Announcement!

Hey Guys!

Just so you guys know, I have decided to move over to Wordpress. With trying to be more committed to blogging regularly, I realized that I need a different platform to have my blog organized the way that I would like it to look!

I will have an updated link to the new blog posted here in just a few days :)

BYOB- A Different Type of Party.

     Okay so I will admit it right now, I may or may not have mislead you guys on this title of this posting. I mean don't get me wrong, I love a shot of Tequila as much as the next girl but I decided to something a little different with this post.

   My main idea for BYOB or Be Your Own Beautiful is share things, people that inspired me, and just other random pieces of the world that make me feel good about myself. There is so so many things that are floating through our social media feeds, popping up on our televisions, and even in the words we say to each other that are meant to make us feel like crap. It is hard to focus on things that we like about ourselves, instead of unwanted pounds, a bad hair or all of the other things about ourselves that we compare against someone else  

  I think this is probably one of the sections or posts of this blog is what I am most exicited about. I will have a new post up every Tuesday so come back :)

(And yes,  I know that today is Sunday!)

I am still alive, don't worry.

In case you guys haven't noticed, I am probably one of the world's worst at getting posts up with any sort of schedule or really at all, actually. Honestly, I have really been struggling with all of the other craziness that comes with life to put as much focus as I would like on to this blog. Which sucks. I started this blog as a place to relax and share all the geeky goodness that I can think of but now I get stuck feeling that this is us another thing that I forgot to do at the end of the night. That is definitely not I wanted. 

The last three posts that I have been able to upload have basically been me repeating myself, apologizing for not posting like I promised or not posting at all. I mean, I am really starting to sound like a broken record-- I already talk too much, I definitely don't need to start repeating on myself :). Reading through my last three posts, I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I even wanted to stick with this, especially because I haven't been able to get my crap together so far to do anything more than apology posts. What I eventually decided was that I want to stick with this. I want to commit, even if it is just my mom and my boyfriend's mom that actually read this  (Love you guys!), to posting things that I find inspiration, writing about about things that make me feel creative, and all of geeky things I can find. 

So here goes shot number four. I got some advice from some pretty amazing bloggers through the Female Geek Bloggers- an online community through Google+ and I am going to change things up a little bit with this blog and I really really hope you guys like the changes as much as I think you will. 

Thank you for sticking with me guys.

loves.

Dog Farts.

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!

A whole lot of nothing. I sent that kid on a Wal-mart run. 

; )

Alright, so get ready for this. 

 I have a  new man on my life. 

Yeah. . Mind blown, right?!

Let me tell you, He is a hunk. 

He loves to snuggle and he is such a smoocher. 

His name is Mickey, has some gorgeous dark hair, and is alllll muscle. 

And the best part of the whole thing, Shane is totally down with him. 

Totally hit the jackpot, right?!

Okay. So if you haven't already guessed this new man of mine has four legs and is currently sitting on my lap panting away. I have been tossing around the idea of getting a dog for a while, I have done some research on animals and depression, which is something that I have struggled with as you guys know, so I thought I would see if a four legged friend would maybe help me out. Through a weird serious of events, Shane and I kind of ended up with a 3 year old English Bulldog. He is such a lovable old oalf. For example, this guy is currently sleeping with his butt up in the air and his head ostriching the couch. . I kind of love him : )

Pictures tomorrow possibly?!

Youtube is Hard!!!

What is Shane playing tonight?!

More friggen Madden.

Uggh. 

Alrighty guys, I am wicked bummed. I was so psyched to post my video for you all and to get my co-hosting on but unfortunately my camera chose to through a hissy fit. We got our house all clean, a little filming spot all set up, a fully charged camera and now the damn thing won't focus! I pretty sure we did about thirty takes and none of them are actually focused on our face :(

Needless to say I am a sad panda tonight. 

Also, word to the wise, falling in the sand at the beach with your camera to catch your fall is probably not a good life choice. . All I hear now are little crunches :(( 

We are planning on having another video shot by next weekend. We will be down with our families for some pre-holiday celebrating and hopefully I can sweet talk my lovely mother into letting me "borrow" her camera. .Although I thinking that may require a bribe or two!

loveeeeya.

Drum Roll Please!!!

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!

Believe it  or not, we are actually watching other people play video games. . 

You guys should check out the Angry Video Game Nerd on YouTube. 

He is pretty awesome.

(And that is coming from someone that doesn't know whole lot about video games!)

OKAY!

Ready for happy news?!

(Or at least happy for me?! And possibly you know that I think about it?!)

It is nothing major but I have actually decided to give the whole Co-host aspect of this blog a shot :)

Meaning over the next week, I am planning on filming a short little something something to post up here and maybe even on youtube! Who knows what it will be about or even how long it will be but I am excited. I mean, I spend so much friggen time watching Youtube videos of all of these awesome girls creating things, trying all of these different looks, and hauling all of these cute clothes that I finally have decided to give it a real shot. I hope you guys peek back in to see what I come up with! I am thinking Sunday night. . Don't make any plans, yo. 

Just kidding. .

But seriously come watch ; )

love your stinkin faces. 

Bugging Out. .

What is Shane playing tonight?!

Nothing!!

(Pretty sure that is only because he is currently in the shower : ))

Eating healthy stinks. .

But being unhealthy sucks too.

There lies my struggle

Ugghh. 

Like I mentioned before, I am very much a believer of accepting yourself the way that you were made and it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks as long as you are happy with you. . And right now I am trying to get happy with myself again. I still am working on taking that extra bit of pride in the way that I look and dress but I have decided that I want to take it a step further. I am trying to get into a healthier way of eating than I have had over the last few years. 

I am not sure if it is because that I am starting to notice my loved ones getting older and struggling with their health or just the way that I have been physically feeling lately but I realized that getting healthy is something that I am wanting to focus on lately. 

However, it has been a slow start. 

The one thing that I managed not to screwed up was cutting out soda, which I am proud of because I was a HUGE Pepsi drinker. Up until I stopped drinking it, I was up to about two cans a day. I mean every once in a while a ice cold glass is amazing but I had gotten to the point where I didn't even enjoy it anymore. And as much as I want a glass right now, I am glad that I haven't had any all week! I have the hardest time sticking to things, no matter what it is, so this as lame as this little baby step may seem, I feel pretty dang good about it : ) 

The other thing that I think I struggle with (besides having any semblance of willpower) is not having enough knowledge. There are so many websites and pins to follow about weight loss and getting healthy that it is almost overwhelming. I think that it tends to make me a little over ambitious with what to try and what to eat. You get all these good idea and see all of these good recipes but by the time that you spend all the money to try them, it is hard not to get discouraged when they aren't what was expected. . Does anybody else get stuck in this rut or is it just me?!

Well enough of my rambling. . I am getting sleep and am probably going to round up something healthy to munch on before bed. If anyone has any good tips or info. .  please share!! Plus encouragement is always welcome!!

Peace. yo.

And I failed again.

Confession Time. 

I succccckkk at blogging. 

(As if you couldn't tell.) 

I do miss it though. . A lot. 

I just feel with all of the chaos that has happened in the month, stuff that I have enjoyed and taking that extra few minutes to do something for myself like this blog, has totally fallen by the wayside. I need to get back into the habit of taking care of me. . . Getting back to a normal sleeping habit, spending some time readying and getting back to exercise. . . P.S. I hate dieting. . I have gone two days without soda and I am about ready to punch someone. . Anways, like I said before I can't make any promises about regular weekly posts but please don't forget about me and I promise I won't forget about you guys!!

If you can't tell. . I have no sense of fashion : /

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!

Madden aggggaaaainnnnnn. 

And here you guys thought I was kidding about being a "Madden Widow".

Pfffft. ;)

Since moving down to Coos Bay and finally getting a grown  up job, I have been trying to spend more time working on myself, specifically getting ready in the morning and doing my makeup. But because I don't know anyone down here, I have pretty much had to rely on Youtube for advice and ideas, which isn't as bad as it sounds actually.I have found a few girls that I love and who do some pretty amazing tutorials for make up. (Especially the Vintage Or Tacky channel. . AMAZING.) 

Can I rock this?! And don't even get me
started on contouring. 

I have tried few out and found some looks that I love but then there are few that I am on the fence about. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone down here to serve to help pass judgement on how the look turns out. Shane, and I say this with as much as I can muster, kind of fails in this department. When I ask him about a certain look or outfit, he typically replies with a sweet but utterly unhelpful. " I think you are beautiful in whatever makes you feel good/no matter what." Trust me, it is definitely a self confidence boost but not what I am going for when I am trying to decide how I want to shape my eyebrows or trying out new eye shadow.

Right now,there are a few different looks that I have noticed are starting to pop up and I really would love to try them out but I have no idea if I can rock them! Or even how to rock them! If any of you guys out there have experience with some of the new fashion trends,(Specifically the dark lip colors!) advice would be greatly appreciated!!

What happens when Two Chainz wears three chains?!

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!!

MADDEN.

Get used to it folks, it is going to be a long ride. 

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT TONIGHT'S POST.

Please forgive the lack of touch ups to the photos and my bright orange pajamas : )

  My lovely youngest sister was kind enough to get me a  $20 gift card to Joann's for my birthday and I finally made up my mind on what I wanted to do with it this weekend. ( And let me just say how hard it is to only spend twenty bucks in that place. Damn near impossible, especially when you have a Pinterest addication :) )

 

This one is one of my favorites. I found
her on that That Dank Wench. The fashion
on her page is AMAZING. Check her out!

   Lately, I have been really into the adorable head chains that are popping up all over Pinterest but I haven't seen them much in stores. . Mind you, I live in a town that the mall houses a major department store in an area slightly bigger than my apartment. I did my best to search online but so much of the summer fashion is floral and floral crowns, which are equally adorable but just not what I was looking for, and the ones that I did find were a bit on the spendy side. 

So after an hour of two of shopping and another hour on Pinterest, I decided that I was going to make my own. Weirdly enough, I didn't find too many tutorials for these on the internet but I figured that it couldn't be too hard and gave it shot!

This is how mine turned out!! I just got some simple chain from Joann's. (Thank you, Syd :D ) I friggen love them. I actually made two other ones but I couldn't find them when I was posting this. They were really easy to make and I like that they are so easy to customize. I already have ideas for a few more that I am going to make for myself and a few friends. A friend suggested that I post them on Etsy, what you guys think? Would any of you be interested in one if I listed a few?! Let me know!! I am thinking about posting a tutorial on how to make these bad boys sometime in the future too!

Love all of your stinkin faces : ) 

Happy Madden Day

What is Shane playing tonight?

What else. . Madden NFL 15

Sooo. Happy Madden Day Everybody. . 

Especially all of those bored girlfriends/boyfriends sitting through yet another draft. 

For those of you readers that might not now, Madden 26 came out last night. At my house, today rivals Christmas. Sadly I am not kidding, there is a countdown and the whole next day the television is reserved specifically for Madden. We have multiple notebooks dedicated to different plays and runs for the upcoming year. There is some serious dedication to this game. . By the end of Madden "season", Shane's beard rivals the homeless guy living on the bench downstairs from my house. 

Although I do not share in the madness that is Madden Day, I did find this video that made the day a little more bearable. (Plus I can totally relate to the girlfriend in this video: ) ) 

Annnnd can I just say that Dave Franco is a babe?!

Disappointment.

So I have failed myself. 

And worse of all, I have failed you guys. 

Sorry : /

When I first started this blog, I was excited with the possibilities of where this blog could go and updating it with all of the projects/DIYs that I wanted to share with everyone out there in InternetLand. And honestly, even though we live in a land of Facebook and text message, I wanted this blog to be a way that I could feel a little less lonely in a new town and a little closer to home. . 

Unfortunately, I let that loneliness get the best of me. I have struggled off and on these last few years with being depressed and Seasonal Affective Disorder. And trust me, they both kind of suck. You get totally overwhelmed by the smallest things and the bigger projects turn into a trek up the Rockies wearing a pair of flip flops. Everything begins to become so draining and even with the best intentions, things/projects/goals suffer.Hence, the complete lack in blog posts over the last month or so.  

However, there is a little silver lining to this rain cloud. 

After a few days laying around in bed, a pity party of one, and a gnarly case of bed head, you start to realize that it is the little stuff does make it a little bit easier and that you miss being happy. (I am in no way saying that it is an immediate switch and that you can just decide to not be depressed/overwhelmed.) But little by little those small things add up and actually swapping out the leggings for a real pair of pants in the morning seems like a reachable goal. 

I am not going to promise posts on a specific day of the week because anyone who knows me knows that I suck at being on time. But I am going to be a consistent in posting.  No more month long absences and a lot less pity parties on my part. 

Soooo keep your eyes out, posts will be up soon!

I rocked them, damnit.

Shane isn't playing anything tonight! 

We are on a mini road trip this weekend.

Congratulations Dane and Cindy! 

So first off, I miss you guys! I have been horrible posting lately and I don't have a good excuse :( I will be better!! 

Second, I wanted share with you guys a bit of and OOTD (Outfit of the Day, if you weren't sure) slash a bit of a body confidence post. You guys know that I have struggled a lot with my weight and confidence levels but today was a big turning point for me. Shopping with my mom and grandma, I was able to find some pieces that made me feel really good about myself. I know I had shared with you guys earlier my small obsession with Youtubers like VintageorTacky and Mary Demetra and the main point of my trip today was to get out of my comfort zone and try some of the cute pieces I had seen on their videos. .

And I couldn't be happier. I found these high waisted jeans, partly to get a tan but more than that I really wanted to give that  style a shot. Honestly, I wasn't totally sold on them at first but as I wore them through dinner tonight, I slowly started to love them. It is a funky style and not normally what I would wear but I realized that I felt really good about myself wearing them. They're a trend that I have loved for awhile but never thought I could wear. I am seriously proud of myself that I took the rise and gave these bad guys a shot, I had convinced myself that I was going to look like a tube of sausage but lo and behold, when I styled them  I didn't magically transform into a log of meat. I felt good. I felt pretty. I felt awesome! 

(Plus they make my toosh look good :D) 

(I apologize for the bad hair, it is so damn hot!) 

Basically what I am saying is that if you have a style/trend/outfit or actually anything really that you have been eying forever but haven't taken the risk. Jump in, dive in, tippytoe into the water if you have to but just do it, the end result might not be what you think :D 

All About That Bass

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!

NBA2K14

(I can't believe I am saying this but I am starting to miss Madden.)

: /

Ello loves!

Over the last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos... I am actually a little ashamed of the amount of time I have spent on YouTube. It originally started out as a search for some easy make-up/hair tutorials. I have found some awesome YouTubers, which I would be more than happy to share with you guys : ) 

Anyways, my YouTube search slowly morphed into searches for fashion ideas and ideas for styling some of the all of the stuff hanging untouched in my closet. I have ridiculous amount of stuff that I have bought and just haven't had the chance/figured out how to style it yet. Part of that stemming from some body image issues. 

This might be a little more serious of a post but I think that it is important to share with you guys. Over the  last few years, I have struggled a lot with my weight and the way that I view myself. I am extremely fortunate enough to have a man that encourages me to be comfortable in my own skin and is willing to support me through all my body issues but a lot of people, younger girls especially, don't necessarily have. I can't tell you how many times in high school and even into college, that I was embarrassed to walk over to larger sizes when shopping with friends and that was even when I could fit into the "typical" larges. After shopping trips, I would be come hyper-focused on the way that I looked, which would eventually lead to "sad eating" and would just turn into this huge cycle. 

I can remember a particular peer in high school that was completely ruthless when it came to my weight and usually felt the need to address the issue in front of large groups of peers. Looking back, I still haven't ever figured out her obsession with my weight and have been able to look past her comments but at the time I was devastated by her nasty comments. While I did come home on the verge of tears on more than one occasion, I was blessed enough to have a family and a small group of friends that not only stuck up for me but also completely accepted me for the person and the weight that I am/was.

I apologize for this post hitting a bit on the longer side but I guess my whole point is to share with you guys that there is support out there. Unfortunately, it is always the people that you hope but there is always someone out there. Weirdly enough, after moving to a new city I have noticed that I am having a harder time with my weight and the girls that I watch on YouTube have been a huge support for me. The women responsible for channels like LearningToBeFearless , VintageOrTacky, and Mary Dementra  have put out such a positive and contagious attitude about their body issues, struggles, and triumphs that it is hard not to develop a better body image. (Plus, all three of them post some adorable outfits and styling tips for us girls that are a bit on the shapelier side of life!)

I hope this helped for any of my readers sharing my struggles. There is always support out there and can be found in places that you might not considered. Say for instance, a random blogger on the internet : ) I seriously encourage readers of all shapes and sizes to check out these amazing women. I would love if you guys would share any good channels that you know about with me in the comment box!

Lastly, I found this artist on YouTube. I am wicked bummed that she only has one song out but I think that this song is definitely fitting for the topic. Enjoy!

Where is Dr. Mario When You Need Him?!

What is Shane Playing Tonight?!

VECTOR MANNNNNNN

Nothing like a sick day to start out the week : /

Word to the wise guys, pay attention to expiration dates. . They are your friends. 

Especially when it comes to Nutella. Don't let its chocolaty hazelnut goodness trick you 

But enough about being gross and sick. . 

How was everyone's Fourth of July?! 

It has pretty much been non-stop for me since last Friday. The man and I spent the day down in Bandon, this tiny little beach town about a half an hour away, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places. We walked around all the little tourist shops, this awesome market they have a few times a week, and I talked Shane into heading into two of the best bookstores to be found. I can't not tell you know many time Shane tried to drag me out of those stores this weekend. I got two books that I am really excited to share with you guys in the next couple of days! 

I think that the thing that I was most excited about was my parents came down for fireworks and part of the weekend. I have a ton of photos to share with you guys but I need to finished editing them and as much as I love you guys, I am just not up for it tonight. They will be up soon though  : )

Well, I am going to hit the sack!

Love ya all

Nothing but. . WTF?!

What is Shane playing tonight?!

NBA 2K14

Has anyone other than Shane seen this movie?!

Holy Crap. 

Seriously. . Holy Crap. 

I am honestly not sure how I feel about this movie. It is real weird but kind of rad at the same time. It has a pretty decent cast- Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, Dan Aykroyd, and John Candy. Dan Aykroyd is my favorite part of Ghostbusters, so I'm willing to give it a shot.  

And then the movie starts. 

I really don't want to give the plot away A) Because I want you guys to check it out for yourself and B) I couldn't begin to start explaining this movie but this movie has everything. I'm talking some sweet 90's full-body pantsuits, John Candy in a dress, the BoneCrusher, condiment carrying train sets, and Dan Aykroyd and John Candy dressed up in large dirty babies. .  

Adorable, right?!

Not to mention, the scene at the dinner table is probably the greatest thing I have ever seen. 

Watch it. You won't be able to look at Dan Aykroyd the same ever again. 

YOU BLOCKHEAD!!

(Excuse the picture quality, we couldn't find my camera and this was a bit of  last minute project!)

What is Shane playing tonight?!

NBA Jam Tournament Edition for the Super Nintendo

   So I am pretty stoked to share this with you guys, Shane and I have been sitting on this idea of building these for a long time. Shane's sister had original found the idea on Pinterest after hearing about my love/hate relationship with this old coffee table of Shane's.Guys, I tried so hard to like that thing but I just couldn't. I just couldn't. : / 

Anywaaaays, getting back on track.

      Unfortunately, I had  forgot about idea a little while after she forwarded it to me. When we moved, Shane's mom found this adorable little side table for me but after getting settled it ended up being console storage. Try as it might, we quickly realized that the little table wasn't cutting it for storage. (Luckily, it is the perfect size to fit the CRAPLOAD of make-up that I have slowly stockpiled and already have a plan for it in my bathroom redo. Which, I am definitely excited to finish up and share with everyone.) That poor little table looked a little sad under the million different consoles and equipment that Shane uses.   Plus, we really needed something that was little bit larger to save on storage through out the rest of the house. 

   The whole concept is basically what you see. A few boards in whatever size you need, a couple of bricks, and you can dress it up with some paint or stain. . I am still trying to decide if I want to change it up. 

Any thoughts?! 

The great thing about the whole project is that it is super easy but you can really customize it to whatever you need. But there are few tips that I do want to share: First off, definitely seriously think about this project if you don't live on the first floor. Those bricks are friggen heavy and carrying them up a flight of stairs when you have little to no upper body strength like I do, they suck to carry. 

    Second, make sure to measure. More often than not, you are going to have to boards that you are going to have cut or cut yourself. We were luckily enough to get some really good advice from the guys at Pro-Build and they actually were nice enough suggest on ways that we could save money on the project. I can only imagine how spendy the project could get if you mis-measure and had to have board re-cut.

Should I paint?! Should I stain?! Should I let Shane have his way with it?!

So many choices!Let me know what you guys think and if you give it a shot, I would love to see how it turns out :)

What the what?!

Kind of a weird concept, huh? Starting a blog about being a co-host on a Youtube channel that hasn't even been started yet but hey, you gotta start out somewhere. .  Here it goes! 

First off, I just want to say a huge thank you to anyone out there in Internetland for checking me out. I have sat on the idea of starting a blog for so long and finally took the plunge. So far so good :) 

I figure I should probably explain where the whole idea for Co-Host Girlfriend came from. .I can't tell you how many date-nights have ended with me and my laptop curled up in a big old pile of blankets blog-surfing while the man plays through "one more level". I love the man and I am working on loving video games but I just wanted somewhere I could talk about whatever, try out new Pinterest projects, and talk to all of the other girlfriends/boyfriends stuck sitting through yet another season of this year's Madden : )

I am going to do my best to post as regularly as I can and I would love to hear from you guys!!