Tag Archives: friends

Jun5

Johnny’s Birthday Shenanigans

Posted on June 5, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! This past Saturday was Johnny’s 35th birthday and the kick start to our birthaversary season. Our respective birthdays and wedding anniversary felt like forever away. Then, before we knew it, May was done and it was time for your two favorite Geminis to take over! For my birthday this Friday, we are going to the Olive Garden and renting the new Strangers movie at home. Johnny requested a birthday dinner too and wanted some of our friends to come by on his big day. Although his original dinner spot was a bust, it was still a banner time indeed!

Our Plan A for the birthday boy was to go out to eat at Outback Steakhouse on Friday. Despite there being literally nothing for this vegetarian at Outback, it’s not every day your husband turns thirty-five! After work, we made our way to the restaurant and we were both verging on hangry. We were leaving early enough that we assumed we would get seated right away. However, as the old saying goes, assume makes an ass out of U and ME lol. Apparently, everyone and their brother was graduating from school that day and the parking lot was filled with people ready to celebrate. With a line out the door, we had to pivot to Plan B and went down the street at an Akron staple restaurant called Rockne’s.

Rockne’s is one of Johnny’s favorite restaurants and we finally ended up going together. It’s not like I didn’t want to go with him before. But, like Outback, there is literally nothing for this vegetarian to eat at Rockne’s! On the bright side, we got seated immediately, drinks were served, and we were both beyond ready for our meal. Johnny got a gigantic sub and I went for their Cajun pasta. It was no TGI Fridays (Their Cajun pasta is the BEST!), that’s for sure but at least my hanger was satisfied! After our dinner date, we went home to play some games and tuck in early for Johnny’s big day.

On Saturday, we spent the first half of Johnny’s birthday preparing the apartment for our guests and hanging out. By the time the evening rolled around, it was SO on! My brother and our bestie, Cliff, came over first and we had a blast playing some Mario Party all together. Then, my brother headed home and our friend Ty joined as shortly afterwards. It was so nice to catch up because we have all been so busy that we haven’t seen each other in what felt like ages. About an hour into our get together, I couldn’t wait to go to bed and Johnny set me up with a bowl of cereal and put Tarzan on TV upstairs. From our room, I could still hear the guys playing music, games, and laughing constantly. It’s safe to say that the party definitely was still going without this sleepy gal!

On Sunday, Johnny and I spent the day recovering from all of the birthday fun. It was a small price to pay for the best time celebrating my amazing guy!

How old are you turning this year? How do you like to celebrate your birthday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May31

Blogging Bestie Birthday Gift

Posted on May 31, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello darlings!!! This past weekend, I received the most fabulous box of birthday greetings from my blogging bestie, Kate, of Live In The Nautical. Kate and I became fast friends when lifewithlilred came into existence almost a decade ago and my life simply wouldn’t be the same without her. She is the absolute best friend a gal could ask for and even though we are in opposite states, I always feel like she is right next door when we are texting or FaceTiming. For my Dirty Thirty, Kate spoiled me with my favorite thing – spooky surprises from Brightside Organics! Check it out:

Kate and I are Gemini twins and our June birthdays are only six days apart. Just like me and Johnny! This is a time of year that we revel in and it is so much fun to celebrate each other together – even more than we already do every day lol. Our siren call when gifts are on the way is “you’ve got mail” and it is most exciting. Kate is one of my all time favorite people to shop for and she shares the same sentiments about me. I always know that her gifts are going to be on point for her horror loving BFF and this gift was no exception.

For my birthday, Kate treated me to all kinds of enticing products from Brightside Organics. Body butter, soaps, candles, and a bonus surprise. The skull candle doubles as a lidded glass. I was wondering why a plastic straw was included in the gift box and then it all made sense lol. I love the tombstone shaped bar soaps and they smell exactly like a crisp autumn day. The scent is called Magical Brew and is the same for the skull candle and body butter. My You A Spooky Bitch (And proud of it!) candle is of a lovely lavender and sage and it will be perfect to burn while winding down at the end of the day. I also thought it was such a cool touch that a little vial of matchsticks were included.

Because I get so much free product from Bath & Body Works, bath and body care is never on my agenda to buy for myself. And, while I like the idea of having candles in my apartment, I never replenish them once they have burned out. Regardless, Kate knows that I love stuff like this and makes it a point to make sure I get some for my big day. We both are all for the pampering route of self care and I always look forward to seeing which products she enjoys for herself that I would like by default. What can I say, her and I are insanely similar and, as per usual, this gift set knocked it out of the park!

I can’t wait to test out all of my new goodies and begin browsing for gifts for Kate’s upcoming birthday too. I am so lucky to have a BFF like her! ❤

What is your favorite thing to be gifted with? Are you and your BFF really similar to each other? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May1

Misnyland Spring Picnic

Posted on May 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Way back in November of last year was the first time I visited my friend and Ohio’s favorite personal injury lawyer, Tim Misny, at Misnyland. This was thanks to a contest that I won for rocking his Misny Merch line in an OOTD post. Over the past month and change, Tim hosted a similar merch contest with the prize being a picnic at Misnyland last weekend. Johnny and I were invited to go and we were elated because it has been a while since we had some quality Tim Time. The picnic was an absolute blast and the weather was just right for an afternoon outdoors. I think we looked pretty snazzy too:

The picnic this past weekend was basically a repeat of the party Johnny and I attended last year. Hey, if it’s not broken don’t fix it because Tim knows how to throw a get together! There was music playing, delicious pizza from Tim’s favorite shop, golf cart tours of the property, photo ops, and mingling with Tim and new friends. And, yes, I mean new actual friends because Johnny and I made some and we are thrilled. Their names are Grant and Amanda, an adorable married couple who were invited because of an artistic masterpiece:

Grant is the owner of Matrix Tattoo and completed this piece of Tim Misny’s iconic eyebrow arch a week or so before the party (the recipient of the tattoo was invited too). As soon as this picture was posted, my Facebook was blowing up from people tagging me in it and I sent it off to Tim because I knew he’d get a kick out of it. I was assuming he would extend an invite to the picnic their way and am so glad he did because they were the coolest. Grant and Amanda had so much in common with Johnny and I and we are so excited to have a game night with them soon. 😀

Tim Misny’s parties are the best because you get to meet so many new people who you already have a perfect ice breaker with – You’re all fans of Tim! It can be so hard to meet anybody new when all you do is work and watch Criminal Minds lol. Johnny and I haven’t socialized in a group setting in so long and, I have to admit, we were both a little rusty. By the end of the party, however, we didn’t want to leave because we had so much left to say to all of our new friends. Whether it’s through his billboards or a party on his own property, Tim Misny sure knows how to bring people together. ❤

Be on the look out for brand new content with Tim and I soon for the release of the spring and summer Misny Merch line. It’s going to be a hoot!

Is it easy or hard for you to meet new people? Where do you like to go to meet new people? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Dinner At Misnyland

Posted on March 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! One of the coolest things that lifewithlilred has ever done for me is thanks to this OOTD rocking some MisnyMerch. That outfit helped me win a contest to attend a party at Misnyland to meet Ohio’s most famous personal injury lawyer, Tim Misny. At said party, I was able to conduct an interview with Tim, we hit it off, and the rest is history. Since then, we have created tons of content together with me as a MisnyMerch spokesmodel and it has been a dream!

While the work is neat, the best part has been making a new friend. Johnny, Tim, and I get along like three peas in a pod and it is a blast to hang out altogether. This past week, Tim treated Johnny and I to dinner at his place to show off his culinary skills and everything was divine:

Something Tim and I really bonded over was our shared love of cooking and serving meals for our family and friends. Next time we do dinner, I call dibs on helping Tim in the kitchen, but he prepared everything himself this time and I felt so spoiled. I can’t remember the last time I sat down while someone else cooked! For our meal, Tim made guacamole, breaded eggplant, tomato bisque, and baked perch for him and Johnny. I was very touched that Tim took the time to consult with me on his menu first to make sure he accommodated my vegetarianism. Everything was SO tasty and I was most impressed by the speed that Tim cooked with. This meal was ready within a half hour and that really blew my mind. Cooking is my me time so I like to draw it out lol.

Johnny and I often get asked what Tim is like in real life and I always say he’s just a guy! Then, I proceed to say that he is simply hilarious, smart as all get out, and a genuinely good person. Johnny and I rarely have the opportunity to make new friends and we enjoy our “Tim Time” so very much. When I began this post, note that I said “one” of the coolest things lifewithlilred has done for me. The top coolest thing my blog has given me is the gift of friendship with countless amazing people and, in this case, I got that too! ❤

I am so thankful to my blog and I always have a moment of “yes!” whenever I interact with anyone that it has put in my path. More Tim Misny X Lil Red collaborations are coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Do you like to cook? What is one of your favorite dishes to make? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

Cooking Extravaganza

Posted on February 6, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! To me, there is nothing better than grocery shopping. I love that first week of groceries feeling when you have all of the ingredients you need to make delicious meals. Despite a crazy busy schedule, I try to cook dinner as often as I can. Cooking is something I take a lot of joy in and it makes me feel good to make something that other people are going to enjoy. Whenever I make anything, I like to bring a serving to my beloved downstairs neighbor and parents too and I live for when the food is praised! I am seriously one of those people that ask “Do you like it?” ten times during a meal lol. What can I say, I thrive on positive reinforcement!

This past week, I truly outdid myself with fried mozzarella sandwiches, jalapeno popper quesadillas, and baked cacio e pepe. Everything turned out amazing and we had leftovers for days! Check it out:

When I go grocery shopping, I like to get the ingredients to try at least one new recipe. Other than that, Johnny and I have a lot of tried and true meals and will both be happy whenever I make them. This is my second time making the baked cacio e pepe and it turned out even better than my first attempt. I thought the sauce turned out much creamier, it wasn’t as overpoweringly peppery, and the gnocchi was cooked to perfection. I was thrilled about this because I hosted a friend for dinner when I made it and I never want to serve anything that is less than awesome.

Last weekend, Johnny and I had some friends over for a viewing of the Royal Rumble. Jalapeno popper quesadillas were the way to go to feed our guests and they are always a huge hit. Although the prep work is a bit tedious, it’s such an easy meal to make and turns out fabulous every time. Literally all you have to do is cut the jalapenos and broil them. Then you assemble the quesadillas with cream cheese, shredded cheese, crushed up tortilla chips or Nacho Cheese Doritos, and the jalapenos. All that’s left is to fry them up!

While I love cooking for just me and Johnny, it was a huge treat to be able to share meals with our friends too. And also a huge treat to have tons of leftovers! 😀

What are some of your favorite meals to make? What is something that you take pride in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb1

Best Of The Vests OOTD Bloopers

Posted on February 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Best Of The Vests OOTD! This has been, hands down, my favorite look from the new year so far and it was just as fun to wear as it was to style. After a few weeks of a hiatus from OOTD posts, it felt so good to get back in the saddle and keep working towards my blogging goal of weekly outfits. The weather being a bit warmer this past weekend was also a huge plus! 😀 Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the many faces of Lil Red:

Achoooooo!!!

I feel like this picture looks like I’m talking on a cool headset, but really my hair was just in my mouth lol

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

No, really! I’m okay! Starts crying

Excuse YOU?!

Somehow, I manage…

Ta daaaaaaaa. End scene.

There was a point in the past year when Johnny, myself, and our bestie got deeply into watching the WWE Royal Rumbles. I’m pretty sure either Cliff or us just saw a commercial for it on Peacock and were intrigued. Then, we actually did watch it, realized it ruled, and began watching all of the old ones in order. Let’s be real, we all know that it’s fake but my god if it isn’t hilarious! What could be funnier than a bunch of greased up, gigantic dudes serving the worst trash talk ever? The answer is: Not much.

Over the weekend was a brand new Royal Rumble and Johnny and I couldn’t wait to host our friends Cliff and Ty for the main event. I cooked jalapeno popper quesadillas, White Claw was poured, and the Rumble was SO on. It has been months since we had a good Rumble and, I’ve got to say, we really needed it lol. It is honestly one of my favorite traditions that Johnny and I have established! The Royal Rumbles at chez nous are just a goofy time where we cheer on the wrestlers, I watch Cliff put Johnny in a headlock at least once, and we have a whole lot of fun!

Is it a blooper to be heavily invested in Royal Rumbles? Somewhat! Were the pictures above flattering? Definitely! Lol, stay tuned for tomorrow on lifewithlilred because I cannot wait to share a new recipe I tried with all of you!

Who is your favorite wrestler? What is one of your favorite traditions in your friend group? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan11

BFF Holiday Hangout

Posted on January 11, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! This past Friday, I had a wonderful post holiday hang out with my BFF, Lea. This was fantastic because I spent the entirety of my Christmas break sick so it was nice to have a celebration that I was up for. We hit up our favorite bar, the Cashmere Cricket, for drinks and dinner and it was divine! We sipped on martinis (Lavender Fizz for me and Key Lime Pie for her) and had a delicious meal. I have never ate at the Cricket before and I am still thinking about their grilled cheese dippers! SO yummy. What I am swooning over the most, though, are the most amazing gifts from my bestie:

Lea and I have been best friends since high school, but the novelty of gift giving for Christmas and birthdays has yet to wear off. We both agree that we are each other’s favorite person to shop for because it’s fun lol. Whenever I hit up my preferred TJMaxx or she attends a craft fair, we are very much in tune to the prezzies that we would go wild over. Her and I know exactly what each other would like and we always end up with gifts that we would have bought for ourselves or would want to buy. It’s a beautiful thing. ❤

For Christmas, Lea gifted me with a bottle of Peach Moscato, cocktail mixes, a gorgeous pair of skeleton hand earrings, and a lounging skeleton pillow. Lea and I are peach wine girls and that is forever a staple in our gifts during exchanges. The Farm Fresh wine was very tasty and it was so nice to sip on during a weekend viewing of My 600 Lb. Life. She also got me cocktail mixes in Cherry Limeade, Citrus-Berry Sangria, and Strawberry Pineapple. I have never seen anything like these drink pouches before, but all you have to do is add wine or vodka and water and sip away. These are going to be a blast to try out!

What I am loving the most from my gifts from Lea has got to be the earrings and pillow. Lea knows that all things spooky speak to my soul so anything with skeletons is A-okay with me. In fact, I was wearing a sweater with a skull print when we were together! I cannot wait to wear my new earrings and am shocked that I don’t already own something like them. They are creepy while still being delicate in sparkling silver and will be a welcome addition to one of my next OOTDs. And, of course, how fabulous is that pillow? The lounging skeleton is perfect for… Well, lounging lol and how fun are those tassels?! It matches mine and Johnny’s emo aesthetic to the T. 🙂

Having a best friend like my Lea is the absolute best gift I could ever have and I look forward to our annual holiday hangouts every year. Our summer birthdays are still way over the horizon, but I already can’t wait to shop for my best girl! ❤

How do you and your friends celebrate the holidays? How long have you been friends with your best friend for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec25

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Posted on December 25, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and Merry Christmas to all of you!!! What a year it has been and I am SO ready for quality time with my family and time off. Other than Thanksgiving day, I have not taken time off since having Covid in September. Minus a few random shifts, I will be taking a whole week off and I could not be more excited if I tried. I can’t wait to watch all of the reality TV, hang with my bunnies, read, and relax. It is going to be just what I need and I hope that you will be able to find the time to recharge and enjoy the holidays too!

I know I say this literally every time a holiday rolls around, but it needs repeated: I am so beyond thankful to all of you wonderful people throughout the blogosphere. Wherever you are, you are special to me and words cannot express how happy I am that out of all the blogs online, you stumbled onto mine. Every day, I am motivated to create content for all of my dear friends and readers and I feel immensely proud of everything we have accomplished together. At the end of the day, I couldn’t do it without each and every one of you. ❤

Merry Christmas and thank you for being you! Much love. -Sarah

Dec16

Sweet Surprises: Lovely Ladybugs Edition

Posted on December 16, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Sweet Surprises: Lovely Ladybugs Edition

Hey darlings!! Tuesday was a banner day for your girl because I got Santa Mail from my sweet Kate of Live In The Nautical AND from the beautiful Carlie of Bombshell. These lovely ladies have been my blogging besties since lifewithlilred started all the way back in 2014. In this almost decade tenure of being in the blogosphere, I have had the joy of collaborating and becoming friends with Carlie and she is nothing short of a delight. She is cool, crafty, and the spooky match to my spooky soul. Carlie gifted me with the most adorable pair of earrings that I have ever seen and I just had to share them with all of you:

When I saw my package from Carlie, the vampire goddess herself, I tore it open like a rabid animal. In the packing envelope, I found a little red box and that was already perfect in and of itself. As my blog tagline goes, Life is better in red, and that applies to jewelry boxes too! After smiling to myself about Carlie’s perfect gift box choice, I opened the lid and was delighted with my findings. These delicate gold ladybug earrings are so precious and they warmed my little heart. I absolutely love ladybugs and I love them even more when they are gold and have pink rhinestones! 😀

Being a blogger is awesome because writing is my passion. What makes it the awesomest, however, is all of the wonderful people I have been able to connect with through lifewithlilred. Carlie lives in California and I would have never met her otherwise. Through my page, we became fast friends via text and FaceTime and meeting her was like meeting my blogging big sis. Every day, I am SO thankful to the blogosphere for bringing such amazing friends like Carlie and Kate into my life. And, of course, all of you too. ❤ ❤ ❤

My girl Carlie is an absolute queen and you can keep up to date with all of her fabulousness by giving her a follow on Instagram: @carliemichelle66 . Thank you for my earrings, doll – love you!!! ❤

Have you met any friends through blogging? What is something cool that your blog has done for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov23

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Posted on November 23, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!!! I have ALL of my beloved green bean casserole to eat and I am sure all of you have gatherings to get to, so I will be brief. On this day of being thankful before everyone goes buck on Black Friday, I want to extend my gratitude to my wonderful friends and readers throughout the blogosphere. Your interest, likes, comments, and everything in between is what keeps lifewithlilred going strong and I couldn’t do it without each and every one of you! ❤

I am especially grateful this year to be celebrating the good health of one of my loved ones and to be able to share in this day all together. Last year was trying times, indeed, so it can only go up from here, right?! I am thankful for my darling Johnny, my family, friends, clients, and all of the amazing opportunities my jobs have given me over the past year. I feel so excited for everything that’s yet to come and that is a pretty excellent place to be on Thanksgiving. 🙂

No matter how you spend your day today, have the best day ever. I know I will!!

	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

Achoooooo!!!

I feel like this picture looks like I’m talking on a cool headset, but really my hair was just in my mouth lol

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

No, really! I’m okay! *Starts crying*

Excuse YOU?!

Somehow, I manage…

Ta daaaaaaaa. End scene.

Merry Christmas and thank you for being you! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! ❤ ❤ ❤

No, really! I’m okay! Starts crying