Sorry!

Click for credit.

I'm not listening to anything because it will distract me from my work. But guys. 20/20 Part 2 is out. It's my reward for getting all this crap done.
    Sorry, I know I'm a terrible person. You don't get a new post today (aside from this, which really doesn't count). The four of you who read this can punish me later. Too busy now. I had to close at work today so I was there until seven, and now I have two papers and three Catullus poems to write and translate by tomorrow... And I don't have time for a post.
    But Thursday! Get excited. I did some cool stuff this weekend, and I'll tell you about it then. I promise!

Five Faves and a Flop: September

 Listening to Groove is in the Heart by Dee Lite. (I highly encourage you to check out the vid. It's like a five-minute trip to the seventies, accompanied by some rad dance moves.)Dreading my midterm in 19th Century American Literature at 3:30 today.
    Last Thursday in September and look at me! I'm so on top of things. Except, you know, school things. Probably going to lose it during my midterm today. But I've got my blog post up!
    Not gonna lie, this month has been highly beauty-centered as far as my favorites go.

• Caress Tahitian Renewal - I have weirdly sensitive skin. I have to be careful what makeup, cleanser, and lotion I use, as well as what products I use in the shower. Everything has to be as natural as possible. The problem is that a lot of all-natural products really don't smell awesome, or make my skin as soft as it could be. I'd been using a Method soap for a while, but I've gotten tired of the smell. Before I went all-natural-everything, I'd been using Caress, and it didn't give me hives too badly. So what I've been doing is alternating every other day, Caress-Method-Caress-Method, etc. That way I smell and feel yummy, but the next day I really cleanse my skin and get all the chemicals that irritate my skin off completely. Tahitian Renewal feels like a trip to a private island villa with an outdoor bathtub and shower and bamboo flooring. Minus the likely jellyfish stings.
• Black Moccasins - I honestly don't remember where I got these since it was about three years ago, but I remember my grandmother buying them for me. She actually bought me two pair - one in tan, and these black ones because we liked them both and couldn't choose. The tan ones unfortunately broke a few years back, but these babies have held up! They are super comfortable - perfect for booking it around campus (get it? 'cause I'm running around, and hitting the books. Ha. Haha. Return of the Puns). Plus I think they're just super cute for fall.
• L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation in Creamy Natural - What with fall looks being all matte, I figured it's time to retire the BB cream (since the only one I like/can use has a very dewy finish), and opt for something a bit more mattifying. Unfortunately, alone, Magic Nude isn't quite what I wanted - although I guessed my color perfectly! In order to achieve that truly matte finish, I have to wear a primer underneath, and set at least the center of my face, if not all of it, with a mattifying powder. Which I don't mind, I would just appreciate less steps in the morning. It really does go on nicely, though I would recommend using your fingers rather than a brush or a sponge. And for goodness sake, shake before use. I made that mistake.
• EOS in Summer Fruit - It smells like peaches, tastes like Pez, and the cap is fun to twist on and off. I'm sold.
• L'Oreal Infallible 24-Hour Eyeshadow in Amber Rush - I really just love this color. It screams fall. Some have called it a rose-gold, some copper. I think Amber Rush is just fine. It looks like fall leaves against bright blue skies and pumpkins and brisk air and toe socks* and I love it. It's so beautiful, sometimes I wear just that one shadow as a wash over my whole lid with no crease color, no highlighter, and just a smidge of brown eyeliner. It's perfect. Infallible. Oh yes, I did.

• FLOP: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Shine in Plum Velour - It's not really the lipstick's fault. It can't change what color it is. I just really wanted and oxblood color, and as dark as this color looks, it still looks like a berry color on my lips. And not even that dark. I was torn between this one and Black Cherry at CVS, so I guess I'll go exchange it tomorrow. (I literally just bought it today, too.)

*I associate toe socks with fall, mostly because I used to buy a pair of Halloween toe socks every Halloween during middle and high school.

What have you been loving this month? Any disappointments? Let me know!

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Product List

• Caress Tahitian Renewal
• L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation in Creamy Natural
• EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit
• L'Oreal Infallible 24-Hour Eyeshadow in Amber Rush
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Shine in Plum Velour (discontinued.)

LifeScouts: Ballet!

Listening to Justin Timberlake TKO - not sure how I feel about it yet. I want to like it, but I'm just not sure. Plus I'm pretty sure I can hear a guinea pig in the background.
Overwhelmed with homework.
    Normally, I write these posts when I don't have anything else to write about. Today, I just felt like giving myself a prompt and going with it.
    Ballet was a huge part of my life. I danced for nine years in two different ballet studios. I quit just before auditioning for company, and part of me regrets that so much. See, my feet naturally turn out. I walk like a duck, or a penguin, or some other absurd animal. And you don't even wanna see me run. If you didn't already know I danced, you'd figure it out pretty quick, even though I'm an absolute klutz. When I was a baby, my parents worried something was wrong and took me to get my feet checked out. The doctor said, "Oh, she's fine, just put her in ballet." So in kindergarten, that's what happened.
    I did everything but hip-hop and tap, really. Ballet, jazz, pointe, modern - I would've done tap and hip-hop if given the option. I learned Thriller when I was eight, danced to Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend from Moulin Rouge and A Hard Knock Life from Annie. I got to be a fairy in two different performances (I was fairy-obsessed as a child, and still want to own anything Tinker-Bell related). I was in the Nutcracker almost every single year. I was a Christmas Tree Doll, one of Mother Ginger's Children (twice), a Little Angel (twice), a Toy Soldier, a Big Angel. I quit the year I would've been one of the Party Girls, which is the one thing I regret most.
    Before you get excited, I don't mean the current definition of party girl - I would not have been playing beer pong in a tutu. The story of the Nutcracker is that a little girl named Clara receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas, and on Christmas Eve he comes to life, battles the Rat King and his minions, and takes her to the magical land he comes from where a bunch of different countries dance for her (girls on pointe from China, a belly dancer from Arabia, Mother Ginger and her Children, The Sugar Plum Fairy). Before all this occurs, she is given the Nutcracker at a Christmas party that all of her friends and their parents attend. I would have been one of the friends. They had beautiful Victorian-style dresses, got to wear their hair down in bouncing ringlets (not buns like everyone else), and got to do a little play-acting on stage while other people danced. It was every little girl's dream, just short of getting to be Clara herself, or the Sugar Plum Fairy. Personally, I wanted to be a Party Girl, then dance in Tea (the Chinese dance), then Coffee (the Arabian dance), then the Russian dance, and lastly the Sugar Plum Fairy, so I could get a chance to do all my favorites. But I never got to do any of them, because I quit to be in colorguard, which as I've previously stated really wasn't worth it. What sucks is even if I got back into ballet, I'm so out of practice and out of shape, I'd never be good enough to do any of those parts I loved. So I've missed my narrow window of opportunity.
    But I know if I'd kept doing ballet, it would have taken over my life - we're talking practicing like twenty hours a week - and I never would have met Corey. In missing my first goal in life, I met the one I never knew I wanted, until I did. So I guess I really don't regret anything.
    Except maybe not transferring to UNCW while I still could. ha ha.

 

What's something that was once a big part of your life? Something you thought would shape your future, or maybe something that has? Tell me below!

Fall Trends 2013

Listening to CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater by NeverShoutNever
Nervous about my second presentation for today.
    Sorry this post is a little late - I stupidly scheduled two presentations (with coordinating papers) due on the same day. I did number one this morning (have to finish the paper, though), and the second one is at two. At least I will have them over with!
    I've been looking at the runways a lot more this year - as opposed to previous years when I'd just pick up on trends once I saw them being worn - and I thought I'd do a little collective post on what's hot for the cooler months! A lot of things I've already seen being worn, and others I'm excited to try.

Plaid

I've already seen a lot of plaid, but rather than being tailored, it seems to be more of a renewal of 90s grunge - only less grungy. Everything is sort of oversized and baggy, but with more put together makeup and accessories. I like here that though the shirt is baggy in the arms, she has a very classic and vintage makeup and hairstyle.

 Shoes

Pointy-toed flats are way in, particularly in animal prints, but I love these plaid ones. The leopard booties are super cute with the minimalist black outfit and tartan scarf (love that combo!) and the black and white stripes and Moto jacket in the other photo bring in another trend that's showing up everywhere -

Black and White

Black always seems to be in style, but you'd think according to those old rules of style that white would be out what with fall coming down the road. On the contrary, there's a ton of black-and-white looks cropping up everywhere! I saw a lot of white blazers and jackets, which I love. On the positive side, you don't really have to stick with snow white, you can go with a winter white or creamier warmer white and still be just as on-trend! Bonus in this photo: teal is also making a big appearance. It really stands out with the black-and-white!

Dark Florals

I'm all for florals year-round. It's not like flowers don't bloom in winter time, too, right? But I think this is a really excellent way to keep it from looking too springy - keeping the colors more muted and dark. I really love doing it in a flowy dress as well, rather than the patterned skinnies I keep seeing everywhere - although they're great (I'm wearing some now!). It's a good way to stand out a little.

Stacked Bracelets

I know this has been a trend since early spring, but it's really stuck around. A good way to keep it from looking too spring/summer is to stay away from the pastels and stick to neutrals. I also love the idea of mixing metals. I think that lends more particularly to fall and winter than the pastels and golds from the spring and summer.

Thick Fringe

Once again, thick fringes are super hot. Some designers were using faux fringes on their models, and some were really conceptual, but the core facts are here: bangs are bangin'. I keep saying I want to grow mine out, but each time I start, fringes come back and I want to cut mine so badly! I like that the ones pictured here aren't straight across, but they curve down at her temples to frame her eyes.

Textured Tresses

There was a lot of crimping going on at the runways. While I like the concept, I think it may be too much to do for every day. I like the idea of crimping a few sections of hair all throughout and giving it some texture, then maybe throwing it in a piecey fishtail with lots of volume. This is also a good example of the minimalist eyes and bold lips trend!

Simple Eyes / Bold Lips

I love that oxblood lips are still going to be around for this season. I loved that last fall. It made makeup really easy with just a bit of eye shadow and mascara, then that bold pucker of oxblood burgundy. Beautiful. The key is to make sure your eyebrows are bold, too, to balance it out. Additionally, as much as I love my BB Cream, everything is very matte as far as makeup - eyes, lips, cheeks, everything. I'll have to invest in a good mattifying powder.

Just Bitten Lips / Flushed Cheeks

If you're not brave enough for super heavy lips, a good compromise is to go with another popular look on the runways - flushed cheeks and "just bitten" lips. Focus your lip color on the inner portion of your lips, then blot until it's just barely there, and keep your blush matte and on just the apples of your cheeks, not bringing it too far up your cheekbone towards your temples. This works well with a lightly smoky eye or neutral matte tones. (Low ponytails with lots of texture and volume are also making an appearance!)

Statement Eye / Soft Lips

Statement eyes in bold colors like lavender, cobalt, and violet were making huge waves. I love this smoked out purple. Just be sure to keep the lip neutral to avoid clown-face.

 Textured Nails

Textured everything is big, but especially in nails! Everyone from China Glaze to Zoya to Sally Hansen are coming out with fuzzy textures, sand, pixie dust, sugar, matte and everything in between. I love the idea of this cross-hatching with nail strips. I also saw snakeskin - super cool!

 

What do you think? Which trends will you give a shot? Tell me in the comments!

 All photos from my Pinterest.

 

 

Things Lately

Listening to the soundtrack from Ever After.
Avoiding the veritable mountain of homework I have due tomorrow.
    Life this past week got interesting. That's the best word I can think of to sum it up. Some of it was bad, but it wasn't all bad. And some of it was really wonderful, but it definitely wasn't all wonderful. For example, Friday was Friday the thirteenth. But because I'm non-conformist and not superstitious, I celebrated early with an awful Thursday the twelfth. The day started with my alarm being set for 7:30 pm instead of am, and ended with a parking ticket. You can just fill in the blanks from there (but I will say that in the middle somewhere I was told that "being independent doesn't make you special, it makes you less feminine," and that I "shouldn't even be called a lady").
    That night, I also received a call from my bffl Suzanne with news of her dad, whom I affectionately call Horace. He's been dealing with some heart problems recently - I would say "struggling" with some heart problems, but honestly, a month ago when it all started, it rather miraculously healed itself, so that part wasn't really too much of a struggle. Now, though, because he didn't get into surgery soon enough, he's been paralyzed from the waist down. Now, I've known Suzanne and her family since the fourth grade. We've been best friends for twelve years now. Her big sister is like my big sister, and her parents like my second set. I know it seems overdramatic to be so affected by this news - after all, it's not my dad - but it really did throw me. It doesn't seem to have thrown him, though. I spoke to him (and Suzanne, of course) on the phone on Friday, and I couldn't detect the slightest note of sadness in his voice. There will be sadness, and dark times, I'm sure, and Suzanne says every so often she can tell he's down, but overall, he's taking it so well. The whole family is. He told me on the phone, "Today, I put on socks, which is great! And," keep in mind, he's in the hospital, now, "Maybe next week, I'll get to put on pants, which is even better!" I mean, he's just so positive. Suzanne said he told her that he sees this as God, as our shepherd, breaking his legs (as shepherds do) and throwing him over His shoulders so that he must depend more on Him. Which is just so inspirational. I have to say that I'm so proud of him, of all of them.
    For those of you who recall my mom having surgery a few weeks ago, a little update. She's healing really well. It's difficult for her, seeing it every day, and not noticing too much change, but really, it's healing so much faster and more smoothly than I expected. Her forehead bears just a faint pink line now, and the skin on her nose (at the bottom, the top still has the skin flap until this Friday) is blending perfectly, and she doesn't have too much lasting pain. She does have a headache that's been an issue, but only because of the tightness in her forehead and the bruising. That will all go away. I'm so proud of her for going back to teaching so soon after it happened, too!
    Lastly, I went to a wedding Saturday night! It was Corey's dad's fiancée's daughter's wedding (hard to follow, I know). And it was beautiful. Of course, because I can't go to important events without screwing something up, I went to the wrong wedding first. Turns out there was another wedding going on at the same place at the same time - just a different building. But their decorations looked lovely, and their guests were very nice! It was only when I asked if anyone had seen Amanda yet, and they were like, "Who?" that I realized this was not the right place. Thing was, I only knew two of the guests personally who weren't in the wedding party, so I wouldn't have recognized anyone going into the wedding anyways. That was embarrassing, but whatever. I got there just in time and the ceremony was lovely and sweet, and the reception was possibly the most fun I've ever had at a wedding - and I've been to a lot! I spent the whole time with Brett (Corey's brother) and his girlfriend Robin, who are two of my favorite people on earth. We celebrated until about one in the morning and I danced until my feet hurt, and then kept dancing. The only downside was that Corey couldn't make it (thanks, USMC) and it was sort of depressing watching everyone holding their significant others close for slow dances while I sat in a chair by the dance floor. But the groom, Nick, did ask me for a dance towards the end which was super sweet. He was on the trip when Corey proposed and it was very considerate of him and Amanda to think of me missing Corey on their big day. Just shows you what a wonderfully sweet couple they are. And I know they're going to have an equally wonderfully sweet marriage.

I know this was a long post, but for those of you who were interested enough to read to the end, thanks. I realize it may not have been what everyone wanted from a Monday post, but I've got more on my mind than the next pointers post or tutorial. Sometimes I just need to get out what I'm thinking so I have room to think more.

Loose Waves

Listening to Surfin' Snoopy by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. This is just a thing I do. The slightest hint of fall and all I listen to is Vince and Ingrid.
Missing Corey. He's in the field for the next week.
    So, now that I'm in school again, I don't have much time in the morning to do my hair all purty. Normally I'm lucky if I get it dry, but I've been doing better about waking up on time, I swear. My favorite "quick-but-it-looks-like-I-spent-time-on-it" look at the moment is this loose and wavy look. I've found that if I curl all my hair towards my face and then brush it out, it lends itself to a very put together but chill wavy style. The catch is that right side. Cause technically you're not curling it under you're curling it up - supposing you're right-handed that is. Lefties do the opposite.

1.  Start with clean, dry hair. Use a heat protectant or style prep spray to avoid damaging your hair with the heat.
2. Separate your hair from the ears back and pin the top out of the way. Then using a small flat iron - preferably one with a curved edge - begin curling 1-inch sections on the left side under. (Lefties, curl the right side under.)
3. When you finish the left side (or right) move to the opposite side and curl it up.
4. Take down the top half and repeat steps one and two for your respective sides.
5. See how the curls curve toward the face? This does a lot towards preventing the look from going to 70s.

1. Note: On the right side, you curl all the hair up (or down, for Lefties)...
2. However, if you part your hair on the left and have a sort of swoopy fringe like me, curl the fringe under. (Lefties, curl it up and sort of flip it back.) If you part your hair on the right, curl your fringe up and back. (Right-parting Lefties, curl it under.)
3. Give it all a good spritz with your favorite hair spray.
4. Brush out with a brush, or tangle teaser.

    And you're all finished! See how loose and easy that looks? I love it. I know that was a lot of Lefty and Righty instructions, but it's for your own good. I don't want to leave out Lefties or give them instructions that will result in a different look. I'm here to help, yanno?

What's been your go-to style for school mornings? Tell me below!

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Products Used

• Aussie Mega Finish Hairspray
• Revlon 1" Stay Smooth Hair Straightener



Keeping Classes Organized

Listening to The Vince Guaraldi Trio
Preparing for ten days of zero contact with Corey
    I am so ready for fall, guys. I want that crisp, cool fall air, and the leaves blowing around on the breezes. I'm tired of being hot all the time. And I'm really tired of my car breaking down (four times now, in the past week) and the air conditioning not working. I want sweaters, boots and scarves. That's why I'm listening to Vince Guaraldi. He wrote all the Peanuts music, and I listen to him all autumn and winter. I'm breaking out the Trio so that cooler weather better be on the way!
    I'm pretty proud, though, y'all. Three weeks into school and I'm still organized! I've started procrastinating a little, but I finished a whole book for Tuesday yesterday and I'm pretty happy with that. I've been doing something different this semester as far as my notes are concerned, too.
    In previous years, I'd take notes on loose leaf paper, stuff it in that first flap-sleeve thing in the front of my binder, and then forget about it. Then, when the test came around and I desperately needed all my notes to cram (usually the morning of) I had to frantically search through a two-inch-thick stack of papers to find the notes for the right class, then spend ten or fifteen minutes attempting to put them in chronological order so I could keep all the info organized in my brain. (There are, like, special codes for remembering things in my mind. Chronological order seems to be one of them.) This wasted at least half an hour of my early-morning cram time, and we all know how important that time is.
    This semester I'm doing things differently. I have one two-inch binder with five dividers. I have two spiral bound notebooks in which I take notes. I title each page with the class name and the date so I never have to worry about "which class was this?" and "what day did we talk about that?" I don't worry about organizing it during the day because typically, professors start talking as soon as I sit down and I don't want to waste time between classes when I'm normally booking it to my next class. I don't even think about which notebook I'm using. I just keep both for the heck of it. Any loose paper that's handed back - tests or quizzes or papers - I put in that inside flap-sleeve in the binder.
    That sounds like a modified version of my past rifling and huge pile of papers, but here's the catch. I don't leave it like that. First thing I do when I come home at the end of the evening is sit down with my notebooks and binder and tear out all the notes I've taken. This is a great time to go over what I wrote down, think back to the lecture or discussion, and do a quick run-through of the class. That means less study-time later cause I've already gone over it once. It's good to do this the day of the class while it's still fresh in your brain.
    Remember all those papers that were handed back? I take those out and go over them, too. If it's a test or quiz, I look at what I got wrong and the professor's comments. If it's a paper that needs revision, I do the same thing and may even make a few cursory notes to myself for later. Then, I hole-punch them and put them in my binder in their respective dividers along with all the notes I tore out of the notebooks that day.
    It sounds kind of time-consuming, but so far it's really helped me. I've already remembered much more from previous lectures than I have in the past, which gives me hope for my coming exams.

Do you have any systems for keeping your notes organized? I'll take all the help I can get!

Five Faves and a Flop: August

Fave Song of the Month: That Girl by Justin Timberlake (are you really surprised?)


    I really didn't have much time to love or hate things this past month. I have a few, but the others were really just things I've been consistently using and appreciating rather than actually loving. I worked a lot this month and had my first two weeks of school, so I've just been too busy to be decisive on what I love and hate.

1. This backpack from Target. Story time: This is the first semester I've actually managed to get all my classes on one day: Tuesday/Thursday. This means I'm on campus for approximately eleven hours. Whoa right. Three of those classes are English, which require a lot of reading. Then Anthropology and Latin Poetry. So I can't just carry my binders and books like I've been doing since my freshman year. I borrowed my sister's backpack from before she started school at Toni&Guy. Thing is, she'd left it in her trunk for over a year with fruit in it which rotted and permanently stunk up the backpack and the trunk of her car. Oh my gosh, it smelled like a ferret had died in it and was still inside. It stunk up my car, the hall on campus, and each of my classes. I could actually see people looking around sniffing. It was mortifying. So I went out and bought this little tan-and-orange beauty from Target and it's been working wonders. Plus it doesn't smell like dead ferret.*
2. Starbucks Refreshers Packets. Since I've been working a lot this past month, and I don't like drinking coffee in the mornings in the summer, I've been loving these little Cool Lime Refresher packets. They're like the Crystal Light ones, only lime and Starbucks. I usually use only half a packet per 16 oz. drink because the full packet just tastes way too sweet and strong for me. If you like the Starbucks Refreshers, give these a shot. They're way cheaper than going to Starbucks four times a week to get a drink before work. Bonus: I can sleep in later.
3. This Palette from Physician's Formula. The main reason I bought this was because Corey gets all grumpy when I wear a lot of make-up. I figured if the colors were matte and neutral, he wouldn't get as huffy. But while he was here, I did a little experiment. He hung around in the bathroom while I used this palette, doing a very light, neutral eye, and complained that I don't need make-up and it's stupid and I look perfect without it and why do you wear so much? the whole time. Then the day he left, I did my make-up while he and his dad went out for coffee - an intense smoky eye, black eyeliner out the wazoo. Guess who didn't even notice? I think he just gets irritated when he watches all the work that goes into even the simplest make-up look. But anyways, I love this palette regardless and have been using it almost every other day since I bought it. It's smooth, super pigmented, and blends like a dream.
4. Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm Stain in Honey. I've talked about this product before, and have probably even mentioned Honey, but guys, I can't get over this stuff. It's the perfect pink for me. Too much blue in it and it turns purple, but too red and it's just too bright for every day wear. My natural lip color is pretty washed out, but Honey looks like what color my natural lip should be, if that makes sense. Plus it's minty and tingly, and Corey always says it tastes good.
5. Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum Miracle Filler Treatment. I've been highlighting my hair since I was in the eighth grade. That's a long time. Always blonde and always super tangly, which comes with the territory. It's recently gotten to the point when I get out of the shower that I just wanna pin it into a bun so I don't have to brush it. Then Maggs, bless her wonderful hair-styling soul, brought home this stuff. The thing with highlighted hair is that the bleach causes some damage. It makes the individual strands rough, which causes them to tangle more. This spray is a "filler" so it fills in the parts that are rough and makes your hair smoother and easier to brush. And it's been awesome.

    Flop: Trident Gum in Mint Bliss. To be honest, this isn't exactly a flop. My mouth was like confused. It tastes like the original peppermint flavor of Trident gum (which I love), but like I'm chewing it while drinking Vanilla Coke (which I hate). I just don't know how to feel about this stuff. I want to like it. But I'm not sure I can. It also kind of reminds me of minty flavored soap. I don't know.

 

*But all my books still do. Gross.

Now On Bloglovin'!

    That's right, guys. I'm now on Bloglovin'. So you can either click this handy dandy link or go to my left side panel and follow me there! So excited to be more accessible. I hope you are, too!

Whoops

Listening to A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton (y'all remember that song?)
Missing Corey. He left today. I won't get to see him again until Christmas.
    I know, I did it again. But in my defense, this weekend was a bit of a whirlwind. I actually had more time than I thought I would to spend with Corey because my awesome boss found it in her wonderful French heart to let me off three hours early on Friday and spontaneously give me Saturday and Monday off. I about lost it. I tried to hug her Friday, but she's not good with allowing other people in her personal bubble. She also won't accept air hugs. I may have sent an overly emotional text in gratitude calling her a "perfect French angel." I was happy, okay. However, since Corey only had this weekend we were everywhere at once trying to spend time with everyone who's important to him - and unfortunately we couldn't get to all of them.
    On top of that, my mom had to have a pretty intense surgical procedure done on Thursday, and then plastic surgery on Friday and she's sort of down for the count. She had the beginnings of basal cell carcinoma in two places on her nose and they had to be cut off. The incisions reached all the way to the cartilage and were about as big as quarters so skin had to be taken from somewhere else to repair it. Unfortunately, the skin on your nose doesn't match just anywhere and the grafts had to be taken from the middle of her forehead. The strip of skin has to be left connected from her nose to her forehead for the next three weeks for blood flow, and then they may have to reshape her nose if it's uneven. Then they had to stitch together the skin on her forehead, but because there's a strip of skin missing in the middle, they had to peel it back from her skull and stretch it back together so it would fit. She's in a ton of pain and honestly, the way her face looks right now has taken a pretty big emotional toll on her. Believe me, if you saw pictures you'd understand. It's not a vanity matter. It's one of those situations where you don't look like you anymore and it's really jarring and taxing. So definitely be thinking of her if you care at all, and keep her in your prayers if you pray. It's been a whopper of a weekend.
    So anyways, people have been in and out of the house to visit her, and my grandma came down to help take care of her. So we had both Grandma and Corey here. And on top of that, my car Little Red has a leak in one of her hoses that's been causing her to overheat and smoke and generally look like she's gonna blow up. A problem which just chose to surface this weekend.
    A Five Faves and a Flop post is coming. I've taken photos and everything, I just have to find time to edit and write. Also, another school post - I've come up with a pretty good way to take notes and keep track of everything that's been working really well for me so far. I haven't gotten behind! ...Yet!