I Have A Confession...

I am a Halloween Scrooge. 

I have never liked Halloween. Not ever.  That's not to say I haven't had some good Halloweens. There have certainly been years that turned out not to be the worst thing ever, but I really just hate Halloween.

In Utah it's always really cold by the end of October. Trick-or-treating was miserable. I don't even like candy. It hurts my teeth. The only thing I ever looked forward to was eating chili with saltine crackers at my grandpa's house each year. 

And I'd watch Hocus Pocus too. That's alright with me.

It looks like I'm not the only one that doesn't like Halloween. Erin from Living In Yellow has created a link up for today dedicated to all of the things that we would rather be doing than celebrating Halloween.

I would so much rather be...

1. Working out!  The gym is going to be deserted today.  The gym on campus is very crowded with people who do not know how to work out that do more socializing that actual working out. They take up space and make my work out more difficult...They won't be there tonight!

2.  Painting my nails. I'm a compulsive nail-painter. My nails are a different color each week. When I got to paint my nails for the first time after basic training it was like I had just had my first sip of regular coke after drinking diet for half of my life...

3.  Playing Candy Crush. I would far rather play this game where I crush candies and not eat them. But unfortunately I need someone to send me some tickets before I can do anymore candy crushing...

4. Making bitstips comics. Yep. That's real life. I downloaded bitstrips. It's totally a thing and it's actually  quite fun to create overly-dramatic comics of myself.

5. Pinning.  I have been doing an outrageous amount of pinning lately. I'm looking forward to my hair growing out, having a kitchen to cook in, and my new blog at the start of the new year!

Speaking of pinning...have you pinned it to win it?

Maybe I'm Crazy. Maybe I'm Not.

We meet again, hump day. 

via

I wish it had been mashed potato day in the dining commons...but alas, it was not. But I did get to eat a lemon cheese cake bar. I don't know if I have ever expressed my love for cheese cake here on the blog, but I seriously love it. So I guess that makes for a successful hump day.

I also figured out how I'm going to pay for the rest of this semester and I've made a to-do list about 4 miles long for next several months of my life...I may ever have to add in things like "sit back and relax for a few minutes" to my to-do list to make sure that I get to it. 

I have decided that I need to get myself one of those high speed planners and I need to work on my time management.

PlumPaper

 With my new blog launching in January, I really do not want to miss a beat.  I'm actually doing a lot of planning for that new venture. It's sort of giving me a head ache, but I think it's going to be worth it. I think that it's time to turn over a new leaf.  I am a completely different person from the time that I started this blog and I believe that a new year will be the start of something great. 

I can't believe how much I have changed over the course of two years. I feel like my entire world has been shaken. I am constantly changing my mind about things I have known for my entire life. I just thought yesterday that I might get a quarter sleeve tattoo. I have always been one to hate sleeves, but the more I look at them, the more I like them. it's just...art and I love it. 

It's getting to where I look in the mirror and I barely recognize the person staring back at me. Honestly, I think that's a good thing.  Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe not. I don't really care :)

I'm Regretting Getting Out of Bed

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason or another, every morning that I have to work, I wake up at 6:35 and have a heart attack. I'm wearing my bright pink running shoes with my straightleg blue jeans today...I used to be so cute...and now, I'm wearing tennis shoes so that I can literally run to my car on work mornings. 

By the way, did you know that the Toyota Corolla is very popular? Especially the white one. I may or may not have tried to get into the wrong car. Twice.

On the bright side, I made it to work on time, but barely. It was like all of the oversized and overweight vehicles were on the road this morning and they all felt like parking their big ol' butts right in front of me.  When I'm late, although I do not make up time on the road, it really give me anxiety to not be able to dictate my own speed.

Now, I'm finally at work.

It's only 7:35 and I've already heard the word "Alrighty" about 6 times...I hate that word. Why? No idea, just do.  Have I mentioned how bad I want to quit my dang job?
 Apparently today isn't a good day to be alive.

I'm just going to tell you that I think you should enter this giveaway and check out my friend Katie from Metal Marvels.

You won't regret it like I'm regretting getting out of bed this morning!

Pin It To Win It

Hello lovelies! Let me introduce you to my lovely friend who has the most awesome name in the whole world. She even spells it correctly!  Her name is Katie.  She owns an awesome business where she sells some all kinds of freaking adorable hand-made jewelry.  In fact, I am going to order a little something for myself.

I am excited for her to be here today because she is doing a giveaway that is not just for bloggers! If you have a Pinterest account, you can enter to win, and trust me, you want to win!
I am so excited to have her here today to tell you all about her business and all the great stuff she has going on!

Don't have a Pinterest account? That is an easy fix. Start here so you can pin it to win it!
-----
Helllooo CCC readers!!!

I hope you are all having a fabulous day
  I am super excited to be here today!

Let me introduce myself!

I am a recent college graduate with a BA in Business Management.

I have a love for business, all things fashion and beautiful.

I love that a simple piece of jewelry can make an outfit.

I also love that finding that one piece that can become your favorite can make your whole wardrobe.

I personally LOOOOOOVE jewelry, I also love jewelry that is affordable.

Let's be honest, NO ONE wants to pay a bunch of money for an accessory.
 I've worked in retail my entire life as well as managed a retail store

 Soooo I thought what better way to put ALL of this together then to come up with this...
  Metal Marvels

I know, I know. You're saying to yourself, "That means nothing to me."
 Well let me tell you all about it, It is an online jewelry store!
  My online jewelry store ♥
Shop // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Email // Marketplace Store
 I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE jewelry and I know what it feels like when you have that Ah Ha moment
when that piece you bought fits perfectly with that great outfit you're wearing.
 Here's just a sneak peek of my jewelry for sale!

So that is what I hope to bring to you:
 That perfect piece for the outfit you're planning, an everyday wear, that fun whimsical piece of jewelry, or something that makes a statement or helps a cause.
I want to bring you beautiful jewelry without breaking your bank!
 Some are handmade by others, some are handmade by me but all around GORGEOUS
I truly want to feel like you are shopping in the closet that has ALL the things you want.
I take suggestions on new items and what you want to see in the store.
I also appreciate emails, phone calls and texts!
I am CONSTANTLY available
[unless I am sleeping of course haha]
 I really hope you come visit me and maybe purchase some jewelry to add to your collection!
 Also, if you go to the Marketplace store you can "watch" my store so you know when I have new items! LOOK WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU!!!
 If you go to my site and use code:
  ThankYou15
 you get 15% off EVERYTHING!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a giveaway!!!
PIN IT TO WIN IT!!!
Read the rules and pin away in order to win one of our Love Bangles

Here are the rules:
1. Head to http://www.pinterest.com/katieseller/metal-marvels-store/ and follow the board

Now to get entries:
2. Repin the picture below and tell people about the giveaway & use #metalmarvelslove
 3. Repin ANY picture from our board and use #metalmarvelslove in the comment of the photo (do this as many times as you want for more entries.)

***Shipping to the US only!!  Must #HASHTAG in order for your entry to count!  Pin as many times as you would like!***

GET TO PINNING!!! PIN IT TO WIN IT!!!
(you have until Sunday November 3, 2013 to enter!)

 Thanks for listening to me and taking the time to read.
Good luck on the giveaway!!
  Love to you all!

That Time I Ate on Katie Ave. at a Terrifying McDonald's

Friday was...not a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

First of all, I had all these plans to go out and find a library and read all day, but then I realized that it was Nevada Day and the libraries were closed. Because of that, I changed my plans. I decided to go to the book store instead. After doing some mapping with Siri, I found where the Barnes & Nobel was and I set out for my car. 

When I got to it, this is what I discovered.

Flat.

I figured I'd just have to change the tire, but before I started jacking anything up, I did what any girl 400 miles away from home does. I called my daddy. By the end of the day, I had probably called my dad about five times...I'd never had to do anything dealing with my car all alone.

While I was on the phone with him, I sent him a picture of the tire and we deduced that I could drive it around the corner to put some air in it. I was scared out of my mind but I did what I had to do and put some air in the tire then I got to go take a little trip to Discount Tires. 

There I ended up having to wait for 45 minutes, so I went to the McDonalds down the street. Bad idea. 

The manager was yelling at all the employees and freaking out. Then these two guys started to fight.  Luckily it was just verbal, but it looked like it was going to break out into a fist fight any second...These are the little things that remind me that I no longer live in happy valley. 

On the bright side, the McDonald's is located at the corner of Maryland Parkway and...wait for it...Katie Avenue!  I have been meaning to take picture of my street forever but I didn't have an opportunity until Friday!

So anyway...finished up at Discount pretty quick after my terrifying trip to Mickey D's. I got away with only buying one tire...but I probably need to replace the other three ASAP. Yay for being an adult...But finally, I could head to Barnes & Noble. In case you're wondering, it is really far away from where I live...I took the scenic route through downtown Las Vegas and it took forever but it was actually pretty worth it. Driving around down there is not so bad. It's fun to see all the wedding chapels. Plus, the Pawn Stars place is on Las Vegas BLVD. I saw the main dude driving some old car out of the parking lot!

On the way to the book store I got lost took a little detour.  I decided to just stop at a Walmart that wasn't scary as shit and buy the random stuff I have been putting off buying. I walked out with toilet paper, air fresheners for my car, three pomegranates, and a key chain to prevent accidents.

Besides, it's really cute. 

But eventually, I made it to the book store...I was there forever...I wander the aisles for maybe two hours looking at all the random bargain books I didn't have any use for and the novels that I simply had to read...basically, if a place has got shelves filled with books and it smells like paper and coffee, I can be occupied for hours. 

I got myself to buy some books on that list from Pinterest even though I really don't have the money to do that...I wanted em and the day had been crappy.

But today hasn't been so bad. I went to work, did some reading, watched Grey's anatomy (again) and now, I'm heading out to have some dinner with my friend from AIT and I'm so excited! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. 

Oh, and don't forget about the giveaway on Monday! It's going to be awesome!

Pinterest Really Is Awesome

I have got a serious Pinterest problem. 

Well actually, I don't really think that it's a problem. It may actually be an asset to my life. 

People make fun of Pinterest users all the time. They wonder why everyone loves Pinterest so much or how you could possibly spend so much time on the site, but it really is awesome.

The other day I was scrolling through all of the things that I have pinned and I bumped into a few old pins that I'm really excited about.  I think Pinterest can kind of change your life. 

I'm going to start reading again. 

I used to be an avid reader. I read...everything that I could get my hands on. I read one book, cover to cover every single day, but now, I can't remember the last time I read a book for fun. So as I was scrolling through and I found this 

20 books that you should read in your twenties. 

There's a few on the list that I can do without and couple that I've already read, but overall, it looks to me like a pretty damn good list. And I'm gonna read em. And http://www.losethecushion.com/I hope that it will change my life for the better. 

Have you ever Pinned something that really had an influence on you? I have. :)

Have you ever moseyed over to Katie's blog?  Great name right? I love it when people have my name and they spell it correctly and everything!

Anyway...she blogs over at Girl On A Mission to Lose the Cushion, but she is more than just a blogger. Katie is a small business owner. She recently graduated from college with a degree in business and  is working her butt off to show everyone what her business is all about. 

On Monday, you will find a lovely giveaway from Katie's store Metal Marvels. She makes the most adorable jewelry and I want to share it with you! I am a firm believer of only having sponsors that I believe in, and I certainly believe in Katie. So be sure to stop by on Monday and see what she has to offer. 

I Want to Bang My Head Against the Keyboard

Real Talk. 

I wanna quit my job. So bad. 

I used to really like it, but now I am so bored! I just want to do something different. I've been doing this job since November of 2011, and it has seriously gotten to be the most tedious thing in the world. 

In Salt Lake, I was a mentor assistant, so I got to help people. I trained and corrected tests, I was busy doing things other than taking all.  It made it much easier to handle. Now, though, I just want to bang my head against the keyboard on a daily basis. 

Will someone please just...give me a job where I'm not so bored I feel like poking myself in the eye for enjoyment?

Guess What Day It Is?

Do yourself a favor and watch this.  

If you did not watch that video check yourself before you wreck yourself. It will change your life.   I have watched it no fewer that 8 times just today. I promise, there is nothing better. 

With that being said...

Today is hump day and I am so happy about that...Wednesday has always been my favorite day of the week.

In elementary school it was pizza day. Then in high school it was mashed potato day. That was by far, my favorite thing ever. I have a thing with mashed potatoes...I love them. 

But more than food in a cafeteria, it means that the work week is half over!

Yesterday I discovered that I destroyed my History midterm and I look an eleventy billion hour nap...Good way to end my Tuesday!


Happy Hump day!

-------

And now, to introduce you to my friend Paige!  She blogs over at A Dose of Paige

She eloped with her husband (who happens to be a soldier, I said hooah) in 2012.  Paige is a recent graduate from nursing school. She is the mother to the most adorable puppy in the world and she blogs about just about everything under the sun.  I always love to read blogs where I can find something a little bit different every time I stop by.

Go on over a stay a while. You may love her blog just like I do :)

To Live is an Awfully Big Adventure

Last night, I called my momma and had a little chat with her about coming home.  In case you weren't aware I'm not a native Nevadan. I moved here in August for college...but it's looking like I can't stay.

I know what you're thinking. But I really don't care. I'm going to do what I have to do to make things work. In all reality, it probably wasn't the smartest move to start school this fall. I should have stayed at home and worked for a while. I should have saved some money and planned on starting school in the fall of 2014. But I didn't want to. I wanted to start right away. I didn't want to sit around and twiddle my thumbs for an entire year doing nothing.

So I packed my bags and went on an adventure that I wasn't exactly prepared for. I'm not going to call it a mistake, becasue it isn't. Coming here has been such an amazing experience. Living away from home and being truly all on my own has been trying at times but worth every minute and every penny it has cost me so far.  

What now? Well, I'm going to finish this semester of school and head home over winter break. After winter break, I won't be coming back.  I say that with a heavy heart, because I truly love living here.  Unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees and I need to make a better plan for the future.  You're probably thinking, Oh Katie, don't you know that you can't plan for everything?!

Yes. I do. But if you don't have a plan at all, you won't have anyplace to start! For me, plans are more like...goals. I have a few checkpoints in my head, but if I go off course and find something different, that is okay too. But having a plan is important! At least it is to me.

For me this doesn't count as a failure or something like that. It just isn't working out like I wanted it to. So I'm going to just start a new adventure :)

In other news, I am starting a new blog. At the end of the year, this blog will lay dormant and I will be starting on a fresh blank page. With that being said, I am looking for a designer who would like to work with me! I'm trying to just do it by myself...but I'm just not savvy enough for it. I'm going to need help. So if you design, or you know someone who does, let me know, because I'm in the market!

This new project will be launching on January 1, 2014. It will be a 5-days-a-week blog that will have *gasp* blog business hours. I still don't plan to make money from it, but it sounds so much more professional when I call them "business hours" don't you think so?

Speaking of blogs! Have you met my friend Kara? 

Kara blog over at Ramblings of a Marine Wife.

There she talks about her adventures with her kids at her husband's current duty station. She has recently returned stateside after a year long adventure in Okinawa.  I always love to read about the fun things that she does with her kids and I bet you will too! She's not your average mom-blogger. Go and check her out!

Today she is hosting a link up! Go join in on the fun :)

Contributing Member of Society

Wow...Is it really Monday again? That always makes me a little sad inside...

So I decided to go straight for the defense.

Today I did this crazy things where I got up and I dressed as if I was a contributing member of society.  I put on my favorite dress, some socks that don't really match it, and some booties. Get this. I even put on...wait for it...Make up! I know...a real #OOTD It's a Christmas miracle.

I figure as a sweet single lady in this world, maybe I should try to be cute every now and then? Or maybe...I just wanted to wear my booties. That's probably it.

I won't lie, I don't understand why the front camera on the iPhone is always so grainy, but whatever...

I've had this dress since I was in the 8th grade. I'm actually surprised that it still fits comfortably. I have a dress I wore at my high school graduation that I can't even consider zipping because I will stop breathing...

Forgive me. This is before I knew about tweezing eye brows and apparently being cute at all because this is an awful photograph. At least my friend looks good!

I guess I'm just glad I finally learned how to take what I've got and work it.  I really don't know why that dress doesn't fit...I'm way more fit now than I was then.  Let's blame it on all of my awesome-ness not being able to fit into one dress. 

Speaking of awesome...

Have you checked out my sidebar lately? It's got a few new things going on.

Did you know that I'm on Bloglovin'? Well now you do! If you aren't following me there, go ahead and take a minute to click it.

Also, I have several new sponsors! Today I'd like to introduce you to Jenn from Party Of One.

I love to read her blog and I think you will too. She's an awesome single gal just like me working to make it in a world filled with parties of two. Take a minute to go and check her out. 

Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

             

Or Don't. Your Call.

So....You know how I said something about a lost weekend? What the heck happened last night? Not a clue.

 

But I guess that's part of growing up, right? Doing really stupid shit you probably shouldn't EVER do again. In fact,  I'm pretty sure when I read the brochure about your twenties, there was a picture of all the bad decisions a person could make and a catchy slogan coaxing me to try them all.

 

Oh there's not a brochure? There should be. And it should come with a warning label.

 

 

 Sadly, the warning label would do no good and I would probably still do all the same stupid stuff, but at least I have been warned right?

 

Don't get me wrong! I had a lot of fun this weekend. I always do. I'm getting pretty good at living in the moment, but I should probably stop letting my life story be told in memes and e-cards, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bring on the Weekend

 

Although I have been super sick for the past week, I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better.

 

My friend brought me some Nyquil and Dayquil the other day which has done amazing things for my ability to sleep.  Thank goodness for good friends right? So after a lovely cold-cocktail...I'm feeling like I can actually have a little bit of fun!

 

 

It wasn't a minute too late either. This weekend is hopefully going to be a lot like the last. Only better. This time both of my friends will be visiting at the same time!

Don't send me pictures boys. they end up on the blog. ;)

 

 

You can expect a full recap complete with pictures and hopefully some pretty crazy stories to go with them. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a great time.

 

I don't know if I've said this here, but I really only have about...two friends here at school.  They're in a fraternity and don't tend to have time to hang out with me all the time. I often get a little left out because they do "Greek Only" sort of stuff and I end up going to the wayside a little bit...

 

It's nice that I have plans too. That way I don't just end up sleeping all damn day. That is no fun.
Instead, I'm going to celebrate the fact that my midterms are over and have a lost weekend...


 

 

 

So #backthatazzup and enjoy your weekend!

 

Reinforcement of Hatred

As I said the other day ...I'm having some bad luck. I think I'm getting punished for how great my weekend was or something.

So...here's the whole story about what happened yesterday.

I got off work a little bit early because I was feeling sick and wanted to rest up a little bit. Sadly, it didn't really matter, because I ended up having a very unfortunate mishap.

I often complain about things like the tiny pockets of girl pants.

 

The other day, this hatred for the tiny pockets grew...

 

I decided to take a quick potty break before I headed out. I went to the bathroom, did what I needed to do and pulled my pants up. Then what should happen but my key flops out of my tiny pant's pocket and right into the toilet.

 

Of course, being such an important thing, I didn't even hesitate to reach in. But alas, I was too late.

 

Automatic flushing toilets.

 

All I could do was sit on the floor of the handicapped stall and just...stare at the wall. Freaking out.

 

I did what any grown woman would do in this situation...I called my mom. Of course, there was nothing that she could do. She's 400 miles away, but I think I just wanted to talk to her. Eventually, I was the one who came up with the solution to my problem, but somehow, it made me feel better to talk to my mommy. I have no shame.

 

Because I have a newer car, my loan requires that I have full coverage on it. That means I have lock-out assistance. I was so embarrassed when the lady asked me where the keys were and I had to tell her I had flushed them down the toilet and I was simply praying  the spare key was in my purse in the car.

 

This also gave me the chance to try out the whole "my story" thing on Snapy Chatty. It was alright...

 

I had a friend on standby in case it wasn't, but once the lock-out guy came an hour later I got in the car and found my key in my purse and I was able to drive away...

I have never been so happy to see such a lil thing IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

 

Let me tell you though, that was possibly the worst think that could have happened to me...Sometimes life really likes to toss lemons at me. I don't like it.

 

On the bright side. I got an iPhone 5S the same day :) Now if my sickness would just go away I could have a lovely weekend without flushing keys down the toilet.