Tag Archives: travel

Jul27

Monday Update: Weekend Wedding Edition

Posted on July 27, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Helloooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend – I know I did! I spent the weekend surrounded by my family and friends for the wedding of my brother, Peter, and his wife, Megan. Peter and Megan met each other during their undergrad years at Notre Dame, so my family and I packed up the car and drove to Indiana on Friday for the festivities. Saying that it was a beautiful weekend is the understatement of the century, so let’s discuss!

Friday was a pretty laid back day in comparison to Saturday, which was the day of the wedding. We arrived in South Bend, Indiana around three and then headed to a hotel for a bridal shower for Megan. It was a lot of fun getting to meet all of Megan’s family and her darling bridesmaids, Emily, Keaton, Andrea, and Jennifer. What I enjoyed the most about Megan’s bridal shower was watching her interact with all of her friends and family without Peter there. That was my first time seeing Megan without my brother in a social situation and it made me like her even more! After the bridal shower, we checked in to the hotel we were staying at to freshen up before the rehearsal wedding and dinner. Here’s a few selfies that my sister, Kristen, and I snapped before we left:

^^^ Lol, I captioned our mirror pic “Just married” on Facebook!

The wedding rehearsal didn’t take long at all, which was great for me because I was SO hungry!! The rehearsal dinner was held at Papa Vino’s – the same restaurant where Peter and Megan had their first date. Papa Vino’s serves family style Italian food and it was so incredibly delicious. Plates and bowls of pasta, pizza, bread, dips, and desserts just kept coming and coming and I ate until I couldn’t take another bite. The evening was full of great food and conversation and by the time it came to an end, we were all beyond stuffed and tired. I was so ready for bed, so I was pretty happy when Megan’s family, my family, and the bridal party parted ways until the following morning for the wedding!

Peter and Megan’s wedding ceremony was held at the Basilica Of The Sacred Heart on Notre Dame’s campus and it is absolutely stunning. I could spend hours looking at all of the artwork and architecture that the church offers. The mass began promptly at eleven, but I was already crying well before then…I was so emotional! Watching Megan walk down the aisle with her father and watching Peter’s eyes get teary was my favorite part of the wedding. Megan looked drop dead gorgeous and Peter didn’t look too bad either! I was pretty shocked that my dad was crying during the wedding, which made my mom cry, which then made me cry. It was a big ol’ sob fest – but they were happy tears! The ceremony was elegant, sophisticated, and completely perfect. Peter and Megan looked so happy and in love and I really just can’t even.

After the mass it was time for pictures with the families and the bridal party. We took some photos in the church and then headed to the Notre Dame football field for some more photography fun. It was so cool being able to hang out on the football field as well as the football teams’ locker room for a Notre Dame style photo shoot. The pictures ranged from the bridal party in huddle formation around Peter and Megan in the locker room to an impromptu football game on the field. It was so fun watching all of these silly scenarios happen and it was such an awesome experience being able to explore the field and locker room. I got a picture in the locker room showers and when Kristen and I were opening some of the lockers we found a pair of boxers and a jock guard…SCANDALOUS!!! My cover photo is the bridal party in its entirety compliments of the photo shoot, starting from left to right: Emily, Jennifer, Andrea, Keaton, Megan, Peter, Michael, Andrew (my brother!), Brian, and Thomas. What an attractive group of people!

^^^ Take note of how Peter wrote his and Megan’s names and wedding date on the locker room whiteboard! So cute!!!

While the bridal party continued their photo shoot throughout the campus, my parents, Kristen, and I returned to our hotel to prepare for the wedding reception. Makeup was touched up, hair was straightened, deodorant was applied and then we were off to the country club where the reception was held. The open bar cocktail hour began at five and best believe that Kristen and I got turnt right from the get go. By the time dinner was served around six thirty, I was already five glasses of moscato in and feeling wonderful. The vegetarian entree for dinner was excellent, it was a pasta primavera and my only regret is that I didn’t eat more! After dinner, Megan’s dad and my mom gave a toast and then it was time for the father/daughter and mother/son dance. My mom and Peter danced to the best of their ability and it was actually really good! Take a look at some pics of the mother/son dance and the blushing bride and groom:

^^^ I LOVE THEM!!!

After all of the traditional toasts and dances were complete, the dance floor was opened to everyone. Kristen and I continued to throw back wine and danced our asses off with all of our family and friends. Halfway through the reception I was white girl wasted and I don’t remember much about the rest of the night other than how much fun I had! I do remember falling right on my knee on the dance floor because people kept spilling their drinks and it was really slippery. I now have a nasty purple and black bruise taking up the majority of my left knee. Hurray! I don’t remember breaking a nail. I do remember laying on the floor with Jennifer and Andrea to complain about said broken nail. I don’t remember how many glasses of wine I ended up drinking. I do remember having an amazing time…I also remember mentioning that already! I danced with everyone from my parents, my brothers, my sister, my cousins, Megan, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, and a bunch of other people whose names I can’t recall. GREAT SUCCESS! (Except for the being sweaty part…that was gross.)

By the time the reception was over, Kristen and I were completely out of it and ready for bed. My family and I drove back to Ohio the following day around noon and returned safe and sound in the early evening. The entire weekend was incredible and I am so thankful to have been a part of it. I adore my new sister-in-law like no other and I’m so excited for what the future holds for the newlyweds! Peter and Megan will be leaving for their three week honeymoon in Italy today and I wish them nothing but blissful fun and safe travels. I LOVE YOU PETER AND MEGAN!!!

So there you have it, the Monday Update: Weekend Wedding Edition! I hope all of you enjoyed reading this post just as much as I did writing it! What was everyone up to this weekend? Anything exciting? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun29

Monday Update: Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Edition

Posted on June 29, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Monday Update: Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Edition

Hey there everyone and happy Monday! I hope that all of you had a fabulous weekend, I know I did! My Uncle Martin and Aunt Eileen who live in Pittsburgh came to visit my family so on Saturday we spent the afternoon in Cleveland at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum. I haven’t been to the Rock Hall in years so needless to say, I was pretty excited! I have a deep love and appreciation for all things music so it was so amazing to be able to spend an afternoon honoring all of the greats. I hate to brag, but I have a pretty incredible collection of music and my tastes are vast but I never realized how educated I was about different musicians and genres until I perused through the Rock Hall. My parents and older brother really did teach me well about all of the legends and classics and I was so proud to know that I was aware of musicians in genres that I don’t particularly care for, like Gospel and Country. There was so much to see and do in the six floors that the Rock Hall boasts, so let me post some pictures and then we can discuss!

^^^ I took so many pictures that the only way to condense all of them was through PicStitch. The pictures in the collages include costumes from David Bowie, Elvis, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson. We got to see Johnny Cash’s tour bus, Janis Joplin’s car, the set from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, and so much more!!! If you have any questions on what specific pictures are, then please let me know in the comment section!

Once we met up with my aunt and uncle at the Rock Hall we decided to start from the top at floor five and six to view the two floor exhibit of the amazing late Herb Ritts’ Rock Portraits. The photography exhibition will only be up for a month or so and it was absolutely incredible – it was like walking through an art gallery. The portraits were mostly in black and white or sepia and they were taken of too many stars to name. There were photographs of David Bowie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Cher, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Mick Jagger just to name a few. Throughout the exhibit there were music videos that Herb Ritts directed playing and interesting information about the artist scattered along the walls. The Rock Portraits gallery was one of my favorite parts of my rock n’ roll filled afternoon.

^^^ Compliments of Mr. Ritts!

On the fourth floor there was a huge section of the set from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” which I remember from my last visit there but was so cool to see again! That display is neat because you can see it if you look down or up from any other floor. It definitely made me feel small standing next to the display! There was also a theater on level four which we stayed in for awhile. They were playing a video from what I’m assuming was an induction to the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. We watched lots of different artists perform and it was especially fun seeing Jeff Beck on stage with his daughter who couldn’t have been more than sixteen at the time playing the guitar like nobodies business!

We headed down to the third floor afterwards which has a cafe and another beautiful theater. In that theater they were playing highlights of different induction ceremonies from years ago until present day which included interviews, photographs, and animation to tell the stories of the artists. As we exited the theater there was a long hallway that we followed and on the walls were panels of signatures from the inductees. As you can see in my PicStitches, I snapped a pic of U2’s signatures which is probably the closest I’ll ever get to having their autographs!

Level two of the Rock Hall was all about the masterminds of rock n’ roll like Les Paul and Alan Freed. There were displays upon displays of original record players, guitars, and recording studios. Old school televisions in the display cases played footage of black and white variety shows which was a fun touch. Level two was jam packed with amazing information and artifacts. As we exited the Architects of Rock and Roll section we walked into a multimedia production called Video Killed the Radio Star which had a television tower made up of at least thirty or more TV’s and all of them were playing a different music video fresh off of the early days of MTV. Another very cool exhibit on level two was all about Rolling Stone magazine. There were three walls completely filled with famous covers of Rolling Stone with artists such as Marilyn Manson, Kurt Cobain, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Britney Spears. (I love her fabulous cover where she’s lounging on the phone while cuddling a Teletubbie so much! SO CUTE!)

We ended our trip to the Rock Hall at the lower level which is where you’re supposed to start, but that’s okay! The lower level is the bread and butter of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame – it’s a wonderland full of costumes, instruments, jewelry, and set pieces all belonging to the legends. There were specific sections dedicated to artists like Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. What I loved about this level was that it took you through each genre of music from a historical point. It started with the early days of the Blues and ended with music from the present day. My favorite genre to explore was the Punk section that had memorabilia from The New York Dolls, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones to name a few. In the Punk display case they had a Joan Jett fashion doll which was so adorable! There was a case dedicated to U2 in the lower level as well which I was pretty thrilled about!

After we explored through the outer rings of the bottom level we ended up at the epicenter which is a dark room filled with well lit costumes and instruments from all of the greats – there was James Brown, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, ZZ Top, The Who, The Beach Boys, and Metallica. That list is not even a quarter of the artists that the gigantic room had memorabilia from. It was seriously unbelievable. There were countless exhibits to end up in on the bottom floor and all of them were equally awesome. A few that I particularly enjoyed was a section on the origins of hip hop and a multimedia display called Don’t Knock the Rock. In this display there were different interviews playing of early day televangelists and political figures bashing rock n’ roll music and then it would cut to a reaction of rock musicians. Before we left the lower level we watched one more video compilation in a theater of very sweet reactions of inductees being entered into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. I could have stayed on this floor for forever!

Our trip to the Rock Hall was so much fun and this post doesn’t even cover half of all of the amazing displays that we got to see. If you ever are in Cleveland, Ohio then you definitely don’t want to let the opportunity to spend some time at the Rock Hall pass by! I hope that all of you enjoyed reading this post just as much as I did writing it! What musician would you like to see memorabilia from? Do you have any questions about any specific displays or pictures? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun20

Date Night! <3

Posted on June 20, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hey everyone and happy Saturday! So I had the most fabulous date night on Thursday with my sister, Kristen, and my beloved nail tech, Vinny, that I want to tell you guys all about! This little outing was in honor of my 21st birthday, compliments of Vinny and it was seriously one of the best nights of my life! Let’s discuss!

Our night on the town began with dinner and wine at Bricco, a super delicious restaurant that Kristen and I live down the street from. The menu there is terrific because it’s predominantly vegetarian, so both my sister and I had a lot of options to pick from. All of our meals were great and we each picked out a bottle of wine as our beverage, haha AYYY! We drank and ate until we couldn’t move and then we headed off to the Hard Rock Rocksino for some more birthday tom foolery. If you are a fan of hitting the casinos, you might want to consider checking out Casino Martini which offers up to a 400% deposit bonus. Talk about winning big!

The Rocksino was so cool and was much nicer than the Horseshoe Casino, which I went to last week. It was bright and upbeat and had the best decorations ever – the instruments and outfits used and worn by different musicians. All of this amazing memorabilia is compliments of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Every area of the casino had different costumes on display from everyone like Nicki Minaj to Elvis Presley…so, so cool! We headed to the bar for drinks once we got to the Rocksino and after we all got what we wanted Vinny and I went to explore the premises and play some games while Kristen met up with a few of her friends at the bar. There was so much to look at as Vinny and I strolled around and I would have been happy just wandering aimlessly throughout the casino, but we happened to see a game that we just had to play. Want to know why? Take a wild guess. Okay, here we go….The name of the game was LIL RED!!!!!!!! So yes, taking a chance on the Lil Red game was absolutely necessary! Haha, take a look:

^^^ Lol AHHHHH!!!! Unfortunately, we didn’t have too much luck on Lil Red but I had a moral obligation to play it so I’m the farthest thing from mad about it! After Vinny and I roamed the casino for a little while longer we rejoined Kristen and her friends for more booze and to watch the band that was playing in the restaurant area of the Rocksino. Whomever was playing was a cover band who played renditions of current radio hits and old tried and true favorites…They sounded pretty good to me, but then again, I was very drunk. All of us continued to drink and enjoy the band and thanks to the bar at the Rocksino, I was able to try my very first mojito, pina colada, and apple martini and they were all delightful! All alcohol usually is! 😉 #whitegirlwasted

We finished up our time at the Rocksino with one more shot at the bar and then went on our merry way. My birthday date night was a huge success and I had an insanely good time! I didn’t think that I would end up at a casino again after my trip to the Horseshoe last week but I had a much better experience at the Rocksino. It was such a fun environment to be in and the best part about it was that the music that was playing in the casino wasn’t overwhelmingly loud! That was my major complaint about the Horseshoe, along with their dingy lighting and the Rocksino had both of these issues on lock with a perfect music volume and lighting scheme. I would definitely go there again, not necessarily to gamble, but to get drinks and to watch whatever entertainment that they have scheduled for the night. So if you’re ever in the Northfield, Ohio area, definitely check out the Hard Rock Rocksino…maybe you’ll see me there!

^^^ I didn’t take many pictures of the costumes that they had on display at the Rocksino but here’s a PicStitch of what I did snap!

Left: Johnny and June Carter Cash
Top: The Black Eyed Peas
Bottom: (From right to left) Nicki Minaj, Shakira, Lady Gaga

Words can’t express how grateful I am to Kristen and my sweet Vinny for an awesome post birthday celebration. I seriously have the best friends in the entire world and I have no idea what I would do without them! Saying that I love my Vinny and Kristen is a severe understatement, but it’s the best that I’ve got to describe how I feel about them! #bestfriends #teamvinny

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

Jun13

Casino Adventures

Posted on June 13, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Heyyy everyone and happy weekend! I’ve been having the best outings this week following the travesty that was my birthday and last night was no exception! As a birthday treat to me, my lovely and astoundingly pretty friend Danielle took me to the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. It was….quite an experience. Don’t get me wrong, I had the best time hanging out with Danielle and I loved her company, but I don’t think her or myself will be hanging out in a casino again any time soon! The casino in general was just very very overwhelming. It was seriously gigantic – every time we were walking around I felt like we were in an area that we hadn’t been in before, but in all reality we walked past it countless times. It was so hard differentiating all of the different casino corridors because they all looked exactly alike. It felt like every time we walked away from something and eventually came back to it the initial area changed into something completely different, if that makes sense? It was seriously the strangest sensation I’ve experienced in ages. It felt like the casino was shifting and redecorating with every step we took like a giant labyrinth. So on top of being in this enchanted casino it was fairly crowded and the music that was playing was loud so it was total sensory overload. And don’t even get me started on the games! Danielle and I stuck to the “easy” games like the fruit slot machines and whatnot, but unfortunately, we both weren’t very lucky. It was so frustrating, because even if we won something in the game it still didn’t make up for what we initially spent to begin with so we were losing money. Danielle was so sweet because before we got into the casino she had me pull a piece of paper from her beanie and on the paper was the amount of money that she would supply for the games and after we reached that limit we were donezo. It was such a generous thing to do which I was so blown away by and it was also a really great idea to give ourselves a spending limit. Like I said earlier, we weren’t very lucky at the games and our limit was well spent after barely over an hour…But in that hour I can totally see why gambling addiction is a thing. Danielle and I experienced that “just one more try” mentality first hand and it was quite off putting. Like, we knew we were losing money but we were both so convinced that just one more spin on the game would result in some winnings no matter how small. The Horseshoe was the only casino myself or Danielle has ever been in, but I’m assuming they’re all set up very similarly – multiple bars, loud music, and dim lighting. All of these different elements really do make up the perfect concoction of a place where you could lose track of yourself very easily. That “club” like environment seemed to hook everyone in the casino because every time Danielle and I walked around all we saw were blank faces in front of the machines and people absentmindedly placing their bets no matter what the cost. That type of thing is obviously what some people like, but it clearly wasn’t mine or Danielle’s cup of tea. On our way home from Cleveland we talked about how we were glad that we got the casino experience out of our systems to at least say that we did it, but we both agreed that it will be a long time before we step foot in one again. Despite our bad luck at literally every game we attempted, it was still a super fun evening and I’m so glad I got to share in a casino adventure with Danielle!

^^^ Lol this song seemed very appropriate to include in a post about casinos! I’M SO CLEVER! 😉

So there you have it, my Friday night Casino Adventure! I hope all of you are having an awesome weekend so far, I know I am! Have any of you ever got your gamble on in a casino? What was the most that you lost or won? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: If gambling addiction is something that you or a loved one struggle with, I urge you to seek help – whether that be confiding in a counselor, friend, or even a complete stranger. You can check out this article on responsible gambling and there are multiple different helplines that you can call as well, one of them being the hotline through the National Council on Problem Gambling. Here’s their website: http://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/

Jun6

Toledo Zoo Birthday Fun!

Posted on June 6, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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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:

^^^ 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

May19

Akron Zoo Adventure

Posted on May 19, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! Because I was away this weekend, I didn’t get to write about the beautiful afternoon my best friend Kate and I had last Thursday at the Akron Zoo! The weather in Akron was absolutely perfect for a zoo excursion, so best believe I broke out a sun dress and some fun wedges for the occasion! We had some lovely quality time roaming the park and the aquarium and making friends with the animals which Kate captured on her mom’s fancy camera. All photo credit on this post goes to Kate Powell, and shout out to her because she did an amazing job! Take a look:

Featured Image photo: LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA LLAMA!!!!!
Picture 1: Cute little birdy in the aviary! Honestly all of the birds in the Akron Zoo’s aviary set up were birds that I could see in my backyard, but that’s okay because they were still fun to look at! The aviary is laid out like a tree house that looks over the entire zoo, complete with a rickety wooden bridge. Love it!
Picture 2: The grizzly bear in this pic was gnawing at a fallen tree like nobody’s business. Hey, a bears gotta eat. The bear eating the log looked very similar to me when I’m eating Taco Bell, therefore the grizzly bear is one of my many spirit animals. (Lil Red Fun Fact: My number one spirit animal is a peacock!)
Picture 3: Ahhhh that goat was the cutest – and I must say my nails look fantastic in that picture! There’s an adorable barnyard section at the Akron Zoo complete with goats and sheep that you can feed and pet, and I especially bonded with the little sweetie in this picture! :’)
Picture 4: Spotted! A wild Sarah!
Picture 5: This tiger pic is mine and Kate’s favorite. Kate captioned this photo “Lunch a la toddler” because there was a little kid standing by us when Kate snapped this shot, and the tiger is definitely looking at something pretty longingly! And let’s talk about those eyes! So gorgeous!
Picture 6: I’m also very fond of this photo of the majestic looking lion. He had his tongue hanging out for most of our time looking at him, and it looked so ridiculously goofy and I loved every minute of it!
Picture 7: Lololol, Kate captioned this pic “The Introvert” and that pretty much sums up this big guy. Every time I see a tortoise I always have a fantasy of climbing up on top of its shell and riding around on it cowgirl style…A girl can dream, right?

Besides all of the gorgeous animals that you can see, the Akron Zoo also has lots of fun stuff to offer like their carousel and a clear plastic slide that takes you through the watery otter exhibit. One thing that Kate and I particularly enjoyed was the touch tank in the aquarium. We got to feel up some stingrays, a crab that I forget the name of, and a chocolate chip starfish. The stingrays did not feel like what I was expecting them to feel like at all – they were really silky and velvety as opposed to the greasy and slimy that I was expecting. Despite all of the amazing exhibits and activities, The Akron Zoo is relatively small and Kate and I got through the entire zoo in under two hours. If you’re ever in the Akron area and are looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, I can’t recommend the zoo enough!

So there you have it, my Akron Zoo Adventure. Is there a zoo near you in your neck of the woods? What is it like? What’s the best zoo that you’ve ever been to? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Sorry, Sis ;)

Posted on May 18, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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During my weekend trip to Wisconsin, I may or may not have played a stupidly funny prank on my beloved sister, Kristen. And for that, I am publicly apologizing. Kristen drove the first two or so hours home from Wisconsin on Sunday, and during that time I was manning her phone to reply to the texts that she received. She’s been talking to a new guy recently, and it was my responsibility to type everything out to him that she dictated to me….Bad idea on her part. When he asked what Kristen was up to, my sister told me to text him “driving home! yay!” and unfortunately I heard “driving home! gay!” When I heard “gay” I thought to myself “hmm, that’s an odd way to describe driving home” so I asked her to repeat it three times and every single time, I heard “gay” so into the text it went. To spruce the message up even more I also added “and I really have to go to the bathroom :((((” to the message and hit Send. I straight up told Kristen that I added her bathroom issue to the text (which was more like my bathroom issue, because I really had to go!), and she didn’t believe me! Smh. When we stopped for food and she looked through her phone, she saw the text I sent that she thought I was kidding about, and got a bit upset at Lil Red. Once we got back on the road again, my mom took over driving so Kristen got back into the backseat with me. She was still pissed at me, even though I told her what I texted him, so after snacking on hella Flamin Hot Cheeto’s, I decided to write her a story on my iPod to make her laugh and to pass the time. I emailed myself the story, and I am now going to share it with you guys:

A short story of a very naughty thing:

Once upon a time there were two sisters, named Kristen and Sarah, respectively. During their journey home from a weekend adventure in America’s cheese land, the younger of the girls, Sarah did a very naughty thing. While the elder, Kristen drove the whip through the Chicago traffic, she received a text message from a potential love interest. For the fear of our personal safety, I manned her phone so I could text the messages to the young man as dictated by Kristen. When mister man asked what Kristen was up to, the reply I texted was not necessarily the same as what was said to me. Instead of texting “driving home, yay!” I accidentally typed “driving home. Gay. And I have to go to the bathroom :(((” in my defense, when she said “yay” it sounded a lot like “gay” and I for one, really had to go potty. I told Kristen what I had texted and she thought I was kidding. But guess what…I wasn’t. When Kristen saw what I texted she was most upset, and I feared for my life. After her round of driving, Kristen returned to the back seat of the car with me, and I tried my best to win her friendship back and humbly apologize for my wrong doings. We bonded over flaming hot Cheeto residue and she delivered one swift punch to my arm. And now I think we are friends again. The end.

^^^ Needless to say, Kristen was dying of laughter as she read my short story and we are now most definitely friends again! Sorry for being an asshole, sis! (Even though it was still kinda funny) I love you! 😉

^^^ SHE’S SO CUTE!!!!

Hahahahaha. Kristen and I both found the situation insanely funny after she punched me, so I thought it would be fun to share this goofy story with all of you! What was the silliest thing you did to pass the time during a long trip? Do you have a story of a text message gone wrong that trumps mine? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Who’s excited and slightly depressed about the series finale of The Following tonight?! I know I am!

May17

Honey, I’m Home!

Posted on May 17, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hello, hello everyone! I have returned safe and sound to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio after my weekend getaway to Madison, Wisconsin – and let me just say…it’s SO good to be back! My brother, Peter graduated this weekend from the University of Wisconsin with a PhD in Chemical Engineering (so proud!), so my family packed up the car and made the nine hour trip up to Madison for the ceremony. I’m going to post a few pictures tonight to give you a little sneak peak for the usual Monday Update tomorrow, where I’ll discuss the trip in detail! I mainly just wanted to let all of my lovelies know that I’ve made it home in one piece and that I will talk to all of you very soon!

^^^ Mwahaha, there’s the graduate himself – swagged out to the max! Love you, Peter! 😉 And there’s my sleeping beauty sister, Kristen getting her snooze on! 😉

There’s going to be a bunch of fun stories, pictures, and my graduation fashion choices to discuss tomorrow, so get ready for it and keep it posted with yours truly! How was everyone’s weekend? Did any of you have a weekend getaway trip? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah

May14

Road Trip!

Posted on May 14, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hiiiii everyone and happy Thursday! I just wanted to let you guys know that I’ll be out of office starting early tomorrow morning until Sunday night. My brother is graduating tomorrow with a PhD in chemical engineering, so we’re packing up the family car and heading to Wisconsin for the ceremony and for some sweet, sweet hanging! Hopefully the motel we’re staying in has WiFi, because I’ll have my iPod on me so I’ll try to check in with some short little posts once we return for bed. If not, you can expect to hear from me either late on Sunday or on Monday for the usual Monday Update segment! I’m seriously so excited to see my brother!!! I’m not too excited about the nine hour drive to Wisconsin, but it will be so worth it! I haven’t seen my big bro since the beginning of January, so it’s sure to be a beautiful reunion. :))))

^^^ This basically sums up how I’m feeling right now!

So yes, I will be on a little vaca from lifewithlilred for the weekend, but make sure you check back in with me upon my return for the latest and greatest! Send me some good vibes so I don’t get super annoyed with my family during the car ride! Are any of you taking a road trip soon? Where are you heading off to? What do you do to entertain yourself during a long car ride? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love, and I’ll talk to you all soon! -Sarah

Dec2

Help!!!!!!

Posted on December 2, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello hello!!!! So I’m sure if you follow my blog at http://www.lifewithlilred.com, you’ll be familiar with one of my best friends Kate. She’s my partner in crime…especially when it comes to shopping and wild and crazy ideas! Well we just came up with one of our best ideas yet. After we both graduate college in two years we would like to take a month long trip to Europe as a graduation gift to ourselves. We’ve both been working very hard in school. As you know I’m getting my Associate of Arts degree at Tri-C while Kate is getting her Bachelors of Business degree at the University of Akron. What better way to celebrate a college degree than blowing our savings fund on one final hurrah before we enter the adult working world?! Before I get farther into our plan of tom foolery and travel, I think it would be wise to tell you guys more about my wild friendship roller coaster ride with Kate. We met in high school French class when I was a freshman and she was a senior. We both adored our French teacher and she clearly loved both of us a lot, because she was the reason we became friends. I was going through a lot of shit in my teenage years. As a matter of fact, freshman year was probably one of the worst years of my life. Mrs. Teacher thought it would be good for me to have an older student to look up to, sort of like a mentor, so she privately asked Kate to take me under her wing…and the rest is history. We’ve seriously been inseparable every since our awkward first interactions in that fateful French class. Our friendship has taken us everywhere from shopping trips, a night out at the movies, car rides to nowhere, and assembling a ninety year old vintage Christmas tree. (We actually assembled that tree over Starbucks Peppermint Mochas last evening…we plan on making handmade ornaments to decorate it with while consuming a lot of wine. Once the decorations are made, rest assured that pictures will be posted!) One of my fondest memories of my friendship with Kate was when I got my temporary license and she taught me how to drive. I’m actually pretty confident that Kate would tell you that that’s her favorite friendship memory as well. It was a blustery September day when I got my temps and later that evening Kate took me out to Starbucks to celebrate. (We obviously love caffeine!) After we downed our drinks she drove to the middle of god knows where in Akron to an empty parking lot and parked the car. I asked her what she was doing and she said “you’re going to drive”. I remember being so nervous and excited all at once. I hesitantly switched places with her and got behind the wheel of her car, Winston. She taught me the basics of accelerating, braking, turning, and parking. I drove around and around the parking lot practicing my left and right hand turns until it grew dark. Remember that line of Perks of Being a Wallflower where Charlie stated that he felt infinite? That’s exactly what I felt like that night. Ever since the first conversation Kate and I had about Harry Potter during our French class, she’s been like a big sister to me. Words can’t even describe how much I love her and how thankful I am to have her as my best friend.

So now that you know a little about us and our almost seven year friendship, here’s what I’m asking of you guys: What are some places in Europe that are must sees? We plan on spending a week in Paris, a week in London, and then spend the rest of the two weeks exploring and country hopping. What sights would we regret not going to? What’s the best stores or boutiques to shop at? (Because Kate and I LOVE shopping!) What restaurants do you recommend? And do you know of any cheap hotels or hostels that we could stay in? We’ll also be making a http://www.gofundme.com account within a month or so, so if you’re generous enough to donate to our travels, we’ll send you a handmade goody made with love by Kate and I and seal it with my red lipstick kiss. As soon as our account is made it will be posted to lifewithlilred! We would also be thrilled to meet up for coffee with any of my lovely European readers!

Thanks so much for reading and if you have any recommendations for us PLEASE leave me a comment and let’s chat! Don’t be a stranger! And if you read my reviews on American Horror Story Freak Show, made sure you check in with me tomorrow night for my review on the new episode!! Happy Tuesday! -Sarah

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