Love & holidays

I'll admit, I've been behind on my blog for a while. Posting Ten on Tuesday is pretty much all I had time for, and by the time I've caught up with my Google Reader there's not a lot of time to actually post.  But I'd like to work on this a little, so let's start slowly with a little bit of a list.

+ Biggest & brightest reason I've been absent? I got engaged!  Back in October M & I headed out to Kansas for a KU football game (my first trip out there).  He wanted to show me the town where he spent his college years since in our home it's Jayhawks all the time.  Well, toward the end of the campus tour he started acting a little weird.  We made it to the campanile which overlooks the stadium and he pulled out the most beautiful ring.

We spent the rest of our trip celebrating it up and cheering on the football team even though they lost.

+ Because of the engagement it's been a bit of a whirlwind around here.  As per usual, everyone we come in contact with wants to know details.  Have you set a date? September-ish.  Where is it? Not sure yet. Etc. etc.  Add in the fact that almost every other friend I have is engaged or married right now that's all they want to talk about.  But we have appointments on Sunday to look at some venues...so stay tuned.

+ Thanksgiving came and went with a lot of drama.  My grandparents usually do dinner at their house, but my mom called me the Tuesday before saying my grandfather had a really bad cold.  Because of this my grandmother didn't want to get the rest of the family sick.  My mom offered to host the event, but I reminded her that her oven was out of commission and in turn Thanksgiving was at our place.  Almost 20 people over and a 25 lb turkey?  That would make most people's head spin...let alone two days before the event.  Add in I've never even roasted a chicken before, let's just say I was a little anxious.  But it went off w/o a hitch...no burnt turkey and everyone had a great time.

+ As for now?  I'm hopelessly trying to get my holiday shopping done in time.  I managed to get my cards out, but I have another 250 to do at work so I just keep remembering to breathe.  Anyone else running behind schedule???

Victoria's Secret, I'm sorry but my breasts are not that big.

To continue where we left off, last weekend I went shopping for dresses for tonight's wedding. As usual I felt a little like goldilocks, things either didn't fit right or in person they didn't have the same appeal. I found one dress that I put on hold, a little black sparkly number (and yet not one of the ones I showed previously) that definitely had the ability to be worn again. But there was something about it that didn't have me super excited like I should be.

So I headed downstairs to yet ANOTHER dress department in Nordstrom. Seriously, how many departments do they need? I always get turned around there. Anyway...this is where I found THE DRESS.

This is the one, but my dress is in navy. I put it on and at first it seemed a little bland to me, but M was convinced this was it. That's when I figured it out...it was too long. The designer (Mark & James by Badgley Mischka) thinks every woman is 6 feet tall so it was hitting my knees. A quick call to the alterations department had the hem ready to be shortened and a little tuck at the zipper and we were good to go. You know, until I saw the price tag. Cue eyes bulging and a slight amount of hyperventalating until I calmed myself down. I remembered I had a large gift card that would bring it down to reasonable levels. Thank goodness for that. Pair the dress with some strappy silver heels and some purply nail polish on my toes and I'm good to go.

It's actually darker purple than this.

I went to pick it back up on Wednesday when the alterations were done and at the same time needed to pick up a new strapless bra. This is where I decided the only thing worse than shopping for new jeans is a new bra. I know some people say bathing suits, but this was just lame.

Confidential: my breasts are not any kind of crazy size. I've had small ones for most of my life and can go braless no problem. Last year or so I gained a little bit of weight and I went up to a 34B and I was happy. Normal sized boobs.

Logically when I started shopping and a sales girl came over I told her 34B, right? I grab a couple different ones, heading into the dressing room and surprise! None of them fit right. Some the band was too small (hello weight), some the cups were overflowing. The poor sales girl comes to check on me and I'm babbling like an idiot stating "either my boobs grew or these sizes are crazy!" She wants to measure me just to make sure. Cue sighs on my end.

"Your band size is right, but I think you need a bigger cup size. Let me get you a C"

*blinks*

Umm...ok.

Surprisingly these fit like a glove. Maybe my boobs grew?

I pick a bra and head to pay and thankfully it's less than the dress. But no, I'm not done feeling crappy. I head over to Victoria's Secret.

Victoria's Secret normally isn't so bad. Most the bras I buy are from there and they're comfy plus kind of cute/sexy depending on what I'm wearing that day. So I thought, "hey, I saw a pink cheetah strapless online, let's try that on".

I start the process again. Talk to the sales girl, she wants to size me and says I'm a 34B. Let's go to the dressing room.

Surprise! This one doesn't fit. Salesgirl gives me the next cup size up.

Double surprise! This one doesn't really fit either. Band size is fine, but that little bit between your breasts is far enough out that I can put a few pencils in there.

Me: "Umm...I don't think this fits either".

Salesgirl: "No way, it fits perfectly."

Me: "Do you see this" *points*

Salesgirl: "Oh, it's supposed to be like that."

NO IT IS NOT!

Me: "Hmm, I think I need to think about this a little more."

*walks out*

*end scene*

There was no way I was going to buy a 34D - and if you've seen me you'd know there's no way in hell my boobs are that big. Thanks Victoria's Secret for making me feel fat.

But on another note...I hope to have wedding pics soon enough. We head up tonight, should be fun!

Valentine's Day, lingerie & what makes you feel sexy

I love what Valentine's Day is supposed to be. You know, the spending time with your significant other or alternatively w/people you love if you're not coupled up. I love the little presents involved and the ooey, gooey nature of it all. Yes, I'm that person who likes Valentine's Day even if I'm single.

But this is a year of being coupled up. It is also the start of the gift giving season because there's 2/14, then 3/19 (our anniversary) and 3/22 (his birthday). This is the time of year I go crazy trying to figure out what on Earth to buy the guy. What do you get a 27 year old man, a label loving, engineer type who travels, rocks out to Guitar Hero on the Wii and is technology challenged?

//

At the very least I bought some new lingerie for the evening. I had been looking at the Victoria's Secret site for a while trying to decide on one thing and I picked out a little pink number. Think of this in bright pink w/lime green & purple accents. It was gorgeous, you know until I got the thing in the mail. That Bombshell bra? It's like a B cup in the bra, let's just say that when I put it on I felt like I got a very severe boob job. Yeah, not really my thing...I had to return the thing. But I ended up finding a bra that was the same color and a lot less help in that department. On top of that, I found a cute little cherry number that is great for a fun everyday wear.

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Remember that post on New Year's Eve? We went to this restaurant that was pretty much food porn and had an amazing time. Our plan this year for Valentine's Day was super simple, all I wanted was to go to Chipolte and maybe have a little picnic in front of the fireplace. Well, that was until I got an email from that restaurant telling me they had a Valentine's Day special. Pair in the 3 day weekend and it was too great to pass up. We're now heading down there on Saturday morning to have a few food orgasms.

//

And back to the lingerie thing...what makes *you* feel sexy? For me sometimes it is lingerie that fits just right and gives me a bit of confidence. Sometimes though it's being in my favorite pajamas (pants & a tee) that makes me feel sexier than no other. And of course having the right bra & panties under an outfit (work, play, whatever) that gives me the confidence to take on the day. Hell, sometimes it could even be a glass or two of wine to do the trick, but we all know that one.

//

Finally, thanks to everyone who commented on the last post. Those girls are stll "super slutty" but I've also found out the boys that live above the BF are just as slutty too. When I look out the peephole and see the guys walking up the stairs there is always a different girl w/them. I don't know what kind of place he lives in but I'm just happy that he's not one of them. I kind of miss living around old people.

Last night I had the wonderful idea of heading to the mall since it was payday. I haven't been for a while, especially since I have a serious shoe addiction and the best course of action is to stay far far away. But there were some things I desperately needed and it was the only place to go. I needed new work pants which btw is the most annoying thing to shop for. Do designers think we're all over six feet tall now? Over at Express the pants that used to fit me perfectly (short for flats, regular for heels) are a joke. Even the short length I was swimming in...and I'm 5'5".

Aaaaaanyway...let's stop that tangent right there. I also picked up Bare Escentuals Warmth, because it's the only bronzer that works for me (I'm super pale) and isn't shimmery (and I'm all out) along with Philosophy's Hope in a Jar in the tiny size because I needed moisturizer and I don't know if this will work better than their sensitive skin variety. But the point of all this is I went in search of a new fragrance. I've been using Estee Lauder's Pleasures Exotic for quite a while and I love it. This scent has the right amount of grapefruit in it and has been my staple for quite a while.

Umm...I wanted a change.

Nothing crazy, I didn't want to smell like a baby prostitute. *cough*JuicyCouture*cough* But I figured Nordstrom would be all kinds of helpful in finding me something great. And great they did, something a little similar to what I had before but a little different.

Meet Versace's Bright Crystal

Inspired by a mixture of Donatella Versace's favorite floral fragrances, Bright Crystal is a fresh, sensual blend of refreshing chilled yuzu and pomegranate mingled with soothing blossoms of peony, magnolia, and lotus flower, warmed with notes of musk and amber.

Notes: Iced Accord, Yuzu, Pomegranate, Peony, Magnolia, Lotus Flower, Acajou, Vegetal Amber, Musk.

Style: Sheer. Sensual. Luminous.




I am in love with this perfume. It smells a little different on everyone so you're not going to smell like absolutely everyone else in the room. The mix of the floral notes and fruity kind of give it a grapefruit-like smell and best of all it came with a free gift! Mini sizes of the body wash, lotion and a purse sized fragrance were an absolute bonus. Plus, the bottle design is oh so pretty.

In other news, the dear Wendy at Fashionable Heart gave me my first award!


The guidelines are:
1. Say Thank You and give a link to the presenter of the award
2. Share "10 Honest Things" about myself
3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4. Tell those 7 people that they have been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines.

So thank you Wendy for bestowing me with such an honor and here are 10 honest things about me.

1. I cannot stand rain in any form. I know it doesn't make sense being from Seattle but I associate it with cold and I feel like I'm melting & in the Wizard of Oz.

2. I sometimes will go a week wearing the same jeans w/o washing them. Sorry, they are more comfy that way and they're not dirty.

3. I remember the most random pieces of information. I can still tell you my high school boyfriend's birthday, all my friends from 8th grade's birthdays and who was my favorite band that performed in The Bronze on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just don't ask me what the chemistry code is for salt. Or what I had for dinner last night.

4. I have a car alarm remote that most people confuse for the smallest cell phone EVER. Think Zoolander small.

5. Despite the risk of alienating everyone I know online I have a serious soft spot for Nicholas Cage. One of my favorite movies is The Rock and I find him sexy. I will admit though that a lot "" of his movies suck.

6. I am on Twitter way more than I care to admit. I don't always update but since I can check it from my BB I'm hooked. My boyfriend has more than once accused me of loving Twitter more than him.

7. I secretly now want oodles of babies. I think this is the boyfriend's fault because growing up I did NOT WANT children AT ALL. Up until about 3 years ago I disliked most everything about children but now all I want to do is cuddle little babies. I thought that internal clock was all a myth.

8. I'm a pretty awesome knitter & crocheter - when I actually do it. I go through phases where I'll do it all the time and then never again for around 6 months. I better start soon though because my entire extended family is expecting dish cloths come Christmas.

9. I have an unhealthy love & hate of Costco. Love going into the stores and getting killer deals for myself but hate them when I use them at work. I can't count the amount of times I've not received parts of my order because they're out of stock. They don't backorder - bastards.

10. I have a potty mouth that gets me in trouble at my family's house on a regular basis. Mostly it's because I get in trouble for words I don't consider bad. Sucks, pissed off, crap & shut up are the big killers. Supposedly I'm here to set a good example for my little brother (who's 9).

And now the killer people who deserve this award are...

1. LiLu of Live It, Luv It - because it's her birthday and she's kick ass.
2. Melly of Drawing on Dandelions - because I love her and her blog.
3. Catherinette of The Catherinette Chronicles - because she makes me laugh.
4. Cjengo of Jude, the Diary of a Baby & a Stroke - because she's unbelievably strong.
5. New Black of The New Black - because she's a Seattlite like me.
6. Jay at Genius Pending - because his cartoons crack me up.
7. Chelsea at Chelsea Talks Smack - because I love her writing and I'm still sad I missed her shows here.

Friendship Styles

First off, thanks to all of you who commented on my previous post, I went shopping and got the following dresses:

Both of them fit like a glove and actually are pretty similar in color. But at least they work for the weddings to be attended.

*****

For many years I have been known as a social butterfly. It's funny to me because I consider myself pretty shy in the first meeting of people but I hide it well, many years of training myself I guess. I will be the person who at a party will search out someone who is quiet or feeling out of their element to chat. This is in part that I've been in that position before, or in hopes to make a new friend. And it usually works. I've made great friends this way and I've seen the relief that's come over their faces when someone comes to talk to them.

But it doesn't always go so well. Sometimes I chat with them and realizes we're not meant to be friends. I'm ok with that, but it makes me think of my own "friend style". Do you know what I mean? Some of us are reluctant to invite others into our social circle right away. Some of us assume you suck until you prove yourself otherwise. Me? I have a tendency to think all people are great until they prove otherwise.

Case in point - about a month or two ago some friends of mine got new roommates. My friends own a house (married couple) but rent a room out upstairs. Another couple (early twenties) moved in and they got along great. So a bunch of us were invited over for BBQ night and to meet the new roommates. I thought they were nice, had good conversation. That is until the girl asked me if I was pregnant.

...

...

Yeah, you read that right. This girl committed a big time faux pas. You never ask anyone that unless you know for sure, especially someone you just met. I could tell she was embarrassed and a little naive, but to this day I've been "done" with her.

The problem is now that I run into her sometimes. Obviously she lives in the same house as my friends, but now whenever she sees me she shrinks to as small as she can. I shouldn't care so much but I would think she would try to remedy the situation or overcome that obstacle. But that's just me. I'd move past the comment (yes, I actually have) and now I'm more concerned that she won't talk to me at all.

*shrug* I guess sometimes you're just not meant to be friends.

What kind of friendship style do you have?

Please, help me shop!!

August is known for one, no two big things. This is the month where people get married and hold reunions, at least in the state of Washington. It's probably the best month weather-wise and in turn your schedule gets PACKED. I have a bachelorette party and reunion on the same weekend and the following weekend is the wedding so I need to be lookin' sharp. I'm going shopping this weekend but I was hoping you guys might have some ideas as well.

Bachelorette party consists of dinner, comedy club and clubbing/dancing. Maybe not something super pricey (more H&M style) for this, but then on Sunday there is the reunion picnic. Think oodles of families all at a park. The wedding weekend is pretty fancy (no casual thing going on here) so I only have so many options before I have to buy new things, you see?

Here's the ideas I have so far...

Slice of Lime dress from Anthropologie. I love the little sash accenting the waist and it seems fun.

Cranesbill dress from Anthropologie. Same thing with the sash here, bonus: my boyfriend's already seen it in the store and likes it.

Storm of Shapes dress from Anthropologie. I love the colors in this, for once I could do yellow since the brown is upstairs.
Caranday dress from Anthropologie. Another I've seen in the store, also comes in a pinkish color.

Framboise Souffle dress from Anthropologie. Completely feminine and I love the color. The neckline's pretty sweet too.

Calendar Pages dress from Anthropologie. First seen over at the Advice Smackdown it comes in black, this blue and dark purple. And it's on sale, that's nice too.

I can definitely be persuaded to do more than one of these dresses since there's multiple occasions to go to but I'd love to go into shopping with some sort of idea.

HELP guys & gals! I need a personal shopper! And I haven't even started in on shoes!