The Quest for the Perfect Pink Heels

I have been planning my outfit for the release of Sex and the City 2 for weeks (don't judge) and hot pink heels have been the staple item for my fabulous ensemble. I planned on a black dress with a pink sash, pink makeup and nails, and some hot pink heels! Everything is ready to go...except the shoes. I thought I had found the perfect pair from DSW, but they were way too high. Now, with only a week to go, I'm starting to worry about my outfit! :) I've found some online, but I don't want to spend too much money (I am a grad student, after all), and I don't want them to be too high. Ideally, I would like 2"-3" heels.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to find some relatively inexpensive hot pink pumps?

And also-did anyone see Chris Noth on George Lopez last night? So handsome!

Later y'all!

Vacations on my Mind...

I am really in need of a vacation! While I am thrilled to be done with my first year of grad school, this semester really wore me out! I've been daydreaming about beaches and umbrella drinks for weeks! With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite tropical vacation spots!

St. Augustine, Florida

While North Florida may not be considered a "tropical" destination, it can be fun to see what kinds of places your state has to offer! St. Augustine is only located about 45 minutes from where I lived in Florida, and I've grown to love it even more over the years. Part of Florida's "First Coast", this historical city is the oldest continuously occupied European established city and the oldest port in the United States. I've enjoyed shopping on St. George Street, seeing the Castillo de san Marcos, and visiting Flagler College, where my cousin Jim went to school.

Here I'm standing by the Intercoastal Waterway. You can see Castillo de san Marcos in the background. One day, while running with my mom, we spotted a manatee in the water pretty close to where I'm standing in this picture!
Here is a picture of Flagler College. It is so beautiful! Could you imagine going to school here everyday?

Belize City, Belize

Belize is a country I visited as a port of call on a cruise. While I'm not sure how it would be as a vacation spot on its own, I did enjoy visiting here very much. The native guides we had told us about the poverty and living conditions in Belize, but they were so proud to share their culture it made me love my visit.
A picture of river tubing in Belize...my dad is in the baseball cap on the left.
Me in the rainforest on our walk to get to the river tubing.

Cozumel, Mexico

Another location I visited on a cruise. This was a little more of a touristy place than Belize was. The water was also more of the crystal clear, turquoise waters you look forward to in tropical locations.

Here is a silly picture I took while snorkeling! We also went kayaking, which was a lot of fun!

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Yet another place I visited on a cruise (what can I say, I love cruises!). This was definitely a fun place to visit. Seven Mile Beach is a popular attraction, as well as snorkeling, swimming with stingrays, and scuba diving.
With my fabulous friends, Amanda and Brianna, at Seven Mile Beach!
Here we are again, snorkeling with stingrays (which were enormous)!

Jamaica

The last place I talk about that I went to on a cruise, I promise! Jamaica was a ton of fun. I could definitely take a vacation just to Jamaica. We were in Ocho Rios during our time in Jamaica. My friends and I chose the kayaking/Dunn's River Falls excursion for this port of call, and we had a blast.
Here we are posing in front of the turquoise water!
Amanda and I kayaking over to Dunn's River Falls!
The three of us in one of the lagoons in Dunn's River Falls. The Falls are about 1,000 feet high, and shaded on both sides by lots of trees and vegetation. The Falls are almost like giant rock stairs, with lagoons built in. We climbed it wearing special grip shoes and a human chain formation, since the water is incredibly strong. We had several areas where we could float in the lagoon or slide down a rock slide.

Key West, Florida

My favorite vacation spot of all time. I did visit the first time on a cruise, but I also spent a spring break here and loved every second. It is very pricey to stay here for an extended period of time, especially if you fly in and out of Key West. Cabs are also expensive if you stay on the opposite side of the island from where most of the action is. Regardless, I LOVE Key West.
A view of the private beach at the hotel we stayed at.
If you visit Key West you have to have Key Lime pie! I absolutely love The Blonde Giraffe's chocolate covered frozen Key Lime pie. It is absolutely to die for.
Relaxing in a hammock overlooking the ocean.
Sunset at Mallory Square.
"Scoot Riding" around the island.
The Southermost Point-a touristy but must see for all Key West visitors!
Isn't the water beautiful? I also went jet skiing, kayaking, and parasailing. All amazing, but I didn't want to bore y'all with too many pictures! Anyone who is visiting Key West I have tons of tips and ideas of things to do! And don't forget to visit Kino Sandals!

Later y'all!

Pretty in Pink

Since it's been feeling like summer in Mississippi for awhile now, I've been ready to wear summertime makeup and nail colors since March! Pink is one of my favorite colors to wear, from eyes to lips to nails. Here are a few of my favorite pink products!

Nails:

My two favorite nail colors are OPI's "Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot" from the South Beach Collection and OPI's "It's All Greek to Me".

Above is "Feelin Hot-Hot-Hot". It's a medium pink shade that is very summery and always seems to make my skin look more tanned! It has a coral tint to it and is the lighter pink color of my two favorites.

This one is OPI's "It's All Greek to Me". It's more of a hot pink shade than my other favorite. It also tends to have a purple undertone instead of a coral one.

Lips:

Two of my favorite pink lip colors I actually got around Christmas and still love them. Both are from MAC; one is a lip glass and the other is a Suntint.

This one is the MAC "Nymphette" Lipglass. It's a gold-pink shimmery color, and is more of a matte lipglass in comparison to some others I've tried.
Above is a comparison of all of MAC's Suntint colors. I personally love the "Full of Grace" color. Its semi-shiny, very smooth, and is a really pretty peachy pink color.

This next lipgloss I actually received as part of a birthday gift that Sephora gave to it's Beauty Insiders. The gift came with three lipgloss colors to try, and I loved this one so much I purchased it in full size...
...the color is called "Rosy Glow", and it is a gold-pink shimmery color that is shiny and really really pretty. I actually would say this is my favorite of the three colors.

Eyes:

I am a huge fan of MAC's eyeshadows. For me, they stay on really well (I use Two-Faced Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer, which I swear by) and come in such pretty colors.

This one is called "Da Bling" and is one of the Veluxe Pearl colors. It shows up on skin as a light, matte pink color. I wear this lightly sometimes during the day, and it builds well for nighttime. I usually prefer shimmery eyeshadows, so sometimes I mix this color with a golden, more shimmery eyeshadow...

...such as MAC's "Retrospeck". This is my favorite MAC eyeshadow that I have. It is a lustre color, and goes well with so many other colors.

Face:

On a day-to-day basis, I use Clinique foundation, Clinique bronzer, and this:
It's MAC's "Smooth Merge" Mineralize Skinfinish.
It has three colors, a gold/bronze color, a dark pink color, and a lighter pink color. Mixed together, they make a really pretty blush/bronzer that make your face glow, and it also smells really good. I have also used these for eye color, along with "Retrospeck" and "Da Bling". I use Retrospeck on the inner third of the eyelid, Da Bling on the middle third of the eyelid, and the darker pink shade on the outer third of the eyelid. I then use a darker brown/gold color on the brow bone, and mix the darker pink color with it, and retrospeck as the highlight color. It's a pretty pink/gold look that I wear out to dinner or drinks. For mascara, I am in love with MAC's Zoom Fast Black Lash. It makes my eyelashes so long, but it can clump, so watch out for that.

I'm really excited for MAC's To the Beach Collection that comes out May 27th. What are y'alls favorite makeup products?

Later y'all!

Kino Sandals-A Key West Discovery

Before I moved to Mississippi for grad school, I lived in a beach community in Northeast Florida, where flip flops and sandals are a staple wardrobe item. One of the most popular brands of sandals around Florida are Kinos, which are handmade leather sandals made in Key West. These sandals are very cute, durable, and incredibly low priced (the most expensive sandal they sell is $14).

Kino Sandals is a family owned and operated sandal factory in Key West. The owners are Cuban immigrants who settled in Key West in the 1960s and founded Kino Sandals in 1966. The Kino Sandal Factory is a short walk off Duval Street on the corner of Fitzpatrick Street and Green Street and is reminiscent of an "Old Key West" style building. The factory smells like leather and you can see people making sandals while you are being helped.

Kinos has men's, women's, and children's styles, but women have the most options for styles. Several of the sandals come in different colors. My personal favorites are the "Julia" and the "Cordones". These sandals are handmade leather with a natural rubber sole, and several of them have buckles on them. These sandals take a few days to break in, but are honestly the most comfortable and long lasting sandals I have ever had. Kinos only accepts money orders or cashier's check with an order form for all their orders (unless you visit the store of course!). I have ordered from them several times and can vouch for their credibility and quick delivery. I had my sandals within a week of sending the order. I highly recommend this fairly well-kept Florida secret!

Photos from Kino Sandals

Amazing Peanut Butter Cookies!

Last night, I broke out an old favorite recipe and made some peanut butter cookies. This is the best recipe I have ever used for peanut butter cookies. Directly from the Queen of Southern Cooking herself, Paula Deen. Here's the recipe!

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies

1 egg

1 cup of peanut butter (try crunchy, smooth, honey)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of sugar (or 1 and a third cups cups of sugar replacement)

Photo: Paula Deen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, mix all ingredients together. Roll mix into walnut size balls and place on cookie sheet. Take a fork, dip it in sugar and press a crisscross on each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes and sprinkle with sugar/sugar replacement. Cool for a few minutes and remove from the pan.

A few tips: I would definitely not overcook these cookies at all. They burn really easily. Also, for fun you can sprinkle colored sugar crystals or sprinkles!

Here is the original recipe from Paula Deen's website.

8 Days a Week Tag

8 TV shows I like to Watch:

1. Sex and the City (my all-time favorite that I watch every day. Seriously. I start on season one and watch all the episodes. When season six is over, I start over with season one, episode one.)

2. College football games (I cheer for my Florida Gators! And Mississippi State Bulldogs, by default because I go to State!)

3. Gossip Girl

4. Cake Boss

5. Project Runway

6. Law and Order: SVU

7. The Biggest Loser (even though I've been slacking this season)

8. Glee

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink:

1. Grumpy's (Starkville, MS)

2. Mojo's Kitchen (Jacksonville Beach, FL)

3. Carrabba's

4. Cheesecake Factory

5. P.F. Chang's

6.The Veranda (Starkville, MS)

7. Iggy's (Narragansett, RI)

8. Chick fil a (favorite fast food)

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Trip to Florida in June to see my family

2. Trip to Rhode Island in June to see AMANDA! (and Dave Matthews)

3. My birthday!

4. College football season and all the road trips to the games! (Baton Rouge to see MS State vs. LSU, Gainesville to see MS State vs. Florida, Tuscaloosa at some point I'm sure to see either MS State or Florida vs. Alabama, Oxford, MS for the Egg Bowl, and Knoxville, TN to see my cousin Jim and see a UT game...but I will not sing Rocky Top)

5. Amanda's visit to MS (as soon as she can make it down here!)

6. Meeting new roommates

7. Christmas time (I know it's a long way off but I love it!)

8. Getting my master's degree (next May!)

8 Things that Happened to Me Yesterday:

1. Went to school and got frustrated trying to find a material. And also trying to find an article I know I have but can't find.

2. Went to Sylvan and had the easiest day there yet.

3. Talked to my grandmother for a belated Mother's Day call

4. Got a letter from my mother, called and talked to her

5. Dyed L's hair (after walking in on M attempting to dye it and laughed my head off)

6. Played with L's new dog, Daisy

7. Watched a softball game with L, M, and K

8. Watched the 4th season of Sex and the City while cleaning

8 Things I Like About Winter:

I will preface this by saying I hate cold weather and snow...this is why I live in the South

1. Christmas shopping

2. Starbucks Christmas drinks

3. Christmas songs and decorating

4. Christmas!

5. College Bowl Season

6. Elf (Best Christmas movie ever)

7. Seeing my family

8. My mom's gingerbread cookies

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often:

1. Oh jeez

2. Y'all

3. Legit

4. Lol (Text messaging...I definitely do not say this out loud)

5. Dang

6. Oh my God/gosh

7. For real?

8. Sorry bout it

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past:

1. "Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates, and guy are just people to have fun with." Charlotte York, Sex and the City

2. Sometimes second chances are exactly what you or someone else needs

3. First impressions are not always the right impressions

4. Listen to your dad when buying a vehicle

5. Hard work pays off

6. Pedicures are always worth it

7. "The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them, and others your don't. But in the end, they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into and sometimes its the one you make for yourself." Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City. I am incredibly blessed by all my families...Florida, Rhode Island, and Mississippi

8. God will watch out for you. Sometimes life hurts, or sometimes you feel like giving up. But happiness is always just around the corner.

8 Places I Would Like to See/Visit

1. Visit my aunt in Hawaii!

2. Visit my cousin Jim in Knoxville!

3. Greece

4. Ireland

5. France and Italy

6. Dominican Republic

7. Somewhere in Africa and go on a safari

8. Another cruise around the Caribbean with my girlfriends!

8 Things I Currently Want/Need

1. To get out of credit card debt

2. To start running again like I used to

3. To lose weight

4. For my hair to grow!

5. Summer sundresses

6. Finish organizing my desk/bedside table and hang up my dang clothes!

7. For Sex and the City 2 to come out already!

8. To see Zac Brown Band and Tim McGraw in concert

Later y'all!

Quirks/Updates

So everyone has their quirks...I have a weird obsession with handwriting. Not anyone else's, just mine. If I write a letter and it looks weird, I have to erase the whole word and write it over...which is also why I write in pencil. I also really dislike whistling. I've never quite figured out why exactly it bothers me, I just know the sound goes right through me! Another weird quirk I have is that I really really dislike centipedes and millipedes...they are freaky. They have way too many legs that they do not need. I bet if they had half the number of legs they could still walk fine.

So Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, which is not only a fun holiday, but also 2 months from my birthday, and 4 months from the start of football season! I'm looking forward to the summer adventures I have planned..."riding the river", a trip to the lake, being able to make a trip to Florida to visit my family, and the best summer tradition, a Dave Matthews Band concert! I love being tan and enjoying riding around with my windows down and the summer weather!

Later y'all