I just found blogspot easier to use with my google account and such.  Thanks <3

He Makes Me Laugh

Jason is just so dumb sometimes that it makes me laugh.  He says things that no one else I’ve ever met can say.  When I’m down, the first thing he does is try to make me laugh.  He’s not a good joke teller (by any means), but just his stories and mannerisms (he’s from PA, need I say more ) keep me laughing all the time.

We Can Play

It’s important to remember that we’re 23, not 43.  We play with each other all the time.  As we are both big sports teams (him Pittsburgh, me NY) we get into quite a bit, but it’s fun to take playful jabs at each other.  He reminds me constantly not to take myself too seriously.

He Likes My Friends

Instead of my best friend Anthony running to give me a hug, he runs right passes me and gives Jason a hug.  The best part? Jason hugs him right back.  Even though Jason is my boyfriend, and we weren’t really friends before we started going, I consider him my best friend also.  He fits right in with my friends.  As my friends have been there through thick and thin, it was really important to me that he respect them and vice versa.

He Lets Me, Be Me

I consider myself a bit of a contradiction.  I live for over priced hand bags (Coach is my obsession!), but can rattle of baseball facts with the best of them.  I know the rules from Emily Post, but I curse like a sailor.  I getting dressed up, but rarely find an occassion to do it.  Jason lets me do all of this.  He might not understand it all, but he doesn’t judge me for it and I love that.

He Supports Me

After I graduated (with a very expensive degree I might add), I realized that my degree wasn’t going to make me happy.  I took a crappy job, just to get the tuition benefits (I’m going to get my masters in education now).  Instead of thinking that was dumb, or asking me why, he just supported me.  He was happy for me when I got a job, gets mad when they disrespect me here, and stands up for me at all times.

My Family=His Family

Literally, Jason is currently living with my dad to save some cash.  My dad loves him like a son, and Jason loves my dad too.  As my dad is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, Jason is there to save him (and at the same time me).  Oh, he also walks my dog and feeds my cat!

Timeline

Mid October 2004- I actually liked his roomie, Jon.  After getting to know Jon, I realized I only liked his looks and not much else.  While getting to know Jon, I kinda fell for Jason.

Halloween 2004-Me dressed up as a lady bug, and him dressed as God knows what, we met up at Halloween party.  As I was a bit drunk, and a bit frisky, I proceeded to grind on him the entire night.  I look back at it and laugh, because if not I’d be so embarassed!

November 13,2004-After a couple weeks of flirting that took me nowhere, I was ready to give up on Jason.  My roomies left me alone for the weekend so Jason spent the night.  We spent the entire night in each others arms

November 14, 2004-First kiss at last!  We consider that our anniversary, since we haven’t looked back since.

December 2004-The first time we exchange “I love yous”.  They came fast, but we meant it.

September 2005-The begining of our first year at Penn State’s main campus.  We spent every weekend together.

May 2007-We graduate college.  Jason was moving to Atlanta for a job shortly after graduation, I was moving back to New York.  Jason ended up staying in Atlanta for a year.  It was s0o0o hard, and we fought constantly.  We weren’t the best at long distance relationships.

August 2008-Jason moves up to NY and moves in with my dad.  It’s like we’re “newlyweds” again haha.  I love having him here, so far our weekends have been spent being bums and watching baseball/football games.

November 14, 2008- We’ll be celebrating our 4-year anniversary (KNOCK ON WOOD!) in Boston.  Boston is my second fave (behind New York of course) city in the world.  Jason has never been and I’m crossing my fingers that he falls in love with it , as much as I did.

I was in my cooking class (I went to a technical high school) in 11th grade.  A classmates boyfriend called her and told her a plane flew into the WTC.  We all thought it was a fluke, until he called back and said it happened again.  At that moment our class was back on the bus to the main building (we had cooking in another part of my city).  The entire school was on lock down and my friends Ally and Katie tried to do anything we could to find out information.  When I got home with my mom an hour later, all we did was watch the tv in terror.  As someone who knows a victim and a survivor of the 9/11 attacks, this day especially tugs at the heart strings.

So today, do something good.  Whether it be holding the door for someone, complimenting a co-worker, or smiling at a stranger.  Don’t do it for “good karma”, do it just to do it.  And more importantly, next time see you a soldier, thank them.

This weeks BOGO event of the week is happening at your local Rite Aid.  All L’Oreal eye make up (including HIP!) is buy one get one free.  I am a bit of a HIP addict (especially when the eye shadows are applied wet), so I was happy for this sale.  I bought two Bright Duos.  One in Showy, which is a beautiful blue and aqua color and the other in Flamboyant which has a beautiful, rich purple and a yellow-gold.

The other fabulous buy one, get one free going on at Rite Aid, is for any L’Oreal face product (foundation, concealer,blush and bronzer).  I’ve been on the mineral kick lately so I picked up a blush and concealer from their Bare Naturale collection.  The blush is a shimmery pink with some plum undertones (hence the name Sugar Plum) and the concealer is in fairly light since I’m pale as a ghost.  This is the only other mineral concealer I’ve tried other than Everyday Minerals, which I wasn’t thrilled with.  Expect a review quite soon!

Sparkpeople is an on line community and on line diet tool.  This isn’t a diet in the sense of starving or depriving yourself, but simply cutting portion sizes on the bad stuff, and incorporating a lot more of the good stuff in to your daily lives.  Sparkpeople provides you with an customized “diet” plan, a food log, and an exercise log.  This is on top of the articles and videos that provide you with a huge outlet of nutritional information and exercise tips.

Sparkpeople is also an on line community.  You can join groups based on your weight loss goals, location, age, hobby, pretty much anything.  It’s a very supportive environment and is great when you need a little extra boost.

If you’ve had trouble getting rid of some of the bad habits, while incorporating more of the good (like me!) than Sparkpeople is a great resource.

Where to splurge:

1.  A bra-A properly fitting bra can make a $2 t-shirt look fabulous.  It doesn’t matter how expensive of a garment you’re wearing if the girls are pointing the south!  Go to your local Victoria’s Secret and get properly measured.  Try on many different styles of bras and if you find one that fits well, buy it in a few different colors.  If you’re going to splurge on a bra, it pays to take good care of it.  Hand wish any bras with woolite and hang to dry.

Victoria

2. Seamless Undies-I hate the word panties, so I will use the term undies. This is another under garment that’s necessary to make any garment look good.  Those white pants from Forever 21 won’t look so hot with (ughh i have to say it) panty lines.

3. Jeans- Jeans is something that I normally go a bit cheap on, but I think every woman should splurge on one pair that makes them feel like a bombshell for a hot night out on the town.

4. Shoes- I don’t know about you, but if my feet hurt that rest of my body hurts, so shoes isn’t something you should go cheap on.  Don’t get me wrong, I own about 10 pairs of Old Navy flip flops, but the correct fit and material is very important for shoes.  If you’re going for work shoes, it’s important to buy real leather, as a synthetic material doesn’t let the foot breathe.  No one wants sweaty, smelly feet.  It’s also important to buy the right sneakers.  If you’re going running and don’t have a proper running sneaker, it can really wreak havoc on your feet.

5.  A winter coat (not a ski one!)-A classic winter coat can serve two purposes: Keep you warm and keep you stylish in an otherwise unglamourous season.  A lot of people choose either a classic pea coat, which rarely provides enough warmth, or some kind of ski parka, which rarely provides enough style.  It’s important to combine elements of both.  I recommend something a little longer, as no one wants a cold butt!  This coat from the Gap would be a good choice.  The Sherpa lining will keep you nice and toasty and the cinched waist will keep you from looking a marsh mellow.

6. One pair of black pants-A well cut, nice fitting pair of black pants can take you from work to a night out on the town.  The one splurge pair should be hemmed to fit well with your favorite/most comfy pair of heels.  Why only one pair?  Most of us don’t wear the same shoes every day, so we will need different hems on our pants.  Also, black pants can be seen anywhere from Forever 21 prices to high end designer.  This one pair should be your go to pair for an important meeting or an important date.

7. One crisp white oxford (button down)-A white oxford is one of those classic pieces that just seems to transcend time and trends.  This can also be used for that go-to business outfit.  Avoid trendy ruffles or buttons on this one splurge, you can save on the more trendier versions of this classic piece.

8. One totally unnecessary but oh so luxurious splurge-A cashmere anything!  I purchased my first 100% cashmere sweater last winter, and I can’t wait to add more cashmere items to my closet.  When I put it on I instantly feel more glamorous.  If you’re going to splurge on a cashmere item, again get something classic, my piece is a grey cardi.  There’s no use in spending all that money, if the shape or details are only “in” for one season.

These are just some basic items that every wardrobe should have.  They are again, the building blocks, of a classic Jackie-O inspired wardrobe.  Many may feel that there are other areas that deserve splurges.  My other area is purses.  I don’t even want to dive in to how many Coach bags I own.  Get items like this, and make them your own by adding inexpensive trendy pieces and accessories.

One warning though, if you’re going to spend the money on these pieces, make sure to take care of them properly and get them tailored if needed.

I’m happy to say that I don’t have any store credit cards.  Now before you think me nobel, let me explain.  The main reason I don’t have a store credit card, is because I don’t shop that much at one single store to benefit from the discount.  However, there are more important reasons that you should think before agreeing to that store card.

1. Just by applying for a store credit card your credit score drops 20 points.  If you have a credit score that is considered border-line good/bad, this may drop you down to bad and hurt your chances at receiving a loan, or a decent interest rate on a loan.

2. The interest rates on store credit cards are obscenely high.  Most are around 20%, which chances are, is more than that initial discount that you received.

3. If the store credit card you are applying for offers reward points, it usually takes a lot of purchases to receive that $10 store credit.  You may find yourself purchasing more just to get the points.

Chances are sometime soon I will be opening a store credit.  Probably to buy furniture for my apartment.  If you do chose to open a store credit card, make sure you can pay off the total each month, or to close the card after paying off the total.

My freshman year in college I had a membership with the site.  Back then, you had to pick a monthly membership and pay that fee (I was a princess, so I could have access to all the Coach bags) and then pay for the bag on top of it.  It became a bit pricey, especially on a work study budget, so I promptly quit.  I hadn’t even thought about it, until after the movie.

When I re-visited the site, I was glad to see they had done away with the memberships.  The site does still offer memberships, but you can rent a bag, jewelry, or sunglases with out a membership.  You can also choose how long you would like to rent a piece.

All though the rental fees still may be a bit pricey for us on a budget, it would be nice to have a new Chanel necklace to match your Louis bag for a big night out.

Thanks Ash <3

There are a plethora of on-line resources to read product reviews.  One of the most popular is of course amazon.  I read reviews on amazon for every electronic, book, dvd, etc.  Most of the time, I do end up actually purchasing the item from amazon, but if I see a sale in a different store, I usually just visit amazon for the reviews.

For beauty related products, I trust Makeup Alley and Total Beauty.  Their review boards are quite extensive and cover products from drugstore brands to the highest end.  The reviews cover everything from hair appliances, to make up to skin care.

There are many other popular review sites:

http://www.epinions.com/

http://www.consumersearch.com/

http://www.buzzillions.com/

   The most popular items being swapped online are books, dvds, cds and video games.  My personal favorite site is Titletrader.  You list any items that you have available for swap.  Someone then requests the item and the website gives you a shipping label to print out.  You dohave to pay for shipping, however when you request an item it’s like getting that money back.  Once you ship the item, you confirm it on the website.  When the person receives the item, and leaves feedback, you are then given “swap points”.  You can then use these points to shop around the site.  Most books are 1 point, dvds 2-4, cds 1-2 and I haven’t looked at video games yet.

   Another popular swap idea is “Girlfriend” swaps.  How many times have you cleaned out your closet and thought “Ughh, this doesn’t fit anymore! or “Why the hell did I buy this?”.  Don’t just throw it away or give it to good-will, have your girlfriends go through their stuff and make a pile of the things they would like to get rid of.  Now invite all of your girlfriends over, pop open a bottle of wine and enhance your wardrobe.  Chances are you will come away with a few good items, and if there’s any left overs just donate them.