Our new home

Welcome to our new apartment.

We've officially lived here since Friday and I couldn't be happier about it. This complex is much more of a community feel and not so much of the "party scene, all college kids" atmosphere. The move went really smoothly as we tried to be as ready and organized as possible. ($0.97 Home Depot boxes are awwwwesome!) It all paid off because it made it super easy to get completely unpacked and settled in ASAP. Since Ollie coming home depended on the fact that we got everything put away first, we definitely didn't care to stay up late and get it done! There are a few places in the apartment that still need a little decorating but here's what we have for now.

Black and white bedroom with a hint of red from the bathroom. I need to do something else in here but I'm not sure what at this point. Suggestions anyone?

This is our front door. We are in the process of training Ollie to ring a bell when he has to pee so I thought I'd make it prettier than just a bell on a string.

There's a ledge right when you come in our front door that makes the perfect pile your stuff here display location. I'm planning on getting some decorative flowers to go in our J wine bottle to add a little height to the spot.

I got the idea to store your extra candles in a decorative jar from Ikea. I love that it's pretty and practical at the same time. I purchased a 36 pack of candles in three different scents and I like how you can see the different colors.

Our kitchen is pretty small but I actually like it better than our old one. The only thing that isn't the best is that we don't have a microwave built into the apartment so ours has to sit awkwardly on the counter. I might try to decorate around it so it's not as obvious?

I used three pictures from our recent trip to Antigua to decorate our dining room and separate it from the living room. Hobby Lobby had some great blue distressed frames on clearance that I had to get. The center picture was purchased from the man who took my sister's senior pictures and the other two are pictures that I took myself. They're fun and bright and provide a nice centering environment for our table.

I can't wait until we have our own, non-rented place so we can really do whatever we want but for now this works for me. It works for me, it works for Jeff and most importantly, it works for Ollie. Does anyone have any tips for decorating apartments? How have you made those white walls feel like home?

Life of a pup

Hello, my name is Ollie. My mom and dad came to pick me up this morning so I could go to my home.

I am a wonderful car rider. I like to look out the windows and chew on the towel on the seat. Aren't you proud that I didn't cry or pee or puke the whole drive home? The drive from San Diego to Denver should be a breeze with me in the back seat!

I wasn't a fan of the grass at first; it's wet and feels different than the concrete but I'm getting used to it. I'm still trying to work on my scratching technique so I stop putting my foot in my mouth or missing my head completely.

Mom likes to take my picture. I like the camera, I really do.

Dad likes to wrestle in the grass with me. But beware, I have needle teeth right now.

I swear there's another dog in my home. He follows me and I try to bark at him. Are mom and dad cheating on me already?

I like my new toys but they're a little big for my tiny teeth for now. I do have a chicken that I'm very fond of and mom gave me an ice cube after our walk, it was awesome. Can you lay as silly as me?

Yes, I love to nap. Got home, then napped. Went outside to pee, had lunch, then napped. Went on a walk, then napped. That's 3 naps already people. What can I say, I'm a growing boy.

It's been a good, long, curious day today but I think we all agree....

I love our new family.

On growing up

So maybe I'm just a big baby or a sob or a freak or anything else you want to call it but..... this song literally makes me tear up every single time I listen to it. Which is odd because it's not even a sad song.

"Oh, you go so much going for you, going right..."

I know everyone has some times in their high school and teen years where things aren't perfect and you have your doubts and you have your low points. But there's just something about this song that really touches my heart. It's like the words are exactly what I would tell myself sophomore/junior/senior year of high school if I could right now. (Minus the part about taking girls out for dates.)

I feel like I can picture myself as the 17-year-old-Brad in this song. Not knowing where to go. Not knowing what to do. Being stuck thinking this is all it's going to be. Not feeling like you're supported or you're doing the right things. Just wishing someone would tell you the things he says in this song. And so maybe that's the reason I usually end up with streaming tears by the end of the song.... Because I was able to do those things on my own in those years and can say that I am successful now because of them. I truly love this song.

You got so much up ahead, you'll make new friends

You should see your kids and wife

And I'd end by saying have to fear

These are nowhere near the best years of your life...

*On a completely different note, I'm so happy I have 20 followers now! Happy, happy, happy dance! I love all my followers and I'm so glad you've all stuck around/joined in the first place. Thanks to Meg @ [Life of Meg] for mentioning on her blog so welcome anyone who's stopping by from there. Hope to keep growing :-)

Summer Color

This is the newest polish purchase for the summer so I thought I'd do a review. We always get a new color in the summer time because we have more time to do our nails and more time to show them off. (We is my mom, sister and I by the way, not the bf.) Ulta was having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale while I was at home so we jumped on it. The sale was for OPI, Essie, and Piggy Polish but unfortunately you couldn't get different brands. I personally love Essie polishes lately but they're colors were slightly "too adult" according to my younger sister. We decided on Piggy Polish from there because, well, OPI is more expensive than Piggy. Plus it comes with a cute embellishment which is always a good thing. Mom was treating so we were fine with the decision.

I've never owned Piggy Polish before so this was a new trial for me and I have to say I'm happy with it overall. I decided on Daylilly's and Music because it's a fresh, somewhat neutral, but still fun color. I own few polishes that aren't red/pink/golden so I figured why not change it up.

The polish is a little thin (or maybe I'm just not good at painting my nails) because I had to put on three coats for it to be the right shade. It gets that see-through look where you can see all the imperfections if you don't do three. I painted both my toes and my fingers because it's a great color for both. I love the mint-green shade and I'm very happy I stepped out of my "pink polish box." Piggy Polish gets two green thumbs up :-)

First Coat

Second Coat

Third Coat

Ollie!

Everyone, meet our new baby boy, Ollie.

We drove 45 minutes to go look at him and his 2 brothers & 3 sisters this afternoon. We've known we wanted one for a long time but I never actually thought we'd pick our boy TODAY! Since we're moving at the end of next week, we weren't actually able to take him home yet but none the less, he's ours. We picked our boy because... well... he's the pick of the litter. (And yes, that's even what the breeder said!) But seriously, we picked him because he was the biggest boy; big paws, big head, and a chubber! Too cute!

They love the water already I guess and are so sweet and cuddly. We met his momma and papa (papa's HUGE by the way), paid our deposit, and marked his ear with a blue sharpie. It's like the seal of purchase, he's officially ours!

Can you tell I'm excited!?! 8 days till we bring him home.

Things are a changin'

Things have really been going great lately. I've been busy but a controlled busy which is doing wonders for my stress level. I've been able to get things done that need to be while also doing things I enjoy.

I've made somewhat of a dent on our packing endeavor so that hopefully next week isn't so crazy. I can't wait to move into our new place. It will most likely be a lot of work with the actual move, getting as much done ourselves before the movers come, cleaning our old apartment top to bottom, and getting all settled in but at least it's summer. I'm really excited, like I've mentioned on my blog before, about getting a fresh, new slate to decorate. We're hoping to add a new area rug to our living room and I hope to change around our art work for a new theme. Hopefully we can add some organization stuff to keep the apartment less cluttered/more... well... organized. I'm dreaming of a bookshelf and some cute-sie racks for our kitchen.

I admit that I've been watching way too many reruns and marathons of Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami, Real Housewives NJ, and Bethany's Getting Married? (Please don't judge me but I love these shows.) I just finished reading New Moon (again, stop with the judging eyes) and really enjoyed it. I hope to take more time for reading as I never get a chance to while the semester is in full swing. I hope to repaint my nails later today and enjoy the face that it's summer.

Things with the whole applying to medical school are really getting close. I just got in my last letter of recommendation which means I'm done with those parts. Yesterday I finished entering in all my previous coursework which is definitely a busy-work process. Not hard, just time consuming. I have a bit more proofreading to do for the rest of it but hopefully there's not much that needs changing. I will know my MCAT scores by next Tuesday which is the last piece of the puzzle. From there I will officially decide on my school list and press the dreaded/scary/nerve-racking SUMBIT button. Eeek!

Today I officially... got a job! Yay! I will be a nanny/mommy's helper for an adorable family in the area. I will work 6:45/7am to about 8/8:30am Monday through Friday helping get the two adorable girls up in the morning, fed, dressed, and dropped off at preschool. It'll only total about 6 hours a week I think but I'll be making more money than I am currently... $Zero. Plus, what a simple job. The girls are super cute and really friendly towards new people so that should make the adjustment easy. I'll get holidays off and might work extra hours/get references for other families. I'm very excited to start Monday.

The countdown is officially started for puppy time! We plan on getting all settled into our new apartment, meaning everything unpacked and put away before we bring our new baby home. But even so, it's most likely 2ish weeks away. We've started looking in Classified adds and hope to start checking them out soon. While I was at Ikea today I bought two awesome, silver bowls and it got me even more excited. And the best news, I think we decided on a name. Our new family member is going to be Ollie, the golden retriever :-D

FOTD and new bronzer

Confession: I have never owned a bronzer. Yes I know, impossible right! But so very true. I've always wanted one but never knew which one to get/how to use it/if I'd like it and I didn't really want to spend the money on something I wasn't sure about. But when I was at Target recently I decided, you know what, it's about time I just get one already. Since this is the first in my collection, I decided to go a little bit on the cheaper side and purchased...

Cover Girl TruBlend Mineral Bronzer in Golden Sunrise #435

Top: Non-blended

Bottom: Blended with round brush

In direct Sunlight

In normal lighting

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. I don't use the puff that came with the bronzer because there's not as much control in application with it. I use a small, round blush brush instead. I think it's a little more shimmery/sparkly than other bronzers so it can be a little much if worn over your whole face or over too much other make-up. But since it's summer and my whole reasoning for this purchase was to minimize the amount of face make-up I'm wearing, I'm totally okay with using it sparingly. It makes my morning look super easy as I've removed foundation and blush from my routine. My cheeks are naturally pretty rosy and it does just enough to tone it down without looking too "caked-on."

Today's make-up:

~ Bronzer on cheeks, nose and lightly on forehead

~ Gold tinted eye shadow on whole eyelids

~ Mascara on top lashes only

~ Clear shimmer lip gloss

Done and done! How easy is that? And for a day getting stuff done, running errands, and going to the gym... perfect!

Getting to Know Me

Today I'm playing Getting to Know You from Keely at Mannland so enjoy....

1. What is your definition of sexy?

Being comfortable with who you are with the people that you love. If that means wearing sweats and eating popcorn while sitting on the couch, or getting dolled up for a night on the town, if you carry yourself with the "I'm happy with who I am" air then you are sexy.

2. Would you rather clean up puke or change a poopy diaper?

Definitely poopy diaper.... I have to assume that the diaper would be one of a babies? Which would mean a controlled, and hopefully smaller amount of poo than any random persons puke. Who knows what you'd find that wasn't fully digested. Yuck.

3. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I'd like to say that I'm both, depending on the situation and who I'm with. If I absolutely had to pick though, I'd say introvert.

4. If you had to give up one of your 5 senses for a year.... which one would you give up?

None preferably but I'd choose taste.... not because I don't love taste but because everything else would be so much harder and worse.

5. Cake or Pie?

Pie... hands down... but only fruit pies. None of that cream pie business. Give me a cherry/mixed berry/apple pie and I'm sold.

6. If you could play any character on TV (old or current) who would you play?

Dr. Neela Rasgotra from ER. She is exactly the type of med student, resident, and doctor I want to be.

7. My favorite website is....

The winner goes to Facebook.... not simply because I love it so much but because I'm on it the most. I love seeing what's going on in people's lives. It's closely followed by Barnes & Nobel and Better Homes & Gardens.

8. The highlight of my day is....

Falling asleep. Seriously. I think I have an addiction to sleep because there's no place better than the soft bed under the covers.

on a week in pictures

- Stop by my 365 Project tab, seen above, and check out my newest picture uploads. I've been taking lots of pictures with it being the holiday weekend and such and had a tough time picking out my favs. It was a little easier to decide since I didn't know how my friends would feel if the picture had their face in it so I eliminated those from the runnings.

- The Forth of July weekend was a success at The Lake. When I say "the lake" I'm specifically referring to Reservoir 14 or something of that manner (to be honest I don't actually know the correct name) but around here with our friends, it's simply, The Lake. I was pushed off the boat, caught a horseshoe with my shin (on accident people), got hit with a sparkler in the cheek, consumed far too much Skittles Vodka/Blue Moon/Pinot Grigio, and had zero mosquito bites. Needless to say I came home black and blue but can still mark this weekend off as a success. Happy Late Forth of July everyone.

- I am spending the rest of the week at my lovely home with my family and friends. We're headed to the best water park on Thursday and are getting in a baseball game on Friday. Go Rockies! Beat those Padres! Among other things, I'll be plenty busy this week for sure.

- To all the people who still read my blog, thank you, thank you, thank you! I know I said that once my MCAT was done that I'd be more consistent but being home and it finally feeling like summer has made blogging fall on the priority list. Things will be back to normal soon and I promise to try harder. A little shout out to my newest follower *yay* because really, I appreciate you all so much.