Guest posting, quinoa and DIY.

Go check out my guest post over at A Well Crafted Party! Jenni is crazy talented at having crafty and cute events. I am not so much gifted in the crafty arena of life. DIY is not a regularly used term in my life. It is actually never used. Unless I’m talking about how I don’t DIY. But isn't that the whole point of blogs? To compare yourself to others and feel inadequate!?... Just kidding. Kinda.

ANYWAY, you don’t have to DIY to dazzle at a party! You can still make a splash if you bring an awesome dish to share. Check out my post and some super-secret shortcuts in this quinoa recipe.

Yes, I posted this recipe a year ago. I'm lazy. Sue me.

Printing a retraction: Yoga.

I did yoga last night. Like good yoga. Know what I learned? I have only ever been to bad yoga classes before. Last night I went to Corepower Yoga. My friend Chelsii works there and has been trying to convince me to go forever! Well, ever since I posted that I don’t like yoga because I think it is boring. Because it was! Every single yoga class I had been to was boring. Hot yoga, regular yoga, vinyasa, freaking weird neighborhood studio (with creepy chanting)... all of it. BUT last night the class I went to was awesome! It was warm, not hot like Bikram, it had a good playlist and it was a fast pace. It definitely doesn't take the place of cardio paired with a Britney playlist, but at the end of the class I kind of felt like I could take on an attacker or intruder or something.

So Chelsii, I retract my statement that yoga is boring. I mean, it is still a little bit low key for me, but it is a great workout! Truthfully, I probably won’t be shelling out the big bucks for classes once my free week is over, but I may drop in every now and then!

If you like the idea of yoga and want a real work out, or if the hippy dippy stuff freaks you out, go to Corepower. I wish they were going to give me free stuff for this post… that selfish perspective is SO not yogi of me. Whatevs.

After only one class, I now have fame across PDX for my extraordinary skill in both child's pose and shavasana. 

Namaste.

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The almost weekend, baby names and #backthatazzup.

I have never been so ready for a week to be over! Seriously. All that time on the phone with insurance adjusters… bleh. I also spent my fair amount of time on the phone with Comcast this week. Or should we call them Comcrap? I am beyond ready for the weekend. I have back to back bridal showers to attend on Saturday. And you know what that means!? Good food and drinks ALL DAY! Booya!

In other news, the Kardashian/ West’s decided to name their baby North. Yep. North West, Nori for short. What did we really expect though?… this is what happens when two unintelligent and narcissistic people procreate. They named their kid in a way that would give them more attention. Plus, they are celebrities, and Frank Zappa already took Diva Thin and Moon Unit.

via

I know you are as excited as I am for the weekend, so let’s #backthatazzup. It is time to move on from this week and on to the Next Episode. Why is it that Snoop and Dre have the ability to make me feel better? Maybe it is because they remind me of a simpler time. A time when Otter Pops were in abundance, summer break still existed and I thought I was the most “hood” teenager ever.

Car accidents, ice cream and bathrooms.

I got in a car accident last night. Just a minor one, but still super annoying. My friend Tracy and I were on our way to get ice cream (for her birthday!) when a guy pummeled into my car while we were stopped at a stoplight. Happy birthday Tracy! We quickly re-routed for a cocktail, you know, to medicate our whiplash. THEN we continued to Salt & Straw for our ice cream. You may be thinking, “why would you go to Salt and Straw!? They have such a long line.” To which I say, we got a pint (aka cut the line) and also purchased a waffle cone and a cup of hot fudge. You get what you want, you get to cut everyone, and you get glares. I love getting glared at for stuff like this. Sorry I’m not sorry for being awesome and knowing the rules!

That is not what this post is about though. It is about nice bathrooms. How and why is this post taking a weird turn? Well, I said to Tracy during the consumption of our sweet treat, that Salt and Straw has a cute bathroom. To which she said, “You can tell a lot about a restaurant and how much they value their customers by the quality of their bathroom.”

She is so right! You CAN tell a lot about an establishment that way. Is it well maintained? Is there cute décor? … What is the aroma? A good air freshener can go a long way. Yeah, we just went there.

Bathrooms are a weird thing to share about I guess, but if you are ever really trying to decide how you feel about a certain establishment, just check out the bathroom. Do they have amenities? Some places even provide hairspray and mouthwash. It’s like, “Thanks for looking out for me on this date!” Right!?

Car accidents, ice cream and bathrooms. That’s it for today!

Social media etiquette.

I use Facebook wrong and I don’t even care! I use it wrong because I don’t like to spend my time uploading crappy photos one at a time to my “timeline” or whatever. Isn't that what Instagram is for? And no, I don’t have them post in multiple places. Why? Because it is confusing for people! You know, etiquette wise. Seriously, what is the etiquette there? So I liked my friends photo on Insta… do I also go like it on Facebook? Isn't that overkill? Their thought, “whoa, Laura must REALLY like that photo. She liked it 2 places!” I don’t want to be an over eager social media user, but I also want my friends to get more likes! They are probably really into the likes. I didn't realize HOW into “likes” someone could be until I started dating Brian. He will say things like “let’s see how many likes you got.” Uhhh. Really? My snarky response, “I do not derive my self-worth from the likes I get on Instagram.” I say things like this because I don’t get a lot of likes… whatevs.

I just added pictures from the past 4 months-ish to Facebook. I still use it like I did in college. We would add new albums all the time! But now I just add more pictures to an old album because I don’t have enough pictures for one topic. Is it just me? Or have we all started taking WAY less pictures than in college? Each night out in college could have its own album on Facebook. Now… not so much. Just one Insta per friend gathering.

Please enjoy some of the photos that went up. If I am posting pictures on my blog, do I really need to also post them on Facebook in a timely manner? I say no.

February / March

April / May

May / June

So please forgive me for using Facebook wrong. Actually, nevermind. I’m not even sorry. But can someone please tell me what our etiquette is for ‘likes’ on the same picture posted on multiple social media sites? It is annoying. And the fact that I am even asking this makes me feel old.

Only one post this week! I’m off to Seattle for a wedding! Thank the heavens above that it was sunny this past weekend. My white legs probably would have blinded the bride causing her to trip down the aisle. Don’t worry guys, they got a little color. I have full confidence that everyone’s eyes will be just fine. But I’ll probably use some self-tanner just to be safe.

If a tree falls...

You know the saying, “if a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it make a sound?”

I have a new one, “if you wear a cute outfit and no puts it on Instagram, did it even happen?”

I feel good when I look good. I think a lot of people would agree with that. I am going to take it a step further though. When I feel good because I look good, I am more confident. Not just more confident walking down the street (like when I wear bright lipstick), but more confident in my job. I swear I am more productive if I like my outfit. That was just a side note and not really about what this post is about.

Okay, back to it! Do you guys ever have the issue, outfit wise, that you liked what you wore but since graduating from college no one seems to take pictures anymore? Just like one of their drink at a bar and your sleeve happened to make the cut. “Ummm… can I get a tag in that pic? That is totally my arm hair.”

I didn't have a picture for this post, so I emailed my friends, "whoever responds first with a picture is what I will post." I guess it is throwback Thursday... here is the lovely image that we got:

Marina won. This is from the same summer as this post. 

Until next time!

FREE STUFF!!

Do I have your attention!?

Sooooooo I decided to participate in my first giveaway EVER! I know, I am growing in this whole blog participation thing. Am I a sell out? Potentially. BUT we already covered how much I love free stuff and this is such a good one you guys! No, it isn't some random necklace or scarf or mish mash of $5 Starbucks gift cards. (not to knock those! I totally enter them all the time). This giveaway is... drumroll... It is freaking $215!! That is right. Well, $215 to Stubhub that you can use for any tickets your little heart desires! 

Our lovely organizer, Sarah, originally came up with this idea because she loves sports and free tickets to all kinds of games/ matches/ tournaments. So when she came up with this idea, I was like, "uh, I wouldn't use them for a sporting event. I would use them for Fleetwood Mac tickets!"

Here is my reasoning:

Fleetwood Mac is coming to Portland at the end of the month but none of my friends like them enough to want to buy tickets with me. I would buy a set, if I was made of money! but I'm not. If only I could make it rain Fleetwood Mac tickets... 

Apparently I am 60 years old. Judge me if you will, but please lie to me about it. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies!! And enter this giveaway for $215 to Stubhub! Zack Morris Timeout, are we allowed to enter giveaways we are part of?! I figured it was bad form... someone please clarify for me. I'm new at all this internet participation stuff!

The ladies that made this happen for you:

Sarah @ Venus Trapped in Mars // Maggie @ Mess in the Making // Sara @ Pearls and Curls // Jill @ Girlfriend Jill // Sydney @ Southern Sass // Lisa @ Two Martinis // Rachel @ With Love, Rachel // Merchon @ Merk and Her Mastiff // Helene @ Helene in Between // Erin @ The Party Girl's Guide // Jackie @ Health, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness // Beth @ Arrow in the Eye // Samantha @ It's All in the Details // Nini @ What's New Nini Kat // Steph @ Insert Classy Here // Taylor @ Confessions of a Busy Bee // Amanda @ The Best is Yet to Be // Tami @ Friday Morning Buzz // Laura @ Back-Handsprings Through Bridgetown // Nadine @ Back East Blonde

Rules: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only Winner will be notified via email (after verification, no cheating) and will have 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. Otherwise, the prize will be given to the next in line. Check all terms and conditions below. 

Now go enter. Woohooo! *Jazzhands* 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My biggest concern was my tan.

For a long time my summers were spent at the pool. As I sit here at my desk, I reflect. Literally. My skin is so pale it is reflective. I long for the days where I spent my time at the pool! I will obviously be spending my weekend in the sun, but it is just painful to think of those former summer days while I am sitting here at my computer. I didn't have a care in the world. Or if I did, it was about a boy or something else stupid. Come back to me dear summer! I did not appreciate you as I should have.

Summer 2008. Ignore my crazy face. 

4th of July 2008 when we had missed the fireworks. I only added this because Brian is in it! I like him, sue me. 

At the time these photos were taken, the most important things to me (and probably Lauren and Marina) were as follows:
1. Being tan
2. Getting Lauren into Happy Hour (she was still 20)
3. Frozen yogurt

Happy sunny days my friends! Don’t forget your SPF 30!
This post is about college summers when we actively neglected out part time jobs and internships. Still to come? A post about childhood summers!