Tag Archives: happy

May15

Mother’s Day Weekend (The Best!)

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Mother’s Day Weekend (The Best!)

Howdy!! I don’t know about all of you, but I had an absolutely joyous (albeit exhausting) Mother’s Day Weekend. My brother, his wife, and my precious niece and nephew flew in from Georgia and it was the first time we have all been together since Christmas. While my brother was in town, my parents and Johnny and I were also giving a hand to my sister and brother-in-law by watching our other two darling nieces so they could enjoy a much deserved weekend trip. Needless to say, we had a very full house but it was nowhere near as full as my heart!

Over the weekend, we got to spend so much quality time with my family and it was very special. I loved being able to play, play, play with my nieces and nephew, our big dinner out on Friday for Mexican food, and a slumber party with Val Gal afterwards. Then, Johnny and I returned back to chez parents on Saturday for some extra time with everyone before my brother and his family went home. Johnny and I were completely tuckered out by the time we returned to our apartment and spent all day Sunday not moving lol.

Although Johnny and I are very firm on not having children, this weekend honestly felt like a Mother’s Day celebration for me too. My husband and I take the role of fun aunt and uncle extremely seriously and we love our nieces and nephew as if they were our own kids. Being together with all of them was, truly, the greatest gift in the world. I mean, I know I was living my best life all weekend so I can’t even imagine how incredibly happy my mom felt! ❤

As a bunny mom, I was expecting nothing for Mother’s Day and that was so perfectly fine. I was already feeling all of the Christmas Day vibes and it doesn’t get better than that. However, Johnny made sure I got a little something from our sweet Melvin and Penelope. Check it out:

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Before we went to our family dinner on Friday, Johnny was bent down at the bunny hutch saying goodbye. When he stood up, he told me he found something for me in the cage and handed me the most adorable card from my bunny children and himself. Like I said, I wanted and expected nothing and I was tickled by this surprise. As always, I have the best husband ever and it felt so good to know that he and the bunnies both appreciate the highest level of care that I give them. It was a very happy Mother’s Day Weekend, indeed. 🙂

Being with my whole family over the weekend was like a cure all and I treasured every minute of it. I can’t wait for the next time we are altogether again!

How did you celebrate Mother’s Day? Do you get together with your whole family often? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May7

Midweek Date Night

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Midweek Date Night

Hello! Johnny and I have very demanding schedules for work and we both tend to be up around three in the morning most days of the week. Because of this, it is extremely rare for us to do anything during the work week because we are too tired. Not to mention that we both go to bed around six o’clock lol. On Monday, I accepted a new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager. On Tuesday, Johnny asked if I wanted to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Meson, on Wednesday to celebrate. I was absolutely shook when he brought it up and happily accepted his offer!

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All day on Wednesday, I was looking forward to our date night and was using all of my strength to will time into going faster. We left for El Meson as soon as I got home from work and I was buzzing the whole way there. I literally can’t remember the last time we did a dinner date during the week! At the restaurant, we were having so much fun sipping on tasty margs and feeling dizzy with delight over my new opportunity. Our first date was on a Thursday and I told Johnny that this felt like our first date.

After we finished our meal, Johnny asked for a to go cup for the rest of his margarita. I realized I needed one too and followed our server to the bar to ask him for one more. As I returned to our table, I got stopped by a few people sitting at the bar. One of the ladies asked if Johnny and I were on our first date because we both looked so happy. She couldn’t believe it when I told her that we have been together for almost five years and I actually just told Johnny that our evening felt like our first date. We both got a little weepy about it and it was so incredibly sweet. Then, Johnny and I joked that we were just really good at faking our happiness lol – classic!

I truly did have all of the first date feels during our celebratory dinner date and I love that this was apparent to other El Meson patrons. I felt so spoiled to be taken out to my favorite restaurant and am so thankful to have such a stand up guy! ❤

What was the best first date you have been on? What is your favorite restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr15

Slumber Partayyy!

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Slumber Partayyy!

Hello! Johnny and I take our title of “Fun Aunt and Uncle” to our sweet nieces and nephew very seriously. We delight in treat days, outings, and surprises to further solidify that we are the best lol and we have the best time doing it! As often as we can, we like to have our niece, Val Gal, over for slumber parties for an evening of playing music, crafts, movies, and snacks. Surprisingly, I had the day off this past Thursday and was so excited to be able to host our lil BFF. I was SO tired the next day, but that’s a small price to pay for such a wonderful time! Check it out:

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When my sister dropped Val off at chez nous, lil buddy immediately went into her overnight bag for a surprise for me and Johnny. She bought us chips with her own money and made an origami bunny with her dad for us too. It was so sweet I could have cried because it’s usually the other way around for who’s getting a little gift! Before dinner, Val wanted to play music with Johnny and he is always happy to accommodate. He got them matching ukuleles for her third birthday and she brings it every time she comes over so they can play together. My heart! ❤

After our music block, it was time for dinner and a show and we watched our all time favorite, Vivo. It is a slumber party staple and it gets me every time. I love singing along to all of the songs with bestie! We noshed on mac n cheese and ice cream sundaes, then we spent the rest of the movie time painting together. I decided to make a picture for Val in a rainbow motif and then I wrote her name on it. She wanted to do the same thing for me and I came in with the assist to help her finish it. I love my painting so much and it has a very special place on my art wall with all of the crafts she has made for Johnny and I.

We spent the rest of the evening holding the bunnies, running around the apartment like crazy people, and watching a bit of Elf before bed. The following morning, I got up extra early so I could work before she woke up. Val threw an adorable wrench in my plans because she got up extra early so she could have more time with me! We finished Elf and before I took her home, we broke out her new diary and wrote an entry and drew pictures together about our slumber partay. It was absolutely precious and I’m not sure which one of us had more fun!

Being an aunt brings me so much joy and Johnny feels the same about his uncle status. We love every minute with our lil besties and we both agreed that this was one of our best slumber parties yet!

Did you have a favorite aunt or uncle growing up? How do you like to spoil your family? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Happy Memories

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Happy Memories

Hello!! I am one of those people who opens up Facebook as soon as I get up in the morning. It’s part of my little wake up ritual. I check my notifications, I look at my memories, I complete a French lesson on Duolingo, then I get up and start my day. Sometimes, the Facebook memories are nice. Sometimes, they are a reminder of total assholes (lol). And, sometimes, they are the most cringy statuses I have ever seen in my life!! On March 13th, however, was a very happy Facebook memory indeed. It was the three year anniversary of when Johnny and I got engaged!!

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^^^ We look so young!! Also LOL at how big the ring was – definitely needed that resized!

Before I met Johnny, I was in bad relationship after even worse relationships. I had completely sworn off dating after things ended with the guy I was dating before Johnny… Until my now husband asked me out for a drink, of course! It was a real deal instance of love at first sight and we were inseparable after our first date. In fact, we often say that we could have gotten married the day we met and would still be exactly where we are right now. In my heart of hearts, I genuinely believe that to be true.

I hate to admit, but I kind of forgot about our engagement anniversary these past few years because we weren’t engaged for long. We got married less than three months later so that’s the day that is always on my radar. As I said before, Facebook memories can be the worst or they can be the best. Waking up and seeing the picture we took after Johnny popped the question was the most wonderful way to start my day. Johnny and I spent the brief time we have together in the morning reminiscing about it and he was just as surprised by the three year anniversary as I was. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one and I’ll be looking forward to seeing upcoming memories of our wedding prep and day as we approach June 4th and celebrate our birthaversary week. 🙂

Although Johnny and I needed a Facebook memory to remember the actual anniversary of our engagement, we remember the day like it was yesterday. Maybe I’ll have to upload the video of when Johnny proposed soon because it was literally perfect! ❤

Are you good at remembering special dates or do you need reminders? What is something cringy from your Facebook memories today? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb10

New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

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New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

Hello!! There are a few things about my apartment that drives me absolutely nuts. One of which is my under the sink cabinet in the bathroom. At my old apartment, both of these cabinets opened perfectly and I was able to house all of my beauty care supplies. Here, however, the left cabinet is stuck something fierce and it is a pain to open. You literally have to rain blows upon it from the inside to get it to open and it is incredibly annoying. It also makes it very difficult to store all of my products because I can essentially only use one side of the cabinet. So, I decided on a simple AF solution that I am so happy with:

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As all of you know, I take my beauty stock pile seriously and it currently runneth over with skin care and Bath & Body Works hauls. What I love most about my hoard is being able to see all of the products and choosing which one to use next because it’s kind of like going shopping. This experience wasn’t possible with the cabinets so I used a chest of drawers to keep all of my goodies in instead. These drawers are old as dirt and I wasn’t using them for anything important – just random odds and ends that I had completely forgot about lol. I did find a ton of socks that I had convinced myself were gone for good, though, so that was a huge score!

Once I cleared out the top two shelves and condensed them to the bottom two, I began to fill each drawer. Bath and body care on the top shelf and skin care on the second one. This process was done in a flash, but it felt so good to do! I always consider my wardrobe to be my own personal boutique and now I get the same vibes with my beauty care. It was most pleasing to line them up in the order I wanted and have a visual of everything. It was pretty hard to tell what I even had in the cabinets when everything was piled on top of each other. In fact, I ended up finding tons of travel size B&BW freebies that got lost in the mix and is proof that this quick fix project needed to happen. 😀

Is this an HGTV level renovation? Not even HGTV Junior lol! But, I was able to problem solve and no longer have to punch my cabinet to get things out of it. Total GREAT SUCCESS!

What is a project you completed recently? What are your favorite things to stock up on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan30

Work Goals Achieved (YES!)

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Work Goals Achieved (YES!)

Howdy! As the transition from 2022 and 2023 happened, one of my main goals was to work a lot more online. While I love my job as an Independent Provider, I wanted to try new things too and what I was most interested in was taking my online work to a new level. This was such an “asked and answered” situation because on January 4th of 2023, I began working as the in house writer for a tech entrepreneur in Massillon, Ohio. This was an absolute dream come true!

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With this job came the responsibilities of handling social media for several different accounts, writing blog posts and press releases, as well as office admin work. It honestly doesn’t even feel like work because it is so much fun! Like my job as an Independent Provider, I know that it’s something that I’m not only excellent at, but I genuinely enjoy too. It truly doesn’t get much better than that and I have lifewithlilred to thank. That is how I got noticed for this opportunity in the first place. ❤

At the end of 2023, my time with a long term client came to an unfortunate end and that was really hard for me. I assumed that I would be working with that family for forever and I was wrong. It was also stressful because I needed to find a way to make up for the hours lost. Once again, asked and answered. My online boss gave the okay for additional hours on Monday and, better yet, I get to do that in person! Every Monday, I have been going into the office for training and am learning so much. It gives me the chance to work with the companies my boss owns in an entirely new way and it is thrilling!

The cherry on top to my online work extravaganza has been accepting another new role. Starting this past December, I became the social media manager for a local metalcore band called Constellations. I created all of their social media pages from scratch and handle their content calendars, scheduling, and promoting. This is something that I have wanted for so long and I am very proud of myself for taking the plunge and tossing my hat in the ring when they were looking to hire someone. I took a big chance and it paid off big time. 😀

It’s safe to say that I am a pretty busy gal between all of my jobs, but it is the best kind of busy ever. I love everything that I do and I can’t wait to see what opportunities come my way next!

Have you achieved any goals recently? What is your favorite part about your job? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec4

A Lil Red Update

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A Lil Red Update

Helloooo darlings! Is it just me or have these past few months been crazy? I feel like I have been going nonstop and am so looking forward to Christmas break even though I literally just took time off for Thanksgiving lol. Even though I have been on the move between all of my jobs and I am exhausted, it hasn’t been bad at all! In fact, I have made quite a few changes to my work schedule and have been enjoying it – even though this change requires me to get up at three AM a few mornings during the work week. 😮 So early, I know but so worth it!

Since October I have been providing transportation to one of my old clients to take him to work. I pick him up at seven thirty in the morning, but that doesn’t mean that I can sleep in until I have to leave. After lots of mental math, I realized that I would need to get up at three for my morning to go like usual. Get up, work out, take care of the bunnies, shower, take the buns out to play, write, and work from home for my other job for two hours. After all of this, it takes me to seven o’clock when I have to leave.

The mornings are a doozy, for sure, but I have so loved seeing my old client again that I don’t even care. What’s even better is that our day together doesn’t end once we get to his job because I have recently became his job coach too! I got my job coaching certification a few years ago for another client and, unfortunately, it fell through. I never sought out another client for that particular aspect of my job so it was most exciting for the opportunity to give it a shot. I like to think I’m rocking it, but my client takes the cake and it has been a great experience for both of us. 🙂

My work in the field isn’t the only thing that has been keeping me busy busy because online work has been nuts too. Gotta love peak advertising season! Between lifewithlilred, my job as an in house writer for a tech entrepreneur, and potentially creating a podcast with a local celebrity, it’s safe to say that I have had a lot of quality time with my computer. It’s a lot, yes, but once again it is extremely fulfilling and I am thrilled with all of the ways that my different jobs have been taking off. I feel so proud of myself and it keeps me motivated to keep working hard to achieve even more of my goals.

With all of these changes to my work schedule, I am patting myself on the back and giving myself an “attagirl” for being all done with my holiday shopping! I knew there was a reason that I started around August because it’s one less thing I have to worry about now. Well… Except for wrapping everything lol but, otherwise, it’s a wrap. I can’t wait to keep working my hardest until my holiday break and hope the new year starts just as strong!

What has been going on in your wonderful world? How has work been going for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov15

Memories Of Misnyland

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Memories Of Misnyland

Hello!! Way back in May, Ohio’s premier personal injury/medical malpractice lawyer, Tim Misny, launched an online store called Misny Merch. I’m sure all of you are thinking “big deal”, but in my neck of the woods it actually really is lol. Anyone who lives in Ohio knows Tim Misny and he is a much beloved staple across the state thanks to his A+ billboard marketing. When the merch shop opened, there was a contest to show off your new swag for a chance to win an afternoon with Tim at his home called Misnyland. So, my dad got me some Misny Merch to rock for my birthday, I posted a Misny To The Max OOTD, and I ended up being a contest winner!

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^^^ The man, the myth, the legend.

Originally, the spoils of winning the contest was a summer BBQ at Misnyland. However, it had to be rescheduled to this past weekend for a Fall Fest instead. On Friday, Johnny and I made the trip to Misnyland and I was filled with butterflies during the entire almost hour drive. I was SO nervous to meet Tim and had no idea what to expect for the party on his property. Johnny and I were blown away when we pulled into Misnyland – the estate was gigantic, of course, and it was hard to believe that we were actually attending a party there. It was even harder to believe that we were personally welcomed by Tim as soon as we arrived!

During the party, Johnny and I met some fabulous new friends who we spent the afternoon with. We took a golf cart tour of Misnyland, had lunch, and mingled with the other contest winners and Tim himself. It was such a surreal afternoon, but it gets so much better. As the party was dying down, I asked Tim for some pictures as well as if he had time for a quick Q&A. He agreed, we went into his hunting lodge, and I ended up interviewing him for about thirty minutes. I think we could have talked all day if he didn’t have to bid farewell to the other guests! It was one of the coolest experiences of my life and it was easily the best thing my blog has ever done for me. I’m so glad I worked up the nerve to even ask him because that was a coin toss in my head the whole afternoon. 😀

There is SO much more to come from my time spent at Misnyland. Keep it locked for a brand new OOTD, bloopers, another OOTD with some new Misny Merch, and snippets from our interview. You don’t want to miss it!!

Who is a local celebrity in your neck of the woods? Have you ever won a contest before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Remember that proceeds from every Misny Merch purchase benefits the Cleveland City Mission! ❤

Nov5

Sleeping Good, Feeling Great

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Sleeping Good, Feeling Great

Hello!! I have had a few appointments with my new therapist and it has been most helpful! She is seriously the best and is so much fun to talk to – it’s almost like I’m venting to a friend and I really like that. I have noticed a significant difference in my mood already just by being able to vocalize some of the things that have been weighing on my mind. Another big change that I made other than therapy is finding someone new to handle my medication management and that has been a HUGE success!

It’s incredibly important to get professional help for your well-being when you’re struggling mentally. There are some great services out there, like this website, that you can look into when it comes to improving your mental health and well-being in general.

Prior to the new person I have been going to for med management, I was just seeing a general practitioner. He was fine, but our appointments literally only lasted like two minutes and it was expensive as all get out. So, I decided to make an appointment with a nurse practitioner who works in the same office as my therapist. My only regret? That I didn’t do it sooner because she is awesome and prescribed me a new medication that has seriously changed my life.

This past summer, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I have always suffered from night terrors, but it was getting to be SO extreme. There was a point when I was only having a handful of night terrors per week and it turned into an every single night affair. For months, I was waking up every night screaming and it was horrible for both me and Johnny. It was so hard to fall back asleep after I jarred us awake from screaming bloody murder and we were going through life exhausted.

I had no idea that there was a medication that could help with my night terrors, so I never brought it up. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my nurse practitioner told me that there was something that she could prescribe! Since taking this new medication, I have not had one single night terror. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. I don’t think I realized how sleep deprived I was until I was actually getting a good night’s sleep for the first time in months.

Now that I am sleeping better, I feel energized, my mood has improved, and my work days don’t feel anywhere near as daunting. Normally, I would be too fatigued by the time the weekend rolled around to do anything. Now, Johnny and I have had outings with friends, family, and ourselves every weekend. It’s fun! I feel more like myself than I have in months and I am so thankful that I am finally sleeping through the night. The power of being well rested is a real thing!

If you feel like you are struggling, I can’t encourage you enough to seek help. It might feel scary, but you are going to feel so much better and I am proof of that. I know you can do it! ❤

What is something that helps you sleep well? Do you dream a lot when you sleep? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct16

How To Bring A Little Joy Into Your Life

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How To Bring A Little Joy Into Your Life

Many times in a person’s life they can find themselves feeling stuck in a rut, deflated, or that there is nothing positive happening. If you feel like this, then it could be for many reasons. One of which could simply be that you are not giving yourself the time you deserve to enjoy the possibilities that life is presenting you. So, whether it is cutting out negative habits, creating new and healthy ones, or simply allowing yourself time to relax, here are several ways in which you can bring a little joy into your life:

Limit your time on social media:

Social media is still a relatively new thing as far as human existence goes. Although it has brought about many new and exciting possibilities, it also has some fairly negative attributes associated with it. Many people can find themselves consuming social media for hours, and letting the days slip by without doing the important things that make them happy. When consuming a large amount of social media it can be hard to detach from what you are consuming, and many people find themselves constantly comparing their lives to those they see online. Both of these situations can impact your mental health in a negative way, and suck the joy out of your life. To combat this, you should consider limiting your time on social media, and instead give that free time to yourself. Even if you do nothing and simply relax, this is better than an all evening social media session.

Find something fun to do outside:

It is no secret that many people, whether they realize it or not, gain huge benefits and satisfaction by spending time outside. If you can couple that with doing a fun activity or having new experiences, then you will significantly increase the joy you experience in life. Whether you live by the sea or a lake and want to learn the basics about paddle boarding, or perhaps if you live near the woods and want to explore your local areas and find out about all the wildlife, consider getting yourself outside and doing something fun to live more fully.

Make time for your loved ones:

Humans are meant to be social creatures. Although it’s perfectly fine to spend time alone, often you will experience a larger amount of joy when spending time with loved ones. This could be anything from taking a vacation together, to simply eating regular meals together. As long as you are enjoying each other’s company is all that matters!

Treat yourself:

If you want to truly boost your happiness in life, you need to learn how to be your own best friend. Do you need to take a break? Take it. Do you want to have that treat? Have it. Do you want to do something different? Do it. Self-love is one of the best ways in which a person can bring a little extra joy into their life.

There are many other ways in which you can bring joy into your life, but why not consider these first?

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