Perfect....

...is what I am not.

Hola mis amigos! I haven't posted in a while *surprise, surprise*......but I have had this idea for a post in my head.  So, I decided it was time to finally blog it.

Sometimes I get really down on myself for not being the person I think I should be, or the person I think people want me to be.  Does this happen to anyone else?

 I think that is part of human nature. Why do we do such silly things???

I berate myself for how I say things, or the things I didn't say and should have...but didn't have the guts, or feared some type of rejection.  I have a fear of messing up.  I don't always like the way I look.....see, even models have insecurities.  The list could go on and on....but I am going to stop and get on with the point.

So, because I was feeling a bit down, I started composing a silly list in my head of all the ways I may not seem perfect....but wouldn't change about myself.  If that makes sense?  Here goes....

1.  I keep my Christmas tree up all year 'round (without ornaments) for a couple of reasons:  A.  I am lazy, and it is hard work to dig out the box it belongs in.  B.  I like the pretty lights on it....it adds color to my living room

2.  I am a bit obsessive about cleaning my apartment/loft...but really could careless about cleaning my car.  Sorry everyone who has had to ride in my car lately.

3.  My sister says that when hanging out with me, I have a "2-day shelf life, and then I am expired" and she is right. On a side note, she is really excited for me to come visit her for a week at Christmas, again. :)

4.  Sometimes the highlight of my night is playing solitaire on my Kindle for hours on end. Last  night I literally spent 4 hours doing that.....I didn't sleep at all.  ***That probably says a lot more about my life than anything.***

5.  I binge watched the entire new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in two days...yep. **See #4**

6.  If I ever get married, I want *NSYNC to come to sing "This I Promise You" at my reception. Lance Bass once replied to my tweet to him....so pretty sure that we are bff's and he will do that for me.  And if I don't end up getting married....I am going to throw myself a party and have them sing it anyways....just for the awkwardness of it all. #nsycn4lyfe

7.  I hate spiders, but I hate to kill them more, because I fear karma...and I don't want to come back as a spider only to have someone squash my will to live (literally).  So, when possible, I will rescue spiders....screaming the whole time.

8.  I can be very judgmental...but I am trying really hard to be better about that....it's a horrible personality trait....so maybe this doesn't belong on this list, since I actually should really change that about myself.  But it is so hard.

9.  I have a short-temper, which I like to blame on my ginger-ness, but really it's just a another horrible personality trait.  But, I don't know if I would totally change it, because sometimes works in my favor. #truth

10.  My selfie game is horrible....it usually takes me FOREVER to do a selfie.  So what you are seeing when I post to Instagram/Facebook is the product of *sometimes* an hour worth of posing and awkward smiles.....along with A LOT of help from filters.  *Fake it 'til you make it.*

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That's my list, thus far.  I hope you enjoyed this little post. I guess the point I would like to bring home to myself and others who are maybe feeling a bit down about themselves too, is no one is "perfect."  I know, that is so cliche to say...but it is so true.  My motto for 2017 is "You do you."....and I realize that is also cliche...but I like it.  So whatev's.

Life is to short to obtain what you think is "perfection"...You do you.

Thanks for reading friends!  Hope you are all having a great summer!  Remember: stay fancy and be kind.

Where have I been???

Well, true to form I am posting 3 months-ish since my last post.  If anything I am consistent in my inconsistencies......that's gotta count for something.  I am going to do my best to catch you all up to date on my life over the past few months.  This is sure to be a fun time, as it involves my favorite things---shopping and traveling.  I have been a busy ginger!

March

March was like that scene in Wayne's World where Wayne and Garth are in front of the the green screen in their new t.v. studio,  and the screen is flashing different, exciting vacation spots in the U.S. .....and then a picture of Delaware pops up....and they don't know how to make it exciting.  March was Delaware for me.  **Disclaimer---I have never been to Delaware...and my only impression of Delaware is from Wayne's World. I am sure Delaware is a lovely state, full of a lots of exciting places to visit.  So, I apologize to all of the Delawarians for my skewed point of view.**

April

April is always my favorite month.  It is my birth month, so naturally I consider it the most important month that ever existed.  I turned 32.....which isn't normally exiting....but what was exciting is that my fam-bam and I all went on a vacation to the BAHAMAS!!!!! Of course prior to getting on our cruise to head to the Bahamas, we stopped at Wizarding World in Universal Studios (Orlando, por su puesto)!!!!!!!!!   

Wizarding World, for lack of better words, was magical.  My sister, dad and I are HUGE Harry Potter fans (and my mom just tolerates our fanaticism).  I bought a wand....or shall I say the wand chose me ('cuz it did.....it really did).  We went on all of the rides in the Wizarding World, cast spells (I am not joking), drank delicious butter beer (it tasted exactly how I thought it would...full of butterscotch goodness), went to Hogwarts.....and spent a ridiculous amount of $$$ on souvenirs.  I highly recommend it....and I AM going back.  

We stayed at this lovely resort in Universal Studios called Cabana Bay.  It was all done up in a retro 50's/60's theme.  My sister and I enjoyed traipsing around the resort, pretending we were from the 60's.....because we are just that cool. 

Then came the cruise.  The first day of the cruise was a blast.  Elizabeth and I laid out by the pool, pretending we were going to get a tan (when in reality we had just slathered on the SPF 100), and just being fancy. We even classed up the way one does the evacuation drill that they make everyone do on the ship.  FYI--you do NOT need to wear life jackets for the drill.....even though I insisted that we needed to (I am a cautious ginger).  

We ate a fancy dinner and the my sister and I decided we would partake in various cruising activities (this was our first cruise).  We sang karaoke ("Don't Stop Believing"...'cuz it's a crowd pleaser), and participated in a game called "Battle of the Sexes"....which turned out to be a bunch of little kid field day games, played by adults.  Fun fact--my sister and I are experts/abnormally good at transferring a hula hoop over our bodies without using our hands......it was as if we had been practicing for that moment all of our lives.

The next day was my birthday, and I was SOOOOOOOO sick.  I won't get into all of the details, but it wasn't pretty and it DEFINITELY wasn't fancy.   I was sick the WHOLE day...which meant I missed the excursion into Nassau...but I did eventually go into Nassau with my family for my birthday dinner, which I didn't eat.  Not sure what got me so sick, but I am thinking it may have been either a virus or food poisoning. 

The next day I was still feeling pretty sick, but I was able to go to our next port-- Coco Cay.  Our original excursion of snorkeling had been cancelled due to high wind, but we were still able to enjoy the day on the beach.  Which was amazing, and I am so glad I went even if I wasn't feeling the best.  

And then it was time to go home.....really the rest of April went by in a blur. 

(From now on we shall only swim with these tire tubes.....total class.) 

(Coco Cay was beautiful...even though I was puke-y.)

May

The first day of May came in with a little snow storm....seriously....why?????? Global warming!!!  It was gross.  I did a bit of shopping in May.  Anthropologie had a wee bit of a sale, so I picked up some things for my home (see pics below).  My mom and I found a new little lovely boutique in the small town of Freeman, South Dakota called Styled Sisters.  Literally the SMALLEST shop in the world...but so worth the trip.  I got a pair of jeans (seen below) and a cute top.   The prices aren't bad either.  

If you can't make it to Freeman for some shopping, you can check out their website for some online shopping.  

Today I got my brows did.......I tint them so that I can actually see them #gingerprobs.  I have been going to The Spa at Wynie Mae's in Vermillion for a year now.  I think I  mentioned them in one of my previous posts.  They're an Aveda salon, and I am all about natural products for my skin and hair......so I picked up some goodies (of course).  You should all check them out....it is super chic, but not super expensive.

(Jeans on right are by Kan-Kan.  So stretchy and comfortable.  I believe that they are supposed to be cropped jeans...but since I am short, they are just regular jeans on me :).  Pictures show the rest of my goodies I have purchased in my haul(s). )

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There you go....an update of my life and adventures.  I hope you all are well.  Before we know it, it will be summer. Seriously, where does the time go?

As always, take care and be fancy!

I don't know what to call this....

Good Morning and Happy Sunday everyone!

I feel like I just need/want to post something today...but I have no clue what topic(s) I am going to write about.  So this could be really interesting......

I am currently listening online to the 11:15 am (et) Holy Eucharist at Trinity Church Wall Street (I know....I am multi-tasking).  It's my Sunday morning semi-tradition (I am guilty of not always listening...but that's ok).  Trinity Wall Street just keeps me calm...and I felt I needed a calm morning.  There is so much hurt in our country, in our world.  I think everyone needs to find their "calm" in some way, every once in awhile--especially in these times. 

I have been called out on not talking about or addressing my thoughts regarding the world and our country via social media...by more than one person.  It has been said that by not posting my thoughts and opinions on social media, I am allowing social injustices to take place.  This really, really bothered me.  I was hurt that someone would think that I am that type of person to stay silent.  At the time, I was told to just "let it go."  Anyone who knows me, knows that I have issues with "letting things go."  I am an Aries....and a ginger.  I use those as excuses for my faults......they kind of work right?

I know that I already addressed this via Facebook, but I feel I just need to address my reasonings for not posting my opinions regarding politics and social injustices via Facebook and other social media sites that I am on, here on my blog:

When I joined Facebook (back in 2005......it's my 12 year anniversary....longest relationship ever!!!) and Twitter (back in 2009), it was to have fun, keep up with friends, and follow my favorite celebrities (Lance Bass once tweeted me.....and it made my life).  I also made sure that most of my posts on these sites were light hearted and fun....I just wanted to make people smile and laugh.  However, if my friends and family on these sites posted their opinions or thoughts on politics, religion, social causes, etc......more power to them.  In fact, I probably "liked" or "retweeted" those sentiments.  

I made a personal choice, a looooonnnnnnnnnggggg time ago to not post my thoughts regarding those topics. It was based on a bunch of things...my future career (even though, I didn't know what that was back then) and how comfortable I was regarding said topics.  It was nothing against anyone who does, but it was MY CHOICE.  I made the choice that if anyone really wanted to know how I feel about something, whether it's politics, religion, social causes, or what new makeup I am really into.....they can talk to me about it.....in real life. Again, that is my choice (how many times can I say choice in one paragraph)...everyone chooses to make their voice heard in different ways (e.g., social media, writing blog posts, or in person).  This should be respected. 

I am not silent regarding things that I deem unjust.  Far from it.  I talk, I give money (although, not as much as I would like) to social justice causes every month, I send smart-sounding emails, and so on.  I don't know why I feel I have to justify myself for my silence on social media.  I take things too personally, I know.  But, I feel better now that I have written about it.  Thanks for humoring me.

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In other news, I am still the queen of subscription services.  I currently do Blue Apron, which has revolutionized the way I eat (if anyone wants to try a free week of meals, let me know....and I will send you a link).  It has made me a master chef in my mind.  And, I don't have to go grocery shopping, because everything is delivered right to my door.  

I also do Play by Sephora ($10/month...5 deluxe samples)....I haven't received anything yet, but I am super excited.  Does anyone else get that subscription? It looked intriguing, so I did...and it gives my Sephora points every month (bonus!!!).  

I get a new Stitch Fix every 3-4 months.....my wardrobe looks amazing.  I still do Birchbox ($10/month....LOVE IT).  Birchbox now sells M.A.C. cosmetics...which is like the best news ever for a Fancy Ginger!!!!!! Fun fact:  Did you know that M.A.C and AVEDA are owned by the same company.....Estee Lauder?????? #themoreyouknow

I also recently subscribed to Amazon Prime....I finally feel like a grown-up.  

Oh..and I am turning 32 in a month and a half.  I love even numbered birthdays so much more than odd numbered.  If I am not turning an even numbered year, than I prefer to be a multiple of 5.  

I know...I am weird. 

Thanks for listening to my rantings/ravings today.  Have a wonderful and fancy Sunday.  

Remember...be kind to one another.  

Here is a random photo of me:

2017....The Year of the Fancy Ginger

Happy 2017 Everyone.  I am starting fresh this year.  Honestly, I haven't really felt like posting on this blog for the past several months....so I just haven't.  But, the fanciness is back.  I have a renewed sense of fancy ginger-ness, and I am ready to share it with you all.  :)

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NYC/NEW JERSEY Christmas 2016

I have spent the past couple of Christmases in NYC with my sister, and this Christmas was no different.  I love New York at Christmas....truly one of the best times of year to travel to the city.  I did several of the same things I always do when in NYC, but added some new things to my list of must do's, as well.  I am going to split my time NYC/Jersey into three different categories: food, shopping, and entertainment.  

Food 

I don't have too much to write about for food, because we actually cooked on Christmas day for ourselves or we ordered through grub hub on other days. But, there are a few food recommendations that I will make.  On Christmas Eve we went to a restaurant call BEA.  The atmosphere was great, the waitstaff very pleasant, and the food was delicious.  As a starter we had the Tuna Tar Guac, and for my meal I had Uncle Tommy's Pie (BEA's version of a shepherd's pie).  

On Monday the 26th we went to The Meatball Shop where the entire menu contains...you guessed it...different versions of meatballs.  You can literally have any form of meatball you could want.  It's the ultimate comfort food. There are 6 different locations in NYC, and they are pretty easy to locate. :)

Tuesday night saw us at the restaurant Tao.  The atmosphere is electric here, and we sat next to a giant statue of Buddha.....how often do you get to say that? The food was delicious.  I had the Hong Kong XO Shrimp with Long Beans and Jasmine Rice.  Yummy!  My sister and I also shared the giant fortune cookie filled with white chocolate and chocolate mousse, for dessert.  Word of caution:  this place is a bit on the pricey side....but so worth it.  

Shopping

This is obviously my favorite topic.  On Christmas Eve my sister and I did some shopping at Kiehl's and MAC on the Upper West Side.  If there is one thing that I LOVE shopping for it's skincare/makeup.  Surprisingly, I have never actually owned anything from Kiehl's (I know, this is a shock to your system).  So, being a Kiehl's newbie...I naturally signed up for their rewards club (I got $25 off of my purchase that day, if I did so).  I ended up purchasing the Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque (love this formula....makes me look and feel younger) and the Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 in mint (very moisturizing).  I think I may be a new Kiehl's addict.  

At MAC I bought a few things....I love their range of colors in eye shadows and lipsticks.  Their eye shadows are so highly pigmented.......I want to collect them all.  I purchased the extra dimension eyeshadow in Grand Galaxy (a deep purple/blue color) and lipstick in the color Model Behavior (I secretly...and not so secretly purchased this because it has the same name as Justin Timberlake's first Disney Channel Movie Model Behavior...it's still at my parent's house on VHS...somewhere---also the color is amazing it's a purple/blue color).  I also got a travel size of their strobe cream.  

No trip to NYC is ever complete with out a visit to Birchbox's Soho store.  I always feel so at home there, and they always compliment me on my hair color (I love my hair color too).  I always do the BYOB (build your own box), where I can pick out samples from different categories.  I also wanted to try out Milk Cosmetics......so I got their lipstick in Gnarly...a matte pink with blue undertones...I think.  I have also been looking for a new mascara, so I got a box of several sample sizes of Smashbox mascaras.  Finally, I also got one of my favorite hydrating sheet/face-masques from Dr. Jart. When I went to purchase my items, I found out I also got a free surprise Birchbox and a free full-size lipgloss (both of which went to my sister).  I LOVE FREEBIES.  Seriously, you all need to visit this place on your vista to NYC......and it's in SoHo, which is a lovely place to shop and eat.   

Whist in SoHo, I also made a trip to J.Crew....they had a sale going (what's a ginger to do??).  I didn't need much (who ever NEEDS something from J.Crew), but I did purchase a 2017 planner for my sister, and a cute t-shirt for myself. 

Lastly, I went to Kate Spade (in the NYC Oculus...next to One World Trade Center)....and splurged.  I couldn't help it....the purse spoke to me....and it was pink/purple sparkles (I really couldn't help myself, I have no will-power).  Here is the bag I purchased---it was also 30% off of the already lowered price...good deal right??? That's what I keep telling myself.  It's so beautiful.  *sigh...fancy ginger heaven*

Entertainment

When you travel to NYC, there are endless amounts of opportunities to be entertained.  For many, the subway platforms are entertainment enough.  I managed to go further that the subway platform for some good old fashioned NYC entertainment. 

On Christmas Eve my sister surprised me with tickets to the Broadway Musical Holiday Inn.  It was wonderful.  The cast was brilliant, the singing superb, and the choreography is out of this world.  Bonus...Corbin Bleu was in it (High School Musical anyone??).  

I also hit up One World Trade Center for the first time, and traveled to the top of the tower.  If you are into photography, this is the place for you.  You are guaranteed spectacular views of the city, even on a rainy day.  

My sister and I also kept a Christmas tradition by going to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.  If you have little kids, or are a kid at heart, this is the perfect show to go to.  

Finally, I decided to culture myself by going to a museum that I had never been to before....the American Folk Art Museum.  One of the best things about this museum (and many in NYC) is that it is free...only requesting a free-will donation.  The exhibit was very interesting, and morbid.....all about paintings depicting deceased children (no, I did not realize this until half-way through the exhibit).  It was an interesting experience.

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Overall, the best part about NYC is always spending time with my sister.  We had many laughs and many lazy days.  Just the way these gingers like to spend the holidays.  But, now I am home and relaxing during my last couple of days of vacation. :)  

I hope your holidays were magical and your 2017 is off to a brilliant start.  

As always-- be kind and stay fancy!