A Blogger's Guide to Love n' Shit: Casey

Hi.
Remember me?

Sabrina, from Sabrina Says... I thought I should reintroduce myself since I've been gone for about a year.
I do apologize.

Let us play a little catch-up.
Pictures.work.work.food.bubbles.wedding.friends.vodka.boots.mom.tv.sushi.pizza.love.workout.daysoff.organize.decorate.homework.heat.mmstexts.dancing.videos.singing.countdown.random

okay. caught up? yeahh.... me either. How's about this... I'll ease you in with a guest post.
This is number 3 in my
A Blogger's Guide to Love n' Shit series.

Have you met Casey? Well you should. This girl has got it all! Looks, smarts and a hot ginger!!
They will have the sweetest little gingerbabies :)

Her post is all about expectations and realizations. It's deep folks, real deep.
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Hello, Sabrina Says readers!  I am so completely honored to be posting here in Sabrina's world, because I am a huge fan!  Love her sense of humor and her amazeballs outfits, so thanks so much for having me, Sabrina! My name is Casey, and I blog over at Stress Case.

I married the love of my life (seriously, I've known him for 11 years, he is the love of my life), my Handsome Husband, on a pretty cold, but pretty gorgeous day in February of this year!

Here is us on a good day:

But here is what we usually look like:

A couple of lookers right there.

And here is us sealing the deal on February 26, 2011:

I was always that girl who spent countless hours, days, probably cumulative months imagining how my life would end up.  Dreaming up my wedding, picking out kids' names, and just generally laying out the plan for what would end up being my wonderful life.

Growing up, I had quite a few expectations for the first year or so of marriage.

We would have a huge wedding with all of our friends and families present, all of my grandparents (we've got some remarriage goin' on in my hood - that means lots of grandparents) would be sitting beside my parents in the front row beaming as I married the man of my dreams.

My groom would be a few years older than me, established in his career, and really settled.

After our 2-week long honeymoon, we would return to pack up whatever apartment we may have been living in before, to move into the small home with a white-picket fence that we had just closed escrow on.

We would get a cute little puppy who would become the light of our lives.  That is until...

Not even into the first year of being married we would find out that we were expecting, and be overjoyed and so ready for our little family to grow!

I would work, but only until the baby was born and then I would become the ultimate stay-at-home mom, finding fulfillment from raising my children and keeping home for my husband.

And we would love each other so much that even when struggles came our way, we could hold on to one another and make it through all right, if only because we had each other.  And I would literally find myself thanking God daily for giving me the gift of meeting this man, and making him mine.

Yeah, it hasn't exactly turned out to be that way.

We had a beautiful wedding, but not huge by any means.  When daydreaming as a child, I never really mapped out budget in my head, which in real life, had to put a stop to my horse-drawn carriage dreams and champagne wishes.  Our wedding was amazing and so beautiful though, and I will always be grateful to my parents for hosting the most amazing night for us.  And unfortunately, by the time my wedding rolled around, 2 of my many grandparents had passed away, one was gravely ill, and one unable to travel.

Our beautiful reception

The Star of David I pinned into my bouquet in honor of my grandmother, and the locket for my grandfather

My groom is was (and still is, dangit, he will never pass me up!) 1 week younger than me!  We met when we were in junior high, and are both still working on furthering our educations.  He was no more settled when we got married than I was - and it's kind of nice going through the growing up stages together instead of meeting each other at the end of the road.

Us at age 13, a year after we first met

We only managed to go on a one week honeymoon (again, never really thought about the whole taking time off work when daydreaming) - but Handsome Husband's family treated us to an amazing trip to St. Lucia!  

Dinner over the bay in St Lucia

Here's the real kicker.  We didn't quite come home to pack up our little apartment to move into our brand new home.  We didn't even have a little apartment to move out of.  Two months before our wedding, we moved in with my parents.  We were unsure of what our employment would be like, as we were just graduating school, and while it was a little hit to the ego, it seemed best.  We actually still live with my parents now, as we have made the decision to pay off all of our debt (which we finished last month, woo woo!), and save for a down payment on a condo in our area as opposed to renting.  Hopefully it could have a white picket fence.

Due to the not really having a place of our own, there is no little puppy.  We did welcome home a new kitten in June though!

Oh, and the baby thing.  Yeah, not so much.  I get baby fever every once in a while (mostly when I watch HH's super cute 16-month-old second cousin, Lil C), but seriously: I'm Not Ready for Motherhood.  Not ready to make my life 100% about someone other than myself (and my Hubster).  Not ready to not be able to go out and get drizzunk on the weekends without a babysitter.  And so.  not.  ready.  to lose my very valued good night's sleep.

Me and the only babe I need for now, Lil C

And work?  I love it.  I live for it.  I can't imagine a life without it.  I am a pediatric nurse, and I plan on being one for my whole life, and I'm not sure I could ever give that up totally.  (Good thing I've got quite some time to figure that one out.)

And we love each other so much that when struggles come our way, we hold on to one another and make it through all right, even if only because we have each other.  And I literally find myself thanking God daily for giving me the gift of meeting this man and making him mine.

Thanks again for having me, Sabrina!  Come on over and give my blog a little looksie, if y'all are so inclined!  You can read our whole love story (it's a good one), see more wedding photos, and see what I'm grateful for every Sunday.

Giving Thanks

Source: thecutestblogontheblock.com via Grace on Pinterest

Not just today, but everyday.

Something I am working on! Happy Thanksgiving I am thankful for each-and-every one of you!

A Blogger's Guide to Love n' Shit: Erica

Here we are in week 2 of a Blogger's Guide to Love n' Shit, so, in the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought it would be appropriate to have Erica guest post about her giiiiiving.....

BAHAHA... Sorry Erica, I had to! You know I LOVE you girl!

But really... Erica is one of the most relatable girls I know. Anyone can find something to love about Erica. She is sweeter than pie, funnier than shit and more honest than your drunk grandma. True Story.

Read on and let me know what you think about her "casual encounters."

_____________________________________________________

Hi friends! I’m here to tell you about the time I was a slut for 10 minutes and then got caught BEING a slut. Yeah. It happened! But I learned from it! Let's set the mood with some promiscuity.

So here I am, freshman year of college, just breaking up with a boyfriend of 3 years. To make a long story short, he was a
 douche-nozzle,
 jerkface,
 icky mean cold hearted person
 and frankly I was DONE with him! I was ready to feel single. Ready to experience what was out there.

 Circa freshman year..WHOA.

There were like 5 guys I was talking to around my break-up phase (is it bad I lost count?). Let’s see...2 played baseball, 1 played hockey, 1 worked for our college TV station, and 1 was a firefighter.

Well rounded bunch dontcha think? 

 One night I went downstairs to the hockey players’ room and we “watched” V for Vendetta. If by watch you mean watching each other’s bodies move in crazy passionate ways. We didn’t “DO IT” but I may have “DONE SOMETHING” to him…if you know what I mean. Use ya mind! I left his room at like 4 AM and was like holy crap…that felt LIBERATING! But that also felt skanky. Erica, you are a slut...a whore...did I mention a slut!? Bad bad bad what would your parents think!

Fast forward

to the next night where I found myself in TV station boys’ room doing THE SAME THING that I did with hockey boy! I’m telling you, my mouth was yelling at me saying ‘Erica…I can’t handle these differences…choose one or forever hold your peace.” I left his room feeling even dirtier than before.

What got into me?

 I guess it felt nice to be wanted especially after my break-up

. But perhaps I was being wanted in a different way. 

Hey…I was 18 I was young and naive! About a week later, (and a few make out sessions with the 2 baseball players I haven’t mentioned yet…seriously, I was bad), I was chatting online with hockey boy. He asked me to come down to his dorm room. I go. He answers the door and hands me 3 pieces of paper, calls me a slut, and slams the door. I immediately feel flushed and embarrassed and started saying oh shit oh shit oh shit as I run up to my room. I’m scared to open the papers. When I do, I see it’s a PRINTED INSTANT MESSAGE conversation between hockey boy and TV station boy. Both of whom I had done some durrty durrty with.

 being promiscuous

Basically they started chatting because TV station boy had seen me chatting with hockey boy and was just interested in how we knew each other. They got to talking. They realized they were from the same home town. Then they talked more. About me. And came to the realization that they had both hooked up with me within 24 hours. Yeah…taaalkkk about awkward turtle.

I went into hiding and shame for about 2 weeks, and soon after started to really hang out with fire fighter boy, who just so happens to be Kurt. My current boyfriend of 5 years!

So there you have it. That one time lil miss Young and Fab was a slutty mc slut slut. I learned from it though. And it's okay if you judge me wicked hardcore because I'm okay with it. It's the only time I've ever been like that! I learned that while you’re single, it’s okay to go crazy, but maybe not hook up with people who know each other.

Ready,

 set, 

JUDGE!

___________________________________

Oh Erica! Words to Live by!

This is what I am thankful for:

1. Your Flava (Flay-vah) in choosing men

2. Your ACTUAL choice aka Kurtin-for-a-Hurtin'

3. I just came up with that nickname

4. Your amazing friendship!!

Friends, if you don't know miss Erica by now you must, MUST head on over to her blog. I promise you will be dazzled by her flexibility and infatuation with Young Moolah, Baby. 

Thank you SO much for guest posting! 

Happy Thanksgiving! Eat, Drink, and play Erica's Special Game :) 

I dare you.

Weekend Rundown

Annnnd it's Tuesday. Not Monday.. Well here is my weekend anyway!! Friday... I went to work but it was DEAD because of the snow (It was our first big snow). So I just stayed in... I wasn't about to drive in the craziness!

Saturday I took some pictures for a few friends of mine, Alyssa and Brent. They were so beautiful! It was probably the greatest experience in my photography career thus far! I coordinated with Brent the night before and he informed me he was going to propose!! It was such an exciting day!

Sunday I had a little brunch with this lovely lady! We met to discuss pictures, weddings and how much we love each other already! Okay... maybe not that last part, but it's true! She is a freakin firecracker!!

How was your weekend? Anything exciting?

Ohhh... Tuesday. 

Alright Stop, Collaborate and Listen.

(Shirt, Socks, Scarf and Blazer- Nordstrom; Leggings- Aritzia; Shoes- Target; Ring and bracelets- F21; Watch- Michael Kors)

I've got nothin. Not single clever or funny word left in my brain. Officially running on empty. Well I guess I'm technically running on caffeine...either way. 

Yesterday Rissy asked me to share a picture of my leggings to the whole Twitter universe.... I didn't end up doing it yesterday, but TODAY, my friends... it's your lucky day.

Here are my floral leggings in all of their girly/nerdy glory. 

Yes.. I am wearing leggings as pants. Don't you dare judge me, I know you do it too :)

Happy Friday!

What are your weekend plans? 

I have Sunday Off!! Yay for Bloody Marys!

I hope you get Vanilla Ice stuck in your head :)

P.S. I get to meet up with THIS girl on Sunday! Beee jealous :)

A Bloggers Guide to Love n' Shit: Raven

Let's be honest. Raven is the cats' meow. Really, she's got the bod, the brains, and the personality. #Package

I automatically thought of her charming whit and sarcastic banter when I came up with the idea of: How To Get a Boyfriend. Then she sent it to me last night annnnnnd I died. It may have been the bottle of wine and the few beers that I had... but that's besides the point.

Here she is Miss Raven. One of my All time FAVES and good friend. I cannot wait to meet this beautiful mamma in a few weeks. yeah... it's happening. Now, I introduce you to Raven. Please Please Please leave feedback. We are DYING to know what you think :).

When Sabrina first asked me to write a guest post about "how to land a man," I was all, "ppssshh, girl please. That's like second nature to me. I got this." But then I starting thinking about my past and realized that in 30 years, I've only had like, two real boyfriends. One of those I ended up marrying, and as much as I wish I could lead by example on how to get a man to marry you, I wouldn't suggest that you Do what I did. Serious.

So instead of telling ya'll what to do to land a man, which I clearly have limited knowledge in, I thought I would tell ya'll what to do to KEEP a man once you got him, which I clearly have a lot of knowledge in. Ten years, two kids and 812 bottles of vodka under my belt, to be exact. (Hey, don't judge. If you divide the number of bottles by the number of days we've been together, then I'm totally in the safe zone.)

Number One: Feed him. 

Make him a damn sandwich. And don't make him ask twice. 

Number Two: Have sex with him.

Whenever he demands. 

Number Three: Don't bitch.

Ever.

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City, every girl seems to want this:

Don't fool yourselves little pretties. Your good looks and daddy's money is not enough to keep a man. 

So girls, what did we learn?

Feed 'em, f#@k 'em and shut up.

You're welcome. 

http://www.amommasdesiresandpacifiers.com/

Mean Girl

I'm going to confess something to you that I have put out of my mind for far too long. This is something I am not proud of, but I'm human and I feel that I've tried to make up for these wrong doings with good deeds.

In high school I was a mean girl. I really didn't have that many friends, but I seemed to jump around a lot from group to group. One day you hated me, the next day you loved me. I was out of place in high school, I didn't really have a direction and I didn't have a strong connection with most people at my school (of course there are those select few that I STILL consider my great friends, but for the most part I was a floater).

I would say mean things about people, claiming "It's my opinion. I'm strong willed..blahh blahh..." I did vicious things like trying to put eye drops in a girls water, or writing "bitch" on a girls car with window paint. And I laughed about it. I laughed and thought I was SO clever. And then, I would deny it if I ever got caught. I'm telling you, you didn't want to know me.

I lied, drank, and did stupid things to hurt others without EVER thinking of the consequences. I was truly lost.

Yes... Sabrina, ME, was buried deep down somewhere in that troubled girl, but she was really hard to find.

Due to recent events,  I have thought a lot about who I used to be and the things I would say and do. As each year passes I can see changes within myself, my confidence. In much recent years I have found my true self. That self revolves around family, good friends, creativity and happiness. I strive to bring joy into every day into every situation.

Yes, I may have done some awful things, maybe unforgivable things, but I KNOW I have learned. I change for the better everyday of my life, and I can only hope to continue.

I never want to be that person that tell you who I am. I always want to be the person to show you.


And Now... without further adieu... My short hair!

My 'Dressing Room' in my new Mother Jeans

My Mantle

In Closing:

I can't say that I don't have moments of meanness... but I have found what truly makes me happy and I think that is the biggest change of all. I now live in love. You should try it, it's kind of life changing.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Rundown

Well it's officially been ONE WEEK since I moved in! The mountain of clothes has finally found a home, things are starting to come together and I finally have some good healthy food in my fridge! Life is good, I tell ya. This weekend really started off with a bang. Before work on Friday I decided I was going to make snickerdoodles for our Chef. So I grabbed the necessary ingredients at my neighborhood grocery store and headed home to bake.

About half way through beating the butter and sugar I realized I had forgotten cinnamon. This is where shit gets crazy.

As I enter the store for the second time in 20 minutes, I head directly toward the spice aisle where I proceed to pick up a tiny jar of cinnamon for far too many dollars. Oh well, it was necessary.

I head to the SPEED check out lane, seeing as I only had one item. This lane was the closest to the pharmacy. As I hand the cashier my little jar I see a swarm of male employees march toward the pharmacy counter. And next thing I know....

BAM.

No... not a gun shot.

A man is on the ground. They took him down!
He had told the pharmacist he had a gun and was trying to get some pills out of her.

This man was scary. About 6'5" burly and a scrapper! I was so impressed at the quickness of the staff and how they zip tied this man in mere seconds!

Needless to say I left the store with this adrenaline high that carried me through the night.
(Maybe that is why I had the balls to call a girl out for being nasty via twitter)

Friends, this was just Friday!

To sum this up... Saturday was great! Went shopping with Brooke, drank wine at lunch and scored some beautiful curtains at World Market.

Sunday came way too quick. I had an engagement shoot with Jeffrey, Tara and Sage. Here are a few of the pictures. ***NOTE: They are untouched/unedited. I literally just uploaded them straight from my camera. I just wanted to show you how lovely they are! Such a sweet little family And so fun to work with!

What did you do this weekend? 

Check back tomorrow for a post on Mean Girls.

Probably not what you are expecting.

Especially if you followed my twitter feed over the weekend.

Happy Monday!

P.s. We had our first snowfall this weekend! I'm not ready for winter!

Which Seat Do I Take?

Dear Friday,

I know you like to take your time, but really? It's been ages since I've seen you. I hope you were worth the wait.

Sincerely,
In Desperate Need Of Some Down Time

And now.... Picture DUMP!! Enjoy!

I finally painted my nails!

I decorated a shelf.

I ate a LOT of edemame. Hey, it's good for you... don't judge me. 

This is an outfit I wore a while ago... this the only crappy picture I got of it before I ran out the door!

BIG NEWS!

________________________

____________________________

I am starting a guest blogging series!! And I am looking for some guests!!

Here are the details:

I am looking for your stories/advice/knowledge on how to find love.

As you may or may not know, this girl is single. 

Not that I'm looking... BUT I am interested in what you have to say about:

Dating

Marriage

Single Life

Divorced Life

YOU NAME IT! 

And trust me, there is NO judgement here! I have dated some reeeeeal winners :)

If you are interested in guest blogging PLEASE comment I will email you!

If nothing else, it's a great way to get some new visitors :)

Ohh... and I WILL be contacting a few of ya's. I have specific things I want you to blog about :)

I think I'll call it:

A Blogger's Guide To Love n' Shit

hmmm.....

Happy Friday my little honey badgers!! :) Ohh you're nasty. 

Loyalty

Thank you to all of my loyal friends and readers (Although if you read my blog I already consider you a friend). I know I haven't been consistent in the whole blogging department lately. But that is SOON to come to an end.

I finally feel settled. I am home.

Don't be fooled, this doesn't mean I have everything put away in it's perfect little spot. In fact, there is a mountain of clothes just waiting to be put away in my guest room. Yeah, that's right... I have a guest room.

I really have to thank my amazing friends that dropped everything to help me move IN ONE DAY to my new place. And trust me... I've got a lot of SHTUFF... Yeah, shtuff. They are such blessings in my life! LOVE YOU!

So... yes my place is still a work in progress, but I am here and so is my comfy bed and finally...... THE INTERNET!! Yeah. I'm at home :)

So instead of showing you pictures of my messy house, I thought I would show you pictures of something beautiful. My friends and family.

This is Brooke. Such a great friend and SO beautiful!

Baby James. Hello, blue eyes!

I hope your week is phenomenal and you are enjoying every minute!
I'm heading to class but I wanted to post, even if it was short and pointless, because I missed you SO much!!

Thanks for sticking with me through all this!

Oh... and what would you like to see more of on my blog?
Outfit post, videos, music, reviews? ANYTHING! You tell me and I'll make it happen!

Love Love.

Weekend Rundown

The weekend was exactly what I needed.
Quality time with friends, a little bit of work and some sweet lovin on some babies!

My whole family got together on Sunday to watch football, eat good food but most of all, so I could SWOON over their precious babies.

Saturday night was a co-workers' last night. He was the bartender that I worked with the most. Such a funny guy and so many great memories! We usually split a burger when we were hungry or talked like gangsters or made up silly high-fives.
After work we headed to a DIVE bar. Strong cheap drinks. I'm happy!

I guess you should never be around me when you're drunk and doing stupid things... because I will record you.

Awww They're matching!

Big Changes today! Reeeeally Big! I can't wait to tell you allll about them tomorrow! 

For now, happy Monday!

I love you all.

Pinky-sweat.

*I meant to write pinky-SWEAR but I think pinky-sweat sounds way better. 

Cheers

Cheers to you, my dear friends. Your comments and emails were the very best part of my week!

The support and genuine kindness I felt from you all really warms my heart! This girl is lucky, I tell ya.

Now on to the weekend.

Friday: school, photos, work.
Saturday: photoshoot, work, drinks
Sunday: family day!

I get to see my beautiful nieces and nephews this weekend and I cannot wait to kiss all over their cute little cheeks! There will be pictures to follow, don't you worry. As for right now, here is something to tide you over until Monday.

It's a bridal shoot that I did for Megan. I can't show you EVERYTHING right now... just in case her husband gets a peek... but she is BEAUTIFUL and such a joy to work with! We had the most beautiful day in the park to shoot together... I cannot wait for her wedding day!

Happy Friday! Have the best weekend of your life.

I dare you :)

Keep it comin

(Shirt, tights- Nordstrom Skirt-F21, Necklace- Old Navy Shoes- Sam Edelman)

At times like this all you can do is laugh at your situation. I'm going to be completely honest, here we go:

For the past month or so things have been totally uncomfortable with my roommate and I. Said roommate and I have known each other since the 4th grade, but that obviously means nothing. Literally nothing.

A phrase that kept coming up: "It's my life." Yeah I get that... but when your life decisions effect me... it's my life, too.

So Today... as in right now. I am on the hunt for an apartment or a roommate. Unfortunately that friendship has been broken, trust, respect and care have been long gone for quite some time. It's difficult to say what will come next. But for me. Doors have opened.

*You may think. "Wow Sabrina, it is just one shit storm after another." And you may be right. But honestly....there is TOO much good in my life to actually worry about this. Not to sound like a total bitch-face, but really....

This is my bitch-face

And constant support from friends and family helps. 

So much love.

OH! And I want to thank ALL of you from the bottom of my lil' heart for all of your sweet comments yesterday. You have NO idea how much it means to me. You had great advice, funny stories, and things that made me want to cry for days! But really I love you so much more than you will ever know!

Thanks a million my loves!

And then I changed.

So here she is. The world at her fingertips.

Feel sorry or feel grateful, it is a choice.


Take it in. Cry a minute. Then move on. Bigger things are yet to come. The greatest love will be here soon. The passion will be there, the love and the commitment, too. Not only surface but deep within.

This girl will love again.

Translation:

This girl is single. A little heartbroken, but it will only last so long. I will only LET it last so long.

Blessings:

Booked another wedding
Have an engagement session in 2 weeks
Getting LOTS of feedback on my photography
Support from my fam
Work is AMAZING
Best friend is always there. Always.
Feeling inspired. Yeah yeah.


Okay.... so I have to ask. And I'm not looking for sympathy, I promise. But when dealing with a breakup...what do you do? What have you done? What do you wish to change?

***side note. I'm being very optimistic about this right now. I'll give the honest truth tomorrow. check back on me.***

And yes, I was a blowup doll for Halloween :)