My Shopping Tips

As requested by one of my friends {and since one of my passions is fashion}, I would now like to share my top 3 shopping tips.  I find that they are very simple {you would think common sense}, but good rules to live by.  I will say that there are times when I am shopping that all common sense goes right out the window.  But, I try very hard to be strong and follow these guidelines. 

1. Do not buy anything {unless its a really good deal} on impulse. If you really want it, it will most likely still be there a couple days later unless its on some ultra clearance and will be scooped up by someone else in the next few hours.  For example, I recently went into the new downtown Nordstrom Rack {I once vowed to never step foot in any Nordstrom rack ever again about 2 years ago after a particularly messy shopping experience. But, my co-worker had to run in and she somehow convinced me to accompany her}. That's when I spotted it - from across the room. What a beauty! 

This gorgeous kate spade bag: 

Via Pinterest, source unknown

I exclaimed "It would be perfect for ITALY!" My co-worker said it looked "just like me". Everyone says that about things I like. Either I have really good friends who know me really well or I am just plain boring and predictable.  Anyway, I backed away from it and tried really hard not to think about it for several days.  That being said, it was all I could think about and I became obsessed with it. The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it. It was on sale -- which definitely fueled my fire. But, in the end, I am proud to say that I didn't buy it. We stopped by Nordstrom Rack in Portland and I was still able to resist {it was the last one, no sales tax}.. you get the idea. I had to just be strong and wait for the urge to pass. Now, I am totally OK with passing on it. Remember my facebook status last week: "Announcement to the world: "I am not allowed to buy ANYTHING else for Italy. No clothes, electronics, sandals, or purses." The end."

2. Don't buy something just because it's on sale.  I like to shop without looking at price tags.  That is crazy, you say? Well, think of it like this:  I want to decide if I like something before I know how much it costs.  I don't want to let the price sway me either way.  Of course, I will look at the price tag before I decide to buy it or not -- I have definitely been at Nordstrom and found a super cute dress that happened to be $600+. Of course I didn't buy it.  So, just be smart. Sometimes I will set a price before I look at the price tag and say, if its under $50, I will buy it. Or if its over $100, I won't buy it. Works for me.  

3. Invest in classic pieces and save the trends for Forever 21/Target/outlets. Sometimes I find it hard to spend hundreds of dollars at j.crew on a nice dress or skirt, but I tell myself that it will last for a long time and it is very high quality.  I would rather spend more money on one classic piece than several cheaper pieces. But, I do allow myself to buy what I call "trendy items" from cheaper places like Target or Forever 21. I am still wearing sandals I got from target 4 years later. They are so comfy and I probably wear them at least once a week. So, there are definite exceptions to this rule. If something is cheap {dollar wise}, it doesn't always mean cheap {quality wise}.  But, that is often the case. For example, I find that several shirts I bought from Target get pilly really fast {and I cannot handle pilly shirts}, whereas I don't see that happening as much with higher quality {and more expensive} shirts.

Those are my tips! Do you have any shopping tips that you use regularly?

P.S. One week until ITALY!!!!!

Magic Mike Movie Review

Via

In case you were wondering if we got in last night-- we did! The whole experience was actually really cool.  I arrived at the theater around 4:30 (movie started at 7:00). There were approximately 10 people in front of me in line. I was pumped because I knew we were getting in! One of my best friends Megan met me around 6:00 with some dinner from Chipotle. It had never had Chipotle before and it was actually really good. So, after about 40-50 people cut in front of us, they opened the theater doors around 6:30. There were a lot of seats saved for media/press but we ended up getting pretty good seats {middle, center}.  A big burly man told us to turn off our cell phones and if we didn't, we could face a fine of $2 million and prison time.  I guess this is more strict than a normal movie since its a pre-screening. 

Megan and I in front of the gigantic sign | @ Magic Mike

 A few notes:

1. There were so many weirdos that came out of the woodwork for the "free" event. Like old (aged 50+), guys with long white hair. Why in the world that guy wanted to watch CT in Magic Mike... I do not know.

2. People are so annoying.  Waiting in line with people for 2+ hours is pretty interesting. There were a lot of annoying wives who had a million annoying stories to tell.  I overhead these exact words: {She wrote her name on the block of cheese. Why would I eat your regular cheese? I only eat soy cheese.} Riiiight.

3. The demographic I expected was way different than what actually showed up. Per my discussion/re-hash of the nights events with Jake when I got home from the movie, we think that has to do with the "free" part of the event than the subject matter. I was expecting mostly all women ages 20-30.  There was actually probably 25% males and a lot of older women. Cougars, I guess.

Oh man... now to the actual movie. It was amazing! Like... so so good! First, there is the Channing Tatum {CT} eye candy. He is such a good dancer. Today, I am seriously going to buy the Step Up BLU RAY {dang it, it won't be released until July 3rd} so I can watch him dance whenever I want in the privacy of my own home. Dang, he could be on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) for sure. I only wish there were more dance sequences.  He was definitely the star though. I was reading the wikipedia for Magic Mike and it says it is a comedy. I thought it would be more of a drama, but I think I am going to classify it as a "drama-dey" {See what I did there? I combined comedy and drama}. All the male dancers were amazing and really fun to watch.  The love story is a bit weak {I noticed Channing didn't kiss anyone during almost the entire movie}. I bet women wouldn't have liked that.  I know I wouldn't have! I highly recommend you go see this movie. The rotten tomatoes rating is currently an 86%! I am definitely planning to watch it again in the theaters. And probably buy the BLU RAY for that matter.

Right after the movie, I would say I look pretty happy!

 I would love to hear your comments!  Read Megan's review here.

Seattle's Great Wheel

I saw this article on Seattle Times and really liked the picture, so I thought I would post it.  The Great Wheel is on the waterfront where we got married {it's a year late!!!} and will be open beginning June 29th. Rides will be approx. $13. We will probably give it a whirl after we get back from our trip in late July.

Via Seattle Times

Click the link above for more pictures. Have you tried it yet?

Belltown on Dwellable

Magic Mike

I have not felt this giddy about a male superstar since Justin Timberlake was in N'Sync.  Oh boy... am I excited to watch "Magic Mike" starring the one and only Channing Tatum...as a stripper. I think I am blushing and all I did was type his name.  So the movie is scheduled to open nationwide in theaters starting this Friday.

No, it does not matter what it's about.

But - here is where fate comes in, I scored two tickets to the pre-screening of the movie in Seattle tonight {as long as we get in, its first come, first served, so we need to get our butts there early, like "leave-work-kinda-early"}.  Does this count as an emergency? I think so!

Let me back up and tell you the full story.  I am kind of behind on updating our nextflix queue and "As Good As It Gets" staring Jack Nicholson came in the mail on Friday night. No, I have never seen it and thought I should watch it given how popular it was. We popped the BLU-RAY in on Saturday night and it was kind of entertaining, until Jack Nicholson started falling in love with Helen Hunt. YUCK! I was not impressed. So, I decided that I would look for Channing Tatum on Facebook. I came along a page called 'Channing Tatum Unwrapped' and "liked it" on Facebook. Then I proceed to find stalk him on twitter, look for his personal Facebook page, etc... you get the idea. Well, we finished the movie and went to bed.  The next morning, the second I open my eyes, I grab my phone and go on Facebook.  That is where the announcement was --- there was a post from the 'Channing Tatum Unwrapped' page that said "Free tickets to select pre-screenings of Magic Mike" in 17 cities nationwide. Click here." I was like well, Seattle is kind of a big city, but not that big. So, I clicked on the list.. and before I could even zoom in, I saw "WA" and I knew! I zoomed in and confirmed my suspicions - Yes, Seattle was on the list! Now, I love my phone but its tough to do a whole lot of anything on it, so I ran into the living room and grabbed the computer. At this point, Jake has spent quite a bit of time teasing me about CT and he was just laughing hysterically when I told him what I was up to.  I logged into the site after getting a few errors and reserved my {and my friend's} spots.  

Jake was like, "what would you do if he {CT} was at the pre-screening in Seattle?" I looked at him and said "I can't even think about that -- I would be WAY too excited to meet him in person. Let's just say I might not come home that night" *wink wink* Haha.... We have a lot of inside jokes about CT. The only bad part is that our spots are not guaranteed and I'm pretty sure I would be heartbroken if we didn't get in. So, the showing is scheduled for 7:00 and I am leaving work at 4:00 and heading straight there. Pray that I make it in time!  

{ CT } <3

Wowzers. Just wowzers.

Rusty, the Puppy

While trying to get my new social media icons uploaded to my blog, I had to find a place to "host" the images online.  The tutorial gave Photobucket as an example of where you could go to upload the images.  I tried to use my old login "kim369" along with the password I use for everything -- and it worked! I uncovered these old images of my parent's dog, Rusty, from when he was a puppy! Isn't he just the cutest? 

The summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years of college {2004}, I was on Summer break in Hilo, Hawaii at my Uncle's house {where my parent's lived at the time}. One day, my mom and dad were coming home from the gas station, they mentioned that they had a surprise for me. I thought, maybe they are bringing home some ice cream drumsticks or strawberry shortcake ice cream bars. Nope - their surprise for me was a puppy! They said there was a man who was giving out puppies from the back of his truck because he didn't have the money to get all their shots and take care of all the puppies! My parents picked out the tan colored one {hence the name Rusty} and the rest is history! We think he is part dachshund, chihuahua and maybe some kind of terrier.

 

Every time I visit my parents, Rusty always remembers me. Sometimes I "talk" to him on the phone when I talk to my parents.  He always gets really excited when they mention my name! He knows how much I love him. He is such a smart and special dog. Whenever I am about to leave and head to the airport {he sees me packing my suitcase}, he knows and he goes through his own little mourning time. Even though I haven't seen him since Oct 2010 -- he always will hold a special place in my heart. I love you, Rusty! 

Here are some more current pictures:

circa 2007

circa 2009

Cartoon of me and Rusty made by Jeneal

Do any dogs hold a special place in your heart?

Thursday Questionnaire

I got these questions from here.

1. Mood:
Tired {is tired a mood?} and looking forward to our trip to Montana for my friend's wedding and ...Italy!

2. Who makes your favorite hand cream?
Ok, I totally read that as "ice cream" the first time and then I read question 7 and was like... why are there two questions about ice cream? Refer to #1. But, I do like this hand cream from Anthropologie. It's called Lollia.

3. What are your favorite slang words/phrases?Haha, I like to say "bones" instead of money (i.e. this shirt costs 28 bones). I like to abbreviate everything to the shortest amount of syllables possible. For example, I sometimes say "def" instead of definitely and "peeps" instead of friends. I guess "peep"s is short for peoples? I also like the new craze of saying "cray" instead of crazy a la Jay-Z. That guy is a genius. Is there anything he can't do? I also love the guy on SNL who parodies him. Remember... I'm kind of a gangsta.

4. Are you able to do detailed desk work while listening to music?
Sometimes. I will usually listen to music during the day at work - not all day, but when I have to do certain data entry type stuff, I will put on my tunes. And I am currently listening to the top 100 on Spotify.

5. What’s guaranteed to make you roll your eyes?
I actually don't roll my eyes that often. At least I think I don't. But probably watching Kris Jenner on The Kardashians. That woman is nuts!

6. What’s a makeup or beauty product that reminds you of someone?
Ugh, stupid men's cologne reminds me of ex-boyfriends. Whenever I get a wiff of it while I am out or something I always have a quick flashback.

7. Where do you go for good ice cream?
I'm sure this will change after Italy, but in Seattle it's gelatimo in Ballard. Have you tried their pistachio? Amazing!

8. Would you rather see or be seen?
Be seen. I always pick out my outfit each day hoping that sometime will like it and tell me :)

9. Time to style your raggedy mop. Where do you go?
I have been wanting to try this braid bar {dang it - CLOSED} in Seattle, but the salon I go to for cuts and colors is The Loft.

Weekly goals: Exercise 3x this week {1 down, 2 to go}, try not to spend money {We need every dollar for Italy}, and try not to stress too much about packing and last minute stuff for our trips.

The Life of An Introvert

I found this little gem on pinterest the other day and just had to share. As many of you know, I am indeed an introvert -- which is part of the reason I love blogging.  It lets me express my innermost feelings without ever having to say anything out loud.  Sometimes it is tough to be an introvert in a world full of extroverts. I just added a book called Quiet by Susan Cain to my Kindle queue from the Seattle Public Library. I can't wait to read it {hurry up, 96 people on the waiting list}! 

Via eatupwhatsgoodforyou

From the book description on Amazon: "At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.

Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert."

This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves."

I remember during my freshman year of college, I was having a rough patch and started going to a counselor for a few visits.  As a result, I ended up taking the Myers Briggs personality test. I am not quite sure why they thought that would be the perfect solution to all my problems, but it did help me understand why I am the way I am {or why I was the way I was?}.  I don't remember where I came out in the other categories... so maybe I will take the test again. Couldn't hurt, right?

Notice Anything Different?

I imagine this is the question that a lot of husbands get from their wives after a trip to the hair salon.

Well - did you notice my new social media icons?????? I did them all by myself. Well, kinda. The actual buttons are from The Academy. I used the tutorial found here.

Social Media Icons | Via The Academy

I am just now learning about .png images for blogging instead of .gif,.jpg, etc. I remember back in the day (circa 1996ish), when I had geocities and angelfire accounts and I had several N'Sync and Justin Timberlake websites that I "created/updated/maintained". Yeah, I was kind of a big deal.  I think my geocities user id was "reesespieces84".

Wow. That's all I have to say for myself.

Makeup Must Haves

DISCLAIMER: brother/husband/male population in general: This is another one of those posts that you probably don't want to waste time reading. My brother told me yesterday that he has a hard time catching up on my blog for a few reasons:

1. I post too often (well.... GEEZ!) and
2. Sometimes my posts are about things that don't interest him such as {and I quote} "women's shoes"... Haha - I had to laugh! Well, in those cases, I will give my brother a "pass" and let him know that I'm OK with him skipping my entry for that day.

I have been wanting to do a post about a few of my favorite makeup products for a while now. I actually never wore makeup in high school {it was way too hot growing up in Hawaii, it would just melt off}. I only wore makeup for special occasions such as winterball and prom.

BUT - now, I can barely leave the house without makeup. There was one time during tax season that I went to work sans makeup but that was on a Sunday. Occasionally I will have no-makeup Sunday to give my skin a break from being covered in makeup every. single. day.

Here are just a few of my favorite things I can't live without:

1.  Li-Brow Serum - Sometime last summer, I became obsessed with my eyebrows.  I stumbled into the Benefit Brow Bar at Macy's and got my brows waxed for the first time. AMAZING! I may have gotten my brows waxed a tad too much so I am working on growing them out now a la Lauren Conrad. So, I started this treatment a few months ago and I can really see the results. I am loving it so far! I only apply it once a night before bed and my brows are growing in again in the areas that were too sparse. Hopefully my brows will be where I want them in just a few more months.

LiBrow

 2. Benefit Brow Zings - to help accentuate my brows:

Benefit brow zing | via Sephora

3. NARS The Multiple in "Orgasm" - I have been using this blush ever since college (5+ years ago) and I don't think I will ever use anything else. I always get compliments on it. It's called the multiple because you can use it on lips and eyes too, but I strictly use it for blush.

NARS The Multiple in "Orgasm" | Via Sephora

4. MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in "Graphblack" - This has been another staple in my day to day life for years now. It's waterproof and doesnt smudge. It lasts quite a long time too. I can usually go 3-6 months between purchases. Another thing I love about it is that you never have to sharpen it, it just twists up.

MAC Technakohl in "Graphblack" | Via MAC

I probably have 498,746 more products in my makeup bag, but I didn't want to overwhelm you today. Maybe I can do a weekly or monthly column on new makeup products or staples that I have been using for years.

For those of you on Pinterest {I know your on it - don't be ashamed}, here is a link to my "beauty board".

What To Pack: Italy Edition

Wow, today is not starting off on the right foot. My hands are splotchy from my uneven self tanner application last night and I have a line on my face from the way I slept on the sheets.  At least it's Friday!

This is the moment you have all been waiting for! Haha... not really, but without further ado, I present:

via Travelista

My Italy Packing list:

Documents
travel documents*/binder
passports*
credit cards*
medical insurance card
credit card contact info (if lost/stolen)
international drivers license  (Jake)+
money belt
journal+

Clothing
10-14 pairs underwear
3 bras
1-2 pairs tights
2-3 belts
3-4 lightweight scarves
2 cardigans
1 light jacket
2 swimsuits

(2) maxi dresses
(4) casual dresses
(2) skirts (striped, maxi)
(1) jcrew toothpick jeans in blue
(1) pair shorts
(2) yoga pants
(6-8) tanks, tees, tops
sleeping clothes

Shoes
socks
merrill barefoot wonder glove
nike free running shoes
black cole haan
black target sandals
slippers

Electronics
kindle
digi camera + extra batteries
memory card
laptop?
cell phone charger
converter/adapter

Personal care
toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
dramamine+
deodorant
brush/comb
makeup bag
meds/pills
ear plugs+
clarsonic and face wash
sunscreen
contact lenses (and solution), eyedrops
qtips
eye makeup remover
sunglasses, backup glasses
necklaces/bracelets/jewelry

Misc
small wine opener

*place copy of itinerary and contact info in checked baggage, place copy of other documents in carry-on luggage

+still need to purchase

Notes: Here is a blog that really helped me refine this list.

This is a work in progress and I expect it to change daily.  Did I forget anything? I would love to hear your suggestions!

Colored Denim

While shopping last weekend for a dress {for my friend's wedding}, I bought my very first pair of colored jeans from j crew! No, I did not find a dress in case you were wondering. The picture below isn't exactly the right color blue, but its close. I have been coveting colored jeans for a long time on pinterest and I finally got the courage to buy a pair. It did help that they were on sale.

Ankle Stretch Twill Toothpick Jeans via Jcrew

Have you purchased anything exciting lately that you are just dying to wear?

P.S. I started my "packing list" today! I am hoping to share it with you all soon!

3 Week Countdown

Hi Everyone! Happy hump day. I am getting really really really excited {is there a synonym for excited? If so, I haven't found it yet}! The trip is 3 weeks away exactly and it's really all I can think about. I went to Bartell's a few days ago to get supplies including, a skinny binder to hold all my travel documents. I showed my co-worker and she just laughed. I may be the most organized person in the world! This reminds me of something else that happened this weekend: Jake and I had to fill out a questionnaire about each other {I'm not going to tell you why - it will be a surprise}, but one of the questions was "What is something quirky about your husband/wife that you find endearing?" I, of course, wrote about Jake's consideration and how he always puts others in front of himself, etc, etc, etc. He is probably the most considerate person I have ever met and I truly mean that. I guess that's not that quirky, but it's what stood out the most to me.

He wrote about my "attention to detail" and how he thought it was "funny and cute sometimes". I actually thought it was funny that he thought it was funny {follow me?} because I have always been really proud of my attention to detail {its certainly praised at work} but I recognize that sometimes I can go a bit overboard. I mean - I do look for {and find} typo's in actual printed books. Is that a little quirky?

Cross Body Bag via Lo & Sons

On the recommendation of Katie, our lovely honeymoon trip planner, I purchased this cross body bag today {in coastal blue}! I got 25% off my order just for liking them on Facebook. That brought the total down to a whopping $36 {plus free shipping and no sales tax}. What a steal! It's definitely on the smaller side but I think it will work perfectly for Italy since I don't want something gigantic for day to day travel.  Let's hope so at least!

The Mott | via Lo & Sons

Hope your Tuesday is going better than mine :(  The bag purchase was probably the highlight of my day.

Weekend Recap

It is so nice to wake up to a sunny Monday! Even though its Monday {collective sigh}, I already feel like I am in a better mood because of the nice weather. Crazy how the weather can affect your mood.

This weekend, I went shopping and bought 2 maxi dresses for Italy {one striped, one solid}! I had to get one hemmed at Nordstrom so I will have to go pick that up later this week, but I am really excited! Free alterations if you buy something at full price! It's my first time doing that, so we will see if they do a good job. See how its a tad too long?

Other items of note: On Sunday, I downloaded all of the free Rick Steve's podcasts/audio guides on Italy. It's really cool - instead of having to pay for the museum podcast or try to read signs in another language, you just download the Rick Steve audio guides before you trip and voila: you have a free audio guide to "guide" you through whatever museum you are touring. I have also heard that a lot of the signage in the museums is in Italian {no surprise here, but I just never really thought it through}. So I am thankful for those!

I  also bought... a money belt {I'm cool like that}. I did some extensive reading on this and decided that we would buy one money belt for Jake to wear.  I will either get a cross body bag or maybe nothing. I guess we do need someplace to store the camera. We also were watching videos of people getting pick-pocketed on you-tube just so we could prepare ourselves to be on the lookout. They are so sneaky! I am trying not to get too panicky about it, but it is definitely a real threat. So, I will plan to be aware of my surroundings at all times, but, as Jake reminded me, we have to also enjoy our time and not be constantly worried about protecting our belongings. The moral of the story: Less is more. Travel light and only bring what you need each day.

Refining My Blog

You may notice that lately I have been changing my blog header a bit. I asked my friend Jenna, who is a Corporate Graphic Designer to help me design one since I have a lot of ideas, but have no clue how to execute them. 

Phase 1: Jenna's brainstorming ideas

She sent me 10 choices, people! Now, I am all fired up and excited about designing my blog! 

Phase 2: Rough drafts -- but they are all amazing!

Thank you Jenna for all your time and hard work! I will keep playing around until I find my favorite one.

More possible choices:

Who knew it would be so hard to pick?

It's Friday and Other Exciting News

Yippie - everyone is always so excited for Friday, me included! I have some exciting news and that is that the blog has hit 1,000 views in slightly under a month. I don't know what the standards are for judging if you have a good blog, but I have gotten a lot of positive reviews from friends and family, and that makes me happy. So, happy 1,000 views and may there be many more to come. I am actually really enjoying blogging... even though I have run out of things to write about on occasion. Practice makes perfect, right?

Paris | via pinterest: source unknown

I don't know about you but I feel like this week has flown by! Maybe it's because I have been so busy at work or that our vacation is coming up quickly... who really knows? All I know is that I am excited for this weekend to get errands done, start packing {Yes, I am starting to pack 3 weeks before d-day}. But, you already knew I was crazy.

Take Me Out to the...... Movies

Just a quick post today.  For some reason, one of my favorite things to do is to go out to the movies {at the movie theater}. It feels like such an adventure and it really takes me to another place. At the spur of the moment {working on my "being in the moment" that I posted about here}, Jake and I went to see Avengers in 3D and it was pretty fun! It was just such a long day and we didn't go home until after 9:30 pm which is way past our bedtime, but I definitely liked being spontaneous :) It was a fun adventure and I'm glad we did it! There are so many good movies out that I want to see: 5 year engagement, Magic Mike, {not out quite yet}, Snow White and the Huntsman, What to Expect When You're Expecting... etc. The list goes on and on.

From fandango

What is one of your favorite things to do during downtime?

50 Shades of Grey: Review

Since I last posted about some books I have been reading here, I finished 2 more books {50 Shades of Grey & The Art of Racing in the Rain}! I really really really loved Art of Racing in the Rain. If you haven't read it - DO IT NOW. I highly recommend. I really am an avid reader! I feel like when I was in college, I hardly ever read for fun just because of how busy I was with required reading and I felt the same way when studying for the CPA Exam. So, now I am free to read as much as I want! And I love my KINDLE! My summer goal is to read one book a week... we'll see. I am so lazy now though.  If I search for a book and it's not available in Kindle, I'm like... well, I guess I didn't really want to read it THAT bad.   Basically, I am too lazy to get in my car, pay for parking, go to the library and pick up my books. There you have it. Sometimes I am extremely lazy.

First up I read 50 Shades of Grey.  Despite this book's popularity, it really left me with a weird feeling. I will say that I enjoyed reading it and I'm glad that I did.  But, I don't feel like it was very realistic {but, Kim -- it's a fantasy book}... Yeah, I know but still. STILL. If you read it, you know what I'm taking about here. I thought that the author wasn't a very good writer. I know several of my friends will agree that she did odd things that writer's shouldn't do, like use the same adjective twice in the same sentence or in one sentence immediately following another sentence. Things like that just bugged me. I also thought it was kind of weird reading a book based in Seattle and then having weird references for things that don't exist {Has anyone ever heard of the Pike Market District}?

I mean, I guess this is the modern version of a romance novel? I only read book 1, so I still have to read the next 2 books. But - I am patron 176 out of 243 on the library waiting list for the next book, so it could be another month or so. And I'm actually OK with that.

Not that I'm Counting or Anything

Yesterday.. or today, depending on how you are counting marks 30 days til our trip! Are you freaking out like me? I was telling one of my friends that I am weirdly scared about the trip now. I was all excited about planning and figuring it all out, but now the reality is hitting me. We are going to be in a different country where people speak a different language. Signs will look weird. The money will be different... and I guess its natural to go through these phases. But, that's where I am now. I am sure everything will all work out great {and I will have some horror stories to tell}, but for now, I am trying to be calm, cool and collected. You can't plan everything, right? {Just say "you're right, Kim"} On the bright side, look at the pool we will be spending a weekend lounging at in Lake Como? I know, right. It's gonna be incredible.

The Pool at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo | our hotel for 2 glorious nights | Via flickr

If you click on the "flickr" link above, you can see many more pictures of the hotel if you are into that sort of thing like I am. I may or may not look through said album on a daily basis. *ahem*.

I am now focusing on my packing list. And I am kind of obsessive about this. I have printed out several articles and blog posts about what to pack and I am spending this week refining my packing list. I am planning on finalizing it this weekend and hopefully, I will start packing and picking up any last minute items next week (6/11-15). We are going to be out of town on the last two weekends in June, so really, this weekend and next weekend are our last weekends to get errands done and make sure we have everything we need. I will share my list {and blog resources} in the next few weeks, once its final. But, in case anyone wants to see someone that is more obsessive than I am about packing, have a look here. Crazy {in a good way}, right?

Are you getting excited about any upcoming vacations? Comment below!

Time for a Change

Happy Monday, everyone! As you may have read in my last post, I spent Saturday morning pampering myself at the Loft Salon & Gallery getting my hair cut and highlighted and my brows waxed. It was pretty fun.... and I am excited for a change. I haven't had highlights since 2007 {when I met Jake!} I think he likes the change. I know I do!

Here are the results:

BEFORE

 

 

AFTER

My skin is a little blotchy from my brow wax. Please ignore.

Isn't it funny how people are always not smiling in the 'before' picture and then they are so happy in the 'after' picture. I am proving that stereotype and it wasn't really on purpose. Oh well.

Bachelor Weekend

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Jake will be out of town for the weekend on his annual golf trip with friends to Eastern WA -- and of course I will miss him. But, sometimes it's really fun to have some time apart and do whatever you want whenever you want. In my post title above, I am referring to myself as the "bachelor", just so it's clear :)

Sometimes Jake goes out of town for work (about 2x/year) and I always joke around about what I am going to do while he is away. Actual things I have done: had cereal for dinner (I do this a lot when he is gone and I am too lazy to make anything), got an oreo mcflurry from the mcdonalds drive thru and then argued with myself about how many calories it has (it has less calories than a blizzard in case you were wondering.), stayed in my pajama's all day long and not left the house. Sounds pretty fun, right?!?

Even though its completely off topic, I had to share this picture I took in the grocery store parking lot yesterday. My 2005 Volvo s40 is on the left and on the right is an old vintage Volvo (with collector plates). I am not sure what year it is or if its even the same model, but I just thought it was kind of funny. I wonder if the driver even noticed when he parked his car right next to mine. Gotta love the evolution.

My Volvo s40 on the left | Collector's edition on the right

So far this weekend I have planned: SATURDAY: Spa day (brow wax, hair color, cut) at The Loft Salon, lounge time at home to catch up on my DVR shows, dinner with friends. SUNDAY: Completely open. Actually, I probably have to do a little grocery shopping. I should get some peonies too! Those always brighten up our apartment.

That's all folks! Have a great weekend!

XOXO,
Kim