Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Wednesday Ramblings...

Good Afternoon,

I was planning on doing a wordless Wednesday and just putting a bunch of random pictures I found in my camera roll of my phone from lately but I decided against it. However the rest of the week is going to be quiet around here so I thought I should stop in and say something! I may finish the book I am reading by tomorrow (doubtful) and write about it but who knows.

If I haven't mentioned it we are going home tomorrow for a long weekend, and let me just say it is MUCH needed. I am really over being here and I just want to go home for awhile. Sadly this job isn't actually over and we will be coming back for a few weeks but none the less its a welcome break! I booked dentist appointments for Friday morning which is great because we need to go but at the same time we aren't going to get in until probably really late on Thursday and our appointments are at 8am on Friday morning so we will have to leave just before 7:30am.. and if you know me at all you know I am NOT a morning person!



The week has been pretty boring, its SUPER hot and therefore we've been having the occasional thunderstorm or just rain. Truth be told they call for severe thunderstorms and then we get 10 minutes of rain and thunder and its over. I'm always so disappointed because I really love a good thunderstorm!

Anyways I just don't have much to say this week, I am having a really hard time falling asleep for some reason and I just feel tired this week. We have a few things planned while we are at home so maybe while we are there I will blog about it.

In the meantime.. if you have a minute hit up Starbucks and get yourself one of these...


I went into Starbucks the other day which I honestly rarely do anymore but I needed a peach green tea lemonade.. while I was in line this miserable woman in front of me was holding up the whole line and being extremely rude to the person taking her order, I had some time in front of the display case of goods and this gem caught my eye. Its a frappucino sugar cookie with chocolate on top. First can I just say.. the cookie is soft!!! I took a bite and I was seriously in heaven, so I saved it to share with Jason because it was too good not to! Trust me treat yo self and get one!!

Alright I am going to get some things done, I am pretty much packed to go home but I was to get some other stuff together that we will be taking because we brought way more stuff than we actually needed and I don't plan on being here much longer after we return! 

Ok I'm just rambling! Have a great rest of the week and weekend!!!

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived By Maria Housden - A Book Review

Good Morning,

I started writing a book review for a book that I recently read and I got about half way through if not more and decided the let it be for awhile because I think the book itself could be a little controversial as well as my thoughts on the book so I decided to hold off for awhile. But no fear I have been flying through books and therefore I have a back up ready to go.

I will tell you right off the bat if you read this book you will sob hysterically, I speak from experience. None the less I actually think it is a book worth reading and I am about to tell you why.



Here is the synopsis from goodreads.com: 

Every once in a while a book comes along that can change your life–a book so special, it is destined not just to be read but to be cherished, to be passed from one reader to another as a precious gift. Filled with wisdom and grace, tears and laughter, Hannah’s Gift is one such book. Within these pages Maria Housden shares the transformative lessons in living she received from her three-year-old daughter Hannah, who brought courage, honesty, and joy to her struggle with cancer. 


During the last year of her short life, Hannah was fearless in the way she faced death–and irrepressibly joyful in the way she approached living. The little girl who wore her favorite red Mary Janes into the operating room changed the life of everyone who came in contact with her. Now, in a book that preserves Hannah’s indomitable spirit, Maria Housden offers the gift of her daughter’s last year to all of us. 

In a lyrically told narrative, both moving and unforgettable, Housden recounts Hannah’s battle with cancer in simple, straightforward language that transcends grief and fear to become a celebration. From Hannah’s story emerge five profound lessons–of truth, joy, faith, compassion, and wonder–that have the power to change our lives. 

During her illness Hannah showed how we can truly live in the moment and break free from lives suffocated by too many unlived joys. Even more memorable is the message Hannah delivered after her death to those she loved–a message of hope for anyone faced with the deepest questions of life and death.

Hannah’s Gift nourishes the soul with an ageless wisdom all the more invaluable for having come from someone so young. A remarkable story, remarkably told, it will bring comfort to anyone touched by loss, and renewed faith in the 
power of love.

Closing her eyes and extending her arms, Hannah began to dance. Oblivious to everything but the shoes on her feet, she skipped and clicked across the floor, twirling in circles, faster and faster. There was something about her pure joy and the defiant nobility of the red shoes that caught everyone’s attention....

The true measure of a life is not its length but the fullness with which it is lived.

I'm not going to lie I don't have a clue where I got this book from and when I picked up up out of the box of books that I have here I knew it was going to be trouble. Its a really quick read, I read it in a couple of hours and let me tell you.. while reading it I literally felt my heart breaking. 

I considered taking a picture the other night while reading it because it was almost comical.. Jason was sound asleep curled up beside me and I was sitting in bed with my book light hysterically sobbing, I kid you not. In the end I decided that I should be thankful I was alone in my ridiculousness. 

After reading the above to paragraphs you are already thinking "why would I read this book?" but you really should. This book is raw and real and takes you insides a families struggles that maybe we could never relate to and might also sadly hit too close to home for you. There is no sugar coating the bad things that happen to this family but there are lessons to be taken from how they band together to deal. 

I have to say I admire the honesty of this family, they never lied to their son about his sisters condition nor did they lie to Hannah who was only 3 about her condition being fatal and the things she was about to face. As parents I'm sure it was their first instinct to protect Hannah and their son Will from the harsh realities of their life but in the end they decided on honesty, they decided Hannah deserved to live her time here on earth knowing it would soon end and that Will deserved to make the most of every moment he had with Hannah, just as they were. 

Although the book is narrated by the mother and therefore her perspective of their lives at this time Hannah was the most amazing presence, for such a young child she handled every obstacle thrown her with will elegance, class and maybe a little bit of sass. This child was wise beyond her years and left an unimaginable impression on all of those who were lucky enough to meet her in her short time here on earth. 

Hannah's death was a tragedy, an unspeakable loss that sadly too many parents face. The book not only depicts the struggle of Hannah's cancer diagnosis, her battle and death but also the real struggle her parents endured after losing her. The how can I live without her, the on the floor in a ball crying until you run out of the tears, and the I can do this because as long as I keep her alive in my heart and home she'll always be with me. 

Is the book sad, hell yes! Will you cry your face off? I would pretty much bet on it. Will you finish the book feeling you are so glad you read it? Absolutely. 

This book was so eloquently written and what a strong woman Maria Housden is for writing it, I finished this book feeling so much admiration for the amazing woman and mother she is. You have no idea what you would do when faced with a situation like this and I pray none of you are.. but this woman did the best she knew how and I think she was incredible!

I hope you guys had a great weekend! Thank you as always for stopping by! I am going to try and get some posts written early this week because we are heading home for a long weekend this weekend and I couldn't be more excited!!!! I am sooo over this freakin' job and a little southern livin' is exactly what this girl needs! 



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Friday, June 19, 2015

Birchbox Finds & Review

Good Morning,

As you know I have been getting Birchbox for quite some time and on the months that I receive them I try and make a point to come here and share what I got inside that months box and then I try to come back after I have used them and let you know what I think and if I think they are worth purchasing and if I would purchase them in full size. I cant remember the last time I wrote one of these posts and I was flipping through my note book of all things blog and noticed that I had written down reviews for a few products and I thought I would stop by and share my thoughts with you today! I know that Birchbox is widespread these days and so many people get them, I would love to hear what you guys are receiving and what you think of the products as well.

I would also like to state that these are my personal opinions, beauty products are so individualized and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Just because I don't like something or if I love something it definitely doesn't mean you will feel the same way.

So lets get into it!

1. Marcelle Gentle Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes.


This product is a hypoallergenic formula that's tough on even long-lasting makeup but gentle on eyes. It retails for $15 for a full size bottle. 

I have to say I didn't find this stuff to be gentle on my eyes, my eyes are pretty sensitive but overall I found when I used it my eyes would start stinging. This is an oil based formula which sadly is just not for me, I don't like the way it feels on my skin at all and so for me this is not something that I would consider purchasing after I have used my sample. If you have dry skin this would most likely be a great product for you because its oil based its not going to dry you out more like some makeup removers can do. I do think this product worked, the formula just wasn't for me. 

2. Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo


This product has vitamin-rich botanicals that gently purify hair while restoring lost moisture & shine. Work small amounts into a lather with damp hands, apply to wet hair and then rinse. You can purchase this product ranging in price from $32.00-$72.00.

Sadly this product wasn't for me either, I wont lie I am not keen on getting shampoo samples anymore but none the less I always give them a try and this one was probably the worst one I have ever gotten. Most of them smell good and work well but I just don't see a huge difference in them compared to a drugstore/cheaper one. This one in particular made me feel like I had mud in my hair, it was really hard to wash out and took a lot of rinsing, it didn't smell good at all. Honestly there was nothing at all that I liked about this product and I definitely would not purchase it nor would I recommend you do so! 

3. LAQA & CO Sheer Lip Lube Pencil - Shade "Honeypot"


This lip lube pencil is said to be perfect for spring, this high gloss, semi-sheer lip gloss glides on buttery smooth, has buildable pigment and smells minty fresh. You can purchase this product in full size for $20.00. 

I absolutely LOVE this product! I honestly wish that I had more of them in all the other colors because they are that good! I really love the color, they are right in their description that it is absolutely perfect for spring! It does have a buttery creamy texture when applied to your lips which is great because it also leaves your lips feeling moisturized! Lip products can come in all different scents but I feel like minty is a universal crowd pleaser and this one has a really fresh minty scent that leaves your lips feeling a little cold and tingly and I absolutely love it! I cant recommend this enough, especially because you can use it sheer or build it for lipstick opaqueness. 

4. Whish Shave Cream in Blueberry


A shea butter packed shaving cream with a delectable scent. You can purchase this product in full size for $20.00.

I have a mixed review on this, the one thing that I absolutely hated about this product was the smell. I don't know how I got blueberry when there were so many scents because blueberry is one scent that I absolutely cant stand. It didn't smell like fresh blueberries either it smelled like a candy blueberry scent and let me tell you guys, it was STRONG and it lingered after using it which because I hated the smell was not a good thing. Besides the scent though I really liked this, it was really moisturizing and if you have trouble with razor burn I think this would be a great thing for you to invest in. I generally use lotion on my legs after I shave them but I think if you used this product regularly you could avoid that steps and still not be dried out from shaving. I would try this in another scent but I would not purchase this scent in particular. 

5. Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Eyeshadow Quad


I have received a coastal scents eye shadow quad before, I believe from the second palette they came out with and I really loved it, that quad was all neutral tones, warm browns and such which is totally up my alley and I thought it was absolutely great for travel purposes as well. This on had more shades that were a little outside my comfort zone but I have been trying to step outside the box with my makeup looks so I was super excited to give it a try. All in all regardless of the color these eyes shadows are fantastic! They are buttery and have great color payoff with minimal to no fallout which is always a great thing. When traveling 4 eye shadows allow you to create multiple looks so throwing this in your makeup bag will take up a lot less space then most palettes will. I really actually liked the colors, although they are different they are subtle as well. The color is buildable if you wanted to go for a more dramatic look as well. I really love Coastal Scents eye shadows and you can purchase the whole palette with 20 shades for just $20.00 which is a fantastic deal! 

6. Harvey Prince Fragrance - Sincerely


Sweetly spicy scent with Indonesian clove bud, Indian tuberose, and Japanese orange flower. Spritz onto pulse points and see where this intriguing scent takes you. Depending on the size you wish to purchase this product it ranges in price from $26.00 - $55.00. 

As I may have mentioned when I wrote about all the products I received in this particular Birchbox I have been fortunate enough to receive many of the Harvey Prince scents and I have absolutely loved them all, this one was no exception. Not only are the scents absolutely amazing I feel like you get a decent amount for a sample and I cant tell you how fantastic it is to get samples that you can spray. A lot of scent samples you just have to dab your finger into and then apply where you want, the spray ones are just so much more convenient. I stuck this in my purse this past Saturday when we spent the day in Atlantic City and it was fantastic. I loved the scent, it was really rich and lasted for such a long time! I highly recommend all of the Harvey Prince fragrances, especially because they are such a good price! 

One more to go! 

7. Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Blue Lagoon


Hypo-allergenic & perfume free this blendable waterproof eyeliner goes on smoothly and lasts all day. You can purchase this in full size for $11.00. 

I wont lie when I saw this in my box the color was a little intimidating and I wont lie it kind of still it. As I mentioned above I am trying to step outside the box with my makeup looks and just prior to receiving this in the mail I had purchased a navy blue eyeliner that I really like. Obviously this is a super bright color and I am not sure how I feel about it just yet on my eyes because it is so different I think it will take some getting use to, but what better time to experiment with bright colors than in the summer! I will say though if you do plan on using this I would do one eye at a time, especially if you have any intention on buffing it out! This stuff dries super fast and once it dries it ain't goin' no where!!! I swatched this on my hand when I first got it to check out the color and it dried really quickly and then there was no getting it off! I hand washed a bunch of bras and when I was done it was still there, I tried wiping it off... no dice! I ended up scrubbing at it with a makeup removing wipe many hours later and it finally came off. You can look at this as a good and bad thing I suppose. I personally don't often go for waterproof eye products for this exact reason, but at least you know your eyeliner is going to last all day!! 

So that's all I have for right now, I hope you found the reviews helpful and if you have received any of these products I would love to know what you thought of them. Also if you have any recommendations from products you have received and loved then please do share!!

Thank you as always for stopping in, Have a great day!!

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Home Decor: Our Loft Space

Good Morning,

As you know we are coming around to the two year anniversary of when we bought our home and sadly because we don't see it all that much there has been a distinct lack of decorating that has happened, that and Jason's aversion to anything that isn't beige. Ugh. I am always thinking of things that I want to do to the house, and we talk about what areas we will decorate next and what we will do to it, we watch a ton of decorating shows where I point out to Jason as much as I can that decoration does not have to equal clutter.

Don't get me wrong there is TONS to be done to our house, sadly I feel that it doesn't really feel like a home because there is not much for decoration in it. Basically when we moved in we furnished the necessary spaces with the necessary items (all of which I love.. mostly.. those damn couches...) and then have SLOWLY worked away at the rest. We have done a lot to the office which at first was not a priority and although there are things I would like to change (carpet, I don't like it anymore. Don't tell Jason) mostly there are things we need to add. We have a bookshelf we would like to buy but have to be there to have it delivered, and we have pictures to hang but they cant go up until we get the bookshelf and decide 100% where it will go. Work in progress, none the less I love the desk and chair and am OK with the slow process there because there isn't much we can do about it at the moment and right now its still usable.

We are pretty much done with the spare bathroom and bedroom upstairs, I think I would like to get another picture of something for the upstairs bathroom but that will come with time. Same I suppose for the spare bedroom, we have a bed, dresser and night table in there, I would really like to change out the bedding and possibly put another picture up.. but again its functional so all in good time.

One of the only good things about not being at home all the time is that we can slowly work away at buying the things that we want and finding unique things. It also helps the bank account when you aren't decorating everything that once. Besides short of demanding a colorful accent chair for our living room downstairs and euro pillows for our bedroom (Jason is so resistant to everything) I think a lot about of upstairs loft space and what to do with it. We have talked about putting a TV up there with one of those IKEA couches like you can see HERE and making it like a little media area. Honestly this is not up there on my top choices on account that we have a huge living room with a big TV mounted on the wall and we have a huge TV in our bedroom, there are only two of us there to watch TV so really how many TVs do we need?

So I would naturally like to turn this space into a beautiful sitting/reading area! I know.. big surprise right? I think it would be a great place to have another bookshelf for books (which I have a lot of), it would be great to have some extra seating and just a quiet place to enjoy! Its also a place to enjoy a book with no distractions such as the TV (which is my selling point to Jason, I can read anywhere anytime no matter who or what is around but Jason is more distracted and this area would be PERFECT for him!). So I thought I would stop by today and share a few ideas that I have for this space and see what you guys think, maybe y'all can help me persuade Jason!

Of course where do you go for room inspiration.. Pinterest of course!



These two are somewhat of what I am thinking, nice decorative chairs with pillows and a small little table for a tea while reading. Naturally like in the picture directly above I would want to put a little lamp and some decorative accents to give the room a little lift. I do believe we have a picture we bought a few years ago from a gentlemen Jason worked with but sadly we have yet to get it framed. 

Because the downstairs furniture as well as our bedroom is larger wood furniture I would definitely like to tone down the furniture in the loft space and give it more of a feminine feel to it. 


In this picture above, obviously similar to the first two I feel the feminine vibe. The chairs are plush with soft edges and the accent pillows aren't too vibrant giving you a warm cozy feel. The white followers (although I would buy fake flowers) and the white washed table in between. I love this. 

Also we paid a lot of money for blinds in our house and don't get me wrong they are amazing, easy to clean and I absolutely would no trade them I think because one whole wall of the loft space is large windows putting up some curtains, light of heavy depending on what design look we eventually went with would really set off the room. I feel that there are something about curtains that makes a room feel more cozy and we are lacking that in our living room. Side note - Jason was morbidly against curtains in the living room and I really wanted to do a heavy curtain on either side with something sheer in the middle to give the room a little more color because that particular wall is dark as well as give the room a more home like feel. We went back and forth for a really long time, neither of us willing to budge, we finally starting looking at curtains, fought about curtains for a long time then bought some. They were more ones that Jason liked and there was no sheer piece to go in the middle. Jason begrudgingly put them up and walked around for the next few days insisting he hated them. I gave up and took them back because it was easier than listening to him. I laugh about it now but at the time I was pissed.  


I also love the idea of doing something like this! Still very soft looking but more inviting, lots of pillows and soft blankets to curl up with, again a table for tea or whatever your heart desires at the time only because there is a couch having it a little bigger to accommodate the length. Subtle accents so not to take away from the warmth and simple atmosphere in the room. I absolutely love this picture above and would be extremely happy with something like this. 

I do not see us using this area to entertain, it would be more of somewhere to have some quiet time alone in a quiet space, and therefore it is no necessary to have a ton of seating such as a couch and we could if desired go a lot simpler with the picture below. 


I have always wanted a chaise lounge and there are a huge variety to pick from but I do love the simplicity of the one above. If we decided to not furnish the loft space extravagantly (and I use that word loosely because I think these are all very simple ideas) then we could go more sparse with a chaise, small table and a book shelf. 

Of all of these looks I would definitely like to include a bookshelf of time kind. I had always thought that we would get an IKEA bookshelf such as the one pictured below, I didn't intend to use the baskets however I don't hate the idea and we would just style something like this...


And although I am still not opposed to something like this because its on the cheaper end of things when it comes to bookshelves, it would be great for storage and is completely functional I would also love to find something a little more weathered with more character and if the opportunity was to present itself make it my own. If I could find what I was looking for at Good Will or a garage sale I would love to paint it myself and give it the exact distressed look I am going for. 


Something like pictured above but in a distressed white state, as well as longer! I am not aiming to cover the entire wall in a bookshelf, as well depending on how we were to set it up the bookshelf could potentially be up against a half wall so I am look for it to be about this height but longer! I would say its probably going to be hard to find. Although I would say if you are looking for unique furniture with a rustic look World Market is an amazing place to look! I actually quite like THIS option from World Market! 

I think the bookcase would be the hardest to find because I am so particular about what I am looking for, and trust me I have done a lot of looking for this post to be able to show you guys exactly what I am talking about and didn't have much luck! 

For me personally (which is where Jason and I have a hard time) a room really comes together when you've added all your personal touches, a couch is just a couch until it has throw pillows on it, a dining room table is just a dining room table until you have a runner on it with flowers or candles. The personal touches you add are what makes it home, its what makes people come in and see your personality in all the little touches. 


To me this room is perfect, its cozy and inviting the different pillows, different shape bring it all together. The pillows are all different textures, the basket on the table is simple but the candles dress it up. I like how they have used the clear glass vase for flowers but placed it on a stack of magazines to give it a higher elevation making it more of a focal point than it would have been sitting level and being simple. This room is inviting, someone spent time putting it together. 

Accent pillows alone can really change the dimension and feel of a room as you can see HERE, in many different ways. You can use the colors, shape and patterns to liven up or tone down any setting and generally in a pretty affordable way! 

So that's just a few ideas I have for our loft space, I don't know when we will ever get around to making it happen but a girl can dream right? I do like in a way that we can work away at things slowly and find the perfect pieces and make it ours, but at the same time I get such great satisfaction out of seeing a finished project and come on, looking at that picture above tell me you don't want to curl up on that couch in and amongst all of those amazing pillows and read the night away. No? Just me? I'm alright with that!

Are you decorating a room in your house right now? If so where do you get your inspiration and how do you turn an inviting picture into a reality in your home?

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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy Seal Sniper Corps & How I trained America's Deadliest Marksmen By Brandon Webb. A Book Review

Good Morning,

I actually wrote this post yesterday as soon as I finished the book because I was so excited to talk about it! If you have been around here for awhile you know that I read Chris Kyle's book American Sniper, you can read my review HERE, as well as Marcus Luttrell's book Lone Survivor which you can read about HERE. I loved both of those books and so quite awhile ago when we were at BJ's and I saw this one I had to grab it, I put it to the side because I had so many other books to get through and wanting to read this one so much would give me motivation to push through the ones I was less interested in. I finally picked it up last week and I have been so into it ever since.

Generally when I love a book this much I will finish it in a day because I cannot put it down, and I definitely could have done that with this books but oddly enough my days have been flying by and the only time I have managed to pick it up has been at night before going to bed. In a way I suppose I prolonged my enjoyment and really learned soo much! So before I give everything away here lets get into it.



Now before I get into it I bet you are wondering if all three books are basically the same because they were all written by Navy Seal Snipers and to answer that question all the books have been extremely different which is another reason I have loved reading them so much. Everyone touches on the training they endured (and I mean endured) to because a Navy Seal but each persons experience and interpretation is completely different. In this type of field and training personality plays a big role and in this book Brandon Webb touches a little on the personalities of both Chris Kyle and Marcus Luttrell who he worked with as well as opening up himself and letting us get a peek inside his world and who he was and became to accomplish so much. 

The synopsis on goodreads.com reads as follows:

BEFORE HE COULD FORGE A BAND OF ELITE WARRIORS… HE HAD TO BECOME ONE HIMSELF.


Brandon Webb’s experiences in the world’s most elite sniper corps are the stuff of legend. From his grueling years of training in Naval Special Operations to his combat tours in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, The Red Circle provides a rare and riveting look at the inner workings of the U.S. military through the eyes of a covert operations specialist.

Yet it is Webb’s distinguished second career as a lead instructor for the shadowy “sniper cell” and Course Manager of the Navy SEAL Sniper Program that trained some of America’s finest and deadliest warriors—including Marcus Luttrell and Chris Kyle—that makes his story so compelling. Luttrell credits Webb’s training with his own survival during the ill-fated 2005 Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Kyle went on to become the U.S. military’s top marksman, with more than 150 confirmed kills.

From a candid chronicle of his student days, going through the sniper course himself, to his hair-raising close calls with Taliban and al Qaeda forces in the northern Afghanistan wilderness, to his vivid account of designing new sniper standards and training some of the most accomplished snipers of the twenty-first century, Webb provides a rare look at the making of the Special Operations warriors who are at the forefront of today’s military.

Explosive, revealing, and intelligent, The Red Circle provides a uniquely personal glimpse into one of the most challenging and secretive military training courses in the world.

This book was incredibly well written, not only does he give you insight into his life starting at a very early age, he gave you hope that even with no direction and no encouragement if you set your mind to something you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Brandon didn't come from a well to do family with every opportunity handed to him he worked hard and decided that he was going to make something of himself, he looked at everything in his life as a learning opportunity and the harder it was to achieve the more drive he had to exceed the expectation of the task at hand. 

In this book he doesn't leave you feeling like he's a narcissist wanting you to sit here and read all about his accomplishments he teaches you. I think that is the difference from this book and all the others I have read just like it, I learned SO MUCH! He doesn't just teach you about being a sniper he was search and rescue before that and he teaches you about the water, the wind and how they affect each other. When he talked about guns it wasn't just aim and shoot it was about ballistics, the inner and outer working of your weapon and how things you didn't even realize would ever come into play (the earths rotation) could affect your accuracy and more importantly why. This guy doesn't talk about what he learns he gives you an education right along with him! 

If he can teach me as much as I felt that I learned by reading his book I cant imagine the instruction he was to the many men he trained to go out and defend this country. Brandon Webb took what he learned good and bad from all the training he had been through (which was a lot) and used it to develop a program that would train guys in the best way to be the best they could be. He saw great leadership and he kept that with him, he saw terrible leadership and he learned from it.. he stood his ground when he knew he could help others regardless of the consequences and made the best changes he could to provide an amazing education. This education, this training helped save lives including that of Marcus Luttrell who credits Brandon Webb and all the extra time he spent with him while in his "stalking" phase of training with saving his life on mission Operation Redwing when things went terribly wrong. 

Maybe it seems weird that I am so interested in all this and in a way its mostly about taking advantage of any opportunity to learn something and these books are FULL of information about the troops out there fighting for this country, their training, politics and experiencing war from a completely different side of things. We see what the media portrays on TV and its not that I am discrediting any of that but lets be honest we see what they want us to see. Don't get me wrong these books are only allowed to delve into so much for security purposes and I'm sure political reasons but none the less they give you a way bigger picture of what is really going on out there, how it starts and the actions they are permitted to take to eliminate a threat while maintaining as much peace as possible. 

The reality is this country is at war and it affects each and every one of us, some more and some less.. why not be more informed? 

It is definitely my intention to scope out more of these books the second I get close to somewhere that sells them, but in the meantime I cannot recommend this book enough! I called my Mom yesterday and short of demanded she find it and buy it for my Dad, I cannot wait for Jason to read it so we can talk about it (he just finished American Sniper). Get your hands on this book, I promise if you don't enjoy this kind of thing you may be surprised and if you do and really sit down and get into it you will come out with a wider perspective on so much and an education on so much more! 

Thank you guys as always for stopping by! I hope you are having a great day, if you would like to read more about Brandon Webb you can do so HERE at his website which also lists many other books that he has written (and that I cant wait to read!). 

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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Atlantic City, NJ June 2015

Good Morning,

As you may know this past Saturday Jason and I decided to take advantage of his time off and spend the day in Atlantic City! We have been talking about going there forever and honestly I have to say it wasn't on the top of my list of places to see. I don't care to gamble and Jason cant enjoy the beach because he needs to be moving at all times and I had heard the recession really affected this area so I don't know... ya seen one beach boardwalk ya seen em' all! Right? That may sound rotten and its not my intent basically I just didn't have this high on my list of places to go! None the less though I was interested and Jason was really wanting to go so Saturday was the day!

We got up Saturday morning, Atlantic City is actually pretty close to us so we didn't get up super early and rush out, we just enjoyed the morning which is great because there aren't many days Jason actually gets off. We enjoyed breakfast and got our stuff together and hit the road around 10am I believe. Traffic was actually a lot better than I had expected being a hot day, I had expected that everyone would be heading out of the city and to the beaches!

Before leaving I had mentioned to Jason that maybe I would find the flip flops I am looking for there and he said he didn't actually think there was a lot of shops there. What he neglected to tell me was that there were actually Tanger Outlets there! Driving into Atlantic City there are billboards EVERYWHERE announcing upcoming shows and events, and then once you come into the city there are the outlets.. super exciting! We found parking for $10.00 for the day which was amazing and then headed out to the boardwalk. It was SUPER hot out, we made sure to use sunblock before leaving the truck but it was sooooooooo hot! I'm not generally one to complain about the heat but when you are just walking around sweating its disgusting!








We toured around the boardwalk for awhile and then decided to check out the outlets for my flipflops and Jason wanted some new swim shorts! We didn't go into many stores, just the few that might have what we were looking for and the air conditioning was a welcomed break from the humidity. We toured around and then made it back to the boardwalk for a snack and a drink! After we finished we decided to walk down the boardwalk and then make our way back on the beach!! I love the beach and was pretty excited to get my toes in the sand.. the water I was a little iffy about because I had checked and they said that the water temp in Atlantic City was 43 degrees! I wasn't doubting that but when I saw TONS of people in the water I figured it couldn't actually be that cold.. it was! The water was sooooooooo cold! Naturally the longer you stay in the better it gets, but I was only putting my feet in that's for sure!








I could have sat on the beach forever and enjoyed the water, and I would definitely consider going back just to rent beach chairs and an umbrella and spend the day there. Once we finished at the beach we made out way out to Caesars Casino to try out handle at gambling. I won't lie its just not my thing, the money is just gone (unless you're a lucky one to win) and you wont believe it... you can smoke in the casino! I almost died!! Regardless of whether there are designated smoking areas its a big open space the smoke just wont stay in the smoking area... this was a huge turn off to both Jason and I. 

We left the casino and toured around the boardwalk some more and then decided to grab some dinner. We decided to try out LandShark Bar & Grill because we wanted something where we could overlook the beach, the view was definitely the best part of this place as we could see all of the pier with the carnival rides as well as the beach. They had a great band but I thought the food was pretty crappy.. none the less it was enjoyable! 

After dinner we wanted to try on one more casino (or Jason did) before walking around and heading back. We decided to go into Trump Taj Mahal and again you could smoke in there which I just cannot get over but we played for awhile and I managed to win back all the money we had spent along with $7.00 extra, ha! I was pretty happy with that. When we were finished, meaning we had won and wanted to get out while we were ahead we headed out to just walk about and take some pictures and just enjoy the boardwalk a little more before heading back. Jason really wanted to see it all lit up at night but he also had to work on Sunday so we couldn't stay too late. I'll put in some pictures now that I took while we were just wondering around. 












We decided to head back, it truly was a day well spent! I enjoy any day that Jason and I get the whole day together to explore something new but Atlantic City was pretty much what I had expected. The beach is great, the boardwalk is like any other except a lot of this one is closed.. movie theaters, casinos/hotels, shops and so on.. I hear they are trying to get a lot of that up and running but so far that hasn't happened. 

The ride home was great, the sunset was absolutely amazing! I wish I could have gotten better pictures of it but naturally its always hard from the truck on the interstate! We made it back late and were both super tired which naturally means it was a good day! I don't know if I would recommend Atlantic City or not.. if you are looking to go to the beach and do the carnival thing and have some little shops and places to eat at hand I think you would really enjoy it. The gambling thing.. well being able to smoke in there really turned me off. I guess my advice is do some reading about it before you go and see if there are things there that you would be interested in! 

Like I said any day that Jason and I get the whole day is a great day no matter where we spend it! Have you ever been to Atlantic City? What did you think??

Thanks for stopping in, I hope you're having a great day!!

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Monday, June 15, 2015

Actual June Birchbox!

Good Morning,

As you all know I was under the impression I received my June Birchbox already and blogged about it HERE... well turns out that was May's Birchbox and so this is really about the one I got for June! Not that I am complaining, I do love my subscription! Having said that this one really is the last one I will be getting. It is my intention once we get settled somewhere to try out the Ipsy Bag subscription instead!

So I received this one Saturday morning as we were heading out to Atlantic City for the day (which you can read about our day there this week) and I had to stop at the front desk and get it before we hit the road! I tore into it right away and am pretty happy with what I got!

Lets check it out!


Beautiful box as always! I am so happy that they decided to stop sending out just the plain brown boxes and dress them up a bit, it really makes a huge difference I think in appearance and another thing to look forward to! 


I'm not going to lie I am not thrilled with another shampoo and conditioner. As I have said before I have so much hair that one of these is only good for one use usually, two at max and I would just so much rather try other things that shampoo and conditioner! 

Temple Spa Good Hair Day Shampoo & Good Condition Conditioner: 
Shampoo - Botanical-infused formula that cleanses strands, repairs damage, adds volume and boosts shine. 
Conditioner - Made with refreshing peppermint, this creamy detangler hydrates, softens and tames frizz. 

The conditioner sounds right up my alley, so I will report back once I have given these a try! 

I was actually really happy to see this in this months box as I am trying to be really good about sunblock this year! 

CoTZ Sensitive SPF 40: This gentle mineral sunscreen works to protect and sooth even the most sensitive skin. 

I have really liked all the Marcelle products that I have received but I am not going to lie this color is a little bold for my taste! I did recently purchase as navy blue eyeliner that you will read more about this week so I will definitely give this one a shot! 

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Blue Lagoon:The blendable waterproof eyeliner goes on smoothly and stays put all day. 

I absolutely love all the Dr. Jart+ products and I am always in the market for a tinted moisturizer! 

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Day Tint: This ceramide-infused balm hydrates skin, delivers sheer coverage, and packs SPF protection.

BONUS! This month everyone received a bonus hair tie in their box, I believe they are all different styles! 

L. Erickson Grab & Go Ponytail Holder


So all in all I think that's a pretty great box, I am really looking forward to trying it all out and letting you know what I think! I would love to hear what you got in your Birchbox subscription this month!

I hope you all had a great weekend, thank you for stopping by!!


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