I’m a big girl now!

So, back in my introduction I had mentioned how I wanted to be a hair stylist but needed to figure out a way to pay for it all and such. Well yesterday I finally said “enough is enough” and went to talk to someone at my local Cosmetology school about enrollment. All I gotta say is “Why did I take so long?!”

Basically I qualify for a government grant that covers half of my tuition and I can still work while going to school FULL TIME. So as of August 1 I will officially be attending Capri Institute!

I spent all morning filling out my enrollment and registration packet. They need copies of everything from tax information to copies of my birth certificate and driver’s license. Such a pain in the ass that FAFSA is, let me tell you. But I’m more than happy to get it all together ASAP so I can be registered. For 10 months I will attend class Monday thru Friday, 9am-3pm. Once I’m halfway done with the program I get a permit from the State of New Jersey so I can start working in salons. After 10 months I’ll be a fully licensed Cosmetologist! I’m so proud of myself and I hope these next few months fly by so I can start learning already.

<3

ps: it’s practically a monsoon outside. I love it!

Lose Yourself

Something clicked for Dan and I when we got home from Hawaii. I’m not sure if it was just eating like crap for too long or what, but we needed a change and we needed one fast. So, we buckled down hardcore as soon as we got home. I got a gym membership. Dan dove headfirst into P90X. Trips to the grocery store for healthy food. Instead of getting off work and grabbing White Castle (yum Mozz sticks) I started grilling up chicken and veggies and keeping them in the fridge for easy reheating. Instead of waking up and going to Dunkin’ Donuts, I started making time to cook up eggs. Instead of sleeping in on my mornings off, I now get up early and get my butt to the gym. We’ve given ourself a few cheat days (SuperBowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day dinner, etc), but we’ve been very disciplined and doing it together makes it even better. Knowing I have someone counting on me to eat right keeps me on track, and I know Dan is counting on me too.

It’s hard. Going to the gym sucks the first few weeks. I can’t believe how out of shape I let myself get. But once I started feeling better and noticing some small changes in my body it keeps me wanting more. I ended up having to take 2 weeks off from the gym for medical reasons, but I’m already down five pounds in the month we’ve been home from Hawaii and I feel great. I know five pounds isn’t a lot, but I’m a small person so I’ll take it. And keeping up with eating good while not working out wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. I can’t wait to see where I’m at in another 30 days!

…and then there’s Dan. After 1 month of eating well and working out he’s already down 20 pounds! I can totally see it in his face and he looks so wonderful. I love him no matter what but I know he feels so good and it makes him that much more attractive. I’m incredibly proud of him.

Lovefool

I love Valentine’s Day. I’m not one of those people who bitches that it’s a corporate created holiday made just to make the card companies rich. I think it’s adorable. Candy and chocolates and jewelry is silly but I think the idea is great. Of course Dan and I show each other love every day…but why not a little extra on February 14th?

Since Dan and I had to work at the restaurant on Valentine’s Day (majorly busy = majorly money) we didn’t really get to do much that day. So we waited until Thursday when we both had a night (and the next morning) off. We had planned on going to Legal Seafoods. But Dan had different things in mind. He got us a reservation at The Capital Grille, a super nice steakhouse that measures up to Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris. I was in awe. I didn’t think it was possible, but each course was better than the next.

Calamari, lobster bisque, the most amazing French Onion soup in the world, seared tenderloin, more lobster, rack of lamb, sauteed spinach, parmesan truffle fries, creme brulee. The best part was they don’t sell wines by the glass so we got to order a whole bottle. And drink a whole bottle. Obviously I didn’t drive home lol. The server also gave us their signature drink on the house. It’s vodka that’s infused with pineapple for 2 weeks, then chilled and served up. It was like drinking Hawaii in a martini!

Dan also bought me this:

I had mentioned I wanted a rose gold watch and did he come through or what?! I’m totally in love with it. It’s so beautiful though…I don’t like wearing it to work.

I’ve loved Dan for 2 years, but lately I’ve been feeling extra smitten with him. It’s a wonderful thing<3

Aloha!

Long time no post!

What have I been up to in my absence? Oh you know…just island hopping!

In January my parents took us on the vacation of a lifetime. Dan and I were responsible for flying ourselves into Honolulu ($$$) and they provided the rest. And when I say they provided, THEY PROVIDED. Dan and I still can’t get over everything they did for us and we cannot thank them enough.

Since it was such a long flight from New Jersey to Honolulu my parents used their points to book us a room at the Moana Surfrider, one of the oldest and most amazing hotels in Waikiki.

Dan and I checked in and made a beeline straight for the beach bar. It was sunset and we managed to grab a table right next to the beach. After flying ALL DAY LONG we were ready for our first official Hawaiian Mai Tai and some pupus (appetizers).

The next morning we got on ANOTHER plane and flew into Kauai. The two places could not have been more different. Waikiki and Honolulu were very touristy and crowded, and Kauai was slow motion. A lot more locals and less tourists…my kind of pace.

Obligatory kissing shot.

Since we got in early in the morning my parents booked us our own rental car so we could drive around and explore until they landed that afternoon. We got to drive up the coast to Princeville (the town we stayed in for the duration of the trip) and also into Hanalei Bay, the cutest little town full of shops and restaurants and activities.

This is the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort & Villas. The best part was that each room had their own kitchens so my mom completely stocked the kitchen with food and booze. Lots of booze lol

My parents got in that night with my stepbrother and his girlfriend and from then on it was 7 days of exploring, relaxing, drinking, eating, visiting, snorkeling, swimming, and enjoying our vacation.

The boys did a Zipline tour one day, so me, my mom and Vanessa took a trip to the St. Regis for the most decadent pedicure ever.

I still can’t believe that we were able to experience such an incredible vacation, and I know if it wasn’t for my parents none of this would have happened. After spending 10 days in nothing but sun and sand coming home to snow was no fun…but now that means Dan and I get to plan for a vacation in 2012! Jamaica, anyone?

Happy Birthday!

Five years ago today my little love nugget Shmello was born. There are no words to describe the love I have for her. She loves me unconditionally and I’m so grateful she’s mine! I fully intend to take full advantage of my day off by making her birthday wonderful. She already ate some scrambled eggs and bits of leftover steak (thank you Outback) and she’s currently napping comfortably on the back of the couch. I wish it wasn’t raining so I could take her to the dog park. I know she’s a happy doggie and that’s all that matters.

9.27.05<3

New Addiction

Lately I have felt very uninspired when it comes to blogging. Trust me, every day I’m thinking about what I could blog about, or what I want to blog about, but nothing comes to mind. That’s why I’ve been M.I.A. for a few weeks. So I figured I’d write about what’s been rocking my world lately.

I recently created a PayPal account so I could bid on items all to my little hearts desire. My latest purchases? The Little Mermaid on DVD and a new sparkley iPhone case. I already had a black and white iPhone case, so I bought the same one in light pink. And my goal is once a month to purchase a Disney classic so I can build up my own personal Disney vault. I grew up on these masterpieces and the older I get the more I appreciate them. When I have children I want them to know and love them also so my next few buys will include Dumbo, Peter Pan and The Jungle Book.

Here are some more little gems I’ve recently acquired:

As you can tell I’m into building up my DVD collection right now. I guess I should start expanding my Ebay horizons!

A Hairy Situation

I was desperately in need of some hair TLC.

See:

Where do I begin? Too blonde. Needs a trim. Bad roots.

Srsly though…how bad do these bangs need to be trimmed!

I’d been managing to at least style it cute though.

Yesterday I finally did something about it. I went to see my dear friend Lisa and we made some changes! I wanted to go for a more natural dirty blonde look so we settled on adding some low lights. I’d also had side-swept bangs for over 5 years, so I decided to change those up to.

Voila!

She added lots of face framing layers too. I love how it looks when my hair is up.

We’re going to add more low lights next time. And she kept my bangs longer since I’m not used to baby doll bangs, but those will be a teensy bit shorter next time as well. After having the same hairstyle for so long, I’m ecstatic about switching it up finally!

Love Nest

After over a year of dating, Dan and I recently moved into our first apartment together. Apartment hunting in North Jersey a.k.a. the suburbs of NYC can be a bitch. But we stuck with it and found ourselves the upstairs of a 2 family house and WE LOVE IT. My favorite part is our huge living room, but for the past few months all we’ve had was the couch and the coffee table…no decor whatsoever. So while Dan was at work on Sunday I made a little trip to Kohl’s and Target to spruce up the place.

I got the rug, the throw pillows, the end table, the candles, the frame, etc. All for some really good prices. I don’t think I paid full price for any of it!

We didn’t have any pictures of us up, so I had some 1-hour photo done at Rite Aid and now we have some framed prints!

I got this collage at Kohl’s for like $10, but I ran out of horizontal prints. That’s why there’s a blank space on the top left. I need to make another Rite Aid trip.

I found these adorable throw pillows with a circle design on sale at Kohl’s, and found a matching placemat at Target with the same circle design!

I love our tv (hello, hi def). We just need more books to fill up the bookcase!

(yes, I watch SpongeBob).

This is our desk. It’s pretty bare right now, but I’ll work on that. I found a beautiful french memo board I’m going to hang above the desk, and I need to get new desk chairs. Those current ones are our kitchen chairs. Eeep!

The rest of the apartment is not photograph ready. I have so many ideas for the bedroom but will work on that at another time. For now I’ll leave you with a picture of the favorite part of our apartment: the adorable vintage sink!:

(don’t mind the dishes)

Ciao!

Poke A Nose

Boyfriend suggested a little mid-week getaway to play and relax since I’ve had such a crazy week. He had the perfect idea that I immediately said yes to: CASINO!

I don’t know what it is about casinos that just gets to me. The pretty sparkly lights? The sounds? The free drinks? Whatever it is, I absolutely adore being in casinos. Dan had heard about a new casino that opened up in the Poconos in Pennsylvania so we knew right away that was the one we wanted to check out. Of course the hum of the road immediately put me down for a nap, but we made it there in no time.

This is the Mt. Airy Casino:

It was situated right on a golf course and it was so pretty! Dan immediately made a beeline for the poker room so I headed over to the slot machines. I managed to turn $40 into $80 but money can go quickly, even on a penny slot so I worked my way over to my favorite game ever:

Roulette! It has the worst odds for payout, I know. The House ALWAYS wins. I really can’t help but playing it though. I always play the same numbers and yesterday all my numbers hit! I played 26 because you always have to bet the age you’re going to be so I won there. And I always bet 2 (Derek Jeter) and that hit and 4 did too so when I walked away I had turned $20 into $161!!!

When Dan was all finished in the poker room we headed over to La Sorelle Cucina, the Italian restaurant in the casino. It was so dark and romantic and there was a guy playing acoustic guitar for all the diners.

After such a long week at work Dan and I definitely needed some play time. Gambling and fine dining definitely did the trick!

Introductions are in order!

So seeing as this is my first REAL post I figured I would introduce you to a few of the most important things in my life.

This would be me. I’m 25. Scary. I was born and raised in California, but now enjoy four seasons in New Jersey. I live in a cozy apartment with my boyfriend of over a year and our puppy dog. He is Dan, she is Shmello. A family is a family is a family and although mine is small, I absolutely adore it.

I work. A LOT. I bartend and serve at Outback Steakhouse (barf) and also work at Hollywood Tans. They’re jobs, not my career. But in this economy, I’ll take anything I can get. I’m currently figuring out how financial aid would work for me so I can start attending cosmetology school. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life, but now that I know I’m excited.  As soon as I can figure out how to balance school AND two jobs AND pay for it all I’ll be all over it.

I also love sleeping, reading, drinking wine and eating sushi, traveling and spending time with family and friends. The family part is hard seeing as how they’re all in California (3,000 miles away is NOT fun) but I’m grateful that I get to see them as often as I do. Of course it’s not enough but the time I do get is magical.

So in a very small nutshell, that would be me.

Stay tuned for more!