Tag Archives: blessed

Feb8

Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

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Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This past week, my Special Olympic ice skaters competed in the winter games and it was totally awesome. The events took place on Wednesday and Thursday and they were single handedly some of the best days of my life. On Wednesday my sister, Kristen, joined me at the competition and the banquet that followed later in the evening. It was so nice to have her keeping me company and all of my skaters and their families just loved her! The days of the competitions were long but they were so worth it, so let’s discuss:

Wednesday’s competitions were the races for the speed skaters and then the figure skaters would compete in their skills and compulsorary events. On Thursday, the figure skaters would perform their music routines. Wednesday started out much too early for my liking because I had to get up, get ready, pick Kristen up, and then make the twenty minute drive to the rink so I could prepare my skaters for the events an hour or so beforehand. I felt like a zombie but god knows I looked fabulous! 😉

Once we arrived at the rink, my tiredness was a thing of the past because seeing all of the athletes and their families was so energizing! Everyone was so excited and I couldn’t wait to soak up all of the positivity and happiness that everyone was exuding. It was so much fun to make my rounds to all of the athletes upon our arrival and introduce my sister to all of my friends. I was so touched by the warm greetings I got from all of my skaters and their families. I think the athletes were more excited about Kristen being there than me though because they got a brand new person to show off to!

The events started promptly at ten with the speed skaters on the hockey rink and the figure skaters on the practice rink. I had athletes competing on both rinks so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I had skaters to give pep talks to, athletes to cheer for, and competitors that I had to track down that were going to be competing next. I didn’t mind the fast pace though and thanks to my time management skills, I was able to watch almost all of the skaters that are in my group compete.

Saying that I was proud of all of the athletes was a severe understatement and before I knew it, the events were over for the day. After all of the events were complete, we made our way to the hockey rink for the award ceremony. It was so special to be able to watch the athletes and my students receiving their medals on the podium. I loved seeing the big smiles, surprised faces, and arms raised in victory of all of the competitors. One of my students, Rick, ran to his family after he received his medals and went in for a big hug from his aunt. During the hug he kept saying “I’m so happy, I’m so happy” and I started bawling my eyes out! I was so proud of everyone and being able to see them celebrate and know that they did a fantastic job was the cherry on top of a perfect morning.

After the award ceremony, Kristen and I stuck around for a little bit while everyone had lunch and then we rolled out. Kristen treated me to lunch and then we went back to her apartment to rest and watch Netflix until the banquet in the evening. The banquet for the Special Olympics winter games was held at the Clarion Hotel. There was going to be speeches, dinner, and some good old fashioned tom foolery.

Kristen and I got to the hotel around six and made it right in the nick of time because shortly after we got there it was time to eat. Dinner was served buffet style followed by a huge piece of chocolate cake. Once everyone finished eating, there was a bit of a lull so we could all chat and digest while the dance floor got cleared off. Before we knew it, the dance floor was cleared, a DJ was playing, and disco lights were flashing. That’s when the real fun began!

As soon as the music started playing, Kristen and I ran to the dance floor with our friends so we could get our groove on. We were all dancing and singing along to songs from Grease and the Top 40 hits. My sister and I had such a blast dancing the night away. We were on the dance floor for over an hour and by the time we left, everyone was still dancing and jumping around! Clearly, all of the athletes have far more energy than I! Take a look at some of my pictures from the banquet:

^^^ I love us!!!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million more times, I am so unbelievably proud of all of my students and the athletes who competed at the Special Olympics winter games. I’m so thankful for all of my new friends and I’m so happy that my sister got to share in the fun with us. It has been such a privilege to be able to coach such a talented group of athletes and I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything! Coach Sarah loves you guys! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Special Olympics Edition! The winter games were a great success and I’m so grateful that I could be a part of it. What is your favorite winter sport? What sports did you used to compete in or are competing in now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

Jergens BB Hand Cream Review

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Jergens BB Hand Cream Review

Hi everyone and happy Super Bowl Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend so far. Over the holidays, I was lucky and won a giveaway by my friend, Victoria, over at livingdisrobed. I won some Jergens body care goodies which included the most fantastic hand cream ever. The Jergens BB Hand Cream is the best thing that has ever happened to my hands and their tendency to get insanely dried out. I have nothing but good things to say about this cream, so let’s discuss:

jergens.jpg

If I could describe myself in one word when it comes to body care products, I would use “picky” with a capital P. If the product is greasy – no can do. If it has a scent that I don’t like – see ya never. And if it’s ineffective – girl, BYE. Lucky for me, the Jergens gods heard my prayer for the perfect cream and they responded by making their BB Hand Cream.

My hands are incredibly sensitive so it doesn’t take a lot to get them dehydrated. On top of this sensitivity, I’m a bit of a germophobe so I’m a hand washer as well. When my hands get dry, they get extremely red, they crack, and they legitimately hurt. You would think that with all of these problems, I would have found the perfect hand cream by now. Unfortunately, I’ve never been so blessed. #fml

It seems like every product that I’ve tried has missed the mark and I don’t like to pay for products unless I’m 110% sure that they’re going to do the job. My last attempt at a hand cream was when I used The Body Shop’s almond cream which worked well but was much too greasy for my liking. I thought that my days of red and raw hands was never going to end and then I ended up winning Victoria’s giveaway.

When my package arrived in the mail, I opened it with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas. I inspected my goodies and then eagerly squeezed some of the hand cream onto the palm of my hand. I took a whiff of the cream and was pleased that it was a nice and light fragrance that wasn’t overpowering in the slightest.

After the cream passed the smell test, I began to rub it into my skin. The only way that I can describe it was that it was like my hands were taking a long and much needed drink of water. The hand cream went in so smoothly and within seconds I couldn’t even tell that I had applied a healthy helping of the cream. There was no grease, no residue, and no strong fragrance left behind.

After just one use of Jergens BB Hand Cream, the redness of my skin was reduced, the scaliness was smoothed down, and my hands felt perfectly hydrated. I’ve never experienced a cream that truly helped revitalize my skin without leaving behind any kind of residue. Honestly, I thought that it was impossible. My Jergens BB Hand Cream has helped my winter hands become a thing of the past and that is something that I am so thankful for.

I would be ridiculous to rate my Jergens BB Hand Cream with anything less than: five stars. This is easily the best cream that I’ve ever used and I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you so much again, Victoria, because it was all thanks to you! ❤

So there you have it, my Jergens BB Hand Cream Review! What is your go to hand cream? What body lotion do you swear by? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb3

One Lovely Blog Award #3

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One Lovely Blog Award #3

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! I was recently nominated for my third One Lovely Blog Award by my dear friend, Nikki, over at: akinderway. I always enjoy my interactions with Miss Nikki and her blog is a real gem, so make sure you give her page some love! I have so much fun making award nomination posts and it makes for an easy day of blogging so thank you to all of my friends who have nominated lifewithlilred! As always, there are some rules that come with the awards so check them out and then let’s get started:

The Rules:

  • Thank the person that nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  • List the rules.
  • Display the award on your post.
  • List seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate (up to) 15 bloggers for this award and comment on one of their posts to let them know you have nominated them.

All About Me:

  1. I’m currently writing this post while sipping coffee and taking a homework break. I always drink my coffee out of a sweet little mug with a koala bear being floated away by a bundle of balloons and it says “Have an up kind of day”. I think it’s the cutest thing ever!
  2. This isn’t really a fun fact but right now the water in my shower isn’t draining very quickly. On Sunday I dyed my hair with my beloved Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red and by the time I exited my shower the water was halfway up my calf and blood red. It was really disgusting but insanely cool.
  3. The last movie I watched was The Interview. My sister and I haven’t seen that movie in forever and laughed like crazy the entire time! I love love LOVE James Franco! Hubba hubba.
  4. My boyfriend and I recently entered the “Canton’s Cutest Couple” contest for a local radio station – not that I buy in to any of that stuff but a free dinner would be nice!
  5. My socks are matching for once today, which deserves an award in itself.
  6. I’ve become really fond of eating at Moe’s and have decided that I like them better than Chipotle. #WELCOMETOMOES
  7. I’ll find anything you say infinitely funnier if you end it with “#blessed”.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

Once again, thank you so much to Nikki at akinderway for my third One Lovely Blog Award and congrats to my nominees! What are some fun facts about yourself? Do you have any weekend plans that you’re looking forward to? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan22

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

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Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! First things first, before we start to discuss my Bath & Body Works January Freebie, I have to mention my all star student status. I’m writing this as I take a homework break and I had the most terrifying test taking scenario ever that I managed to overcome…

I was taking a timed test and less than half way through, I realized that I really had to go to the bathroom. I mean it was bad. I couldn’t just walk away from the test though, so I did what any normal person would do…squirm around in my seat, speed through the test as quickly as possible, and leave the grade up to fate. Despite this major bathroom set back, your girl still managed to get a 100!! HOLLER. #starstudent #selfcontrol #blessed

ANYWAYS, now that we got that important announcement out of the way, let’s talk freebies! Just about every month, I get a coupon from Bath & Body Works for a free travel sized product to add to my hoard. Thanks to a shopping trip this week with my sister, I scored my January freebie which was a travel sized lotion of their scent A Thousand Wishes.

I always really enjoy my monthly trip to B&BW to snag my freebie and I have to say, I love the scent that I picked out. A Thousand Wishes is a super sweet holiday scent with hints of cranberry and vanilla that I just can’t get enough of. I’ve always been fond of cranberry fragrances – I live for The Body Shop’s seasonal cranberry scent, so I was pleased to find this cranberry infused goodie from B&BW. I like that A Thousand Wishes has an aroma that’s very soft and subtle because if there’s one thing that Lil Red hates, it’s an overpowering fragrance. And can we talk about how cute the packaging is?! LOVE.

Thanks to my B&BW freebie coupons, I’ve been able to have monthly sweet treats for myself and who doesn’t love that? I’ve also been able to avoid the awkwardness of not giving a gift to someone who got me a present this holiday season. I was simply able to put together a little something from my collection and be on my merry way without being labeled as a non-gift giving asshat. Thank you, Bath & Body Works! 😉

To get monthly freebies of your own, simply put in your email address or phone number next time you make a purchase at Bath & Body Works to get some coupons sent your way. You can also do some shopping and enter in your email address on their website! To keep the B&BW coupons coming, make sure you enter your email address or phone number each time you make a purchase or cash in a freebie coupon to keep all of your information up to date. You’ll be glad you did once you have a nice little hoard of your own!

b&bw

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works January Freebie! What stores give away the best coupons or freebie items? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep18

#Hashtag

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#Hashtag

Hellooooo everyone and TGIF! If you’re familiar with my blog, lifewithlilred, then you’ll know that I have a deep love for the hashtag. No, I don’t have a Twitter, where the hashtag is most commonly found…But that doesn’t stop me from finding it hysterical to post witty words and phrases next to the number sign! Take a look at this funny Jimmy Fallon video on hashtags and then let’s discuss:

Throughout my blog, I primarily use four hashtag phrases to get my point across. They are: #shameful, #blessed, #ihatemyself, and #FML. I thought it would be fun to elaborate further on these by listing some situations where the use of my favorite hashtags are appropriate. Let the hashtagging commence!

#shameful:

  • I ate five items off of the Taco Bell menu and I’m still hungry. #shameful (and sad but true)
  • I wet the bed one time when I was seventeen. #shameful (also sad but true)
  • I find joy in eating spoonfuls of mayonnaise when I’m feeling blue. #shameful
  • Shania Twain karaoke in the shower is how I start my day every day. #shameful

#blessed:

  • Four green lights in a row. #blessed (compliments of Parks & Rec)
  • After an extremely stressful day, I’m so thankful that my BFF, Pizza Hut, was there for me. #blessed (true story, too)
  • My thunder thighs prevented my phone from dropping in the toilet. #blessed
  • I called my home nine times in a row and no one picked up the phone. #blessed (also true)

#ihatemyself:

  • I still make Santa Claus beards out of bubbles when I take a bath. #ihatemyself
  • Nothing is better than pouring nacho cheese all over yourself on a hot day. #ihatemyself
  • I read porno mags as my bedtime stories. #ihatemyself
  • When I get lonely I stroke my hairy legs and pretend that they’re a dog. #ihatemyself

#FML:

  • Walked an entire mile on hot coals. #FML
  • Got caught digging deep in my butt to pick a wedgie while grocery shopping. #FML
  • Got too turnt. Slept in a sewer. #FML
  • Winked at my crush. He thought I was twitching. #FML

parks

^^^ Favorite Parks & Rec episode EVER!!!

So there you have it, some of my favorite #Hashtags and situations where they are not only appropriate but necessary. What are your favorite hashtags to use? What situations can you come up with where #shameful, #blessed, #ihatemyself, or #FML is tweet-worthy? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah