GOVERNMENT Blah Blah Blah - Let's talk KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN instead

DEPLOYMENT COUNTDOWN. DAY 14/15

Not to make light of the pending government closure, but do any of us really another layer of negativity to worry about? Unfortunately there isn't anything we can do about it at this point, so lets discuss the body transformation of Ms. Kourtney K instead. Fun!

Who has seen her latest work-out photos in US magazine? She looks uh-mazing and credits her new shape to circuit training and running on the beach. All credited to the help of a professional trainer, photo enhancing, personal chef, make-up artist, professional photographer. I think Kourtney has found a great balance between looking feminine and toned. Totally impressive for a new mom.

(Don't forget about my DVF giveaway. Look at the post below for details)

GIVE AWAY: Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF) - the drawing is Friday (4/22)!

Brace yourself. I am giving away an authentic vintage DVF logo'd scarf from the 70's. It is the perfect 70's shade of copper brown and is the classic square. This looks fantastic worn around your neck (multiple ways), tied onto your purse, or my favorite....tied in your hair.  

This is for all of my lovely readers - thank you so  much for reading and promoting my blog.

I will ship worldwide - so this giveaway is open to everyone!

 

Here are the rules of this giveaway:

1.  Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me that you follow for ONE entry.  You must be a blog follower to win.

2.  Tweet a link to my giveaway and leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet for TWO entries!

3.  Blog about my giveaway and include a link back to the giveaway for FOUR entries!  Please post three comments in the comment section with the link to your blog post, this way you get counted for all of your entries!

******The winner will be drawn on Friday, April 22nd 2011!

DORM ROOM DESIGN - Retro Mod Style!

15 DAY COUNTDOWN TO DEPLOMENT - DAY 15/15

THE INSPIRATION

One of my deployment dilemmas is being forced to live in a boring dorm for 6 months. The room will be small and I will have to share a bathroom with one neighbor. Bleh. So even though I have not seen the space yet, I want to bring some decorative items with me so I can quickly convert this little room into a stylish living space.

HISTORY:

When I was in my 20’s and living in the barracks, I would remove black and white photos from the fashion magazines and cover my furniture and walls. Essentially making a funky wallpaper.

THE PLAN:

I think I will do the same thing again on this trip, but in addition to using magazine clippings, I will add DECORATIVE CARDSTOCK. I found two print books that are gorgeous and should be enough to do an entire wall (securing with scotch tape), as well as line my clothing drawers.  

At $10 a book (48 sheets), these are a bargain. Check out some of the the patterns - aren’t these cool?

You can buy this at Michaels or Hobby Lobby

Going with a retro-mod theme, I bought some black bath towels with fun white polka dots. A closet isn't complete without matching hangers. I picked up two 18 packs of black velvet hangers by Closet Diva. Hopefully that will be enough as I have no idea how much space I'll have.  

For some reason, this little purchase has brought me some peace in my building anxiety of leaving.   

I will post before and after photos once I arrive :)

I'M HOME!

I’m finally home, and it feels like I have been gone forever.

I survived my combat class – and guess what? It wasn’t so bad. I met amazing people (Ms. Erica if you’re reading this – yes, I’m talking about you) and the energy was high and positive. Sure, the food was disasterous and the shower head was installed so high that shampooing my hair was about impossible, but no biggie. I adjusted and so did everyone else.

I realized I never mentioned what I do in the military. I manage patient evacuation. So in easy terms, I am in charge of getting wounded soldiers onto the airplane to send them to a larger hospital. When I was in Iraq I would send them to Germany. Now that I'm going to Germany, I will be on the receivng end of the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.

DISCLAIMER: Since I work with patients, please know that I am very discreet in my postings due to privacy and hippa requirements. Any patient information shared will only be becuase I have been allowed to do so, or else I have changed the information to protect the injured.

Moving on.......

 

After Texas I rushed to Seattle and spent all day Saturday firing the M-16 semi automatic rifle. This sounds cool, but in reality it jacks up your cheek and shoulder since you have to wedge it in there to get a good shot. This is one of the least glamorous training items I have to do. Bleh. I'm definetly not a gun girl.

 

Here is a brief recap of last week in photos:

Since I'm the lightest weight, I'm always picked to be the pretend 'patient'. The black cot is called a 'liter'.





Me and my awesome troops. I wore my old uniform so I would't dirty up my new ones.



This is the dangerous ramp we use to carry the wounded into the aircraft. Very steep!



The graduating class. Dirty and ready to go home.



Training on a C-130. These are much safer since we can walk up the back ramp with patients.

Training on loading helo's. You can load 4 patients on these.



We had to unload the cargo box (on the left) and build these tents. It sucked.




The interior of a C130. It crowed and tight inside. Imagine being injured and strapped down on the litter for hours and hours.



Questions?? Please send me an email or ask in your comment

DINNER PLANS AND A COCKTAIL DRESS EMERGENCY

I'm in Tacoma today finishing up some training. Tonight I have dinner plans with my sister and brother, which is a rare occurrence. My siblings are 9 and 10 years older than me, so growing up I felt like an only child as they had already moved out and moved on during a time I would have tradition ally bonded with them.

My sister and I reconnected over the past 10 years and are total besties. My brother? Well, not so much. We get along, but we only see each other at Christmas and do not put much effort into staying in touch. It's not a bad thing, its just the way it is. SO ANYWAYS....having dinner with the both of them tonight is a big deal and is being prompted by my upcoming farewell. 

Gorgeous LV dress - a bit out of my budget. Still pretty to look at though.

I will head home tomorrow and the next big event is my COCKTAIL PARTY!! It will be a combined party for Graduation/40th Birthday/Farewell. It is this coming Saturday and I do not have a dress. I haven't had a lot of time to shop so I will probably be stuck recycling something I already own. BORING. 

With my new-do, I'm thinking a short swing 60's inspired dress would be perfect. In the photo above, I like how the shoulders are featured - so something with that style of upper cut would look great. Even a long sleeve a-line mini would work.

Should I do color or stick with classic black? I'm leaning towards color....

Anyone have any suggestions or photos of inspiration? I'm off to work, so if anyone is bored today and has time to find something that has a location in the Tacoma/Seattle area or could order online and ship quickly- I would love the help.

SELF TANNER GOODNESS - golden goddess style

I have been wearing self tanner since I was 19. I remember being in basic training and getting up in the middle of the night to apply my Chanel self-tanner (god forbid I wasn't tan under my uniform). It came in this fantastic black pump bottle with the signature C's on the front in gold. Even though basic training is the least fancy place in the world, it was comforting to see my glamorous tanner bottle looking back at me hidden away in the corner of my drawer. Chanel discontinued this tanner long ago, but I learned at an early age that a high quality tanner was worth splurging on.

So.......after years of spending money on expensive tanners, I have to say I am very impressed with Jergens Natural Glow Express in Medium. With one application I have a perfect shade of honey-gold skin and it feels soft and silky. I have yet to have any streaks and it has a light clean smell. A bargain at $7.49.



Stick with the medium. Even on my fair skin the 'light' is too light.



My next find is Xen Tan Dark. I received a sample from Nordstrom and this stuff is magic in a bottle. It goes on like a bronzer and develops into a gorgeous olive/honey tone. It stays on forever and applies evenly - I have never even noticed it fading off. No patches or scaling with this stuff. It has a nice light smell and dries very quickly. FORMULA ALERT: I believe the formula I'm using is designed for the body rather than the face. It feels oil-free and has given me better results than Clarins or Lancomes face formulas.No issues with breakouts or irritation. You can buy it here: Nordstrom

HOW TO APPLY THE XEN TAN:

To prep my face for the tanner, I wash my face using my Clarisonic brush and Philosophy Purity cleanser. I pat dry and apply a light layer of The Body Shops Vitamin C serum and Lancomes Genifique Eye cream. When the serum and eye cream soaks in I apply a light layer of Xen Tan on my face, on my ears, neck and decolletage. 

Once the tanner has dried, I apply Latisse on my eyelids and go to bed. When I wake up in the morning, my skin is perfectly bronzed for 3-4 days. Who doesn't need a little self-tanner during this never ending winter?

YAY! MY FIRST BLOGGING AWARD

The lovely blogger at Gawgus Things has given me with the very appropriate VERSATILE BLOGGER award. Thank you so much! Please check out her blog as it features inspirational photos, fashion tips and styling ideas. Plus..... she recently jetted off to Rome (yes, Rome - lucky girl) and has some amazing photos from her fabulous adventure.

So the rules of this particular award are as follows:

A. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. Done - see above.

B. Tell us 7 things about yourself:

1. No fou-fou cocktails for me. I drink a man's drink - bourbon and water. Makers Mark to be exact.

2. I was in marching band for 3 years and decided I was tired of being the band nerd unpopular. I tried out and was on the Varsity Cheerleading squad my Junior and Senior Year in High School. Overnight success!

3. I lived in South Korea for one year when I was 21. I saw dogs skinned,hanging and ready for cooking. There were also cages of kitty cats trying to get out as they knew thier time was short. I was traumatized and useless all at the same time.

4. I used to work as an executive for the Subway corporation and met Jared (the guy who lost all of the weight living on only Subway sandwiches for 1 year) on multiple occassions. He is a big sweet dork - and YES.... his story is legit.

5. I can do 50 full plank push ups (read: no knees involved)

6. My favorite candy is dark chocolate combined with either: coconut or nuts. I never understood nougat and think it is a 'filler' in candy.

7. I was raised Mormon and escaped the religion when I turned eighteen. My parents have since become catholic, protestant, non-demoninational christian.

C. Award 5 recently discovered new bloggers. Here are the fabulous five!!
1.  Welcome to Heardmont - DIY home remodel & repair. She has uh-mazing style and taste.

2.  Green Tea and Cupcakes - fashion and sewing in one fabulous blog!

3.  Love, Lipstick and Pearls. She posts on some of the most gorgeous men out there. Total eye candy!

4.  Ms. Elizabeth at In the Pink. Love her blog. It features style tips and there is even a posting of fluffernutters. Yes, fluffernutters - control yourself. 

5.  Courage is Not an Image. Sweet Lacey is a military mom. She is a fairly new blogger and focuses on being a supportive spouse and dealing with the challenges of sometimes being the only parent around. She could use your support and blog love. Check her out.


D. Contact these bloggers and let them know they've received the award(s). Done!

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