High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!
Thank goodness. I need this week to be over and can't wait for the upcoming three day weekend! Last night I had the pleasure of developing another ear infection (that was sarcastic) so I'm on antibiotics. Second ear infection in three months? That's a little much for someone who's in her mid twenties, right? Aint nobody got time for that.
Here are my five favorites from the week!

1. Gorgeous snow on Monday. It wasn't cold enough to stick around and I still had to work, but having this beautiful view when I woke up was worth the messy drive to work!
2. Chris made baked ziti while I was working late. There is nothing better than coming home to dinner in the oven and the dishes washed. He's pretty cool...I think I'll keep him.
3. I wasn't feeling well from the ear infection mess last night, so Chris decided brownies were necessary. Wow, he's been in the kitchen more than I have this week.
4. 20% off Ulta coupon?! Oh no. And today is pay day. Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in... {to my mailbox}
5. Pretty mint polish is perfect for Spring, even though it doesn't quite feel like Spring. Love.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend/Easter/Passover (a little late)/whatever you celebrate :)
linking up with Lauren

From a Therapist's Perspective

I've mentioned this before, but my "day job" is being a therapist. It's not an easy job but it's one that I love (most of the time) and something I've always known I wanted to do. It's also something that I feel has bettered me. Let me explain why.

I've learned many things from my five short years of being in this profession. You can't judge a book by its cover. This goes for every aspect of life. You never know what someone is going through just by looking at them. 

                                                                               Source: 29.media.tumblr.com viaAlyssa on Pinterest

Some days, I feel like my clients are helping me more than I'm helping them. They don't even know it. By talking someone through a tough situation, it puts perspective on my life and my practice. It makes me a better as a therapist and a person in general. 

I don't put myself above anyone. Ever. I have plenty to learn, and I don't think I'll ever stop learning. I let my clients teach me things. I listen. I take notes. Because when it all comes down to it, we're all human. We all have real, raw, heartbreaking, overwhelming, and powerful life experiences. We can all learn a little something from each other. 

                                                                             Source: sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net viaAlyssa on Pinterest

It amazes me how people who literally have nothing {monetarily} can show so much strength and resiliency. If they can do it, we all can. Money is just money. Life is about so much more than that. Love, relationships, and connecting with others is what matters. It is also the hardest part of life but it's worth working for. Fighting for. Holding onto.

                                                                                    Source: piccsy.com viaAlyssa on Pinterest

I'm so glad I chose this profession and although it's exhausting and tragic some days, it's one of the most rewarding careers I could have imagined. There's never a day where a lesson goes unlearned, a day where I don't make mistakes, or a day where I come home unfulfilled. To me, that's pretty amazing. People are amazing.

And that's it for this Random Wednesday. Thought? Questions? Comments? I'm no expert, by any means, but would love to chat about my experiences. :)

This weekend... it finally happened

An earth shattering, once-in-a-lifetime event happened this weekend. You really won't believe it. I cut my hair. Ok, it's really not that big of a deal, but it's the only exciting thing that happened this weekend. Besides getting gum stuck in the dryer and ruining some of Chris' work clothes but I don't think you all want to hear about that. I really wish I could erase that part of the weekend.

I got about 5 inches off and but it was a much needed change. I hate getting my hair cut as it makes me so nervous as if the wrong haircut would ruin my life. I obviously need more important things to worry about.

Before and after!

I actually love it! I was having some second thoughts, as I always do after cutting my hair, but I really like it. My ends were terrible and I desperately needed some bangs to frame my face. What do you think? I was bored and also made a vlog to show what it looked like, but holy heck I can't stand the sound of my voice recorded. I think I'll keep that one in the "vault" ;) I need to have a couple glasses of wine before a real vlog ever happens. I don't know how you all do it.

The rest of the weekend was really just spent relaxing. I'm dying for the weather to get warm, but right now the forecast is calling for snow! Come on, it's almost April! In Maryland! Nobody has time for that snow bizznass. My sandals are feeling so lonely, along with my dresses and capris.

I also painted my nails and put up this cute little Spring decor. We'll pretend it actually feels like Spring.

Target "dollar" section! $3

Ugh the cuticles. This weather is killing me!

Now THAT is an exciting weekend! Please tell me yours was more eventful :) In all seriousness, we're really trying to keep things low-key lately because we'll be moving again in a month. That means trying to save money as much as possible and get things done around the house to make moving a little more easier. We still have no idea where we'll be moving but have some up with a semi-plan that I'll eventually share once we decide for sure. I hate when things are "up in the air" but that's the way life goes. I know things will be stable and "normal" soon so I'm trying not to sweat it. Chris and I have been going through a lot of big changes within the past six months... moving, my job change and now moving again and more job changes...other things... when will it stop? So I'm wondering...

How do you do with life being unstable? Anyone else going through this?

Linking up with Sami and Leeann! Also linking up with the I <3 Bloglovin Link Up!

March Birchbox

Another month, another Birchbox! Here's what I got...

1. Caldrea Body Lotion~ I actually haven't tried this lotion yet as I'm saving it for travel. I've heard wonderful things about Caldrea lotion so I can't wait to try it!

2. Serge Normant Volumizing Dry Shampoo~ I'm a big fan of dry shampoos. This one worked well but the smell was way too floral for me. It kind of reminded me of an old lady's perfume and bothered me all day while it was in my hair. 

3. Make Dual Phase Eye Makeup Remover & Make Silk Cream Lipstick~ This is a fantastic eye makeup remover. It took the day's eye shadow, liner, and mascara off in one easy swipe and the oils left a moisturizing feel to my eyes. The lipstick is such a small sample I again, wanted to save it for a special occasion. The color is great and I anticipating liking this lipstick. Bonus... 1/3 of Make's sales go towards a non-profit that supports women-led cooperatives. Win win.

4. Madewell for Birchbox Nail Emery Board~ who doesn't love an emery board? A girl can never have too many. This was a nice surprise with a cute floral pattern on one side.

Do you Birchbox? If so, what'd you get this month? If you're interested in subscribing, click here!

Random Wednesday {20/20 Edition}

No, not 20/20 the eye prescription. Or the tv show. I'm obviously talking about JT's new album, which I immediately snatched up after work last night like a maniac from Target as I HAD to get the one with the two extra songs meaning I couldn't just download it- no, that wouldn't be good enough. So far, amazing. I've only listened to the first few songs because they're all like, 7 minutes long. I'm not complaining. 

While I was at Target, I grabbed a few extras... like Ben & Jerry's and a new pair of flats. I've been doing so well with not shopping, only buying essentials, and I can't even explain how good it felt to buy fun things. If it makes you feel better, why not? I truly believe, in my professional opinion (ha!) that retail therapy is legit. So is Chocolate Therapy.

I don't think there's anything better than this ice cream, JT, and also last night's Pretty Little Liars. Anyone else watch this? Thoughts? I think my heart is still racing. Happy Wednesday, friends! 

Linking up with Shanna for Random Wednesday!

Sweetheart Vox Box

I was so lucky and excited to receive the Sweetheart Vox Box from Influenster! Have you heard of Influenster? It's a free online community designed to share reviews/opinions about products. If you work hard enough to increase your Influenster Score, you may be lucky enough to receive products to review.

Here's what was in this amazing little box...

1. Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response Deodorant~ I regularly use Secret Clinical deodorant, and looking at the ingredients there's not much different about this besides the citrus scent. Somehow, though, this stuff works. I'm talking, works through a 10 hour day at work walking up and down stairs every hour (the stairs are the bane of my existence at work, but I guess keep me thin)

2. Olay Fresh Effects~ This is a shine-reducing cleansing system with a little scrubby brush and some awesome shine-reducing face wash. My face somehow felt moisturized while staying shine free through the night which is amazing.

3. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray~ I wanted to love this.. the coconut-y smell is great and the texture is weightless. My hair is just too thick, frizzy, and long to let it air-dry so I used a diffuser and blow dried... I think the spray would work better on air-dried hair. Maybe once I get a hair cut...

4. Skinnygirl On-the-go Bar~ I love the smell of coconut, but the taste/texture? I can't. I tried to eat this bar, but I just couldn't get it down. If they come in other flavors, I'd definitely look out for them. I'm a granola bar fan in general so I'm sure they're great. Minus the coconut.

If you'd like to receive an invitation to Influenster, send me an email or comment with your email address and I'll send you one! 

I received all products complimentary from Influenster, however all opinions are my own.

Weekend Update {Shamrock Edition}

We didn't do anything crazy for St. Patrick's Day this weekend, but had a weekend full of fun, relaxation, and food (what else?).

Saturday's Cheesecake Factory lunch (yum) and beach wave (slash frizz) hair in the midst of running errands. Drinks and slots at the casino where the luck of the Irish was not with us. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Sunday was a traditional St. Patrick's day impromptu feast with Chris' family... 

Corned beef and cabbage (Who knew I LOVE cabbage? I just found out)

Yummy wine

Green pudding!

Aaaand today I'll need to hit the gym! What did you do to celebrate St. Patrick's day?

Linking up with Sami and Leeann!

Friday!

Happy happy Friday!

Oh, sadly I haven't found much time to blog. I've been trying to visit you all and not totally drop off the face of the earth. I miss your {virtual} faces. It's been a busy week where I surprisingly didn't lose my mind. Sure, I haven't had much time to blog and that stinks. I miss it. But I somehow made it through this week without getting ridiculously stressed out and anxious. It definitely helps that the weather is getting warmer and it's still light outside even when I work late! It makes me feel like I'm not totally missing out.

Anyway, we'll get that Bloglovin business out of the way. See below to follow me via Bloglovin as we say "buhbye" to Google Reader. (Even though I never used it... apparently many do!)

Now for the week's five...

1. Last night marked the first taco night of the spring/summer. For some reason, we eat tacos during the warm weather only. Yeah, we do eat them during the winter but not as frequently. Taco nights = homemade guacamole which I didn't even snap a picture of before it was gone. Yum.

2. Chris' mom gave me this beautiful watch and I got this scarf at Kohl's for $6! Double win!

3. Key Lime Pie! My excuse to make this was celebrating "Pi Day" but we all know I don't need an excuse to make a delicious dessert. This recipe is easy, quick, and a crowd-pleaser. In my house, crowd = myself and Chris, because it doesn't last long enough for anyone else.

4. Staying on the "food" theme, I think it's really cool that I can refer to my own blog for recipes to make again. I love having a way to store my recipes as well as share them with others. I really want to start posting them more, so get ready. This week I also made stuffed shells.... recipe can be found here.

5. Last but not least, I'm participating in a giveaway over at Keeping up with Kelsey! You can enter below, but make sure you head on over to Kelsey's blog and check out all the other lovely ladies participating.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have a great weekend, everyone!

Linking up with Lauren

High Five for Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday! I feel like I say it every week, but this week has been extremely busy and stressful. I can't wait to have a couple days to decompress. Plus, I get to see my former co-workers tonight for dinner. If you've been around here for a little while, you know how much I love these people and miss them in my everyday life! It will be good to catch up. Here are the five best {little} things from the past week...

1. Chris' homemade pizza for dinner last night. Fresh basil on the top (pepperoni for him) Yum yum yum.
2. Ben & Jerry's came out with new Greek Frozen Yogurt flavors! I tried the Liz Lemon flavor... lemon fro yo with swirls of blueberry and lavender. It's so delicious!
3. I hung Shamrocks on my office door at work, just in time for a huge snow storm. We actually ended up getting no snow, just rain. Good call, meteorologists of Maryland.
4. I ordered my clinical exam study guide and got it in the mail yesterday. Freak out time (when the heck will I find time to study?!)
5. I got three full sized Garnier products free from Bzzagent! These products are amazing- I wash my hair every other day and usually by the second day I have to use dry shampoo because it feels a little icky. Not after using these products. My hair looked and smelled great on the second and even third day and actually feels healthier just after two uses. Amazing.

I also have some blog changes coming up. I've been working on them for a while and should finally get things up and running soon. Exciting!!! Do you have any exciting plans this weekend?

Linking up with Lauren

Random Wednesday {What Snow?}

So, today was supposed to be a big snow storm. It turned out to be a big snow fail! Since I'm dreaming of snow (or really, getting off work), here are a few pics from "Snowmageddon", the last time we got actual snow!

This week has been another slow blogging week. I honestly didn't have much to write about my weekend! We just hung out, relaxed, cleaned, and ran some errands. I did do something I thought I would never do. Returned a dress to Nordstrom. I'm ashamed to admit when I actually bought the dress, but it was a WHILE ago. It was $150. I can't even fathom spending that much on a dress now... my priorities have shifted a bit. This was for a wedding, but that's just way more than I would regularly spend. I never ended up wearing that dress, and didn't wear another dress I also bought for the same occasion. I kept the tags on both dresses. I was amazed that Nordstrom has just about no return policy and I became $150 richer! Amazing. 
The other dress was from Nordstrom Rack, which has a 30 day return policy so I'm selling it on Tradesy. Check it out! If you're interested, I'll even lower the price and sell it through PayPal. I really just want to get it out of my closet before we move.

The dress for sale! It looks extra wrinkled because of the material, but I promise it looks great in person.

I know selling clothes online has become super popular lately. Have you done this before and been successful? Usually I just donate clothes to Goodwill, in fact, I have a big bag of clothes in my garage just waiting to be donated. 

That's my bit of "random" for today. It's been another busy week...like always, I'm so looking forward to the weekend. Only 2 more days of work!! Linking up with Shanna, of course!

High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday! 

I actually feel like this week flew by. Honestly, cutting back on the blog and on other things in life has really helped. It also helps that we were able to extend our lease another month so we don't have to move until the end of April now. Huge relief. So, I'm going into the weekend feeling much more relaxed and centered. It's about time! I've also been planning on some changes for this blog which are taking a little longer than I thought. I'm hoping to get all of that figured out and in a way have a "new start". I'm really not "all talk"... it'll happen soon! Here are my high fives for this week!

1. Chipotle Chipotle Chipotle. Enough said.

2. Influenster  SweetHeart Vox Box! So many great new products to test. Review coming soon! (If you are interested in joining Influenster, email me and I'll send you an invitation!)

3. It was a good mail day- Neutrogena goodies from Bzzagent!

4. Look at this cutie in the car in front of me. Chris and I love huskies and would love to adopt one (or two) but I am so allergic. Maybe someday!

5. I downloaded a book for the first time in months! Yes, it's chick lit fluff, but that's all I feel like reading after tough days at work. Kristan Higgins is great- have you ever read her books?

Does anyone have any exciting plans this weekend? We're just hanging out and relaxing now that the pressure to move is pushed off for another month. Can't wait.

Linking up with Lauren!