Tag Archives: friends

Jul16

Lil Red’s Psychic Experience

Posted on July 16, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Whatsup everyone and happy Thursday! So a very interesting occurrence happened today that was just too wild not to write about. I went to visit my dear friend, Neva, at her nursing home and while we were hanging out I had a run in with a psychic. Allow me to explain.

^^^ This bands name is Psychic Friend so including their music seemed appropriate!

So yes, Neva and I were hanging out and one of the residents approached us. His name was Doug and after Neva introduced us he asked what I do. I told him that I was in school and that I was really into writing. Without skipping a beat, Doug immediately said “you’re a blogger”. Taken aback I replied with, “How did you know that?!” He then began to tell me that he was a psychic medium and told me that he sees great success for my blog in the future. After telling me of the success that lifewithlilred has in store for me he regarded my clothing because as usual I was dressed pretty formally for an every day occasion. Doug told me that he could see me walking around on Fifth Avenue in a pair of expensive knee high boots and then told me that I was definitely a writer in my past life.

While Doug and I were having this talk, Neva was growing impatient and wanted to go back to her room. So we headed back to headquarters after I hugged my new friend goodbye. After a lovely visit with Neva and her friends I said my farewells and got back into the Little Red Love Machine to go home. As I was driving for the next five or so minutes all I could do was think about Doug and everything that he said to me. It truly made my day so I just had to turn around and thank him – I honestly wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I didn’t. So I turned my whip around and went back into the direction of the nursing home and reentered the building in search of my friend.

Once I found Doug’s room, I knocked on the door and told him that I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye and thanking him one more time. Once again, he told me that I had good things in store for me and that he could sense my talent and energy from across the room. He told me that I was a 19th century European writer in my past life and then began to tell me what my past self was life. Doug told me that I could gamble with the best of them and out-smoke and out-roll a cigar better than any man. He compared me to Emily Bronte countless times and said that my creativity is something that should never be contained. The entire time I was thinking about just how wild and cool the whole situation was. I don’t know if Doug got the idea of me being a European from the purse I was carrying that dons the British flag on it but hey, I’ll take it. I also found it intriguing that he mentioned gambling, considering I’ve had a few recent trips to the casino. The cigar smoking part was also very fascinating to me because I smoke cigarettes now. Weird!

Doug and I talked for another fifteen minutes or so before we parted ways. He told me that he was leaving the nursing home tomorrow when I said that I would stop in and see him next time I visited Neva, so I was SO glad that I turned around and saw him again. My gut feeling to turn my car around and talk to him was spot on and I’m beyond thankful that I got to spend some time with Doug. Psychic or not, he made me feel genuinely good about myself and I felt obligated to return and express my gratitude to him. I can only hope that our visit with each other made his day just as much as it made mine!

So there you have it, my psychic experience for the day! Has anyone ever had a psychic reading before? How accurate was it? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul6

Monday Update: Fourth Of July Edition

Posted on July 6, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Helloooo everyone and happy Monday!!! I had lots of fun celebrating the Fourth Of July this weekend and I hope all of you had a great time doing whatever it is that you did! My sister Kristen and I met up with our friends in Akron at Locke 3 to get our drink on and watch the fireworks. We walked around all of the different food trucks and activities and began our evening of drinking compliments of all of the beer stands! Once we assembled everyone who was invited we headed over to the bar and restaurant the Lockeview to sit on their rooftop patio, drink some more, and wait for the fireworks to start.

^^^ I had to!

The rooftop patio at the Lockeview was so perfect and all of the drinks that they had to offer were delicious and very moderately priced. While walking around the outdoor area everyone in the group was drinking beer and I decided to stick with that at the Lockeview. I had this super incredible raspberry beer that didn’t even taste like beer – we all agreed it tasted like drinking pop. After hanging around the patio for an hour or so it got dark enough outside for the fireworks to start. We had the best view of anyone who came to the event from the rooftop! The fireworks were awesome and they lasted for about fifteen minutes, which was a lot longer than I expected. I never really understood the fuss of celebrating the Fourth Of July before I turned twenty-one – but I can definitely see why people get into it after having my first legal drinking age experience!

After the fireworks show, Kristen and I stuck around for another half hour or so and then decided to head home. We had quite a bit of a walk from the Lockeview back to the parking garage and by the time we fought through the crowd of celebrators and got back to our car we both had to pee so bad. We should have went to the bathroom before we left but the line at the Lockeview was pretty long and we figured that we would be fine…We were dead wrong. The drive home was miserable and we both felt like we were going to explode but that didn’t stop us from getting Taco Bell! The line at the drive thru was surprisingly really short so we were able to get our burritos in record time, arrive back at home, AND PEE! #AMERICA

Kristen and I both had a blast getting our Fourth of July on. It was a much better time than what I was expecting so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I didn’t want to leave the festivities. We would have stayed much later but Kristen had to be at work early the following day – but that’s okay! There’s always next year! 😉 I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend and a great start to your Monday! What is everyone up to this week? Any exciting plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: HAPPY SHARK WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jun20

Date Night! <3

Posted on June 20, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hey everyone and happy Saturday! So I had the most fabulous date night on Thursday with my sister, Kristen, and my beloved nail tech, Vinny, that I want to tell you guys all about! This little outing was in honor of my 21st birthday, compliments of Vinny and it was seriously one of the best nights of my life! Let’s discuss!

Our night on the town began with dinner and wine at Bricco, a super delicious restaurant that Kristen and I live down the street from. The menu there is terrific because it’s predominantly vegetarian, so both my sister and I had a lot of options to pick from. All of our meals were great and we each picked out a bottle of wine as our beverage, haha AYYY! We drank and ate until we couldn’t move and then we headed off to the Hard Rock Rocksino for some more birthday tom foolery. If you are a fan of hitting the casinos, you might want to consider checking out Casino Martini which offers up to a 400% deposit bonus. Talk about winning big!

The Rocksino was so cool and was much nicer than the Horseshoe Casino, which I went to last week. It was bright and upbeat and had the best decorations ever – the instruments and outfits used and worn by different musicians. All of this amazing memorabilia is compliments of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Every area of the casino had different costumes on display from everyone like Nicki Minaj to Elvis Presley…so, so cool! We headed to the bar for drinks once we got to the Rocksino and after we all got what we wanted Vinny and I went to explore the premises and play some games while Kristen met up with a few of her friends at the bar. There was so much to look at as Vinny and I strolled around and I would have been happy just wandering aimlessly throughout the casino, but we happened to see a game that we just had to play. Want to know why? Take a wild guess. Okay, here we go….The name of the game was LIL RED!!!!!!!! So yes, taking a chance on the Lil Red game was absolutely necessary! Haha, take a look:

^^^ Lol AHHHHH!!!! Unfortunately, we didn’t have too much luck on Lil Red but I had a moral obligation to play it so I’m the farthest thing from mad about it! After Vinny and I roamed the casino for a little while longer we rejoined Kristen and her friends for more booze and to watch the band that was playing in the restaurant area of the Rocksino. Whomever was playing was a cover band who played renditions of current radio hits and old tried and true favorites…They sounded pretty good to me, but then again, I was very drunk. All of us continued to drink and enjoy the band and thanks to the bar at the Rocksino, I was able to try my very first mojito, pina colada, and apple martini and they were all delightful! All alcohol usually is! 😉 #whitegirlwasted

We finished up our time at the Rocksino with one more shot at the bar and then went on our merry way. My birthday date night was a huge success and I had an insanely good time! I didn’t think that I would end up at a casino again after my trip to the Horseshoe last week but I had a much better experience at the Rocksino. It was such a fun environment to be in and the best part about it was that the music that was playing in the casino wasn’t overwhelmingly loud! That was my major complaint about the Horseshoe, along with their dingy lighting and the Rocksino had both of these issues on lock with a perfect music volume and lighting scheme. I would definitely go there again, not necessarily to gamble, but to get drinks and to watch whatever entertainment that they have scheduled for the night. So if you’re ever in the Northfield, Ohio area, definitely check out the Hard Rock Rocksino…maybe you’ll see me there!

^^^ I didn’t take many pictures of the costumes that they had on display at the Rocksino but here’s a PicStitch of what I did snap!

Left: Johnny and June Carter Cash
Top: The Black Eyed Peas
Bottom: (From right to left) Nicki Minaj, Shakira, Lady Gaga

Words can’t express how grateful I am to Kristen and my sweet Vinny for an awesome post birthday celebration. I seriously have the best friends in the entire world and I have no idea what I would do without them! Saying that I love my Vinny and Kristen is a severe understatement, but it’s the best that I’ve got to describe how I feel about them! #bestfriends #teamvinny

I hope that all of you are having a great weekend so far! I know I am! What is everyone up to tonight? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun19

Reunited And It Feels So Good!

Posted on June 19, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Heyyy everyone and happy Friday!!! So yesterday I had a beautiful reunion with one of my dear friends, Neva. Miss Neva lived in the same assisted living home as my beloved late grandmother and in the time that my grandma lived there I grew very close to Neva. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago when I went to visit Neva I learned that she was hospitalized and I was not allowed any further information because I was not her immediate family. For all I knew, she could have been anywhere. Europe, New York, perhaps assisted living in Hendersonville, TN. The possibilities were endless.

The fact that I did not know where one of my best friends was at and what state of health that she was in simply killed me, so I continued to call the home that she used to live in and the administrators were able to tell me what city she was located in. With just a small lead to follow up on, I Googled the nursing homes that were based in the city that Neva was in and as luck would have it, the first place I called was where she was located at! So after my Inspector Gadget work, I plugged in the GPS into the Little Red Love Machine and headed off to see my darling Southern belle. “Reunited and it feels so good” is a complete understatement, because it was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon that we spent together….minus a few hiccups! Let’s discuss!

I found Neva’s new home after a few drives around a city that I wasn’t familiar with and I walked into the building with bated breath. I was afraid that I would find my friend in poor health or that she would be in a state that she would not recognize me. I took the elevator to her room with my breath held and a pounding heart and found my way to her room. When I found the room with her name on it I saw that it was empty, which made sense since it was lunch time. I decided to make my way over to the dining room and as I walked away from Neva’s room I passed a woman in a coral pink shirt with flowing gray hair. Every time I’ve seen Neva since I was a little girl, she had a blonde hair piece in, so I’ve never seen her natural hair. I walked past this mystery woman and something told me that I should turn around, just to do a double check. And lucky for me, as soon as I turned around, I saw that this woman was my Neva! I approached her with tears in my eyes and I’ll never EVER forget the way that she looked at me. It was a look of pure love, shock, and complete joy. I’m pretty confident that after she was relocated we both thought that we were never going to see each other again…So nothing was better than seeing her recognize me with the biggest grin on her face that was humanly possible – it was one of the most beautiful moments that I’ve ever had. After a million hugs hello, I was overjoyed to learn that she was happy, had no trouble building friendships in assisted living, and in excellent health and we then proceeded to spend the afternoon together.

Neva and I spent the afternoon laying in bed girl talking, sharing red velvet cake, and laughing our heads off. After some cuddle time I told Neva that I was curious about the rest of the rooms in her new home, so I took her for some laps around the floor that she lives on with her holding onto the crook of my arm. Unfortunately, we had a little mishap while she took me around the building for a grand tour. As we made our way around the labyrinth of hallways, there was a woman there who was having a really hard time maneuvering her wheelchair. She told Neva how much her hands hurt and I offered to push her back to her room so she could rest. The woman took one look at me and saw my piercings and bring red hair and said that “people who look like you go to jail” and she refused to let me help her because I would go to jail if I did. My feelings were hurt so badly that I can’t even begin to describe it to you guys, but in classic Lil Red fashion I gave her a big smile and told her to let me know if she changed her mind. After this upsetting encounter, I took Neva’s hand and we headed back to her room. We painted her nails and chit chatted some more when out of the blue Neva said, “you know honey, some people just don’t get it. But you do whatever you want. Whatever makes you happy.” I knew that she was referencing to the lady in the hallway and I instantly started tearing up. I told my dear friend that all I needed in her new living quarters was her approval – no one else. And with that, she told me that I’ve always had her blessing and we parted ways with a hug and a kiss until our next visit. ❤ ❤ ❤

I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much my reunion with one of my best friends meant to me and I’m simply thrilled to be able to share it with all of you. Despite the cruel comments of one person, I was able to bask in the presence of someone who shows me unconditional love and that’s all I really need! ❤

^^^ Best friends!!!! #besties

I hope all of you are having an awesome day so far! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun16

Glass Animals Concert

Posted on June 16, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!!!!

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