So today is my mom and dad’s 34th wedding anniversary! Hurray! Congratulations to my wonderful parent’s for being able to put up with each other for thirty-four whole years and are STILL going strong! I honestly think that’s such an amazing accomplishment considering we live in a world where long standing marriages are becoming increasingly rare. I genuinely believe that I have the best parents that a gal could ask for, so I for one am so thankful that their marriage has been so successful! Thirty-four years is a long time, but here’s to a million more happy years together in a perfect, blissful, and slightly annoying union! Last night my family went out to dinner to celebrate my mom and dad and as their anniversary treat to themselves they both ordered a drink that wasn’t water! Big spenders! Both of my parents are the farthest thing from lavish when it comes to celebrating the milestones of their marriage, so a nice and low key dinner was the perfect way to celebrate their special day. It was a really beautiful time. Happy, happy anniversary mom and dad! Good job!! I love you both so much! ❤ ❤ ❤
^^^ Cutest. Couple. EVER!
I hope all of you wonderful readers continue to enjoy your weekend! Does anyone have a special occasion that they’re celebrating this weekend? Does anyone have a birthday or an anniversary coming up? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
So I know I talk about my mom frequently on here, but I feel like I rarely mention my dad. I figured now would be a great time to introduce him to all of my fabulous readers considering an incident occurred with him today that paints a perfect picture of who he is as a person. Before you read this little story, there’s a few things that you should know about my dad…He’s a quiet man who rarely shows any type of emotion. Despite his stoic facade, his love for his family is so evident. This afternoon I was outside reading on the deck, which is so gorgeous because my pops has planted countless flowers, vegetables, and other plants in pots on the deck or in the soil surrounding it. While I was reading, my dad came out to water all of his plant children because it’s been super dry in my neck of the woods this past week. After he was done watering his plants, he sat down on the stairs of our deck that overlook our spacious backyard. Something told me that I really needed to sit down beside him and talk – or if anything just enjoy the beauty of all of the plants that he brought life to. I’m not gonna lie – I’m in a mood today. I had a not so ideal time on a date yesterday, and I’m SO hungry (which you guys know all about if you read my last post “Monday Update: Mehhh Edition”). Because of my lack of eating, I’ve been having dizzy spells and a pounding headache all day, so it felt so good to just sit down and rest my head on my dad’s shoulder. Usually with my dad I have to initiate the conversation to get him talking, but he said the first word which was kind of shocking. After my dad nonchalantly brought up his pure hatred for our neighbors, who we’ve had an ongoing feud with since we moved into my neighborhood, we discussed this further for a solid fifteen minutes. (Our neighbors despise us enough that they planted a line of evergreen trees on our property line to block their view of our home.) My dad then proceeded to tell me this story about how him and the patriarch of the household were talking shit to each other and my dad straight up told the guy “you’ll be dead before the trees are big enough to block your view”. Hahahaha! I’ve never heard this story before and it was SO funny to me. After we had our ice breaker conversation of thoroughly putting down our neighbors, I told him that my hang out with this one guy didn’t go so hot yesterday. I felt like it would be better to discuss this with my dad, who doesn’t have an emotional bone in his body as opposed to my mom who would drown me with a million questions about the day. I’m glad I followed my instinct to tell my dad, because he literally said one thing about my confession and it was “You should really join farmersonly.com”. He then told me to get up so I could test out the hammock that he put out over the weekend. Baffled by his last ridiculous comment about me finding a nice “country boy” on a dating site for “good ol’ country folk” (as their commercial boasts), what else could I do? I got up and followed him to the hammock which he helped me on so my clumsy self wouldn’t fall off. Once I was on, I laid down and my dad pushed the hammock back and forth and let me be a whiny twenty year old girl until I felt like going inside. I’m so glad that I had my sunglasses on so he wouldn’t see me crying, but I just couldn’t help it – that’s how much that moment with my dad meant to me.
There was something so incredible to me about this exchange that I had with my dad. I really can’t recall the last time that I had a real “father/daughter” moment with him and I was so surprised that I didn’t have to prompt him to show me affection. Seriously as soon as I mentioned my not so good day yesterday it was like something clicked inside of him. I could feel him wanting to give me a special experience after a not so good one – and thanks to my dad, I immediately felt better. I know my dad doesn’t read my blog, but if he just happens to stumble upon this post – then this is me telling him that I love him so much and that I’ll never ever forget our afternoon together on the deck…And yes, I’m absolutely crying as I type this. ❤
^^^ I feel like I post this video a lot, but it’s my favorite song in the world so I don’t care. My dad was the one who introduced me to U2 when I was a little girl and they remain my favorite band to this day. “Beautiful Day” truly emanates pure joy and with a few simple but powerful gestures my dad got me feeling happy again – so this ones for you dad. Thank you.
I hope all of you are having a terrific Memorial Day! Fair warning, my summer classes start tomorrow so you probably won’t be hearing from me. But as always, you know how to get a hold of me through my comment section or via email! Questions? Concerns? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hellooooo everyone and TGIF! How’s everyone’s day going? So far so good? Fabulous. So ever since I started school at Tri-C in mid October, my dad has done something every school morning that I’m insanely thankful for….Every single morning that I have to drive to Cleveland, my dad makes me my coffee for my to go cup like clockwork. (And of course my to go cup is red!!) I can’t think of one single day that he hasn’t made my caffeine for me and it seriously warms my heart to the extreme. The fact that he takes time out of his equally busy morning to make my go go juice makes me so happy. Every single time that my dad tells me that my coffee is ready I get the biggest, goofiest smile on my face. In fact, I’m wearing one right now just thinking about it. It may seem like a little thing to some, but I think that’s why I appreciate it so much – because it’s such a little thing that makes a huge difference. I’m such a daddy’s girl too, so getting that extra TLC from my favorite guy is always such a great way to start out my day. When I have my morning classes, it’s always a struggle to get myself out the door – rushing to the shower to make sure I get hot water, fighting with my sister over bathroom space while she gets ready for work, scrambling all of my books together, ect, ect, ect…So having one less thing to do before I face morning time traffic during my commute to Cleveland is like taking some excess weight off of my shoulders. By the time I get in the Little Red Love Machine it’s such a treat to be able to throw back my dad’s specially made for me coffee and relax. So this is me sending an extra special shout out to my daddy dearest. I love you so much and I thank you so much for always keeping your daughter caffeinated! Thank you for making my mornings a little bit easier and a lot a bit better! ❤
^^^ MARRY ME JACK WHITE!!! I swear there’s a White Stripes song for every occasion. And the very masculine Kate basically inhaling her coffee in the John & Kate Plus 8 spoof basically sums up my life.
Have a terrific rest of your day and I will talk to you all later!!! How many cups of coffee does it take you to get started in the morning? How do you drink your coffee? I for one only drink my coffee black LIKE A CHAMP!!! I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Happy happy Thanksgiving!!!! My sister, mother, and I have taken a break from our preparations of our Thanksgiving dinner, so I figured now would be a good time to send some holiday wishes to all of you! There are so many things that I’m thankful for that I’d like to share with you. In my list and explanations I didn’t include my family and friends, because those are the obvious ones! My close circle of immediate family and a whopping two friends (sad but true) will always be my number one, so no explanation is needed:) #enoughsaid
Here’s some of the things that I’m thankful for this holiday season and every day!
My education: I’ve been feeling an overwhelming sensation of pride in myself lately for finally getting myself back to school. I always thought that college wasn’t going to be for me, but now that I finished my first semester I wish that I would have started school sooner! I’m so thankful that my parents have been helping me occasionally with my tuition and text books. But shockingly, I’m also thankful for being able to pay most of my college expenses on my own. Which leads me to my second thing on my list….
My job: As soon as I ended my four year stint at PacSun, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. I was so nervous for my future. I was so scared that I wouldn’t find another job right away. Getting that call with a job offer from Next was the biggest relief I’ve experienced in a long time. If it wasn’t for that call, there’s no way that I could afford paying for my education almost completely on my own, as well as keeping up with my car payment for the Little Red Love Machine. I’m so appreciative to have a job period, let alone a job that I really enjoy. My coworkers and clientele are just fantastic, so it makes going into work a joy.
My blog: This might sound dumb to some people, but I really am thankful for starting http://www.lifewithlilred.com!! I’ve been told that I should make a blog countless times before, so a little over two months ago I figured “why not?”. And I am so glad that I did! I forgot how much I enjoyed writing and expressing my feelings until I started trying to make a blog post or two daily. I’m so thankful for all of my readers and followers who have shown me so much love and support! Lifewithlilred is always going to be a thing, and I’m really hoping that as the hype continues to build that I’ll be able to make some kind of moolah for my work. But that’s thinking way far in advance! It’s good to dream though:)
Myself: Sarah: I am so thankful for the person who you’ve become. It feels so good to finally say that I love who I am after years of depression, self harm, and eating disorders. I love the way I look, which I never thought I would say. I love that I’m open and accepting to everyone. I love that I have a bright and bubbly personality. I love that I think for myself, which is so very important. Most of all, I’m thankful that I’m finally able to recognize all of these amazing qualities about myself. I’m thankful that I’m no longer in a zombie like state of depression. I’m finally thankful to be alive.
So there you have it – the other things that I’m thankful for besides my family and friends! I hope all of you have an amazing Thanksgiving today. I hope all of you share it with people who you love. Where ever you are in the world – I am so thankful for you! Thank you so much for reading. If you have any questions or concerns: leave me a comment and let’s chat! ALSO: If you partake in Black Friday shopping tonight or tomorrow PLEASE remember to be kind to the retail workers!!! I promise you that they would give anything to not be working amongst all of the craziness that is sure to happen! Send me some good luck vibes as well so I can get through my Black Friday shift! It would be much appreciated 😉 Happy holidays! -Sarah
Not gonna lie, this week has been less than ideal. Work has been filled with not so nice coworkers and rude customers and school has been stressful. Luckily there’s been a few things that have made me feel better, which I’m going to share with you in this edition of Lil Red Recommends!
Getting drunk with your mother: Last night I came home from a particularly shitty day at work to find my family getting ready to have dinner. It was Italian night in my household so naturally that called for some wine! I’m a big wine drinker and with my moms help of barely drinking one glass, I finished the entire bottle. My mom is such a light weight that she claimed that her glass of wine got her drunk, it’s the most precious thing ever. So the evening was spent with gut busting laughter, stumbling around the kitchen, and singing a duet to the song “You Had a Bad Day” while using the empty wine bottle as a microphone. It was an absolute blast. I’ve never gotten drunk with my mom before and I sincerely hope that this happens again every now and then. The straight up ridiculousness of the mother daughter bonding time that happened last night was indescribable! All of the silliness that occurred was the perfect cure to a shitty day!
Drunkenretail therapy: So after my mom and I sobered up, we headed to the mall for some retail therapy. I was in desperate need of some new jeans. But here’s the trick, I refuse to wear any denim that isn’t black and super skinny. My purchase will be discussed in the next recommendation! Let me tell you guys, while my mom may have been completely sober after her one wine glass 😉 I was still slightly tipsy from almost a full bottle of wine. And from this experience I learned that there is nothing more fun than wandering around the mall while you have a wine buzz! It took my love for shopping to a new extreme because I combined it with my second favorite thing….getting drunk. I highly recommend public intoxication at least once in your life time, its a real treat! (Only once though…then no more public intoxication, kay?)
Snake skin patterned denim: I found my beloved new jeans at Express, one of my favorite stores. These jeans are drop dead GORGEOUS. They’re jet black with a gunmetal snake skin pattern coating it and are extremely skinny. About two weeks ago while I was shopping there with my sister, I noticed these beauties and was drooling over them the entire time. Unfortunately at eighty eight dollars, they were out of my price range. But I could NOT stop thinking about them. Lucky for me, last night they were having a forty percent off sale at Express and they had one pair of the jeans left in my size. All of the other sizes they had were ginormous. I knew that the denim had to be mine. I slipped into the fitting room, and changed into my new favorite piece of clothing. When I looked into the fitting room mirror they were just as perfect as I hoped they would be. They fit like a glove and were a perfect punk piece to add to my wardrobe. I’ve been looking for a pair of snake skin print jeans for quite some time now. But all of the pairs that I have found have been a snake skin pattern on top of grey or white jeans, and that doesn’t follow my all black everything rule. I thank the fashion gods for this gift of the perfect pair of black snake skin print jeans! Hurray! (Please excuse my mismatched socks in the photo below!) 😉
Read the book Perfect: I started the book Perfect by Rachel Joyce a few days ago. (She also authored one of my favorite books, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry). I’m about one hundred pages in and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. The book revolves around a boy who has witnessed a terrible accident and is doing everything in his power to prevent his mother from finding out…as she’s the one who caused the crime. We are introduced to a unique cast of characters – young Byron who is very protective of his mother Diana who is a forward thinking woman in the 1970’s. She refuses to live the cookie cutter lifestyle of the female house wife which leads to animosity from her peers. There is also sweet OCD ridden Jim, who has been in and out of mental institutions his entire life. I have yet to find out how the paths of Byron and his mother will cross with Jim’s, but I’m excited to find out. Rachel Joyce does an amazing job of creating a feeling of empathy for each of her characters… I love them all so much already! Reading Perfect has been the perfect distraction from a below average week.
Listen to Tapes ‘n Tapes: I’ve been listening to A LOT of Tapes ‘n Tapes lately. I think that their music is just fantastic. I’ve enjoyed playing all of their albums on shuffle as I’ve been driving around to where ever I needed to be this past week. They really are the perfect Indie rock band. Each of their three albums The Loon, Outside, and Walk It Off give a solid combination of upbeat tunes, amazing instrumentals, and sentimental ballads. My favorite album between the three is definitely their debut album The Loon. Each song off of that one is a slam dunk. But there are also many crowd pleasers on their second and third efforts as well! Tapes ‘n Tapes is great driving music and just hanging around the house doing nothing music. The music video below is for their song “Freak Out” from their second album Outside. It’s super catchy!
Don’t be an asshole: Pardon my French, but I’ve come across a lot of not so nice people this week. From awful customers to the most incompatible coworkers ever I’m almost at my breaking point. I genuinely don’t understand the people who are mean to others just for the sake of being mean. And let me tell you, I’ve encountered a lot of people like that this week. Being around stand offish people really is enough to ruin my day. For some people it’s easy to just shake things like that off, but not me. I wish I didn’t take so much offense to it, but I do. It’s just the way I am I suppose, but I don’t think it’s out of reason to be upset by people who act like assholes to you for no good reason. So here I am freaking pleading all of you guys (myself included) to be courteous and respectful to others. You never know what the person you give a dirty look to might be going through that day. #enoughsaid
Watch Step Brothers: If there’s one thing that always makes me feel better, it’s watching my favorite Will Ferrell movie: Step Brothers. I watched this with my sister and mom a few days ago and it’s still funny to me no matter how many times I watch it! I’ve seen Step Brothers enough that I can quote the entire movie along with the actors (much to my family’s annoyance!). Sometimes you really just need to pop in your favorite stupid movie and veg out for a few hours. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after two hours straight of laughing! “SO MANY ACTIVITIES!!!”
Be thankful: With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a no brainer. But it felt right to mention it anyways. Tell your family members and friends that you love them, compliment a stranger, apologize to those you have done wrong to. You know the drill. It only takes one small act of kindness to transform yours and somebody else’s day completely!
So there you have it, my Lil Red recommends for the week! What are some things that you do to make yourself feel better after a rough week? What’s your favorite quote from Step Brothers? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday! -Sarah
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