Tag Archives: halloween

American Horror Story: Hotel “Room Service”

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American Horror Story: Hotel “Room Service”

Hello everyone! Tonight’s episode of American Horror Story: Hotel entitled “Room Service” was excellent! A lot of craziness went down and we gained some new intel on our lovely cast of characters to boot! Let’s waste no time and get started:

The measles mishap: “Room Service” begins in the hospital where the newly turned Alex is a doctor. This season we tagged along as she cared for one of her patients who contracted measles because his mother didn’t vaccinate him. The boy, named Max, appears to be in bleak condition and Alex urges his mother to go get some rest. In the mean time, a weak and blood thirsty lady-vamp goes to the blood supply storage room to drink up and draw some blood of her own. She then tries an unconventional method of curing her young patient by ejecting her blood into his IV. As soon as the blood enters his body his heart rate skyrockets and he begins to convulse…

But fear not! The next morning Alex enters Max’s room to find his bed empty. The boy then comes running in and appears to be good as new. She gives Max’s mother the all clear for him to go home and all is well…until he ends up killing his parents while wearing a pirate costume. #trickortreat

When vampire children attack: After young Max drinks his fill of his parents’ blood he hops on the bus and goes to school to enjoy some Halloween fun. As soon as Max is at school his buzzkill of a teacher reprimands him for having a weapon as part of his costume, a plastic pirate sword, and confiscates it. Max is a tricky little devil though and shows his friend Madeline a real knife he has hidden in his boot. Max then leads Madi into a closet for some chatting and a little k-i-s-s-i-n-g and he ends up biting the girl’s lip. She immediately pulls away in pain and then Max bites his own lip and tells her that “we’re even” and kisses her again so their blood can mingle. #happyhalloween

After the Halloween party at the grade school comes to an end the day’s lessons begin and the teacher finds that Max and Madi’s chairs are empty. She asks her students where they could be and they all laugh and point to the closet. The teacher enters the vampires’ hideaway and as soon as she comes in Max slits her throat and urges Madi to drink her blood. This is when all hell breaks loose. The other students begin getting turned and a little boy ends up falling into the hallway which alerts another teacher. The man enters the room to see what’s going on and Max ends up cutting him too and encourages all of his classmates to drink his blood. “Drink it. It will make you feel AWESOME!” …Well, you didn’t have to tell me twice. #imsold

The teacher whom the kids have all swarmed upon like lions at a gazelle carcass (imagery!) manages to escape and runs to the front office and the school goes on lock down immediately. The SWAT team arrives to find the bodies of teachers strewn across the floor and a bunch of traumatized looking students. Once they clear the building the bloodied kids exit and find their parents. As the detectives begin to speak with them they all tell a similar story of a large masked man who attacked them. These vampirelings be crafty and SHAMEFUL!!

A very Ramona visit: Our last encounter with Ramona Royal ended with her telling Donovan that he was useless to her because he was no longer close to the Countess. But now, Donovan thinks otherwise thanks to his newly turned mom and manager of the Cortez, Iris. He offers his mother to Ramona because she is the best bet they have at taking the Countess down, which Donovan now wants desperately. Ramona is a fan of the plan – “you’re reckless. I like that” she says to her new partner in crime and Operation Take Countess Down is a go! Yeah!

Iris + Cleo = BFFs: Some beautiful bonding between Iris and the fabulous Cleo happens in “Room Service” which was such a joy to watch. As soon as Iris returns from Royal’s, Cleo can tell that something is up. Iris insists that she just needs to get some sleep but Cleo takes her to the bar and pours her some blood into a martini glass…Cleo knows all. After Iris drinks up, the most obnoxiously rude, asshole, hipster couple wants to check in to the Cortez. And when I say that they’re awful, I mean they are aw-ful. They’re the type of hipsters that make me hate all hipsters and they do a fantastic job of pushing all of Iris’s buttons.

After a phone call to the front desk from the couple requesting a food order leaves Iris in tears, Cleo comes to the rescue. “What did they want?” he asks her. Mid-sob Iris replies, “they want pate” cry, cry, cry, cry, cry. Cleo and Iris then head into the kitchen to create some pate magic compliments of the Cortez and cat food and share in a glorious heart to heart about Cleo’s back story.

denis

The life of Liz Taylor: We learn that Cleo, originally Nick Pryer, was a married man who wed his wife because they wore the same dress size and she married him because there was no one else. They had a son together and Nick worked as a medical rep whose responsibility was to shmooze with the doctors during nights on the town. During a trip, Nick and his coworkers ended up staying at the Cortez. That night, the associates went out to a strip club while Nick opted for a night in playing dress up. We see Nick trying on a slip, heels, and fur coat and he gushes that he was “trannnnnnnsformed”. #loveit

In celebration, Nick ordered a bottle of champagne and once he turned to reenter his room, the Countess was standing in front of him clear as day. She tells him that she was watching him as soon as he entered the hotel. “You look like a man and walk like a man but you smell like a woman” she told him. Nick begins to cry, “you’re so beautiful” he sobs. The Countess asks him why he cries to which Nick answers, “I feel ugly”. A riveting pep talk from the Countess follows and she encourages him to “become who you were born to be…a goddess”. #bornthisway

Nick becomes the Countess’ living doll and she gives him the makeover of a life time. She shaves his head, applies makeup and jewelry, and dubs him “Liz Taylor”. Once the transformation is complete she urges Liz to join her for a night on the town but he tells her that he’s not ready. “Goddesses don’t speak in whispers” she tells him, “they scream”. So for a start, Liz goes down the hall to get some more ice and as he returns to his room he runs into his coworkers who call him a “faggot” and threaten him with telling his wife and everyone at the office. The Countess then steps in and promptly slits both of their throats. #BYE

Liz never got turned by the Countess but instead got hired by her and now works as a drifter through the hotel. You can find Cleo at the bar, front desk, or just roaming the halls looking amazing but one thing is for sure…Denis O’Hare is perfection! Tune in to my opinions post on Friday for more on that! 🙂

#byehipsters: Iris comes knocking on the couple’s door with a delivery cart of cat food pate and red wine. After more disrespectful harassment from the guests, Iris ends up killing them both and drinking their blood. After Iris’ kill, she wheels off the bodies to the chute that goes all the way down to the basement with Cleo’s help. She tells her new friend that she feels like a changed woman and that she “never knew how to live until she died”. After the bodies are disposed of, they enjoy the red wine off of the couples’ cart and clink their glasses to a job well done. #waytogo

John Lowe, you’re fired: After John’s disturbing evening as a guest of James March’s Devil’s Night Soiree, we find him talking about the events with his superior. He tells him that he thinks he found a copycat cult that reenacts famous murders and that he believes that March is the Ten Commandments Killer. Lowe’s superior does not seem to be enthused about these findings, however, and reminds him of the psychiatric breakdown that occurred after Holden was kidnapped. This does nothing to add to John Lowe’s increasingly shitty reputation and he ends up getting fired. #suckstosuck John also learns after he wakes up next to Sally that they had some super rough hanky-panky judging by the scratches that he’s covered with and he doesn’t remember a thing. #suckstosuckagain

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Alex’s new job: “Room Service” ends with Alex receiving a description of her new job from the Countess. She is to act as the governess to her vampire children and live a life of loyalty to her. “Mommy, you’re just like me now”, Holden tells her. Alex then puts her little boy to bed in his coffin and climbs in with him for some sleepy time snuggles. #socute

So there you have it, the synopsis of the newest episode of American Horror Story: Hotel “Room Service”. How did everyone feel about tonight’s episode? Who loved Cleo’s back story? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Look Out Edition

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Monday Update: Look Out Edition

Howdy everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fantastic Halloween weekend, I sure did! You know why I had a great weekend? Because for the most part I did absolutely nothing for the first time in weeks and it was AWESOME! Now that I’m all relaxed and ready to go, I’m here to bring you the Monday Update for the week so you guys can be on the Look Out for some exciting posts coming up in the near future!

Trades Of Hope: I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of my dear friends, Sarah White, to chat about the company that she works for, Trades Of Hope. TOH employs female artisans in third world countries and pays them a fair living wage for the creation of their beautiful accessories, home decor, and beauty items. On Tuesday, you can tune into http://www.lifewithlilred.com for the full article and the link to Sarah’s site where she’ll be hosting a TOH party for the next few weeks. When you make purchases through the party you have the opportunity to win free or discounted items and I strongly urge you to take advantage of it because everything is gorgeous! I was gifted with the Kala Necklace from Sarah and I’m obsessed! Take a look:

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My necklace was made by artisans in India and I love it so much! Once again, I’ll be posting the article this Tuesday and the links for the party will be provided in the post!

John Patrick Halling: This past Thursday I was so excited to sit down and chat with an extremely talented musician fresh out of Kent, Ohio, John Patrick Halling. John Patrick is a blues/folk/country hybrid artist and he is simply fantastic. During our meeting we chatted about everything from his most recent tour (the Boy in the Water US tour), his style on stage, and what influences him as an artist and musician. Everything during our get together was just swell, until…..

Until I made the biggest fool of myself of all time!! When I meet with new clients, our talks usually happen interview style and I record everything on a Word document on my laptop. Basically, they talk and I type. John Patrick and I chatted for a solid thirty-five to forty minutes and once I had everything I needed, I told him he was good to go. We packed up our belongings and I said something along the lines of “let me save and exit” the document. Unfortunately, a classic case of “I shouldn’t have clicked that” happened because instead of saving and exiting, I accidentally just clicked exit. It was one of those things where you do what you were saying because you were saying it and since I had “exit” on my mind and tongue, it just kind of happened…It. Was. AWFUL.

Thankfully, John Patrick was SO nice about it and I was able to recall almost everything we talked about from memory. I stayed at the Starbucks we met at after he left and retyped everything and ended up with more than I started with. As soon as I got home, I got a draft of the article ready to go and the only things that needed corrected were the brand name of a hat, the location of a venue that he played a show at, and the name of a city. Since those were the only things that didn’t ring true, I’d say I did pretty well!

I’m so happy that the article is looking good so far but you guys have no idea how embarrassing it was! My best friend, Lea, and I have discussed how difficult it is to think of a moment that was truly cringe worthy but I think I found it with that unfortunate incident. But fear not! The article is almost done and is set to publish mid-November when John Patrick releases his music video for “If I Would’ve Known”. Until then, you can check out his music at: http://johnpatrickhalling.com/#/ and make sure you give his Facebook page a like at: https://www.facebook.com/JPHallingMusic/?fref=ts ! Seriously guys, make sure you give his music a listen because it really is wonderful and stay tuned for the article on Mister Halling which will be coming out soon!

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^^^ My life.

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Look Out Edition! I’m so excited to share these upcoming posts with you and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did working on them! How was everyone’s Halloween weekend? What did you do to celebrate? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!

Helloooo everyone and happy late Halloween from lifewithlilred! I hope all of you guys had a fun time celebrating! My Halloween was awesome because I did absolutely nothing. These past few weeks I’ve been so busy every day with something or another. From college classes to running my siblings around to meeting with clients to write for and coaching figure skating for the Special Olympics, I’ve barely had time to breathe! It felt so good to finally have a day to myself to binge watch the Botched marathon on E! and lay in my jammies all day with no makeup and a big ol’ bowl of ice cream. Life was good yesterday, that’s for sure!

Despite my laid back Saturday, I had a busy friend-filled Friday which made up for it. I met up with my friend and client, Britta Michele, for breakfast (You can check her work out on my article “Daffodil Blue Photography”), I had some best friend time with Lea in the afternoon and then to top it off my boyfriend, Kyle, swooped me up for a Hallows Eve evening together! It was a typical but fantastic night of watching Dexter, playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and drinking my girly wine while Kyle drinks his nasty IPA beer.

Although I didn’t get to turn up this Halloween, my sister, Kristen, did enough of that for the both of us! Kristen traveled to New York via mega bus to celebrate Halloween with some of her friends and she looked so fabulous I just have to share a picture:

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^^^ Wa wa woo we wa and hubba hubba! My sister is smokin!

Whether you got white girl wasted or stayed home watching shitty reality TV all day, I hope you had a great Halloween doing whatever it is that you do! What did you dress up as? What was the craziest costume that you saw? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 4)

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I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 4)

Hi everyone and TGIF! So as you guys know from my synopsis post on the newest episode of American Horror Story: Hotel “Devil’s Night – Part 1”, I absolutely loved it. I thought that the first part of their two episode Halloween special was brilliant in so many ways and I can’t wait to watch it again this weekend. All I have to say are good things about “Devil’s Night – Part 1” so let’s get to it:

The chicken coop murders nod: I don’t like to say that I got excited about the story line reference to these ghastly murders of the 1920’s in the newest episode…but I got pretty damn excited. As soon as Miss Evers had her flashback to her 1920’s Halloween with her son, Albert, I had a sinking suspicion that the chicken coop murders was the direction that they were heading towards. My hunch was confirmed as soon as a line came up about the murderer taking Albert to his ranch. For those of you who don’t know, Changeling, starring the impeccable Angelina Jolie is one of my all time favorite movies so this scene felt like it was taken straight from a film that I love so much. It was so well done and I’m so pleased that American Horror Story dug deeper into serial killer history by including these crimes in the episode.

Lily Rabe’s all star performance: Uhm, hello Emmy nod – fan favorite, Lily Rabe, was EXQUISITE. Miss Rabe gave a staggeringly accurate portrayal of one of America’s most well known serial killers, Aileen Wuornos, and I was so incredibly in to it. As soon as Rabe entered the screen as Aileen, I knew exactly who she was and exactly where the story was heading from there and I loved every blood curdling second of it. Her voice, mannerisms, and appearance were so spot on that I wasn’t even mad about Charlize Theron not playing the role again. It was spectacular and I sincerely hope that this isn’t the last we see of Rabe this season.

The Devil’s Night Soiree: I mean, what can I say? The Devil’s Night partay was sheer perfection. Here’s the thing guys, I like learning about serial killers, okay? It’s so interesting to me. With the prior knowledge I had of the killers at the party – John Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, Aileen Wuornos, and Zodiac I was really able to fully enjoy the banter between the characters. I was able to appreciate the work that went into creating a screen-worthy replica of America’s most hated criminals. I was able to understand the references from John Gacy handcuffing Lowe as a “party trick” to Zodiac appearing in the only outfit he was ever truly spotted in…it really was superb.

I’m well aware that this probably makes me sound like the biggest weirdo ever and that’s okay. If I wasn’t weird enough to find these people fascinating then I wouldn’t have been able to have been dragged into the world they created in Room 64 without a fight and with every hair on the back of my neck standing up. I thought it was immensely clever how they made James March the patriarch of these killers. I also think that Evan Peters is doing an outstanding job at embracing such an evil character. Bravo to Ryan Murphy and here here to the cast and crew because the Devil’s Night party scene single-handedly made Wednesday night’s episode one of my all time favorites of the series. Well done.

“Suck my left tit, Clark Gable”. -Aileen Wuornos

Today’s post is relatively short and sweet because absolutely nothing in “Devil’s Night – Part 1” bothered me. I rate this episode with: five stars. The newest Halloween AHS episode won the perfect score for excellence in acting, plot, and makeup and wardrobe. It was a cohesive episode with amazing performances from the entire cast and crew of Hotel. Once again, Bravo.

I Told You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought about American Horror Story: Hotel’s newest episode “Devil’s Night – Part 1” and now I wanna hear from you. How did everyone feel about the episode? Which serial killer at the party do you think was portrayed the most accurately? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

American Horror Story: Hotel “Devil’s Night – Part 1”

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American Horror Story: Hotel “Devil’s Night – Part 1”

Hellooooo everyone! Usually I like to keep my synopsis posts on American Horror Story: Hotel purely factual and let the opinions flow freely on Friday BUT “Devil’s Night – Part 1” was EXQUISITE! Let’s discuss the exciting twists and turns that tonight’s episode brought us and please check in with me on Friday for What I Really Really Thought on the episode:

Nod to the Chicken Coop Murders in the 1920’s: Tonight’s episode began with blood dripping through the ceiling and onto the walls of Detective John Lowe’s room. He goes to Miss Ever’s room which is directly above his to find her having a cleaning frenzy next to a blood filled bath tub. We are then taken to a flashback to Halloween with her son, Albert, in the 1920’s. They arrive at his school and see students and parents dressed in costumes to the nines and all Albert has is a sheet with eye holes cut in it so he can be a ghost. After Miss Evers swoons to a fellow mother over her elaborate costume she turns her attention back to her son only to find that he isn’t there. We then see Albert being driven off in a stranger’s car. We learn that Albert was taken to the killer’s ranch and the only remains found of him was his Halloween costume. “I wasn’t paying attention” Miss Ever’s cries and for a fleeting moment Lowe finds someone who understands his pain over Holden.

Welcome home Holden: Alex brings sweet Holden home and tries to give him a quick medical exam. As soon as they walk in the door though, Sparky, the family dog barks at the unfamiliar boy so Alex puts him in the bathroom. As Alex begins the exam she opens a curtain and Holden complains that it’s too bright. She then takes the boys temperature to see that he’s at a chilly 75.5 degrees. The little one tells his mom that he’s thirsty so she hurries to the kitchen to get him some juice but we all know that Holden wanted dat human blood so he settled on the next best thing, Sparky. 😦

Alex finds her son with a blood soaked mouth cowering over the dead dog and he tells her that he wants his mommy. “Baby, I am your mommy” she says. Holden replies with “my other mommy” so they go to the Cortez where Holden goes to take a nap in his coffin and Alex encounters the Countess. The ladies sit down for a chat and we learn why the Countess chose Holden as her son. She tells Alex that she saved him, like she saves all of her children from the neglect of a parent. The Countess claims that she keeps the kids safe, “the world can be such a dangerous place” she says.

After listening to the Countess babble about all of the good that kidnapping does, Alex pulls a gun on her. SNAP. She demands that the Countess changes her son back but is told that there is no way to reverse vampirism. The Countess then offers to turn her so she can be with Holden forever for the price of her undying loyalty. Alex is not feeling this option at the moment and threatens the Countess with getting the police involved and turns to leave but gets a swift punch in the face from Tristan. The Countess tells him to let her go which leaves Alex with a difficult decision on her hands.

The Devil’s Night Soiree: The Devil’s Night Soiree at the Cortez is the most happening event of the season. It is an exclusive dinner party hosted by the one and only James Patrick March. All of the big names in serial killing are invited – Aileen Wuornos (Lily Rabe), Richard Ramirez, John Gacy, Zodiac, Jeffrey Dahmer…and John Lowe? Yeah that’s right, let’s discuss:

Devil’s Night begins with John at the bar, who finally cracks and orders himself a double martini. “That’s my boy”, Cleo muses. As he sips his drink a female with a mean mullet and awful teeth approaches the bar. This trailer park queen is Aileen Wuornos. She engages in conversation with John who is convinced that she’s in a costume or just a really good actor. John agrees to go to a room with her despite her…unconventional looks but once they’re in his room Aileen cuffs his hands and ties him to a chair. John is able to escape being tied up in the nonsexy way fairly easily and strikes Aileen, drags her to the bathroom, and cuffs her to the sink pipes. He then goes to her belongings and examines her ID which checks in with her story of being one of the world’s greatest female serial killers.

John runs down to the front desk and looks at the sign in sheet where he sees the names of serial killers galore. Cleo informs him of the night’s festivities and is pleasantly surprised to find that John is on the “tres exclusive” guest list. John goes back to his room to find it Wuornos-free but on his bed he finds a garment bag containing a sharp tux and the note “dress to kill tonight”. He puts on his new duds and goes to Room 64 to join the partay. #serialkilleroverhere #whoopwhoop #serialkilleroverthere #whoopwhoop

The party is exactly what you think it would be…a bunch of the world’s greatest serial killers just hanging out, having a drink, and getting a little rowdy. Everyone seems to be having a ball, Aileen hollers “suck my left tit Clark Gable” to March, Zodiac has a bag over his head, and Jeffrey Dahmer is being a weirdo…the usual. Once everyone is gathered around the table, the party goers take a shot of Absinthe and the dinner commences. #turnup

James March apparently has been a father figure to all of the deceased serial killers sitting before him. He is the patriarch of the party and is lovingly referred to by his guests as “the master”. He goes on to flatter them by calling them the “Mount Rushmore of murder” and says that when he looks around the table he sees “the definition of American success”. What a sweetie! After their meal, the fun begins with music, dancing, serial killer tricks like John Gacy cuffing Lowe to a chair, and a nice handsome boy for Dahmer provided by March.

In the mean time, Sally is outside having a cigarette and picking up a businessman standing outside of the hotel. She shoots him up with a healthy dose of heroin and she brings him to the partay. “This will buy me another year of being left alone, right?” she asks March. “As always”, he replies. Once the new guest is welcomed to the party by the hostess with the mostess, James, he invites his guests to join him for dessert. A tray of knives is brought out by Miss Evers and Sally’s score ends up being the sacrificial lamb to the serial killer crew. What a wild night, am I right?

So all of these serial killers are dead, yes? So who exactly is John in the room with during the soiree? No one. When Sally enters the room to bring in the sacrifice she informs the severely intoxicated John that she found him screaming, he was all alone, and he was hallucinating because of the Absinthe. What a wild night, am I right?

^^^ DA DA DA DA DA DA DA MEET ME AT THE CORTEZ!!!

Alex gets turned: The episode ends with Alex getting turned by the Countess because she can’t stand to lose Holden again…No surprise there.

So there you have it, tonight’s new episode of American Horror Story: Hotel “Devil’s Night – Part 1”. How did everyone feel about tonight’s episode? What did you think of the serial killer soiree? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Make sure you check back in with me on Friday for What I Really Really Thought about tonight’s episode!! Only good things, I promise!

Excited For Fall? Me Too!

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Excited For Fall? Me Too!

Heyyy everyone and happy Saturday! Good news, my bitch ass is feeling better! Bad news, Sunday is Lil Red’s blogging day off, as you all know, so allow me to leave you with a fun post for the weekend until the Monday Update and Man Crush Monday posts commence!

With fall on the horizon, every white girl comes out of her spray tanned summer hibernation in search of all things pumpkin flavored. I promise you guys I’m not that girl…You know I would never tan! BUT, I am very excited for the upcoming autumn season, so let me tell you why!

  • PEACOATS!!! Honestly, this is my number one reason why I love fall. I loves me a good peacoat and I can’t wait to put my navy blue, red and blue plaid, and emerald green coat babies to work this season! #peacoatparty
  • Semi-cold weather AKA my favorite type of weather! Summer weather is too hot for a Lil Red, winter is too cold, and spring is too rainy but fall weather…fall weather is just right!
  • Fall clothing in general! This ties into both of the previously mentioned statements but it must be said. Fall. Clothing. Is. The. Best. Point blank, period. I love nothing more than sweet sweaters, cozy cardigans, booties, flannels, chunky scarves, fingerless gloves, the whole shebang. If it’s an article of clothing you can wear in the fall, you bet your sweet ass that I’m excited for it! #betyourbottomdollar #andyoursweetass
  • The colors!!!! Ugh, the autumn color palette makes my heart so warm. Burnt oranges, mustard yellows, deep reds – fabulous on the changing leaves of trees and on those cozy cardigans I just mentioned! Burnt orange has been my latest obsession, so I’m really excited to feed that addiction even more with a fall shopping trip soon!
  • One – ONLY one Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yeah, yeah, such a white girl, I know. But it’s not fall for a suburban girl without one PSL from Starbucks! I’ll be indulging in my pumpkin treat this morning for a coffee date with my dear friend, Tyler. Yum!
  • Halloween – it’s a given. Except I can’t decide on if being Agnes from Despicable Me is a good idea because she’s not particularly slutty…Does anyone have a naughty nurse costume I can borrow? #please??
  • HAUNTED HOUSES! I love them! I love them! I. Love. Them. Fun fact for ya: my first job was working as an actor at a haunted house and I had the time of my life! I also picked up smoking cigarettes there…But that’s beside the point.
  • Fall weather hang outs AKA the best kind of hang outs! I absolutely adore fall time activities! Hiking through the metro parks, scary movie marathons, crafting, drinking apple cider, drinking hard apple cider – it’s all so much fun! Everything increases in enjoy-ability when the air is crisp, your cheeks are flushed, and you’re with some of your favorite people.
  • White girl watching…it’s like people watching, but better! Fall time is the white girl’s peak season to emerge and prosper. The temperatures have dropped which means so have people’s standards! Thus, yoga pants, leggings, and Ugg boots are somehow acceptable to wear in society. May god help us all…But anyways, I always get a kick out of seeing all of the white girls in their flock of spandex pants and boots that were made out of the skin of sheep who were tortured. Bonus points if there’s a Pumpkin Spice Latte in their hands!! #UGHboots

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^^^ Current blogging soundtrack, judge me for it. #whitegirl 😉

So there you have it! A few Lil Red Reasons of why I’m Excited For Fall! What is everyone most looking forward to this autumn? Who has some fall time traditions that will be taking place? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Halloween Fun!

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Halloween Fun!

Happy Halloween! I hope all of you guys had a fantastically fun Halloween weekend! I know I did. You guys are gonna laugh when I tell you that I didn’t go out at all for Halloween. I stayed home and watched The Conjuring with my parents and hit the hay. I’ve been working nonstop these past few days at Next on top of my school work and to top it off, I’ve been a bit under the weather. So I opted to stay home. My parents and I had a blast watching The Conjuring together. It was so appropriately playing on HBO on Halloween night! I saw this movie when it came out in theaters with my sister and we were both scared senseless, but my parents had never seen it before since they’re not big scary movie fans. They were in for a treat! My mom screamed so many times during the flick it was ridiculous – but then again when I first saw the movie, I was that girl in the theater screaming my ass off! There were so many times when we were watching that I jumped along with the rents at the scary parts even though I had already seen the movie! I just couldn’t help myself!! Now when I mentioned earlier that my parents aren’t big scary movie fans, I was putting it lightly. They hate them. So it was funny to me that both my mom and dad really enjoyed the movie! The cool thing about The Conjuring is that it’s not just a stupid slasher film – there’s an actual story behind all of the scary stuff. I think that’s why myself and my parents enjoyed the movie. And can I just say, the girl who plays April in that movie is the cutest little thing in the whole world! Such a doll. Before movie night started with my parents, my sister needed help getting in costume for the Halloween party she was attending with her boyfriend, Ramon. Kristen dressed up as Link from The Legend of Zelda and looked SO FREAKING CUTE! While Ramon opted for being a ninja. The entire time Kristen was primping and preparing, Ramon and I kept laughing about how easy guys have it in life. All Ramon had to do was throw on a black hoodie and pants and he had a costume! Kristen spent at least an hour getting picture perfect, it probably took Ramon ten minutes! Lucky! They both looked great though, as you can see in the pictures below!

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Kristen and Ramon are seriously the cutest couple ever. I love them both so much. The best thing about them is that they never make me feel like I’m the third wheel when we’re all hanging out together. We always end up having a blast! They were so sweet, the entire time Kristen was getting ready they both tried to get me to go with them to the party, but I politely declined. It’s hard going out and going to parties when you’re only twenty, because at some point or another everyone ends up going to the bars, and I can’t go. Maybe I should just get a fake ID like McLovin in Superbad! 😉 I already knew that’s what was going to happen on Halloween night, because my sister had previously mentioned that that was the game plan. But when I’m twenty-one next year, look out!! All in all, it was a super fun Halloween night. I had a ball hanging out with my sister and her man candy until they left and I had some great quality time with my parents as well!

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What did everyone do for Halloween? What did you dress up as? How drunk did you get? 😉 Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday! -Sarah

Dancing With The Stars – Week 7 (Halloween Episode!)

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Dancing With The Stars – Week 7 (Halloween Episode!)

It was Halloween night in the ballroom of ABC Family’s Dancing With The Stars tonight, and it was full of frightening fun! Ghouls, goblins, and zombies took the stage for some scary good…and not so good performances! Here’s a few of the dances that took the cake for me tonight:

Bethany and Derek’s Paso Doble: I’ve never commended Bethany before in my dances of the night, because I’ve never really cared to. But OMG. This little lady was FANTASTIC tonight. I loved this Paso! It was dark, mature, edgy, and so freaking cool. I felt like I was watching a diva queen Little Red Riding Hood with Maleficent hair perform. This routine was the perfect mix of Halloween fun and Paso technique. Not once did I feel like Bethany was being over shadowed or couldn’t handle the theatrics or additional performers in the routine. Derek Hough is too good for words. His choreography and concept ideas are one in a million. I was in love with the red hooded drummers and the creepy soundtrack to this dance. Drop dead gorgeous.

Alfonso and Witney’s Rumba: I feel like I give a shout out to this team every week, but I can’t help myself. They’re my absolute favorite and this Rumba was gorgeous. This routine was a much quicker pace than the Rumba’s we’re used to on DWTS and I loved it. The quick tempo gave this dance an entirely fresh feel but it still held true to traditional Rumba lines, moves, and content. Miss Witney looked absolutely beautiful tonight – like a ghostly little angel! And Alfonso can swerve his hips for days! Lord have mercy!!!! Also, congratulations are in order to him and his expecting wife!

Unfortunately, these were the only two dances that really stuck out for me tonight. If you’ve read my previous reviews of DWTS, you’ll know that I don’t particularly care for Lea and Artem. Their Argentine Tango wasn’t bad tonight, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Artem’s choreography was unique and different and I can appreciate that, however I didn’t care for the routine. And just because I didn’t give a special shout out to Tommy and Peta tonight, doesn’t mean I didn’t like his performance! His Quickstep was filled with cheeky fun and his kicks and flicks were on point! Bruno was right, “the seasoned magician still has a few tricks up his sleeve!” The Old Black Magic was definitely working in Tommy and Peta’s favor tonight. Mr. Tommy is the oldest celebrity at seventy-six to make it this far in the competition, so major props to him!

Now, onto my critiques and personal opinions of the dances I was not so thrilled with:

Sadie and Mark’s Paso Doble: In the words of my father, who I watch DWTS faithfully with every Monday night: “What was that?” Miss girl was absolutely over powered by this routine. Quite frankly, I can’t take a serious dance like the Paso seriously from a girl holding a teddy bear and a zombie. There was SO much happening in this routine, from the additional dancers and set changes that you could barely even tell what this dance was. It’s really too bad, because when given the opportunity to dance the Paso, the stars are given a chance to show their ability. Unfortunately, this routine showed no ability at all because of the business of the production. Whomp whomp.

Janel and Val’s Viennese Waltz: I actually quite liked the idea of this dance, but there wasn’t a lot of content in the routine. When the dancing was happening, I thought it looked terrific and Janel looked fabulous. That was actually my main and only thought on that performance. Aside from the fact that whomever was performing the song Secret by The Pierces sounded AWFUL. Squeaky squeaky squeakyyyyy. -_______- Having said that, Val looked fine as usual! I wouldn’t mind having a Val doll of my own! ;))

Michael and Emma’s Jive: Oh sweet lord. First off, let me say: I LOVE Michael. I think he’s hilarious, and he tries his best, and I’m a fan. But let’s face it. It’s week eight now, and like Len, I’m absolutely shocked that Michael is still truckin on through the competition. I respect the fact that he gives his all into every routine, but there’s a lot of people who got eliminated who could dance a whole lot better than him. It’s almost unfair that Jonathan and Antonio got the boot before him. Not saying that they were going to win, but they had a lot more to offer to the show. But clearly the fans love this team, so who am I to judge?! The only things I could think of while watching this Jive was “oh my god” (and not in the good way!) and of this classic SNL skit starring Will Ferrell where he happens to sing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.

So there you have it, my humble opinions on this Halloween themed episode of Dancing With The Stars. What was your favorite performance tonight? Do you think it was fair that Antonio got eliminated? Who do you think is going to win this season? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight. -Sarah

Lil Red Recommends! Part 3

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Lil Red Recommends! Part 3

Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :

1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!

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2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.

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3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.

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4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.

5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!

6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Odd-Fellows-Tattoo/667458826660986

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7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/

8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.

9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!

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10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!

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So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah