Who am I...

I borrowed this idea from Jessica who borrowed it from Kerry Washington.  Here's a little look into the woman behind the blog....

Who are you:?

H54F (Vol. 28)

I must say the first week of 31 has been a success!  Let's just jump right into it!

1. Friday was wonderful.  My new coworkers graced me with gorgeous flowers, my husband gave me earrings I've been wanting for ages, and we went out for a relaxing Mexican dinner with the most delicious drinks.

2. Saturday we had the joy of watching 2 very special people get married.  They are the nicest, sweetest, most wonderful couple.  I'm so happy and excited for them to be joining the married club!

3+4. A coworker retired this week which meant parties in the office!  On Wednesday we had the most delicious Cajun food I've ever had plus the cutest little retirement cookies (the bee's are for Belinda, the lady retiring.)  Then on Thursday we had another party thanks to one of our carriers.  Plus Belinda left us all gifts (a scratch off, a wicked nice coffee mug, and a sweet little card written to each of us.)  She's such a sweet woman!  I'm so sad I only got 2 months with her.

5.  Last but certainly not least, Orange is the New Black is back!  We spent almost every night this week watching it and I'm already wanting more!  I love Netflix originals but I actually hate that the whole season comes out at once because I have no self control and will binge watch the entire season in just a few days.  Guilty pleasures are hard to control!

How was your week?
Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

(Linking up, as always, with some amazing bloggers!)

The Northwest Bloggers
Calm, Healthy, Sexy



Fake it til you make it!

I'm so excited!  For my birthday I was finally given the earrings that I had been hinting that I wanted since I got my new bridal set on our 2nd anniversary.  They match my engagement ring nearly perfectly and they're the nicest earrings I've ever had!  While I was admiring the beautiful sparkles of the stones it occurred to me that this is something I needed to share with you all.

Traditionally, the suggestion for men is that they need to save a couple months salary for a ring and according to an article I found from Glamour, they spend an average of $5000 on the shiny rings they buy for their lovely ladies.  

$5000!!!!

Seriously?  In a time when we're all struggling to pay our debts, scrimping and saving to buy a home or even just rent an apartment why, WHY is it still so important to spend this much money on a piece of jewelry?!?!?!

Is it beautiful?  Yes

Is it something we desire?  Yes

Is it something we deserve?  Probably

But really, why does it have to be a perfect, real diamond when you can have a perfect fake diamond that looks just as beautiful?  It kind of makes me angry when women make these huge demands.  No one will know if your diamond is real or not unless they're an expert and how many experts do we have walking around in the general public?  I'm willing to bet that it's not many!  

My proposal is to do what we did- buy man made or fake rings.  The metal is real, in my case it's silver, but the stones are fake.  I'm in love with my rings and earrings and we spent a tiny fraction of what we would have spent if they were real.  Look at the picture of my rings and earrings!  I truly believe that you can't see a difference, they're all equally shiny and lovely and big, which is what we all want, right?  (just kidding!)

If you're a baller on a budget like us, strongly consider spending less money on the fancy stuff and put it towards important things like bills and living or heck put it towards your honeymoon!  It just seems like there are so many more practical ways to spend your money, it's almost foolish to do it the old fashioned way.

High Five for Birthdays!

As I've mentioned several times this week, today is my 31st birthday!  To celebrate, today's post will be my 5 favorite birthday parties from years past.  It'll be a nice stroll down memory lane and maybe it'll give some of you ideas for your kids birthday parties, or maybe even your own!

1. McDonald's
                 When I was 4, my party was held at a local McDonald's.  It had a huge, inside play place that would blow away the play places they have now.  There were a bunch of things to climb in and on, all inspired by the different Micky D's characters.  They provided us with a cake that had Ronald on it, and of course a ton of french fries and chicken nuggets.  It actually makes me a little sad to reminisce about this one because I know how much the chain has changed and I don't think that a party like this would be possible any more.

2.  Going to a play
                When I was 7, may parents had a small party for me (me and 5 friends) and instead of going to a movie, which is very popular, we went to a play.  The local theater was putting on Mary Poppins, my favorite.  We got dressed up, drove over, saw they play, where they even brought me on stage during intermission, and then had pizza and cake back at our house.  It was so much fun and so much more memorable than going to a movie.

3.  Taking a class
                 When I was 10, we took a class at Michael's.  We learned how to make clay beads.  They even allowed us to bring in food and cake, so everything was in one place and my parents house didn't have to get messed up.  We had so much fun being crafty and there was no need for party favors since we made jewelry to take home.

4. Water Balloons
                   When I was 13, I was about to move to NJ and literally only had 2 weeks of summer with my friends in Ohio.  I didn't know what to do with my friends but it was darn hot out that year.  I had 4 friends over, we hung out in the basement for a little bit then headed outside to enjoy a water balloon fight.  That was it- bonding with girl friends, water balloon fight, some sandwiches, and a cake- we had the time of our lives.

5. Pool Party
                   When I was 17, I was blessed to be living in a house with a pool.  10 of my friends came over for a day of swimming and bbq.  When we finally dried off and I opened presents I had received a VHS of Spaceballs so we ended the evening with a movie viewing.  Simple but fun.  Sometimes I think people just try too hard and end up going over board.  Kids just want to have fun, they could care less about all the other bells and whistles.

What was your favorite birthday party?

As always, linking up with some fantastic women:

Lauren

The Northeast Bloggers

Calm, Healthy, Sexy
April

Proclaimation 31

On the eve of my 31st birthday I'd like to lay out a plan for myself.  This won't be like the 30 before 30 list where there were a bunch of things I wanted to do to make me feel like I had lived a little in my 20's.

This will stand alone to make me a better person.  There are some things I want to learn, do, see, and try but also things I want to be or become.  In my 31st year I plan, or at least hope, to become "ME."

When I'm 31 I will....

learn to:

• use chop sticks
• knit or crochet
• decorate baked goods
• cook more unique meals

go to:

• Vermont- my grandparent's cabin
• Nashville- hopefully to see the next KLOVE awards
• Philadelphia at least 3 times- I need to learn and love my new city

see:

• concerts- any and all that I can get to, I love music and want to see more and always hold myself back
• a Broadway play/musical- it's been ages since I've been to one and I'm tired of waiting
• the taping of a show- any show.  It's something I've always wanted to experience and I'm tired of waiting

become:

• a better listener
• a better friend (by listening and being more attentive in general)
• a better family member by being more involved and connected
• a Proverbs 31 woman
• a happy by complaining less and appreciating what I have more
• less attached to my cell phone and start actually experiencing life

The become is absolutely the most important part of this list.  I need to become the person I've always wanted to be.  Everything else will be icing on the cake.

I'll be tracking and posting about the progress of this list as the year goes on.