Bad Timing

Have you ever come across someone that you hit it off with right away as if they're some sort of kindred spirit of yours, but the timing was just all wrong.  It's funny how you can go about living life without anything spectacular happening, i.e. when the time is perfect to be in a relationship, but no one really catches your eye.  But as soon as your life starts speeding up and you so many things to do with no where near enough time to do it BAM! You come across someone that makes put everything else on pause just to spend more time together.  When it comes to romance, I feel like more than just the standard compatibility, commitment, and honesty play a part in determining what makes a relationship work.  It also takes good timing.  It's not enough to simply like someone, you have to be willing to compromise and for me a lot of that compromise is taking time away from one thing and giving it to that person.  Now for some people this might not be much of an issue, but I just assume that those are the people with not a lot taking up their time.  For me, on the other hand, it proves to be a huge problem.  I'm in the midst of making major moves for my life, things that require my full and undivided attention, and it's just my luck that I find someone that I genuinely like.  Now considering that I've been single for quite some time now some people might think that this would be the best thing ever, but unfortunately it's just a little too late.  Now the question is do I just ride it out and see what happens next (which will likely be nothing) or do I just take that 'L' now?  It's really a shame... He actually has a lot of the qualities that I was looking for in a potential boyfriend, but alas the timing was just all bad.  Well at least now I have a better model of what I'm looking for, and I've gained some hope in knowing that what I want isn't completely unattainable.
Here's Hoping...

Just a Thought...

As of lately, the reasoning for my single status has been brought into conversation with a few friends of mine.  No matter what we are talking about the subject always turns to how I need to find a man.  While I might disagree on 'NEED' for a man at the time, I can't ignore the fact that I have been single for the past 2+ years.  I hate discussing this topic because the question 'Why are you single?', always pops up.  The fact of the matter is I DON'T KNOW! Honestly, if I had any clue as to why I would probably be able to fix the problem.  Now I've been told many reasons why by others, but if I were to put a complete list together there would be way too many things 'wrong' with me, which would thus lead to a great feeling of helplessness.  And I don't need any of that in my life right now.  Perhaps the most current reason I've been told is that I lack assertiveness.  This one caught me off guard, because in general I thought of myself as an assertive person, but upon further review I realized that I was actually passive in pursuing a relationship.  There was once a time that I didn't think twice about telling a guy how I felt about them, but to most I was seen as nothing more than a good friend/sister.  Inevitably the thought of rejection paralyzed me and I adopted a new mentality that if a man wanted me that he would make the first move.  Unfortunately,  these days quality men are few and far between and like me they have grown afraid of possible rejection.  Thus leading to people like me being in situations where the people like each other, but are too afraid to actually admit to it.  This is sad, because all it takes is one person to be brave enough to take that first step and chances are that the other person has been feeling the same way.  So here is my pledge... if and when it is possible to tell a guy how I feel.  Lets hope that this plan doesn't back fire and ricochet me back to my passive ways.

Product Review

Dr. Miracle's Deep Conditioning Treatment

Last night I took out my mini twists that i've had in for the past week (it's been my go to style for the summer) and I wanted to give my hair a deep condition.  I picked up a couple packets of the Dr. Miracle's Deep Conditioning Treatment at a local CVS because they were having a BOGO free sale.  I also stocked up on Shea Moisture products that were also BOGO Free. I washed my hair with the shea moisture retention shampoo, did a quick condition with my Aussie Moist then rinsed that out and I put the Dr. Miracle's on.  The formula was thick and smelled like mint (both are pros for me).  Given that my hair is really thick it needs a conditioner with some weight to it.  I'm not sure if I would say it 'tingled', but instead I would compare the feeling to when you use a vapor rub, I felt it open all of the pores on my scalp and it was really refreshing.  I sat with a plastic bag on my head for a little over an hour.  If you are using a drying hood then you can cut the time in half.  I rinsed the conditioner out with cool water and my hair felt really soft and my curls were pretty defined.  I could definitely tell my hair was well moisturized, which was my primary goal. 
Recommendation:
I would definitely recommend this product to people, especially if you have thick, coarse, and  curly hair like mine.

Ingredients:
Thermaceutial Complex (Proprietary Blend ), Water ( Aqua), Mineral Oil (Parafinium Liquidum), Petrolatum, Glycerin, Polyquaternium -32, Polyquaternium – 10, Dimethicone, Lanolin alcohol, Menthol, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Diazodinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Carmel 

LA Crass... Wedding?

"My old man is a bad man
But I can't deny the way he holds my hand
And he grabs me, he has me by my heart
He doesn't care I  have a Las Vegas past
He doesn't mind I have a L.A crass way about me
He loves with every beat of his cocaine heart"

-Lana Del Rey

What's cooler than being cool? L.A. cool apparently, and brides are putting a very unique spin on their wedding themes.  What is L.A. Crass you ask? It's fast pace and indelicate city living.  This isn't the boho beachy lifestyle that most people associate with the west coast.  Instead its motels, cigarettes, and smeared red lipstick.  Here's a little inspiration board i came up with

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What's on the Menu?

Cheddar Broccoli Corn Muffins!!!
The other day I noticed that I haven't used my kitchen for a whole week other than to use the blender and make a green smoothie or something.  This prompted me to make a big dinner for me and my friends.  I decided to make jambalaya, but I had no clue what else to make with it because the dish itself contains just about everything you need in a meal. So I searched the internet and there was a general consensus that that corn bread would go great with it.  So I thought to myself how can I take this cornbread to the next level? Then answer... add veggies and cheese to the mix.  This is the recipe that I came up with and it turned out amazing... or at least that's what all my friends said when they tried it.

Recipe:

• 2 boxes of cornbread mix (I prefer Jiffy)
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 cup of chopped broccoli (I also added cauliflower)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 'F.  Make sure the veggies are cooked before adding them to the mix.  I used frozen vegetables and steamed them for 7-10 minutes, but you can also boil them.  Add everything together, but save about 1/4 cup of cheese to melt on top of the muffins later.  The mix should be kind of chunky and not very liquidy.  Grease a muffin pan prior to filling.  The cups should be filled about 1/2-3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 20 min. then sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese then bake for another 2 min.  Allow them to rest before serving, but they are best when served hot.  Hope you enjoy this recipe, and feel free to substitute the veggies with your favorite.  I think next time I'll try it with spinach.

Summer Weddings

If you're like me you've noticed that everyone around you is getting married.  Tis' the season for wedding bells.  For most retailers the peak of their sales occur during the holiday season, but in the wedding industry 'Bridal Christmas' happens between March-July.  This is the time everyone wants to get married, possibly because its usually the time where it's not too hot or cold to have an outdoor wedding.  With summer weddings you can expect to see a lot of bright colors and interesting floral arrangements because this is the time everything is in bloom.  Here are just a few pics of recent trends I've noticed.  It looks like a real shabby-chic style with lots of vintage accents.

Special Occasion

The first thing to do when planning your dream wedding is to figure out what type of occasion you want it to be.  There are many different themes ranging from formal to laid back and casual.  Think about your personality, are you the type of couple who likes structure and status, or are you the nonchalant laissez faire type? The worst thing you could do is try to force a particular style on yourself when it doesn't feel natural.  Here are a few example of weddings, once you have chosen one everything else begins to flow naturally.

White Tie:
This is an extremely formal occasion where the men are instructed to where white ties, shirts, vests, and a black tuxedo.  The women are instructed to wear long formal dresses.

Black Tie:
This is a formal event where men where either a tuxedo or dark suit and women where either long or short formal dresses.

Cocktail:
This type gives a little more leeway  between formal and casusal.  Just think of it as what you would wear to church or a night out on the town.

Outdoor:
For these types of events there needs to be a happy medium between style and comfort.  Feel free to dress up in cute floral designs with flowy fabrics, and men can wear nice button downs with khakis.  Flip flops may even be a necessity on a beach.  Be mindful of the weather.