I can't wait to:

• Carve pumpkins this weekend with my handsome and a few friends. I didn't get to carve one last year, so I'm pretty pumped (ha, I'm pumped about pumpkins!). Maybe, by some stroke of luck, it'll be chilly outside, and we can sip hot apple cider. One can only hope.
• Celebrate my sweet friend Sarah's bridal shower on Saturday. I love celebrating love, and I love giving gifts to friends who are about to begin their lives together. 
• Put away all of my clean laundry that's currently residing in a heaping pile on top of my bed. Mmmm...maybe that can wait. Until tomorrow.
• Figure out what to be for Halloween...and where to go...and what to do. Can we talk about how there's only 17 days left in October? 
• See mom and dad sometime this week. Maybe I sound 12 years old, but I don't like to go more than a week without visiting my parents, my sausage-like poodle Micki, the horses, my kitties, and even our birds. Spending time at home is like hitting the reset button on any and all complicated feelings. I just sip on a cup of tea and they all slip away.
• Hop in the car and road trip up to Savannah with Ryan! One month from today, we'll be en route to chilly weather, ghost tours, and the most adorable B&B. 
• Watch my boyfriend play softball tonight. I haven't seen him play in awhile, and it always warms my little heart to see him run like a gazelle across the field (sorry not sorry, babe).

XO

365.

October 12th, 2013, Ryan took me on our first date. 365 (okay now 366) days ago, I sat across the table from this shy guy with perfect cheek bones and kind eyes. He told me I had spinach in my teeth 30 minutes after he noticed, held my hand, and kissed me by the water. I knew in that moment that everything was about to change, and it did, in all the best ways. 

This morning I woke up to orchids and a chai tea latte from Starbucks. I returned the sweet favor and cooked us eggs and turkey bacon before getting ready for the lunch date he planned for us at Bella Brava, the same restaurant he took me to on our first date. We drank a bottle of Sauvignon blanc, ate eggplant parm and seafood pasta, and toasted to another 80 years of dates before walking along the same sea wall where we had our first kiss. 

Not to get cheesy/cheesier, but I will anyway: I really, really love this man. Thank you for making the last 365 days the best of my life - for making me a kinder and ultimately better person. I can only hope I fill your heart with as much joy as you fill mine. I love you, Fredsta! 

XO 

Engagement season.

^ My roommate's engagement ring...isn't it a beaut?! 

Can we just talk about how everyone is getting engaged? Maybe not everyone, but I know five girls who have been proposed to in the last month alone, one of which happens to be my roommate. What a crazy, exciting, wonderful time!

When all your friends start to get engaged, it's only natural to look down at your left finger and think 'I could use something sparkly on here.' Of course you could. Who wouldn't love a diamond ring? Actually, my sister is the exception to this rule - she had an amber engagement ring...but I digress.

It's easy for the non-engaged to get caught up in the moment and think "I want a wedding! I want a ring! I want to say yes to the dress! I want all the things!" I catch myself doing it as well. During engagement season, there are a few things we girls in committed relationships without rings need to keep in mind:

1. Remember that a wedding is merely a [super fun] party to celebrate the love shared between two people. Wanting to organize seating charts, send out invitations with perfect calligraphy, pick the perfect dress and create the perfect flower arrangement is not a reason to want to get engaged. 
2. Remember that an engagement ring is also a mere symbol of the love shared between two people. Wanting pretty, sparkly things is not a reason to want to get engaged.
3. Remember that getting engaged/getting married will not save a bad relationship. Once social media 'likes' start to dwindle, and the post-wedding thank you notes are mailed, married couples are a lot like not married couples...just with a lot of added responsibility. Marriage will not change a cheater, a liar, or someone who is just plain ol' mean. Wanting someone to change is not a reason to want to get engaged.

Let's get real. I have a wedding Pinterest board...we all have wedding Pinterest boards. It's exciting to think about 'One Day' and your future with your significant other. But it's equally as exciting to enjoy the dating phase of any relationship, and not to rush the big stuff that will eventually happen.

On that note...I am SO excited for all of the weddings I'll get to attend in 2015...keep 'em coming, guys :) XO

Better things ahead.

Like a good chunk of America, October is hands down one of my favorite months of the year. It promises cooler temperatures, the beginning of the holiday season, and new adventures. For me, it also marks the month I met my wonderful boyfriend and landed my first "big girl" job. In other words, it marks the month of big changes. 

The last year has been nothing short of incredible. It's been a year of growing up. I've gained a new circle of friends, knowledge of what some might call the "real world," and I've fallen in love, for what I truly believe will be the last time. 

While this year has been unpredictable in the best of ways, I'm the kind of person who is always thinking about the next step. Whether it's the next step in my relationship or the next step in my career, I like to be a step ahead of the game. I think about the future more often than not. And although it's important to live in the present, I think it's equally as important to look ahead...regardless of what's holding you back in the past. Because when times get tough, it's crucial to remember that there are better times ahead. 

XO

Bare Necessities.

Since I'm always on the go, I've carried my make up in a sparkly purple bag for the last four years. When I first moved into my apartment, I really wanted to create a little vanity corner on my bathroom counter. I spent $25 on a cute little makeup holder with designated space for my lipsticks, brushes, palettes and liners. I promised myself that I would take time in the morning to do my make up so I wouldn't have to sit in the parking garage at work for 10 minutes "putting on my face."

LOL. That worked for like, two weeks.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a makeup fiend. And unfortunately for my wallet, I don't like to settle for cheap products. When I'm in a rush, these are forever my go-to's.

Bare Necessities. by sammellaaa featuring Smashbox

1. If you're not using primer, you're doing it wrong. I typically alternate between this one from Smashbox and a BB cream from CoverGirl. This photo finish primer will make your skin feel like velvet, and it blurs any imperfections. I splurged on the larger size for $50, but I bought it back in December and still have plenty left, so I think it's worth it. The Watts Up highlighter from Benefit works wonders, too. I wear it on my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose.
2. I was lucky enough to pick up the Naked Basics palette for free from work, and I have to say, I love it. I was hesitant about all of the matte colors (I like a little glimmer) but the colors look so natural, and paired with Urban Decay's eyeshadow primer, my eye makeup still looks perfectly in tact by 5 o'clock.
3. Some people pick at their nails; I pick at my lips. Bad habit. I love having color on my lips, but a lot of lipsticks make them look dry. I picked up a four pack of these bad boys from Birchbox a couple of months ago, and this is my favorite color by far. A quick swipe and I look a little less like a zombie in the morning. A little less.

What are your staples in your beauty routine? I'm always on the lookout for new finds :) XO