BOWW LOVES (HATES) WEDDING PLANNING

Wedding planning..ahh yes. It is a love hate relationship. Between all the contracts, e-mails, deposits and pinterest pages I sometimes have a hard time enjoying this whole process. I know I should enjoy this because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity but the possibilities are endless. I am just looking forward to when the bigger decisions are finished and I can just relax. With so much inspiration, the entire process has become overwhelming. I take wedding planning breaks whether it be a day, week, or even a month. Well cheers to our marriage and this crazy year, 2015 is going to be a great one! 

BOWW SO HARD

 Free People Dress // Heels // Lips - Pink Kiss by Bobbie Brown

Happy NEW YEAR Y'all! I've missed you and I hope you missed me. I have a funny story about this outfit here. Well, Brandon and I were running to the mall before Christmas Eve dinner for some last minute shopping (whoops!). & I walked out of the house in a completely different outfit. I was wearing a long black maxi dress and a faux fur coat. However, I didn't feel comfortable in my outfit at ALL. I kept tripping over my maxi dress and the slits in the dress were driving me nuts! So, since we had about an hour before dinner I ran into Macy's and grabbed this Free People dress. I had been eying this Free People for a couple of weeks and I knew it would work with the heels I was already wearing. I tried on a couple of different dresses but this was perfect. I was bit chilly because the dress is thin, but I know it carry me into the summer. 

Remember when I would blog like almost everyday? Ya me too. After Brandon and I got engaged, I didn't think much would change but I was wrong. My extra time that I have away from work is busy spent hanging with family, cleaning, eating, pooping, and wedding planning. You know, just the normal fiancé stuff. I'm really trying to enjoy being engaged to my best friend and not miss these moments. 

I want to make sure every post is personal, funny and just perfect. So-- I apologize that I'm not blogging as much but I promise to keep you entertained & feeling bowwutiful. Because that is what I'm here for.

XXOOOXOXO

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Crazy Cat Lady: Cat Tee // Black Maxi // Wig // Glasses // Notebook // Shot glass

Hawaiian Punch: Dress // Converse // Boxing Gloves

Stumped on what to be this Halloween? Don't worry, I gotcha covered. If you haven't taken notice from all your Facebook house party invitations, Halloween is on a Friday this year. This means that it's time to step up your costume game. For those of us who don't want to spend your whole paycheck at the Halloween costume store we need to get a little creative. Honestly, this is the best part of Halloween, you can be whatever you want to be! Here are two ideas that are simple and you might even have some of the items laying around the house...ya crazy lady. 

Crazy Cat Lady // No one aspires to become a crazy cat lady when they're older, so why not become one for Halloween?! Grab your funniest cat tee shirt (you can find some nice ones at Goodwill) and a gray wig. Get into character by adding glasses, a cat cup, and your beloved cat notebook. Bonus Point: Convert the catnip bag into your purse for the night & hand out little snacks to your favorite little kittens. Meeoowwwww

Hawaiian Punch // Why not be Hawaiian Punch while you're sipping on that jungle juice/kool-aid at the Halloween house party!? This play on words costume may get some of your fellow party goers guessing, but it's a great way to get the conversation going. Bonus Point: For that added punch, slap on a black eye. 

PINTEREST PERFECT

I am not the type of girl who ever dreamt of her wedding day. I never even thought about marriage until I met Brandon. Yet, it is so easy to get caught up in the perfection of the details with social media tools like Instagram and Pinterest. For awhile I stopped using Pinterest because I couldn't stand it. My life was never going to be that pretty or perfect, so why try or even look? However, when Brandon and I started talking about getting engaged, I started to dream about the way he would ask me. Websites like Youtube or How He Asked started to consume me. Will he sing me a song? Will he have a hidden photographer? Will he pop out of a box butt ass naked? I mean the possibilities are endless...

Yet, the morning of the proposal we were hung over from bottomless mimosas from the previous day, my hair was greasy and I was wearing tennis shoes for walking around the city. I wasn't looking tooo hot, if you know what I mean. Yet, the proposal was cute, sweet and just perfect. There was nothing flashy or fancy about it, it was just a straight down and dirty proposal. Now that I am scanning through Pinterest to get inspiration for our upcoming nuptials, I have to take a deep breath. Pinterest is a fairytale land and not all of those dreams will come true and I have to realize that. Life isn't Pinterest perfect, and I'm okay with that. The only thing that really matters is that I will be marrying my best friend, and that my friend, is perfect. 

Xoxo

P.s. Are you following me in fairytale land? I mean Pinterest? 

I'M BACK!

 // Blogger biz cards //

// This rack is perfect to help style my outfits //  

Did you miss me? Because, I missed you! I have been a little occupied this last week. Brandon took me on a surprise trip to San Diego and we got engaged! I enjoyed the weekend, didn't take many photos (boo) but it was sweet to just spend time and enjoy the moment. There has been so much excitement this past week that I haven't had a chance to update the blog. However, don't you worry my boww-u-tiful babes, I am back!

Here are a few photos of updates around the house. Thanks for sticking with me and reading! xoxx

// The ring.... :) //

For now the ring is in a standard setting and I get to design the ring around the diamond Brandon picked out! I have a few ideas, but if you have any suggestions/ideas for a cushion cut ring send them my way...

BLUE YELLOW AND RED ALL OVER

 Top -- similar // Skirt // Clutch // Bracelet-- Similar  // Sunnies // Shoes -- Similar 

When Brandon and I were taking these photos I kept moving and dancing around so these are the few photos that weren't blurry and washed out. Lesson learned. Next time I'm doubling checking the photos before we hop back in the air conditioned car. Also, these are the few photos that don't show my fat butt. When I tried this skirt on at Nordstrom, it looked great with the matching crop top. However, when I was rushing to leave the house this weekend I didn't notice that the skirt was so puffy, giving me an even bigger butt than I already have. 

Lesson learned--again! That is two lessons in 1 day, whew! I'm exhausted. 

Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that I have been in this awkward stage with my voice on the blog. I want to be real with my readers but also want to be professional and sometimes those two things don't always mix. I hope I make you laugh and don't sound cookie cutter, blah or boring. I want my writing to sound like I'm talking to one of my best friends. So hold on tight and come along for the ride as I try to find myself and how I fit into this blogging world. xxoo 

SLEEP TIPS

Have you ever woke up by the smell of your nasty breath? Or am I the only weirdo? I'm not the first or will I be the last person to admit I don't brush my teeth every night before bed. Sometimes I just get lazy and I swipe my makeup off with a cleansing cloth and call it a night. I'm not proud of this dirty habit but we all have our quirks and I'm working on my mine. I mean, I don't want to wake up from my slumber to only realize that I'm waking up from my dragon breath.

Are you still here? Okay great, I didn't scare you off.

Over the last couple of years I have realized the power of sleep. Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post said, "Sleep your way to the top." She doesn't mean that kind of sleep but she means taking care of yourself and catching enough ZZ's every night. I have to agree with the woman. When was the last time you woke up from a nasty sleep and were in a GREAT/FAB/OMFG/I LOVE MY LIFE mood? Never, because it just doesn't happen. We need a solid 6-8 hours a night to be at our best. Since I want to succeed I took Arianna's message to heart. My sleep is something I don't compromise anymore. Since I've been working on getting more sleep, I have found a few tricks to get me to sleep town faster.

TIPS & TRICKS 

1 // Actually get ready for bed. Remember when you were younger and your mommy used to make you get ready for bed. Brush your teeth, wash your face, put your retainer in, put your jammers on (ugh felt like it took forever!) Yup, bring it back old school and I promise it works. I have a better sleep when I take the time to get ready for bed.

2//  Wear cute PJ's. Yup, remember my post just yesterday? Look good, feel good, sleep good. Period. 

3 // Limit your screen time before bed. It's found that the artificial light in our iPhones and computers disrupts our sleep. Therefore I limit the amount of screen action I get before bed. 

Also, give yourself a break! We all need time away from the screen and maybe interact with people? Remember that? I know it's crazy. 

4 // Coconut Oil. Yup, we all know this magical oil can do just about anything. I'm always trying to look for new lotions, creams, remedies to clear up my under eye bags so I gave coconut oil a try. Not only did I find that the coconut oil can help my under eye bags but it also helps me sleep! When I put this baby underneath my eyes before bed it helps me sleep through the night. The smell and the texture are soothing and help me wind down. 

5 // Stick one leg out of the covers. If you stick just one foot outside of the covers it keeps your body temperature regulated and keeps you cool. So stick em' out but try not to karate kick your significant other. 

What are your pre-snooze fest activities? Sleep tight bow-utiful babes & bros.