Hello! Johnny and I live right down the street from a Circle K and it is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Whether I am in desperate need of a Diet Coke, we’d love a snack, or a refreshing White Claw after work, we frequent our go to gas station several times per week. Because of our high return rate, we have a very friendly relationship with all of the employees and it is always nice to pop in and exchange pleasantries. In fact, sometimes Johnny plays music with one of the guys who works there. What can I say, Circle K is a community!
This past Sunday, we needed a new lighter and, of course, a Diet Coke for me so Johnny made a quick Circle K stop. He told one of our favorite employees who calls him “rock star” every time she sees him (So cute!) to surprise him with whatever lighter she wants – as long as it was a fun one. When he returned home, he showed me her selection and we had to laugh because it was the most random choice ever lol:
I honestly have no idea why this is the lighter our fave employee handed Johnny, but I am SO glad she did. Maybe it reminded her of me and Johnny as a couple if we lived on a farm and weren’t emo AF, maybe she just liked it. Regardless of why, I can’t help but have a chuckle every time I see it sitting on our coffee table. It really is the little things in life and we have vowed to have her pick our lighters since this fateful Circle K run. I genuinely cannot wait to see what we get next!
Whether it’s your favorite store, restaurant, or gas station, I truly believe it’s a special thing to go somewhere where everyone knows you and you know them. Our Circle K is that place for us and we wouldn’t have it any other way! ❤
What store do you frequent regularly? What is your favorite snack to grab from the gas station? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! My love for Diet Coke knows no bounds. It is the air that I breathe, the water I drink, and the food that nourishes me. Okay, I guess I wouldn’t go that far. Just kidding I totally would – it’s the best! Whenever Johnny goes to the gas station over the weekend, I always ask him to pick me up a bottle of DC. Normally, he is pretty good about it. However, he completely forgot the past THREE times during his errands. It was nothing short of devastating to see him return home empty handed but he is forever at angel status, albeit a forgetful angel!
This past weekend, Johnny went to the store and as per usual, I asked him for my usual. Honestly, I was fully expecting him to forget my Diet Coke again and that would have been fine. At this point, it had become a running joke. So, you could imagine my surprise when Johnny came rolling into the apartment with not just one bottle of DC but a six pack! He told me he was paying back for his indiscretion with interest and it was seriously so sweet. Not only did he remember, but he surprised me with something even better and I was smiling about it all weekend long. It truly does not take much and he is simply the best. ❤
^^^ My precious!!
What is your favorite beverage? Do you drink it every day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to make more time for fun over the weekend. I am pleased to report that I have been doing great on this goal and the best thing of all has been having lots of hang outs with my three niece girl squad. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to get some craft supplies to make Valentines together. I went to Michael’s for the craft fest and was pleasantly surprised! All of their Valentine’s Day items were already marked down to forty percent off and the whole store was almost entirely Easter. It was a total score and I ended up with plenty of projects to keep my big girls occupied. I even got the fixings for the littlest baby to make a Valentine too with help from her big sisters!
This past Friday, my sister and girl squad joined me at Chez Mom and Dad for our crafting extravaganza. My big girls love to paint so I got them a pottery cake and cupcake to decorate, foam hearts to make cards with, and children’s paint and construction paper so baby sis could make a footprint heart. It was such a blast to get situated at the kitchen table and see what the girls dreamed up! After their pottery was to their liking, the girl squad began making Valentine’s Day cards for everyone and anything lol. Of course, they made Valentines for their parents and grandparents but they also made cards for their pets and our family dog! They also each made one for TT too:
My heart absolutely burst when the girls presented me with their creations and I have them proudly displayed in my apartment. We wrapped up our crafting jamboree with another fantastic surprise. My oldest niece decided she FINALLY wants me to teach her how to figure skate!! It was a joy to teach my big girls some jumps and spins off ice and they kind of got the hang of it lol. I can’t wait to hit the rink together!
Have you made any Valentine’s Day crafts? Do you decorate for V-Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! Every holiday season, I look forward to celebrating with my besties, Lea and Kate. It has been a regular occurrence each year for longer than we all care to admit but the novelty of it will never wear off! Due to extenuating circumstances, my Christmas get together with Lea had to be postponed to this past weekend. I was missing her something FIERCE so it couldn’t have come a moment too soon! We had a divine meal, girl talked the evening away, and finally were able to exchange presents. Honestly, talk about saving one of the best for last because my A1 knocked it out of the park. Check it out:
When I opened my gift from Lea, I clutched my pearls. I have been the proud bunny mom to Melvin and Penelope for over two years now and I don’t think it’s humanly possible to be more obsessed with them than I already am lol. Mel and Pen have made my life so much better from the infinite amount of joy that I get simply by looking at them. Even on the worst days, it is absolutely impossible not to smile at the pure cuteness overload! In fact, as I type this, Melvin and Penelope are binkying all over the room and it is so distracting in the best way. ❤
While I have bunny home decor galore, I am lacking in any type of clothing that symbolizes my love. This does seem ridiculous as I think about it now because Johnny has a shirt that says Bunny Dad! You know what they say about hindsight lol. This hoodie is so perfect in every way. It is soft, comfortable, my favorite color, and just right for these frigid winter days. Coincidentally, it is actually the same brand that we use for Misny Merch hoodies and I could tell as soon as I tore the package open… I have literally been living in my Misny hoodie for the past month because it’s my favorite for all of the same reasons why I love my gift. Just don’t tell my boss that I like my Bunny Mama swag best! 😀 ❤
With that, my holiday hang outs are now complete and I am so happy to have been able to share that belated celebration with my best girl – the best gift of all!
Do you have any clothes related to your pets? What is your favorite hoodie to warm you up? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo to you and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD! After a refreshing day off to get my hair done a few Fridays ago, Johnny and I went on a fantastic Date Night. I was really excited because I left the salon, as always, feeling like a billion bucks and I couldn’t wait to show it off. With my hair and makeup already right, all I had to do was slip on the outfit I built in my head and hit the town. And, of course, absolutely SLAY in the following shots before dinner:
Cradling my future food baby:
This new hair sure tastes good!
In my defense, it was REALLY windy out and I was getting blown away mid foot pop!
About to spill ALL the latest tea!!
Remember when I said it was REALLY windy out?
I’M SEXY!!!!
Simultaneously giving “aw shucks” and “whoopsy daisy” vibes
This past week was an incredibly busy one from start to finish. For the first time in a long time on Thursday, I ended up working a sixteen hour day and had to drive home in total white out conditions. As much as I would have loved to take a me day on Friday, the grind don’t stop! By the time my shift ended, I hit a complete wall but, you heard it here first: the grind don’t stop lol. Friday evening was my annual Christmas celebration with my bestie, Lea, and I had to rally. I cooked Cajun pasta for our dinner and it truly was an eat, drink, and be merry hang out. I cannot wait to show all of you my gift from her – it’s perfect!!
Once the festivities ended, I lingered around for a bit to hang out with Johnny and hit the bricks. Then, I woke up feeling like I got hit by a ton of bricks. Lol, I was so unbelievably tired and achy and no matter how much water I drank, I still felt thirsty. I was honestly worried I had Covid or was coming down with some kind of bug, but Johnny was feeling A-okay. As the morning continued, I literally had to go lay down and take a nap and I never, EVER take naps. That was what really made me worried as far as being sick goes because the only time I take naps is when I’m seriously under the weather.
When Johnny came up to check on me, I asked him for the millionth time if he was feeling okay. He was still right as rain and then broke down the activities of my last few days for me… I worked sixteen hours Thursday and had a longer day than intended on Friday because Lea came over later in the evening. He chalked the fatigue and soreness up to being tired and I am pleased to report that he was right on the money. After getting a ton of sleep and plenty of lounge time, I am writing this on Monday morning feeling *almost* as good as new. I say almost because a few extra hours of sleep instead of getting up at three AM wouldn’t hurt! 😀
In conclusion, the grind don’t stop lifestyle caught up to me so let this be a cautionary tale to take some time to recover after a long day. It will come around to bite you if you don’t!
Is your job tiring? How do you relax after a day at work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! This past Friday, Johnny and I made a Target Run to spend a Christmas gift card. As soon as we received it, I know for a fact that we both mentally thought that we could buy a new Lego set with it. So we did! The pickings were slim, but that was okay because we ended up with one that we are both very happy with: Malfoy Manor from the Harry Potter collection. Once we returned home with our purchase, we got to work and spent the evening getting our Lego Masters on. We completed half of the set and it looks fantastic so far! Check it out:
Although there were quite a few Lego sets that caught our eye, Malfoy Manor definitely spoke to us the most. Even on the box, it just looked spooky and you know we are both all about that! I admit, it is always slightly overwhelming to start a new Lego set because it feels like there is SO much to do. But, as soon as we ripped the first bag open, we were in the zone and laying down bricks like a fine tuned machine. This is what I love about Lego because, for me, it goes from “how are we going to do this?” to not being able to build fast enough!
As it has been a while since Johnny and I built Lego together, the beginning of this build was already an especially fun one. Then, we really started getting going and found so much delight in all of the neat surprises. We loved the gargoyles, birds, toilet (lol), and copious amounts of snakes. It would not be the Malfoy Manor without them! You might notice that there are tons of NPUs (Nice Parts Usage) scattered throughout the build and it’s such a cool thing to see how these seemingly random pieces take form. We really do revel in it.
We spent a good two hours on the first portion of Malfoy Manor and it couldn’t have ended on a better note (As seen in the very last picture). When we began building the Dark Mark imprinted on the ground, we had no idea what it was going to be. We both assumed it was going to be a snake themed pattern and weren’t thinking about the Dark Mark at all. You could only imagine our surprise when it finally took shape and our minds were blown. Lego is truly just amazing like that and it makes each and every build an absolute joy.
I am so eager to finish our Malfoy Manor build this weekend so I can show all of you the end result. I can’t wait to see what other surprises this set holds!
Do you build Lego often? What is your favorite set? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! This past weekend, I spent a lovely afternoon with my dad and two of my nieces to see Moana 2 at the theaters. I was really excited about this for a few reasons. 1) I was with my eldest niece for her first movie theater experience and this was her little sister’s first time seeing a show. 2) My eldest niece and I watched Moana during our very first slumber party. It was her suggestion because I hadn’t seen it. I absolutely loved it and it instantly became a special movie for the both of us. And 3) Movie theater food is the best lol. I know Moana 2 was not as well received as its predecessor, but we enjoyed every minute of it! In a spoiler free setting, let’s discuss:
^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!
It is a joyous day on Motunui because wayfinder, Moana has returned after a three day exploration mission. She is greeted by her precious family (including adorable little sis, Simea) and the island population in its entirety to welcome her home. Moana dreams of connecting the people in surrounding islands and thinks she might have found her first clue to achieve this on her expedition. Little does she know, her next adventure is already on the way. During a special ceremony that evening, Moana has a vision from her ancestors. The message is grim: The people of Motunui will not survive if Moana cannot raise the island of Motufetu from the depths of the sea. Motufetu was sunk by the angry storm god, Nalo, and used to join all of the islands together. Without it, any connection between islands is impossible and the people will slowly fade away.
With no time to spare, Moana assembles a crew of experts to assist in her voyage – a farmer, an inventor, and a historian. However, they are missing a BIG piece of the puzzle: Maui. Proud demigod Maui had his own problems with Nalo and wanted to raise Motufetu himself out of fear that Moana could die. During his efforts, he was captured by Nalo’s enforcer and let’s just say he is currently… tied up. A rescue mission is in order and after some help from an unexpected ally, it is full steam ahead to Motufetu. Can Moana and her team connect the islands and save the day? You’re just going to have to watch the movie!!
Moana is my GIRL and it was so exciting to reunite with her together with my bestie squad. We were hooked from the very start and remained glued to our seats for the whole movie. I know that many people felt like Moana 2 wasn’t as good as the first, but I thought it was just as good. The plot was a fantastic quest, it was visually stunning, the new characters introduced were great, and I could not get enough of the music. The soundtrack for Moana 2 is straight banger after banger. My favorites were “Beyond” and “Can I Get A Chee Hoo?”. The best song for me, though, was “Get Lost”. It was pure jazzy, villainous fun and, like all of the music in the movie, enhanced the scene and location beautifully.
One of the things that I loved the most about Moana 2 other than everything was the nods to the first movie placed throughout the film. The real ones will know and every time a tip of the cap happened, my eldest niece and I confirmed “it’s just like the first movie” lol. And, of course, the bond between Moana and Simea was the sweetest and it felt like watching my two “big” nieces in animated form. The fact that they called each other “big and lil sis” melted my heart because my nieces call each other “sissy”. Like me, my eldest niece thought Moana 2 was a hit. The jury is still out on her lil sis, though, because she slept the whole time lol.
It was such a gift to see Moana 2 with my best girls and I cannot recommend it enough. I know sequels can be hit or miss, but this one was excellent!
What was the last movie you saw in theaters? Is there anything coming out that you would like to see? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! My Johnny is not only an incredible musician but an avid lover of all music. He has an insane record collection, boasting over five hundred vinyls and it is his payday treat to hit up a few of his favorite haunts and pick up a new record or two. Despite his insistence on me purchasing records for myself, it is honestly something that doesn’t interest me. At the end of the day, you can wear a new pair of shoes but you can’t wear a new record lol. Because of this, Johnny makes it a point to surprise me with a new record every so often and he did so this weekend. While I was out with my nieces, Johnny placed one of my all time favorites under my pillow for me to return home to. I couldn’t contain myself when I saw that it was Sing the Sorrow by AFI:
Johnny and I are elder emos through and through and were blessed to have been around for the surge of emo and alt bands in the early 2000s. While Johnny was a My Chemical Romance kind of guy, I was a total AFI gal. AFI became one of my favorite bands after one listen and Sing the Sorrow was actually the first album I bought with my own money. I am SO lucky to have seen them perform live twice with my sister and have the fondest memories of both shows as well as the top of our lungs sing alongs in her first car. AFI is a band that has been with me for such a long time, through the good and the bad, and will always hold a very special place in my heart.
Whenever I am out shopping, I love to look for “little treats” for Johnny and tend to go the clothing route. Buying records for me is truly his equivalent of this and it really is sweet. Of course, it’s nice to be thought of but his sheer excitement for it is the best. Little by little, he has made an effort to expand my record collection too and it is working! Just like Johnny, I tore my AFI record open and wanted to listen to it immediately. So we did. While we played video games and chatted away, one of my desert island records played too and It. Was. Glorious!
I felt spoiled rotten by my surprise from Johnny and it made our standing weekend date of records and games even better! He is just the best. ❤
What do you like to collect? Do you have any vinyl records? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! Johnny and I both have really demanding work schedules and it can be hard to have the energy to do much of anything once the week is complete. While we love hanging out with our friends, we are perfectly fine just vegging out all weekend long. This past weekend, however, we turned into the hosts with the most because we had another couple over for a Dinner Party. We really don’t have a lot of couples to hang out with so it was a nice change of pace and we had the best time entertaining at chez nous. It has definitely been a while!
On Saturday morning, we both got to cleaning as soon as we woke up. Johnny tackled vacuuming and cleaning the kitchen while I worked on the dreaded bathrooms. After our clean-a-thon, the apartment looked amazing and we were so pleased with our efforts! Granted, the bunnies did their due diligence of getting hay and bedding on the floor as soon as it was vacuumed but that’s just life as bunny parents lol. With a freshly cleaned apartment, we spent the rest of the day playing video games until it was time to start cooking.
For dinner, I planned on making my Olive Garden taste alike recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo, a taste alike salad, and garlic bread. Like Johnny and me, our guests live for a good Middle Class Fancy meal so it was the perfect way to go. Everything looked incredible and we were famished by the time the other couple arrived. Thankfully, so were they! I say thankfully because the last time we hosted a couple for dinner, they just didn’t eat and we were ravenous by the time we left. It was kind of weird. Over a delicious meal, we spent the entire evening talking and laughing away. Before we knew it, almost three hours had passed and it felt like they had just got here!
We parted ways with the promises of doing a get together again and as soon as the door shut, Johnny and I were raving about the success of our evening and making new friends. We were elated to know that they had a good time too and it was exciting to break out of our usual chill weekend comfort zone. I cannot wait to host another double date!!
Do you have a couple that you like to double date with? What is your favorite dish to prepare for a dinner party? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! My Johnny is an incredibly skilled musician and it is one of my greatest joys to hear him play. He is skilled in several different instruments including guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and piano and it honestly blows my mind every time he creates a little music magic. Prior to the pandemic, Johnny was playing A LOT with the band he was in called The Outside Voices. It was freaking awesome. Unfortunately, like a lot of things during the pandemic, the band came to a grinding halt and hasn’t played since. That’s not to say that Johnny wasn’t still playing at home, but after a while, he kind of dropped off. Which is why I am SO happy that he has been picking up his guitar again for the past few weekends. Don’t mind the mess in Johnny’s record room lol:
Every Saturday for the past month or so, Johnny has been back in the record room Making Music and it is music to my ears. He is so gifted and being able to hear him in his zone is just the coolest. Johnny really does play a MEAN electric guitar and I love to sit there and watch him. He makes everything he does look so effortless and I am always clapping and cheering away for these solo performances. And he claims that he is “rusty”. As if!!
This Saturday, I had an amazing three and a half hour chat-a-thon with my blogging bestie, Kate of Live In The Nautical. As we talked, and talked, and talked some more, Johnny was playing the entire time. And, by the time Kate and I said our goodbyes, he STILL kept playing! Not only was I impressed, but I was elated that the concert wasn’t over so I could rock out more to my all time favorite musician. How lucky am I that said musician is also my husband?!
I am so proud of Johnny for making an effort to get back into music again and I can’t wait to hear what he plays this upcoming weekend! ❤
Do you play any instruments? What was the last concert you saw? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
lifewithlilred 