Hellooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Okay, so for those of you who don’t know, my 23rd birthday is tomorrow! Yikes. I can’t say that I’m thrilled about this but, I have to say, I am hyped about the plethora of freebies that I have received so far for my big day. As you guys know, your girl is constantly ballin on a budget so whether it be a free travel sized lotion to a percentage off a purchase, I’m all about that sale bout that sale SO FRUGAL (Sung to the tune of All About That Bass. Thank you, thank you I’ll be here all week.) ANYWAYS, take a look at my Birthday Freebies so far and let’s discuss:
One free small smoothie from Robek’s
One free beverage of any size from Dunkin’ Donuts
A ten dollar gift card from Victoria’s Secret for being an Angel Card holder
One free burrito from Moe’s
One free beverage of any size from Starbucks
Ayyyy! So, obviously I’m getting the birthday hookup and I freaking love it. There is nothing better than going out for a coffee or for dinner with friends and not having to pay a dime for it. Thanks to apps and rewards programs, getting extra bang for your buck on your birthday has never been easier. The beauty of some of these rewards is that I never even go to these places anymore, but because my account is open, I still get to reap the birthday benefits.
Like Moe’s and Dunkin’? Literally haven’t been to either in close to a year. BUT I have the Moe’s app and the Dunkin’ rewards program card (which works like a gift card but I haven’t uploaded money on it for years), so my birthday is in their registry. And Robek’s? It’s a rarity that I go there, but I have the app so my smoothie will be on them for my next visit! Of course, ten dollars at Victoria’s Secret doesn’t get you very far, but still. That’s a free panty or lip gloss and we all know by now how much I love free.
Being a savvy shopper whether that be with restaurants, coffee shops, or clothing stores is all about playing along with their promotions. Sign up for the emails, let their app take up a bit of extra space on your devices, give the loyalty program a try, apply for the credit card if you shop there frequently enough. Before you answer with a solid “no” to the salesperson telling you about these things, hear them out. You’ll be glad you did once you score some free birthday swag.
So there you have it, my Birthday Freebies (so far!)! What other restaurants/stores offer freebies on birthdays? What restaurants/stores offer the best every day promotions? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hiii everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. So, if there’s one thing that a Lil Red loves, it’s her coffee! I’m a caffeine fiend, so a smooth, strong, hot cup of coffee is a must for me when I am working, lounging, doing nothing, and doing everything. I am a hot, black coffee drinker through and through and I will be a monkey’s uncle before I succumb to putting cream or sugar in my cup. But, when the warm weather hits, which has happened this past week in Ohio, my tastes change to absolutely craving a good cup of iced coffee.
One of my favorite things to treat myself with is an iced coffee from Starbucks. A venti iced coffee with cream and vanilla, to be exact! “But wait! I thought you don’t believe in cream in your coffee!” You might say? I DON’T. But, iced coffee is a totally different story. I hate iced, black coffee more than anything and I just need that little splash of cream to turn the beverage into a drinkable delight. So, yeah.
Anyways, it’s a rare occasion that I get Starbucks now that I don’t work at the mall, so I always really enjoy it when I get it. But as you all know, I am constantly balling on a budget and it’s not like I love spending three dollars for a drink that I could totally make at home. So, make it at home I did. I have been making my own iced coffee every day for the past week and it has been an absolutely delicious experience. My coffee concoction has tasted great every time, and not shelling out the dough for basically the exact same thing at Starbucks has been a freaking blessing, lol.
An iced coffee recipe may seem self explanatory, but mine has turned out really freaking good so I’m going to share it on here, anyways:
Sarah’s Iced Coffee Masterpiece
Make yourself the amount of coffee that you plan on drinking.
Once complete, let the coffee sit for about an hour so that it can cool.
Add 4 to 5 ice cubes to a glass and pour the now room temperature coffee over it.
Add a splash of flavor. I have been totally obsessed with Coffee Mate’s Natural Bliss Vanilla creamer.
Drink and enjoy!
If you aren’t hip to the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss creamer collection, then you need to get on it ASAP. It is the purest, richest vanilla creamer that I have ever tasted and it literally will transform your iced coffee. I do not say this lightly, because it makes my coffee creation taste one million times better than what I used to get at Starbucks. AND it costed like two dollars for a bottle, which is awesome!
My iced coffee revelation may seem like a simple thing, because it really is pretty simple. BUT, I am so excited that I’ve made myself something that 1) saves money and 2) doesn’t sacrifice the taste, just in time for the warm summer weather ahead! GO ME!!
So there you have it, my Iced Coffee Obsession! Who else makes their own coffee creations at home? What is your caffeine beverage of choice? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hellooo everyone and welcome to a very special article on lifewithlilred about an extremely talented artist that I had the pleasure of getting to know, Kent, Ohio blues musician, John Patrick Halling. I was lucky enough to sit down for a chat with John Patrick about his most recent tour, his performance style, and some of the corniest jokes you’ll ever hear in your life.
Those who frequent my page will know that I have literally no talent for music. I can’t sing, I can’t play any instruments other than three songs on the guitar, and I also have cried during every concert I’ve ever attended – but that’s neither here nor there. What I’m getting at is that I LOVE talking with musicians because they are skilled at something that I wish I could do. John Patrick was no exception. He was humble and genuine with the quick wit of a seasoned performer. Take a look at part of the interview conducted by yours truly and listen along to the songs we discuss on his website.
Our chat began with some rapid fire questions about John’s most recent two month musical excursion, his Boy in the Water US tour, so let’s get to it:
Lil Red: What was your favorite place you traveled to?
John Patrick Halling: Well I’m from Kansas City, so playing there was a lot of fun. I loved Asheville, North Carolina which was a cool little hippie city, and Boulder, Colorado too.
LR: What was your favorite tourist activity you did?
JPH: I liked trying all of the different foods and craft beers, sight seeing, and hiking! I hiked ten to twelve national parks. For two weeks of my travels I hiked from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon.
LR: Favorite restaurant?
JPH: Oh, what was it’s name? The Mellow Mushroom. It was in the south. It was wood fired pizzas, there was a lot of vegan and vegetarian options, and a bunch of stuff on the walls…Not in the TGIFridays or Applebee’s way, in the cool way. The Mexican food in New Mexico and Arizona was also out of this world. (So jealous, mama loves Mexican food!)
LR: Favorite venue?
JPH: It was called the Purple Fiddle in Thomas, West Virginia. This place was cool because it had a hostel built into the venue where the performers could stay as well as a crowd that was pretty much built in too from all of the tourists and locals.
LR: Where would you like to go again?
JPH: Everywhere! Wyoming was beautiful and it was filled with the nicest people – they were exactly how you would picture people from Wyoming to be, in the best way possible. I am bummed that I didn’t make it out west, though.
LR: How many shows did you play?
JPH: Around thirty…I played to a few empty coffee shops. I also performed at open mics and found a few good places on the streets where I would set up shop and play. Pearl Street in Boulder was great for that and so was San Antonio and Asheville.
LR: How many miles did you travel?
JPH: I traveled 12,000 miles in two months. But 2,000 of those miles was probably me driving around not knowing where I was going. My GPS system broke down halfway through the trip so I had to buy a road map, which was actually hard to find. I had to map out my routes and rough it and if all else failed, I still had my phone! Being on the road is a glamorous thing.
^^^ Pictured above: John striking a pose in the Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming as well as a scenic pic he snapped while driving into Kansas City.
After having a spitfire session about the Boy in the Water tour, John and I moved on to discussing his music, his style, and his future plans for his career. Please don’t think that I use the word spitfire lightly, either. All of the questions above were asked and answered in a little over five minutes. Everyone tells me that I’m a very fast talker and I met my match with John Patrick! Turn his music up and let’s move on:
LR: Where did the title for your album Boy in the Water come from? Are you part merman?
JPH: Well now the secrets out! I tried a lot of different titles but they were all basic and boring. My cousins and I are big fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and in one of the opening scenes Elizabeth is standing on a boat and she sees Will Turner flailing in the ocean and she says “there’s a boy in the water”. So the album title is a tip of my cap to my family as well as whatever metaphorical symbolism it might mean.
LR: What was the first song you learned on the guitar?
JPH: “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream and some Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. Since we’re sitting in a Starbucks, I like my coffee how I like my Eric Clapton greatest hits albums, with a little bit of Cream in it!
LR: I was a fan of your Hawthorne Heights reference in “If I Would’ve Known”, who are some of your musical influences?
JPH: Everything. Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Hendrix. I grew up on 90’s country. I had a Rasta phase in high school where I listened to a lot of Bob Marley. I had my punk phase where I played a bunch of Blink, Simple Plan, and Green Day.
LR: Your lyrics are very poetic, have you always liked to write or was that a talent you didn’t know you had?
JPH: A little bit of both. I loved history and English classes which involved a lot of writing. I was also always a performer because I’m the middle child who was always striving for attention! I was very into theater in high school and played in quite a few different bands so I think all of these things helped develop my writing style.
LR: I thought it was interesting how in “Siren Song” you portrayed the devil as a woman. Is that based on a particular situation?
JPH: Kind of, but it also goes back to mythology in general when mermaids would sing their siren songs to tempt men. Women have always been men’s number one vice, asides from beer and cigarettes. But I also feel like I lose myself in relationships very easily. I try to change myself for the person and make myself into what they want me to be instead of finding someone who accepts me for my vices…If that makes sense.
LR: It makes perfect sense. Because I have a lot of fashion bloggers tuning in, how would you describe your look when you’re playing a show?
JPH: I wear whatever doesn’t smell. No, I’m a big hat guy, I have three or four wide brimmed Brixtons and Stetsons that I love. I also wear a lot of boots. You’ll never see me in shorts though, I’m always in jeans…I woke up like this.
LR: You should be a comedian if your music career falls through.
JPH: I actually love telling jokes on stage. Why does Peter Pan always fly? Because he never lands. That joke never gets old. It’s got a good hook to it.
LR: So where do you see John Patrick Halling one year from now?
JPH: Hopefully on the road again. I’d like to start recording a new album in January or February and be out on another tour by August. I have about ten to fifteen songs to narrow down so I’m still deciding on if it will be an album or an EP.
LR: And finally, does the drinking ever end in downtown Kent?
JPH: Not when you’re drinking with your friends!
^^^ Pictured above: Sporting a signature hat in Asheville, North Carolina and a view of the picturesque Arches National Park in Utah. (Can we just talk about how the sky in both pictures looks like something out of a story book? So amazing.)
Are you a fan of John Patrick Halling? You can reach out to him by:
I really can’t begin to tell you guys how much I enjoyed my time with the fantastic John Patrick Halling. The pleasure was truly all mine and I can’t wait to see him perform in the near future! Do you have any questions for John Patrick? What is your favorite song off of his album Boy in the Water? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and happy 2016! My best friend, Lea, and I were a little bit late in celebrating Christmas with each other but it finally happened this past week and it was glorious! We had such a wonderful time opening our presents, eating Taco Bell, and girl talking to our hearts content. Take a look at what I was gifted with by my darling:
From Lea I got:
A cozy fleece blanket (which I’m wrapped in right now!)
A to go coffee mug (which I’m obsessed with)
A Starbucks mini ornament
Bath & Body Works lotion
A coffee mug filled with bath and body products
I love everything that Lea got me so much but honestly I didn’t need anything from her. Our over seven years of best friendship is enough for me! It was a bit funny opening our gifts, however, because we got each other very similar presents. I got my girl a new mug and bath and body care goodies, as well, among other things! We seriously know each other too well and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m so looking forward to a new year full of hang outs with my best girlfriend and I’m so thankful for her friendship and the beautiful Christmas gifts I received! You’re such a doll and I love you, Lea!! ❤
I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year’s weekend! Make sure you tune in with me for this week’s Monday Update so I can tell you about how I rung in the new year! Until then, how did everyone celebrate the arrival of 2016? Who has been doing some last minute Christmas gifting to your friends and family? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Heyy everyone and happy Saturday! Usually I’m not big on “apps” or technology in general (ha!) but I found a handy little download for smartphones or iPods that has proven to be very beneficial in my effort to clear up some closet clutter. I decided to give the app, Letgo, a try after my semi annual closet clean out. The app is basically like an online garage sale where you can post pictures of your items, a brief description, and price, then whomever is interested in buying it can message you to make an offer.
I’m not really keen to going to resale shops like Plato’s Closet because I feel like you never get enough money for your items and they often pass on some really nice pieces. I also felt like I wanted to give making some money off of my more used items a shot because despite their wear they were still in fairly good condition. I like that this app lets you control how much you would like for each product you list and gives your not so “next to new” pieces a chance at going to another owner.
Thanks to the Letgo app, I was able to get rid of five pairs of shoes yesterday that have been sitting in my closet for months waiting to go to a new home. I had a brief meeting with my customer in Starbucks where she looked at the shoes that she was interested in from my listings, picked the ones that she wanted, and paid me the price that I determined. I made some quick cash (much more than I would ever get if I brought them to Plato’s), eliminated some clutter, and met someone who wanted to meet up again to look at more of my items. Score!
I’ve always toyed around with the idea of selling items online but I never knew how to go about doing it. Letgo makes the selling process so simple because your listings are shown to people who are within a 15 or so mile radius from you so it’s easy to find a good public meeting spot that is within a short driving distance for the seller and customer. I drove about seven minutes to meet with the darling lady and her daughter that I sold to yesterday and made enough money that the trip was worthwhile twenty fold. You can’t beat that!
I can’t recommend Letgo enough and you can download the app on their website at: http://us.letgo.com/en !
^^^ It seemed appropriate!
I hope all of you are having a great start to your weekend so far! Has anyone used the Letgo app or anything similar? What was your best purchase or sale story from a resale shop or app? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Good news: I’m feeling much better after this past weekend’s concussion catastrophe and now everything is smooth sailing as usual. My fall semester at Tri-C will be done in about a month or so and let me tell you, I am SO ready for it! I have officially hit the end of semester slump so hard to the point that I had to motivate myself with buying a Starbucks drink yesterday before class to get myself to go, haha it’s that bad! 😉
I’m currently taking French I, Comparative World Religions, and History of Civilization this semester and have already completed a half semester Ethics course. My classes are alright for the most part aside from History. It’s a half a semester course as well and I have such an ungodly amount of homework to do each week for it…It sucks. I do like history, but the only reason I decided to take the class was because it was a prerequisite for a course specifically about WWII, which is my favorite thing to learn about. But unfortunately, when I went to schedule my spring classes I found out that the course was not offered online and it can only be taken on a campus that’s even farther than the forty minute drive I already make to my campus. I was SO PISSED! Had I known that, I would have never signed up for the history class to begin with and stuck with something that I really enjoy like Psychology or Theater.
Speaking of the spring semester, I am very excited for the classes that I registered for last week. I’ll be taking French II, Abnormal Psychology, and Introduction to Criminology. I’m looking forward to continuing my work in French and I’m lucky because my current French professor is teaching French II and I just love her! It will definitely be nice to be able to pick up where we left off in the fall. As I mentioned earlier, I love Psychology so I was so excited to see that Tri-C offers a course on all of the strange and unusual that goes on in the brain with Abnormal Psychology. I also was pretty pumped to see that an Introduction to Criminology course was offered from a sociological stand point so it was a no brainer to sign up for that too!
Other than my semi-boring history course, my fall semester has treated me very well. I’ve been repping straight A’s for days and made myself an awesome spring schedule to look forward to next semester! Then by the end of next fall, I’ll be officially graduated with my Associate of Arts degree! Yippy!
You know how I said my history course has an ungodly amount of homework? Yeah, this post may or may not be a procrastination tactic on that so I guess I should probably get to it! I hope all of you are having a fantastic week so far! Where are all of my college kids at? How is your fall semester going? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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:
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!
^^^ 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
Hey everyone and happy Monday!! So this weekend was full of exciting, shameful, and not too noisy events so let’s get to it and discuss in this Monday Update: A Moment Of Silence Edition:
Let’s start with some good news: One of my best friends on the planet, Tyler, came home for the long Labor Day weekend! Tyler is currently enlisted in the Army and lives in California. He began his journey in October of last year and that was also the last time that I saw him until yesterday! Tyler was so insanely busy this weekend, as there was a wedding he had to attend on top of all of the friends and family that he had to see, so I am SO incredibly thankful that he was able to pencil me in!
Tyler stopped over at my place for an hour or so bearing Pumpkin Spice Latte frappachinos and infinite hugs to ease my ugly crying. I seriously can’t even describe to you guys what it felt like to see him and hug him for the first time in an entire year. When he got out of the car I ran into his arms at full speed and he held me and let me cry for as long as I needed to. I knew for a fact that I was going to be emotional during our reunion but I had no idea that it was going to be like that! The only way I can describe seeing him again was perfect. It was really really perfect.
After lots of hugs and crying outside, we went into my house for chit chatting and staring at each other in disbelief that we were finally together in real life. Hanging out with him felt exactly like it did when he lived in Ohio – our banter was endless and effortless and we were able to laugh at the dumbest little things. I’m so happy that Tyler and I communicate frequently via text and FaceTime because we were able to talk about our most recent endeavors and stories rather than cram a years worth of information into one hour.
I wish that our hour together could have gone on forever but like all good things, it had to end. Before we even exited my house I was already crying. It didn’t feel fair that one of my best friends was finally standing in front of me in the flesh rather than on a phone screen and he had to leave so soon. Seeing Tyler for the first time resulted in tears of joy but my goodbye tears were the epitome of ugly crying. Even though Tyler had places to go, he let me hug him and give him an abundance of cheek kisses for another five minutes before he drove off. He’s so sweet! :*)
Almost a year ago, Tyler and I had a very similar interaction when he left for California and I’ll tell you what – the goodbyes never get any easier. As we texted later that afternoon he described our get together as “bittersweet” and I couldn’t have said it better myself. The bittersweet-ness was so real considering my first tears were so happy and my goodbye ones were of the purest sadness. There’s things that you forget about people when you haven’t seen them in so long. I couldn’t believe that I forgot Tyler’s staggering height – especially in comparison to mine. I forgot the way that when we hug my head doesn’t even reach his shoulders. I forgot what it felt like to hear his voice with my own ears rather than on a speaker. Tyler is always going to be one of my best friends and the fact that we haven’t seen each other in forever but could pick up right where we left off completely solidified that for me. I love him so so much and I can’t wait for the holiday season so he can come home again soon! ❤
Now let’s get to the part of the Update where we tie the title into one of my stories. As I mentioned last week, mama was not feeling too hot at all and unfortunately, I still feel like hell! Hurrayyy! The remnants of my sickness when the weekend rolled around was a sore throat. Now the remnants of my sore throat is that my voice is completely gone! Allow me to explain:
Long story short, Saturday was a day of intense drinking for me. While I was sick during the week, I wasn’t smoking at all but of course, when I drink, I always smoke like a damn cowboy. During my drinking excursions, I managed to cough through a half a pack of ciggies and told myself that I’d be fine after. APPARENTLY NOT! I was on my Lindsay Lohan too hard and when I woke up Sunday morning it was almost comical to see myself open my mouth to speak and have nothing come out. Luckily, I had about two hours of salvageable speaking in the morning because I would have been so devastated if I couldn’t talk with Tyler!
ANYWHO, for the remainder of Sunday my day was spent mouthing words or writing out short phrases on a notepad to communicate. I figured that after a day of resting my tired voice that I would be fine…APPARENTLY NOT! I woke up this morning eager to test my pipes out and nothing came out. I kind of felt like the Little Mermaid though…so that was cool. My Moments Of Silence have turned into a day and a half of not speaking and honestly I’m going fucking crazy. It frustrated me to the point that I was almost crying yesterday when I wanted to tell my family something and literally couldn’t. So if everyone could take a Moment Of Silence and send some good vibes Lil Red’s way, I’d be forever grateful and will join you in your moment…because I have no other choice. #FML
^^^ This video was basically me this weekend. SHAMEFUL!
So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: A Moment Of Silence Edition! How was everyone’s weekend? Does anyone have any fun Labor Day plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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
^^^ 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
Okayyyy guys, it’s time for one of our little heart to hearts, compliments of my experience at Starbucks this morning. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the view of my ass as I get up on my soap box…Here we go:
In my Sociology class we learned about people acting as bystanders and how if you are in a situation where you need help you are less likely to get it if there’s a lot of people around. I witnessed this first hand as I was waiting to get my coffee at Starbucks. It was mid morning and Sbux was fairly busy, with people seated throughout the store and standing in line for drinks. I was standing by the counter in full on zombie mode because I’m dead tired today and I’m sure that I made all of the employees uncomfortable by how intently I was staring at nothing…but that’s neither here nor there.
ANYWAYS, once I came to my senses I saw from across the store a man in a wheelchair struggling to open the door. Within half a second, I ran the length of the store before he reached the second door to open so I could get it for him. When I opened the door with a huge smile he thanked me so graciously and I noticed that he was an amputee. I waved him off with well wishes and headed back into the store to get my coffee as if nothing happened.
As I walked back to the counter to retrieve my drink, two ladies sitting RIGHT BY THE DOOR told me how sweet I was for helping this man. I had to bite my tongue, because I was very close to telling them that I was just acting on my responsibility to be a good person and to help those who need it. Instead, I smiled, thanked them, got my drink, and went home. This situation has been on my mind all day now and frankly, I’m disturbed by it. What is the world coming to if not one person in a room full of people will get up and hold the door open for someone? I just don’t get it. I mean, I get the whole bystander effect thing, and I was so glad to help this man – but why was it necessary for me to run across the store to get the door for someone who was showing such extreme difficulty?
I’m not writing this post as a way to say “look at me, I’m a good person” because that situation was just me being a person. I’m flattered that those ladies found my act sweet, but the thing is – it wasn’t sweet, it was something that’s ingrained in me to give my service to those who need it. Like I said, it was me being a person. The lack of initiative from everyone in the store to get up and do a simple favor to make someone’s day easier really bothers me. I know I’m kind of rambling at this point, but I don’t know guys, I’m all kinds of shook up by this. How can the world be a better place if no one can step up from their fucking frappachino for thirty seconds to hold open a door? Jesus Christ.
I guess the point of this post is just a friendly reminder to be kind to people, help one another, and don’t be a bystander. Alright, Lil Red’s Soap Box Special is complete. Rant over, but make sure you tune in next time I come across a social issue that irks my nerves. 😉 Until then, how is everyone’s day going so far? Has anyone ever encountered a situation similar to this? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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