Tag Archives: lilred

Jun19

Reunited And It Feels So Good!

Posted on by
Standard
Reunited And It Feels So Good!

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

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

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

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

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

IMG_3828[1]

^^^ Best friends!!!! #besties

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

Jun17

Woman Crush Wednesday: Ruby Rose Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Woman Crush Wednesday: Ruby Rose Edition

Whatsup everyone and happy Hump Day! Ohmygod guys, homegirl just worked up a sweat. I just finished a timed exam that was an hour and a half long in one hour and twenty-eight minutes. I seriously feel like I’m going to have a heart attack!! But luckily that’s all over and now as I kick back with Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” playing on the ol’ iPod I can get my blog on. Today is Woman Crush Wednesday and after completing season three of Orange Is The New Black two days ago I need to give a #WCW shout out to the beautiful Miss Ruby Rose!

pretty

^^^ It seemed appropriate. Alright, here we go:

Dear Ruby Rose,

Welcome to the world of lifewithlilred, you gorgeous Australian goddess, you. Last time I did a #WCW post on here, it was for my sister…but that post was made out of love and not in the crush way which would be weird considering she’s my sister. However, you are my legitimate woman crush. I described my school girl swooning over you to my friends as “the way I could imagine a teenage boy would feel” and I am not mad about it for a second. You are simply stunning. You have a one million kilowatt smile, perfect skin, the coolest haircut ever, and a rockin bod. Can I get a hubba hubba and an amen? As soon as your character was introduced on #OITNB my heart basically fell into my butt and I couldn’t watch you play Stella without the worst case of puppy dog eyes ever. How you make prison khakis look fabulous is beyond me! You are flawless and I am so happy to present you with Lil Red’s #WCW shout out post! I LOVE YOU!!! ❤

have mercy

^^^ In the words of Uncle Jesse, Full House style…Have mercy. #damn

So there you have it everyone, my #WCW for the week! If any of you are in a giving mood and feel like sharing this post, PLEASE DO IT! Maybe, by some mystical power Ruby will see this and then we can meet each other and get married and live happily ever after. It would be a dream come true! :’) I hope all of you are having a great day so far! Who is your Woman Crush Wednesday? How do you feel about season three of #OITNB? (My sister and I both loved it!) I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun15

Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition

Whatupppppp everyone and happy Monday! It’s currently one thirty in the AM and I’m not very tired and I promised my sister that I would stop watching the new season of Orange Is The New Black without her, so I figured I would get the Monday Update out of the way now. I hope all of you had a great weekend! I know I did, thanks for asking! As you guys know, I spent my Friday night at the Horseshoe Casino (See article “Casino Adventures”) which was tons of fun – and the good times continued throughout Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a day of sleeping in, shopping, and date night. Sunday was a day of wonderful company, hair dye, family, and #OITNB. Best. Weekend. Ever!

On Saturday afternoon my mom and I were shopping around in the Fairlawn area and we happened to stumble into Bath & Body Works in the midst of their semi-annual sale. I’ve never been a huge B&BW fan, but holy moley their sale prices were incredible! I got six FULL SIZE (8 oz.) perfumes for the price of one original priced bottle – talk about a deal! As I’ve mentioned before, the only perfume that I wear is Victoria’s Secret’s “Enchanted Apple”, but unfortunately they don’t carry the fragrance year round. The only times they break that scent out is during their semi-annual sales, which is when I stock up on my perfume for the year. About a month ago, I finished my last of five bottles that I purchased during the last VS sale, so I’ve been using the random odds and ends fragrances that my sister and I have…Believe me, I’m not thrilled about it! I feel incomplete without my signature scent. BUT fear not, because I found a very similar apple-y fragrance from B&BW that I’m super obsessed with. B&BW’s “Country Apple” has the exact same sweet/tart fragrance that I love so much in “Enchanted Apple”, so best believe I bought five bottles to keep me going as well as one of their aquatic fragrances “Cool Amazon Rain”. I also stocked up on some dirt cheap lotions which make perfect add ons to birthday and holiday gifts. #BALLIN After shopping with my mama, it was time for date night with my darling, handsome prince Kyle. We went hard on appetizers and yummy drinks at Applebee’s and spent beautiful quality time with each other which was much much needed! Love him! ❤

Yesterday was a pretty chill day which was so nice after being out and about most nights last week. I met up with one of my dear friends, Scott, for some terrific conversation and coffee – which was an absolute joy. He’s definitely on my list of “Lil Red’s Favorite People in The World”! Once I got home in the mid afternoon, my sister and I binge watched #OITNB for a bit and then I got to work on dying my hair. I dye my locks once a month to keep my red fresh and vibrant and let me tell you, it’s a trip washing the dye out of my hair and watching all of the color come out. It straight up looks like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre happened in my shower every time. The rest of my evening was spent plucking my eyebrows to perfection (ayy!), annihilating at Scrabble, watching #OITNB once again, and here I am now getting my blog on!

So now that you guys know what my weekend was looking like, let me tell you all about how freaking excited I am for tonight! I’m going to see Glass Animals at the House Of Blues in Cleveland with one of my comrades and I’m seriously so pumped I could cry!!! I really lucked out when I found out that Glass Animals was playing in Cleveland last Thursday because if it wasn’t for Facebook I would have had no idea. While scrolling through my news feed on FB I happened to see a status from HOB advertising for the chance to win tickets to the show on Monday night. It was weird that it showed up on my news feed because I have yet to “like” HOB or Glass Animals on there, so there was no reason for it to show up – but I’m so beyond glad that it did! As soon as I saw that they were playing I bought tickets ASAP because there’s no way in hell that I would pass up seeing these guys live. I’ve been in love with Glass Animals since last September and I’ve told literally everyone who I’ve introduced their music to how much I would love to see them live. I can’t believe that in less than twenty-four hours I’ll be hanging out at the House Of Blues watching one of my favorite bands perform! AHHHH! June will definitely be a good month for concerts, because I’ll be back at HOB on the 30th to see one of my other favorites, AWOLNATION, compliments of my brother for my birthday. What a guy! I’m also pretty hyped because Family Of The Year is opening for them and I happen to really like them too! Exciting stuff!!

^^^ SO GOOD! Also, if you’re interested in shopping the semi-annual sale at Bath & Body Works, their offers are available online as well at: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/home/index.jsp! Happy shopping!

So there you have it, my Monday Update: Alright, Alright, Alright Edition! #MCCONAUGHEY!!!! Make sure you check back in with me at some point during the week to hear all about my Glass Animals concert experience! Is anyone going to any concerts coming up? What about any of the festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, or the Hangout Fest? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a lovely day! -Sarah

Jun11

Bark At The Park!!!

Posted on by
Standard
Bark At The Park!!!

Heyyy everyone and happy Thursday! I had a really fabulous night last night with my sister Kristen and her satanic dog Winston at Bark At The Park. Akron, Ohio’s minor league baseball team the Rubber Ducks play at Canal Park in downtown Akron and two times during the summer, you’re allowed to bring your pup to the game with you. Last night was obviously one of those nights so we got ourselves ready, packed up the devil dog, and was on our merry way! Now you guys may be thinking “Winston looks so cute, there’s no way that he’s as bad as Sarah says he is”. BUT on contrare – he’s literally the worst dog ever! Yes, he’s cute but he’s the biggest yippy yappy brat in the entire world! He loves to bite, bark, growl, and just be flat out annoying. The only person who he likes in my family is Kristen so the rest of us our left to suffer at the paws of a twelve pound dog. SHAMEFUL! Anyways, we got to Canal Park with Winston in tow, purchased our tickets, and found our seats in the “dog friendly” section of the park. Throughout the walkway there were huge kiddie pools filled with water and loving owners walking their tiny, small, medium, and flat out huge four legged (and sometimes three legged!) friends. Winston had a blast getting his hump on and smelling a bunch of butts and Kristen and I had a great time too! We weren’t paying attention to the game at all, so I couldn’t tell you anything about that but we had an awesome time enjoying each others company, petting dogs, looking at dogs, being a dog, and taking a million batrillion selfies! Take a look:

IMG_3775[1]IMG_3776[1]IMG_3778[1]IMG_3779[1]

^^^ I LOVE US!!! Our evening at Bark At The Park was seriously so much fun – much more than I thought it would be because I wasn’t too keen on going originally but Kristen talked me into it and I’m so glad that she did! Once we got home from the game, the good times just kept on rolling because one of my favorite guys took me out for a night of drinking and good old fashion tom foolery. White girl wastedness definitely happened and lots of wonderful moments were shared between my handsome devil and I! So yeah, it was a pretty swell night – and after my shit show of a birthday I think I deserved it! All of these outings with my friends has helped take away the birthday blues and I’m feeling much better about the whole situation – especially when drinking heavily is involved! 😉 The big 2-1 is finally here… It started off rocky but it’s been vastly improving as the week goes on which you better believe I’m beyond happy for!!

I hope all of you are having a fabulous day so far! Does any of the sports arenas you live by have an event similar to Bark At The Park? And also, does anyone have any recommendations on how to ease the god awful itch of mosquito bites? I got bit up last night and I basically wanna tear my skin off right now – that’s how bad they itch! I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun10

All Black Everything Obsessions

Posted on by
Standard
All Black Everything Obsessions

Heyyy everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope all of you are having a fabulous day so far! I decided to take a study break to talk to you guys about my new All Black Everything clothing and shoe obsessions, so take a look at these beauties and then we’ll discuss!

IMG_3757[1]IMG_3761[1]IMG_3762[1]

^^^ So gorg! And as usual, here’s the breakdown of each of these items and where they were purchased:

  • Black sheer shirt dress: Forever 21
  • Black denim and cloth jacket: American Eagle Outfitters
  • Black knee high gladiator sandals: Carlos Santana, Macy’s

I am so helplessly in love with all of these new pieces that I really don’t even know where to begin, but I guess I’ll start by talking about my new shirt dress from Forever 21. During me and Kristen’s last trip to Belden Village mall, I wanted to spend some time in Forever 21 because I freaking love it and they don’t have one at Summit Mall which is usually the mall I go to. Unfortunately, Kristen doesn’t share my love for the store, so whenever we go there I have to be quick so we can get in and get out. If you’re familiar with the layout of Forever 21, then you’ll know just how difficult it is to be quick in that store! But as I sped through the racks of clothing my eyes locked in on this cool and edgy new piece and I just knew that it had to be mine. I’ve seriously never seen anything like it before and it looks So. Freaking. AWESOME! The first half of the top is completely solid, so you don’t have to worry about your bra being visible, which is nice. But then about an inch after the bust line, the fabric becomes this gorgeous flowing sheer gauze coming down in two panels, one in the front and one in the back. It’s so fabulous because it shows off my side tattoo since there’s no material coming down on either side. I feel like a super model in this get up and it’s nothing short of amazing. I really like wearing this piece over a pair of black super skinnies with my beloved Vera Wang wedges. I’m also looking forward to pairing this shirt/dress hybrid with body con skirts and shorts underneath as well. So fierce. After I found this little beauty at Forever 21, Kristen and I went to American Eagle for some more shopping fun. The jacket that I purchased from there has a bit of a back story: In the beginning of March this jacket was brand new at the store and I instantly fell in love with it. It was SO cute and it fit like a glove. Unfortunately, I was not in love with the seventy-five dollar price, so I had to pass. BUT I vowed to myself that as soon as my dream jacket went on sale, that it would be mine. And that day happened a few weeks ago! While in American Eagle, I scurried back to the sale section and was SO happy to see my beloved jacket hanging up there. There were only two left – one small (which is my size) and an extra large. I immediately grabbed the size small, because I knew that it was meant to be since there was only my size left amongst the extra large. Wanna know the best part? The amazing price I got for it! The jacket was marked down to $59.99 and then they took half off of that so I ended up paying thirty dollars for an originally seventy-five dollar jacket! Such a steal! My final All Black Everything obsession is the GORGEOUS knee high lace up gladiator sandals that Kristen got me for my birthday. You guys need to know that I’ve wanted a pair of sandals like this for over a year now, but due to circumstances like the pairs I want being sold out online or the outrageous prices of some of them, I could just never get my hands on one. It really killed me! During a shopping trip with Kristen, I pointed out a pair of mid calf gladiator sandals at Journey’s that were cute and my sister instantly shot down my comment with “ew those are ugly….but do you like them in black or brown?” So I knew right then and there that she had to have gotten me a pair for my birthday! Needless to say, I freaked out when Kristen presented me with the huge red box that they came in because I knew that underneath that lovely bright red lid was a pair of gladiator sandals with my name on them…and I was so glad I was right! The pair that Kristen picked out for me are seriously sublime. For one, they’re SO beautiful. For two, they’re black, lace up, knee high, AND wedged – who could ask for anything more? And for three, I love Carlos Santana brand shoes, so she really outdid herself. I am so in love and I really just CAN’T EVEN!!!

So there you have it, my latest and greatest All Black Everything Obsessions! Who’s your Woman Crush Wednesday? What was your most recent purchase that you’re in love with? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

Monday Update: Birthday Blues Edition -__-

Posted on by
Standard
Monday Update: Birthday Blues Edition -__-

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! So it was my 21st birthday yesterday and unfortunately I spent most of the day in bed crying. Despite having the worst birthday ever, there were still some really fun parts of my birthday week that deserve some recognition. On Thursday my beloved nail tech Vinny treated me to a beautiful new set of talons and a beyond generous Starbucks gift card. He also plans on taking me out for dinner and drinks sometime this week which is so sweet of him. My trip to the Toledo Zoo on Friday with my precious Lea was also a really wonderful way to celebrate – I just love her! We’re going out this evening for a night on the town too, so that should definitely help shake away the birthday blues of the major disappointment that was Saturday night and Sunday. The entire situation was just stupid as fuck and I’m not about to go into major details about it, but my night out left me feeling like I got a million birthday slaps in the face so it’s no wonder I spent most of my actual birthday bawling my eyes out. Whatever. Lots of my friends have texted and called me so they can take me out to dinner or drinks this week, so I guess that’s nice. Nothing is going to make my birthday night out any better but at least I’ll have a bunch of other plans to somewhat make up for it. And even though the night out and actual birthday was complete shit, I did get some totally gorgeous birthday gifts from my family and friends which was so sweet! Take a look at some of my fabulous new goodies:

IMG_3752[1]IMG_3754[1]IMG_3755[1]

^^^ So sweet!!! There’s actually a really adorable story behind my Lil Red birdhouse decorated by my darling Lea: So one night during a crafting extravaganza, we thought that it would be super fun to paint some birdhouses as a switch up from our usual canvas art. We were both SO excited about this idea but as the night of painting continued we both became more and more disappointed with how our birdhouses were turning out. Lea’s looked really cute – mine looked like complete ASS, so I didn’t even bother taking it home. I told her the only way that my birdhouse would be acceptable was if it was black, red, and covered in glitter…and lo and behold, that was exactly how Lea decorated it as part of my gift. Not only did she craft me a birdhouse that’s perfect for Lil Red, but she also gave me a plethora of other thoughtful presents as well – a new Starbucks mug, a 21 drinking goblet, a minion shot glass, wine, and much more! Our entire day at the zoo was seriously a gift in itself, but my sweet girl went above and beyond in the gift giving department and It really did warm my heart! Do I have an amazing best friend or what?! My sister also got me a real winner of a gift as well – Carlos Santana lace up, knee high, wedged gladiator sandals. I’ve legitimately wanted a pair for over a year now and the pair Kristen picked out for me are simply perfect. I can’t wait to wear these bad boys all summer long with everything from dresses and maxi skirts to sassy little short shorts! So fierce. My one older brother Andrew gave me some cash money, which is great because I need to go renew my license which I know for a fact isn’t free! And then my other brother, Peter got me two tickets to see AWOLNATION on June 30th when they play at the House Of Blues in Cleveland! I CAN’T WAIT!!! It was exactly what I wanted, so mad props to him! I got a cornucopia of goodies from my parents – my Betsey Johnson telephone purse, a new dress from Urban Outfitters, moolah, and they restocked all of my makeup and skin care products that I use from The Body Shop. Everyone was so generous and I’m beyond thankful for all of the wonderful and thoughtful gifts – all of them are perfect!

When I think about all of the lovely individual hang outs I’ve had with my friends and family and all of the gorgeous 21st birthday gifts that I received it kind of makes up for the completely awful weekend I had – but only kind of. All of the gifts in the world doesn’t make my hurt feelings feel better and it definitely doesn’t take away any of the disappointment that I’m still feeling, but what can you do? I’m looking forward to all of the dinners and drinks this week with some of my favorite people, so hopefully after all of that merriment I’ll start getting over the literal worst birthday outing I’ve ever had in my life. #overdramatic #dontcare

I hope all of you are having a fabulous Monday so far! I regrettably must be off to go get some school work done and possibly take a nap! I’m so tired! But until then, how was everyone’s weekend? What are your plans for the week? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun7

It’s My Party & I’ll Cry If I Want To

Posted on by
Standard
It’s My Party & I’ll Cry If I Want To

Hiiii everyone and happy 21st birthday to me! Unfortunately my night out yesterday and day today have been anything but happy so I’m really not in the best of moods right now. I don’t feel like getting into all the details about it at the moment, but make sure you tune in for the Monday Update tomorrow so you can hear my sob story and feel sorry for me! 😉 Long story short: I went to bed crying last night and woke up only to cry some more this morning – so cue the cheesy Lesley Gore classic and let’s get mopey!

^^^ Yayyyyy. Now it’s time for the shameless “it’s my birthday so share my blog” plug…..In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1….

Hey there! In case you weren’t aware, today is Lil Red’s 21st birthday! If you want to be extra nice to me, then pretty please give my blog a share! If you want to be semi nice to me, then give my blog a follow! And if you want to be nice to me, then send some good vibes my way because god knows I need them right about now! I’ve been legitimately laying in bed feeling like a great big sad sack since I woke up this morning. #fml

So that’s that, I suppose. I hope all of you fabulous readers are having a much better day than mine! What was the worst birthday experience you’ve ever had? Does anyone have a time machine so I can have a birthday do over? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: It’s here and it’s not that great. 😦

Jun6

Toledo Zoo Birthday Fun!

Posted on by
Standard
Toledo Zoo Birthday Fun!

Heyy everyone and happy Saturday! And most importantly, happy one day until my 21st birthday!!! I had a beautiful day yesterday with my darling little BFF Lea at the Toledo Zoo for my birthday day trip celebration, so let me tell you all about it! WELL, we left Cuyahoga Falls yesterday around 9:30 and arrived at the zoo a little before twelve after an over two hour drive. We had to stop one time in Sandusky so I could go to the bathroom and we ran into quite a few characters before we even got to the zoo in the McDonald’s facilities…There was a lady with the longest pee Lea and I have ever heard that prevented both of us from going, which was AWFUL because I could barely walk from having to pee so bad. And then we can’t forget the girl who we ran into as we were washing our hands who was dressed up as a cat – face paint, tails, ears, the whole shebang. But hey, to each their own! After we relieved ourselves we made it to the zoo after another hour or so and unfortunately I had to pee AGAIN once we got there! This time it was even more urgent than the first which I didn’t even think was humanly possible! SO after another pee, we purchased our tickets from two evil, unhelpful, rude, rude, rude ladies and entered the Toledo Zoo! We explored the first half of the zoo which had elephants, penguins, primates, alligators, crocodiles, birds, reptiles, bears, tigers, and a gorgeous brand new aquarium. Unfortunately after we finished up at the elephant exhibit at the very end of the first half of the Toledo Zoo it began to rain really hard. But luckily, I packed my emergency beanie (the “E-Beanie”) to protect my red locks from the rain and Lea and I found shelter under the roof of a building. After surviving the downpour in Naked & Afraid: Toledo Zoo Edition, the sun came out and we were ready for some snacks and to get to the next half of the zoo that we still had to explore. We got some super delicious French fries that we finished before we even paid for them (whoops!) and of course some Dippin’ Dots because it’s our zoo tradition! YUM! We didn’t have much time to explore the second half of the zoo because we were unaware that they closed at four on weekdays rather than five – actually we didn’t find this out until about ten minutes before they closed because I consulted the map for some reason or another. As luck would have it though, the second half of the zoo was smaller than the first half so despite the speedy walk through of it we still got to see almost everything – rhinos, wolves, hippos, polar bears, sea lions, eagles, and a bunch of African Savannah animals including our all time favorite, GIRAFFES! They were so glorious!!!! We finished our zoo adventure by watching the majestic giraffes walk around their vast Savannah-esque habitat which was shared with other species of animals like ostriches, gazelles, antelopes, and more. It was a completely perfect day! Here’s a few of the pictures that I took during our Toledo Zoo visit:

IMG_3737[1]IMG_3739[1]IMG_3743[1]IMG_3749[1]

^^^ WTF is that fish? Hahaha! I’m so sad that I can’t upload videos on here because I have the cutest video of my favorite part of exploring the zoo…While watching the sweet gorillas in their exhibit with another family the gorgeous creatures were just kind of hanging out and lounging and eventually the family by us left. As soon as this family made their exit one of the gorillas decided to show off for me and Lea by rolling up and down the hill like a little kid. He went back and forth again and again until he tired himself out and it was seriously the most precious thing ever! He could probably sense that it was a special day for Lea and I and wanted to give us a little pre-birthday performance!

Yesterday was such a blast and I seriously had the best time with my darling Lea! We had so much fun during everything – the car rides, the zoo, the stormy weather (Lea and I are great at making not so good stuff enjoyable – one of the many reasons why I love our friendship!), and of course the Dippin’ Dots! What a fabulous birthday day trip extravaganza! Tonight I’ll be going out to dinner and the bars with my friends so you probably won’t hear from me tomorrow on my birthday due to a very probable hangover. SO that means I’ll be officially twenty-one the next time you talk to me on the usual Monday Update segment! AHHHH! I hope all of you are having a terrific day so far! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: ONE DAY LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^^^ Lololol this classic one hit wonder was our driving theme song yesterday! #love

Jun4

Some Food For Thought

Posted on by
Standard
Some Food For Thought

Hey there everyone and happy Thursday. So I’ve recently been on the biggest Neil Gaiman kick ever and have been completely devouring his graphic novel series Sandman. I just finished volume five entitled A Game Of You, in which one of the main characters is a young man named Alvin transitioning into the gorgeous and sassy Wanda. Wanna know the best part about this story….it was published in 1993. While reading this twenty-two year old graphic novel this afternoon I couldn’t help but be amazed that I was reading such a relevant tale especially now in the light of the metamorphosis of Caitlyn Jenner. It made me so incredibly happy to be reading Wanda’s story and I couldn’t help but smile over the similarities between a fictional red headed transitioning male and the newly transitioned Jenner. It touched my soul to know that there are people in this world – such as Neil Gaiman and the Sandman creators who are accepting and loving of everything and everyone. But it also completely broke my heart that there are still people in the world who are degrading and insulting to such a beautiful and vulnerable group that is the LBGT community. It saddened me that some of the people in Wanda’s made up world still called her Alvin and referred to her as a “him”. It made my heart hurt for Caitlyn Jenner and any person being ridiculed and shunned just for being who they are. As I hungrily read through Wanda’s story this afternoon she became more and more real to me. She felt like me. She felt like a friend. And she could very well feel a lot like you. Unfortunately in A Game Of You, Miss Wanda had an untimely death but there were some really powerful scenes that took place at her funeral. There was one particular image that really stuck out to me in the graphic novel that I felt a strong desire to share with you guys. Take a look:

IMG_3727[1]

^^^ Isn’t that amazing? This picture literally sent chills down my spine and filled my eyes with tears. So the point of this post? Wanda is real. Caitlyn Jenner is real. The struggle that people have with gender identity, their sexuality, an addiction, ect is real. The point of this post? I guess it’s me telling you guys to open your eyes and open your hearts just a little bit more to these struggles if you have your hesitations. Neil Gaiman created Wanda in 1993 and it’s now 2015. In A Game Of You there were those who loved and accepted Wanda and those who were adamant in voicing their disgust about her. Sadly, twenty-two years later there are still those who are close minded enough to call our Wanda’s, our Caitlyn’s, and our dear friends in the LBGT community names that I can’t even bring myself to type. There are those who still spit their poison and hope that their venom will begin to wither away the gorgeous spirits of such an amazing group of individuals. But luckily, there are those (like myself) who will offer their support and a kind word every step of the way to those who need it. This is a Lil Red PSA letting anyone who is struggling with anything at all know that I love you, I’m here for you, and your triumphs and success means the world to me. The end.

I hope all of you guys are having a wonderful day so far! Mine is alright, thanks for asking! 😉 I’m actually pretty excited because tonight I get the princess treatment at the nail salon for my birthday! BTW – I’ll be out of office tomorrow because I’ll be going to the Toledo Zoo with my best friend Lea for my birthday day trip! I’m so excited! But as always, you know how to reach me via the comment section or my email! And please know, that I will not tolerate any negativity on this post and your comments will be deleted point blank period. Questions? Concerns? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: 3 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jun2

300th Post Extravaganza!!!!!!!

Posted on by
Standard
300th Post Extravaganza!!!!!!!

Hellooooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Welcome to my 300th post on lifewithlilred! It’s pretty exciting stuff…I mean I for one am excited BUT you guys should be too! This means that some of my most faithful readers have been with me for THREE HUNDRED articles and that’s kind of a lot when you think about it! So shout out to all of my tried and true readers who have been here since the beginning because lifewithlilred probably wouldn’t still be going on today without you! But this is also a shout out to my new readers as well! Welcome aboard the Lil Red Express – I promise that you’re in for quite a ride filled with sarcasm, trips to Taco Bell, and booze filled adventures of an almost twenty-one year old! CHOO CHOO! All of these shout outs are just a big roundabout way of saying THANK YOU! Thank you to all of my readers – old, new, halfway across the world, or one state away – I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you for the views, shares, likes, follows, comments, and a whole lot of love! Everyone in the lifewithlilred world has been SO supportive and encouraging and I really can’t even begin to express my gratitude to you guys. All I can really say is thanks again and all of you have the Lil Red Guarantee that I’ll continue to deliver tons of fun on the daily for your viewing pleasure! ❤

Speaking of all of the support – I have one super special reader named Donovan who I happen to be Facebook friends with and as I was scrolling through my news feed today I saw this post by him which warmed my little heart:

love

^^^ So sweet! Here’s to you Donovan – thanks for all of the love!! You da best, you da best, you da best! This post wouldn’t be considered an “extravaganza” without some music, so enjoy this celebratory track to commemorate my 300th post on my blog child!

^^^ AYYYYYYYY!!!! Mwahaha, I had to!

I hope all of you are having a fabulous day so far! What’s your favorite celebratory song to listen to? Is anyone celebrating a special occasion soon? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN: 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!