May Birchbox!

It's May Birchbox time! Posting from my phone again so excuse the weird order of photos to text. I can't figure out how to do it any differently from here.

Cote brand sunscreen moisturizer. It is tinted which is nice and this is definitely one of those 'thanks for introducing me to a brand I've never heard of' items because this one is totally new. It does have a matte effect to it so it might be nice to wear on days when you want your makeup to be really set and the weather is humid (hello Southern summer!)

Whish brand shave cream. I think I have gotten this before and if not, something similar by the same brand. Thankfully, the smell is divine and with all the traveling I have been doing lately, a travel size shave cream is most welcome in my bag.

Art Club nail art Duo pen. The item I was most excited about. I actually have this pen in two other colors (white and black) that came with a kit I bought from Birchbox forever ago. I am super excited to have this is in a fun pink...I see lots of polka dots and flowers in my future. It has a teeny dotting tip and a fine line tip. I highly recommend these...

Miss Jessie's quick curls...this is the 3rd time I have gotten one of their products and I haven't used one yet. I don't have curly hair and edited my profile accordingly but this might be fun to do with wavy hair this summer. If not, I'll pass it to curly hair friends.

Finally, Marcelle's BB cream. Funny smell. Too dark. Enough said.

As you can see...While I still love this monthly subscription,  items are less exciting and starting to sort of repeat themselves now that I have been doing it over 2 years now (wow!). I am seriously considering switching to another subscription service so if you have suggestions, send them my way! 

Weekends aren't for resting.

At least, that is what I am currently experiencing.
I worked the last two weekends and went to Columbus this weekend. I am so glad that I was able to go see my parents. I definitely don't see them enough and I am thrilled that I was able to spend some time with them. I got to eat at some of my favorite Columbus places, see some of my favorite people (Mom! Dad! Jess!), and sleep in on Saturday for a little while. So maybe that counts as resting and seeing the people you care the most about is better than relaxing anyway.


A long week ahead this week. We've officially entered my busiest/most stressful season. Between big events that my team is responsible for, helping with big events that other teams are responsible for, writing annual plans for our next fiscal year, reporting out for the current fiscal year, and then creating a budget based on something that has never existed before - basically don't expect me to blog again until the end of July. :) Send all of your good thoughts my way.

1,001

I got so excited about my April Birchbox that I forgot that it would be my 1,000th post so I used up the good number. Oh well, 1,001 has a nice ring to it as well, don't you think? I have been blogging since October 5, 2008 when I wasn't even two months into being a wife or a resident of Chattanooga. A lot has happened since then and I'll take Danielle's challenge (since she was the only one who offered one!) to write about things I have learned since October 2008 for this here post numbered 1,001.


I've learned:
offering grace is more important than being right
people are more important than things
staying home with the people I love is far better than going "out"
a messy home isn't a sign of failure
being present is more important than being perfect
listening is just as good as talking
snail mail letters are a lost and beautiful art
you miss your parents much more than you think you will and might even regret those hasty words in high school and you really do turn into your mother
you always think of your childhood home as "home"
I'm not always right
loving people is hard but the most important thing you will ever do and always worth it but you can't always make them love you back
living with a dog that sheds isn't very much fun but I love her anyway
living with a cat that rises early isn't very much fun either but I still love her too
folding laundry is the worst form of household labor, right above vacuuming
baking is my favorite form of cooking
blogging won't make you a millionaire (I never really thought it would) but you will love looking back on your life
I understand less of God than I always thought I did but feel closer to Him than ever before
there are lots of people that see the world completely different than I do and that's ok
to love people for who they are, not for how much I agree with them or not
I have to work harder to be healthy (hello looming 30th year...ahem) but it is worth it
and on that note...trying to learn how to love my body and forget about my "flaws"
cell phones aren't always lifelines, sometimes they are weights tied to your ankles
I have the right to have feelings - but that doesn't make them accurate
think before you send that email, or say that, or write that...
you really might be able to wear skinny jeans - if you get the right fit
I need at least 8 hours of sleep per night or I am cranky (this is on the list of why we don't have kids)
I am a more picky eater than I like to admit
Chattanooga is a lovely city and like most places will show you beauty if you just give it a chance
Clean laundry is one of my favorite smells and I don't like the way it smells when it has been outside  on the line
my sister is a great gift giver - thoughtful and generous - and I wish I was more like her in lots of ways
you'll wish your lifelong best friends lived in the same city as you
you can find a job that you love and that has nothing to do with where you thought you'd be
I don't like to go to bed with a messy kitchen (Oh my gosh, I AM my mother)
God expects us to keep growing, changing, stretching, wondering
kindness takes many forms
I can't be jealous of someone else's life; it steals joy from mine










That's all I have for now. I'm sure I will think of things and add them as I have the time/thought. Some of these are not new lessons, learned in the last 5 years, but they are all things that have really just started making sense in the last 5 years. So, what have you learned recently that stuck along for the ride?

April Birchbox!

It's April Birchbox time!

Yay!

I've been waiting for it to come...it is a few days later than my box usually comes and the email came 9 days ago. Eeek.  

Chad and I have actually already purchased some Kind brand granola bars at the grocery store so I was excited to see a different kind in my box. This is this month's lifestyle item and usually I am kind of annoyed about tea samples instead of cosmetic samples but this one is OK. :) 

I had been thinking that it would be fun to have a light green color for spring so I am super excited to see this one. Color Club does a lot of partnerships with Birchbox and this is a pretty good one. I think the color is called "Breakfast at..." and it has a little bit of a pearl finish. Might see this one at Easter! 

Sorry the pictures are a little blurry - cell phone pictures cause I got a little excited. This is Anastasia's clear brow gel. I am not entirely sure how to use this but I will definitely try it....since I have unruly brows anyway. :)

This is Camille Beckman's body butter. It smells really good and has a beautiful butterfly on the because the scent is Morelia Monarch. It smells like almonds and a little like vanilla and almonds. I already used it on my hands and it feels reeeeally nice.  

This is the Keims brand energizing shampoo. I love getting haircare samples in my box so I am excited about trying this one. I haven't ever heard of this brand so it should be fun. Peppermint and macadamia? Mmmmmm... 

The theme this month is Rainy Days so the colors were really pretty. The muted teal paper was nice touch since the tissue is usually bright pink.

All in all, a fun month even though there weren't technically any makeup samples this month. Good stuff to try!

Yay Birchbox! 

Upgrade, check!

My phone has been on the fritz for a while now - not only doing weird things but also having a charging issue. My upgrade isn't until next month but thankfully I am on a plan with other dudes who don't use their upgrades the second they appear! Chad broke his phone a couple of months ago and has been using an older phone of his dad's for a while too. So, as of this afternoon - and 3 trips to various wireless stores - we are both sporting new phones!




There is a Verizon place near my office that isn't a full service place and so I went there first...went to a "real" Verizon store...and back to the first place before everyone had the phone they wanted, at the price they wanted, keeping the unlimited data...which was the whole point here. And yes, I've already put an expensive Lifeproof case on my expensive (to me!) phone. This baby can get in the pool! Bring it on summer - I'm ready for you now!


P.S. this is my 999th post. Now taking requests for what I should do for my 1,000th post.

Keepin' it real.

Let's be honest - I only blog because I am trying to keep up with my mom. And give her something to read. Ok, maybe that is a stretch. It isn't the ONLY reason I blog but in this busy life season, I am having trouble coming up with many other reasons. I like to have this little online place where I can go back and see what was going on in life (I mean, for real - I have been blogging since 2008 but I have only blogged 13 times this year so far. Sad.) but it just falls by the wayside fast when life get busy.


Our project team presented to the Board today. I think it went really well. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done and the way we have come together with the same mission at heart. I hope the Board can see that passion and will support our ideas. They had some good question and good suggestions so we'll see where we go from here.


I left Chattanooga at 8am this morning and rolled back in from Knoxville about 6pm. From 6:30 to about 8pm I helped do some Gold Award video interviews for our celebration events this spring. So, my 12 hour day sent me straight home to put on my pajamas. And now, here I sit with my pajamas on. I get an 8 day break before another trip to Knoxville next week...but that'll be a fun day.


If you have called or texted me in the last couple of weeks, please don't think I am intentionally ignoring you. I have been experiencing some phone issues and while it has been nice to sort of operate off the radar some of the time, I think I might have missed some important stuff. So, please don't think it was intentional (I'm talking to you, my 2 readers...who might know my number. Ahem.). The problem might be so bad now that I will be forced to expend some of my limited brain power to make a decision about a new phone. Stay tuned. In the meantime, email me. :)

Still sliding downhill....

I hope I am still sliding down the hill of super busy back into the land of just sort of busy.
Our project team presents to the Board of Directors this week (bring on the nerves!) and then we will be presenting to out entire staff next week. I am excited about potentially wrapping up parts of this project though I know many of them will carry on through the summer as we set the next round of strategic plans and budgets.


My To Do list for today is long....13 items that I hope to mark off in preparation for another long week. This weekend was lovely - lots of time at home and running errands that were abandoned other days this week in exchange for sleep or family time....the least of while is a giant pile of laundry that needs to be folded and put away.


On to it!