Lots 'O Things

Yeah, I've kinda been MIA for a few days. I kinda figure that's ok. I mean, I gotta have a break sometime! That and I know that once the hubby gets back (which is still a while away) I won't be blogging on the weekends. I thought it might be a good idea to get back into that habit now that way I'm not sent into blogging withdrawals while dealing with reintegration. Though, maybe blogging would help with that... =P The weekends are always "Joe and Sarah time" and I think it should stay that way. So, there's your reasoning for that!


Moving right along, I had a really good weekend. Since everyone knows the weekend starts on Friday (*wink, wink*), we'll start there.


Friday, I met up with my friend Mrs. C! It'd been quite a while since the last time we'd hung out and it was definitely time for us to get caught up! So, after her doctor's appointment we met up to do some shopping at  the outlet mall! Mainly Charlotte Russe...like I really needed to do more shopping there. =P We both found some super cute things, but only I ended up buying anything. Even then I only ended up with 2 things. =P I did find a really nice skirt and a dress that I may go back and get... I'm trying to find something to wear to my BIL's wedding in May and I can't decide. I may end up with the dress because...well, I just looked good in it! Haha =) So, my 2 wonderful purchases. Actually, I only paid for one. Hehehe.

This bag!! Isn't it great?! This is the one that I ended up getting for free. I spent a good amount of money the last time I was there, and that day they were giving out a $5 coupon for every dollar amount spent. I ended up with 3. So this time, I took the coupons with me. AND this bag was on sale for $15... Hello, free bag!! =)

The inside - it's HUGE!

My laptop fits in it perfectly.

Can you say "carry-on bag?"

{'Cause that's what it's about these days.}

{Please ignore my post-shopping face and hair. Yuck.}

And then I got this really great necklace. I've been trying to broaden my jewelry horizons lately. My earrings and necklaces have been so "blah." Definitely need some new stuff. And I *love* this one.

Great, right? =) And I have some pearl earrings (fake, of course) to match! Win! =)

After Charlotte Russe, we stopped in the BCBG store where I drooled over several gorgeous potential ball gowns. Most of them (on the sale racks) were reasonably priced, but few of them were in my size. Hey BCBG, not everyone is a size 2! *sigh* After I was slightly disappointed there, we wandered over to Banana Republic. Bank account, beware! I tried on several things (Mrs. C tried on more ;-)) but I didn't find anything that I couldn't live without. While I was waiting on her to get back from the fitting rooms, I wandered over to the men's section and drooled over slacks, suits, button-downs and ties. 

You see, my hubby used to be the suit-wearin' kind of guy. Mostly because he was in Chorale and Vocal Jazz and performed often, but he dressed up for church and other things too. Also, he looks handsome when he's all dressed up. =) Then, of course, while we were student teachers we were required to dress professionally so he wore slacks, a nice shirt and a tie on most days. After we got married and he found a decent job, the attire was the same. It wasn't until the Army that he didn't wear a suit or "professional clothing" every day. He does wear the occasional button-down, but it's usually with jeans these days. I miss that. I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, men's section at Banana Republic. =) As I was browsing, I found this shirt on the sale rack for $7. 

I absolutely love it! I think it's going to look great on him too! =) The best part is that I got it for seven. dollars. when it was originally $50. Yeah. Don't tell me they don't price things way too high.

After that, we went to lunch at Chili's. Yum! I worked there for 2 years and I still really don't mind eating there... I could probably still eat there a couple times a week. That's probably weird, isn't it? Anyway, I had a great time catching up with Mrs. C. Even though we live on the same island, we don't see each other that much. Funny how that happens, isn't it? Funny and sad. 'Cause I really like hanging out with her! 

Saturday, I did a few loads of laundry and bummed out most of the day. I went to dinner at Michelle's house where we had some yummy fajitas and randomly great conversations. It was a pretty low-key day, which I completely loved after having shopped most of the day Friday. 

Sunday was also a great day. =) We had a guest speaker at church, who was just amazing. The man has a PhD and yet it felt like he was really...down to earth. He explained things so. well. His message really got me thinking about how I view things... Things that God wants me to do - no - needs me to do and the attitude that I have toward that because of how I view myself. That probably didn't make any sense to anyone who wasn't there on Sunday. I'm actually planning on doing another post about that entirely, so I don't want to give it all away just yet. =) After church, I went to lunch with Mrs. C, her hubby and her neighbor/mutual friend. We went to this little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place that I've probably driven by half a dozen times and hadn't seen before. It was really good, and cheap which is always a bonus here in the land of overpriced everything. Seriously, someone was telling me that she looked at a shock collar for her dog online...and it was about $80 and had free shipping. She got to Petco and they had it priced at $170!!! Someone please tell me how that makes sense!!!!! Same store, 2 different prices and, no, they wouldn't price match with their own prices. Aloha. {Please take note of the sarcasm that is dripping from that last word.}

Lastly, I want to talk to you about a miracle drug. Well, I guess it's not really a drug. It's for your face. Specifically, it's for the face overtaken by acne. That was formerly my face. But not today! Today, my face is 100% zit free!! There are still some red spots on my face left from the zits that were previously there, but there are ZERO zits on my face!!

{No comments about the no-makeup face, k? Thanks.}

It's seriously awesome! If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I 86'ed the pill right before Joe deployed. Since then, the hormones went wacky and my pre-pill, teenager face returned [along with the unbearable cramps and barely predictable AF]. The teenager "bacne" also returned, but let's not talk about that right now. After I realized that it had been the pill that was controlling my acne, I decided I needed to do something about it. I started researching everything, trying to figure out what would work for me.

My first thought was ProActive, because who hasn't seen those commercials? I took a look around their website and started reading. ProActive uses a harsh chemical called benzoyl peroxide to kill the bacteria on your face, thus killing the zits. Seems like a good idea, right? Right. Well...the peroxide thing really threw me off and I started reading reviews that said, "buy white towels because it will bleach out any color on the towels you dry your face with." *insert screeching tires sound here* Um, what?! I'm sorry, but I don't want to use anything that bleaches towels/clothes on my face.

Then someone suggested Murad. Then someone else suggested it. I Googled; I read up on it and then I sat on the idea for a while. I even read up on the benzoyl peroxide vs. salicylic acid debate. (Murad uses salicylic acid.) After reading several articles, I decided that the latter would be the best choice for me. It's much less harsh and still kills the bacteria on your face that causes acne. Plus, it works like an exfoliant without requiring those bead things most put in their formulas. After sitting on the idea a while longer, I took the plunge and bought the trial kit.

I was excited, nervous and wary of Murad. Even after reading all I'd read, I wasn't sure it would work. I even went through about a week or two where I wasn't sure it was working. Then, one day, I looked in the mirror and thought, "Dang! My skin looks great!" Even with the few bumps I had, it looked pretty good. Then today, no zits. =) And I also got my first 60 day supply in the mail. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it. I know this all sounds very vain, but I'm happy to have a zit-free face!!

And no, no one paid me to say this. I'm just really loving the results I got, even though my acne wasn't/isn't near as bad as others have it. I think I'm going to have to break down and buy the "bacne" line, though. I'm sick of my shoulders and back being covered in bumps. It's really...icky...and gives me the sad face.

Now, after having written a book and bored 90% of you to death, we're all caught up! I hope your week has gotten off to a great start! More interesting posts to come. Pinky swear! ;-)