut butter and queso- none of those 4 items will ever be turned down

8. I always mess up the punch lines of jokes

9. The longest part of getting ready for me is always choosing what to wear

10. I HATE when someone in front of me is driving slow and I put my blinker on to change lanes only to have them do the same - why didnt you just allow me to swich places with you???

11. I share a birthday with Martha Stewart

12. I was born in MA and lived there until the age of 8

13. I have been in 13 (14th will be shortly after my own) weddings

14. I backpacked though Europe with my mom after graduating from high school- we saw 35 cities in 14 days

15. When I was a wee thing I told my family I wanted to be a professional babysitter when I grew up

16. I am a narchaleptic drunk

17. “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crows is by far my favorite song. Ever

18. When I am looking for something to listen to on the radio, I always scan in numeric order- 94.7, 95.5, 96.7 and so on…

19. I am always always always cold

20. I have been blogging for 3 years

21. One hobby of mine that I need to explore more is photography

22. If I saw Robert Pattinson/Edward Cullen in person I might actually faint

23. I have been reading the Harry Potter series for way too long now, though I refuse to admit defeat. Im only on book 5 and dont know Ill ever complete the series but this is the closest I will come to admitting it

24. I love my fiance pretty much more than anything- except peanut butter

25. I love writing things like this
 
26. I literally had to ask Derek how old I was and how old Id be turning when I sat down to write this. He wouldnt dignify my question with an answer and made me talk it out. Does that make me really old and crazy or do you guys sometimes forget as well?

FURIOUS

According to my sidebar... I have ZERO followers. I went from 77 (yea, I know, thats not even that many compared to all of you) but now NOBODY reads me anymore?

SAD.

The Bright Forever

On a summer evening in an "itty-bitty" Indiana town in the 1970s, nine-year-old Katie Mackey rides her bicycle to the library and never comes home. Her father, Junior Mackey, owns the town's glassworks, and to the town's residents the Mackeys are like the Kennedys, envied for their looks, their wealth and their picture-perfect life. Peeling back the layers of his characters, the author slips easily into their darker, secret lives-lives that may harbor clues to Katie's disappearance: Henry Dees, the reclusive math tutor who sometimes lurks in the Mackeys' house; Clare Mains, the widow shunned for remarrying out of loneliness; her galling husband, Raymond R., whose drug binges and blackouts occupy stretches of unaccounted-for time; Katie's parents, freshly tortured by their own tarnished past; and Katie's brother, 17-year-old Gilley, who seizes the chance to gain his father's approval by avenging Katie's death.

As I was looking online for info to share with you lovelies, I found this- it appears to be the entire book online. Try it out and see if it works! READ IT!

VOTE!!!

My friend Lilu is thisclose to becoming MTVs first ever TJ (Twitter Jockey, yes Twitter is really taking over the world). Be sure to stop by her blog, follow the necessary steps and VOTE for her! Our own little celeb in the blogosphere!

Home Sweet Home

Cabo was amazing. I cant say enough what an amazing time we had. We took in the sights, took a private boat to snorkel (which resulted in Derek throwing up several times), we ate very good food, we drank very good drinks, we consumed endless bottles of water. We came home with killer tans, temporarily overworked livers, very weary bodies and lots of hilarious pictures. I am eternally grateful to Erins parents for lending us their beautiful place and trusting us to not burn it down.

Just take a look and see how awesome this place is- if only the pictures did it justice! And yes, that’s a hot tub and a grill on our patio.

I read a book while on our trip- The Bright Forever that I intend to review it once Ive caught up with life at home. I miss our dogs more than I can explain- we are planning to pick them up tonight when Derek gets home from work. Reggie and Molly have been playing all week with their furry cousins- Henry and Rufus who are loveable but slobbery basset hounds. I fully expect our dogs to need a good scrubbing when they get home. We get to keep them this coming weekend and I think Im going to buy them a kiddie pool so they can all four stay cool over the next few days together. Its just so damn hot for dogs- especially ours that have long curly hair that seems to be so unforgiving.

I have spent the day catching up on all your blogs (and my dvr, as well as our laundry)- my computer has been on the fritz for what feels like forever right now and Im so frustrated that its not allowing me to send you all comments. We have discussed plans to buy a smaller, less expensive laptop for Derek that will only be used for internet and I want a mac for all my picture taking adventures so if any of you have suggestions (or a million dollars) please, please share.

Try It Thursday- Skinny Dip

Featured by both Men's Journal and the Today Show as a favorite summer brew, this full-bodied, highly drinkable beer makes a splash every summer in New Belgiums Seasonal line-up. This American blonde ale is a full-bodied, figure-friendly beer perfect for the lightly attired summer months. It is comprised of Cascade hops that frolic with a hint of kaffir lime leaf and malt, giving the beer a complex citrusy nose that's surprisingly refreshing.

Skinny Dip is 4.2% ABV and has 114 calories.

Its the perfect time to reach for a cold Skinny Dip and try it- its good with pretty much any kind of food you can think to crave during the summer months.

Ally McBeal

Did any of you watch Ally McBeal back when it originally aired? I did and Ive started to wonder how I ever understood the humor, the heartache and the characters. The show is not only hilarious, but its heartfelt, complicated and addicting.

I decided to take it all in a second time via Netflix and have loved every single minute of it. I have to say my absolute favorite character (all over again) is John Cage. His quirks have found me laughing out loud several times over and rewinding just so I can make sure Derek catches them.

Im almost sad to be so close to being finished with it again!