Tag Archives: happy

Oct2

Belated Twelve Year Blogiversary!

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Belated Twelve Year Blogiversary!

Oh hey and oh my goodness! I cannot believe that I didn’t make a post earlier to celebrate my twelve year blogiversary!! The special occasion has came and passed but that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about it now because I sure am. It is so crazy to think that I started lifewithlilred when I was twenty years old and it is still going strong over a decade later. If you told me I would still be doing the blogging thing after all of this time, I don’t think I would have believed you. Alas, here we are and I could not be more proud of this huge accomplishment!

lifewithlilred is truly a labor of love and there is nothing better to me than sitting down at my laptop every morning and sharing anything and everything with my dear readers. It is a place for me to celebrate the joy of writing and, hopefully, a place for you to have some fun! My blog is a mixture of all of my favorite things – fashion, beauty, books, horror and everything in between. For twelve years, I have carved out a little nook on the World Wide Web that is completely my own and even if no one read my blog, I would still be writing it. My page makes me so happy and my life wouldn’t feel the same without it.

My blog has changed my life in so many positive ways. I made a best friend and I have fostered connections with countless cool people all around the globe. I was an incredibly lonely and sad person when lifewithlilred started and it opened up a whole new world to me. As my blog progressed, those feelings subsided significantly because it was doing exactly what I was hoping it would: To help me make friends. It was such an amazing gift to have people to communicate with no matter where they were located and I could do so in a medium I was fully comfortable with: Writing.

I have always loved to write and filled dozens of journals with my thoughts as a teen and twenty something. My journals were my friends and I turned to them when I felt like I had no one. Now, my journal is my blog and my friends are everyone that reads it! It makes my life feel so full and I genuinely can’t believe the good fortune I had when I threw caution to the wind and started my page. Within a month, I made a best friend who I have talked to all day every day since and that is the best possible outcome of all. I can’t wait to see who lifewithlilred is going to bring into my life every day and I am so glad you are all here with me!

To my beloved readers: Thank you for coming along on this ride. I love you all and here’s to another twelve years of blogging! ❤

How long have you been blogging for? How did you meet your best friend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep24

Proud Mini Mama

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Proud Mini Mama

Hello!! As you all know, my beloved Little Red Love Machine fell into recent disrepair and the effects were devastating. I just love that car so much and it really threw me for a loop to need to go car shopping immediately after making massive repairs. Time was, indeed, of the essence as I drive a lot for work and I needed a reliable car ASAFP. I dived headfirst into the car hunt with one make in mind: A Mini Cooper AKA my dream car. At first, the results were few and far between and I was coming up blank. In fact, I was ready to start looking for a Honda Fit instead when I found Junior courtesy of MINI Of Pittsburgh!

As soon as I saw Junior, I had to have it and called the Pittsburgh dealership first thing in the morning the day after Labor Day. I let the representatives know that I wanted to put a down payment on it right away and by two that afternoon, Junior was mine all mine! Because my transportation to Pittsburgh would be questionable at best in the LRLM, the kind folks at MINI Of Pittsburgh agreed to meet me and my dad the following week halfway in Youngstown. We made our trip this past Wednesday and I am so proud to present my Junior:

I met with the dealership representatives at a McDonald’s in Youngstown for the pick up and to sign paperwork. Hey, wherever works as long as I got my car! As the golden arches approached closer, my dad and I could see my Mini waiting in the parking lot just for me. She was even more glorious than I could have imagined and it was so amazing to see her in real life as all I had were semi blurry shots from the AutoTrader listing. I got a tutorial on how the car operates, signed my name on the dotted lines, enjoyed a Mickey D’s breakfast with my dad, and then it was time to take her home!

Making the hour drive home from Youngstown was the perfect introduction to Junior because it’s a straight shot on the highway to get back to Akron. As soon as I got behind the wheel I couldn’t stop smiling to save my own life and it felt SO good! It was a mix of excitement, pride, and relief and it was a total and complete thrill to hit the highway in this zippy little Mini. Driving Junior just felt right and I am still not over my good fortune that my dream car seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Right when I was about to give up! My Junior and I are truly a match made in heaven and, although nothing will fully replace the Little Red Love Machine, this is a great place to start. ❤

My life goal of owning a Mini Cooper is officially checked off the list. Thank you a million times over to MINI Of Pittsburgh for their excellent care and making this process as easy as pie. Highly, HIGHLY recommend if you are in the area!!

What is your dream car? What was your first car? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug29

Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

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Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

Hi!! There was a very important birthday earlier this week – my best friend Lea was the birthday girl!! Between her recent engagement and big day, there has been so much to celebrate and it brings me an incredible amount of joy. Johnny and I loved being able to enjoy her post engagement party with friends and family and her and I shared a delicious Mexican meal at El Meson for her b-day. For the past eighteen years and change Lea and I have celebrated our birthdays together and I would say a hefty portion of our festivities took place at El Meson lol. It is the best! Regardless of how long we have been besties, it is always special to be together for our special days and I can’t wait for eighteen more years of summer birthdays! ❤

Lea makes life sparkle. She is one of the most vibrant, kind, hilarious, energetic, goofy gals I have ever met and being her friend is like having permanent sunshine. She single-handedly made high school not suck and all of the years that followed, for that matter. It’s kind of insane that we became best friends in freshman year of high school and have not had one fight that entire time. But that’s just what our friendship is. This sounds cheesy but we literally have a soul connection and have no care for anything but fun when we are together. Even during the hardships that life brings, we emerge from our hang outs feeling lighter because we have been laughing for hours on end!

My girl has accomplished so much in her life and is easily one of the hardest workers I know. It makes me unspeakably proud because even during struggles she still came out on top and is perfectly happy with where she is at. We all are too because she is going to make the most beautiful bride and I wish that her wedding was next weekend! The pleasure is truly all mine to be a part of her milestones and cheering her on every step of the way. Just like she does for me. ❤ I don’t know how I lucked out so hard to have a best girl like her!

To my darling best friend going eighteen years strong:

Happy birthday!!!! I love you so!!!!

Are you celebrating any birthdays soon? How long have you been best friends with your bestie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug17

Hurray For 37K!

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Hurray For 37K!

Howdy! As you all know, I am a word girl through and through and writing on my blog is my favorite form of content creating. I begrudgingly scroll through Facebook and very rarely watch videos because I just don’t want to lol. This sentiment remains even though I have a TikTok now! The only videos I watch are the ones my best friend posts and that is all I need! Although I don’t care to watch videos, I have learned that making them is kind of fun and have enjoyed making daily content for my TikTok for the past year and change. My expectations for my TikTok is negative zero but I do feel pretty proud of it as I am not a video girl whatsoever. Which is why I am pleased to report that I just had a 10K come up!

During my last TikTok check in in February, I had 27K likes and gained 10K more in the past half a year. Is 37K likes an outrageous amount? Not in the slightest. Is my self worth based on the number of likes I get? Only slightly. Lol, I kid!! But, hey, I think it’s cool and that’s all that matters. Yes, my videos get like three hundred views. No, I am not a Spielberg level content creator. However, making TikToks just opens up another pathway to be creative in social media and that it what I like the best! My TikTok is essentially just an extension of my blog and it’s exciting to introduce lifewithlilred to potential new viewers.

Starting my TikTok was such a spur of the moment thing that took me far outside of my comfort zone which is why it’s important to me to celebrate big milestones. I definitely consider this 10K increase to be one! Somewhere out there are three hundred people taking the time to watch my subpar videos and, to me, that’s meaningful. My blog started with the mission of making new friends and I feel the same way about my TikTok page. In the great big void of constant video uploads, there could be a new friend, a new reader, or someone simply just passing by. My videos are a little glimpse into Lil Red’s world just like my blog is and I SO appreciate any and all love for it. ❤

50K TikTok likes is my next goal and I am going to be elated when that happens. Stop by my TikTok to help me reach it!

What is your favorite social media platform? How often do you post on social media? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug12

Best Weekend Ever!!

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Best Weekend Ever!!

Hi!! This past Friday was the most fantastic, wonderful day because my Johnny and I got to celebrate the engagement of my best friend of almost two decades, Lea! Her fiance, Zack, planned this day so beautifully with a proposal at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and a party with family and friends afterwards at the HiHo Brewing Company. We had the best time mingling with friends new and old and it was so special to be a part of my best girl’s big day. I am beyond excited to be included in all of the wedding fun but the most excited for Lea to be treated like the queen she is every day. She truly deserves nothing less! ❤

Ever since our freshman year of high school in *gasp* 2008, Lea and I have been with each other through thick and thin. For two years shy of twenty, we have been together for wins and losses, birthdays and holidays, and transitioning from clueless teens to slightly less clueless adults lol. I would not want anyone other than her by my side and am so incredibly lucky to have a friend like her. My Lea is the most hilarious, selfless, kind, intelligent person and to know her really is to love her. She lights up a room with her infectious smile and laugh and treats everyone she meets like a dear friend. It has been such a joy to essentially grow up with her and it has brought us into the here and now on her big engagement! ❤

Johnny and I were both so touched to have been thought of to join the engagement partay and it meant the world to share in the happy couple’s happiness!!! Both Lea and Zack were glowing and it legit radiated as if a spotlight were on them. My main squeeze and I have really been enjoying getting to know Zack since they started dating and he has always been a part of our ragtag family. It’s just official now!! I can’t wait to watch their relationship continue to blossom as they prepare for their biggest adventure yet. I will be there cheering them on and probably crying a little every step of the way!!

Here’s to my best girl on her engagement!! I love you forever and a day, darling!!!

How long have you been friends with your bestie? Do you have any special occasions coming up? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun7

Happy Birthday To Me!!

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Happy Birthday To Me!!

Oh hey!!! Guess what?! Today is my thirty-second birthday… AHHHH!! As the old saying goes, another year older another year sexier, amiright? As I traverse my way through my thirties, I have truly come to the realization that age is nothing but a number and I am so excited to see what this year has in store for me. I know I have a fun summer and fall coming up! Lots of concerts including The Strokes, Josh Groban, and Billy Idol as well as a family vacation to Italy. Yeah, thirty-two sounds pretty good to me!

As I reflect on this past year, I have found that it was a great one – primarily because I am back in the social media game and I am so happy about that! Thirty-one blessed me with lots of cool opportunities for both work and play like a fabulous trip to New Orleans with my sister and a big wedding celebration for my cousin. My family, friends, and beloved bunnies are in good health, Johnny and I continue to go strong with our fifth wedding anniversary and life has been good. Who could ask for anything more?!

There are so many things that I’m looking forward to this year and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. Especially celebrating my twelve year blogiversary in August! For close to twelve years, lifewithlilred has been such a special part of my life and it brings me so much joy to sit down at the keyboard every morning and tune you all in to the latest and greatest. I am so appreciative to any and everyone who has stopped by in my little corner of the internet. My hope is that my page is just as much of a safe haven for you as it is for me whether you have been a long term reader or a new friend. My readers are what make lifewithlilred shine and I couldn’t do it without all of you. Here’s to thirty-two and sharing in it all together!

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!

Jun4

Our Fifth Wedding Anniversary

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Our Fifth Wedding Anniversary

Howdy! Today is a fantastic, wonderful day because it is mine and Johnny’s five year wedding anniversary!! Rather, it is the middle part of our birthaversary week with Johnny’s birthday being on the first and mine falling on the seventh. We always joke that it makes it easier to remember everything but we both revel in our week of celebrations and I love how our special dates are arranged! What are the odds that I would fall head over heels with a guy whose birthday is so close to mine?! Let’s take a stroll down memory lane with some of these wedding shots:

Johnny is my main squeeze and has been since the first moment we met. It was truly a case of love at first sight and we have barely been apart since we started dating over six years ago. I wouldn’t want it any other way! To celebrate our birthaversary, we have a full hodge podge of activities planned. A party with friends and family, a big lunch with my family, all of the concerts, and all of the video games too! Our primary prezzies were concert tickets to three shows at Blossom – The Strokes, Josh Groban (lol), and Billy Idol. I am SO excited to extend our festivities throughout the summer with our lineup. We are seeing The Strokes in the next few weeks and I can’t wait! 🙂

I’m genuinely not sure what you are supposed to gift your partner with for different anniversaries but I’m pretty confident it isn’t music and video games. Isn’t it paper and pearls and stuff? But it sure works for us! We recently got a Switch 2 and purchased games for each other as well. The new Mario Kart for Johnny and Pokopia for me. It is basically like Animal Crossing but Pokemon and I have been playing it every day since Johnny got it for me. I am a woman obsessed! Oh – and we also got some really stellar Taco Bell this past weekend as an early celebration and that was just the tops. What can I say? We like what we like!

Five years of marital bliss with my Johnny went by so quickly and I still can’t quite believe my fairy tale. I am the luckiest girl in the world!

How do you celebrate anniversaries? Are you going to a concert soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Labubu Or Lafufu?!

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Labubu Or Lafufu?!

Hello! It’s so amazing how quickly trends come and go. Less than a year ago it was all Labubu everything and I feel like they are nonexistent now! When Labubu came out, I would be a liar if I said I didn’t covet one. They are truly the textbook definition of “ugly cute” and I do love me a collectable. During the Labubu craze, I visited a store that sold them and walked out when I saw the eighty dollar price tag. That was that, I suppose lol. For Christmas, my husband offered to buy me one and I politely declined as I just can’t justify a purchase like that. I had honestly forgotten about them until I returned home from work last Thursday to a surprise:

When I walked in the door, I immediately clocked what I am ninety-nine percent confident is a Lafufu clipped to Johnny’s backpack. I literally gasped! He ceremonially removed it from his bag and proudly handed it to me. As soon as it was in my arms I hugged it to my chest like a kid! One of Johnny’s coworkers bought them in bulk and offered one to him which he gladly accepted as he knew how much I would love it. How right he was because I just can’t get enough of this fuzzy little something. I burst into a smile every time I see it. 🙂 ❤

I’d like to go back and retract my statement of being ninety-nine percent confident that this is a Lafufu to one hundred percent sure. I gave it a quick cuddle in between typing this and one of its little hands fell off lol. I’m SO sure that a real Labubu doesn’t have that problem! You know what I have to say about that? Who cares? Certainly not me! Real or fake, I finally have one of my own. It might not have the official QR code or sturdy hands and feet but it is mine and I think it’s perfect. I know my nieces will want to take my Lafufu home with them when they see it but this lil buddy is staying safe and sound at chez moi! 😀

I was going to ask all of you to chime in on the Labubu/Lafufu status but I answered that question myself. So, in conclusion – YAY because it is the best Lafufu in the world!

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

Feb23

Hurray For 27K!

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Hurray For 27K!

Howdy! Way back in March of 2025, I saw myself out of a crappy job and had a bit of free time to kill before booking myself up again with clients. I enjoyed some much needed downtime and while I was shooting some content at home, I decided to go ahead and make a TikTok too. As you all know, I am a word girl through and through and pivoting to video content was a big leap for me. Like when I started my blog, my main priority with TikTok was having some fun being creative. And you know what? It has been fun! For almost a year now I have been posting daily content on my TikTok too and I’m really proud of that effort because it still seems like a polar opposite world to writing on the ol’ blog. I am also incredibly pleased with the results as I just crossed the threshold to twenty-seven thousand likes!

If you have ever found yourself thinking “Wow, I wish I had more Lil Red in my life”, then I would so love it if you followed me on TikTok. Even if you have never had that thought, I would so love it if you followed me on TikTok! It’s a goofy little corner of the internet with my daily antics, bonus OOTD content, and delightful cameos that include Johnny, my parents, and Archie the family dog. My bunny babies, Melvin and Penelope, never sit still enough to bask in their cuteness! There’s no rhyme or reason to what I post and I refuse to follow trending content. Rather, I post what I like and the fact that I have 27K likes to show for it is crazy to me! 😀

I am so close to thirty thousand likes that I can taste it. To some, that might not seem like a lot. To me, it is a huge validation. My TikTok really is just a for funsies page and the fact that I am having a blast and have some likes to show for it is a major feather in my cap. Do I expect to be a major TikTok influencer? Absolutely not and that is a-okay! My reward has been far greater. It has given me even more confidence in my content creating ability and it feels good to carve out another space that is just for me. A space to explore a different medium of creating, give exclusive looks that you don’t see on the blog, and hopefully put a smile on someone’s face. This 27K might as well be twenty-seven million and I am so excited to continue with my daily content streak. ❤

When you are sick of doom scrolling, take a breather on my TikTok. I can’t wait to see you there!! 🙂

What if your favorite social media platform? What is your favorite medium of content? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan29

Sweet Surprises: Eos Hand Cream Edition

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Sweet Surprises: Eos Hand Cream Edition

Hello! I am so lucky because my family freaking rocks. I have the coolest siblings, the coolest nieces and nephew, and the coolest parents. Johnny and I live not even five minutes away from chez parents and I swear it’s not close enough. I just love spending time with all of them so much and trust and believe we’re texting nonstop when I’m not at their place. While any time with any of my family members is my favorite, I am especially partial to shopping trips with my mom. This has been a staple in our relationship since I was little. What can I say, I’ve always loved fashion! During our last TJs trip together, my mom helped me pick out a gorgeous new purse. The following day, she surprised me with a little treat to keep handy as I tote around my Antik Kraft saddlebag:

If I had to estimate the amount of times I have heard my mom say “Open your hands and close your eyes and I’ll give you a big surprise” since my youth, I would say it’s in the hundreds lol. No matter how old we get, she still repeats that sentiment when she picks one of us up a little something and it is still so exciting. This time around, my surprise was a perfect purse sized Eos hand cream in Vanilla Cashmere. I am a vanilla fragrance gal just like my mom and I always associate that scent with her. (As well as her beloved discontinued perfume from The Body Shop called Leap!) This travel size bottle of hand cream was such a lovely nod to our shopping adventure and it makes me smile whenever I am rummaging through my purse.

All of you know that TJMaxx is my happy place. Yes, I love the fashion but I also love the memories that flood over me whenever I walk into the store. I have the fondest recollections of shopping there with my grandma (My mom’s mom) and my mom too. Three generations of us gals shopping till we drop and having fun exploring our own personal styles. Whenever I have a hankering to go to the Maxx, I always ask my mom if she wants to join me because it’s so special to walk the aisles with her. From a little girl to a grown woman, TJMaxx is our sanctuary. Hallowed grounds to let the store tell us what we need. Simply having the hand cream that my mom got me in the bag that I got with her brightens my day because it brings back so many happy days we had together doing my favorite thing… Shopping! ❤

My mom is the queen of Sweet Surprises and the queen of Best Mom Ever. I am the luckiest girl in the whole world! 🙂

What do you keep in your purse? Where is your favorite place to shop? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah