Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Four Letter Word


I'm going to say the dreaded four letter word: fall.

Yes y'all, summer is coming to a close and it's time to start thinking fall.  As someone who hasn't had sand between her toes all summer, I'm about ready for it.

Luckily for me, fall means wedding life kicks into overdrive.  Since both my sister and mother decided to get married (weirdos) I have to find a bunch of dresses for all the festivities.

There are so many rules. 

Don't wear white.
Don't wear anything close to white.
Don't look prettier than the bride.
Look gorgeous since you're the MOH/daughter and will be in tons of pictures.

On the bright side, I get to shop for a bunch of new dresses. 

One of the above I already have lined up for one of the events.

Any rules or tips I'm missing? I'm a novice wedding person here so I need all the help I can get.

xoxo,
Erin

Monday, July 27, 2015

It Might Sound Crazy


If this doesn't help you get through a Monday, you can't be helped

xoxo,
Erin

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

That girl

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This girl.

This girl was my first real best friend.

This girl is the one who has known me at every stage of my life.

This girl is the one who loved me when I had headgear at sleepovers.

This girl has stood by me for over 20 years.

Happy Birthday Joynesy! My life would not have been what it is without having a best friend like you in it for the whole ride!

xoxo,
Erin

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Link Love


I cannot stop raving about Amazon Prime Day.  I was skeptical, but was able to grab some essentials, probably my favorite being the Fire TV Stick.  

Being a longtime Amazon user, I've been watching Prime videos on my little Kindle, being able to access them on my TV is a luxury I didn't realize I was missing.

Next would be these Nikes.  I rarely invest in sneakers, for some reason I never see the need when I'm not training for a half marathon, but the price I got on these was embarrassingly low. 

Leave it to Ms. Kerr to illustrate how much I need a pair of girlfriend jeans in my life. I am still on the search for the perfect white T-shirt.

We all know I love my time in the kitchen, but with school it's not easy to find time.  Giving these guys a whirl.

Leave it to Hallie to introduce something I never knew I was missing in this bath caddy. Oh, it's $19.99 and my birthday is in a month.

Can someone point me in the direction of some magic skincare?  My late 20's is creating a monster that I never had, even in my teenage years.  Mary has a suggestion I may be looking into.

Not ready to accept this happened.  I can't talk about it yet. RIP Shelbert.

xoxo,
Erin



Thursday, July 16, 2015

OK


This is an issue we have to deal with. This is not an issue that people have to die over.


For me, I've always known who I am.

I've never looked in the miror an felt uncomfortable or unsure.

I'm a strong, independent, blonde haired, green eyed woman who loves her family.

I've never had to define my sexuality or gender.  If I had to, luckily, I have the best family support in the world who would love me regardless.

It's easy to get caught up in the hype, the tabloids, the coverage.  You forget that Caitlyn Jenner is an American hero, an athlete, a child, a father.

You see the transformation without seeing the realization.

She is finally, after 60 plus years, who she always was.  

Imagine a Freaky Friday happened when you were born, and you spent your whole life opposite who you weren't in the mirror.  Then add the pressure of being an athlete, a husband, a father, a reality figure, and a gender icon.

Then turn it left.

I don't know if I would have the strength, but I thank god for all the people out there, and all the future people out there, that someone did.

That someone is Caitlyn Jenner. Making the world a better place.

xoxo,
Erin

P.S. There are certain people in my world who have opened my eyes wider recently, and just a reminder, I love you unconditionally.  Always.





Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Summerkissed


If you love makeup or follow any fashion/beauty girl on IG you know the moment has come.  

It's a serious moment in out lives, the Urban Decay Smokey Eye Naked palette is OUT.

Yep, I can hear everyone still busting out of Sephora.  I personally love these palettes so I cannot wait to get my hands on one.

If you're sporting a summer tan, I hate you, and this is the best time of the year for makeup.  Everything looks better on tanned skin, fake if you care about your future Botox bill.

Grab a tinted moisturizer, a cream blush and a pretty lip and get out there. You don't need the crazy bronzers since you're already a bronzed baby.

If you're me, looking like an Edward Cullen relative you're faking it until you make it.

Anyone have the new Naked palette and have any reviews?

xoxo,
Erin


Monday, July 13, 2015

Stitches


Hopefully everyone had a good weekend.

Mine involved a road trip per usual and some good live music/people watching.

More on that later this week.

Music on a Monday is a necessity, and this kid Shawn Mendes stole my heart when he stood on stage at the TSwifty concert with nothing but a guitar and KILLED it.

Of course I'm tuning in to a superstar already in progress as my bestie CBK already had this on lock.

Either that or the Ed Sheeran cover he did just got straight to me.

Happy Monday.

xoxo,
Erin

Friday, July 10, 2015

Have another beer


I feel like this summer it's officially summer.  I'm going to a concert, it's July, and it's hot as hell.

So what do you do when it's hot as hell?  Find new cocktails of course.

I've never been crazy about coconut, but tequila I love.  So mix it all together.

Heading to the tail end of shark week. Get it? Tail end? OK, well there's a blue cocktail for that.

Spicy and tequila. Where do I sign up?

Porch Crawlers.  It's a cocktail and a challenge. And there's beer.

Oh, I'll try all of them and report back.  If I can still read and/or type.

xoxo,
Erin

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Country girl shake it for me


Country concerts are what summer is about. 

The beer, the music, the fashion.

Now I've been to my fair share of country concerts, and I've rocked a lot of different looks.  None of them involved cowboy boots.

Never say never, but there's a 98% chance you'll never catch me in a pair.  It's just not me.

Flannel,  yes.  Whiskey, yes. Hats or boots, nope.

Since my sister is out of commission she has been sweet enough to bestow me with tickets for Kenny Chesney this weekend.  Now it won't be the same without her, seeing as it's our family tradition.

My first thought went to outfits.  Now above are some of the bad boys I want to get my hands on as part of my summer style, but are also country music approved.

Spoiler alert: I'm actually wearing one this weekend.

xoxo,
Erin

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Young


This weekend was a combination of all my favorite things: friends, family, beer, and holiday.

Not a lot of sleeping, a lot of long talks, and enough giggling to last me a lifetime.

Thursday was life changing seeing Magic Mike with my 2 besties.  GO, GO NOW!

Friday was one of the good old days, at my BFF's mom's house for a cookout and some good old college drinking games. Catching up on life, love, and everything in between.

Doing this whole family thing is new to me, and spending Saturday night with my new extended family was what I needed.  We sang to a couple of birthday kids, drank a lot, lit some stuff up, and had a deep 1AM convo.

Sunday I barely moved from bed. Not even sorry about it.

The only thing missing from this weekend was my sister, who is still on the road to recovery.  She is my family, my friend, and my bestie all rolled into one.  Soon she'll be back to being my partner in crime.

Follow the disaster on Snapchat @ejohns20.

xoxo,
Erin

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Make My Heart Work


Every once and a while there's a song you can't stop listening to.  You can't get it out of your head.  There is a definite summer jam.

This is mine.  We all know I love Brit pop music, and Tinie Tempah is no exception.  Last summer it was him and Cheryl on Crazy Stupid Love.

This summer, it's this song.  Try to get the beat out of your head, try to not dance whenever you hear it.  I dare you.

Hopefully everyone has a lovely long holiday weekend if you're in the USA.

Happy 4th of July!  I know so many people love this holiday, it's not in my top 3, but any time off of work I'll take.

As always, I planned to have an extra long, relaxing holiday weekend, which is quickly turning into something on every day.

OK that sounds obnoxious, I promise I'm not that exciting.

Please download this song.  Please don't blow your hands off lighting fireworks off. Please wear an embarrassingly patriotic shirt and say ""Merica" too many times. Please play a lot of Toby Keith.

Please report back.

xoxo,
Erin

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Shady Shadester


Full confession: I used to be a sun baby.  I was at the pool every day in the summer, and though mom did lather me with sunscreen, I don't think the amount of time I was in the water could withstand the SPF.

Then there was the high school/college years when my theory in life was "if you can't tone it, tan it".

Coming from German descent I get an unbelievable amount of sun.  Now that I'm older-ish and wiser-ish I know that sun isn't my best friend.  

I struggle with hats.  I have a phobia of my own ears, they stick out like no other, so hats are my worst nightmare.  Being someone who loves summer and accessories you would think I have a hat rack like no other.

Well, I'm going to try.  For the millionth time I am not going to the beach this summer because everyone in my family has to get married, so I don't feel the absolute need to grab the first hat I see.  I am perusing, I am being picky, and I am trying to get over myself.

I'm looking for the patio drinking hat.  There must be one out there for me. 

Anyone who knows a successful sunless tanner please help, my skin misses the tan I feel it.

xoxo,
Erin