Tag Archives: friends

Jun16

Glass Animals Concert

Posted on June 16, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Heyyy everyone and happy Tuesday! So last night I went to see Glass Animals at the House Of Blues in Cleveland with one of my comrades and it was fucking amazing! I’m going to be really honest with you guys…I was very intoxicated so some of the details are a little blurry BUT I do know that Glass Animals absolutely killed it. I also know that I’m never getting too turnt during a concert again so I can fully enjoy it and be able to remember everything about the show vividly. It was raining when we got to the venue and we got there a half hour before the doors opened so instead of waiting in line outside we went to a bar around the corner for drinks. As you guys have gathered by now, I’m a big fat lightweight so after two vodka based drinks I already felt tipsy. This unfortunately didn’t stop me from drinking more at the HOB, AYYY! #whitegirlwasted

Shortly after we got to the venue, the opening band came on. I feel like such a goon, but I can’t even recall the name of them…I mean if they were good I probably would have remembered but they weren’t my cup of tea anyways. They were really techno-y, which I actually wasn’t expecting because I feel like Glass Animals is more indie than electronica, so that was kind of fun because I’ve never been to a techno show before. I dunno, music like that all starts sounding the same to me after awhile, so I felt like after hearing two songs by the opener I heard them all. That’s why I really like Glass Animals, because they have electronica qualities to their music but it’s still distinctively very indie as a whole.

The nice part about this show was that there was only the one opener and then Glass Animals came on. This was great, because there were three openers for The Used when I saw them at the HOB last month and it dragged on for forever. As soon as Glass Animals came on I freaked out so hard! It kind of sucked because we were pretty far back in the standing area so I couldn’t really see the stage even with my concert heels on, but I’m not too worried about it because homegirl was dancing the whole time – everyone was! The lighting throughout the show was dope and all of the good vibes in the audience was amazing to experience. I didn’t take many pictures during the concert because I was dancing (probably very poorly) and I was so white girl wasted that all of the pictures were probably going to be blurry anyways. But take a look at the pics I did manage to snap before I gave up on having my iPod out:

^^^ AHHHH! Like I said, all of their lighting was rad and they alternated their color scheme a lot throughout the show. They used the green in my featured image photo to open the concert with and then would change the lighting after every song or two. There was deep indigo, red, fuchsia, white, purple, and probably a lot more that I just can’t remember…Whoops.

I haven’t even talked about how the band sounded yet, so let’s discuss! Glass Animals sounded INCREDIBLE live. Their set list consisted of their album ZABA in its entirety and then one or two songs that I hadn’t heard before. They sounded EXACTLY like how they do on their debut album, which was astounding to me because there’s so much going on in all of the tracks that in my head I thought it would be difficult to recreate on stage…Drunk girl thoughts, obviously! It was so cool to be able to experience seeing one of my favorite bands live and having their performance go above and beyond the high standards that I hold them at, because they really are SO talented. There’s not one song on ZABA that I dislike so I was so happy that that was primarily what they performed at the concert, especially because the album is still relatively new.

As my white girl wastedness increased throughout the night, so did the urge to pee. I had to go SO SO BAD towards the end of the concert, so when they closed the show and went off stage for a few minutes before the encore I jumped on the opportunity to go to the bathroom. They had a chair by the sinks that I vividly remember sitting on for some reason or another, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyways, as I finished washing my hands I heard the beginning of “Pools” being played which is literally one of my favorite songs on the planet, so I ran my happy ass back to my companion in the standing area ASAP so that I didn’t miss one more second of it. Hearing “Pools” live was what I was looking forward to the most and it was everything that I hoped it would be AND MORE. It was seriously the perfect encore song to close the night with. What an amazing, incredible, wonderful, terrific show.

So there you have it, my Glass Animals concert experience! If any of you guys have the opportunity to see them live, I urge you to jump on it! You’ll be glad that you did! Is anyone going to a show anytime soon? Who are you seeing? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun15

Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition

Posted on June 15, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition

Whatupppppp everyone and happy Monday! It’s currently one thirty in the AM and I’m not very tired and I promised my sister that I would stop watching the new season of Orange Is The New Black without her, so I figured I would get the Monday Update out of the way now. I hope all of you had a great weekend! I know I did, thanks for asking! As you guys know, I spent my Friday night at the Horseshoe Casino (See article “Casino Adventures”) which was tons of fun – and the good times continued throughout Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a day of sleeping in, shopping, and date night. Sunday was a day of wonderful company, hair dye, family, and #OITNB. Best. Weekend. Ever!

On Saturday afternoon my mom and I were shopping around in the Fairlawn area and we happened to stumble into Bath & Body Works in the midst of their semi-annual sale. I’ve never been a huge B&BW fan, but holy moley their sale prices were incredible! I got six FULL SIZE (8 oz.) perfumes for the price of one original priced bottle – talk about a deal! As I’ve mentioned before, the only perfume that I wear is Victoria’s Secret’s “Enchanted Apple”, but unfortunately they don’t carry the fragrance year round. The only times they break that scent out is during their semi-annual sales, which is when I stock up on my perfume for the year. About a month ago, I finished my last of five bottles that I purchased during the last VS sale, so I’ve been using the random odds and ends fragrances that my sister and I have…Believe me, I’m not thrilled about it! I feel incomplete without my signature scent. BUT fear not, because I found a very similar apple-y fragrance from B&BW that I’m super obsessed with. B&BW’s “Country Apple” has the exact same sweet/tart fragrance that I love so much in “Enchanted Apple”, so best believe I bought five bottles to keep me going as well as one of their aquatic fragrances “Cool Amazon Rain”. I also stocked up on some dirt cheap lotions which make perfect add ons to birthday and holiday gifts. #BALLIN After shopping with my mama, it was time for date night with my darling, handsome prince Kyle. We went hard on appetizers and yummy drinks at Applebee’s and spent beautiful quality time with each other which was much much needed! Love him! ❤

Yesterday was a pretty chill day which was so nice after being out and about most nights last week. I met up with one of my dear friends, Scott, for some terrific conversation and coffee – which was an absolute joy. He’s definitely on my list of “Lil Red’s Favorite People in The World”! Once I got home in the mid afternoon, my sister and I binge watched #OITNB for a bit and then I got to work on dying my hair. I dye my locks once a month to keep my red fresh and vibrant and let me tell you, it’s a trip washing the dye out of my hair and watching all of the color come out. It straight up looks like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre happened in my shower every time. The rest of my evening was spent plucking my eyebrows to perfection (ayy!), annihilating at Scrabble, watching #OITNB once again, and here I am now getting my blog on!

So now that you guys know what my weekend was looking like, let me tell you all about how freaking excited I am for tonight! I’m going to see Glass Animals at the House Of Blues in Cleveland with one of my comrades and I’m seriously so pumped I could cry!!! I really lucked out when I found out that Glass Animals was playing in Cleveland last Thursday because if it wasn’t for Facebook I would have had no idea. While scrolling through my news feed on FB I happened to see a status from HOB advertising for the chance to win tickets to the show on Monday night. It was weird that it showed up on my news feed because I have yet to “like” HOB or Glass Animals on there, so there was no reason for it to show up – but I’m so beyond glad that it did! As soon as I saw that they were playing I bought tickets ASAP because there’s no way in hell that I would pass up seeing these guys live. I’ve been in love with Glass Animals since last September and I’ve told literally everyone who I’ve introduced their music to how much I would love to see them live. I can’t believe that in less than twenty-four hours I’ll be hanging out at the House Of Blues watching one of my favorite bands perform! AHHHH! June will definitely be a good month for concerts, because I’ll be back at HOB on the 30th to see one of my other favorites, AWOLNATION, compliments of my brother for my birthday. What a guy! I’m also pretty hyped because Family Of The Year is opening for them and I happen to really like them too! Exciting stuff!!

^^^ SO GOOD! Also, if you’re interested in shopping the semi-annual sale at Bath & Body Works, their offers are available online as well at: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/home/index.jsp! Happy shopping!

So there you have it, my Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition! #MCCONAUGHEY!!!! Make sure you check back in with me at some point during the week to hear all about my Glass Animals concert experience! Is anyone going to any concerts coming up? What about any of the festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, or the Hangout Fest? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a lovely day! -Sarah

Jun13

Casino Adventures

Posted on June 13, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Heyyy everyone and happy weekend! I’ve been having the best outings this week following the travesty that was my birthday and last night was no exception! As a birthday treat to me, my lovely and astoundingly pretty friend Danielle took me to the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. It was….quite an experience. Don’t get me wrong, I had the best time hanging out with Danielle and I loved her company, but I don’t think her or myself will be hanging out in a casino again any time soon! The casino in general was just very very overwhelming. It was seriously gigantic – every time we were walking around I felt like we were in an area that we hadn’t been in before, but in all reality we walked past it countless times. It was so hard differentiating all of the different casino corridors because they all looked exactly alike. It felt like every time we walked away from something and eventually came back to it the initial area changed into something completely different, if that makes sense? It was seriously the strangest sensation I’ve experienced in ages. It felt like the casino was shifting and redecorating with every step we took like a giant labyrinth. So on top of being in this enchanted casino it was fairly crowded and the music that was playing was loud so it was total sensory overload. And don’t even get me started on the games! Danielle and I stuck to the “easy” games like the fruit slot machines and whatnot, but unfortunately, we both weren’t very lucky. It was so frustrating, because even if we won something in the game it still didn’t make up for what we initially spent to begin with so we were losing money. Danielle was so sweet because before we got into the casino she had me pull a piece of paper from her beanie and on the paper was the amount of money that she would supply for the games and after we reached that limit we were donezo. It was such a generous thing to do which I was so blown away by and it was also a really great idea to give ourselves a spending limit. Like I said earlier, we weren’t very lucky at the games and our limit was well spent after barely over an hour…But in that hour I can totally see why gambling addiction is a thing. Danielle and I experienced that “just one more try” mentality first hand and it was quite off putting. Like, we knew we were losing money but we were both so convinced that just one more spin on the game would result in some winnings no matter how small. The Horseshoe was the only casino myself or Danielle has ever been in, but I’m assuming they’re all set up very similarly – multiple bars, loud music, and dim lighting. All of these different elements really do make up the perfect concoction of a place where you could lose track of yourself very easily. That “club” like environment seemed to hook everyone in the casino because every time Danielle and I walked around all we saw were blank faces in front of the machines and people absentmindedly placing their bets no matter what the cost. That type of thing is obviously what some people like, but it clearly wasn’t mine or Danielle’s cup of tea. On our way home from Cleveland we talked about how we were glad that we got the casino experience out of our systems to at least say that we did it, but we both agreed that it will be a long time before we step foot in one again. Despite our bad luck at literally every game we attempted, it was still a super fun evening and I’m so glad I got to share in a casino adventure with Danielle!

^^^ Lol this song seemed very appropriate to include in a post about casinos! I’M SO CLEVER! 😉

So there you have it, my Friday night Casino Adventure! I hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far, I know I am! Have any of you ever got your gamble on in a casino? What was the most that you lost or won? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: If gambling addiction is something that you or a loved one struggle with, I urge you to seek help – whether that be confiding in a counselor, friend, or even a complete stranger. You can check out this article on responsible gambling and there are multiple different helplines that you can call as well, one of them being the hotline through the National Council on Problem Gambling. Here’s their website: http://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/

May26

Nail Tech Love Is The Best Love!

Posted on May 26, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hi hi hi everyone! So my summer classes started today and everything is good so far, but I decided to take a quick break to tell you guys a super sweet story about my beloved nail tech Vinny! I was having a not so hot day yesterday, which I mentioned while Vinny and I were texting. After flourishing me with compliments, Vinny sent me a link to his favorite classical song to help me relax:

The song was absolutely gorgeous and as you guys know I fucking love U2, so I texted Vinny to thank him for sharing his favorite song with me. He then texted me back telling me to check the comments on the video, so I got back on YouTube and found the video again. As I looked through the comment section, this is what I found:

^^^ SO sweet. Once I saw this comment I immediately started ugly crying, but it was a happy ugly cry if that makes sense – Haha I was seriously so touched by my dear friend’s gesture that I just couldn’t help it! I texted Vinny to let him know my current crying situation and then he told me that the song he sent me should be played at my wedding. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh mid cry at such a classic Vinny statement. I then sent him a correction to his previous text, telling him that the song can be playing at *OUR* wedding! Vinny and I have a very special friendship and we both love each other very much, but there was something so special to me about our exchange last night that I just had to share it. It was just so damn sweet and it was exactly what I needed after a not so great day. So here’s to you Vinny – you’re more than just my nail tech, you’re seriously one of my best friends. Thank you for being you and thank you for always treating me like your princess. I LOVE YOU! #teamvinny

I hope everyone is having an absolutely fabulous day so far! Does anyone else have a special relationship with their hair dresser, nail tech, ect? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr12

Lil Red Pro Tips: Weekend Fun Edition

Posted on April 12, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello there everyone! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend…I know I did! My weekend was full of friends, family, fun, and food AKA #FFFF – it also included some really great movies and books as well! In this post I’ll be discussing with you some Lil Red Pro Tips on how to make the most out of your weekend!

DO: Watch a funny movie: My family absolutely loves the Horrible Bosses movies, and this Friday we watched Horrible Bosses 2. There’s seriously no better way to start off the weekend then with a silly movie that you don’t have to think about. The HB movies are hands down one of my favorite comedy franchises thanks to their all star cast of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey. Sure, they’re not the best movies in the world. And yes, they’re vulgar as all get out – but hey, they bring me to a happy place of gut busting laughter which is exactly what you want from a comedy!

DO: Cook something delicious: Lil Red was tearing it up in the kitchen this weekend! I would have taken pictures of the food, but honestly it looked kind of gross…but it tasted really good! Ha! On Friday I made a Mexican casserole that turned out really well. It had sauteed onions and garlic, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, diced chiles, sour cream, and shredded pepper jack cheese in it. It was perfect for dipping with chips or wrapping it up burrito style in a tortilla. I’ll admit that even after this home cooked Mexican dish I still wanted Taco Bell…but you can’t always get what you want. #neversatisfied I also made a lava cake like dessert this afternoon that I’m really looking forward to trying! It’s actually baking in the oven as we speak and it smells delicious, so fingers crossed!

DO: Read a good book: I finally finished the best seller The Girl On The Train this weekend and absolutely loved it! I’ve heard a lot of hype about this book and I’ve been reading it throughout the week, so I was so excited to finally finish it yesterday! The Girl On The Train intertwines the stories of the alcoholic and unstable Rachel, the mistress Anna, and Megan – the girl with a dark past. Rachel rides the train into London every morning like clockwork, gazing out the window and throwing back gin and tonics like it’s her job. Almost every morning as the train rolls by a suburban neighborhood, she watches a young couple whom she names “Jess and Jason” sitting on their patio and enjoying their morning. They seem to be the perfect couple, until one morning Rachel sees something that changes this perspective entirely. The Girl On The Train is a bone chilling thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end. This book was so so good and I can’t recommend it enough!

DO: Watch a serious movie: So tonight my family and I are going to watch The Theory of Everything and I could not be more excited. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this movie since I saw previews for it in the theater ages ago. The previews alone brought tears to my eyes, and the Oscar buzz that it received only verified the confidence that I have that this movie will be amazing. You might be asking “why recommend it if you haven’t seen it?” But like I said, I am SO confident that I’ll enjoy it that I’m just laying all my cards on the table now. If anything, let this suggestion be me telling you that my favorite way to end the weekend is by watching an excellent film on Sunday night. Fridays are my comedy night, Saturdays are my going out night, and Sundays are my serious film nights. A perfect lineup, if I do say so myself. 😉

DO: Go bowling. (DON’T: Go bowling with fake nails on): Last night I had a lovely evening going bowling with my sweet neighbor, Vaughn. We went to the lunar bowling night at a close by bowling alley and had a blast. The only thing that would have made my night better is if I didn’t have my damn talon acrylic nails on! I had to use the ol’ “underhand roll” technique, because there’s no way in hell I would put my fingers with my sharp claw nails in the bowling ball holes. Honestly, even if I could bowl properly I don’t think that I would have done any better! We played four games and I got one measly strike the entire time – but I’m very proud of that strike, thank you very much! Despite this minor problem, it was still so much fun! 🙂

This weekend was one of the best ones I’ve had in ages thanks to some beautiful family time, wonderful friend time, and super good food time! I hope all of you had just as great of a weekend as I did! What was your favorite Oscar nominated film? How did you feel about The Girl On The Train? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec24

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Posted on December 24, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hello one and all!!!!! Happy happy holidays and Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate. I had a really beautiful visit today with one of my dear friends that I’d like to share with you. My spirits have been pretty low lately, but this afternoon definitely put me back into the holiday swing of things. Hopefully this story will do the same to you!

This will be the second Christmas that my beloved grandma (rest her soul) will not be with us. But it still feels like just yesterday when she passed. She used to live in an assisted living center ran by devout nuns. During the years that she was there I became quite familiar with the Sisters, the residents, and one lady in particular: Neva. If you recall, I’ve wrote about her and our visits before. To give you guys a little refresher, Neva is a Southern Belle with the most fantastic Kentucky accent I’ve ever heard. She’s known me for over ten years now, and we truly have a mother/daughter relationship. Although my grandma is no longer with us, I still very much like to go and visit Neva and everyone else in the home. So today, I filled a bag full of Miss Neva’s favorite candy (Hershey’s chocolate kisses!) and drove off for a Christmas visit. It always makes me so happy when Neva answers the door to the room and sees that it was me who was knocking. Her eyes light up and she always greets me with a warm “Hi, Honey!” After our hugs hello I presented her with her bag of goodies, and she handed me a bracelet that matches the one she has in green, as seen below:

I was so touched by this gesture and was smiling from ear to ear. It was just so thoughtful and now I feel close to her even when we’re apart. After we exchanged our gifts I asked her to show me around the residence hall, because it’s always decorated so beautifully for the holidays. We gazed upon tree after tree and admired all of the ornaments and lights displayed on them. We then walked into the Chapel where all of the Poinsettias that still needed to be put out around the building were kept. In the Chapel we ran into one of the Sisters who was a main care taker for my grandma when her health started declining. “You’re all grown up!” She said as she greeted me with a warm embrace. At this point I was getting incredibly emotional, and she held me tighter as tears fell from my eyes. “You miss grandma, don’t you?” She asked, and all I could do was nod into her shoulder. After we let go she told me that last weeks Masses were held in memory of my sweet grandma, which made me cry even harder…but they were happy tears, because I know that her memory is eternal in the halls of her home and the hearts of everyone. Sister and Neva both told me how proud they were that I’m now in school and it made me feel so good. After a long hug good bye from Sister she told me that myself and my family is welcome in the halls of the residence anytime. I will definitely be taking her up on that. After our visit with Sister, Neva and I headed back into her room for some girl talk. We gossiped about boys and her family and danced around her room to Christmas carols. While sitting on her bed with my head on my shoulder, she stroked my hair and told me that I’m just like a daughter to her. How can you not feel amazing after hearing that? It was an absolutely glorious afternoon that I needed more than I realized. Here’s a picture of me and my dear friend, Neva:

I am wishing everyone the happiest of holidays. Whatever you celebrate, spend it with loved ones (pets included!) and good cheer. Special thoughts are sent to anyone who will be celebrating the holiday season without a loved one – my heart goes out to you more than you know. Love and good tidings to all of you! -Sarah

PS: Happy holidays from my doggies Gem and Winston!!!!

Dec22

Christmas Craft Fun!

Posted on December 22, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Standard

A few days ago I had one of the most fantastic times with my dear friend Kate. I’m sure you recall reading about her, as she’s the girl who I’m planning a trip to Europe with. She’s also my go to shopping partner!! A few weeks ago you might recall me posting about how Kate and I assembled a vintage Christmas tree together in her apartment. Unfortunately, we had no ornaments to decorate our tiny tree with, so we decided to make our own. During this fun filled evening we ate Taco Bell, drank our favorite Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, drank a bottle of wine, watched the live taping of Peter Pan that was released recently, and became the crafting queens. The night started with a trip to Patcatan’s which is a craft store, as you can guess. When we entered the store, we realized we didn’t exactly plan out what we needed very well. (The night that we assembled our tree, we had a Pinterest party to get some ideas for what ornaments to make.) So we made a quick verbal list of what we should get to at least get us started. We left the store with ornaments, black, silver, and pink glitter, a hot glue gun, black and yellow paint, paint brushes, and last but not least: googly eyes. After we finished up at Patcatans, we stopped at Giant Eagle so Kate could run in and get us a bottle of wine for the evening. A night with Miss Kate wouldn’t be complete without getting Taco Bell and Starbucks, so stops were made there as well and then we headed back to her apartment. If you take a look at my featured image, you’ll see our crafting table where all of the magic happened. Here’s a Pic Stitch collage of some of the ornaments that we made that night:

So I’m sure a lot of these ornaments are pretty self explanatory on what they are and how to make them, but here’s a little further detail on all of them:

Top left and bottom right Minion ornaments: If you’ve seen the movie Despicable Me, then you’ll know that these bulbs are supposed to be the Minions! Kate and I adore that movie, and when we saw this craft made on Pinterest, we knew that we had to give it a go. It’s as easy as it looks to make:

Step 1) Paint the ornament yellow
Step 2) Wait for the paint to dry and then paint a black band around the top of the ornament
Step 3) Wait for the black paint to dry and then hot glue the googly eyes on
Step 4) Complete your Minion by painting a little smile on it! 🙂

It’s up to you to decide whether your Minion ornament has one eye or two!!

Top right ornament: This was a really cool one that Kate made. She painted the outside of the ornament with a black paisley pattern and then she filled the bulb with red M&M’s. Super easy, super delicious.

Middle left and right ornament: At one point during our evening of crafting we both got quiet and were working intently on these ornaments for each other. When we both asked what the other was doing we each said something along the lines of “you can’t see it yet!” It turns out we were both making a name ornament for each other at the exact same time. If that isn’t best friend telepathy, then I don’t know what is!

I wrote Kate’s name with hot glue and then coated the glue in silver glitter. I then cut a red heart out of construction paper and put it inside the ornament. Viola!
Kate wrote my name in black paint and then put black glitter over top of it. She tore up red tissue paper and filled the inside of the bulb with it. Done.

Center candy cane reindeer: This is our beloved reindeer named Albert. Isn’t he the cutest?! Making this ornament is exactly how it looks like you would make it:

Step 1) Cut out antlers for the reindeer with brown foam paper and hot glue it onto the candy cane
Step 2) Cut out circles from the brown foam paper and hot glue googly eyes onto the circles. Then hot glue these onto the candy cane for the eyes
Step 3) Hot glue a red M&M onto the tip of the candy cane for the nose
Step 4) Wrap a ribbon around the neck of the candy cane and now you have your very own Albert!

Bottom left and center ornaments: These ornaments were made simply with paper and glitter.

On the bottom left ornament I drew the British flag, the German flag, and a tiny Eiffel Tower and then cut them out and stuck them in the inside of the ornament along with an ample amount of silver glitter. This little baby obviously symbolizes our European trip dream which will be happening in 2016!
The bottom center ornaments have the same “message in a bottle” idea as our dream ornament. They also have glitter….lots of glitter 🙂

So there you have it, some fun make shift crafts to get you in the holiday spirit!! Kate and I had such a blast making these. We also had an equally fun time drinking some delicious blackberry wine and enjoying Peter Pan Live. Here’s a little clip from it and if you haven’t seen the full movie, I can’t recommend it enough!!

Do you have any fun last minute holiday crafts to recommend? Did you make a seasonal craft that you were particularly proud of? I want to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Monday! -Sarah

PS: My brother is home for the holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!! Lil Red is a happy camper :))))

Nov27

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Posted on November 27, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Happy happy Thanksgiving!!!! My sister, mother, and I have taken a break from our preparations of our Thanksgiving dinner, so I figured now would be a good time to send some holiday wishes to all of you! There are so many things that I’m thankful for that I’d like to share with you. In my list and explanations I didn’t include my family and friends, because those are the obvious ones! My close circle of immediate family and a whopping two friends (sad but true) will always be my number one, so no explanation is needed:) #enoughsaid

Here’s some of the things that I’m thankful for this holiday season and every day!

My education: I’ve been feeling an overwhelming sensation of pride in myself lately for finally getting myself back to school. I always thought that college wasn’t going to be for me, but now that I finished my first semester I wish that I would have started school sooner! I’m so thankful that my parents have been helping me occasionally with my tuition and text books. But shockingly, I’m also thankful for being able to pay most of my college expenses on my own. Which leads me to my second thing on my list….

My job: As soon as I ended my four year stint at PacSun, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. I was so nervous for my future. I was so scared that I wouldn’t find another job right away. Getting that call with a job offer from Next was the biggest relief I’ve experienced in a long time. If it wasn’t for that call, there’s no way that I could afford paying for my education almost completely on my own, as well as keeping up with my car payment for the Little Red Love Machine. I’m so appreciative to have a job period, let alone a job that I really enjoy. My coworkers and clientele are just fantastic, so it makes going into work a joy.

My blog: This might sound dumb to some people, but I really am thankful for starting http://www.lifewithlilred.com!! I’ve been told that I should make a blog countless times before, so a little over two months ago I figured “why not?”. And I am so glad that I did! I forgot how much I enjoyed writing and expressing my feelings until I started trying to make a blog post or two daily. I’m so thankful for all of my readers and followers who have shown me so much love and support! Lifewithlilred is always going to be a thing, and I’m really hoping that as the hype continues to build that I’ll be able to make some kind of moolah for my work. But that’s thinking way far in advance! It’s good to dream though:)

Myself: Sarah: I am so thankful for the person who you’ve become. It feels so good to finally say that I love who I am after years of depression, self harm, and eating disorders. I love the way I look, which I never thought I would say. I love that I’m open and accepting to everyone. I love that I have a bright and bubbly personality. I love that I think for myself, which is so very important. Most of all, I’m thankful that I’m finally able to recognize all of these amazing qualities about myself. I’m thankful that I’m no longer in a zombie like state of depression. I’m finally thankful to be alive.

So there you have it – the other things that I’m thankful for besides my family and friends! I hope all of you have an amazing Thanksgiving today. I hope all of you share it with people who you love. Where ever you are in the world – I am so thankful for you! Thank you so much for reading. If you have any questions or concerns: leave me a comment and let’s chat! ALSO: If you partake in Black Friday shopping tonight or tomorrow PLEASE remember to be kind to the retail workers!!! I promise you that they would give anything to not be working amongst all of the craziness that is sure to happen! Send me some good luck vibes as well so I can get through my Black Friday shift! It would be much appreciated 😉 Happy holidays! -Sarah

Oct17

My Friend, Tyler

Posted on October 17, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Standard

If you’ve read my previous post MIDDLE AGED MONDAY, then you’ll know all about my good friend Tyler. Today we had our last hang out until January, because he leaves for basic training in Oklahoma on October 20th. (The same day that I start school!) Tyler and I met during a show we both performed in back in March. Amongst all of the cast members of the show, Suicide in B Flat, Tyler and I just clicked. We both share a very similar snarky sense of humor and a love for all things pop culture. We instantly bonded over music, television, and a deep love for Chipotle. Tyler was really the only cast mate from Suicide who I wanted to keep in touch with after the show was over. And I’m so glad we did. We’ve been hanging out together ever since. As a brief refresher, Middle Aged Monday (AKA MAM) involves day drinking, crafting, watching The Breakfast Club, eating Chipotle, and going on hikes – just to name a few of the activities! That’s just a brief description of our wild and crazy hang outs together. Our afternoon excursion today was bittersweet, because I feel like I barely got any time with him at all, when really I got almost eight full months with him. But then again, any amount of time feels like not enough when someone you care about goes away for a while. Tyler will be stationed in California after he completes his basic training and I’m soooo excited to visit him there! We already have plans of drinking on the beach, drinking in the bars, and going to amusement parks. Basically…we’re gonna be moving MAM to California! Complete with Hawaiian shirts and fanny packs: the middle aged tourist essentials. Tyler will also be home for a few weeks in January so we’ll have some much needed catch up time then! I can’t wait! I’m so thankful that he’ll be able to text me when he can, and of course we’ll be writing to each other too! I’m so excited to send him novels of what’s going on in my life and how boring Ohio is! Here’s a few pics from some of our hang outs and from Suicide in B Flat:

I love you so much Tyler! I’m so thankful for all of the fabulous memories we have together. Most importantly, I’m beyond grateful that I have an amazing friend for life. Please send good vibes my friends way as he enters this new and exciting chapter in his life! Have a great night guys. -Sarah

Oct12

Must Watch Video!!!!

Posted on October 12, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Standard

So I got home from my man candy’s place last night and was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook when I saw this amazing video my mom posted. Now I’m not gonna lie, usually I don’t pay attention to anything my mom posts, but when I saw the headline “Sweet Mama Dog Interacting with a Beautiful Child with Down Syndrome” I just had to watch. And I am SO glad I did. Please take a moment to watch this video and if you’d like you can read my commentary after. It’s really just too beautiful not to share.

http://www.viralmissile.com/sweet-mama-dog-interacting-beautiful-child-syndrome-true-compassion/

Did you bawl your eyes out? Me too. This video is one of the reasons why I believe every household in the world should have a dog. Watching this sweet little angel boy make a friend with the pup really was incredible. The ability of the golden retriever to pick up on the cautiousness of our little boy was just amazing. As the video progresses we see the boy learn to trust that the dog wasn’t going to hurt him and was his friend. I firmly believe he learned this from how gentle the golden was with him. Every time the child would move away from the dog, she wouldn’t try to go near him again, but her remaining still and near the boy was enough to show him that she was his friend. You could just tell how much the mama dog wanted to nurture this precious boy and it was just the sweetest thing. When the video ended in the child embracing the dog I was hysterically sobbing. It was so surreal to watch the little one learn to make a friend with the help of the golden retriever. So so beautiful.

Please share this video, and if you’d like to help dogs in need of a good home check out http://caninelifeline.org/ . It’s a wonderful organization that my mom works with in the Akron, Ohio area that helps save adoptable dogs from being euthanized. A lot of these precious pups come from dog pounds throughout Ohio and Kentucky. Canine Lifeline diligently searches for forever homes for the pups each weekend. Through Canine Lifeline we got our sweet golden retriever, Gem who came all the way from Kentucky. It’s an organization that I hold very dear to my heart. You can donate to this great cause on the website! If you do donate, please leave me a comment so I can personally thank you!

Above is a pic of my dogs Gem and Winston. My sister found Winston wandering around her old apartment complex where someone abandoned him. My pups love taking naps together! They’re obviously besties! 🙂 Have a lovely day! -Sarah

	Simon on V-Day Bratz Doll OOTD
	lifewithlilred on V-Day Bratz Doll OOTD
	Simon on V-Day Bratz Doll OOTD
	lifewithlilred on V-Day Bratz Doll OOTD
	Chantel Keona on V-Day Bratz Doll OOTD