Stop by and WAVE to me!

Happy Tuesday peeps!! I hope the sun is shining bright wherever you are because it sho is NOT over herrrr. Cloudy skies and rain... wahhhhh!! The sunshine superb weather we had last week was just what I said it was... a tease!! OH whelp! Gotta roll with the punches, right?!?!

So wedding planning has been progressing (which I haven't been able to share with you guys since I'm not posting on MARRY Saturday any longer). Now that things are getting checked off the vendor list, I can focus on some of the FUN stuff!! Like how I'm going to wear my hair! I'm keeping it super simple... it has to be since I'm doing my own hurr! This is what I'm shooting for... the beachy waves (hence my title for this post... hehe).

Soft curls that are loose so I don't have to worry about "messying" it up! After all, all that boogying I'm about to do as the Mrs., I can't afford to be worried about my hurr falling apart, right? Or can I??

SO... when I curl my hair, I use a Hot Tools Curling Iron (zee bayyyst!), but I've been wanting to try a wand. Do you guys think that will create more of the loose look? Or stick to the curling iron???

Here are a few pics of when I curl my hair (please excuse my poor lighting)... as you can see, they're curls... not waves. So HELP!! Tell me how to get the wave goin' on ;) I've tried combing through my hair with my fingers, and still they go back to the curls.

I shall be awaiting to hear your lovely tips because I know how you gals roll!! Happy Tuesday!

Birchbox Show and Tell

Happy Educate Me Tuesday folks!! I am so excited that I received my first Birchbox!! WOOP WOOP!! I love opening the mail to things that don't have a due date!

Good news is that I have never heard or own any of the items in the box, so everything is new to me! Bad news is I know NOTHING about the products, but would love some help and education on em' if you have any feedback! I do appreciate how they include the notecard with the product description and prices, but I still would love to hear from you guys if you have used any of these products!

Kerastase :: Cristalliste Lumiere Liquide (fragrant serum for strands of hair)
Kerastase :: Cristalliste Bain Cristal (shampoo that removes oil from roots)
Kerastase :: Cristalliste Lait Cristal (hydrating aloe conditioner)
Color Club :: Nail Polish in Disco Nap (gold glitter)
Dr. Jart + :: Waterfuse BB Cream (four-in-one moisturizer, serum, sunscreen and tint)
stilla :: Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner (blue sparkle)  

What did you all get in your Birchbox this month? Don't know what Birchbox is?? Click here to read about the scoop! Cheers to the beginning of monthly surprises!

Time Out!

Happy Tuesday lovely readers!! Today, I'm breaking from my Educate me Tuesday post, and taking every second I can today to focus on finishing up the draft of my last chapter!! So hard to break habit of posting, so I couldn't let go all the way! I know you understand, and I thank you for all the support you've been giving me along this merry journey of finishing up my dissertation. It means so much to me :)

Catch ya' tomorrow for a Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday! Happy Tuesday!

Happy MAY!!

Happy Tuesday lovely frannnds!! Hope your Monday wasn't so dreadful... can't be because Tuesday is already here! WOOOOOP!!

Today marks many new exciting beginnings... let me educate you all on this Educate Me Tuesday with the happs!

• 90 day challenge with Leigh Anne at Hart to Heart begins TODAY!!
• 50 day count down begins TODAY!!
• I will begin to draft my Discussion chapter (last chapter) TODAY!!
• I will eat clean with less processed foods and sweets TODAY!!

These are things to be excited for, yet anxious and scurred. Starting a challenge with a group of lovely fellow-blogger gals feels amazing. Everyone is super encouraging and the best part? We're going through this all together!! Whether it be a weight loss goal, toning up goal, or running/walking a marathon... they are all goals that are doing our body some gewwwwd! So I am ecstatic to begin this journey today!!

~~~~~~~~~~

I can't believe it's 50 days away until I DO!! I am beyond excited to take our vows in front of our loved ones, and of course before our Creator :) This is pushing and motivating me to finish up my dissertation and shoot to have my final defense by end of this month.... leading me to...

~~~~~~~~~~

DISCUSSION CHAPTER... this is the final chapter of a dissertation... BUT that doesn't mean this means the end of writing.... we all know feedback can be very draining, so I'll be focusing most of my energy in revising away this month! However, I am very excited to get this chapter drafted so I at least have a baseline to get feedback on!

~~~~~~~~~~

And eating clean... oh how I've attempted to do this so many times... then BOOM!! There goes that one bad day we all have at least once a month that sends me directly to the sweet department. Gummy bears make me feel like a new person, and I'll be saying good bye to frequently eating those! Also the quick processed foods that get us through weekends... I shall be departing that frequent habit. That doesn't mean I'll deprive myself completely and not treat myself... but keyword? TREAT... once in a while kinda thing... the whole purpose of being a TREAT!

So cheers to May 1st!! And cheers to almost Mother's Day! The most important celebration in life... celebrating and honoring the women that gave us LIFE :)

Some LC Love!

Happy (Educate Me) Tuesday!! SO... I've been super go go go with data analysis, as you all know, so I really have to find rewards with the basics in life. What's more rewarding than some LC love?! I'm getting more and more educated about my gooorl! Here's a clip from the Chelsey Lately show last night! Her dress and heels are adorrrrbs!!

Anddddd she was on Ryan Seacrest's morning show (102.7 Kiis FM) this am!  You can listen to her answer questions about her Glamour magazine cover, her book The Fame Game, and a fun Q&A game... click here to listen.

She brings me such happiness! Even in these dire moments of sweat, blood and tears of dissertating!! Happy Tuesday my loves!

Keep it!

Happy Tuesday my loves!! Today on this Educate Me Tuesday, I wanna preach about how important it is to keep and organize all your school documents.

As I go through this phase of statistical analysis, I'm digging through notes and lecture slides from my first year of graduate school 5 years ago (yes... don't judge me on how long it's taking to finish this lovely PhD)! I thought it would be wise to share with you all some tips that I did follow to make things manageable, as well as some tips I wish I had followed to help make things more accessible and organized! So listen up... whether you're in undergrad or graduate school!

• Each semester/term, save ALL notes sent electronically in a separate folder. I created a folder for each semester in my email (i.e. "Fall 2012"). This includes lecture slides, handouts, or syllabi.

• Buy a separate folder for each class you have, and store all printed documents in here.

• Whether you take notes directly on your power point slides (which I highly recommend) or on separate notebook paper, keep all notes filed in this folder with other documents.

• Keep all quizzes, exams, and labs.. these are KEY to important information you may utilize later on.
• Keep all text books if you are able to get by without selling them back... these have been great resources for my dissertation!

For my Masters degree 2nd year project, comprehensive exams, and dissertation writing, I have referenced my notes, books, and cohort! You will utilize every piece of information you learn from your first year, through the last course you take, especially in graduate school! Good luck my friends!

Social Media Time!!

Happy Tuesday fellow bloggers!! On this Educate Me Tuesday, I wanna talk about those pretty lil' social media buttons that most (if not all) of us have on our blogs! When I first started out blogging back in January, I saw that most of you guys have a Facebook page, a Twitter page, a Pinterest page, email and so on. So I decided to create a Facebook page just for my blog... I already had a Twitter and Pinterest page, which I felt comfortable sharing those personal social media sites with the rest of the bloggy blog world! Besides posting links for my current posts on my Facebook page, it's another great way to create traffic with new readers, which many of you already know.

BUT, what if your number of "Likes" on your Facebook page is stuck? Or how bout the number of followers on your Twitter? How about those fancy stats on your blogger page? Do you notice the pageviews changing? Or even notice anything at all??

I really didn't pay any mind to these things for a few different reasons... (1) I have no clue what those statistics mean (pageviews per browser... blah blah), and (2) I really started this blog so I can stop and appreicate the small things! BUT I honestly didn't think that I would be so wrapped up in this amazing blogging world with ah-mazzzzzing beautiful people! Now it's actually one of the best part of my days... to see what you all write each day, AND to meet new bloggers and discover their hot topics!!

SO... after talking to a superb friend of mine from grad school, he shared with me one of his own websites he created... which has an ultimate goal of helping you get more more traffic on your website, through the social media websites we all have... Facebook and Twitter. He can help you increase your LIKES and FOLLOWERS so that you're getting more exposure and traffic through your blog!! Check it out!! The Facebook page is www.CustomFacebook.biz and the Twitter page is www.CustomTwitter.biz. They don't need any passwords for either page... just your link to your social media site!

Check it out, and see what you think! Anybody else have other ideas for increasing your traffic? This is all still new to me, and I'm still super excited about my Sponsor Swaps!! Holler at your gooorl if you're interested :)

The Fame Game!!

Happy Tuesday my frannnnds!! On this Educate Me Tuesday, I'm gonna educate you on my fave reads of all time. So.... Guess what today is?? The day for The Fame Game to go on sale! WOOOOOOP!! Unless you pre-ordered it already, you can buy a copy for yourself here on Amazon!! I'm so excited to read The Fame Game, and see how Madison Parker's lying and deceiving bites her in the butt!

As you all may know by now, I am a ride or die fan of Lauren Conrad, and have been reading her books since the first one came out! Since I can't enjoy my guilty pleasure of watching The Hills (wahhhh), I was ooberly excited when she started writing her own books!! They're based off of real events, but she uses fictional characters (which I can pretty much paint a picture of who from The Hills is Jane, Scarlett, Madison, and the rest of the crew). If you haven't picked up L.A. Candy, Sweet Little Lies, or Sugar and Spice, turn off your computer, ditch school and work (ok so if you can't... just go after), and pick up the books already!! 

She even has a Style book out that is filled with great tips on fashion! I love looking at those pictures she included in this book! And now you can get it in paperback!

Andddddd.... here's a sneak peak at Lauren on the Wendy William's Show... love her and her beachy long waves!! (yes... that's a NOW picture of Spencer... ewww)

Here are Lauren's tour dates... check out when she'll be in your hood and tell her I sent ya :) hahahaha

TAG!

Happy Tuesday lovely readers! And it's an Educate Me Tuesday celebrated with a bit of Q&A about me and this bloggy blog! So sit back and educate yourself on some of my history :)

I was tagged by Momma B on some Q&A time, which I am dying to get to! Momma B is such a cute blog... I love seeing pictures of her baby boy and her TO DIE for recipes!! Check her out!

Not only do I wanna share these answers with you, but I really want this chance to ask YOU guys some questions! Here we go!

The rules:

* Post these rules

* Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you

* Create 11 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag

* Tag 11 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)

Here are the questions I received:

1. When did you start blogging?

I just started blogging January of this year!

2. What made you start your blog?

I wanted to reflect back on things I'm grateful for each and every day... I also wanted to capture the little things that were important throughout my days, but seem to get lost when school and work becomes chaotic.... I blog to live in the moment!

3. What do you like to read about on other people's blogs?

I love to read and look at fashion posts, LOVEEEE DIY projects, and my love for photography is growing by the second!! Not that I'm a good photographer or anything, but I love admiring other peoples' work of art!

4. Have you ever regretted anything you've blogged?

NOPE!

5. What state/country are you from?

I'm from CALI-for-NI-AYE!

6. Where was the last place you went on vacation?

Western Samoa last June, and it was pure bliss!

7. Would you go back?

Of course! Back to visit family and to eat my liver away with all that scrummy cultural food! :)

8. Where's your favorite place to shop?

H&M, Nordstrom, Forever 21, and Kohl's (just for LC Lauren Conrad's line)

9. What's your favorite nail polish?

OPI Pink-A-Doodle

10. Are you a 'pinner'?

Am I?!?! Pshhhht I'm offended by this question (joking). Check me out here!

11. Have you ever done anything you've pinned? Make a recipe/project/etc...

Sho have!! And the list keeps growing... my fave is the DIY jewelry holder here:

I'm tagging:Kara @ Styled With LifeSimone @ Busy as a Honey BeeAshlyn @ let it be beautifulLiz @ Liz's Lovely LifeCeleste @ Life as TwiggyMichelle @ The Vintage AppleLeigh Anne @ Hart to HeartSteph @ Steph's Sweet LifeLindsey @ Sensible NonsenseBrooke @ The Soon Ohana
And here's what I wanna know... if you aren't able to keep the tagging post going, no worries, but I would still la la love to hear your answers! Let's get to know each other gals!
1.  What high school did you graduate from?2.  What's the most exciting post you have done to date?3.  Who is your blog-bestie?4.  What would you do for the rest of your life (if money wasn't an issue)?5.  Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?6.  Do you have any dogs? If so, POST a pic!7.  What's the first blog you started reading (like daily)?8. Who's your celebrity crush?9.  What show MUST you watch (or else your week falls apart)?10.  Do you have any brothers and/or sisters?11.  What inspires you? 

Happy Spring!!

Happy Educate me Tuesday! And a today marks a Spring a Ling for us all! Although it may not seem like the first official day of Spring with rain and dark clouds outside right now, I'm poppin off the first day of Spring with some of my fav fashion statements I am dying to get my hands on SOON!!

Time to bring out the dresses (withOUT tights I hope!)

Color blocking

Pastels and bows

Neons

Gold and pastels

Nothing but FLORAL!

Bright colored sheer

Wearing Easter colors all Spring long

Can't abandon my PINK!

What are your favorite Spring trends??

Let's plan, shall we?

Well good morning my frannnns! On this Educate me Tuesday, I wanted to take a minute and praise the single most important book in our lives (of course after the Bible!)... I never leave home without it, and I shop for purses based around if they would fit this handy-doodie book! So what is it? Guesses?..... it's my ORGANIZER! I don't care how many versions of iCalendars I have on my iPhone, Mac, iPad or even the calendars on MS Outlook! Nothing... I mean nothing beats writing down due dates, birthdays, anniversaries, important events, graduation deadlines, etc. with your favorite pen (yes I have one and it's been the same since freshman year in undergrad college!) in your trusty organizer!

BTW... if you have never picked up one of these bad boys, you MUST try one out... you will fall head over heels with how smooth this pen writes!! I've owned maybe 5 in my schooling experience... same color and same gel ink... I just replace one when it's lost or even taken!

I have always used notebook sized organizers because they give you so much space to write details on specific dates. Until...I discovered awesome possum Franklin Covey organizers!! LOVEEEED this thing, and still do! They come in all sorts of styles and colors, they have detailed lines that will help you prioritize certain tasks, they have tabbed sections for passwords, websites, finances, addresses and phone numbers, and sooo much more!

Of course, being in college meant being on a budget, which Franklin Covey sho did NOT fit in! BUT... I worked for an awesome bank for about 3 years, and one day we were ordering office supplies, and the Service Manager who took care of ordering asked us if there was anything else she thought we needed for the office. Bad news to hand over that Staples booklet with everything you can possibly think of! BOOOM! There it was... a maroon colored Franklin Covey that buttoned instead of zipped (my preference for snap styled at the time).... and so I joked around and added a Franklin Covey organizer on her list and handed it over to her. She immediately laughed.... but she didn't say what I thought she would say, like "nice try!" She asked if that's what I really wanted, and I told her WITH ALL MY HEART! ... and this sweet manager ordered it for me. She told me that she was proud I was in school and working, and if a Franklin Covey helped motivate me, then that it shall be!

That was almost 10 years ago, and I have been buying refills for that organizer SINCE. The best thing was that I didn't have to break my pocket when it came time to buy new refills... they totes sell them at Target!! They have monthly refills, weekly refills, plain and even fancy shmancy ones with floral designs!

It's so durable and user friendly which makes it so hard for me to say goodbye to it!

Moral of the blog post is to find an organizer/planner that best suites you, and don't just buy it to buy it! Use it and abuse it! Utilize every section and line in that thang! Get organized with school and life... for it's a lot to juggle!

Keep in Touch!!

Happy Tuesday! And NO... I'm not going anywhere, although my title may seem that way (how can I leave the bloggy blog world now that I just gotta new blog-over?!)

In the midst of all the chaos my dissertation is bringing me, I am so thankful!! For what?... for the relationships I have established over the years of my life. Whether it be from family, friends, school, work, blogging, wherever!!!

As a graduate student, I've been told over and over again that my cohort was going to be by far the most important group of people to keep in contact with. Of the many times I've been told that, I remember the first time crystal clear! I was sitting in Organizational Theory in my first year of grad school, and my professor told us all to look around the room closely.... for these are the most important network you will need from here on out. I thought to myself, "of course they are... we'll be going through THE hardest papers, exams, and projects together!"

But I realize what my professor meant when she stated that. That cohort went through every step of the process alongside me... from start to finish (well almost finish for me). Nobody can ever know the hardships of grad school like my cohort does. For that reason, I am beyond grateful to have built those friendships while in school. They have helped me get through the hardships of coursework... and are still helping me today through my data collection process for dissertation.

My point? Cherish your network of people. Keep in touch with your former co-workers, especially if you share a few lunch breaks together, and possibly more! Call one of your cohorts you went to school with and ask how they're enjoying their new job. Catch up with a long lost high school friend by simply sending a quick email or Facebook message. The littlest things count... when I hear from someone who I haven't heard in forever, I am ecstatic!

Those people that have helped pave the way to where you are today should never be forgotten!