Tag Archives: bff

Feb20

Shopaholic Does Spring OOTD

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Shopaholic Does Spring OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a beautiful spring OOTD brought to you by everyone’s favorite, Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs! Nida was the very first guest blogger that I ever had on lifewithlilred and from the beginning, I have always just adored her. I relish when I can have her back on my blog because her amazing work really does speak for itself. Not only that, but she is an amazing friend, too! Please be sure to check out her fantastic page and enjoy this OOTD that she created special for my Think Spring guest bloggers series:

Shopaholic Does Spring OOTD

Hello Lovelies 💞

I am so excited and honored to be guest blogging for the lovely Sarah from lifewithlilred again. In fact, this year also marks the one year anniversary of our friendship and our blogging collaborations. 🎉 For this post, Sarah picked the “Spring” theme and after many deliberations I decided to opt for an OOTD given that the weather this past week has been simply beautiful!

So here is a special spring guest post for my blogging BFF and I am looking forward to many more successful collaborations in the future.✨

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For this outfit I went back and forth several times before deciding on this combination. Normally, I would have chosen a dress given that we are heading towards warmer weather soon. However, I am not a huge fan of floral prints in general so I usually stick to neutral colors. But, lucky for me, I just happened to come across a floral top that didn’t make me look like a walking bouquet! 💐 😁

I paired the top with a pair of chambray pants, which I think is such a perfect color for spring and summer. I’ve worn this top two ways to show you it’s versatility. I hope you guys enjoy this look and do share your favorite spring styles with me and Sarah! 😘

Until next time xoxo 💋

^^^ SO PRETTY!! Thank you again to Nida for creating a Shopaholic Does Spring OOTD for lifewithlilred. You are simply the best! What is your favorite spring flower? How do you incorporate florals or bright colors into your spring wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

I’ll Be There For You! How To Spend Quality Time With Your Friends

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I’ll Be There For You! How To Spend Quality Time With Your Friends

We all have extremely busy lives – we have jobs, partners, kids to take care of, and a lot of us also have increasingly ageing parents that we need to check in on more and more often. A lot of the time, what we tend to let slide is our friends. And let’s face it: that’s kind of a tragedy. A lot of our friends predate our partners – we knew them from school or college and they’ve been with us through thick and thin (often literally, if you were a sad victim of the freshman fifteen!). It’s important to make sure that you maintain your friendships – they’ll be the ones who help you stay sane as the years go by! Here are some tips to help:

Go For A Specific Activity: If you haven’t seen your friends in a while and you’re worried about what to do with them then why not go for some kind of fun activity? Shopping always works – particularly when you take plenty of breaks to stop for pastries and coffee – although there isn’t really much point in going to see a movie together. After all, when are you going to get the chance to talk then? Relive your youth by going ice skating or maybe even bowling – you can get cheap bowling shoes online or you can rent them at the bowling alley. Anything that’s going to make you laugh will work just fine!

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Is that a DOG I see?!

Cozy Up In Your House: You might have a partner and kids – if so, throw them out for an afternoon and make sure that you spend time with your girlfriends instead. Crack open a bottle of wine or make some great coffee, provide some cake, and get talking. Even if you haven’t seen each other for a while you’ll be sure to find that the conversation flows just like it always did. Remember that it isn’t always important to get your friends caught up on every single second of your life – you won’t have time for that anyway! Instead, talk about ideas, what’s going on in the world, and any feelings or worries that you might want to get out. You’ll feel more free and unburdened afterwards – and if you have young kids your brain will love you for going for some more intellectual conversation than the usual “Yes, you can pet that lady’s dog. No, we can’t take him home with us. Please get up off the sidewalk and stop crying.”

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YUM

Go Away For A Girls’ Weekend: If you’re free and single or if you can leave your kids with your partner for the weekend, there’s nothing better than a weekend away with your nearest and dearest best friends. Go to the nearest city and rent an Airbnb and go dancing all night in heels that you don’t usually wear any more, or take a relaxing spa break together – just make sure it’s the sort of spa that serves plenty of prosecco and chocolate as well as health food! Just be aware that you might not want to get back to your real life once the weekend’s over. But hey, everyone needs a break!

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 Loving the hats!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan31

Puppy-Love: Introducing A Dog To Your Children

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Puppy-Love: Introducing A Dog To Your Children

There can be nothing cuter and more heart-melting than seeing your little one(s) playing in the house or garden with their best-friend; their dog. Very quickly, you’ll watch them become the closest of companions, look out for each other, and make a bond like no other. However, there needs to be some responsibility when introducing a puppy or a dog into your home, especially with small children running about. The dog needs to get used to the children, especially as they approach life differently to adults: they scream, shout, run, and rarely sit still. As such, you’ll also need to teach your children how to care for a dog to instill a sense of responsibility as a new caretaker to their canine companion.

A Cautionary Tail: Making sure you create the foundations for a wonderful relationship can be dependent on the age of your children as well as the age of your dog. If you’re thinking of doing something fantastic and getting a rescue dog, you might want to wait until your little one is a bit older. If you’re getting a puppy, we’d suggest that you supervise the way it interacts with your tiny human by monitoring them at all times, at least at first. Of course, we all live busy lives and total supervision can be hard. So if you can’t supervise, keep your dog in a safe and comfortable place away from you kid(s),  just in case.

Creating the Best Relationship Ever: When it comes to bonding, you’ll need to teach your kids how to be around dogs, especially yours! The first thing you should do is teach your children how to say ‘hey’ to a dog nicely, so that it doesn’t get spooked or scared. Basically, let the dog know that you are there and that you want to interact with him or her. A great way to do this is by standing side-on, getting your child to make a slightly bunched fist and invite the dog to come to you. If the dog wants to play, then great, but make sure your little ones stroke his back and don’t reach for his head straight away.

Another great tip is to teach your child that dogs need to be treated with care and that they should always be gentle with dogs. That means no hitting, no biting, no scratching, and no pulling ears or tails. As a parent, reading up is always a great thing to do, as well. Read up on the breed of dog, yes, but why not go one step further and educate yourself on dog body language. This is an excellent way to know if your doggy is getting uncomfortable and being able to intervene before anything happens. Make sure you’re always ready to intervene, like we said above; just in case.

On the dog side of things, a great thing to consider is training; professional training. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new puppy or a rescue dog, dog training services are a fantastic way of getting your dog to behave, know your commands, and learn how to act around children. We can’t stress enough how valuable this service could be, not just in terms of safety, but your stress levels too – dogs combined with kids can be quite hard work!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan27

A New Doggy Friend: The Importance Of Training

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A New Doggy Friend: The Importance Of Training

Make no mistake, when you invite a dog into your home, you’re inviting an entirely different species. Dog behavior is different than ours, and it is necessary for us to coexist. Training is one of the most important elements when it comes to raising a pup. It will form the basis of your relationship and will ensure a caring and fun life together.

Where Do You Start? Dogs are dogs, and we should embrace their spirit and instinct. This should be rewarded with regular treats and praise. However, destructive behavior must be dealt with in a caring but firm manner. Crate training is often seen as a good place to start. Crates can be purchased from sites such as http://indestructibledogtoys.org/dog-crates/. Introducing your puppy to them at an early age will provide them with an area of their own. Add some toys and blankets to the crate so that it feels safe and inviting. This is a place that your dog can go to if there are loud bangs or fireworks outside, etc. Crates can also help when it comes to toilet training. Confining your dog to a crate will train them to hold their bladder until you take them outside or go for a walk.

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DOGGO!!

Lots Of Love: Dogs, like humans, are social animals. They need others around them. Therefore, providing your dog with lots of love and attention will help them grow into happy, healthy pets. Just as they need to learn your ways, you will also need to adapt to their likes and behaviors. Dogs are essentially pack animals and will act accordingly.

Take them for regular walks and let them play with their favorite toys. Find ways to make it as fun as possible. Sites like huffingtonpost.com have lots of suggestions. Don’t leave them alone for long periods but let them understand your absence in short bursts. At first, get them used to you leaving the room for five or ten minutes and build up from there. Once they realize that you’re going to return, this will become more acceptable and tolerable to them.

Reward your dog for good behavior and just for being them (because dogs are great!). Treat them to a new toy and provide them with some healthy, tasty doggy treats. Keep them interested and curious by alternating their walks and trying new things. If you have the opportunity, take them camping and they will love you forever.

Simple Commands: Start with simple commands such as ‘sit’, ‘come’, and ‘down’. There are simple techniques that you can use yourself, without having to go to a class. The ‘come’ command is particularly important as it will ensure that your dog returns to you when you’re outdoors. This will keep them safe in potentially harmful situations such as when you’re near traffic, etc. Teaching your dog to ‘leave it’ is also important from a safety point of view. If he or she spots something that is potentially dangerous, mastering this command may save you a trip to the vet.

Training a dog takes time and patience, but it is an essential part of their maintenance. Tackling this early on will ensure that you both live comfortably and happily together, and that your dog has a loving and safe environment. HURRAY FOR DOGGOS!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Jan25

Give A Little Love To Man’s Best Friend

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Give A Little Love To Man’s Best Friend

Sharing your life with  a dog is probably one of the best things on earth. If you are a dog person, man’s best friend is not said lightly. Dogs really are a part of the family who reward you with love, loyalty, and companionship regardless of the type of person you are, or what kind of mood you are in. They forgive us for forgetting to feed them on time, not wanting to take them out for a walk if it’s raining, and not finding humor in getting mud tracked all over the house. Our dogs give us so much in so many subtle ways, so here is a quick look at how you can say thank you in return, the dog way:

Take Them For a Run: Depending on the type of dog you have, it is likely that running is one of the best things on earth to them. It can be hard to change the routine of a quick couple of sprints around the block but make some time to get out into a huge space where your hound can run around without fear or care of anything else.

The woods is an amazing place for most dogs. Here, they have the freedom to really stretch out their legs and their senses. Dogs adore getting their nose in among all the action. They communicate with other dogs through scent marking and smell so being out in the woods will give them hundreds of stories being told to them in midair. Whilst it’s important to keep your dog under control at all times, try not to keep calling him back to you all the time. You are part of his pack and most dogs will want to keep you on the radar. Just bare in mind that some dogs have a pretty large radar range!

After all that running, let him enjoy sleeping like a king. Dogs love a good nap so invest in something special, like one of these orthopaedic dog beds. Not only will he feel safe and content, but you’ll know that you are helping to ease any aches and pains.

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DOGS! ❤

Play All Day: Just like humans, your dog loves playing. Water is a brilliant place to play, maybe not so much for baths, but rivers, lakes, and seas offer a dog a vast new place to explore. Find a local water spot and, if you are brave enough, wear an outfit that you don’t mind getting wet with. Your friend will love nothing more than playing with you –  Splashing, jumping, and fetching balls until it’s time to dry off and go home.

Teach Them Tricks: Happy dogs are dogs who are learning, Especially puppies. They adore making you happy so performing tasks for you and receiving praise and love puts them in their happy place. Have a look at these cool tricks you can learn with your dog and set aside plenty of time with your new pupil. Make sure that you are extra patient with him just as your BFF is with you.

Treat Time: And, of course, your pup loves a good treat. Get creative with dog treats and put lots of love into them. You can even bake your own wheat free cheese biscuits then sit down together for snack time – with human snacks for you, hopefully!

Featured Image By: Jaymantri

Jan20

Taco Bell, Lol

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Taco Bell, Lol

Hiii everyone and TGIF! So I had a super fun night with my sister yesterday. Kristen came with me to watch me coach Special Olympics figure skating, then we went shopping in downtown Kent (the surrounding college town), and decided to top off our night with some delicious Taco Bell. This is the part where you go: But wait, I thought you and your sister have both been vegetarians since childhood. And this is the part where I respond with: You can get beans on everything instead of meat!

So, yes, Taco Bell. After we finished our shopping, I was completely starving. It was after seven at that point which is way later than when I’m normally used to eating and I was getting HANGRY. Lucky for us, there’s a TBell right up the street from where we were, so we decided to go there instead of our usual stomping grounds that is closer to home. After making this decision, which I now wish we didn’t make, I was getting really excited. Fantasizing about eating the entire menu, salivating heavily – the whole nine yards of hungry girl problems.

A few minutes later, we arrived at Taco Bell and hurried inside to begin our order. Because I knew exactly what I wanted, I went first and began my litany of the four items that I wanted. As I mentioned before, because I’m a vegetarian, my order consists of asking them to sub the beef for beans after each item. To a seasoned TBell employee, this is no sweat. But to the fresh out of the hiring process girl working the register, it was the most difficult task in the world.

For well over ten minutes, I repeated my order as she tried to put it into the register and doubled back into the kitchen to ask for help. At first, I was like “Okay, I get it. I remember being new at a register based job before, too” and tried to be as kind as possible. But then, the hangryness started hitting me hard and I knew that if I stood there any longer, I would maybe be not so nice. To avoid this problem after the poor girl was appearing to get no help and she was getting visibly frustrated, I told her not to worry about it because there was a Taco Bell so close to my home.

I was so worried that that was rude but I really didn’t want to let my hangryness get the best of me. I also didn’t want to watch the girl struggle anymore since it looked like no one was coming to her rescue anytime soon. So, Kristen and I went back into the car and headed to the Tbell that we live a mile away from. And I have to tell you, it felt really good to be back in familiar territory.

We ordered our food and was then informed by the lovely employee that if we take a survey and mention her and her coworkers that they would get four extra dollars on their paychecks. We also would get free taco coupons for completing the survey. It seemed like a win win, so while we waited for our food, we each took the survey. Just upon completion, our food arrived which included a super special Taco Bell message from a grateful employee for us taking the survey. Lol, take a look:

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^^^ Lololol

All in all, it was a beautiful evening but I still can’t help feeling kind of bad about the new employee at the Taco Bell that we fled the scene from. I hope she finds that her job gets easier soon!! Anyways, Kristen and I still had a lot of fun and just as our secret Crunchwrap Supreme message says, TBell truly does = life.

What happens when you get hangry? Was there a job that you ever had a really hard time getting the hang of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan19

BevRAGE App

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BevRAGE App

Hey everyone and happy Thursday! So yesterday was one of my best friends, Danielle’s, 24th birthday so I spent the day celebrating with her. We went out for drinks and then spent the evening going out to eat with her dad (who coincidentally has the same name as my dad AND they BOTH have a mustache!) for her birthday dinner. It was such fun!

While we were at our favorite bar, Merry Arts, in the afternoon, a friend of hers told us about a super handy app called BevRAGE. This app essentially gives you cash back via check or PayPal when you purchase certain kinds of beer, wine, liquor, or mixers when you’re out at the bar or a restaurant or when you’re doing grocery shopping. When I woke up today, I just had to download it because who doesn’t love free money AND alcohol?!

I think that this app is completely genius, and now if you download it and use my referral code, we both get two dollars FO FREE! Here is the post published on my Facebook with the code for those of you who aren’t friends with me on there:

Get cash with the bevRAGE app when you buy beer, wine and liquor. Sign up using my referral code: HUOXPBBQ
https://www.bevrage.com/promo/HUOXPBBQ
Handy little app! Use my referral code and we’ll both get cash back for buying booze! Who doesn’t love that?!

Download and enjoy! Happy drinking! 🙂

ALSO: My pinup girl themed style swap collaboration post will be up this Saturday and I enjoyed creating it SO MUCH. I’d love to do a style swap collab again so if any fashionistas are interested in participating, shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com !

What are your favorite handy apps? What techniques do you utilize to save cash? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug9

Sephora Surprise

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Sephora Surprise

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! Last week, my sister and I had a wonderful shopping trip to a nearby mall to get her some cute new outfits for her weekend trip to Chicago. We spent all evening in and out of different stores trying on and modeling new clothes, shoes, and accessories. Our final stop during our shopping outing was Sephora so Kristen could pick up “one thing”. Yeah, right. We spent at least forty-five minutes in the makeup emporium swatching everything from lipsticks and blushes to eyeshadows and foundations. Kristen ended up with a great makeup haul and also surprised me with a gorgeous Clinique treat. Take a look:

Once upon a time four or so years ago, my sister and I took a trip to Chicago. During one of our outings, we went shopping at the Watergate Mall (or whatever it’s called) which is eight stories high (or however many). Our first stop in the mall was at the MAC counter where I found an absolutely beautiful lavender colored blush. I was in love and it quickly became one of my makeup favorites.

I vowed to myself that as soon as I was out of the blush, I would purchase it again. I had every intention of doing so but unfortunately, when that day came, the MAC counter at my mall did not carry the shade. I was crushed. Since then, I have searched high and low for a similar shade but nothing, NOTHING could compare to the MAC blush that I loved so very much. Lucky for me, this all changed last week at Sephora…

I’ll be honest with you guys, I’m really not a big makeup girl. I literally wear the same makeup look every day and I don’t plan on changing it any time soon. My sister, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. She could spend an entire day in Sephora if she could. This is why I answered her testimony of only needing one thing there with an eyeroll because I knew that we would be there for a while.

The beauty must have that Kristen needed was a new blush from Clinique that was called “Melon Pop”. It was a beautiful peachy pink color that was going to look fantastic on her. I wasn’t very interested in any of the high end makeup that I was surrounded by, until I decided to further inspect Clinique’s new blush collection. That’s when I locked eyes on the shade called “Pansy Pop” and a montage of all the good times that I had with my MAC blush flashed before my eyes.

Kristen urged me to have one of the makeup pros that was working apply it for me but I knew that if I were to try it, I would buy it. Normally, I would be fine with this, but I have a hefty stack of textbooks that need purchased for the upcoming fall semester and those aren’t cheap! It made the twenty-two dollar a pop price for the blush seem ridiculous. As I was having a mental debate in my mind of whether to try it on or not, Kristen basically said that if I don’t, she will.

Within seconds, there was an employee, applying the blush… my blush to the apples of my sister’s cheeks. I caved instantly, and asked the worker to do mine next. The blush was divine. It layered perfectly on top of the pink blush that I was already wearing and created the most lovely field of flowers color on top of my pride and joy…my pasty pale skin. 😉

Of course, I wanted the blush badly, but I told my sister and the worker that I would think about it. All the while, I knew darn well that I should not be buying a twenty-two dollar blush at this time. I then made the solemn swear to myself that when I receive my next paycheck, I would come back for it and treat myself. The blush was not brought up for the rest of our Sephora excursion and I was glad because it hurt too much to think about it.

We finished our browsing around the store just at closing time and as far as I knew, Kristen left with two new lipsticks and the “Melon Pop” blush. As we began our walk through the mall to get to my car, Kristen told me, “by the way, I got that blush for you” and my jaw dropped. Instantly, “you really didn’t need to do that” came out of my mouth. She then answered with, “well, I knew you weren’t going to buy it for yourself” and left it at that.

Kristen seriously knows me so well because she was right. Even though I promised myself that I would get the blush soon, the chances of me following through with that were slim to none. I was so blown away by her generosity to her little sister and it just confirmed what I already know – that she is truly the best sister on the planet. Our trip to Sephora felt like I was reliving our time at the MAC counter in Chicago all of those years ago and it was so special to me to reminisce on those memories as well as make a new one.

We are still talking about how much fun we had during our most recent outing and it makes me feel good that she enjoys her time with me just as much as I do with her. Here’s to a great time and the best sisterhood a gal could ask for. I love you, Kristen! Thanks again! ❤

So there you have it, my Sephora Surprise compliments of my fabulous sister! What is your favorite item to splurge on at Sephora? What is one of your most loved makeup products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: For lots of fun beauty posts, check out my MyLikes page! 🙂

Jun10

Coachella Inspired OOTD

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Coachella Inspired OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a simply gorgeous Coachella Inspired OOTD by my very first lifewithlilred guest blogger, Miss Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs. I’ll never forget my first email encounter with Nida all the way back in February. I thought that her confidence to come right out and email me asking about a guest blogging spot was so admirable and I was instantly drawn to her. Nida and I are literally on opposite ends of the globe but I can honestly say that I consider her a dear friend and I can feel her spirit through her words and pictures and it’s just as beautiful as she is!

Nida’s posts are always sublime and if you love seeing her on my page as much as I do then please do yourselves a favor and follow her blog! These guest blogs are just a little sliver of the big picture of the awesomeness that is her page. So without further ado, take a look at Nida’s summer festival OOTD:

Coachella Inspired OOTD:

Hello Loves! 💕
Summer is in full swing and when Sarah emailed me about doing a guest post for the summer I was totally on board! I have enjoyed working with Sarah in the past, she is so appreciative and encouraging  and we get along fabulously! ✨
For this post Sarah requested a summer accessories look and as always she gave me tons of room to be as creative as I liked. 💕
For this look I was inspired by the recent Coachella festival. Here’s to a fabulous summer and I hope that you guys enjoy this look!  😘

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^^^ LOVE the head chain…Is that what you call it? -Sarah
About The Outfit:
🔅 Top: Banana Republic
🔅 Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters
🔅 Vest: Aeropostale
🔅 Shoes: American Eagle Outfitters
🔅 Jewelry: H&M, Fossil, Lucky
🔅 Scarf: Macy’s
🔅 Bag: Dooney & Bourke
Thanks again to the lovely Sarah for this opportunity. Let us know how you liked this look, we would love to hear your comments! 💕
^^^ My blogging BFF strikes again! Once again, please check out Shopaholic Blogs for more from fashionista queen Nida! How do you rock a summer festival look? Which look of Nida’s can you see yourself wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Apr8

Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

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Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

Hello everyone and TGIF! In the past couple of weeks there have been a lot of birthdays in my family! Both of my parents and now my sister who turns twenty-four today! I refer to my big sister/best friend/soulmate, Kristen, frequently here on lifewithlilred so now it’s time to give her some birthday loving! Let’s do this thing:

Happy birthday to the best sister in the world…MINE. I love you so much, Kristen, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you this weekend! Thank you for all of the late night Taco Bell runs, borrowing my clothes without asking, and always providing me with a laugh or support when I need it. You are the bravest, strongest, most beautiful gal I know and I’m so happy that we share DNA with each other! I can’t wait to continue adding on to our endless list of memories and adventures now that you’re the big 2-4. You are beyond my best friend and I hope that you have the best day in the whole world! ❤

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❤ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEN!! ❤