HELLO, SPRING

So, I know that the first day of spring isn't until March 20th but the weather has been so nice lately that I can't help but be super excited!

Can you believe that? If this is the result of global warming, I can't say I'm opposed to the whole thing. I have been in such a great and motivated mood this week! This is total flipflop weather. Another thing I'm excited for is my 20th birthday! It's in a little over a month- April 22nd, and then Jake's birthday is May 20th. Which, on a separate note, I have no idea what to get him!! I still have time, so I'm hoping a fantastic idea pops in my head in the next month or so. But for my birthday, I went a little shoe crazy. My grandmother is getting me TWO pairs of Toms (the most comfortable shoes, literally ever). They are just too cute!

Black Crochet Women's Classics

Yellow Palmetto Women's Classics

If you have never heard of Toms shoes before, it's a pretty cool company. For every pair of shoes you buy, they help a child in need. Click [here] to visit the website. 

Anyways, I'm really excited! 

Have a good weekend, bloggers, it's almost Friday! :-) 

I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE!



BATHINGSUIT SEASON

I feel like this is the most dreaded season for girls. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer...but for all us curvy girls summer can be a little stressful knowing that you're gonna have to wear a bikini- especially after the winter months where you become pale and fat. Luckily, I have been tanning here and there...but I'm guilty of gaining a few extra pounds through the winter and I'm ready to shed them!
First of all, I've been starting a "diet". I'm not doing anything extreme, I don't believe in extreme. I am simply keeping track of my calorie intake (nothing too scientific, just being aware), drinking tons and tons of water,  and I made a pact with myself to not eat fast food or drink soda until my birthday (which is April 22nd). I've tried diets before but, lets face it, diets are boring! This is a more reasonable approach to losing weight, I'm keeping my meal portion size down and trying to focus on eating healthier alternatives. Although I'm not Catholic I'm participating in my own sort of "Lent", if you will, where I gave up two things- fast food and pop, and I cannot consume them until my birthday! So far so good. I've actually noticed that I've shed a pound or two, and I'm feeling great!
Another thing I have started is a series of work out videos. It is similar to P90X, but less expensive and it includes a weight. It is call Kettle Worx. For those of you familiar with the P90X system, Kettle Worx is similar in the way that they go by each week. Kettle Worx is a six week program, that includes everything from core work outs to cardio work outs. When I did the introductory video alone I was unbelievably sore the next day!
These are the videos you get:

And then you get your choice of a kettle bell weight- they come anywhere from 5 pounds to 20. My mom and I got the 5 pound weight to start off with.

Even though the videos can be a little cheesy at times, I love it. I'm working literally every muscle in my body while doing them and it's awesome! Way more fun than just running on a treadmill.

For those of you looking to lose a few pounds, I really reccommend these videos! Wish me luck this month! I'll keep you posted :-)

DO BLONDES REALLY HAVE MORE FUN?

I know that I am a bit early with the whole dying-your-hair-when-its-warm-out thing...usually girls start this phenomenon when summer starts, but I suppose I got a little over-excited. During my trip to visit Jake, the weather was beautiful! All 70's and 80's, so can you really blame me?
Here are some pictures:

...I went really, really blonde. I had brown hair before, and it was pretty dark. I'm enjoying having blonde hair so far, it's fun and different for me! The only downfall is having to go back in and get my roots, etcetera re-dyed. But I can deal with that. It also sort of made my hair dry, so I've been using more products than usual to try and get some moisture back! For anyone else having that problem, I've been using Organix products (found at any grocery store or drug store), argan oil, and heat protectant spray (I've been using Chi Thermal Protection spray). I've also been trying to grow my hair out, its been cut in a bob-style for about 2 years now so I'm ready to have long hair back! 

Happy Monday, Bloggers! :-)

NEW BLOG NAME!

For those of you who have read my blog before...you might notice that I completely remodeled my blog, and also changed the name! My blog was formally called "Insert Creative Name Here"...I always knew it would be a temporary name because it was something I came up with just to get my blog started. The other day the name "Dirty Laundry" came to me. I felt that the name fit my blog, because my blog is an outlet for me to talk about whatever...the good and the bad. And if you've all heard the phrase "airing your dirty laundry" you know where this thought came from. Behind every girl is a basket of dirty laundry... ;-)

Thank you, Carrissa, for helping me out with the blog design!

POST-VACATION DEPRESSION

Now that I am home and back to school, I am in a post-vacation slump. It's hard when your boyfriend lives 11 hours away by car, 1 hour and 30 minutes by plane, one time zone, 3 states, and all that other crap that gets in the way! And as thankful as I truly, truly am to be able to visit...it is really hard to go spend time with him for a week plus and then have to leave! Some say that long distance relationships never work, but they do if you can just keep your faith in one-another. It is so hard, I would never deny that. There are a lot of moments that I wish he was here to share special moments with me, but I know that he is always a phone call away and he does a pretty darn good job of supporting me all the way from Mississippi. But I miss him, every day!

See how much he loves me! Ha ha this was from my last trip, and as you can tell he was a little sick of me taking pictures of him! This was the "smile" he gave me that I asked for. 

But as our relationship grows, we have learned ways that make this whole complicated thing work!

1. Text like you are in middle school again! For obvious reasons, we cannot talk constantly on the phone. He has work, and I have classes so texting is a great way to keep in touch throughout the day. It's also a good way to keep getting to know each other. I have known Jake since I was 13 years old, but there are still things that I learn about him that I never knew before. It's also a plus getting cute texts throughout the day that always make me smile ;-)

2. Long conversations at night! I know that we have all had that 7 hour conversation back in middle school or high school with a boy we liked that just made you so giddy. When Jake gets off work, it is so nice to sit down and talk on the phone for an hour and talk about our days. Its a great way to talk about everything, with the added bonus of not having the distractions we would have if we were talking in person.

3. Skype! I would like to thank the creators of Skype, because as nice as cell phones are...it is awesome getting to actually see him every once in a while! Plus I get to see his doggies too, which is definitely a plus :-)

4. Communication skills! As you can see, long distance relationships are based off of communicating! When you don't see each other on a daily basis, your relationship has to revolve around trust and making sure you are talking to one-another. We have been at this for quite a few months now, and I can honestly say that our communication skills are pretty awesome.

5. The excitement before the visit! I just love booking my flight, and letting the countdown begin! I always put the countdowns in my planner for school so that every day I am reminded that I am one day closer! And nothing beats the feeling of when your plane touches down and you know that in moments you get to see the person you love! Talk about butterflies. I just can't wait until I'm counting down the days before I move there.

6. The added vacation, on top of spending quality time together! When I get to visit Jake, I also get to visit the awesome city he lives in. He technically lives in a nice town in Mississippi...but he is about 20 minutes away from Memphis- which is amazing! Downtown Memphis is a great vacation spot. Plus, during the cold months, Mississippi is a nice warm getaway from dreary Michigan.

It may not be much, but for me it is everything. Maybe not everyone can do it, but I think we are doing a pretty good job and I think that our relationship is becoming stronger because of it. It definitely has its pitfalls, but I know that we are going to be living in the same state someday and until then we will just keep making things work. For those of you who are forgoing the battle of a long distance relationship, hang in there! It is definitely not impossible, and if you love that person it is definitely worth it!

:-) I love you, Jake!

MISSISSIPPI: TAKE TWO

Well this was technically my third trip to Mississippi- my first trip was in November for a weekend visit, the second trip was in the end of December through the beginning of January, and now I'm back!
First of all, I was FINALLY happy with my flights this time- everything went smoothly and everything was on time! My first two travels to Mississippi were a little rocky, I had delays both times :-(

So, when I arrived at the Memphis Airport, I was welcomed with sunny, beautiful weather! My first day here was nearly 80 degrees! A welcomed change from the 30 degree weather in Michigan.

When I arrived, we took a nap and then went out for a nice dinner at O'Charley's (a place I fell in love with during my first visit) where we ate out on the patio- I was in a short-sleeved shirt and capris, I would like to add!

I was also super excited to see Winston, Jake's little mutt puppy! He is getting so big!

I apologize for the crappy cellphone quality, and the mess! But this is Winston, my little baby. 

He was awesome company for the days Jake had to work, and a very good cuddle-bug at night.

The morning after my arrival, we went to a huge mall in Memphis to get Jake's watch sized (I got him a Fossil watch for Valentine's Day). 

Jake did awesome while picking out my Valentine's Day gift! He surprised me with three stuffed animals, a big box of chocolates, a giant sucker, a chocolate rose, the movie Breaking Dawn Part 1. He also got me a pair of Ray-Ban Sunglasses!

I loved everything!

The rest of our days were spent together and apart, unfortunately he has a demanding work schedule. So during the days that he was at work I kept myself busy, including coloring pictures (ha ha).

One of my favorite days here was spent at the movies. We went and saw Wanderlust, which turned out to be a pretty bad movie, but we had such a fun day. We went to a great local Mexican restaurant for lunch, and we had time to kill before the movie so we had fun at the arcade in the theatre. 

That night, Jake took me fishing for my first time ever! We brought the dogs, and had a blast!

We went to a great little park like three minutes away from his apartment!

The next day was filled with running errands and preparing for Jake's new bedroom furniture! After it was delivered, we sorted and cleaned his room- and it really turned out great!

Again, sorry for the crappy phone quality! But this is the new furniture, he also got a media cabinet which you cannot see in the picture! He was very excited, it was cute. 

For the remainder of my time here, I have been relaxing and hanging out with Jake and his family. Jake's mom is a professional hairdresser, and we decided to dye my hair! I am a natural brunette, but I decided to go blondish! I was pretty excited, and I really love the outcome. 

Tonight is my last night :-( I'm bummed. But I am so thankful that I got to spend my spring break with my boyfriend, and I can't wait to come back! The quality time and warm weather were a welcomed change!