Three, Two, One..

Three .. Things I Did This Weekend
-- I had my first family Christmas on Saturday! My brother and sister-in-law hosted at their house and everyone chipped in and brought different kinds of soups, sandwiches, and desserts. Very successful, very fun! We played a White Elephant game or Dirty Santa game, everyone has a different name for it. I ended up with this cute IU snowman and some scratch-off lottery tickets.

Overall it was a pretty perfect day. We watched the IU game, we talked and laughed, and we played some gambling dice and card game and my stepdad ending up winning a ton of quarters. Yay for Christmas family fun!

-- My brother and sister-in-law live about 45 minutes away from my parents' house and my parents, myself, and my 2 younger siblings all rode in one car on the way there. Well, in the car we listened to episode 1 of the Serial podcast that everyone is obsessed with. So I am now officially one of the cool kids and I have officially started the series. Honestly, I find it incredibly fascinating that so many people are obsessed with this podcast. It's almost like people forget that this is an actual, real-life murder case and not a story. This has to be a psychologist's dream case-study.

-- My sister, my aunt, and I went to my grandparents' house yesterday to make Christmas candy! We ended up only making peanut brittle and hard crack candy in 4 flavors. My grandma was an overachiever and had already made the cookies before we got there.

Two .. Apps I Downloaded Last Week
-- Trivia Crack

My sister's friend got me and my sister to download it last week and we've all been pretty obsessed since then. It's very similar to the board game Trivial Pursuit. It is ridiculously fun and addicting. If you download it and want to play me, I think my username is kstoll129? Or search for "Kristen Stoll" and my photo will be a picture of me and my sister.

-- Rookie

One of my new favorite picture editing apps! I still have a soft spot in my heart for VSCOcam, but I do love Rookie. Tons of great filters and possible edits! Highly recommend.

One.. Regret I Have This Morning
-- I have a small tray in my bathroom of perfumes and body sprays that I use on the daily. I have my favorites though and so I always tend to use the same scents over and over again. This morning I decided to try a scent I had never worn and I didn't buy and it wasn't a gift, so I'm not actually sure where it came from. Instead of doing the normal thing and sniffing it before spritzing it on my wrists, I just spritz. Instant regret. I hate the way it smells. And it is STRONG. And awful. And now I'm sitting at my desk and it's the only thing I can smell. I have no idea why I'm sharing this with you.

Happy Monday, people!

CAN YOU BELIEVE CHRISTMAS IS THIS WEEK?!

Lots Of Laughs For You! (Vine Part 3)

I spent 2 hours working on a post last night and then realized this morning that I didn't want to post it yet because I didn't have a photo to include in the post. I'm ridiculous.

Then this morning I was scrambling trying to think of a post I could write quickly and include a photo or a gif or something that I already have. So naturally instead of being productive I got on social media and started wasting time. BUT THEN I opened my Vine app and all was right in the world and I decided on a post for today!

Previous Vine posts: Part 1 here, Part 2 here. I recommend them, a lot.

A special message to all my Christmas music haters. CHEERS! 

Dying.. THIS IS ME IN THE CAR.

This isn't funny at all, but I can't stop laughing.

The wig. His brother popping in. All of it. LOL

I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! "I don't even drink coffee!" HAHAHAH

Wait for it.. Wait for it.. Dare you not to laugh.

Merry Christmas, Haterz!

But this is serious actually.. Ain't nobody got time for you 200 second long Snapchat. Stop.

"It was raining CARBS!" LOL

FREE IT! 

My sister hates this Vine because she says it isn't funny, but I think it's hysterical and I quote it to her all the time. Anytime my sister does something annoying I say "BETHANY! I MADE BISCUITS!" And then I laugh and she rolls her eyes.

YOU.
ARE.
WELCOME.

I Need Holiday Baking Help

I didn't blog yesterday because I was trying as hard as possible to pretend that Monday didn't exist. It didn't work, but I might try again in the future. Oh, to update everyone on my work life - We're still moving offices. I knew it'd be a mess and I prepared myself for stress and a lengthy process, but ugh. I'm ready to not have to deal with this anymore.

To update you on my personal life - I did 5 loads of laundry yesterday.

On a happier note, I've made plans with myself this Friday!
My momma bought herself an early Christmas gift in the form of a shiny, new, red Kitchenaid stand mixer! So guess who is getting an early birthday gift (my 25th birthday is in january) in the form of a gently used, white Kitchenaid stand mixer? This girl.

I've decided to break in my new-to-me Kitchenaid stand mixer by making a ridiculous amount of Christmas cookies! I informed my sister and naturally she said "well, what are you making?".

Uhhhh…

So, my new plan is to ask YOU guys!
Here are a few of my ideas..

Some classic chocolate chip cookies? A Buzzfeed article told me these cookies in this recipe were really, really good.

via Host The Toast

These cute iced thumbprint cookies! I could make them all festive and what-not, right?!

via recipe for crazy

I was definitely thinking I could whip up my Nutella No-Bake Cookies! My sister is a Nutella-acholic, so that'd go over well..

But I want to make something else! Something different! Something NEW!
Help me.
Send me your favorite cookies recipes.
I'm going to put everyone's recipes together into one blog post and parade it around all over Bloglandia next week AND let you know who's cookies I chose to make!
HELP ME, HELP ME!!

TV Friday

I made a decision this morning.
I have decided that Fridays on this 'ol blog are going to be TV days. I just really get excited when I get to talk about TV shows with people because I totally geek out over things like that and I have nothing better to write on Fridays usually anyway. I'll think of a clever name for TV Fridays later, for today I'm just gonna jump in.

Because I was so busy in November I am behind quite a bit on most of my TV shows. Thankfully, sorta, most shows are getting into the mid-season finale time, so I'll have plenty of time to catch up before they come back in January. This means I'm not up-to-date on a lot of my shows, so I'm just going to talk about a few today.

**SPOILERS AHEAD, duh**

The Flash
This show!! I love this show! And I am not someone who is really into the whole DC/Marvel Comics thing, I don't necessarily dislike it, I'm just not super into it, except for this show! It helps that I love Grant Gustin who plays Flash, he's absolutely adorable. While I liked the Monster-Of-The-Week story lines that The Flash started out with, I'm really loving that we're starting to finally get more and more of the overall storyline and things are starting to connect a bit better. I also ended up loving the Flash vs. Arrow crossover episodes! I was so worried about them because I really didn't want them putting 2 characters that the audience loves against each other and implying there would be a winner. BUT, I loved how they did it and I love Flash and Arrow on screen together! Plus #eyecandy.

I totally called that Dr. Wells was the Yellow guy! My mom was a witness, I totally called it and I'm actually really excited about it! I'm also really excited to get into this Ronnie/Firestorm storyline! I knew it was coming, so it wasn't a major plot twist or shock to me, but I am excited for that storyline because I like the drama it will bring and since I don't read the comics or anything I'm excited to see if Ronnie/Firestorm ends up being "good" or "bad". BUT I have an unpopular opinion.. I totally ship Barry and Caitlin. I just like it. Something else I like? Cisco. I just need Cisco and his corny jokes in every scene. Thanks. Or more shirtless Barry. Yea, more of that.

My only annoyances right now are Iris, Iris, and Iris. Look, I really tried to like her, I did, but it's just not happening. I also didn't like her dang boyfriend Eddie, then I decided I liked him for approximately 2 episodes, and now I've decided I don't like him again. So there's that. I also hate that Barry is in love or something with Iris. Ew, stop it Barry, you're too good for her.

Chicago Fire
Still in love with this show. I cried in the season opener when Shay died. Still mourning her death, but I have to hand it to the writer's on CF because her death was the perfect way to shake up the show and the storyline. I really, really like the new girl, Brett. I wasn't sure I was going to like her, but I've really warmed up to her character lately. I am SO GLAD that the "Severide is a drunk idiot" storyline is over. On one hand, it totally made sense for his character because he was dealing with Shay's death, but on the other hand I think it was drug out a little too long and a little too over the top. I was incredibly ready for that to slow down or be over completely. There have been some really great storylines this season too. I loved the firetrucks hitting each other episode and the episode with the helicopter on top of the building. Both very, very well-written.

One thing I'm not loving is Dawson. Also Casey. And also Dawson and Casey together. I'm over it. First of all, I don't know what they're trying to do with Casey's character this season, but I've just found him to be incredibly unlikeable. I've honestly never been the biggest Dawson fan either, but this season she's about to drive me bananas. I know I have an unpopular opinion there, but honestly, so done with them.

Let's talk the Chicago Fire mid-season finale. First of all, one cliffhanger they left us with was that Boden's baby wasn't breathing. I feel pretty confident that the writers aren't going to kill off the baby. Call it my gut, but I don't think they will, so I'm not worried. However, this whole Brett and Peter Mills thing. Like I've said before, Peter Mills is my favorite character, I feel very attached to him. So naturally, this season they keep teasing us with bad things happening to him. But this is very bad. My only comment is how can you not notice that you firehouse ambulance has been missing for hours and hours? Come on.

Chicago PD
I wish this show was on twice a week. It's the best. Best best best. It's hard to talk about this show in a short paragraph, because every episode has a ton of things going on at once, so SO MANY THINGS have happened this season already. Some highlights for me? Meeting Lindsay's mom and learning about Lindsay's past and how/why she ended up with Voight. Halstead with a bounty on his head and then being taken hostage for like 20 minutes before he was like "f that" and took control of things. Atwater and Ruzek undercover in prison, I loved this episode! THE CROSSOVER EPISODES WITH CHICAGO FIRE AND SVU. That was some of the best writing and the best television I've ever seen. To connect 3 shows like that and have it come across as cohesive and entertaining the entire time was awesome. Meeting Lindsay's brother and that actor that played him! Fabulous!

I'm trying to think of something I don't like or some little annoyance I have with Chicago PD and I can't think of one. So yea, you should watch it.

The midseason finale killed me. Okay first, Burgess gets shot. No way they kill her off. But I'm so curious to see what happens and how it all gets handled! Next, Erin Lindsay leaving Intelligence? I don't really know what to say. The only reason I started watching the show was because of Sophia Bush and she's kind of become the media face of the show, so I don't think the writers are stupid enough to write her out. Also, she instagrams a lot and she's still filming, so she's clearly not "gone". I'm just not sure where they're going with this storyline. Although.. If Halstead and Lindsay don't work together anymore, then.. maybe… #Linstead.

Oh Jay, it IS like that..


Annndddd those are the only shows I'm completely caught up on as of this morning!
What a happy first TV Friday! What shows are you watching? Anything I'm watching? Anything you disagree with me on? I'm ready to debate! :)

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide - Christmas 2014

Happy Hump Day! I come bearing gifts! Well.. gift ideas.
Some of these are real and actual things on my own Christmas list, so I figured I should share!

-- The Original BeautyBlender. I have a knockoff and it is a game changer. So now I need the real one, duh.
-- Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara. The reviews on this are insane. I'm all about big lashes!
-- Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection. Real Techniques are great brushes, and I'm really wanting this limited edition collection.
-- Naked3 Palette. I own the Naked2, but mostly just didn't feel like I could do a beauty gift guide without including a Naked palette because everyone is obsessed.
-- Batiste Dry Shampoo. I'm turning into a dry shampoo professional tester and this is next on my list. Need it/Want it.
-- Hot Tools Gold Curling Iron. ON SALE right now! I've wanted this for a long time, so I'm throwing it on here too.
-- Kenra Volume Hairspray. Own this. Love this. You need this.
-- MAC Lipstick in Snob. This is one of their most popular colors and for a good reason. I've seen it on so many different skin tones and it always looks good.
-- GlamGlow Youthmud Treatment. Kind of pricey for a mud mask, but I've watched hundreds of beauty videos and everyone loves the GlamGlow line. I also want to love it.
-- Lorac Pro Palette. Put this on my Christmas list for my momma last night. Want this very much!


Most importantly, let me know if there are any other beauty items I need to add into my letter to Santa!

New Apartment Wish List

After a slightly annoying email exchange yesterday with the realty company that now owns my apartment building, I started thinking daydreaming about a new apartment.

Believe it or not, but I've lived in this apartment, that I don't even like that much, for 2.5 years! I've never lived in another apartment for longer than a year, so this seems so crazy to me. Especially since this isn't my dream apartment or anything. I actually kind of hate a lot of things about it. Which leads me into my post for today. I've put together a little "wish-list" of things I will be looking at when I begin looking for a new apartment.

1. A Dishwasher

Dishes happen to be the one household chore that I absolutely hate the absolute most. Which is hilarious, since I've lived in an apartment for almost 3 years without a dishwasher. I am the dishwasher. I really need my next apartment to have a dishwasher.

2. Bathtub

My current shower situation is one of the worst things about this apartment. My shower is the size of a small hallway closet. It's a "shower stall" and it's the worst. Shaving my legs in this shower? Don't even get me started. Also, my apartment before this one had a lovely bathtub, so I took baths pretty regularly and began to fall in love with them. Which was unfortunate, since for the last 2.5 years I haven't gotten to enjoy one. I was gifted one of those Lush Bath Bombs a while back, but of course, I can't use it. My next apartment needs to have a bigger shower and make it one of those bathtub/shower combos. Thanks.

3. Washer & Dryer

Another huge downer of my apartment is the lack of a way to do laundry. I have to take my laundry to either a laundry mat or my parents' house. This tends to mean that my laundry builds up quickly, because it is definitely not convenient to have to lug my laundry around to different places to do it. I will say, my mom volunteers to help with my laundry quite a bit, so I shouldn't complain too much. However, my next apartment needs to have a washer and dryer of its own.

4. No Wood Paneling
None. Not one single trace of wood paneling. I didn't use to have strong feelings on this until I lived in my current apartment. Which is like a dark, wood paneled cave. I really hate it. I just really do.


So when I begin my search for a new apartment I'm going to need to narrow down the search parameters by the above. I just really need these things guys. Especially the lack of wood paneling. I need that like you wouldn't believe.

Is This Thing On?

Mic check, mic check. One, two. Testing. One, two.

I know what you're thinking. Who is this person?!

That's me, in case you've forgotten.. Or in case you don't follow me on Instagram

Let's not be boring and discuss my multiple reasons I've been totally missing from Blogland. Because honestly, who cares? Instead, today I'm going to get you all caught up on my life, so we can get back to your regular programming.

\\ I know I just got done saying I wasn't going to talk about my absence, but I did want to say that a contributing factor to the lack of blog posts is because I was not enjoying it as much as I would have liked. As I told Allie the other night, I just needed a break to remember why I like blogging and to remember why I think it is important, especially to me. Last week I started to miss it, so I think that was the sign I was looking for.

\\ While I've been gone from Blogland, I've been working. Working and working and working. I'm a little burnt out, if we're being honest. I was just talking to my dad yesterday about how it was almost hard for me to enjoy Thanksgiving, because I worked so much every day leading up to it and then I knew I had to work the entire weekend following Thanksgiving. And I hate that. I hate that I don't feel like I got to really enjoy the holiday, especially considering I was completely surrounded by so much of my family and that was so wonderful. Now I sound like a whiney brat.

\\ The night before Thanksgiving, because our town is a college town, we always have "Townie Night" at the bars. I usually skip out on Townie Night, but this year I was talked into going and I'm so glad I did! I got the chance to catch up with a lot of old friends who are usually not in town and spend some much needed quality time with some of my best friends, who have been very patient with me all month long while I was hibernating.

Can you believe those kids on the right are those same kids on the left? Life, I tell ya.

\\ My tree is up! It's all gold and silver this year and I'm a little in love with it! It feels very classic or maybe I'm just reading too much into a Christmas tree.

\\ ALSO, I've been DVRing Christmas movies (i currently have 17 on my DVR waiting for me, this is not a lie or an exaggeration) and I'm currently watching a Hallmark Channel movie and they are bleeping out the word "God". A Christmas movie is bleeping out the word God. I'm so annoyed by this that I'm not going to comment on it further.

\\ My favoritest lady Sarah sent me this sweater on Twitter and I was like "OH THAT'S SO CUTE, I NEED THAT" andddd then I actually went and bought it. I'm totally in love and obsessed.

\\ We are officially (i think?) moving offices this week! I'm a tiny bit stressed thinking about it, but I'm mostly really excited to not be in the current office anymore. The logistics of this move are a nightmare, I have to say. Also, my poor boss lady may or may not have extended herself a little thin this month, so she's stressed, which makes me stressed. Basically, if you live in the area, steer clear of my office this week!

That is going to be all the catching up for you guys today! I think it's about time for me to get to work!

Skip To The Good Part - Release Day!

I HAVE SOMETHING SO EXCITING TO TELL YOU ABOUT TODAY!

The all caps were so, so necessary.. BECAUSE.. Today is the release day launch of Skip To The Good Part. I really, really wanted to finish reading it so I could have a full review for you guys today, but busy month, so I just haven't gotten that done.. yet.

So here's some info you need, then my 2 cents below that, and thennnn a special present for you lovely people at the bottom.

Skip to the Good Part Synopsis:

Find your next red-hot read in this sizzling collection of sexy scenes

99¢ only through release week—regularly $2.99

Skip to the Good Part: 20 Authors Reveal Their Steamiest Scenes offers face-fanning romance and tie-me-up sizzle (and everything in between) from top authors including New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. 

The collection features a British alpha who wants to turn a good girl bad, a woman realizing her impetuous marriage to a stripper isn’t all bad, a bad boy boxer who could use a large dose of sexual healing, a carnie who has found new and inventive uses for fun house mirrors, and a rocker who wants to woo the girl who got away: his high school sweetheart.

Read 20 of the best steamy scenes in contemporary romance and erotic romance today. This 250-page collection will get your blood pumping, your heart racing, and your skin tingling—you’re sure to discover a new favorite. 

Due to the graphic nature of some content, this collection is recommended strictly for mature readers. 

New York Times best-selling authors:

Raine Miller 

Kendall Ryan 

K. Bromberg 

Carly Phillips 

Denise Grover Swank 

S.L. Scott 

USA Today best-selling authors: 

Christine Bell 

Rebecca Shea 

Andrea Smith 

Featuring: 

Magan Vernon 

Kristie Cook 

Nevaeh Lee & Michelle Lynn 

Alessandra Thomas

Selena Laurence 

Heidi Joy Tretheway 

Elizabeth Briggs 

Meghan March 

Taylor Michaels 

K.B. Nelson 

Elise Covert

Buy Links:

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo |Barnes & Noble

I KNOW.
So first of all you should know that I think this is one of the greatest ideas, ever. Jasper Ridge Press took all of the "good parts" of these amazing authors' new books and combined them into one. How freaking genius is that? Like I said, I haven't finished yet, so I don't want to give you a full review, but I will say I am LOVING being able to get a little taste of so many different authors and I've already added a few full books to my "To Read" list.

The only other side note I want to include is that CARLY freaking PHILLIPS is in this book. I own every single one of Carly's books and she was the very first "romance" book I ever read. So basically, Carly and I go way back and I am just over the moon excited about being able to get a glimpse of her new book. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA!

And now, for the good part.. (get it? lol, i'm so punny)

Jasper Ridge Press is hosting a giveaway and will be giving away print copies of some of the books featured in Skip To The Good Part. I know, a damn dream come true.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Top 3 Favorite Lip Balms

This is kind of a random post, but for some reason I was thinking about this over the weekend and I started mentally ranking my lip balms, because that's not weird at all. So once I was done with my mental list, I decided to share, because these are things the people of Blogland need to know.

#3

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Lip Balm
This stuff is amazing. I do enjoy the original Maybelline Baby Lips, but the Dr. Rescue line is just fantastic. They also come in tints, which is fun, but I've only tried one tint, so I can't comment on that too much. It was nice, with just a subtle hint of color. I was kind of terrified that it'd be like lipstick. I have two of the Too Cool color, which is just plain, no tint. I'm in love. So good. I like that is FEELS hydrating unlike some of others I've tried.

#2

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips
This is my new love. I mentioned in yesterday's post that I've been watching a lot of beauty videos on YouTube, well this product was mentioned so many times and by so many different people! So I was like, ok, I'll try it out, but the whole time I was thinking "Vaseline? Isn't that kind of old school?". Well, old school works, folks. It's so good, it lasts on your lips for such a long time and oh my goodness, super hydrating! Also, it's so little!! It's like a little baby tub of vaseline! I can barely handle the cuteness! There are a few things that irk me a bit. For one, I don't like that I have to apply it with my finger. I wish it was in some kind of tube that I could squeeze up. Two, it actually has a faint smell of roses. I like the smell of real, actual roses, but I'm not a huge fan of rose scented things. Does that make sense? No one can get the smell just right and it bothers me, whatever, it's a weird quirk. I did discover that there are two other scents of the Lip Therapy, so I'm probably going to pick them up.

#1

Mary Kay Satin Lips Lip Balm
I 100% do not want you to think this is because I'm technically a Mary Kay consultant. This is #1 on the list because I'm legitimately obsessed with it. It lasts so, so long on your lips and it makes them just absolutely silky smooth. Honestly, it is, in my humble opinion, the best product Mary Kay offers, no joke. Followed up closely by the Mary Kay Satin Lips Lip Mask. OBSESSED. Do the lip mask and follow it up with the lip balm? Heaven. I have a tube of this in my purse, one in my bathroom, one in my car, and one by my bed. I mean, that should speak for itself.

Honorable Mention

eos Lip Balms
I have to mention these because I do own two of them and my sister loves them. They are good, don't get me wrong, I just think the three I listed above are better. I really like to use the eos lip balms for some moisture right before I apply lip liner and a lip stick, because this lip balm tends to dry to an almost matte finish, so it's easy to apply things over it. I have the Sweet Mint scent, which is okay, but I also have the Coconut Milk scent, HOLY BANANAS! It's awesome. It's always out of stock, so if you see this one, snatch it up! My sister really like the Pomegranate Raspberry scent. Like I said these really are good, with a really cute packaging, but not that long lasting and sometimes the almost matte finish I was talking about bothers me. I know these are really, really popular, but they aren't all that. *hair flick*

There you have it!
I know this was kind of random, but I felt like sharing, so shut up and like it.
I love you.
Bye.

November Update

Whoa hey.. Is this thing on?

I've been pretty checked out of Blogland this month and when I have stopped by, it's been just for a hot minute. So today I'm just gonna give you a little November update on my life.

:: Here's the thing about working in athletics - November sucks. November is the transition month. By that I mean that the fall sports aren't over yet, like football, soccer, and volleyball, but the winter sports have officially begun, such as basketball, swimming, and wrestling. This month I personally work football, men's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, and a few stand-alone athletic events. This month alone I have 8 men's basketball games and 7 women's basketball games - and those are just the basketball events! It's just a lot. So I'm tired. This is also my excuse for not being around Blogland.

:: Today is also my oldest brother's birthday. Shout out and Happy Birthday to Michael! (family tree saga and explanation found here, there are diagrams)

Michael is the one choking his wife.. Christmas 2012. We're so normal.

:: So as most of you know, when I'm not running around playing athletic supervisor, I work in a CPA office. Well guess what, we're moving! December 1st we will be beginning the process of moving into a new, much needed (holy shit I can't even tell you how much needed) office building. So I mean, if I didn't have enough going on this holiday season, we decided to pack up an entire office and move it. We so smart.

:: When I'm not working, and in between my DVR watching, I've been watching YouTube makeup tutorials. Or makeup hauls. Or makeup reviews. etc. etc. It's turned into an obsession. Just so many beauty videos in general. The good news is that I've been learning so much and you know, if you're a long time reader, my goal in life is to know a little about a lot, just enough to make me dangerous. Boom.
PS. If you need some YouTube beauty blogger recommendations I suggest starting with Laura Vitale, Jaclyn Hill, Nicole Guerriero, or Casey Holmes. But really there are a ton of really good ones out there, so actually if you know of someone, send them to me!

:: I have a thing with smells. Actually, I just decided this entire bullet point could be a blog post, so look for that this week. Here's the quick version - I have a candle addiction and I would rather buy candles over just about anything else. Well currently I have a Buy 2, Get 2 FREE from Yankee Candle coupon in my email inbox and I'm trying really hard to ignore it…. *insert wide-eyed emoji here*

:: OH, Kate, who is one hilarious no-reply blogger, (yea, I'm calling you out, Kate) wrote a comment on my post about my marathon cooking day recently where I talked about how I screwed up my vegetable soup and I didn't know what I was going to do about it.

Well, to update everyone and to make a long story short, I had to throw it away. I tried putting a few whole potatoes in it to soak up some of the salt and them removing those potatoes, didn't work. So then I tried scooping out a ton of the juice and adding new fresh juice, still didn't work. When I say I royally screwed up this soup, I'm being serious. So in the trash it went. Whomp Whomp.

:: This happened yesterday. Running a few errands, came across an RV. I laughed and was all "OMG Breaking Bad, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are in town, LOL, SO FUNNY, let me get a picture!" and then I took a picture.. And then zoomed in..

Because.. obviously.

That's all for this morning, folks! I have a huge list of things I need to accomplish today and no surprise here, but I have to work a men's basketball game tonight! Hopefully you'll see me again this week, because I have at least 2 post ideas in my head currently, so here's hoping they actually happen.

Swifty vs. Spotify

If you've been around this blog for any significant amount of time or if you know me and my sister in real life, then you know we are not Taylor Swift fans. It is not about her personally! She does great things for a lot of charities and from every single thing we've ever read she's absolutely fabulous to her fans. Great, wonderful, awesome. BUT we aren't fans. It's a combo of her dancing, her adolescent song lyrics, and her horrible live singing at every damn awards show. Honestly, I shouldn't have to defend my decision not to like her. #IDoWhatIWant

So, disclaimer - I'm not a TSwift fan, so I don't, at the moment, have a dog in this fight.

However, I did listen to her song Shake It Off, and damnit, I do like it. So when her album 1989 was about to be released, I was kind of interested to hear it because I thought just maybe she was finally growing into herself and finally writing for her age. Unfortunately, I still haven't heard any of her new album, because she pulled it from Spotify.

Spotify is my main device for listening to music. I pay the $9.99 a month so that I can have Spotify on my laptop and on my cell phone and I have an AUX cable so that I can listen to Spotify in my car. I definitely get my $9.99 a month from Spotify and it is more than worth it for me. I'm a huge Spotify supporter.

Taylor came forward after pulling all of her music from Spotify and gave her reasoning behind her decision to pull her music. I don't necessarily disagree with her basic argument, to be honest. Her music is an art and just like you'd pay for a painting, she should be compensated for the hard work she puts in. Cool, no arguments here.

Do I think Spotify is the problem? Do I think Spotify is to blame? No.

It's 2014 and I haven't bought a song on iTunes in over a year and I haven't purchased an actual CD is much, much longer. I took a quick poll from my friends and they all pretty much said the same thing. Then I read this must-read article from the Spotify CEO. I'm not going to sum it up or paraphrase it because I want you to read it. It is definitely worth your read.

I'm thinking a lot of thoughts right now. I'm wondering if Taylor realizes that Spotify does pay so much for every song they stream. I'm also wondering if she just isn't getting the payout. Recording companies are known for underpaying their artists. I'm also wondering why it feels like she's trying to take a stand against Spotify and against free music, BUT she's left her album on multiple other sites that do not pay her or anyone else. Also wondering how she thinks she's going to stop illegal downloads, because that is and has been a huge problem for a long time. I'm curious about her thought process in general.

Not to be totally metaphorical or anything, but she just hoped off the train, which is fine, but that doesn't mean the train is going to stop. She didn't even give the train a legitimate reason to stop and she didn't pull the emergency breaks. She just jumped off. Again, cool for her, but everyone else on that train is going to keep going into 2015 and now here she is on foot, walking back to 2008.

Or I could be wrong. It's a rare occurrence, but it has been known to happen occasionally.

Ugh, Muggles, AM I RIGHT?!

Below is a group text conversation between my mom, my sister, my stepdad, and myself from this morning.

The only back story you need is that my mom and I have read/seen Harry Potter and my sister and my stepdad have not. Also Ellettsville is a town and "46" is the main highway that runs through that town. Oh, and sometimes my stepdad calls me KDawg, because duh.
I can't make this shit up.

Further explanations - My mom and I responded with "speak for yourself" at the same time and "Cancel" is what my sister says when she's done with a conversation. Apparently she learned it in elementary school.

You're welcome and I'll actually see you back here tomorrow for a discussion on TSwift.
Luh yu, bruh.

One Of The Lucky Ones

Yesterday morning I was up crazy early and decided it was the perfect time to get a few things done. I ended up gathering up two loads of laundry and took the over to my parents' house about an hour before I needed to be at work. Well, my mom was still home and was going to be home off and on throughout the day, so not only did I end up spending that hour before work talking to her about my salty vegetable soup that I messed up and our TV shows, but she also said she'd flip my laundry and put my other load in the washer so I would only have to make one more trip to their house during the day to flip the 2nd load.

Then I got to work and sent my dad a text asking him to call me at the office later so we could gossip and talk about the new IU basketball developments that happened the night before. In the text I said "I need to talk to someone I won't want to stab halfway through the conversation. You get me". And he does. My dad is awesome and we talk almost every day.

After that I sat a work a minute and decided to text my stepdad. Just a simple "I love you because you're awesome" text, because he is and I was feelin' it.

Honestly, I was sitting at work thinking about how damn lucky I am. I love my parents, all three of them. I am almost 25 now and I am friends with all of my parents. Not everyone I know can say things like that. One of my best friends has a family structure, with a stepdad and older stepbrothers, etc., that is so similar, almost identical, to mine. However, her relationship with her three parents is nothing like mine. I'm one of those lucky ones, and I get it now.

Growing up things were definitely not all rainbows and butterflies; there were absolutely times of struggle for all of us involved. But we made it through and here we are now. Even through those bad times, I've never ever, in my life, doubted for one second that I was loved. I knew it. That's something special too, because some kids don't know that.

Today, like I said, I'm friends with my parents. I would, and have, chosen to hang out with them just because I can. I speak with them consistently. My mom and my stepdad both read this blog daily. My dad and I can sometimes talk in a code that only the two of us understand. All three of them follow me on Twitter. I get my TV show and book addiction from my mom, my St. Louis Cardinals and grammar obsession from my stepdad, and my love of any and all sports and fear of severe weather from my dad. But mostly? They get me.

Love them.