Changes.

Do we ever really know what's in store for us?

I've been thinking about my future a lot lately, and what I would like to accomplish.

Things have ended with the guy that I was seeing.

I can't help anyone that refuses to help themselves.

Not to mention the new "celebrity" status that he achieved...

((being on the Maury show does NOT make you a celebrity))

My roommate is going through a divorce right now.

They had a child together and are fighting over custody.

I testified in court today supporting my roomie.

I'm scared to get married.

Terrified of having a child/children.

What if someone tries to take my baby away someday?

Heather, you are superwoman to me.

I cannot believe how strong you are through all of this.

Let me ask you this...

Why do we date people if we know that we will never marry them?

Are we wasting time?

Should we still keep our options open if we're in an "exclusive" relationship?

Should we only date people that we can imagine marrying/having children with?

Book Club Friday: The Help

[via]

The Help

Kathryn Stockett

Product Description: (via Amazon)

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

 

My Review:

It took me a couple of days to get into this book.  I had a hard time with the dialect in the beginning (most of it is written from a Southern black woman's perspective.)  However, once I got a fourth of the way through the book, I couldn't stop reading.  The Help opened my eyes to the past and how much things have changed.

 

5 out of 5 stars.

 

Read a book & link up!

Car shopping.

Gas is expensive.

We all know this.

Fueling a large SUV that only get 14 MPG is extremely expensive.

[not mine, but exact replica, via]

I love my Jeep Commander.

Love, love, looove.

However, it's not entirely necessary for me to have that large of a vehicle.

90% of the time, it's just me cruisin' around in it.

I'm talking about a vehicle that can hold 8 people.

So, I will be test driving some new cars this weekend.

Here's what I have in mind...

[2010 Subaru Legacy, via]

[2010 Ford Fusion, via]

[2011 Hyundai Sonata, via]

[2010 Suzuki Kazashi, via]

I am going to be picky.

I will only buy the car that I fall in love with.

I'm leaning towards the Legacy, because they are all equipped with AWD.

That is pretty much a necessity with Midwest winters...

Do you find fuel efficiency to be an important factor?

What else do you look for in a car?

Wish me luck!

xox.

Movin' on up!

Exciting news!

My bestie, Heather, is now my roomie!

After quite a disastrous search for a 3 bedroom house that we can afford,

we found one!

It definitely needs some cleaning, but it will be super cute when finished.

So, upon this major decision... I need to create a budget.

Enter blogging entries....

I'm creating a budget page to track my terrible spending habits.

You will see every penny that I make and where it goes.

I honestly NEED to do this.

I have seen so much success through blogs of other girls tracking their spending habits and becoming more frugal.

I WANT TO BE THAT GIRL.

Do you have a budget?

How do you stick to it?

I'm going to need some support through this!

Just Fabulous Update!

You remember, I'm sure...

I talked about JustFab a couple months ago.

It's a shoe subscription website.

And it IS fabulous. 

Let me show you a peek of the shoes that I have received so far...

[cherise]

[kellan]

[hadley]

[addisyn]

[lulu]

Mmm hmm... gorgeous-ness.

My first pair was 1/2 price, and this month I may have splurged and got three pairs (buy1get1 for addisyn & lulu!)...

I absolutely love every pair that I have received!

I should take a picture of the shoes when they arrive... they are packaged so cute and come with a JustFabulous bag to keep them in!

Two of the pairs (Addisyn & Kellan) are actually Chinese Laundry heels, and at $39.95/pair, you really can't go wrong.

Okay, so if you are as obsessed with shoes as I am, I highly recommend JustFabulous.

If you don't like the selections in your boutique (which are e-mailed to you at the beginning of the month), you can check out their Facebook page and search the shoes by name based on other user's reviews.

Honestly, I haven't purchased any heels from my boutique yet...

If you can't find anything that you like for the month, just "Skip this month" by the 5th and you won't be charged.  Otherwise, they will just credit your account for the next month!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! =)

Join here!

I am not being compensated for this post, these are my personal recommendations =)

The links posted are to my invitation

Hey girl, heyyy.

I hate my lack of internet.

The only internet that we now have at home is mi-fi off my mom's cell phone... and she is rarely home at the same time as me.

I could hit up some places with wi-fi, like any normal person would try... but... I'm lazy.

And I've been keeping busy with new friends, a little travelling, and perhaps a boyy. ;)

I spent some time in Chicago with my best friend, Russ (see above.)

I had purchased my plane ticket back in May when Southwest had their 40th Anniversary sale for less than $100!  What a steal! ;)

I also apartment hunted while I was in this gorgeous city (which I fell in loovee with)

Might be relocating sometime in the near future!

[tall, dark, handsome is my bestie's hunk. ;) ]

&& I went out with my girl friend, Angie.

[this is back at home..]

[dress target, looove it]

Aaaand, I went shopping. =)

I got some super cute dresses in Chicago!  I'm sure you'll see them soon!

I hope everything is well with all of you!

xox.

The Number 23.

Hello!

It was my birthday on Wednesday. =)

I got to spend it with my lovely girl friends. <3

&&Tequila is not my friend, whatsoever.

Dress, Forever21  Shoes, Madden Girl  Watch, Michael Kors

I also wanted to show you some of my recent purchases.

I treated myself to the watch for my birthday =)

EOS Lip Balm is ah-maze-ing.

I'm testing out these RejuviCare Hair & Nail Formula vitamins.

I want my hair to look like the above pics all the time.