Alright guys, I met the coolest dude at work at Next tonight, and I NEED you guys to give him some love. Dominic Mashorda is the NINETEEN YEAR OLD owner of his own business. A sneaker store in Youngstown, Ohio that is so very originally called Sneakerville. 😉 Best believe I have to represent everyone doing it big in my home state. Dominic came into my store tonight looking to buy some gear to resell in his business. This young man was such a pleasure to talk and hang out with – and a lot of talking and hanging out was done considering he was in Next for over two hours. I’m not going to disclose how much money was spent in the time he was there, but sweet Dominic left with bags full of rad new merch for Sneakerville. His story is seriously one of the most insane tales of motivation and dedication I’ve ever heard, so please read up on him. This awesome article I found basically explains it all:
Credit is deserved when credit is due, and every ounce of success this kid earns is so well deserved. Dominic was so sweet and humble the entire time he was in the store. There were two young teenage boys who were checking out the new pair of Lebron’s that launched today while Dom was paroosing the store. Dominic had already set aside a size to purchase for Sneakerville, which happened to be the size one of the boys needed. Without a moments hesitation he offered the kicks to the young man and made his day. After he was done with his shopping, Dominic offered to take myself and my coworker out to Chipotle after we closed up for the night – but unfortunately, Chipotle had the same idea because they were closed too! 😦 It was such a kind gesture though!
I have a deep admiration and respect for young men and women out in the world who are making it happen, so it only felt right to give my new friend and young entrepreneur a shout out on here. And let me just repeat…Dominic is NINETEEN. He’s out there making things happen that people twice his age are doing. If that’s not impressive, than I really don’t know what is. I’m older than Dom by a year, but his experience made him seem years above me. Meeting this young man made me want to get my ass in gear and start working even harder for the things I want in life: My college degree, a faithful band of followers on http://www.lifewithlilred.com, and to continue to pursue theater acting work on the side. Seeing this young man reach his dreams at such a young age was the inspiration I needed to keep putting in work for everything I aspire to accomplish. If you have time, give Dominic Mashorda a Google or Yahoo search. Familiarize yourself with his work and the face of a kid who’s going to take the business world by storm.
What makes a great business man or woman to you? What is your definition of success? What’s a dream that you’re working to make a reality? I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment and let’s chat. Have a fantastic Thursday night! -Sarah
Annnnd as always, here’s my shameless promotion of Next and all of the cool shoes, clothes, and accessories that we have to offer!
http://ruleofnext.com/ (Sales pitch: Now is a great time to check out all of our sneakers for our fall sale!!!)
Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :
1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!
2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.
3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.
4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.
5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!
6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.
7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/
8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.
9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!
10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!
So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah
If you’ve read my previous post MIDDLE AGED MONDAY, then you’ll know all about my good friend Tyler. Today we had our last hang out until January, because he leaves for basic training in Oklahoma on October 20th. (The same day that I start school!) Tyler and I met during a show we both performed in back in March. Amongst all of the cast members of the show, Suicide in B Flat, Tyler and I just clicked. We both share a very similar snarky sense of humor and a love for all things pop culture. We instantly bonded over music, television, and a deep love for Chipotle. Tyler was really the only cast mate from Suicide who I wanted to keep in touch with after the show was over. And I’m so glad we did. We’ve been hanging out together ever since. As a brief refresher, Middle Aged Monday (AKA MAM) involves day drinking, crafting, watching The Breakfast Club, eating Chipotle, and going on hikes – just to name a few of the activities! That’s just a brief description of our wild and crazy hang outs together. Our afternoon excursion today was bittersweet, because I feel like I barely got any time with him at all, when really I got almost eight full months with him. But then again, any amount of time feels like not enough when someone you care about goes away for a while. Tyler will be stationed in California after he completes his basic training and I’m soooo excited to visit him there! We already have plans of drinking on the beach, drinking in the bars, and going to amusement parks. Basically…we’re gonna be moving MAM to California! Complete with Hawaiian shirts and fanny packs: the middle aged tourist essentials. Tyler will also be home for a few weeks in January so we’ll have some much needed catch up time then! I can’t wait! I’m so thankful that he’ll be able to text me when he can, and of course we’ll be writing to each other too! I’m so excited to send him novels of what’s going on in my life and how boring Ohio is! Here’s a few pics from some of our hang outs and from Suicide in B Flat:
I love you so much Tyler! I’m so thankful for all of the fabulous memories we have together. Most importantly, I’m beyond grateful that I have an amazing friend for life. Please send good vibes my friends way as he enters this new and exciting chapter in his life! Have a great night guys. -Sarah
If you’re ever in the Akron, Ohio area, I cant recommend going to the Blue Door Cafe enough. It’s located in Cuyahoga Falls, which is lucky for me because it’s right down the street from my house! The Blue Door is probably one of the best hole in the wall food establishments I’ve ever dined at. Their menu changes frequently, and a lot of their options accommodate to dietary considerations such as vegetarian (which is great for me!), vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. Whenever I go for brunch or lunch with my best friend Kate, I always order the exact same thing – their grilled cheese sandwich! It’s hands down the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. The changes they made to the sandwich for their fall menu was delicious – it included thick pieces of cheddar cheese and diced apples in the middle to add the perfect amount of seasonal flare. The meal also includes a bowl of their tomato soup which was especially tasty when I went yesterday. There were hints of what tasted like red wine for a unique touch. You also get the option to pick between fresh fruit, greens, or home baked potato chips to accompany your meal. I always pick the fresh fruit. The medley of pineapple, strawberries, blue and black berries, and grapes was just gorgeous yesterday. The colors were vibrant and they tasted as sweet as sugar. The Blue Door Cafe also boasts a lovely bakery where the pastries and breads used in each meal are made daily. You can also purchase their bakery items there as well. My grilled cheese sandwich was made with thick slices of freshly baked Challah bread. Delicious! Kate usually opts for the Tartine when we go to the Blue Door. I’ve gotten it once before and it’s great! The Tartine is a dark chocolate filled croissant with three dipping sauces on your plate – blackbery jam, melted white chocolate, and melted milk chocolate. This treat also comes with fresh fruit. Yum!! The croissant is to die for – it’s the perfect balance of crisp and soft with a sweet butter glaze to top it all off. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Not only is the food at the Blue Door Cafe incredible, but the service there is fantastic too. The servers and chefs are so great at what they do. One of the managers, Wes, is just the sweetest guy in the whole world. He usually takes care of me and Kate – we’re his favorites! Especially me. Yesterday when he brought me my coffee, he also returned with a flower he made out of parchment paper.
So. Sweet. My heart absolutely melted! Swoon!
If you’d like to learn more about the Blue Door Cafe, here is their website: http://bluedoorcafebakery.com/ . Make sure you check it out!
What’s your favorite hole in the wall establishment to eat at? What do you like to order there? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Friday! -Sarah
One thing I love more than anything in the world is giving and receiving letters. My beloved grandmother (RIP <3) instilled in me at a very young age the power of hand written letters. Growing up, I remember getting so excited to see letters from my grandma in the mail. It wasn’t long before I began to write to her individually and eagerly anticipate a reply back. I loved reading my grandmas beautiful flowing cursive in rich black ink, because she always used brand new ball point pens. I’m actually getting insanely emotional as I type this, because now that my grandma has passed, the letters that I saved from her are even more dear to me. I began thinking about how no one really writes letters anymore while I was writing today to my sweet friend Neva, who you can read all about in my post Thankful. Neva was one of my grandma’s friends, and she’s sort of like my pen pal in between when I visit her. There’s something so beautiful to me about a handwritten note. A note just for you. A note that someone took the time out of their day to sit down and write, because they were thinking about you. That’s just so amazing to me. Whenever I would receive a letter from my grandma or Neva, thoughts like that would fill my head, and make the gift of the letter that much more special to me. The personal touch of a letter is far beyond anything a quick text message, email, or phone call can give you. Whenever I read old notes from my grandma from over a year ago, I can still hear her saying her written words in my head. It’s like an extra special hug from her to reread her telling me that she loves me. What could be better than that? Letters make me happy. It makes me feel good every time I send a letter to Neva, because I know she’s going to open it up and smile at my words. Brightening someones day like that is what I live for. The power of words never ceases to amaze me. Honestly, I’m not sure why people don’t write anymore, especially knowing that writing a quick ten minute note could make someones day. Who wouldn’t take the time to do that? Maybe I’m an old soul at heart, but I’d rather get something handwritten than all this virtual mumbo jumbo any day.
The picture above are just a few of the notes and cards I have saved from my grandma and Neva. I have them tucked safely away in my desk drawer, where I can look at them any time I want. I can’t encourage you guys enough to sit down and write a letter today to someone who means something to you. They’re going to appreciate it more than you know, I can promise you that. Have a lovely Tuesday evening! -Sarah
So last night I went out with my sister Kristen and her boyfriend Ramon, and had an absolute drunken blast. Now I totally understand that some people won’t appreciate this entry, but that’s okay. I also promise you that there’s a point to this post. Let’s get this story started:
The night started out with pre gaming at Ramon’s place. We drank the ultimate girly drinks of strawberitas and Angry Orchard. Honestly I’m such a lightweight that I was pretty intoxicated by the time we got to the bowling alley, where we met up with a bunch of our friends. I’ve never had so much fun bowling in my life, even though I gutter balled almost every time! Minus the one true miracle that occurred when I somehow managed to get a strike! “HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!” While at the bowling ally myself and the crew indulged in more alcohol, this time we were drinking on actual liquor. Fireball and Coke and Long Islands for me and my sister. This is when I began turning into “That Girl”. After my first Fireball and Coke drink, I was completely and utterly wasted. (#lightweight) That’s when you would think the night began to take a turn for the worse, but really my night just got better. The only sucky part of the night was throwing up in the bowling ally bathroom – that was pretty gross. But like a champ I headed back to my friends and threw another perfect gutter ball afterwards. It was only midnight at this point in my drunk adventures, the night was still young, and would continue for another hour or so. How could I forget to mention my knight in bowling shoes in my drunken fairy tale? The entire night myself and this really cute guy named Andrew were pretty flirty with each other. He tried in vain to teach me how to throw the bowling ball and we were both having such a good time. And yes, we TOTALLY made out. Score! God, he was so cute. The end. 🙂
The point of the story? That sometimes, its okay to be “That Girl”. Am I condoning going out and getting wasted every night? Absolutely not. Am I condoning going out for the first time in ages and having a great time? Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with being a twenty year old every once in a while. Sometimes I forget that I’m only twenty….I feel so much older. It also doesn’t help that all of my friends forget that I’m still a “baby”. It was really fun doing something like bowling with a drunken twist. I felt safe while I was with my sister, Ramon, and our posse. I felt safe knowing we had a designated driver to get us home. So why not live in the moment? Why not indulge for one night? I have a hell of a hangover right now, in fact, my head is throbbing as I type this – but that’s just one small price to pay for a night out.
Happy Sunday and best of luck to anyone nursing a hangover today. I feel for you. -Sarah
I had an absolute blast yesterday at Crocker Park with one of my best friends, Kaytee. Crocker Park is a shopping wonderland. It’s a beautiful outdoor plaza that spans for about three blocks worth of amazing clothing and accessory stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. There’s seriously a store for everyone at Crocker Park. Fabulous shops include: Urban Outfitters, Francesca’s, H&M, Sephora, Anthropologie, Express, White House Black Market, Victoria’s Secret, MAC, and American Eagle. That list doesn’t even begin to cover everything though! Kaytee and I spent a lot of time in H&M, and it was so terrific. Two floors worth of beautiful clothes for really reasonable prices. It’s also always an added bonus when the cashier is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS and French! I left him my number, so keep your fingers crossed that he texts me! 😉 I was so happy because I FINALLY found a new pair of coated leather black skinny jeans at H&M to replace my falling apart pair from PacSun. They’re gorgeous. There’s zippers at the ankles for a cool rocker feel, and the knees are patched with quilted leather rather than the coated denim for an amazing touch. I also purchased a really awesome pair of army green challis pants with some very unique detailing. They feature four sets of pockets, two perfect squares on each side with a pocket flap, and then two rectangles on the hips with the fabric draping rather than looking like a traditional pocket. I always love browsing through Urban Outfitters whenever me and my girl make the trip up to Crocker Park, however I rarely buy anything from there. The store gives me great ideas of different looks and styles that I can usually find for much cheaper else where. Another store we spent a lot of time in was Francesca’s, which is a lovely little boutique filled with sweet clothing, shoes, and accessories. All of the clothes there are stunning. The colors used are all so rich and the detailing and patterns are to die for. It’s so fun going shopping with Kaytee because we actually shop when we’re together. Some people breeze through the store quickly and then leave. Not us. We take our time and go through each rack of clothes so we don’t miss anything. If we didn’t shop that way I wouldn’t have found my black jeans at H&M!! It’s a tradition of ours to get dinner at The Cheesecake Factory whenever we have a shopping day, so we held true to that tradition yesterday. Dinner was delicious, fettuccine alfredo for me and a burger for Kaytee. To finish the meal we got a piece of Dulce de Leche cheesecake to share. YUM. I’m gaining weight just thinking about it!! If you’re ever in Ohio and are looking for a shopping extravaganza, I can’t recommend Crocker Park enough. The shopping is fabulous and the outdoor plaza is so lovely that it’s fun to just grab a coffee and walk around. Here’s a picture of all of my purchases:
I also got a free panty from Victoria’s Secret and a free lotion from Bath and Body Works. I LOVE COUPONS!!! Here’s the official website for Crocker Park if you would like more information on it: http://www.crockerpark.com/
I had a lovely time hanging out with one of my dear friends Tyler today. One of our favorite things to do when we hang out is indulge in a bottle of wine and get nice and crafty! Here’s the results and the how to’s of our fall inspired creation today!
All that’s needed for this craft is:
mason jar
acorns
rope
candle holder
candle
Here are the steps for making this cute little craft, even though it’s pretty self explanatory!
Acquire acorns! Go to your nearest hiking trail or even your backyard and turn into a human squirrel and collect as many acorns as needed to semi fill your mason jar.
Place the candle holder with candle into said mason jar. Tyler and I purchased a taller candle holder and a tea light candle, and the acorns fit very nicely around them.
Fill your jar with as little or as many acorns as you’d like. I’d recommend filling it a little more than halfway so you get a nice effect from the candle light peeking out of all the nooks and crannies of the acorns piled on each other.
Tie the rope around the top of the jar for the final touch.
Light your candle, dim the lights, and enjoy your new fall themed candle jar!
And there you have it! Simple as that. A ten minute craft gave Tyler and myself a fun new autumn decoration! If you guys have any quick and easy fall crafts, let me know! Have a great night! -Sarah
Today I got to spend time with one of my favorite people in the world. My sweet southern belle, Neva. And for that, I am SO grateful. I met Miss Neva about ten years ago. She was living in the same Christian retirement center that my beloved grandma was living in. Whenever I would visit my grandma who is now passed (I love you!!!!), she would introduce me to all of her friends, so it was just a matter of time before I met Neva. I instantly took a liking to her, with her sweet southern drawl, her gaudy jewelry, and her blonde bouffant wig. Over the years, we developed a very special friendship with each other. My grandma passing was extremely hard on me, and being able to mourn with her when I came to visit her was always very comforting to me, because she too lost a dear friend in my grandma. I try to visit Neva as often as I can, because her friendship is very important to me. It makes me happy to know that I make her happy. And the joy she brings me is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Whenever I visit, it’s seriously just two girls hanging out. We gossip and gab about our families,the retirement home residents, our beauty and fashion secrets, and anything else that comes to mind. Neva used to be an extremely talented painter, and bless her heart she still continues to paint her days away, so whenever I come to see her, she always has plenty of new art pieces to show me. I cherish our time together, and seeing her today made my day off perfect. Have a great Friday guys. Spend time with someone you love. -Sarah
My friends and I LOVE crafting!!! Canvas art projects have been our favorite thing to do while we hang out. There’s so many cute ideas on Pinterest, that I wanna make them all! (GOTTA CATCH EM ALL – POKEMON!) Seriously who knew that you could have a fabulous looking piece of art just by painting and glueing stuff down on a canvas?! I barely have half an artistic bone in my body, but these fun projects make me feel creative and artsy and I love it! My favorite craft though is definitely the melted crayon canvas. Particularly the one with the couple under the umbrella. So sweet. So fun. If you guys have any questions on how to make any of these, leave me a comment! And please comment some of your favorite canvas crafts so I can make them with my friends!!! Thanks! ❤ ❤
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