My Must-Have for Washington State

It is completely ironic to post about my North Face rain jacket today because there isn't a single cloud in the sky.  However, it has rained at some point during 11 out of the past 14 days here in the Pacific Northwest, so I feel this post is deserved, nonetheless.

This jacket is really perfection as far as rain jackets/wind breakers go. It is super lightweight (which makes it wearable during the drizzly days) and fits well, and most importantly, it is very waterproof.  The hood is adjustable so that it won't blow off during squalls (we've had some of those, too), and the color selection is fabulous.  

Mine is a really dark teal/forest green with mint green lining, but this jacket comes in a million colors. 

Side note: I did not pay retail for this jacket thanks to Navy Exchange, but I think its probably worth the $90 price tag if you get as much use out of it as I have!

Enjoy!

Ok y'all, I'm going to keep this post short and sweet... I think!  I just took a shower, and now I feel this burning desire to tell you all about the shampoo I use.  Strange? Probably, yes.

Oh well... I'm still going to tell you all about it. Lucky you!

About a year ago my MIL gifted me with a little kit of 5 different travel size Enjoy products: the hydrating shampoo and conditioner, the luxury shampoo and conditioner, and some kind of spray that I used as a de-tangler (idk what I was supposed to do with it, but it worked well for that!).  My MIL had built-up Enjoy products to be hair care superpowers, so when I tried the shampoo and conditioners, they had a lot to live up to.  They were even BETTER than I expected! I love it when that happens...

For me, the biggest merits of these products are as follows:

1) You can use less product for better results.  A little goes a long way (even with my long, dried out hair).  I used to buy the JUMBO sized bottles of other shampoos and conditioners because I went through them so quickly... definitely not the case here. I've been working on these bottles for over two months, and there is plenty of product left for another month or so.  Note: it took me awhile to get the hang of how little product I needed to get the job done... practice makes perfect!

2) My soft, smooth, healthy hair. Enough said.

3) The scents. I don't like an overpowering fragrance to my shampoo or conditioner.  All of the scents are nice and mild, but I am nuts over the Hydrating scent. So relaxing and lovely... not too floral or fruity. Perfection.

The price is slightly discouraging (around $25 a bottle, I think), but well worth the money. 

*Warning: It is pretty typical that as soon as I declare my loyalty to a product, it becomes impossible to find or completely discontinued.  I sincerely hope that won't be the case for Enjoy.  It's a tough life being a product junkie ;) 

Weddings

We went down to Jacksonville, Florida on Memorial Day weekend to attend the wedding of my husband's high school friend, Ken. This is the only picture we took of the beautiful couple, and unfortunately the bride, Casey, is slightly blurry.  Y'all wouldn't believe how stunning she looked in person!

Speaking of which, I must share a little anecdote that I find particularly hilarious. Leading up to our big wedding (which was only about 85 people, but big in comparison to our little wedding at the courthouse that was just  the two of us), I would ask Michael what he thought my dress would look like/what he wanted my dress to look like. I know that I was playing with fire, but he had watched enough "Say Yes to the Dress" with me to know what I liked. The only thing he described that was contrary to my Claire by Priscilla of Boston dress was the fabric.  He said, "You know, like that kinda shiny, soft, smooth fabric?". I said, "Uh huh, mine isn't like that." Game ruined.

On our big day, he loved my dress, of course, and I completely forgot about our conversation on gown fabrics until we were at Ken and Casey's wedding reception this past weekend. After chatting with the blissfully happy bride, Michael turns to me and says, "I really like her dress... it's that shiny soft looking fabric."  I immediately knew that he was clarifying his preference stated a year ago... he finally had a sample in front of him to show me what he thought my wedding dress should look like! I burst out laughing, saying,"Can't change it now!" and "Do you want a re-do?", and giggled about this for the rest of the night. He felt bad and backtracked and apologized, but I wasn't mad anyhow.  It was a really pretty dress! So Casey, if you ever had doubts about that dress, Mike (and me too!) gives it a big vote of approval :)

Many women might be upset or offended if this were a comment from their husband, but I just thought it was adorable.  Like for some speck in time, he forgot that we were already married, and I had already walked down the aisle wearing silk organza, not satin. I figure, he can prefer another dress all he wants, as long as he still prefers me to be the girl in it :)

My dress... oh the amount of Special K I ate to fit into that 00! 

At least I have the results documented in thousands of photos thanks to LHM Photography!

We had so much fun at Ken and Casey's wedding, and it made us sentimental for our big day almost a year ago. I'll post some throw back stories as we get closer to our first anniversary on June 30th!

Blonde Salon

I've needed a haircut/color refresher for quite some time. On Friday, I finally set aside two hours of my day to go get it take care of.

At the recommendation of Michael's attending physician, I made my way to Blonde Salon in Killeen, Texas. I was 10 minutes early, per my personality and another good habit which my mother bestowed upon me (thanks again, mom!), but the stylist, Stacy, was ready for me. She understood what I wanted to do (shorten it up and warm up the color with lowlights), but maybe didn't quite get the gravity of the situation.

The last time I cut off a significant amount of hair, I was seventeen and my friend Amanda chopped it off with a pair of dull scissors in my boarding school dorm room. Perhaps I was having flashbacks to that traumatic moment when Stacey unceremoniously (and without warning!) lopped off five inches before starting my foils. I think I disguised my hyperventilation well as she quickly put in 25-30 foils of a coppery brown shade throughout my hair. When I say quickly, I'm not kidding... I've never seen a stylist do this as fast as Stacey did. I was sitting in the little lounge processing after about 20 minutes (whoa there speedy gonzales!). It was a little nerve wracking, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

The haircut is still growing on me (and literally growing, thank goodness), because I haven't had hair this short in over 7 years. However, I think the color is divine. I had Stacey write down the exact colors she used so that the next stylist I use can replicate it. Where that will be, nobody knows :)

Yikes!!

Underwood Jewelers

If I were Holly Golightly, Underwood's would be my Tiffany's. (For those confused, see Breakfast at Tiffany's, or better yet, read Breakfast at Tiffany's).  Nothing bad could ever happen at Underwood's.

Underwood's is a jewelry store in Jacksonville, Florida.  It is the old fashioned kind of jewelry store... the kind that also sells china and crystal and silver.  Just another reason that I linger in the store every time I visit! There are four locations, but my husband and I always go to the one in the Avondale neighborhood.  Partially because of its convenience, and mostly because of Cindi Rivera, the most genuinely helpful jeweler I have ever come across.  From Christmas presents to my engagement ring, Cindi has been a part of our relationship in such a fun, sweet way. Even now that Michael and I are rarely in the Jacksonville area, we always call or email Cindi to get help with gifts for each other.  I really can't speak highly enough of our experiences with Cindi or Underwood's.

Cindi's wedding gift to us- a small silver folding frame, so that we could take it with us on our travels this year!

These are Underwoods' boxes, and in my opinion, they are superior to the robin's egg blue kind :)

My reaction to seeing an Underwood's box is probably comparable to actually opening it up and seeing the contents:

 Our anniversary gift to each other... four years ago we were walking around the campus in Gainesville and Michael made sure to stop by the trophy case to show me the real version :) 2008 was also the year we met, again.

Inside this little pouch was a chain for Michael to wear at the hospital so that he has a place to put his wedding band when he has to scrub in for procedures or surgery.

Anyways, Underwood's will definitely be a place that we revisit for many, many years to come!

Must Love Mail

Mail is an important part of my life. I like sending mail and receiving mail, of course, but for me, it's more than that. Mail and I, we go way back.

Probably the most important thing mail and I have gone through together was my long distance relationship with my now-husband. For three years, Michael and I were never together for more than a week, and even two consecutive days was rare at times. Therefore, I wrote lots of letters, sent many cards, and pieced together quite a few packages. If I had to ballpark it, we're probably talking 600 pieces of mail. Minimum.

So, where has all that love and devotion to the post office gone? All over the place! I've always been a thank-you note sender (thanks for that habit, mom!), but now I send notes and cards to loved ones whenever the occasion arises or there is a spare moment in my day.

I just think that getting something pretty in a non-electronic version is so special now-a-days. I'm not sure that everyone understands that, though.  During one of the last card purchases I made, the cashier commented on my purchase: "Geez! $10 for just four cards... isn't that awful!!"... My response: "Maybe, but they will brighten the days of those I send them to!"... her response: "Yea, and then they are in the garbage."  I am a little too tirelessly optimistic to think of anything besides the smile on someone's face when they open a nice note or a card (not to mention the fact that I have a system for keeping meaningful cards), so I just told the cashier to have a great day.

My favorite cards and stationery come from Papyrus, Curly Girl Design, and Paper Source.  It's a little bit of an addiction for me, but I think that's ok, right?

Here are two of the cards I sent out for Valentine's Day.

They are both made by Papyrus, and I thought they were perfect.

Chances are, if you're in my family or are one of my close friends, you've been the beneficiary of a piece of mail from me.  However, if you have somehow missed out on some paper-love, just message me your address, and I will remedy the situation very quickly :)

Improvising

Over the course of the move and this first week of travel, I have done a pretty good job of a lot of things: packing, organizing, planning, etc.  However, my biggest accomplishment has to be how thoroughly I beat myself up.  From broken nails, to scratches and scrapes, to track-mark bruises up and down my legs, I am definitely not in tip-top shape right now.

Therefore, I decided I deserved a little pampering.  This turns out to be quite a tall order on MLK day in Killeen, TX. So I decided to give myself a pedicure in our little motel room.

I am sparing y'all photos of the process.  Lets just say it was a project, and probably needed the expertise of the ladies at Natural Nail Care in Fleming Island, FL.

I am a total product junkie, and Philosophy happens to be one of my favorite brands.  This foot scrub, Footnotes, (really awesome exfoliant, with eucalyptus and lavender) was ironically appropriate for my needs today. 

The front of the tube reads: "On the road of life, everybody has their own path and pace. Some people are high mileage, easy highway.  Others are low mileage, rough terrain.  Either way, everybody deserves a break from whatever road they are traveling."

Amen!