On Bravery, Zumba, and Firearms

Here I sit, snuggled on my couch, freshly showered, with a package of Rowntree's Fruit Gums by my side, and I'm choking back ridiculous tears.  Why, oh why, does my husband's camping trip coincide with my weekend of womanly hormonal rage?  I know he'll be back in 48 hours, but geez, it is just not right to snuggle in that bed without him.  But I will be brave, despite the superloud boogie men that go bump in the night, and because of the heat I'm packing just in case.
Enough about that.
My friend has been inviting me to her Zumba class on Monday nights for a little while now.  I haven't gone for several reasons, the greatest of which being a humongo fear of looking like an absolute fool.  I am not exactly the most coordinated person.  I mean, I FEEL that beat, but I just can't seem to make my body cooperate for long periods of time.
Anywho, on Monday I bit the proverbial bullet and took my little butt to Zumba class.  My friend just happened to stand me up, and of course I gave her a lot of grief for it, but it was actually ok.  I needed to take that first step and be a little vulnerable.  

Ack, the piercing fear ripping through my heart...

And the sheer exhaustion.  Seriously, do you guys do Zumba?  Such a great workout.So much so that I went back tonight.  Loving it--it feels like 5 minutes, definitely not an hour of spasmatic cardio.  I'm sure I do still look like a fool doing it, but I'm learning to be ok with that.
And extra bonus?This morning I threw my unbrushed, day-old hair into a french-type braid thing...

And then tonight, after getting my Zumba on, I discovered this...

Glorious beachy waves I can never seem to achieve when I want to.  Guess I need to exercise more!
Do you Zumba?  Do you love it?How do you survive being home alone?

Pool Partay

Last weekend was my sweet mama's birthday.  So we decided to christen the summer season with a family pool party.  I'm kinda loving this whole owning-a-pool thing.  Especially since I have a pool boy!   Introducing Bart:

I mean, this is the coolest invention ever.  A robot that cleans my pool while I do whatever the heck I want?  He is so awesome. 

Cutest nephew in the history of the world...and my sister-in-law.LOVE.   

My mama and her dog-son...who was scared to get in the water.  

 

Big Bro and Dad chillin' and shootin' the breeze.

Could not have asked for a more beautiful day to relax and laugh with family and celebrate all our blessings together.  Here's to summer!

Too Vintage to be Cute?

So lately, on my at-least-once-a-week Goodwill trip, I spotted some fun vintage finds.  And I tried them on with much glee.  And then I left them there and went home.
I have this issue with buying really old clothes.  Like someone will look at me and say, "Wow, she's trying way too hard to be retro and cool," or something like that.
But here's when you know something was meant to belong in your closet.  When 24 hours later, you're still thinking about it and your car basically drives on autopilot back to Goodwill after work, and THEY'RE STILL THERE!
And now they live in my closet and I love them.   What do you think?  Too vintage to be cute?  Can I pull these off?

The top is actually Target...NOT so old.
  Sandals from Kohls.
  Vintage wrap maxi skirt from Goodwill...colorful and sorta Aztec print meets 80's geometric print?

Vintage cobalt blue silk top...GoodwillVintage midi skirt in sorta-floral print with scalloped edge...GoodwillVintage brown belt...Goodwill (although you can't see it)Vintage long gold tassel necklace...hubby found in a cleanout (although you can't see that either) Target nude pumps...Goodwill 

and props to my handsome hubby who matched me for church TOTALLY by accident and still let me have our picture taken together for posterity

Lip Crush

I go through stages of being a "makeup junkie"...you know, that little rush you get when you have about 12 makeup coupons clipped in your wallet and they happen to coincide with items on sale at CVS this week?  Oh, the colors.  Oh, the cute packaging.  Oh, the ad campaigns that are so good at convincing you you'll become a model if you wear this.  My biggest weaknesses for makeup hoarding are most definitely nail polish and lip products.
Ahhh lip products...a girl can never have too many forms of chapstick, gloss, balm, and lipstick.  And when they're relatively inexpensive, it's just so tempting to try a new one.  So today I thought I'd dig in my purse and show you some of my newest lip crushes so you can feel less guilty about splurging on something new...you heard it hear--they're awesome!

Revlon's Lip Butter.  I've mentioned this before, but wow, do I love it.  I have Sugar Frosting and Peach Parfait and I'm obsessed with both.  They're sparkly and sheer so I don't feel too fru-fru on my way to work or frolicking in my garden...and so super soft!

You know how Sephora gives you a little birthday gift if you order something around your special day? (in addition to lots of fun free samples)  Well, this was truly one of the neatest gifts I received this year.  Seriously...these little lip balms are the silkiest, smoothest little mini things...and they taste and smell amazing.  The clear one is almost grapefruity, and the red one is the perfect sheer cherry.  They have the cutest little metal tubes.  I just might need a full size when they're all gone.

And this.  If you haven't tried Baby Lips yet, come on now.  For less than $4, even cheaper with a coupon, you just cannot go wrong.  I have this in Peach Kiss and I love the feel and smell of it.  Again, all about the sheer color so I can apply lots and lots and not feel ridiculous.
Have you tried any of these?  What's your latest lip crush?  Give me a reason to splurge! :)

Please Watch This

It's a full moon.  And a Monday.  And it's raining.  And if you're like me, you've never craved chocolate more than you have today.  That's ok.  Top it all off with this little video.  It just....hits the spot.

  *Please don't be put off by the screenshot they chose for the video.  It's not all about men dancing in underwear.  THAT...would NOT hit the spot.
Have a little giggle...or a big one, and we can pretend to clink gigantic mugs of hot chocolate across the interwebs.  Here's to Tuesday. 

Prom Night

Last night was Prom Night at school.  I don't talk about work very often on this blog because this is supposed to help me focus on my life OUTside of work, but Prom is just too good to pass up.
I work at a special needs school, so our prom is one of a kind.  I always say to husband, who as yet will not agree to attend with me, that you have to see it to believe it.  My main duty is to help my photographer friend do professional photos for the kids.  She works her butt off to get some great pictures of these kids and it's not easy.
I stayed late after school to help with finishing touches on the decorations, dashed home to try a new hairstyle a la pinterest...

and put on a dress that's not too fussy and easy to move around in.  I'll tell you right now that the heels didn't last long.

And then it was back to school to pose, dance around with stuffed animals to get eye contact with the camera, be crazy to coax out some smiles, straighten ties, hair, and tired faces, ooh and aah over my smartly-dressed students, and watch the balloon drop over the final song of the night.

Then back home through torrential downpours with glow sticks, mardi gras beads, and the sorest feet I've had in a while.  Another year down.  Success.

Tids + Bits

+three cheers for one good hour of sunshine by the pool when I get home before I have to face reality and make dinner and stuff
+a teensy bit obsessed with salad lately.  It's handy, too, because we've been the lucky recipients of my momma's bumper crop of spinach.  Tonight's salad variety features craisins (everyday!), canned pears, and balsamic vinegar!
happy friday-ing!
linking up here today.