Tag Archives: date night

Dec2

Date Night OOTD Bloopers

Posted on December 2, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Howdy everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Date Night OOTD! Johnny and I live for a good date night and our favorite is, hands down, Middle Class Fancy night. AKA getting dressed up, going to a chain restaurant, drinking several weak cocktails, and having a meal that is never the best or the worst either. There is just something so fun about it and our Olive Garden outing was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. These pictures, though? Not so much!

In the words of Johnny “you’re standing in a puddle of wet”

Clearly unphased by it!!!!

Very blurry because I NEEDED the OG and was fading fast

What’s cookin, good lookin? 😉

Easy, breezy, beautiful Olive Garden

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

Just out here modeling my little heart out!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Johnny’s parents and aunt on Wednesday and a wonderful time was had by all. Especially during the game portion of the evening. After every holiday gathering, we always play some type of game together and Johnny decided to shake things up this year. And shake things up he did because he got Cards Against Humanity to bring to the festivities!

I have actually never played Cards Against Humanity, but I knew it was like a raunchy version of Apples To Apples. So, good thing I played my first round with Johnny’s entire family lol. Early into the game, I said it felt like watching a movie that has a steamy sex scene with your parents. However, once we all shook off the initial awkwardness, we were in stitches. Johnny laughed so hard that he cried several times! Yes, the prompts and responses in the game were hilarious. When combined with Johnny’s parents reading them, it turned into comedy gold. We legit can’t wait to play it again at Christmas. 😀

The moral of the story? If you are questioning whether playing Cards Against Humanity with your parents is a good idea, rest assured it is the BEST idea! Family game night will never be the same!

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

Dec1

Date Night OOTD

Posted on December 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I enjoyed a Middle Class Fancy night on the town at the Olive Garden. I was looking forward to it all week and it did not disappoint. The OG never does! Of course, it wouldn’t be date night if Johnny and I didn’t get spruced up so I had to put together a little something something. Take a look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Blazer: Express, Goodwill

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Dagger Earrings: Spirit Halloween

The heeled boots were purchased forever ago at Target!

By the time Johnny and I returned home from work, we were pretty hungry so we did a mad dash to get ready. As I applied my makeup, I began sorting through my mental wardrobe Rolodex so I wouldn’t have to spend time browsing my selection. I decided to go the blazer route and I had just the one in mind: A four dollar Express blazer from the Goodwill. It was an incredible find and I feel like a sexy, sophisticated, woman on the go whenever I wear it. So, clearly, it was perfect for date night!

For underneath the blazer, I went with a pretty oyster shell hued cami top by mittoshop. The soft color and the lace looked so pretty and delicate under the jet black blazer! I love how girly and sweet this top is and the lace serves as an accessory in itself – no necklaces required. This top also incorporated some sheen, which was exactly what I needed for the jeans I planned on wearing.

I chose my favorite pair of coated, snakeskin patterned skinnies by Seven Jeans and the sheen from the top and pants flowed beautifully together. Despite the blazer being plain, it was still the focal point of the outfit. It essentially gave me a blank canvas to play with different textures and patterns for what was worn underneath without negatively impacting the overall look. The visual interest from both the jeans and top turned a plain black blazer into something special.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. I popped on a dangly pair of daggers with red gemstones to elongate my neck as it was the only skin showing. And, because of the lace on the top, a necklace wasn’t necessary. So, I wrapped up the look with a pair of heeled boots from Target that are literally old as dirt lol. In fact, I realized I should probably throw them out! But, they added height, kept with the established palette, and I just love the curved shape of the heel. With that, I was date night ready!

Johnny and I had the best time on our Middle Class Fancy extravaganza and I can’t wait for our next night out together! ❤

Where is your favorite place to go on a date? What is your Middle Class Fancy favorite? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov26

Middle Class Fancy Date Night

Posted on November 26, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! While driving home from a particularly long day last Monday, I was already looking forward to the weekend lol. Of course, I was eager to relax but I also wanted to do something fun with Johnny. So, I decided on treating us to a Middle Class Fancy Date Night. I also knew exactly where I wanted to go because I had been craving it something fierce: the Olive Garden! Johnny and I haven’t been there since my thirtieth birthday and the Fettuccine Alfredo was calling my name. As soon as I got home, I announced the Friday night plan and we were excited for it the whole week. We had the best time, even if this picture of Johnny makes you think otherwise:

There are countless amazing restaurants in our general vicinity that aren’t part of a chain and that’s fantastic. However, Middle Class Fancy nights are all about embracing the chains and we both have our preferred spots. Johnny loves Outback Steakhouse and the Olive Garden is never not far from my mind. A vegetarian can never go wrong with pasta! After work on Friday, we both took a half hour or so to get spruced up and then we made our way to the OG on a rainy afternoon. Despite the weather, it was all sunshine and rainbows in my world because we come alive during date night!

For our meal, we ordered our old standbys: Fettuccine Alfredo for me and the same for Johnny except with chicken. We gorged on our pasta, soup, and bread sticks and sipped on tasty cocktails. The entire time we were at dinner, we chatted away and at some points were in hysterics laughing in our cozy corner booth. This is exactly why I love date night – being in any date style setting with Johnny forever will bring me back to our first date. That feeling that we could talk and laugh until it was time for the restaurant to close and wanting the night to last forever.

After we finished our delicious meal, we had one final stop to make before we could retire home to get comfy: The Exchange. Johnny’s pay day treat to himself is a couple of new records so this was a necessity. He selected a few for himself and then surprised me with a record for my minuscule collection: Rio by Duran Duran. I am an avid Duran Duran fan and as soon as I pointed the record out to Johnny, he plucked it from the shelf and added it to the “To Buy” pile. It was the sweetest! With records in tow, we headed back home to listen to all of them, play games, and revel in a perfect Middle Class Fancy Date Night. ❤

It has been a while since Johnny and I had a night on the town together and this was our reminder that we need to do it way more often. I can’t wait to start incorporating more date nights into our schedule because there really is no better way to wrap up the week!

What is your perfect date night? 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

Nov13

SO Excited!!!

Posted on November 13, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My favorite place in my neck of the woods has got to be Playhouse Square in Cleveland, hands down. I have seen countless amazing shows there with Johnny, friends, and family and have the fondest memories of each and every visit. Playhouse Square dates with Johnny are something I revel in and I consider our Valentine’s Day date of 2023 to be one of the best. That was when we saw Hadestown together and it skyrocketed into one of our all time favorite musicals.

Since seeing the show at Playhouse Square, we must have said over a million times that we would love to see Hadestown again. As fortune would have it, I received an email from EJ Thomas Hall in Akron for their spring lineup and Hadestown was on the bill. Does EJ Thomas hold a candle to Playhouse Square in terms of overall experience? IE: Venue, theater size, visibility of the stage. Absolutely not. But, I saw Jesus Christ Superstar there and it was a phenomenal effort for what it was. In fact, there were some parts of the show that I liked better than the Playhouse Square production of it that Johnny and I saw. (Also one of the best nights ever!!)

Although EJ Thomas isn’t my preferred venue, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Johnny and I to enjoy Hadestown once more. I ordered us our tickets this weekend and scored awesome seats: Smack dab in the middle of the third row on the balcony. The best part? We will be seeing it the week after Valentine’s Day so it will be like a do over of our treasured V-Day date two years prior. This past week, I have been really trying to make space in my schedule for fun and purchasing these tickets was the perfect way to dip my toes in the water. We can’t wait!!

If Hadestown is playing in your area, RUN to go see it. You can thank me later when it becomes your favorite musical too. I am so lucky to be able to see this show twice for Valentine’s Day with my main squeeze!

What is your favorite musical? What is the best date you have ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep1

Best Date Night EVER!!!!

Posted on September 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Wednesday was the absolute best because Johnny and I had a night on the town. We literally never do anything during the work week because of our demanding schedules. However, sometimes exceptions need to be made and that came in the form of an Alice Cooper concert at Blossom Music Center. This is the second concert I have attended there in the past month and I am so happy that Johnny and I were able to make this date night work. This show was our very first concert together! I will post tons of pics tomorrow, but would love to discuss our experience today. Let’s get to it:

Johnny and I are HUGE Alice Cooper fans and when we learned that he was performing at a venue ten minutes away from our apartment, we just had to go. We spent all of Wednesday willing the day to go by faster so we could get our Alice on and made our way to the venue around 5:30. The show started at six and the opening act, Ministry, was already playing by the time we got there. This was no harm no foul because we didn’t care at all lol. As the opener played, Johnny and I purchased drinks and had to make a pit stop so he could use the little rock star’s room. This ended up being an awesome detour, indeed!

While Johnny was in the facilities, I sat at a picnic bench with a mom and her daughter who was my age. We got to chatting and Didn’t. Stop. Chatting. Johnny and I spent the majority of our time getting to know our new friends who were freaking hilarious. In fact, we were so deep in our conversations and belly laughs that we didn’t even realize the second performer, Rob Zombie, had taken the stage. I genuinely thought music was just being played through the speakers. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed not to have watched Rob Zombie’s set because I have never seen him live before. I had the opportunity to at another show but left before he went on. In a way, though, this was also no harm no foul. I can’t imagine the set was anything to write home about considering we had no idea it was even happening lolol.

As we continued with our newfound comradery, Alice Cooper finally began his performance. We said quick goodbyes and are very much looking forward to hanging out with them again. Johnny and I hauled ass to our seats in the pavilion and were treated to the show of a lifetime. Alice Cooper’s set was honestly like watching a horror movie unfold onstage. We were well aware of his usual tricks and gimmicks but to see them live before our very eyes was pure magic. He sounded amazing, the band was phenomenal, and the production value was equivalent to watching theater. A complete and total dream come true.

Alice Cooper played for roughly an hour and my only regret was that the show wasn’t longer! The concert ended with a rousing performance of School’s Out and it was so celebratory and fun. After the song ended, Johnny and I started making our long trek back to the car. We knew that if an encore was performed that we would still be able to hear it as we walked and we were not trying to be stuck in traffic for hours on end to get home. It took about twenty minutes to get back to the Little Red Love Machine and there was no encore to be heard. Once we were safely settled in my whip, we saw a massive throng of concert goers making their way to their cars too. We were well ahead in that race and got out of the venue and home within ten minutes flat. That’s what I’m talking about!

Johnny and I are still pinching ourselves that we actually saw Alice Cooper live and I can’t wait to share more from the show tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Who would you like to see in concert? What was the best concert you attended? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug8

Cute Jumpsuit OOTD

Posted on August 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny and I went on some fantastic outings this past weekend and we had the best time. Whenever we can go on a date together is a special occasion and I always want to look the part for it. Amazing company and a great outfit can turn the most ordinary date like a dinner out into something extraordinary. Johnny and I really do revel in a night out and just like me, he dresses to impress too! For date night, I put together a little look with an adorable jumpsuit. Oddly enough, Johnny had a dream the night before that we went on a date to a concert and I wore a jumpsuit. We are so in sync, even in our dreams! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Jumpsuit: Japna, TJMaxx

Floral Platforms: Qupid, TJMaxx

Butterfly Sunglasses: A Signature Antiques

Pink Snake Cuff Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

Blue Snake Cuff Bracelet: I got this at the zoo forever ago lol

The large gold cuff is from Aerie and the stud earrings are from PacSun – both purchased when I was in high school!!

One style of clothing that I absolutely love is the jumpsuit. They are such a simple piece but so effective in creating a stand out outfit. The only problem with jumpsuits are that they are definitely made with people over five foot one in mind! I cannot tell you the amount of jumpsuits I have tried on at TJMaxx that were perfect – minus the fact that about one foot in leg length would have to be removed. It was certainly a stroke of good luck when I found the Japna jumpsuit seen above that I could just make work with an uber tall pair of platforms!

For mine and Johnny’s date night, we were going to do dinner and a movie. I’m not sure why I instantly thought of my jumpsuit (Maybe it was from Johnny’s dream!), but I thought it would be a comfortable option for reclining in a movie theater after a meal. We didn’t end up going to the movie after the fact of the outfit being styled and I stuck with it anyways. The canvas hued linen screams summer and I can’t get enough of the stitch details and bustier button up top. It is truly a summer staple and exactly what I needed for a balmy evening on the town.

Since the top and bottom of this OOTD were accounted for, it was time for shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with a pair of pink floral print platforms by Qupid. These were a must for the added height and gave a sweet peek-a-boo pop of pink with every step. For accessories, I chose a pair of stud earrings because I didn’t want a dangly pair to overshadow the length of my neck. When you are a petite gal, you always have to think about accentuating your length – especially when you’re in something with a lot of fabric like a jumpsuit. Rather than necklaces or earrings, I accessorized with some funky cuff bracelets and was ready for a date night with my main squeeze!

This Cute Jumpsuit OOTD was a cinch to style and a joy to wear. I was literally in the outfit of Johnny’s dreams and it had him doing a quadruple take. I’ll take it!

What is your favorite summer wardrobe staple? What is your perfect date night outfit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug6

Date Night!

Posted on August 6, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last week was an exhausting one. I spent the entire weekend in bed after coming down with a nasty bug and it made for a work week that seemed never ending as I recovered. By the time this weekend rolled around, I was feeling much better and was ready for some fun. Literally the only thing that kept me going during the week was the reminder that Johnny and I had a Date Night planned for Friday. We were going to do a Middle Class Fancy night on the town of dinner and a movie. Although it didn’t go exactly accordingly to plan, it was still a fabulous outing and just what I needed to shake away the remaining blahs of being sick!

For our date night, we decided that Outback Steakhouse was the move, then we were going to see Long Legs in theaters. Yes, it does seem weird for a vegetarian to revel in going to a steakhouse lol. What can I say, I love their side dishes and the staff is always most accommodating on letting me know what is truly vegetarian friendly on the menu. While Johnny opted for a steak meal, of course, I went with a salad, mac n’ cheese, mashed potatoes, and a baked potato too. So, basically, just all potatoes and it was divine! We also sipped on tasty cocktails – a margarita for me and the shark themed cocktail seen above for Johnny. It was, admittedly, not that good but we did get a shark souvenir from it which we deemed as the most important thing. 😀

After our dinner, we wanted to go see Long Legs because we are huge horror fans and we haven’t been to a movie in a long time. By a long time, I mean in over a year when we went to see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on a Middle Class Fancy date last summer! Unfortunately, it didn’t work out because the movie was playing at the most inconvenient times at every theater we live by. We went to dinner too late for a 5:30 show and we were too tired to kill time until an 8:10 viewing. We are hoping to go see it this upcoming weekend and still had a blast after our dinner date. Once we were home we listened to records, relaxed, and chatted away until an early bedtime to take on the rest of the weekend well rested.

On Saturday we returned to our favorite local spot, the Jenks Building, to check out the new records they got in. Then, we had a lovely visit with Johnny’s family for my father-in-law’s birthday. It was a busy weekend, but a wonderful one. Stay tuned for OOTDs from these outings coming soon!

What was the last movie you saw in theaters? What would you do on a perfect date night? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun24

Squeezing In Some Fun

Posted on June 24, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! I don’t know about all of you, but I still mourn summer vacations even though it has been years since I was in school. Sometimes adulting can feel cruel and unusual and this is definitely one of those times! With an insanely busy work schedule it can be hard to Squeeze In Some Fun, even if it is sweet summertime. I know that it is often difficult for me to muster the energy to do much over the weekend, but I have been trying. And, although the sleepies never fully leave me, I do feel better when Johnny and I have plans for our time off and we have been putting the effort in!

The past year and change have been trying times for yours truly and it was almost impossible to pepper joy into limited downtime. This is in stark comparison to when Johnny and I first started dating and we were constantly going here, there, and everywhere. Then, the pandemic hit, crisis in my life happened, and we never got back into the swing of things. Until now, that is. It has felt like we have had plans every weekend for months and it has been really great! Whether it be get togethers with our friends or going out on the town, I feel like I’m on cloud nine afterwards because it’s fun to have fun. 😀

The best thing about this change of pace is planning dates with Johnny. While we enjoy our video game or movie nights, there is nothing better than stepping out in style with my main squeeze. It is also amazing to always have something to look forward to during the work week! I feel like I have been in a bit of a rut lately and this has really helped turn my outlook around. I have loved our dinner dates and meeting up for drinks with our friends at all of our favorite spots. Even returning home afterwards is exciting because we have also shook up our weekend evening activities.

For the last of Johnny’s birthaversary gifts, we picked out a good but budget friendly record player. Johnny has an expansive collection of records but no functioning record player and our purchase was a game changer. My boo spent so much time after we brought the record player home turning our “game room” into an actual game room. He cleaned, he added more artwork to the walls, and he cleared out the closet in the room to house the records in and give us more space. This has given us plenty of room to break out all of the board games we haven’t played in forever. While we play, we take turns picking records at random and listening to one side before swapping it out. We still are all about our video games, but this switch up has made our evenings feel like true quality time and it is a beautiful thing!

Even though we have no plans for a summer vacation, we are making our best efforts to make plans, actually stick to them, and enjoy our weekends more fully. It has definitely helped lift my spirits and I love having a calendar full of activities to motivate me during the work week!

Do you have any big summer plans? What do you do when you feel like you’re in a rut? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun14

Thirty, Flirty, & Thriving OOTD

Posted on June 14, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past Friday was my thirtieth birthday! Although I still don’t know how to feel about it, I am sure that I had a great time celebrating. I wanted to keep it simple for my big day and requested a dinner at the Olive Garden and to go straight home after to settle into my new decade. A birthday date night with my main squeeze was the perfect occasion to get dolled up and I knew exactly what I wanted to wear – the outfit I built during my last TJMaxx shopping trip! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Cropped Sweater Vest: Industry Republic Clothing, TJMaxx

Tennis Skirt: Kyodan, TJMaxx

Lace Up Heels: Juicy Couture, Kohl’s

Silver Earrings: These were a birthday gift from my mother in law!

The last time I was at TJMaxx was during an outing with my mom and it was a delight. The Maxxinista gods truly smiled on me because I got everything that I was hoping for: A skin care restock and an outfit to wear to the next Misnyland picnic that I will be officially working at. For this summertime event, I wanted to find something cute, comfortable, and appropriate to sport as the brand new social media manager for Tim Misny. And, of course, it had to be unique enough that I could stand out and still feel like myself. I think this OOTD fits what I was looking for to the T.

During my rounds through the clothing department at TJMaxx, I was coming up with a big fat goose egg. Then, I clocked an adorable cropped sweater vest by Industry Republic Clothing and knew I could work with that. This knit vest is so ideal for summertime. It’s nice and light and the soft, creamy color will certainly keep me cool as opposed to my usual All Black Everything. This vest is the perfect combo of work appropriate while still being fun with the too cute flower details. But what to pair it with?

As I continued browsing the clothes, I was keeping my fingers crossed for a skirt to wear with the vest for an OOTD that looked more like a set. Once again, I was coming up empty. Then, as luck would have it, I found my new Kyodan tennis skirt displayed at the very front of the store. In that moment, I knew I had an outfit and all that was left to do was try it on. As I expected, this skirt was a dream match to the sweater vest. And… It has shorts underneath it!!! This was something I didn’t realize until I tried it on and that was a huge score. The last thing I wanted was anyone at the event getting a peek at my underthings if a breeze picked up! This skirt has divine movement with the gauzy, pleated fabric and added some edge to such a sweet top.

With the base of my outfit settled, shoes and accessories were next. For my shoes, I went with a gorgeous pair of lace up heels by Juicy Couture. These little babies are as old as dirt, but I still love them as if I got them yesterday. The cream color and black shoe laces gave cohesion to the established palette and the chunky heel is supportive so I can flit around the picnic and shoot content in comfort. Finally, I added a lovely pair of silver dagger earrings that I got for my birthday and my outfit was complete!

I absolutely love how my Thirty, Flirty, & Thriving OOTD turned out! I am also so glad that I decided to sport it for my birthday date night so Johnny could take my pictures. He will not be attending the picnic I am working and I knew I would be a mess by the time I got home lol. Work smarter, not harder!

Have you updated your wardrobe for summer? What are some of your summer staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun12

30th Birthday Fun

Posted on June 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! This past Friday was my dirty thirtieth birthday and it was absolutely fantastic. Am I particularly thrilled to enter into a new decade? Not especially lol. But, I had such a lovely weekend celebrating and that really helped make up for it. For my big day, I didn’t want anything major and requested a dinner at Olive Garden for a date night with Johnny. I was craving it something fierce and wanted to get my Middle Class Fancy on! I like to think we cleaned up pretty well and if you peep my hairy armpits – mind ya business haha:

Before it was time for my birthday dinner, I had to work up an appetite! I worked in the morning getting my transport client to his job and doing the social media thing. Then, I spent the afternoon hanging out with my brother. We went on a fantastic hike and saw so much wild life – a snake, turtles, and two tiny baby bunnies. They were so precious and it took all of my willpower to not snatch them up and take them home. Of course, I would never but Johnny probably would have had a harder time saying no on my b-day lol. Work smarter, not harder amiright?!

Once Johnny and I were both home, we took some OOTD pics (See those later this week!) and made our way to the OG. We were famished and it was a good thing we left early. About a half hour after we were seated, the place was packed. We had a delicious meal of salad, bread sticks, cocktails, and fettuccine alfredo (Plain for me, with chicken for Johnny!). Dinner was simply divine and we had such a great time gorging ourselves lol. There was no room left for my free birthday dessert of strawberry cheesecake so we took it to go. It was perfect to have with our leftovers the following day and we definitely plan on going to the Olive Garden more often. 😀

After we returned home from dinner in our respective food comas, we decided to break out Johnny’s new record player (A prezzie from me) and play some games. I got to pick the very first record we listened to on it and I chose none other than the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. This was my first time hearing it because we didn’t have a functional record player until now. It was freaking dynamite and an ideal soundtrack to completely annihilate Johnny in Monopoly. To the birthday girl gets the spoils!

The rest of my birthday weekend was nice and chill. I was able to video chat with my best girl, Kate, of Live In The Nautical on Saturday and watch countless episodes of Degrassi. I’ll be looking forward to the last of my birthday hangouts with my sister and other bestie, Lea, later this week! ❤

What is your favorite Middle Class Fancy restaurant? How do you prefer to listen to music? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers