Pages

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

10 Favorite Products

I saw this on a friend's blog ::Lauren's top 10:: and have been thinking about my 10 favorite products ever since. These are things I use pretty much on a daily basis and they make my life happier and easier. So...here goes...

1. My Asics GT-2150 running shoes. I am a runner. I love it. I love to grab Diesel and go for a run outside. I try to run every day. These shoes are my best friends because when I start to really increase my mileage I start to have issues with my IT band (Illotipial band in your thigh). I am also flat footed, and these were recommended to me by my physical therapist, because they have great support for the arch of your foot. I've gone through several pairs of these the past few years (always buy new running shoes every 500 miles!) and don't plan on switching anytime soon (except to pick up the updated version, like the GT-2170 beauties below)!

2. Lipton Spiced Chai Black Tea. Love this stuff! I make myself a chai tea latte every morning and drink it on my way to work. I absolutely love how it tastes, and since I only use skim milk and two Splenda's (I know, artificial sugar isn't good for me, but I can't bring myself to use the real stuff), it is super low calorie compared to the ones you buy at coffee shops. This is what starts my morning off right.

3. My Kindle. Oh man do I love this little piece of technology. I have always been a reader. I devour books. I always get so into them that I literally can't put them down. This tends to annoy my husband, but he survives :). Speaking of husband, I just bought his spoiled butt a Kindle Fire for his birthday. It's great, however I am perfectly content with my "basic" Kindle, because I pretty much use it strictly for reading. I'm not gonna lie though, it'll be nice to have the Fire around for surfing and movies and all of the other goodies it has! Gone are the days of lugging around huge books in my purse (although I still love the feel of an actual book).


4. My iphone 4. This probably should have been first, just because I use it for so many different things. I am an Apple user all the way, and I don't know that I could ever get something other than an iphone now. It goes with me pretty much everywhere. I use it to play songs when I work out, I use it to play games when I'm bored, I use it to surf the internet (hello, Facebook addiction), I use it as my alarm clock and my calendar, and occasionally I use it to talk :).

5. St. Ives Apricot Scrub. This stuff is amazing. It keeps your skin clear from blemishes and makes it feel so soft. I love using something with little built in exfoliators, because it makes me feel like I'm actually cleaning out my pores and getting rid of all the dirt and make-up that's there from the day. I like that it's gentle but still has Salicylic Acid in it to keep pimples away.

6. On that note, my go to zit zapper is Clean & Clear's Persa Gel 10. I am fortunate and was blessed with good skin but I, like everyone else, can get annoying little, and sometimes not so little, blemishes. This stuff works miracles. Just a little dab and bye bye zits!

7. No7 Advanced Hydration face cream. This stuff is amazing, plain and simple. I also use the Protect Perfect version. My face gets super dry in the winter, and it got to the point where no matter how much lotion I put on, my face would still get those dry, flaky patches (ew!). Then I discovered this lotion. Bye bye dry face! Seriously, if you have dry skin, try this out!


8. Nail polish. Namely, O.P.I. I also love Essie's 3-way glaze and Orly's bonder base coat. I absolutely love going to the nail salon to get my nails laquered, because I love having my natural nails but hate when my polish chips. But since it's so expensive, I've started doing this, an idea I found on Pinterest and then adapted to make my own. First, I put on Orly's bonder base coat. It's a little bit rubbery, so the polish really sticks. Then I add a coat of Essie's 3-way glaze, followed by a coat of color, and finally another coat of the glaze. I hate having to apply more than one coat of polish, because I'm too impatient to wait for it to completely dry and hate nail polish "bubbles", and that's why I love O.P.I., because I love their colors and it's quality polish. I love doing my nails. I do them once or twice a week. It gives me some time to myself and makes me feel good.



9. My Fossil watch. I wear the Fossil watch my momma-in-law gave me two Christmas' ago every single day. If I forget it I feel naked. I never realized how much I checked the time, especially at work, until I forgot my watch. I absolutely love it, it's sparkly and shiny and hey, it tells time too!


10. Finally, I'd have to say my yoga pants. I have several pairs and if I'm at home, or even running errands, you'll probably find me in them. I also wear them when I'm working out. I love that they aren't baggy like sweats but they are stretchy and comfy. Yes, I'm not so lazy that I can't throw on a pair of jeans, but when I'm around the house or have to run to Target after a work out, my yoga pants are my best friend. In fact, I just got done with a run and have them on right now :).






There ya have it...my top 10. I'd love to see yours!

xoxo
Dory


Thursday, March 22, 2012

It's the little things...

This morning, on my way to work, I looked down and saw this:


...averaging 33.2 miles per gallon!

This made me super happy and just put me in a great mood. My commute to work is about 32 miles each way, so this made me smile. Just another reason I love my Sorento. Pretty darn good for a crossover. Sometimes it's important to smile and be happy with the small little things in life. THIS made me happy!

What are the little things that can make you happy?
What made you happy today?


xoxo
Dory

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wow, it's been a very long time since I've blogged last. I got busy, and a bit lazy, but I will try my best not to let that happen this time. I've recently gotten the urge to blog again thanks to two wonderful blogs I found. One is an inspiring blog from my friend and wedding photographer, Lauren ::check her blog out here!::, and the other is a college acquaintance who has an awesome food blog that I've already borrowed several recipes from (and they are delish!) ::check her blog out here::. Since it's been so long I will just give a very brief update of my life the last two years:

1. Kevin and I got hitched! We had a perfect wedding on a beautiful June day in Eau Claire, WI (where I'm from) at Wild Ridge Golf Course and Club ::webpage::. If you're ever in Eau Claire, check them and their beautiful course out. We had an amazing, cities-based photographer (Lauren from above). She doesn't do weddings anymore, but check her out for your other photography needs ::website here!::. We had an amazing honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. If you're going, check out our resort. It was so amazing. ::website here::.


The following wedding pictures were taken by Lauren at LCphotography (see link to website above!)


and the honeymoon....





2. I got a wonderful job. I'm the Business Office Coordinator at a memory care facility for seniors with Alzheimer's/dementia. See my "about me" for a quick description of what I do. I love it. I still plan to go to school (U of M hopefully!) for my Master of Healthcare Administration, and this job is a great stepping stone to my dream job as Executive Director for a community such as the one I work in now, or as a director of long-term care in a hospital.

3. I got a new car! I know this isn't "huge" news, but I'm super excited about it! I'ts a 2012 Kia Sorento and I love it for more than one reason: it's good on gas, it's the perfect size crossover, it has enough room for the pup in the back and future car seats in the back seat, it's very comfy, and it's darn cute, too!

Isn't it cute?! This is the color I got, too!

4. Our sweet little puppy (see previous posts) turned into a big (72 pound), loveable, rambunctious dog. I have lots of nicknames for him, including pupperdoo, Mr. Magoo, Mr. Magoozle, Mr. Moozer, Bengal (his middle name), schnooks (also his grandma's name for him), boozie-boo, etc. It goes on and is slightly embarassing, but I just love him to pieces. He is the sweetest, most cuddly dog I've ever had. He's a momma's boy and spoiled rotten. We do fun things like go on walks and runs, play with his favorite toys like his itty bitty cowboy and his kong and "play wrestle" (dad does most of that with him, because his 72 body is pure muscle and he is one strong and heavy bugger).

Here is our boy all grown up
and for last Christmas...


...not a happy reindeer.



Well, I suppose that's it for "big" news.  I am super excited about getting back into blogging, even though I'm still a novice at it. Any advice for me?

xoxo
Dory