A Dream Comes True

This is the story of a little girl. A little girl who wanted so badly to find her prince her whole life. She dreamt of different scenarios in which she would find him and they would fall in love and stay that way forever. She searched high and low, but often felt not good enough for most of the boys she had her eyes on. Then she grew up and found love - a couple of times even! But the men were not her prince; they were not her missing piece. A lot of times she felt lost and wondered if the dream she dreamt would ever come true. She wondered if God had a different plan for her.

And then she found Brad. Her prince. And she knew this man was not an ordinary man, he was special. He was, in every way possible, her dream come true. Her prayers answered. Her safe place to fall.

I am getting married in 3 days and could not be more thrilled. I have always, always wanted to get married to the right person and have a family and live a simple life. I don't want riches, I just want happy. I know marriage will take work at times, and I don't expect the road to be paved in gold, but I want everything it has to offer.

Brad is the most special man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is kind, gentle, patient, genuine, funny, smart and amazing. He gives all of his heart to me every day, and for that I am forever grateful. He is honest and doesn't play games. He takes care of me. He rescued me from a life filled with worry and doubt. He is the whole package. And I get to be his wife. J

March 26^th, 2011 will mark a beginning to a very exciting journey. It's the first day of the rest of my life. I'm getting married!!!!

The Beauty Blog

Yet another blog for my ladies!
I am very obsessed with beauty products and have a slight addiction to purchasing them. (I probably have a hundred lip glosses.) So, I thought I'd share some of my absolute favorites, and would love for you to share yours as well!

•Cetaphil moisturizing lotion
I have tried a lot of facial moisturizes and always end up throwing them away because they have some ingredient that makes me break out. This one is awesome! I have used it for a couple of months and it doesn't irritate my skin at all. It is fragrance, lanolin and paraben-free.
http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/Moisturizers.aspx

•Cargo Cosmetics
The wet/dry powder foundation is awesome! It goes on light but has great coverage. Long-wearing but also washes off easily at the end of the day.
The better-than-waterproof mascara is also quite amazing. It is long wearing but isn't super difficult to get off like some waterproof formulas. It just takes warm water. I also have had problems with waterproof formulas clumping, and this doesn't at all. Definitely a staple for me.
http://www.cargocosmetics.com/

•Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
This is a miracle product for me! I have oily skin, so when I used to wear eyeshadow, by afternoon it would crease and I'd have to wipe it off and touch up. This product goes on as a cream before you apply eyeshadow and dries within seconds. I can go all day without any sign of a crease or oil. The Original matches any skin tone, and I use this more often. The Sin is a shimmering champagne color and I use more when I go out or get a little more dolled up. AH-MAZING!
http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/EyeshadowPrimerPotionDuo.cfm

•Tarte LipSurgence natural lip tint
I've tried a couple of lip tints before and always ended up with dry lips. This one is different! It has super pretty colors that also moisturize! It comes in a fun crayon design too. My favorite shades are lust and enchanted.
http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lipsurgence-natural-lip-tint

•Sephora Collection Professional Platinum brush line
If you use a brush for any of your makeup application - this line is wonderful. I used to buy cheap powder brushes at the drug store but was introduced to this line when I was at Sephora shopping. I was hesitant to spend an extra $20 on it when I thought they all did the same thing. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The bristles are all synthetic and super soft. I use it for my foundation, bronzer and blush.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/section.jhtml?categoryId=C17062

Well, that's all for now. I would love to hear back from you if you have any must haves for your beauty routine!

This one's for the girls

About a month ago, I started seeing some things differently. It was a drastic change that led to me thinking...a lot! The thinking led to me wanting to share my thoughts with others who might appreciate it. So here goes!

"Woman, female, lady  are nouns referring to adult human beings who are biologically female; that is, capable of bearing offspring. Woman  is the general term. It is neutral, lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication..."

This is where it all started. Lacking either favorable or unfavorable implication? I don't think so. Women are way too hard on themselves. And where does it stem from? From men? From a blurred view of supermodels and super-thin actresses? From a relative who constantly put them self down? It can come from anywhere. Being a woman myself, I feel like I can wholeheartedly express my view on this and (hopefully) not face too much criticism.

No matter what color, what size, what age, women are beautiful! But instead of focusing on this general statement, we find a need to pick. And then pick s'more. We focus on things we hate about our bodies, our facial features, our skin, and we pick. We put ourselves down. We can find a hundred things to love about another woman, but when it comes to our self, we can't find one. Why is this?

I don't have that answer for you. In my mind, I compare myself to others. But I am no one but myself, so how will I ever be pleased comparing myself to someone completely different?

So, after this really (finally!) started to sink in, I really started thinking.

I started by choosing one thing I like about myself. My smile. Something that can bring joy to others. With that realization, I started looking at my whole self differently. I started just seeing what I liked when I looked in the mirror. The bad could go away and never return, because I wasn't acknowledging it anymore. I thought it might last a couple of days, then I'd be back to putting myself down. But this change has stuck around for about a month now, and it's super refreshing!

I look around at all the beautiful women I know.

My mom is beautiful. She redefined age to me. Running her first marathon at almost 50 made me realize, there is no old! She inspires me all of the time.

My sister is beautiful. She manages to get prettier each year.

My friends are beautiful. They are different shapes, different sizes, different hair & skin color, but they are all beautiful.

I hope that someday I can pass this on to a daughter of my own.

I hope you can find one thing you like about yourself today that inspires a whole new view of yourself. You are beautiful.