Mar28

Condado – Not Impressed!

Posted on March 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello! Most people hate Mondays, but I absolutely love them. It may be a three AM morning for me, but I always look forward to it. I take a client to work, then I either work from home or go to my online boss’s office. Working with my online boss is just the best and it is so nice to collab face to face on all of our different projects. It’s also awesome to be able to work side by side with someone whose company I enjoy because I am so used to working by myself.

This past Monday, I had an in office day and decided to bring home a treat for me and Johnny: Condado! One recently opened by where I work and I haven’t had it in years. Not since a show Johnny played forever ago in Columbus. I remember it being really good then, but not so much now… Check it out:

For my meal, I did the build your own tacos with a double stacked Sweet Lucy shell (a soft and hard shell with guac and queso), elote queso, and a marg to go. I couldn’t wait to dig in when I got home because I didn’t have time to eat before I left for work. While it was good, it wasn’t that good. The rice was really bland, the queso and guac didn’t have much (if any) flavor, and the chips for dipping were basically cardboard. In fact, I thought the chips from Chipotle were infinitely better! One saving grace was that the to go margaritas were pretty strong and that definitely helped lol.

In my neck of the woods, Barrio reigns supreme in the build your own taco world. Barrio mainly has locations in Ohio, but also has a few scattered across random states too. Despite endless options to add to your taco, I always get the exact same thing every time because it’s just so good every time! Once you have found a combination that you like at a restaurant, it’s hard to try anything different because it simply isn’t the same. I’m happy that I gave Candado another try because it has been on my to do list, but Barrio will be the move from now on. Way better food and prices too!

I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t wishing my order from Condado was Chipotle or Barrio instead. If you already have a favorite build your own taco place like me, Condado is not going to blow your mind so you can save the trip! 🙂

Have you tried any new eateries recently? What was a restaurant you tried that was disappointing? 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

Posted on March 27, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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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!!

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

Mar26

Spring Flowers

Posted on March 26, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! One of my favorite times of the year is right now. Winter is almost over, the promise of spring is so close, and it feels like anything is possible. The thing I look forward to the most is seeing spring flowers begin to pop up because it just makes me happy. After the grey, snowy days of winter, there is nothing better than seeing beautiful blooms and spring flowers are some of my favorites too. Daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths brighten my day and I always try to take a moment to appreciate them. This past week, I was thrilled to see yellow daffodils in my parents’ yard – even though it was snowing!

Last week was a bit of a doozy for yours truly. I, unfortunately, had to stop going to therapy because mine and Johnny’s insurance is garbage. As you can imagine, this was really disappointing for me. It felt like I had literally just found a therapist I was comfortable with and then it got taken away. However, there wasn’t anything I could do after paying over seven hundred dollars in under one month. And, on top of that, my beloved Little Red Love Machine started making some crazayyyy noises so it was an expensive repair on top of the medical expenses. Talk about stressful!

As I left my mom and dad’s house feeling not my best, I noticed the daffodils in the yard and couldn’t believe I didn’t see them on my way in. I guess I had my blinders on! Instead of getting in my car and going straight home, I took some time standing as the snow fell to take it in. Even though the flowers were getting snowed on, they were still adding gorgeous color to the world. It was a nice metaphor for what I was going through in that immediate moment. Despite feeling sad, I can still do my best to continue to shine and that made the situation a bit more bearable. ❤

Spring Flowers are short lived and I am glad that I took those extra moments to let that fleeting beauty sink in. I needed some daffodils that day and I left chez parents feeling better than I did before.

What is your favorite flower? What is your favorite time of the year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar25

Trying To Take It Easy

Posted on March 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! The irony has not been lost on me that the past two times that I had any time off from work were spent being sick. I spent my week long holiday break this winter with RSV and had another week off due to a nasty virus at the beginning of the month. It was a huge bummer to be sick over the holidays, but I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t awesome having some time off this second time around! As someone who has been self employed for almost a decade, it is incredibly difficult for me to justify time off – even if it is for fun things like vacations. However, after enjoying being sick more than I probably should have, I realized that I really do need to make an effort to *try* to take it easier. So, I have been doing the following:

Sleeping In:

I have always been adamant about waking up as soon as my alarm goes off because I need my jam packed days to run like clockwork. This proved to be very hard after a whole week of getting up sans alarm, though. After my sick spell, I have given myself permission to hit the snooze or even sleep for another extra hour. And guess what? My days still are going without a hitch and I feel much more well rested too. This isn’t an every day thing, but I have been taking advantage of getting some extra shut eye on the days where I have a bit more wiggle room. I have noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and will absolutely continue with this!

Face Masks:

One of my sick day rituals was using face masks so I could feel some semblance of pampered while I was a gross, sweaty mess lol. This is another thing that I have been sticking with and I have enjoyed a weekly face mask since the beginning of March. I tend to do this as soon as I get home one day during the week and even though it’s only a twenty minute process, I see its merits. Rather than diving into the next thing I have to do (computer work, cooking dinner, cleaning), I am able to take those twenty minutes to recharge and continue going about my day. This is a win/win because I love doing skin care and I feel like it gives me a second wind until bedtime. It’s amazing what taking twenty minutes for you out of your day can do!

Making Plans:

I can’t tell you the amount of weekends I have spent doing literally nothing because I am too tired. Then, I would go about the work week feeling disappointed that Johnny and I didn’t do anything fun at all. While we still have our lazy weekends, we have both been making an effort to do more and have a good time during our time off. Within this past month alone, we have reincorporated date nights and I have tried my best to make plans (and keep them) with my friends. For a long while, I was going through the motions of the work week without much to look forward to once the weekend rolls around. Now, Johnny and I have been adding at least one fun outing to our weekend and it has been fantastic. On Mondays, I feel happy with the hang outs we’ve had and am eager to see what we’ll do the following weekend.

I have been on the grindset mindset for so long and, although these seem like small changes, they are huge to me. I plan on continuing with all of these improvements and adding new ways to make things easier for myself when I feel like I need it. I already notice a difference!

How do you take time for yourself? What are some improvements that you have made recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar24

A Night At The (Movie) Theater OOTD Bloopers

Posted on March 24, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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A Night At The (Movie) Theater OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Night At The (Movie) Theater OOTD! Last Saturday was one of the best nights ever because Johnny and I attended a screening of The Room hosted by Greg Sestero, AKA Mark. An event like this has been on my bucket list since I was fifteen and it finally happened almost exactly fifteen years later. Good things take time, I suppose! Maybe that’s why these bloopers turned out the way they did – this was an ultra speedy OOTD shoot because it was windy AF out lol. Let’s take a look:

Getting punched by my imaginary friend. OOF

Always managing to look like a beaver in a few shots

Pose yourself there’s nothing to it VOGUE

LOL here I come!!!!

Say it a little louder??

The durpiest face – still sexy thoughhhh

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One thing that you might not know about yours truly is that I am not great at meeting new people. I definitely would consider myself an introverted extrovert and it takes me a while to get warmed up with people I’m not used to. I often leave these situations thinking “that wasn’t my best work”. Back in November, I was in an absolute tizzy before meeting Tim Misny for the first time so you could only imagine the state I was in before meeting Greg Sestero! Johnny, of course, was as cool as can be both times with his insistence of “he’s just a guy” lol.

I was a complete mess meeting Greg and I admit it wholeheartedly. It was just so crazy to be face to face with the person that I have seen more times than I can count in one of my all time favorite movies. I blabbered, I stuttered, and believe you me when I say I left that encounter feeling like the face palm emoji. Thankfully, Greg was just the nicest human being on planet Earth and I still felt welcomed while feeling ALL of the yikes. In fact, I sent him a Facebook message the following day and he replied! My best work? Not in a long shot. Still one of the best moments of my life? You KNOW it!

Meeting new people is difficult for me. Meeting celebrities is, clearly, even worse. But, hey, at least I own it!

Have you met any celebrities? What was an instance when a social situation wasn’t your best work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar23

Face Mask Festivities: Rejuvenating Tea Tree Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on March 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Rejuvenating Tea Tree Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Hello! I spent the first week of March being sick AF and other than being sick, it was awesome lol. I worked from home, I watched endless TV, and enjoyed a bit of pampering with face masks too. It honestly felt like a mini vacation… minus the being sick part! As I was recuperating, I found myself growing rather fond of sheet masks even though I still think they are annoying. So, I decided to add a weekly face mask to my routine to bring back sick staycation vibes and have a little midweek treat. This past Wednesday, I used a Rejuvenating Tea Tree sheet mask by GlamUp and I actually really liked it! Check it out:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a handful of GlamUp masks left to use and I went with the tea tree one simply for scent related purposes. I love a minty scent and thought this mask would feel brisk and refreshing. After work, I applied the mask, startled Johnny, and settled in for twenty minutes to let it sit. As per ushie, the sheet mask didn’t fit well in the slightest and I was constantly rearranging it. Despite all of the fidgeting, this mask felt SO nice on and, for once, I felt confident I would have good results from it.

As the mask set, I felt perked up by the bold mint scent and the pleasant, cooling sensation. The sheet mask was drenched with serum and I liked that I could literally feel it soaking in. To me, the experience of having a face mask on is just as important as the results and, in that regard, the tea tree mask was already the best GlamUp one I have used so far. After the twenty minutes was up, I removed the mask and was greeted by a fresh looking appearance and smooth to the touch skin. What I liked best of all, though, was that my skin was tingling from the time I took it off to when I went to bed. Now, that is what I’m talking about!

I am going to rate the Rejuvenating Tea Tree mask with an eight out of ten stars. I would happily use it again thanks to the excellent experience and satisfying results. Not too shabby for a sheet mask!!

Do you have any weekly pampering routines? What is your favorite brand of face masks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar22

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!

Posted on March 22, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is my amazing mom’s birthday!! My mom is my A1, ride or die bestie and every second of every minute spent with her is a joy. She is the most fun, hilarious, beautiful person I will ever know and I hit the jackpot being her daughter. Not only is my mom the best on the planet, but she is also the best grandma too of four kiddos and two bunnies. 🙂 Every day, I am thankful beyond words for my mom who is the brightest light to everyone she meets.

My mom is a pillar of strength and grace. She is a fighter, a badass, and a constant source of inspiration to me. I am lucky because I get to see my mom almost every day of the week and when we are not together, we are texting away about how much we miss each other! I know that we can both go to each other about anything and everything and it is so special to be able to have that kind of relationship. No matter how old I get, she is the first one I go to for advice, a kind word, or a shoulder to cry on. We are and forever will be two peas in a pod, best of friends, and an unshakable mother/daughter duo! ❤

Mom, thank you for being you and all you do. I wouldn’t be me without you!!! I love you more than words will ever say!

Happy birthday to you!!!!!!!! ❤

Mar21

A Night At The (Movie) Theater OOTD

Posted on March 21, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past weekend was an absolutely fantastic one and was jam packed with SO many activities. Most noteworthy was on Saturday when we went to a screening of The Room at the Nightlight theater. This wasn’t just any screening, though, because it was hosted by Greg Sestero who played Mark! Meeting Greg was one of the best, most cool experiences of my life and Johnny and I are still in awe that we read lines from the script of The Room with him. For our night out, I put together a fun little look so let’s take a look:

^^^ Ya’ll know I love me a brick wall! 😀

Who? What? Wear?

Leopard Print Blazer: Christian Siriano, TJMaxx

The Room T-Shirt: Christmas gift from my sister!

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

*** The turquoise cross earrings are Lucky Brand

For this OOTD, I wanted to be cute (of course) but I also wanted to be comfortable in the movie theater. I suppose I didn’t have to worry about the comfort level too much in hindsight, though, because Johnny and I sat in plush recliners and it was glorious! Regardless, I think I still would have worn the exact same thing because I love a blazer and skinny jean combo. It is casual yet oh so chic and I like that this look was more understated but still unique enough to be eye catching.

To begin this outfit, I started with the obvious. That being my T-shirt that my sister got me with Tommy Wiseau on it and the phrase “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!”. I mean, you’re not going to not wear some Room merch to a screening of it. This shirt was actually on the merch table at the theater and Greg and I had a laugh that I already had one! And, trust and believe I had my own copy of The Room on DVD and The Disaster Artist locked and loaded in my purse for him to sign too. 🙂

The next thing I did was slip on my coated skinnies by Seven Jeans. These are one of my absolute favorite pairs and I love the surprise snakeskin pattern when the lighting hits just right. Because I was just wearing a T-shirt, I wanted to spice things up where I could and these jeans added a pop of visual interest that a normal pair of skinnies wouldn’t provide. Another perk of my Seven skinnies is that they make my legs look a mile long and that is difficult to come across on my barely over five foot one frame.

Once the base of my outfit was settled, I shopped the blazer department in my wardrobe and selected my leopard print blazer by Christian Siriano. This piece truly embraces the “comfy, but make it fashion” vibe I was looking to achieve. It is made out of the softest cloth material and it honestly felt like I was wrapping myself in a blanket rather than a blazer. Adding this little leopard print number also shows off the technique of mixing and matching patterns. Since the snakeskin pattern on the pants and the leopard print on the blazer were both fairly subdued, I got away with putting them together. They also featured a similar color palette so they worked in tandem rather than clashing.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with one of my favorite pairs of heeled boots by Olivia Miller. They provided an extra boost of length as well as a touch of bling with the silver chain because I didn’t plan on adding much jewelry. When you are mixing and matching patterns, that serves as an accessory in itself. So, I popped on a pair of turquoise cross earrings for a bit of color and was ready for my Night At The (Movie) Theater!

I had the best night out with my Johnny and I think I looked my best too. Here’s to many more screenings of The Room together! ❤

Do you have any questions about mixing and matching patterns? What is your favorite cult film? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar20

Greg Sestero Meet & Greet

Posted on March 20, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo everyone! I don’t know about all of you, but Johnny and I had a banner weekend! On Friday, I got dinner with my bestie and then a few of our friends came to the apartment. We had a date night on Saturday and on Sunday we celebrated my sweet niece at her fifth birthday party. For our date, Johnny and I attended a screening of The Room at the Nightlight theater in downtown Akron. The best part of all? Greg Sestero who played Mark was there!! Check it out:

I was introduced to The Room by a theater friend when I was in high school and it will forever be one of my favorites. I have been to countless midnight showings of the movie in Cleveland and have made all of my friends and family watch it with me too. In fact, Johnny and I watched it on our first date! It has always been a dream of mine to go to a meet and greet session with Greg Sestero or Tommy Wiseau. Unfortunately, their tours always take place in locations like LA, New York, or Portland so this dream has never came to fruition. Until this weekend!

Thanks to one of the social media pages I manage that is all about entertainment in Akron, I learned about the Greg Sestero event at the Nightlight. I bought tickets for me and Johnny immediately and was counting down the days until March sixteenth. I have been looking forward to this for so long and our evening at the theater was everything I ever hoped it could be and so much more. It’s not every day that one of your lifelong dreams comes true. 🙂

When we arrived at the Nightlight, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Greg Sestero was just there lol. Johnny and I were one of the first people to get to the theater and we were able to walk right up to him. We chatted, took selfies, Greg signed my copy of The Room and The Disaster Artist, and I bought a copy of the original script of The Room that Greg signed too. It was SO insane to meet Greg and I was incredibly nervous. I shouldn’t have been because he was nice as can be and welcomed all of us moviegoers like good friends.

After our meet and greet, Johnny and I grabbed some drinks and made our way into the theater for the show. We sat right at the front in comfy recliner chairs and this was an excellent choice… Before the screening of The Room began, Greg came in to introduce the movie and talk a bit with all of us. Then, he pulled out a copy of the script for The Room and wanted some audience members to read lines with him. Since Johnny and I were right in front of him with our own copy of the script, he chose us to play Johnny and Lisa. And, of course, Greg read as Mark. We flipped to page eighteen and read about two pages worth of lines together. It. Was. AMAZING!!!!

The screening of the movie was not as rowdy as prior ones that I have been to, but we all had a ton of fun. Although we didn’t do some of the traditional chants and phrases throughout the movie, we were all laughing hysterically, cheering, and yelling out our own quips to make us laugh even more. After the show, Greg came back in for a Q&A and told us he could hear us all perfectly from way outside the theater! The talk back session at the end was enlightening and Greg answered all of our questions (including two of mine) truthfully and with good humor – he does a stellar Tommy Wiseau impression! This was, hands down, one of the best nights of my life!

I am still elated from mine and Johnny’s night at the Nightlight and I don’t think it will ever wear off. I will be looking forward to when Greg or Tommy comes close by again so fingers crossed they make their way to Akron soon for round two!

Have you ever seen The Room? What is your favorite quote from it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Happy Memories

Posted on March 19, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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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!!

^^^ 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

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