It's Friday, I'm in love!

I don't know about you, but I love Fridays and thought I would share 5 things that I am in love with.

{ONE} My boyfriend. I am absolutely in love with my boyfriend, Gill. He makes me feel so special every day and I get butterflies in my stomach whenever I see him. He is easily my best friend, greatest encourager, and love of my life. I love him so incredibly much.

{TWO} Lupita Nyong'o. I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave yet, but, I just love Lupita. She is so classy. I've seen a few of her interviews and fell in love with her.

{THREE} My hometown. I have been so blessed to grow up in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. My favorite thing to do is find beautiful views and just take it all in. I took this picture off the Parkway near Cone Manor.

{FOUR} The Ellen Show. Ellen Degeneres is amazing. I don't have cable and I'm at work when her show airs, so I find myself watching hours and hours of clips from her show. She is generous and witty and I love her!

{FIVE} Weddings. I love ALL things weddings. No, I'm not wedding crazy. I love the wedding industry, designs, and styles. Yes, I want to one day marry Gill, but that's not the only reason why I love all things weddings. I spend hours on Pinterest and Southern Weddings Magazine's website just looking and loving. I love the different styles and ideas that each bride has, I think it's so creative. I want to one day be a part of the wedding industry because it's my passion. Wedding Planning might be in my future. 

(If you love weddings too, my wedding board is linked to the picture, click it to go to my wedding Pinterest board) 

8 Ways to Relax

Because of some unfortunate events that happened last week, I had a very busy weekend. Since last Thursday, it's been go-go-go. I literally have had 15 minutes alone, and I don't know about you, but I like to take some time every once in a while and have some "me time". Do you find yourself feeling like his too?

1) Read. I love to read but rarely find the time. My favorite thing to do is curl up on the couch (or sit outside when it's warm) and dive into a great book. Right now I am reading The Body Book By Cameron Diaz. I highly suggest getting this book. It is so informative and has given me a better understanding of my body.

2) Paint your nails.

3) Take a bubble bath.

4) Drink liquids. Try not to drink ones with too much sugar. Some good drinks can be hot tea, lemonade, hot chocolate.

5) Get a massage. Lots of massage places offer great specials, believe me, it makes you feel amazing. 

6) Take a drive. I find it relaxing to go and take in some pretty views.

7) Craft. I find it very therapeutic to craft and make things.

8) Rest. Take a short nap to help you feel refreshed. 

Let's talk about Hair

I love my hair. I think it's one of my best features and I have to wash it every single day. I wanted to find something that would help me not have to wash my hair as often and that would keep my hair looking gorgeous.

I've tried everything from Herbal Essences (fav), Pantene (least fav), Main and Tail, Garnier Fructis to Aussie and the list goes on and on and on. I tend to use the same shampoo/conditioner combo for a couple months, get tired of it and switch to a new one, which can get pretty expensive.

I did some research and found that baking soda and vinegar are actually good for your hair. I found this "recipe" from Amanda at Living In Another Language. She called it "no poo". I read her reviews on it and thought I would give it a try.

Unfortunately, it did not work out as well for me.

The first day I tried it my hair looked great. Didn't smell like vinegar and actually looked really clean. I woke up the next morning and my hair looked awesome. I sweat a lot that day, so I decided to wash my hair that night (again with the no poo). When I got up the next morning my hair looked really dirty, so I decided to wash it again. I started styling it and my hair was so greasy. I was really upset because I had taken the time to style it and it looked like I hadn't even washed it.

My final conclusion is that the "no poo" is good occasionally, but if your hair tends to get oily, you're just going to have to suck it up and wash it.

Have you tried any shampoos that you love and don't damage your hair? Let me know! I would love to hear about it!

Wedding Planning Care Package

I came up with a cool idea for a Bridal Care Package recently and wanted to share it with you.

My boyfriend's sister is one of my best friends and had to move to a city where she doesn't know anyone. I wanted to do something nice for her while she's planning her wedding. 

1) Wedding Color Nail Polish/Forever 21 2) Notepad/Target 3) Favorite Mints/Target 4) Small Candles/Bath and Body Works 5) Wedding Themed Movie/Target

The Care Package cost me about $20 including shipping. She loved it! If you want to do anything nice for a bride-to-be this a great way to do so.

Acne Scar Eraser

I have always had trouble with acne. I've been through a couple rounds of Accutane and have tried every acne product on the planet. On top of that, I have always had trouble with acne scars too. One remedy that I have found that works really well for getting rid of acne scars is Vitamin E.

If you have this problem too, here's something for you to try:

Buy: Vitamin E Capsules (Walmart)

After I have finished my bedtime routine, I bust the Vitamin E capsule in the palm of my hand, take the oil and rub it on the places on my face that have acne scars.

I've been doing this for a couple days now and I'm already starting to see them fade.

Do you have any acne or acne scar remedies? Please share them with me!

Five on Friday

It's my first time since I've started my new blog that I've linked up. This is a big step for my baby blog! Hope you enjoy.

I thought my first Five on Friday would be five things that I've been pining over.

1. A Laura Hopper Calligraphy Starter Kit. I want it so bad!

2. This maxi dress of Red Dress Boutique. I'd love anything from Red Dress actually. They've got some cute stuff! Check it out! 

3. Some beach, somewhere. Anywhere actually. I want some warm weather and I want it now. 

 4. This book. My dream is to start my own business, but fear of failure is getting in my way. 

5. To go to a Katy Perry or Beyonce Concert. I'm a total fangirl. I have so much respect for both of them and love their music. 

Why I got rid of Social Media

A lot of people actually got mad at me when I left social media. They couldn't tag me in stuff or write on my wall/tweet me for my birthday. And that's exactly why I got rid of it. I miss when our only mode of communication with people was through letters or landlines. 

When people say "I don't even know what's going on with you anymore because you don't have Facebook" It pisses me off! Just because I don't have a Facebook doesn't mean that I don't exist! Pick up the phone and call me for goodness sake!

Getting rid of social media has forced me to be intentional and talk to people rather than just browse their Facebook page to see what's going on with them. I am so much happier. I have real relationships with people. To be honest, I had about 1,900 Facebook friends/600 followers on twitter and maybe only considered 5% of them my "friends". 

Another thing that made me get rid of my social media life was the fact that people were superficial. Facebook/Twitter is a place for people to make up this life that they want people to think they have, when in reality, no one really cares. I remember hanging out with people who bad mouthed other people and next thing I know, I see on Facebook that they're BFFs. Fo reals?

The sad thing is, I almost reactivated my Facebook account because I was afraid people were going to forget my birthday. How sad is that? (Thankfully I did not reactivate and I still got plenty of birthday wishes)

I feel like social media is just a way to make yourself unhappy. Looking at all these so-called "lives" that are glamorous and great and you're sitting there with your bowl of ice cream, crying, asking yourself, "Why can't that be me".

So try it, deactivate your social media accounts and see what happens.