Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so much, including but not limited to: my family, Brian, Hansel & Schnitzel, my health, my education, food on the table, a house to live in, a car to drive, Qdoba, candy, cranberry bars, Christmas coming soon, slippers, boots, leggings, earrings, my pretty Fossil watch, and of course, our country. This little girl sings the best version of the Star-Spangled Banner I've ever heard:

Say Goodbye to Dragonfly

Today is the two year anniversary (give or take a few days) of the day I lost my pretty car. I got it about two years before, in my senior year of college. It was the first car I bought on my own, a manual (yea I can drive stick!), and had eyelashes Brian had bought me for it. 

My first two years of law school I lived in an apartment up near my school about 45 minutes from my parents' house. I was heading home for Thanksgiving break on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with my dogs in tow. It was raining and I was driving on the highway, and this particular highway really is not a great commuter road. In many parts there are only 2 lanes (which is absurd considering how much traffic there is), and there are often concrete barriers with no shoulder for the lanes.  

Anyways, it was pouring and I was in the right lane (there were only 2 lanes) behind an 18-wheeler that was splashing so much water onto my windshield that I could barely see. I got over into the left lane so I could see, and debated whether I should attempt to pass him to get away from the monsoon it was producing, or just hang back behind him and stay in the left lane so I could see. Well I never got to decide, because, as far as we know, his back tires hydroplaned and the back of the truck came into the left lane and the huge tires were like a machine, sucking my poor car underneath the humongous truck. 

I've mentioned before that I believe my great-grandmother, and my grandparents, are my Guardian Angels. This accident is how I know (that and the fact that one time an ex-bf was lying to me on the phone and the porcelain cross they gave me when I was a baby fell off the wall, hit me in the head, and broke). I don't have much memory of the actual accident itself; all I remember is screaming, and I think I closed my eyes? I don't remember being underneath the truck, I think that was just too much for my brain to handle. The next thing I knew, I was on the [tiny] shoulder of the highway. I have absolutely no recollection of how I got my car out from under the truck (my windshield was completely dented in from the truck, but the anti-shatter glass hadn't allowed it to completely break; it spiderwebbed and bent). I also have no memory of getting my car to the side of the road (when the tow truck guy tried to turn it back on, it wouldn't even start, plus the tire was completely flat). I just remember opening my eyes while on the shoulder of the road, seeing how damaged my car was (the front was basically ripped off, the windshield dented in, and that was just the damage I could see at the moment), and crying. 

There were thousands of other cars on the road that day, and none of them hit me or the 18-wheeler while I was being dragged underneath it for who knows how long? How is that even possible? It is a MAJOR highway. How else is it possible that my car didn't get stuck under the truck, but instead got out and got to the side of the highway, when the front of my car was destroyed and I have no recollection of getting there?

Well, once we were on the side of the road, I called 911 and told them where we were, and told them not to send an ambulance. I was scared and shaking but pretty much unhurt. The dogs were fine in their cage; I don't think they even realized anything happened. Thank God I keep them in the backseat, not the trunk area, because the window back there had blown out (yes, OUT, there were no glass shards at all back there) and they could have blown out with it! Then I called my parents. They were literally just stepping into my sister's school conference, and my Dad happened to answer the phone. A few minutes later, an ambulance shows up much to my dismay. Apparently they had been driving by and had to check that I was okay (the truck and truck driver were unscathed). I forced myself to calm down enough to assure them not to take me in (for shock I guess) for the sake of my dogs. What would happen to them if I was taken to the hospital?!

Anyways, the truck driver was super nice and asked if I wanted to sit in the warm cab of the truck (I didn't), but when the cop finally got there an over AN HOUR later (rubberneckers caused traffic to be awful, we weren't blocking the highway at all), he was absolutely NOT nice, in fact, he was downright mean. I didn't want to be towed right away because I wanted to wait for my Dad so he could take my dogs, because the tow truck driver refused to allow my dogs in the cab of his truck. Well my Dad couldn't get there in time because of the terrible traffic. I implored the cop to wait, or to take the dogs with him, or come up with another solution. He refused, threatened to ticket me (for what, I have no idea??), then told me as a future lawyer I should know that humans are more important than animals. I wanted to say "Uh duh? Why the hell are you telling me this? That is totally irrelevant to the situation, I just don't want my little dogs to have to stay in my busted up car on the back of a tow truck!" I mean, I was just in a terrible, could-have-been-fatal car accident and he could have treated me A LOT nicer, but instead he acted super rude and annoyed that he had to be there (well excuuuuse me, I didn't plan on getting into a car accident that day, and this is your job by the way!). 

The Aftermath.  I was lucky not to have any major injuries, besides little glass fragments all over me and whiplash, however I am not a believer in the statement "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Sorry Kelly Clarkson. In the words of TJ from Betrayal, "What does that even mean?!" The accident didn't kill me, true, but it certainly did NOT make me stronger. I never loved driving before, but now I absolutely loathe it. I right-lane it anytime I have to take the highway, stay far, far away from 18-wheelers, and I avoid driving at all costs. I am a nervous driver, a nervous passenger, and I hate driving anywhere more than 20 minutes away.

I was very upset about the loss of my car (its color was named "Dragonfly"), but my parents told me that the car did it's job, it protected me, and that is why we only buy cars with 5-star safety ratings in our family. Later my Dad asked me, "if you had been in a smaller car, would you have known to duck?" That really hit home, because it was meant to be that I got into the accident in that particular, taller car, because if I had been in a smaller car at the time, I could have been lodged under that truck and died. I am going to post just a few pictures now of the car after the accident, so that you can see how lucky I really am to be alive (if you are squeamish I would exit out of this post now). 

Can you see the dent in the windshield from when I was stuck under the truck? 

If you got this far, thanks for reading. Please be careful out there on the roads this Thanksgiving!

Well, that's awkward..

Good morning guys! So I finally got the iPhone 5s in gold on Friday so I am excited about that, plus Brian and I went to our fav restaurant to celebrate...drumroll please... that I got an awesome job! Yup, I start December 9th! :-) Woop! Saturday we celebrated my sister's birthday, and Sunday was lazy.

Anyways, I'm here today to talk to you about.. something extremely embarrassing. In fact, when I did my most embarrassing moments post, I completely forgot to include this. I don't know how I could forget it though because it was one of the most mortifying moments in my life. Why am I sharing it with you if it's that embarrassing, you might ask? Because it's Monday and I'm sure most people could use a laugh at my expense, I don't mind :-) 

So anyways, let's set the scene: I'm a brand new freshman in college (as in, I think it was still August and I don't even know if classes had really started yet), and an older acquaintance of mine who I knew from home was making a Walmart run. Well given that I didn't have a car and needed some supplies, I tagged along. 

18 year old me

On the way there, his other friend and he decided they were hungry and wanted to stop at McDonalds. We all get out of the car and immediately we hear a loud noise. "Is that your car alarm?" I asked him. He answered, "My car doesn't even have power locks, no way does it have a car alarm." Alriiiiighty then, well we were in the city and there were lots of cars around so I just shrugged and figured it must be one of them. 

With no more thought given to the sound, we walk into the McDonalds and hear the same noise again, only 20 times louder. Welp, that was where the noise was coming from, I assumed their fire alarm was going off because someone had opened an emergency exit door or something...

Except no. No no no. As soon as we walked through the door every single person in the McDonalds stopped what they were doing and stared at us. And when I say stared, I mean full-blown, who-the-eff-do-you-think-you-are-STARED. We were a little weirded out and figured we set off some alarm when we walked in the door, but whatever, someone would turn it off right?

Source

Wrong. We walked up to the counter and stood there and waited to be served (meanwhile, the alarm is screeching AS LOUD AS YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE), but everyone just kept staring at us. Finally one of the guys I was with was like, "excuse me? Aren't you going to ask us what we want?" And the employee was like, "uhh no? That noise didn't start til you came in.. what the hell is going on with you guys?"

We were visibly annoyed at this point. The guys explained that there is no way we could have made that noise happen, told the employee they needed to get their alarm system under control and figure it out. The employees explained that their alarm system did NOT sound like the terrible screeching noise echoing off every wall of the building. They asked us to check our cell phones and make sure nothing we had with us was making that noise. We were like "okayyyy" and rolled our eyes, irritated.

I checked my phone and threw it back in my purse, then smacked the side of my purse to be like "See? Not me?" Except that when I did that THE NOISE STOPPED. Sweet relief (for me and everyone in the store) but yup, the noise had been coming from me all along. I could have died. Right there. On that spot. Just melted in a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West: "What a world, what a world!"

Source
The employees gave us a look like "told ya so," and I begged the boys to leave, but they wanted to eat and so eat they did while I sat there like Hester Prynne with a big scarlet letter on my chest, everyone staring and whispering about me.

Source

When we finally got to the car, the boys finally asked me what in the heck made that noise. I was still at a loss, so I dug through my purse and lo and behold, it was a rape alarm, similar to this one found here. The description says, in part, "The ear splitting noise is 130 decibels and sounds like a bit like a car alarm." Well yea, I'll vouch for that!!

Dad had given it to me when I worked at a rest stop and I never used it (thus the reason I wasn't aware what it sounded like). I conveniently left it at home when I went away to college. Apparently not though, because my Dad found it and stuck it in my purse and I didn't realize. So when we got out of the car that day, the pin that engaged the alarm came loose in my purse and set it off. When we went inside the McDonald's it became all that much louder because of the confined space. When I hit the side of my purse, the pin must have gone back in and stopped the noise. Super awesome.  

So thanks Dad for pretty much getting me banned from McDonalds, haha. Okay I'm not actually banned but I can bet you money that any employee who had been working that day would remember, because honestly, how could you forget that?! Needless to say, that alarm was removed from my purse, though it probably would have actually been a decent defense given the looks of shock people gave me that day in McDonalds! 

The moral of the story? Check your purse before you go to McDonalds... 

P.S. I'm involved in a great giveaway for a $165 Ulta or Sephora gift card with Chelsea at Southern Beauty Guide! May the odds be ever in your favor :-)

He Calls Me Grace//Hopelessly Ever After//Life With A Side of Coffee//Luck Fupus//

Musings of A Museum Fanatic//October Darling//Pleas(e) and Carrots//Sweet Busy Life//

I'd Pin That//Sleepy Single Girl//Simple Moments Stick//A Little Leigh Way//

Southern Beauty Guide

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Does it get more random?

I've never done this Five on Friday Link-up before but it sounded fun and I don't have anything else to talk about so here goes: 

1. Who has seen Catching Fire already? Did you love it? I want to see it ASAP but I will probably wait a week or two because I can't stand crowded movie theaters

2. This had me laughing for like 15 minutes! I can totally see Brian doing this (sorry Bri!)

3. I sent this to my sister on Wednesday, bahahaha 

4.  Does anyone else want a baby bear for a pet? No? Me either.. 

5. I am sick of most of the music on my iTunes and need some new stuff. Who are some new artists that you've been listening to? I've kinda been into Cassadee Pope lately.. some of her songs are so catchy! Linking up with Darci and Whitney!

 

It's Still Fall

Last week Sarah over at Sweet Happenings did this cute Fall Sweater Weather Tag post and tagged everybody in it, and it looked like fun so I wanted to participate!! 

1. Favorite candle scent? This is so hard but probably Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin or Trick or Treat.

2. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate. And lately I've been putting Peppermint Mocha creamer into it.. ahh it's so good!

3. Do you switch up your makeup routine for the season? I wish I could say yes because that's probably the right answer, but no. I mean I wear more moisturizer in the winter but that's not really makeup. 

4. Favorite Thanksgiving food? Mashed 'tatoes, because duh. 

5. Hats or scarves? I don't look all that great in either but I will wear them if necessary. 

6. Most worn sweater? I just got a new long white cable knit sweater and it is my new favorite!

7. Must have Fall nail polish? I love nail polish so any kind really, though Essie is my favorite brand.

8. Football games or jumping in a pile of leaves? Ehh jumping in leaves is messy but I love looking at them, does that count? haha

9. Skinny jeans or leggings? Leggings all day every day.  

10. Boots or Uggs? I got these two pairs for my birthday and I pretty much rotate between them, fake Uggs (I'm a vegetarian, remember?) and moccasins. 

11. What is your #1 favorite thing about Fall? Probably the weather.. the temperatures are perfect and the colors are so pretty!

12. Do you have a song that gets you in the Fall mood or just a song you're loving at the moment? Nope, not really.

13. What is the Fall weather like where you currently live? Usually the highs are in the 40s & 50s, very windy, and the occasional snow shower (or snow storm, this one happened in October 2011). 

Kaylee

November and December are two crazy months out of the year for my family. My brother Mitchell and sister Kaylee were born in November, and my sister Savanna and my Mom were born in December, and then Christmas! My wallet is pretty much depleted by the time January comes around.

Well today is Kaylee's birthday. She is the third (aka middle!) child in our family. Kaylee and I haven't always gotten along, we are pretty much opposites in a lot of ways. We were roomies for many years of our lives. Actually, when I was in 9th grade, my parents moved her, a 6th grader, into my room. I was MORTIFIED. Her Spongebob alarm clock and Jesse McCartney posters were almost too much for me to take (I drew mustaches with eyeliner on those posters)! However, I wouldn't change her! Now it's time for some embarrassing (and cute) pictures:

That's Kaylee with her finger up her nose, hehe

Kaylee with my Grandmom

Kaylee on Easter, awww

Me, Kaylee, and Savanna in New York in 2009

Us again

Happy Birthday Kaylee, I love you!

Dog Etiquette // Giveaway Winner!!

So unless you've been living under a rock, you know I have two mini dachshund brothers named Hansel and Schnitzel. They snuggle all the time, wrestle/chase each other around the house, and are usually the best of friends. They have some serious rules though when it comes to chewing on their bones.

We have two of their favorite bones so they can each have one and chew on them whenever they want. Welp, it doesn't matter, because the dog rules in this house do not allow for chewing of bones at the same time.

Nope, no matter what, our dogs will not chew on bones at the same time. One will literally lay right next to the other, or even across the room, while he is chewing his bone, and look on longingly and wistfully. Don't even bother try handing the boneless one the unused bone, he won't accept it, he must wait until his brother is finished with the other bone, then he can have that one. It is hilarious. Here's an example:

Schnitzel chewing on his bone.

Hansel watching Schnitzel from 5 feet away, with the SAME EXACT BONE literally touching his foot, but he won't chew on it, no way, not while Schnitzel is chewing his bone, it would be rude!

Here's another picture (sorry for the awful quality, the light shining in around the door does not make for good picture taking!). Note there are TWO other bones Hansel could be chewing on, but he is watching Schnitzel chew the third bone! It's just so strange!

Dogs can be so weird!! haha Do your dogs have any weird habits?

P.S. The winner of my LUSH DIY Spa Day giveaway is Amanda from Cats, Cuddling, & Carrot Cake! Congrats! I sent you an email already :-)

Weekend Recap // Cara Box Reveal

Good morning everyone! Hope you had a great weekend, mine was pretty relaxed and I took 0 pics (#bloggerfail). Let's see, what happened? 

One. I tried cookie butter for the first time Friday and I love it! Two. We've been needing a new duvet cover badly and I love fair isle so we ordered this adorable duvet cover from Target and I can't wait for it to be delivered! Thanks Erin for posting it on Friday or I never would have found it (okay mayyybe I would have because I've been searching for a new one but I wouldn't have found it so soon!) Three. We went to Aroogas with my friend Stephie and her husband and we spent like 3 hours playing trivia and accidentally split a cookie pizza and I was so full I thought I was going to die. Four. I bought a new professional briefcase-ish bag at Ross for only $23.99, score! Five. We tried Qdoba for the first time and I decided I need more naked burritos and queso in my life.

In other news, I got my Cara Box last week! Kaitlyn over at Wifessonals runs the Cara Box Exchange, check out the details here. I got partnered up with Codi and Stacie. Check out Codi's blog, The Art of Balance, to see what I gave her! I received my box from the (very recently engaged!) Stacie over at Happiness in Bloom. Here's what she sent me:

- An Anthropologie mug with a J on it
- Pretty red nail polish
- Peppermint hot chocolate on a stick (yum)
- A Short Guide to a Happy Life book
- & an adorable dachshund card :-)

Thanks Stacie! It was great getting to know these girls these past two months!

So anyways, I hope you all have a great Monday! And remember, my Lush DIY Spa Day Giveaway ends at midnight tonight!

Hey Mom, could you send me some earplugs?

Happy Friday! If you're stopping by from Erin's, hey girl hey! Everybody, don't forget to enter my LUSH DIY Spa Day giveaway! Anyways, has anyone else ever had a roommate that made you want to never ever have a roommate again? I'm sure I can't be the only one.. No, I'm not talking about my boyfriend of 4 years Brian, who I live with now. I'm talking about my college freshman roommate who made my freshman year a nightmare. I'm just going to list a few of the low-lights.

That's her in the background (P.S. I was stylish, I know)

One. She talked to her parents very loudly on the phone all day every day. I couldn't even do my homework or pretty much spend any time in my own dorm room because she was ALWAYS on the phone and she never left the room! And while she was on the phone, she'd ask permission to attend events, "Mom, is it okay if I go to bingo tonight?" She'd also run her clothing choices past her parents, "Dad, I'm wearing these jeans and this printed turtleneck shirt tomorrow with my clogs, is that alright?"

 

Two. She wasn't allowed to make a Facebook. Well, I was a rebel trying to help her branch out a little and I helped her make a Facebook. Well I don't know how they did it, but within 12 hours she had an email from her parents about how she betrayed them and how they can no longer trust her. Seriously?! They must have been searching hourly to see if/when she made one to have found it that fast. She was allowed to keep it but they monitored it and her dad wrote on her wall every day. 

 

Three. She was constantly texting me to see where I was. "It's 11:30pm on a Tuesday, don't you have class tomorrow?" "Where are you? I need to know in case your mom calls and asks me." "If there's a fire I need to know where you are, please let me know ASAP when you get this." Ughhh I am NOT your child or your friend and you don't need to know where I am 24/7, and also, my mom will never call you asking where I am, EVER. She knows I'm an adult and can handle myself, unlike some other parents I know.

Four. Needless to say I spend a lot of time not in my dorm room. Well on Halloween I was down the hall in my friend's room when we hear hysterical screaming and crying. We ran to the sound, which of course was coming from my room. In fact, the R.A. and about 5 other girls ran to our room to see what was the matter. We found my roommate crying, and assumed the worst (that someone had died or she was seriously injured). Nope, she had called her parents and they told her they were "busy" right now, as a little Halloween "trick." Weirdest thing ever, but she took it to mean that they were having sex. I lost my mind at this point, and told her "Oh shut up, so what if they're having sex? How do you think you were conceived? Stop crying." Everyone dispersed, laughing/super annoyed.  

Five. Later in the semester, I was in bed sleeping at like 8am when I hear her clogs stomping and her loud mouth coming down the hall towards our room (her class had been cancelled). Not caring that I was sleeping, she burst in, turned on all the lights, and continued her loud conversation with her mom. That was IT, I'd had enough, this had happened three dozen too many times. So I picked up my phone, called MY mom, and said "Hey mom, do you think you could send me some EARPLUGS? Alright thanks, talk to you later." Well another charming habit of my roommate's was to talk on AIM to her parents while also on the phone with them. So immediately after I called my mom about the earplugs I hear her typing furiously, then I hear her mom through the phone say "WHAAAT? SHE ASKED FOR EARPLUGS?!" hahahaha (also, we know where she inherited the loud mouth trait from)

Six. The blow-up. One night I was hanging out in a friends dorm room and we went and got salads to eat for dinner. I wasn't hungry yet so I went into my room to put it in my mini fridge. I walk in and she stands up, puts her hands on her hips (danger Will Robinson) and starts screaming at me, "I can't belieeeeeve you didn't tell me you were going to dinner, how dare you? You're so selfish and you're stealing ALL my friends" (uhh what?)! I calmly sat down at my desk, got on my computer, and ignored her. My friends heard her from down the hall and they came in and told her to calm down. My one friend tried to act like a counselor and made us list all our grievances about each other because she knew I had to deal with this girl for the rest of the year. My list could have filled a book, but she only had ONE complaint about me-- "your desklamp is too bright." Umm okay we have the SAME EXACT lamp but whatever, I can change, it'll be hard but I'm willing to make the sacrifice. bahaha

Seven. I know I've been pretty negative about my roommate, so I guess I should list her good quality: She went home EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. Yup, her parents picked her up every Friday afternoon and didn't bring her back til early Monday morning. It was amazing to have my room all to myself and be able to live like an actual college student (except she'd make it clear to me that I wasn't allowed to touch any of her stuff or sit on her bed while she was gone.. oooh tempting but don't worry, I won't). 

She actually did stay one weekend early on in the first semester, but her parents came up for the day on that Saturday. They invited me and my other friend to come with them to the mall, and since we were car-less we tagged along. While there, my friend and I got our cartilages pierced. Uh oh, we were in trouble now, because "did you get your parents' permission first?" "No ma'am, my mom doesn't make me call her before I get an ear pierced." 

This was clearly someone who was NOT ready to go away to college, as evidenced by the fact that she moved out (without telling me) one Saturday in February when I was actually at home for a weekend. Hallelujah, that next semester was the best ever. 

Tell me some of your roommate stories in the comments, I'd love to compare! Alright have a great weekend! Linking up with Whitney (this song reminds me of my freshman year because it was when I first discovered Taylor and listened to her on repeat). 

Living in the Moment

How often do you pass through the day wishing it would go faster without noticing the little things, or not appreciating them? Last Saturday night Brian and I went to see that new Rachel McAdams movie, About Time. I won't spoil it for you, because you HAVE to see this movie, but to summarize, basically the main character Tim can time travel back to any point in his own life and change things, and over time learns that instead of reliving each day to make it perfect, it's better to live each day only one time, as if it was his last.  

It really made me think and the theater went super quiet towards the end and you could tell everyone was thinking about it. As Bri and I left the theater I couldn't help but smile and think about him and the moment we were in, instead of running through lists in my head (I'm a crazy list maker and am constantly running through them in my head and worrying about things in the past that I can't change). I really want to do this more often, because life is beautiful and made up of little moments, and only looking towards the future or worrying about things that happened in the past too much is letting life pass by without really living, you know what I'm saying? I want to live in the moment, not the past or the future. This reminds me of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quote.

Oh and P.S. Ignore the movie critics, they always talk about plot holes and blah blah but c'mon now. Time travel is implausible as it is so how can you say the movie "broke it's own time travel rules"? Let's just call it like it is and say it's an awesome romantic movie that has a great moral of the story that really gets you thinking. I mean, it inspired this blog post right? And a movie that inspires me to think is a good movie in my book.

P.P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a DIY Spa Day (with LUSH products!!)