New Burnt Orange & Tiffany Blue Nails

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New Burnt Orange & Tiffany Blue Nails

Howdy!! This past Tuesday I enjoyed my monthly break time fill appointment at Elysian Nails. While I absolutely loved my pink and purple nails for my Candy Queen Halloween costume, I was definitely ready to add some fall colors to the mix – especially after getting my hair darkened up for the season. I had a few ideas in my head of what I might like to have for a fall palette. Oddly enough, it was a combination that I live for in the summer… but with a twist, of course! Check it out:

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As soon as the warm weather hits, I instantly want bright blue and orange nails. There is just something about that combo that hits different and it screams fun in the sun. As I contemplated fall nails, I thought about how I wanted something that strayed from the traditional autumnal hues of gold, burgundy, and deep purple. So, I took my go to summer palette and turned it fall. My original plan was to use burnt orange and a deep teal or turquoise. However, none of the shades of blue at the nail polish wall along those parameters spoke to me. In fact, none of the orange ones were either.

When I didn’t have immediate luck, I almost pivoted to an orange and purple motif but that felt too much like Halloween. So, I kept on digging for what I really wanted and ended up finding the perfect shade of burnt orange. The blue hue I was looking for continued to evade me so I threw my hands up, selected a Tiffany blue, and made my way to my tech’s station. My nails were back to their former glory after being expertly repaired, shaped, and sharpened. I still wasn’t sure how the colors were going to turn out, but at least my stilettos were on point!

Happily, these summer inspired fall nails came out even better than I could have hoped. I was slightly worried when the burnt orange applied way darker than what was seen in the bottle. This ended up working out though because the blue was much lighter than what I planned for and added some brightness to the burnt. Now, if only I could find a sweater in that burnt orange shade because I am obsessed!

What are your nails and hair like for the holidays? What is your favorite fall color? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red Jacket OOTD

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Lil Red Jacket OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! When I shoot outfits over the weekend, I might not necessarily be wearing them in public. Sometimes, I’ll get back in my pajamas immediately afterwards and that was definitely the case with this look lol. Johnny and I had a crazy busy week between work and life craziness and desperately needed some time to veg. That didn’t stop me from putting a little something something together and Johnny absolutely shot these pics in his pajamas! Take a look:

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Houndstooth Topper Jacket: Philosophy, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Coated Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Gold Necklace: Mia Fiore, TJMaxx

Gold Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

One of my favorite things to shop for has got to be jackets. From blazers and trench coats to toppers and moto jackets, there are so many styles to pick from and they can instantly transform any outfit. I always look forward to the fall so I can break out the coats in my expansive collection and decided to start in that department when I began building my outfit. The very first one that caught my eye was the red houndstooth topper jacket by Philosophy. Of course, I love the color but it was also a perfect pairing for the temperate weather as it was nice and light.

Because the Philosophy topper jacket is so bold, I wanted to keep the rest of the look simple. Remember that if you are styling around a statement piece, less is always more. With that approach, I added a plain black sweater to wear underneath to avoid clashing with the red because I didn’t want two loud colors on top of the other. It was also an obvious choice because it is one of the only sweaters I own that doesn’t feature a pattern. Finally, the sweater was just right for layering because it was thin like the jacket. Had the sweater been bulkier, it wouldn’t have laid anywhere near as well beneath the topper.

For jeans, I added some texture and visual interest with a coated pair of Seven skinnies. The sleek coating created such a cool pop against the cloth pieces on top without deterring from the rest of the outfit. Even if you are rocking a simple ensemble or a minimal color palette, you can always spice things up by adding some sheen, shimmer, and glitter as you build your outfit. These skinnies are one of my go tos come fall because they give that little something extra while letting whatever jacket I have on shine.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As I had a blank canvas on my sweater, a long necklace was in order. I chose one of my favorite chunky coin necklaces by Mia Fiore and loved how it filled the space with some bright, blingy gold. In the shoe department, I selected my white heeled combat boots by Forever 21 for a surprise addition to the color palette. I also liked how the boots have a matte finish so a shiny pair of shoes wasn’t competing against the sleekness of the coated jeans. With that, I was ready to take pictures and go back to bed lol!

My Lil Red Jacket OOTD was short lived, yes. But, I do plan on actually wearing it out this fall! This was just a trial run. 😉

What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? Do you prefer cold or hot weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Buniversary!!

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Happy Buniversary!!

Howdy!! Shame on me because I completely forgot that November fourth was Melvin and Penelope’s Gotcha Day!! It has been two whole years since Johnny and I brought our darling mother and son duo home and we truly couldn’t image life without them. I have always wanted pet bunnies for as long as I can remember and I can honestly say that being a bunny mom is everything I have dreamed of and so much more! I am pleased to report that precious Mel and Pen continue to thrive under our care and they just keep getting sweeter and cuter by the day:

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As I was saying, my dream pet has always been to have a small black bunny named Penelope. I don’t know how I settled on that name but probably because it’s adorable lol. I just liked the idea of having a tiny little friend scampering around that I could pet and love on. The sentiments were forever there but my parents’ house was a bunny free zone. When I moved out, my first apartment was much too small for a pet. Then, once Johnny and I were settled into our bigger place, we could entertain the notion of getting bunnies.

Around October of 2022, I put the feelers out on Facebook for suggestions on bunny rescue organizations in the area. One day later, I got a comment on the post from my brother-in-law’s brother saying that his neighbor had bunnies available for adoption. I ended up contacting her that very afternoon. Penelope’s original owners rescued her from an animal auction and did not know that Pen was pregnant at the time. She then gave birth to six (I think!) babies. The owners made a tireless effort to get the buns spayed, neutered, and to loving homes and I am so thankful they did. As soon as I got off the phone, I called Johnny, confirmed with him, and called her back to say we would take two!

Originally, I was supposed to bring home Penelope and one of her other male babies that was white with black patches. That baby had since found another home and they swapped him out with Melvin. It was like he was made to come home with us because he definitely fit our elder emo aesthetic! After all of the bunny supplies arrived, the hutch was built, and the apartment was bunny proofed, we got to bring them home. It was one of the best days ever and such a fulfilling feeling to have something I have wanted since I was a kid: Two little gremlins to call our own!

It’s hard to believe it has been two whole years of bunny bliss but here we are and I am so happy!! Melvin and Penelope bring Johnny and I endless joy every day and life is all the better with them in it! ❤

What is your dream pet? How long have you had your pet for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello! At the end of October, I was finally able to get my hair done for fall and I couldn’t wait. I was SO ready to kick my summer colors to the curb and welcome fall with some jewel toned locks. My stylist, Anna, and I were beyond excited to play with the color palette we established beforehand because Pulp Riot came out with some glorious new hues for their fall collection. While I was eager to see our vision come to life, I was most looking forward to getting my beloved navy blue back because I missed it terribly! Check it out:

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^^^ Lol at the blooper shot last picture but you can see all the colors really well! 😀

Pulp Riot Colors Used:

Red: This was a mixture of a new color called Vintage Vegas and Pyro

Melon: Another new color called Eloped

Navy Blue: Nightfall

It can take upwards of five or so hours to get my hair done depending on what colors we are using. In this case, it was a very speedy trip to the Shear Shop indeed. This new do only took about three and a half hours… So speedy-ish lol. The major drop in time had to do with the minimal amount of bleaching that needed to happen to eliminate the remnants of yellow, pink, and red from my summer hair. After the bleach sat for around twenty minutes and was washed, all Anna needed to do was paint the color on. And, despite the relative shortness of my appointment, Anna’s attention to detail never faltered. (As always, she’s the best!)

The first order of business was to paint my roots and its regrowth with the mixture of Vintage Vegas and Pyro. This is not only flattering but highly practical. My natural hair color is medium brown and my regrown roots never look as bad when it is paired next to the deeper red. The next thing Anna did was apply Eloped directly beneath the red on my shorter layers. Eloped is, perhaps, one of our new favorite Pulp Riot colors. We were so enamored by the melon hue and our only regret is that it wasn’t available during the summertime. Finally, Anna finished up the hair dye process by painting the rest of my hair with Nightfall and we let the color sit for fifty minutes.

The cool thing about Pulp Riot colors is that what you see when the dye is on is very true to what you are going to get once it’s washed off. Of course, there is some give or take variance but you’re never going to be completely shocked by the outcome. Anna and I had a very positive inkling as to the results thanks to this preview but there is nothing better than seeing the final product once it is washed, cut, and styled. The deep navy and red were so rich and a fresh spin was put on a fall palette with the pop of melon from Eloped. Before leaving, Anna told me her grand plans for my next appointment and I wish I was back in her chair already to try out some more new colors!

I am unbelievably happy with how my hair turned out and I intend on keeping it dark for the foreseeable future. The regrowth from my summer hair was no joke and so not cute!

What is your favorite fall color? Which brand of hair dye do you use? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Reduce Stress With These Kitchen Upgrades

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Reduce Stress With These Kitchen Upgrades

Renovating the areas you use the most is an exciting process. It means you can add the things you need and make your life much easier. The kitchen is the most used room in the home, and there are numerous upgrades you can do to make it the most loved room in the home too. Like the following:

Ripping out an old kitchen comes with many opportunities. Of course, you can design the kitchen you want. But you also have the specific advantage of being able to have the piping and plumbing inspected. What would be the point of a brand new kitchen built around old and failing pipes? Reliable plumbing services will work with you to have your pipes installed and running as smoothly as possible. This gives you massive peace of mind to move forward with the plan.

It can be a dream come true to design your own kitchen, especially if you love to cook. However, it isn’t cheap, so you may want to consider the budget you have to work with. Whether it is large or small, there still needs to be a plan. A finalized design means there is little chance of something going wrong. Yet it will also keep you within budget and cultivate a healthy relationship with contractors. Most also offer 3D designs today, so you can design exactly what you want together.

If you don’t have the funds for a full on renovation, consider different options like a new kitchen island or dining table instead. These are especially good ideas if you are lacking the space for preparing meals and can breathe new life into your old design. Handcrafted designs like those offered by Vintage MillWerks (or a similar business in your local area) can create stunning focal points in your kitchen sans any renovation. Custom sizes are often available as well to ensure that it is the perfect fit.

Going one upgrade at a time is the most budget friendly approach so think about what you need the most and go with that. For example, if your kitchen is lacking in storage space then getting in touch with local custom kitchen fitters to discuss a cabinetry installation is the most beneficial for your situation. Whatever you start with first, just be sure you are comparing costs across a few different well reviewed companies so you are getting the most for your money. Then you can use what you saved for the next step in your kitchen refresh!

Even if you don’t cook much, modern kitchens are a gathering space for the family when designed in a specific way, such as open-plan. It can also be a relaxing area for adults to take five and catch up on the day’s events. But with modernity comes the need for power. The average family home has around eleven kitchen appliances, not including mobile devices. So consider USB sockets in your new kitchen.

A modern kitchen isn’t only used for cooking. Today, the modern kitchen space is multi-functional and used for gathering families. Yet, the main reason for a new kitchen is indeed for cooking. And we all cook in different ways. Think about how you use the space and you can design a new kitchen around your needs. For example, you can have pan racks and knife strips placed where you need them. This helps protect your expensive set of Globals for smooth food preparation!

Even when you redesign a kitchen, you are still going to be working with limited space. With everything you might need, such as spice racks, pan space, and utensils, it helps to think about storage. You can work with your contractor on the design of the cabinet work, adding in extras as you go. Modern cabinets come with tiers for efficient use of space, lighting features, and even under-cupboard storage such as wine glass holders and utensil hooks.

If you are lacking storage options, having customized cabinets that fit your lifestyle installed is one of the best upgrades you can make. Not only is it appealing to potential buyers if you ever sell your home but it is going to make your life a whole lot easier! A company like www.skytopcabinets.com (or a similar one in your local area) can handle everything from the design to the installation to create the perfect cabinets for your space. You will be loving the results and the easy access to your cooking and baking needs that they provide.

Create your dream kitchen with the tips above and enjoy your new, remodeled space!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Subway Taste Alike Sandwiches

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Subway Taste Alike Sandwiches

Hello!! I absolutely love a taste alike recipe and enjoy making lots of dishes that closely mimic mine and Johnny’s favorite eateries. It was pretty slim pickings in our apartment for a while but I was finally able to put in a curbside order to pick up over the weekend. One dinner I got the ingredients for was to make what is perhaps the easiest taste alike ever – Subway sandwiches. I couldn’t wait to make them because I had no idea until very recently that Subway sold some of their signature dressings at the grocery store! These sandwiches were a huge hit for me and Johnny and I also mean that they were huge lol. Check it out:

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As I placed my curbside order at Walmart, I got all of mine and Johnny’s go to fixings on our Subway sandwiches as well as two bakery loaves of Italian bread. The picture online looked pretty small so I ordered two just to be safe. I definitely could have gotten away with just one loaf because you could imagine my surprise when Johnny brought our groceries home and the loaves were the size of baseball bats! This was honestly a happy accident because we had plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner the following day. 😀

Before we toasted our subs, I cut up all of the veggies to have them ready for assembly. I chopped green peppers, cucumber, red onion, peperoncini peppers, and olives and got bagged iceberg lettuce, spinach, and a jar of pickles too. This was the most time consuming part of the process, but once it was done all we did was take turns toasting the subs, put them together, and enjoy. As we assembled our meal, we had to laugh because the sandwiches were gigantic. They literally looked like what Scooby and Shaggy would eat in Scooby Doo. Mine was particularly sizable because of all of the veggies and I was full from just one quarter of the sandwich. My eyes might have been way bigger than my stomach, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t taste like Subway with every bite!

The Taste Alike Subway Sandwiches will, without a doubt, be made again. The only change I will be making is using smaller loaves of bread!!

Do you have a favorite taste alike recipe? What is your favorite chain restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Johnny’s GREAT SUCCESS!!

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Johnny’s GREAT SUCCESS!!

Hello!! I wouldn’t consider the actual day of Halloween to be anything special to me. Thursdays are a very long, busy day for me at work. Johnny, however, had a banner day at his job! Normally, when I return home for the day, Johnny will greet me at the door looking just as exhausted as I feel. So, you could imagine my surprise when he opened the door bright eyed and bushy tailed! Clearly, he was in a good mood and I found out why when I sat down at my computer. There was a trophy on top of my laptop that he won from the costume contest his job hosted!!

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Every year, there is a Halloween costume contest at Johnny’s place of employment and he planned on reprising an oldie but goodie ensemble for the competition: AC/DC’s Angus Young. He was excited to rock that COTD again but a wrench was thrown into the mix when we couldn’t find the signature Angus Young shorts or hat anywhere. We must have turned over the entire apartment trying to find it! Begrudgingly, Johnny settled on being Lord Licorice for the event and got up extra early to get himself dressed to impress. And how he impressed!

Out of the three costume categories of Scariest, Funniest, and Most Creative, my main squeeze won Most Creative on his Lord Licorice look. Along with the trophy, he also received a Yeti tumbler as a prize and he was on cloud nine. I was so tired after work but this excellent news and seeing him so happy perked me right up! As he told me all about his big day, we were both grinning from ear to ear. Johnny and I both put a lot of effort into our costumes and it paid off in a major way. In fact, he ended up saying that he was glad we couldn’t find his Angus Young costume because he didn’t think it would make him a winner after all. It’s funny how things always have a way of getting sorted out. ❤

We are both absolutely elated over this costume contest win. It might not seem like much, but it is a huge deal for us. We thought our costumes were the best and this confirms it! 😀

Do you celebrate holidays at work? What are those events like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Candy Queen COTD Bloopers

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Candy Queen COTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Candy Queen COTD! I am so sad that Halloween is officially over, but now we’re onto my next passion: Thanksgiving. Lol, I have been fantasizing about Thanksgiving food since last Thanksgiving and every day that passes is another day closer to all of my favorite foods!! And, to all of you who hate on green bean casserole – you can send it my way!! I do have one final Halloween surprise in store tomorrow that I am absolutely tickled by. But, first, let’s check out the bloopers from my COTD shoot:

Who, me?

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The fairest of them all

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REALLY not used to the whole having hair thing…

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As you can see!

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Do I look like a model or what?!

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The gaze of a total seductress

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Trick or Treat!!!!

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I recently got my hair done (Peep that soon!) and finally returned to the darker hues that I love so very much – specifically Nightfall by Pulp Riot. Nightfall is the most stunning shade of deep navy blue and I missed it immediately as soon as I went light for summer. I had kind of forgotten how obsessed with the color I was until I got it back on my hair… and elsewhere for that matter. It appears I had forgotten how much Nightfall stains too!!

For the past several days, it has been unseasonably warm in Ohio. Like almost eighty degree temperatures at the end of October. Although it was kind of unpleasant, Johnny and I were happy because we have had no heat in our apartment and the spike in temps really helped warm it up. So much so that I have been sweating my nads off in my sleep, causing my hair dye to bleed. I have woken up every morning to blue all over my face, lodged into my ears, and a particularly shocking instance of my right hand being completely blue! It is a massive pain to get off and even after a ton of scrubbing, the traces of blue remain. It was the most wonderful treat to get my hair done, but the aftermath has certainly felt like a Halloween trick!

I’m not feeling blue, by any means, but if you see me looking a little blue… Mind your business! 😀

How did you celebrate Halloween? What are you looking forward to in November? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Workiversary!!

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Happy Workiversary!!

Hello!! October 29th was an exciting day for me because it marked six whole months of being the social media manager for Tim Misny. For those of you who don’t know, Tim is one of the most prominent local celebrities in Ohio. He is a personal injury lawyer who achieved viral status thanks to his genius billboard marketing and signature catchphrase of “I’ll Make Them Pay”. Literally everyone in Ohio knows who this man is and it is honestly so crazy that I work for him. If someone would have told me six months ago that my days wouldn’t feel complete without talking to Tim, I would have asked if you were on drugs lol.

I met Tim back in November of 2023 as a contest winner to visit his property, Misnyland, for a picnic. The contest was for people to post pictures of themselves sporting Misny Merch for the chance to win. I hate to sound cocky, but I knew I had a victory in the bag with my Misny To The Max OOTD and I was on cloud nine when I got the call to confirm it. At the picnic, I asked Tim if I could conduct an interview and we could have talked and talked all day if he didn’t have to say goodbye to his guests. We kept in touch after the fact and began creating content together in the winter. Then, I attended a spring picnic as his guest in 2024 and got hired shortly after.

Every day since has been nothing short of an absolute blast. One of Tim’s phrases is “Who says we can’t have fun?” and we sure do! I love all aspects of my job and have made so many fond memories already. Some of my most favorites were visiting a Cleveland radio station, assisting with a talk at Kent State University, helping host picnics, and the most recent one of having one of the videos I shot air on CBS. I never know what is in store for me every day, but I always know it will be something fun, new, and exciting. I am such a lucky gal!

We have SO much cool content planned for the holiday season and I cannot wait to get started on it. I also cannot believe I am excited about Christmas when spooky season is barely over lol – I guess a great job will do that to you!

What is your favorite thing about your job? What was the worst job you had? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Couples Costume OOTD Bloopers

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Couples Costume OOTD Bloopers

Howdy!!! Johnny and I absolutely rocked our Halloween costumes this year and he was the perfect Lord Licorice to my Candy Queen. We had so much fun dressing up together and, for once, I didn’t have to beg him to take pictures with me. That was the best treat of all! So, today, we are going to take a peek at a Blooper Reel that doesn’t just feature myself but my main squeeze too. And big ups to Johnny for being the best Blog Husband ever! Let’s get to it:

Johnny’s derpy lil face ❤

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MY derpy lil face!

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An accurate depiction of our relationship. He LOVE it!

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Lmaoo Johnny always makes that face when he’s feeling mischievous

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He’s getting a little tuckered out…

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Lol WE LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Striking a pose

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Your favorite elder emos!!!!

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When I call Johnny my Blog Husband, I mean it in the most affectionate way possible because he truly is. We have been together for over five years and if he were the one typing this he would say it feels like an eternity lol. Regardless, we have been together for more than half a decade and in that time, Johnny has always taken my OOTD pictures without fail. In fact, when we got engaged he used my blog as a ploy…

The day we got engaged, Johnny suggested that we go explore downtown Cuyahoga Falls and we could take pictures of each other and us together with a tripod. I was beyond ecstatic by his idea because I had always wanted to style and photograph him. After our outfits were on point, we went on our adventure and I didn’t even have an inkling about a hidden agenda because we were having an amazing time. I was literally reveling in the experience because I normally have to ask him to help me create content – not the other way around!

After we were done shooting in different locations, Johnny said there was one last place we should take pictures at. He led me to an arch right by the Cuyahoga River and set up our tripod to take a video so we didn’t have to bother with the timer. Then, he told me it would look really nice if I faced the opposite direction. I STILL didn’t have a clue what was going on because of the elation I felt lol Johnny rarely directs me when we take pictures! Once I was turned around, he let me think we were both actively posing. But, really, he was getting down on one knee. You could only imagine my surprise when he told me to turn towards him. It was one of the best, most joyous moments of my life – all thanks to my Blog Husband extraordinaire! ❤

My Johnny is the most wonderful man in the world and I get ALL of the warm fuzzies whenever I think about our engagement. OR just thinking about him in general, which is constantly! ❤

Does your partner help you with your hobbies? What was your engagement like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah