Category Archives: Anything & Everything

Jul22

Lil Red Fun Facts

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Lil Red Fun Facts

Hello! I turned thirty in June and it is so weird to be in a brand new decade. I swear, things that happened literal years ago feel like they just happened yesterday and I know I am technically an adult but I still feel like a teenager! It’s honestly hard to wrap my head around it at times. Despite feeling way younger than I am, my blog is a firm reminder of my age because I started it when I was twenty and will have my ten year blogaversary in September. With that and my new decade in mind, I thought it would be cool to update my fun facts as a freshly turned dirty thirty year old. Let’s get to it:

No Kids For Me:

Johnny and I have been together for over five years now and married for three of them. We get asked ridiculously often if we are ever going to have kids and the answer is still a resounding HARD NO. We are extremely happy with our lives sans children and the desire for parenthood is just not there. However, we are very proud to be the Fun Aunt and Uncle to our nieces and nephew and that is plenty for us. We also love being pet parents to the best bunnies in the whole world, Melvin and Penelope!

The Grind Don’t Stop:

I have been self employed for close to a decade between being an Independent Provider, blog jobs, and social media management. I also recently accepted a job as the social media manager to Tim Misny and it has been amazing! I have an extremely busy schedule, but it is the best kind of busy. I am so lucky to be able to do what I genuinely enjoy every day and it rarely feels like work. I take a lot of pride in the jobs I created for myself and am always excited to see where each work day takes me.

A Few Of My Favorite Things:

My favorite things have really not changed all that much. I am still a horror and true crime aficionado, Mexican and Indian food will always reign supreme, and my days are not complete without a can or two of Diet Coke. The newest addition to my favorites is coffee. It’s not like I didn’t like it before. However, my Keurig perished during the Great Kitchen Flood of 2022 and I never bothered replacing it. For Valentine’s Day this year, Johnny got me a new one and now I don’t know how I survived so long without a morning cup of coffee (or ten lol). My go to KCup is Green Mountain’s French Vanilla and it is my favorite way to kick start the day.

Biggest Wish:

Johnny and I never had a honeymoon and that is definitely my biggest wish. More than anything, we would want a European honeymoon and often talk about all of the adventures we would have. At this point, though, traveling anywhere would be nice! This is easier said than done because Johnny has a normal schedule at his job and limited time off while I make my days up as I go along. Some day we will get to go out and explore the world and I can’t wait!

Guilty Pleasure:

There is nothing better to me than sitting on the couch, putting the TV on, and vegging out. I am obsessed with reality TV and am an avid viewer of basically everything on TLC. Give me ALL of the 90 Day Fiance! My most recent guilty pleasure has got to be Degrassi. I have been rewatching the show from the very beginning and only have two seasons left. Degrassi was mine and my sister’s jam in high school and it is amazing to me how hard the episodes still hit as an adult. I have definitely shed several tears over it and keep going back for more every time I get the chance. This is primarily when Johnny is running errands because he refuses to watch with me lol.

I’m Looking Forward To:

As of now, what I am looking forward to the most is the fall season. I have been over summer since it started and have been manifesting fifty degree days whenever I step foot outside. Fall is my favorite time of year – the fashion, SOUP, weather, and Halloween! Johnny and I already have our costume idea picked out and are planning on Candy Land inspired characters. Lord Licorice for him and a Candy Queen for me. All I need to do is actually find a costume and we are in business. I think it’s going to be adorable!

A new decade yes, but I am still the same old Lil Red as you can see. Some things don’t change all that much!

What are some fun facts about you? What is one of your goals for 2024? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jun9

One Of Those Weeks

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One Of Those Weeks

Hello!! Has anyone ever had one of those days that is simply filled with minor inconveniences? Maybe you broke a glass, then you were running late, then got stuck in traffic, etc? Believe you me, I feel it because this entire week something has seemed to gone wrong every day! I could just be a huge butterfingers or overdue for an unlucky streak, but oh my goodness has it been annoying. Annoying with a capital A and NNOYING!

This past Monday, I woke up at my normal three AM time and as I carried our laundry hamper down the stairs, I was really awake. When we first moved into our new apartment, Johnny and I worked hard to create an art wall going up the staircase and I love it so much. The only thing I hate about it is that I always seem to be knocking our clock off of the wall because it juts out more than a framed painting. This has happened more times than I can count and, yes, it happened on Monday. The only difference this time is that the clock actually broke and shards of glass went everywhere. SMH.

Because of the bunnies, I am a paranoid mess when it comes to broken glass and spent what felt like an eternity sweeping the floor. Once I was satisfied with the results, I continued to go about my day accident free. It was short lived because on Tuesday morning, I dropped my phone and part of the back shattered. Yet again, I went back to the floor to clean up and it was all good. I thought I had had my fill of objects breaking into a million pieces… Until Wednesday morning. Guys, I legit don’t know what happened. I worked from home, I took my client to work, then went back home to work more. Sure enough, as I looked at the floor beside me, there was MORE broken glass that was definitely not there earlier. It legit felt like I was being pranked!

While the broken glass portion of my week sucked, the worst was yet to come. On Thursday morning, I woke up to find that one of the balls on my septum ring fell out in my sleep. Johnny attempted to put it back in, but it wasn’t quite right and I fiddled with it so much that it fell out again. Needless to say, putting a tiny ball on a tiny piece of jewelry is difficult – trying to do it with talon nails is impossible! After several failed attempts, the ball went flying out of my hand and landed promptly in the toilet which I forgot to shut. Before you ask, YES. I did fish it out lol! For the remainder of my day, I had to walk around as One Ball Barry and after sanitizing the hell out of it, Johnny was able to get it back on after work. Can this unlucky streak be over now, or?!

As of Friday morning while I type this, I am still finding broken glass on the floor. At this point, the best solution seems to be to find a new apartment. Lol, that’s not going to happen so I will continue to cross my fingers and toes that Lady Luck smiles on me soon!

What is something annoying that happened to you recently? Would you consider yourself to be clumsy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Car Chase Craziness

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Car Chase Craziness

Hello!! Johnny and I live in an apartment community called Timber Top. It is a sprawling, labyrinth like property and you are, without fail, going to get lost if you’re a first time visitor. Back in high school, Timber Top was the place to be to go stupid with your friends and buy weed lol. Fast forward ten years later and there is still never a dull moment in TTop. In the five years that Johnny and I have lived here, a building caught on fire, we had a carbon monoxide leak in one of the buildings, and there was a tragic pandemic of people literally falling through their stairs. Needless to say, we are used to it by now. However, we were definitely not expecting to cross “high speed car chase” off of our Timber Top Bingo cards!

This past Saturday, Johnny and I were playing games and relaxing after our Mother’s Day celebrations. As we were becoming one with our couch, we heard police sirens in the distance. Now, this is not uncommon whatsoever in Timber Top. It was different this time, though, because there were a lot of sirens blazing and they seemed to be heading right towards our street. As always, Johnny and I are nosey AF so we booked it onto our balcony just in time to see five cop cars chasing down a silver sedan. The car being chased led the cops to our semi-secret back entrance shortcut and we thought that was the end of it… Until five minutes later…

Shortly after Johnny and I settled back in the apartment, I thought I could very faintly hear sirens again. I thought I was just imagining it until they got louder and louder. Johnny and I leaped off the couch and headed back outside because, sure enough, the car chase was still on. In a foolhardy move, the car in question led the cops BACK into Timber Top! After some Smokey and The Bandit style speeding and maneuverability, the chase ended when the driver locked themselves in at a dead end.

At this point, everyone and their brother was outside watching the action too. In fact, people were legit running to see the aftermath and arrest. We were all shook and, thankfully, no one was hurt. After the exhilaration wore down from the spectacle, I couldn’t help but think about the other times the TTop community has come together. Most recently, it was for the total solar eclipse. Three winters ago, us tenants rallied to shovel out our cars from the parking lot after a huge snowstorm. Two summers ago, my entire building came outside to complain together after the Great Kitchen Flood of 2022. Whether it be a car chase or lending a hand or ear you know us TToppers are going to be outside on our porches as soon as it happens!

The car chase was one of the craziest things Johnny and I have witnessed in Timber Top and now my husband can cross “seeing a car chase” off of his bucket list. I wonder what’s going to happen next!

Do you get along with your neighbors? What’s the wildest thing you have seen in your community? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

Midweek Date Night

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Midweek Date Night

Hello! Johnny and I have very demanding schedules for work and we both tend to be up around three in the morning most days of the week. Because of this, it is extremely rare for us to do anything during the work week because we are too tired. Not to mention that we both go to bed around six o’clock lol. On Monday, I accepted a new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager. On Tuesday, Johnny asked if I wanted to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson, on Wednesday to celebrate. I was absolutely shook when he brought it up and happily accepted his offer!

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All day on Wednesday, I was looking forward to our date night and was using all of my strength to will time into going faster. We left for El Meson as soon as I got home from work and I was buzzing the whole way there. I literally can’t remember the last time we did a dinner date during the week! At the restaurant, we were having so much fun sipping on tasty margs and feeling dizzy with delight over my new opportunity. Our first date was on a Thursday and I told Johnny that this felt like our first date.

After we finished our meal, Johnny asked for a to go cup for the rest of his margarita. I realized I needed one too and followed our server to the bar to ask him for one more. As I returned to our table, I got stopped by a few people sitting at the bar. One of the ladies asked if Johnny and I were on our first date because we both looked so happy. She couldn’t believe it when I told her that we have been together for almost five years and I actually just told Johnny that our evening felt like our first date. We both got a little weepy about it and it was so incredibly sweet. Then, Johnny and I joked that we were just really good at faking our happiness lol – classic!

I truly did have all of the first date feels during our celebratory dinner date and I love that this was apparent to other El Meson patrons. I felt so spoiled to be taken out to my favorite restaurant and am so thankful to have such a stand up guy! ❤

What was the best first date you have been on? What is your favorite restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr29

Turning Thirty (Ahhhh!!)

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Turning Thirty (Ahhhh!!)

Hello!!! June is an exciting month for Johnny and I because we celebrate our birthaversary. Johnny has his thirty-fifth birthday on the first, our three year wedding anniversary is on the fourth, and I will be turning thirty on the seventh. While this is a banner time to be us, I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t a tad nervous about turning the dirty thirty. There’s something about not being in my twenties that just doesn’t sit right with me lol!

On Wednesday, my sister came over for a quick visit. She told me that she showed the pictures of my new hair to my niece, Val, and lil bestie had an interesting response to it. She said “Wow, TT looks so young“. And just when I thought I couldn’t love her any more than I already do! This was actually the third or fourth time I have gotten this compliment over the past month when people find out I’m turning thirty. I’ve got to say, I now understand why people love to hear it because it has definitely helped soften the blow of my milestone birthday.

Thanks to the handful of “wow, you don’t look thirty at all” that I have received, I am feeling more okay about June seventh. Yes, it was nice to hear that I don’t look my age. But, it was nicer to hear that my personality doesn’t reflect it either. In my head, I am still a twenty something and I think that’s the most important thing. This is something that I have been reminding myself of because the cliche is so true – you’re only as old as you feel. I think once the initial shock of entering a new decade wears off, I will feel much better. But, for now, I will be using these positive affirmations to get me through and they are already working wonders!

Normally, I am psyched for my birthday. It feels strange to have anxiety about an exciting day, but I think a big party will ease the nerves so I have that going for me!! 😀

How do you feel about your birthday? Which age were you nervous to turn? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr4

Fetch Review

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Fetch Review

Hello!! Way back to last October, I went out to dinner with my bestie at our favorite Mexican restaurant. As we were paying our bill, I noticed she was snapping a picture of her receipt and learned that it was for an app called Fetch. She explained that all you had to do was take pictures of your receipts and you would earn points towards gift cards. So, I signed up, we both got points for her referral, and I was ready to take the Fetch app by storm!

When I first started using the app, I thought it was great! It was exciting to see the points climb with each receipt scanned and you would get a bonus scanning one receipt per day. With your receipt, you could spin a wheel for additional points and that really helped speed up the process. Another thing that made a difference in my point count was occasionally scanning receipts that I unknowingly purchased “featured deals” with. This would normally happen during big grocery shopping trips – one time I got twelve hundred points from one receipt. 😀

Despite constantly increasing my points with almost daily receipts and “spin to win” bonus points, it still felt like I had a long way to go. A ten dollar Amazon gift card alone costed twelve thousand five hundred points! Then, Fetch eliminated the bonus points and my account began moving at a snail’s pace. It took me from the beginning of October to the end of March to get my ten dollar Amazon gift card and it felt like a drop in the bucket for using the app almost daily for over a half a year.

As I have continued using the app, I find myself wondering why I even bother and am probably going to delete it soon. These receipt scan apps are, honestly, more trouble than they’re even worth. If you are consistently referring friends and shopping deals on Fetch, I’m sure it can be a somewhat lucrative tool. However, if you’re like me who has no friends and never shops any of the deals, you are in for a slow going process. Am I happy to have an extra ten bucks on Amazon? Sure. Was it worth saving and scanning receipts for such a long period of time? Meh… Not really.

If you are thinking the receipt scan apps will have you cashing out immediately, it is not like that whatsoever. They sound awesome until you realize how much effort goes into getting one gift card!

Have you used any receipt scanning apps before? What did you think about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar29

1690 Day Blogging Streak!!

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1690 Day Blogging Streak!!

Hellooo everyone!! The other day, I was pretty impressed by myself with my 1250 Day Duolingo Streak. This equals out to be about three and a half years of daily practice! Then, I looked at my amount of days of daily content on lifewithlilred and had an “omg” moment. I am on a 1690 plus day streak which is four and a half full years of every day latest and greatest on my blog! I never pay too much attention to these numbers because I am so used to doing daily practice and writing. As you can imagine it comes as a huge surprise when I do notice and do the math lol.

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Some four and a half years ago, I made the decision to start publishing daily content on lifewithlilred. Rather, I made the decision to do the best I could and no big deal if I miss a day or two. As you all know, I am a very goal and schedule oriented person so that day started the streak with no ifs, ands, or buts for a skipped day. A little bit crazy? Maybe! But I could not be more proud of myself and I look forward to writing every day. It is my release and it’s exciting to have a little corner of the internet that I carved out through this dedication.

Part of the motivation behind this streak came from me, myself, and I. However, a majority of it came from each and everyone of you. The most rewarding thing about blogging for me has always been making new friends. So, even if just a handful of people were reading and interacting, I’d still consider it a great success! lifewithlilred introduced me to one of my best friends almost a decade ago and countless others that make logging in every day a joy – not a chore in the slightest. Every morning, I can’t wait to see my notifications from the blogging community because it is what makes me happiest. A world full of friends that find enjoyment in my page as much as I enjoy writing on it. ❤

I am SO stoked to achieve a five year daily writing streak on lifewithlilred and it makes every day feel like a victory. Thank you to all of you for sticking with me – my blog would not be the same without you!

What is something that motivates you? What goals are you working towards? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar27

1250 Day Duolingo Streak

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1250 Day Duolingo Streak

Hello!! I have been using Duolingo for so long that I don’t really think about it anymore. It is a staple in my morning routine of wake up, check Facebook, check my email, and practice a French lesson before starting my day. And, as often as I can, I try to do lessons in Spanish, Italian, German, and Czech too. This past weekend, I achieved a milestone streak of 1250 days of completing a lesson on Duolingo and I couldn’t believe it. That’s almost three and a half years!!

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HUZZAH!!!

In case you haven’t noticed, I am a very routine oriented person and it works beautifully for me. Once something that I am committed to becomes part of my schedule, I do everything in my power to keep it going. Duolingo is a perfect example of that because I love to learn new things – especially languages. Learning French is a goal that I have been working on since high school and I am thrilled to still be going strong with it. Although I wish I could practice my other languages more, I don’t have all of the time in the world in the morning and when I get home from work, I just want to sit lol.

Despite not practicing the other languages I am just okay at, I have noticed a better understanding when I hear them spoken. For example, Johnny has been sick with a nasty virus for the past handful of days. When I am sick, I turn to my comfort shows of anime and reality TV. Johnny, on the other hand, is a history buff and has been watching tons of WWII movies and documentaries. Whenever I am around and French or German is being spoken, he always calls me in to translate and I have a very high success rate! It is rare that I have the opportunity to put my language knowledge to the test and I was reveling in it. It made me feel so good that there were a few things in the programs Johnny was watching that he needed my assistance for. That seriously never happens!

I am so proud of my 1250 Day Duolingo Streak and can still barely believe my own eyes about it. It seems like just yesterday I downloaded the app and it has, without a doubt, been a fantastic tool to use. I can’t wait to get to a 1500 day streak – my next big milestone!

Do you use Duolingo? What language(s) are you learning? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Happy Memories

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Happy Memories

Hello!! I am one of those people who opens up Facebook as soon as I get up in the morning. It’s part of my little wake up ritual. I check my notifications, I look at my memories, I complete a French lesson on Duolingo, then I get up and start my day. Sometimes, the Facebook memories are nice. Sometimes, they are a reminder of total assholes (lol). And, sometimes, they are the most cringy statuses I have ever seen in my life!! On March 13th, however, was a very happy Facebook memory indeed. It was the three year anniversary of when Johnny and I got engaged!!

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^^^ We look so young!! Also LOL at how big the ring was – definitely needed that resized!

Before I met Johnny, I was in bad relationship after even worse relationships. I had completely sworn off dating after things ended with the guy I was dating before Johnny… Until my now husband asked me out for a drink, of course! It was a real deal instance of love at first sight and we were inseparable after our first date. In fact, we often say that we could have gotten married the day we met and would still be exactly where we are right now. In my heart of hearts, I genuinely believe that to be true.

I hate to admit, but I kind of forgot about our engagement anniversary these past few years because we weren’t engaged for long. We got married less than three months later so that’s the day that is always on my radar. As I said before, Facebook memories can be the worst or they can be the best. Waking up and seeing the picture we took after Johnny popped the question was the most wonderful way to start my day. Johnny and I spent the brief time we have together in the morning reminiscing about it and he was just as surprised by the three year anniversary as I was. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one and I’ll be looking forward to seeing upcoming memories of our wedding prep and day as we approach June 4th and celebrate our birthaversary week. 🙂

Although Johnny and I needed a Facebook memory to remember the actual anniversary of our engagement, we remember the day like it was yesterday. Maybe I’ll have to upload the video of when Johnny proposed soon because it was literally perfect! ❤

Are you good at remembering special dates or do you need reminders? What is something cringy from your Facebook memories today? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan24

Lazy Weekend

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Lazy Weekend

Hellooo everyone!! Is January still not over yet? Lol, these past few weeks have felt like a year in itself – especially this last one. Even though Johnny and I enjoyed a day off on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the remainder of the week dragged serious ass. It was freaking freezing all week with temperatures in the teens and by the time the week ended we got a ton of snow. It was definitely a cruel shock after the insanely mild winter we have been having and it wore me out!

Normally over the weekend, Johnny and I try to do at least one fun thing. Whether that be an outing together or hanging out with friends, it always gives us something to look forward to. This weekend, however, was an incredibly lazy one and it was just what we needed. In fact, we didn’t even take OOTD pictures – it was WAY too cold for that! Because I knew that we would be staying in, I made it my goal to complete my Tim Misny Christmas puzzle and had high hopes of accomplishing it…

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And let’s just say that I didn’t even come close lol. After I spent what felt like forever sorting the pieces out, I was already SO done! I didn’t even finish the border and that’s the easiest part smh. Don’t tell Tim! After realizing that the puzzle was a bust, Johnny and I went on a binge watching marathon and it was great. Usually, our “day of lay” on a Sunday involves a lot of quality time with our TV, but we decided to make that happen on Saturday too.

After I took a relaxing soak with a bath bomb (Stay tuned for a new Bath Bomb Blitz tomorrow!), our day(s) of lay commenced. On Saturday, we watched The Hunt For The Wilderpeople (Our favorite!), The Lord of The Rings, and Diary of a Mad Black Woman (We are on a HUGE Madea kick!). And, of course, LOTR was the extended edition which is the only way it should be watched! On Sunday, we stuck with our tradition of watching the new Saturday Night Live and Criminal Minds for the rest of the day.

Even though we really didn’t do much of anything over the weekend, Johnny and I still had a blast because we were together. Sometimes, you really do need a few days to just veg out and I’m glad we did. I think we were both pretty rundown from the work week and I know that I woke up for my three in the morning day on Monday feeling much more well rested. Well, as well rested as I can be for being up that early. I would absolutely say that that helped make the weekend an ever bigger GREAT SUCCESS!

When you’re feeling worn out, it can be so easy to just keep going and doing anyways. Johnny and I listened to what our bodies needed and that was a heaping dose of R&R. As I write this on Monday morning, I feel very ready to take on the week ahead!

How did you spend your weekend? What is your favorite way to relax? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah