Random Musings

I have a lot of friends who post blogs about random musings so I figured I would join in!

1. Odd Sense-ability

The other day, I smelled diesel fuel coming from an old nasty truck and guess what I immediately thought of? "Oooh, ice cream truck!" That is a horrible smell to associate with a sweet childhood memory. I often associate scents in an odd manner.

2. Potato Backs

This is what I call the french fries from Chick-fil-A that are squishy and rounded instead of waffle-like and crispy. My gal pal, Lane-o calls them Butt Fries-what about you? No matter the name, I think they are gross!

3. Shout Out

This might embarrass my husband, but I will share it anyways: James paints my toes for me. I am absolutely horrible at it and he is an artist after all! He recently told me to stop buying cheap nail polish! Since then, I have been obsessed with OPI! Today I am wearing a dark shimmery green! Thanks babe!

4. Babies Everywhere!

I have a million friends who are pregnant right now! This makes me happy because I can play with all of their babies and learn all of their mommy secrets. This also means we will be busy taking a lot of pictures during this season-yay!

5. Speaking of Babies...

No, I am not prego, or trying! Everytime I tell someone that I don't want to get an epidural (In the future when I get round) they think I am crazy! I believe I am strong enough. My doc told me childbirth will be a breeze compared to my past injuries! See this pic? No gracias!

6. Graduate School Makes Me Think

Such as the other day in class, the teacher said something funny and everyone responded by laughing. You are probably thinking, duh! It made me wonder where laughing comes from. Is it a conditioned response (learned) or is it a natural biological reaction? Deep.

7. Working on Working Out

I have been wanting to get toned for a while now. I will admit that I bought a skirt bottom last year to disguise my bottom! Thankfully, I have an honest gal pal (Courtney) who pointed out that A. I am 23 and B. I am not a mom yet. Therefore, a skirt bottom is silly unless it is just really stinking cute. I will share my health plan with you in my next post.

There are some of my random musings for the day. Now I am off to help James mow the lawn and hopefully get a bike ride in with my hubby and pups! I am loving this Spring-like weather!

These are a few of my favorite things

The sunny weather put me in the mood for a light-hearted post. Therefore, I decided I would share a random list of of my favorite things. They happen to be things that go on my body!

Hair

Moroccan Oil- It makes my hair so silky smooth and it smells amazing! Next, I am going to try their curl defining mousse.

Chi- I am sure every gal has heard of the Chi. This thing only takes one swipe and boom, my hair is straight! In combination with the Moroccan oil, I have less crazy hair days! Thanks Momma Riley for the Christmas present!

Face

Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara- It makes my lashes look long and full. I have also heard that the purple tube is even better than this. I still have a few more left because Costco had an amazing coupon. I think I got 9 tubes for less than $20.

Philosophy Blush/Bronzer Compact- This has brought summer to my face during the sad, pale winter months. It also is great for sensitive skin!

Purpose Intensive Daily Moisturizer with SPF -My Dermatologist recommended this to me. My skin used to get crazy dry in the winter but, no more! It is light, cheap, and has SPF

Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion- This lotion feels so good to me. I happen to like body lotions that are a little thicker because my skin can get quite dry and it is sensitive.

Blistex Daily Conditioning Treatment with SPF 20- I am a chapstick and SPF freak. This is one chapstick that has a good amount of SPF that does not taste disgusting or leave a nasty feeling on your lips. I can often only find this at drugstores.

G.U.M Soft Picks-I know this is a random pick, (pun!), but these things are great! I am not the biggest fan of flossing, but these little guys make it much easier. Also, they come with a little travel case!

Accessories

Madden Girl Snappy Boots- It took me two years to find a pair of boots that I like. TWO years! Then, my lovely puppies decided to turn one of them into a peep-toe boot. I don't think I have ever been as angry as when I found that boot in the back yard (sad, I know). My amazing husband bought me another pair. He has my heart for many reasons. I have found two more pairs of boots since then!

Express Cargo Jacket- This was a recent treat to myself. It was a slight splurge, but I had a coupon. I would say at least 50% of our clothes come from Express because they are one of the only stores that actually fit well and they give out coupons.

Side purse- Also called a crossbody bag, shoulder bag, you get the point! I bought one of these because my chiropractor said I needed a smaller purse. Along with that, I started graduate school and needed less things to hold while making my trek to class! Now, I can do anything while wearing this style of purse and it has especially come in handy while grocery shopping and on photo shoots.

As silly as it seems, each one of these brightens my day in some way! I am sure I could come up with more, but these came to mind! Do you have any products that you recommend?

Now I am off to enjoy the sunshine with my gal pal Crystal and her little guy Peyton! I hope you enjoy this absolutely beautiful weekend.

Blog of Yumness!

This is a blog FULL of YUM! I came across a list of the top 100 restaurants in Charleston (from UrbanSpoon). A few of my gal pals and I took the list, narrowed it down, and added a few more. Sometimes James and I are really bad about doing date nights. This might surprise you considering I posted a long list of dates on a previous blog post (which may need updating!) I decided that it would be a great idea to base our dates around trying out new restaurants (we love to eat!) and exploring Charleston more. We both grew up here and find that it is easy to forget how awesome our hometown is.

Here are a few of the restaurants on the list:

Really Want to Try

Basil Poe’s Tavern Hominy Grill FIG EVO 82 Queen

Fat Hen Coast Cypress Charleston Cafe Sermet’s Corner

Moe’s Crosstown Tavern Cru Café Peninsula Grill Sette Sugar

Fleet Landing Monza Pizza Oak Steakhouse Hank’s Graze

Geene’s Haufbrau Juanita Greenberg’s Mosaic Mercato

Garribaldi’s Bocci’s Bull Street Deli Saffron Caviar & Bananas

Kind of Want to Try

Madra Rua Irish Pub Red Drum Gastropub Muse Carolina’s

Bowen’s Island Restaurant Long Point Grill Fuel Cantina

Old Village Post House Wreck of the Richard and Charlene

Boathouse at Breach Inlet Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar

Charleston Grill Social Restaurant & Wine Bar Triangle Char & Bar

Al Di La Wild Olive Cucina Italiana Tommy Condons Uno Mas

Here are a few of the places I have been fortunate enough to enjoy:

Jestine’s Kitchen Rue de Jean Zia Taqueria Taco Boy Bushido

Gaulart & Maliclet French Café Poogan’s Porch Oriental Garden

Rita’s Seaside Grill Glass Onion Wasabi’s Jacob’s Kitchen Red Orchid

After talking to a few people about this list, they keep telling me more restaurants to add! Have you been to any of the ones I want to try? Do you have any more restaurants to add to the list? This is one adventure that I am oh so excited about! Yum!

Love is in the air!!!

I am very thankful that James and I share an interest in the arts. This comes in all different forms: painting, scrapbooking, sewing, random house projects (such as our pot rack), making jewelry, photography, and more. James is always great about giving his input which helps to add a special touch to every piece.

We both have quite different styles and methods of doing things. I usually have no plan and just let the creative juices flow bound by no rules. James is organized, has a ton of knowledge, and thinks things through really well. We make quite a pair! I have greatly enjoyed the experience of starting a photography company with my hubby which we have had for about two years (wow!). I have learned that it is quite difficult starting a business because photo gear is mega expensive, there are a million photographers in Charleston, and getting your name out there is tough!

But, we have been blessed to work with wonderful people and capture awesome moments. Recently, we had an opportunity to photograph an extremely cute couple, Anthony and Corinne. This was a special photo shoot because there was a secret involved. That secret? Anthony planned to propose to Corinne during the shoot! Here are a few pictures:

Here is one that I shot right before Anthony popped the question. Let me tell you that I am surprised it is in focus because my hands were shaking soooo much!

I have a lot more to learn about photography but I have a really smart, handsome teacher :) If you want to see the rest of this photo shoot and others, go visit the website at http://www.jasriley.com/. They won't be small, fuzzy, and compressed there (don't quite have the settings down for blogspot!).

I am also so so so very excited for one of my best gal pals and her husband- Chelsie and Robbie- because they are having a baby!!! I can't wait to take pictures of her cute little baby bump. Here's a picture we took in November that, in my opinion, completely defines their relationship:

Yay for laughter and love! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Remember that every day is worth celebrating and showing love to each other.