Life Lately

Life has been anything but easy lately, actually it's been quite rough.  I'm lucky to have a few very special people in my life to help me out though.  Vinnie has been immensely important to me lately.  He always supports me and has my back and it amazes me every time I get into these rough situations how much he shines.  He is patient and he won't give up on me.  For being the younger of the two of us, he sure shows his maturity more than I do on a lot of occasions (at least lately).  I'm just constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have him in my life.  

My parents, whom I've always talked about being supportive and nothing short of incredible, never give up on me either.  I don't know how they put up with my antics sometimes but I could not be more grateful that God chose me to be their daughter.  The 3 of them have really proved their loyalty to me recently (not that they had to by any means).  No matter how much I push, they're still there.

This weekend is Labor Day weekend so many people are going out of town or at least celebrating the long weekend.  I am very happy to have Monday off but I will be working the rest of the holiday, which I can't complain about because I need the money (you'll see why later in this post).

Welp, here's a glimpse into my life lately...

I've already posted this picture but these beauties were a surprise from V. 

Sunbathing and reading the novel of a September issue of Vogue

Yep, that happened.  Poor Roxy is currently in the shop and I'm driving a loaner.

Puppy dog eyes staring at me as I get ready for work in the morning.  You can see his rope toy just begging to be played with.

It's been real hot here lately.  I'm over it.  Bring it on September and Fall weather!

Maybe it's been hot but that didn't stop me from lighting my Apple Cider candle this week, and obviously I better invest in a new one soon since I burnt the hell out of it last fall.

Football season is officially among us.  Me and Marley are excited!

I made bruschetta chicken. Delicious with a capital D.

 
So yeah, that's about all that's been going on lately in this life of mine.  

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend.

XO. Tarah

 

Your Mistakes Do Not Define You

It's true that we all make mistakes but that doesn't mean we have to pay for the mistakes we have made for the rest of our lives.  Sometimes good people make bad choices.  It doesn't mean they're bad people though, it means they're human.  There is no use in punishing yourself for the bad choices you have made.  You made them and you can't change that.  You are more than the mistakes you have made.  Take some time to be upset, then take a deep breath, forgive yourself, and move on.  Learn from your past.  The real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. 

I am not the mistakes I have made. 

XO. Tarah

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So for Random Wednesday

Friends Make my Heart So Happy

It's finally Friday and I couldn't be happier.  This week.  So slow.  I had plans/work every night this week so I thought it would be a fast week.  I was wrong.  While sitting at my desk from the hours of 8:30 am until 5 pm it feels like time has stopped, but at night when I get home I blink and it's time for bed.  Not fair, life, not fair.

Although I'm not feeling especially good physically today, last night I was feeling real good and that has definitely carried over to my day today as well.

I met up with a couple of girlfriends last night at a bar called Hopleaf.  It was actually my second time at the bar this week because Vinnie and I went there on Tuesday for a couple of drinks too.  The conversation was flowing and the drinks kept coming and we almost forgot to even order food.  We laughed, we cried, we were angry, we were excited, but mostly we were just happy to all be together.  I met these girls working at the bar that I currently work at.  Although I consider myself friends with pretty much everyone that works there, these 2 girls and I share a closer bond.  My friend Laura quit about a month ago to pursue a different job and we are happy for her but miss her like crazy.  Our friend Todd, who also shares a close bond with the 3 of us, showed up a little later too and we were all just so happy to be together, outside of the bar that we usually see each other at.

Before I knew it, it was midnight and I had to say good bye since I had to get up early and work this morning.  Like I said, time always flies by when I'm not sitting at my desk.  For example, as I am writing this post it's not even noon and I feel like it should be about time to head out for the weekend.  Dumb

So I woke up with a little bit of a headache and a very dry mouth.  Water and coffee have been on rotation all morning.  But it was totally worth it to see my friends last night.  It's funny when you start working with people you don't realize that you're becoming such close friends and then all of a sudden you find yourself thinking about these people when you're not at work and missing them when they quit.  I'm very grateful to have met such great people and to be able to call them my friends.

My night got even better when I got home last night.  

I'm one lucky girl.

XO. Tarah

 

Bright Colors on a Gloomy Day

Shirt: Anthro (old) // Jeans: Express (old) // Shoes: Target (sold out)

This is an outfit I wore sometime last week to work.  I got that shirt on sale (shocker) last year at Anthropologie and it's one of my favorites.  It's pretty simple but the color is bright (just like me, duh) and the cut is asymmetrical, which gives it a little 'something' I think.  The neckline is different too.  I tried to give you a closer look of the detailing of the neckline in the second picture.  I figured I better wear my bright clothes while I still can.  For some reason I gravitate towards darker colors and shades of colors in the fall/winter and brighter colors and shades of colors in the summer.  I guess that makes sense though, right?

I worked late last night so I'm, of course, running on coffee today.  It's a rainy, gloomy day here in Chicago and I cannot wait to get off of work.  I'm meeting up with a couple of girlfriends tonight for a much needed dinner/drink night and let me just tell you, these girls always guarantee an amazing time so I'm preparing myself for the conversation and mass amounts of laughter we will be sharing tonight.  

Happy Thursday friends!

XO. Tarah

 

Freshman Roommate Horror Stories

Happiest of hump days to you all!  I feel like this week is really dragging.  I actually thought it was Friday for a little while and it's definitely not and that definitely sucks.

Now that it's the middle of August and summer is slowly but surely winding down and all of the college kids are returning back to school, I keep reminiscing on my college days and how much fun I had.  It's funny how often people told me to take advantage of that time because it would go by really fast and then you would be thrown into the real world where you are expected to be an adult and have a full time job that takes up all of your time and pay bills and buy groceries (not to mention pay back the thousands of dollars in student loans you acquired over the years).  I remember smiling and nodding but thinking to myself "yeah yeah, I can't wait to be done with freaking school and be on my own".  Good one Tarah, good one.

Now that I am considered an 'adult' and I have all of these responsibilities and crap to worry about, I am sure as heck missing those carefree days where my biggest worry was what time I was going to get out of class on Wednesday night because I needed to know if I was going to have enough time to get ready and go out for Whiskey Wednesday or if I just needed to find a house party to play beer pong until 3 am at.  Let me just tell you that last night Vinnie and I went out and had 2 beers then we came home and got in bed to watch a movie.  We were both passed out at 9:30 pm.  In my college days, I had just started pre-gaming at 9:30 pm.  Talk about lame adults up in this hiz-ouse.

Alright, alright you get it...I miss college and I've rambled on about it for far too long now.  Anyways, one of the most nerve wrecking and scary parts about college for freshmen is finding out who your roommate(s) is/are.  I've heard a ton of horror stories about freshmen roommates and I'm here today to tell you mine...

My freshmen year of college I decided to go to my community college because I received a full scholarship to play softball there.  The community college was about a 30 minute drive from my hometown and tons (most) of the kids I graduated high school with were also going there because it was cheaper than a state school and close to home.  I'm from a small town and most of us weren't really ready and/or prepared to move far away from mom and dad and the little town of 2,000 people where we knew everyone by first and last name.  My parents told me that since I received a full scholarship and didn't have to pay for my first 2 years of school that I could live in the apartment/dorms that were located at my community college.  I was super excited about this.  My friend Abby (who was also playing on the softball team and lived in the small town next to my small town) was also living in the apartment/dorms so we decided we would live together.  Since these apartments had 4 rooms and we didn't know anybody else who would be living there, we were assigned 2 random roommates.  Our roommates were both completely different than us.  We were 2 small town girls and they were both big city girls who were loud and obnoxious and a little intimidating to us.  We ended up all getting along really well...for the first couple of months...

Yep that's me and my roommates.  This night we were at 'war' with the boys who lived in the apartment above us.  The most embarrassing thing about this picture is actually the caption that I decided to write for it "this is def the best pic of the roomies yet...we're ghetto for real".  Seriously?!  Ghetto. for. real.  *shaking my head in shame*

Anyways, my roomie Jessica (name has been changed) was always getting in fights with us.  She took 2 hour long showers and used up all of the hot water, she ate all of my eggos and pop tarts, she used the ice cube trays to make pickle popsicles, she got up at 3 am to cook 3 course meals of crab meat and fried chicken, she watched tv out in our living room with the volume all the way turned up at odd hours of the night, she had her friends come over for parties when some of us were trying to get a good night's rest because they had practice early the next morning, and the list continues.  She was just difficult.

One day, at the end of the first semester of that freshman year, Jessica's mother decided to come visit her.  She is from East St. Louis so it was about a 3 or 4 hour drive.  Her mom also brought her little cousin who was probably about 5 years old.  Her mom decided to stay in our apartment while she was visiting because she didn't want to pay for a hotel.  We were kind of skeptical about this but figured it was only for a couple of days so it was fine.  Well then her mom's car broke down and she didn't have money to fix it.  What was supposed to be a couple of days turned into over a week.  By the way, we all came to our own conclusion that her mother was either a drug dealer or a drug addict or both because she slept through the whole day (on our couch mind you) and then got up at around 6 or 7 pm and stayed up throughout the whole night.  She was loud, she was obnoxious, she was on our phone (OUR PHONE) every 5 minutes, and she was even handing our number out to people because every time I answered our phone (that would usually ring at 2 am and then 3 am and then 4 am) they would ask for 'Ms. Harris' aka Jessica's mom.  Our walls were also paper thin so every time the woman would start talking it felt like she was literally standing in the same room as you.  Also, this was during finals week so none of us were getting sleep and none of us were really able to study in our own apartment.  

After about a week and a half, right before Christmas break, me and the other 2 roommates decided to go to the management of the apartment building.  We told them the whole story and they told us that Jessica was on some kind of a special payment plan but she actually hadn't paid a dime while she had been living there and they had been trying to contact her mom to let her know that Jessica would be evicted if she didn't start paying.  Now that we told them about her mom living in our apartment that she hadn't even been paying for, they marched right up to our place, woke her ass up, and had a serious talk with her (we assume).  We were all too scared to stay in our apartment so we locked the doors to our rooms and ran away for a couple of hours, hesitant to even come back there that night.  When we got back that night, Jessica was packing all of her stuff and her mom was mumbling/shouting things about 'if they don't want you here...' and 'these rich bitches...' and 'they don't appreciate nothin...'.  We later found out that management told Jessica and her mom that they were still willing to work with them on a payment plan but she would have to start paying something and that her mom had to stop living on our couch.  Her mom overreacted and Jessica moved back to East St. Louis that very night.  How they got there since her mom's car was broken down, we do not know.  But we never saw Jessica again and she deleted us all from facebook and myspace and blamed us for getting her 'kicked out of school'.

So the 3 of us lived happily ever after...until we got a new roommate...

Have a great night kids.  And if you're a freshman going to college where you're about to meet your random roommate for the very first time...good luck, hope that works out for you.

XO. Tarah

Linking up with Shanna for Random Wednesday!

Golfing and Grilling

I had such a great weekend and it went by way too fast...I know, surprising right?

I got up early Saturday morning to watch Vinnie play in a golf tournament.  Watching golf is really quite boring to me but I love Vinnie, plus I'm just a really supportive girlfriend.  Honestly, it was so nice out that I didn't care what I was doing as long as I was outside.  Also, the air and water show was going on in Chicago so I got to watch a little bit of that as well.

When Vinnie was done golfing, we headed home and watched the Cubs/Cardinals game but both ended up falling asleep and waking up soaking wet with sweat because we both get really hot when we sleep.  So then I showered and then I had to go to work.  I had to work pretty late but a bunch of us went to the dive bar down the street from where I work when we were all off.  The Oakwood is open until 5 am which is nice because I didn't get done working until 3 am.  I love the people I work with and by the end of the night my stomach was all cramped up from laughing.  It was a good night that I needed badly.

Since I didn't get home until after 5 am, I slept in until about 1 pm on Sunday.  Vinnie golfed in his tournament again that day so I had just gotten out of bed when he was getting home.  We decided since the weather was so nice that we were going to grill out that night.  So we headed to the grocery store for our grilling supplies.  

Steaks, potato salad, and southwestern vegetables...yum!  We even gave Marley a bone so he could enjoy eating outside with us.

Later that night we took Marley on a walk to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream.  On our way home, Marley found a stuffed ice cream cone that a little kid had dropped outside of one of the cars on the street.  He carried his new friend all the way home with him.  Then when he got home he started ripping his friend up into pieces and we found out that his friend was made of tiny little beads so I quickly took friend away from him and gave him a new home in our garbage.  Sorry Marley, but the mess was avoided.

We ended the night watching 'Identity Thief', which was hilarious, and going to bed before 10:30 pm.  

 
Successful weekend.

Happy Monday!

XO. Tarah

Linking up with Sami's Shenanigan's

 
 

Feel Good Friday

Hallelujah it's the weekend people!

I'm feeling good on this lovely Friday simply because the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and this busy work week is about to come to an end in just a few short hours.  Here are some things that have made up my week...

I worked last night and was extra tired when I got home so I pretty much crawled right into bed.  Vinnie wasn't home yet but of course I had someone who wanted nothing more than to snuggle up next to me...

I went shopping last weekend for groceries and was caught off guard when I got to the beer aisle.  Target had Sam Adams Oktoberfest out already.  It's barely the middle of August and as much as I LOVE the fall, I am not ready for summer to be over yet.  I feel like it just started and now it's already almost over.  So I debated buying a 6 pack of the Oktoberfest for awhile.  Fall beer is probably my favorite season for beer, so I ended up saying 'what the heck' and I bought a 6 pack.  I had one a couple of nights ago and although it tasted just as great as I remembered, I'm just not ready for it yet.  I haven't prepared myself.  After we finish this 6 pack, I will have to wait for the weather to cool down and the leaves to start changing colors before I buy it again.  For now, I will have to get stick to summer shandy until the end of the season.

Earlier this week on my commute to work I was driving behind this van:

What the what?  Why in the world does Jewel Osco have an emergency service van?  What kind of an emergency could Jewel Osco possibly have?  My only guess is that if one Jewel runs out of Sara Lee Cajun Style Turkey Breast (my favorite) they send out an emergency alert to the next closest Jewel who then sends an employee out to deliver the turkey breast to the store in need in their white emergency service vehicle.  That's the only logical reason.

A couple of weekends ago I got to see this little fella:

Oh how this little nephew of mine warms my heart.  I wish I got to see him more often.  

He and my adorable niece just can't get enough of Pawpaw Joe.  I'm already looking forward to the next time I get to go home and see those little love bugs.

As for Pawpaw Joe up there (aka my loving father), I really can't say enough good things about that man.  Receiving text messages like this from him truly makes my day...

P.S. if you're confused, my name is Tarah Jo and for my whole life my family (and most of my friends) have called me TJ, T, T Jo, etc. 

I found this on Pinterest a couple of days ago: 

This is exactly what I have always tried to do, see the good in everything and everyone and although it's not always possible, trying makes the world seem a little happier.  You never know what any particular person is going through.  It's important to always remember that and try to see the good in them.

Welp, this has been quite the random post but that's pretty much me in a nutshell...random. 

Happy Weekending!

XO. Tarah

 

Girly and Edgy

Dress: Urban Outfitters (old) // Black Skinnies: Gap // Shoes: Toms // Necklace: Express (old)

I wore this outfit to work the other day.  It's actually a dress but it is quite short for work, or for any occasion actually, so I paired it with some black skinnies to make it a little more appropriate.  I bought this dress at least 4 years ago on sale at Urban Outfitters.  I like how it's light and summery with the white lace on the front and the flower print but it's also a little edgy and bold with the zipper/black trim all the way up the front and the black lace on the sides.  I've definitely never seen another dress like it.  

It's another one of those things that I bought and wore a couple of times and then put it in my closet and kind of forgot about it.  I've already talked about my goal of trying to spend less money on clothes and trying to incorporate older items that have barely been worn into my outfits.  This is a good example of that.

Last night I was feeling motivated when I got home from work and Vinnie was out golfing so I went to the gym and got in a good, long sweat session.  When I came home I threw a load of laundry in the washing machine and cooked us a delicious dinner of homemade turkey meatballs and pasta.  Yum, obviously I didn't take a picture because I ate that meal so fast I barely tasted it.  When we finished eating Vinnie said, "You know, I don't think you've ever cooked a bad meal", and although that was very sweet of him to say, it's definitely not true.

Today I've already had frozen yogurt from Forever Yogurt and a couple delicious pastries that someone brought into our office, so I'm not doing so good in the health department here.  Especially since my frozen yogurt does not consist of healthy toppings like fruit and crap.  Nope, it's all chocolate, peanut butter, and cheesecake bites here.

Whatever, at least I was good yesterday.

Happy Thursday...I can feeeeel the weekend creeping up!

XO. Tarah

Eat. Sleep. Work.

This past weekend is pretty much how the rest of my weekends this month and next month are going to look like.

Eat. Sleep. Work.

At least I'm making money and I'm not really spending money, minus the assload of money I had to give to Firestone to change my oil and rotate my tires yesterday.  Bogus.  I've been doing really well with my whole 'No Spend August' deal.  I have only bought one unnecessary item and it was on Sunday...at Target.  Why I let myself venture over to the clothes section when I know I am trying not to spend money is beyond me.  On the upside, I did try on about 6 things and I only bought one thing and it was a really cute skirt and, I mean, come on, it's Target and it was a good price.

Shirt: Forever 21 Shorts: American Eagle (old) Shoes: Banana Republic (old)

I wore this outfit for a date night on Sunday.  Vinnie and I haven't seen a movie in quite a while so we decided to head to our 'go-to' restaurant before the movie, Buffalo Wild Wings.  It's literally right next to the movie theater and since Vinnie and I both have an unquestionable love for wings and beer, we always end up going there before we go to the movies.  P.S. we saw 'We're the Millers' and it was really funny.  Really stupid, but really funny.

And since I can't really write a blog post without mentioning the best dog in the world...

I'm laying in bed and he is standing by the door looking at me like 'come on, get the eff out of bed and play!'

I was getting ready for work and I look in the room across from my bathroom and see Marley's little head peering out begging me not to go to work :(

...there's the little rascal for you.  He's still the most adorable, most mischievous little fella you'll ever meet and I love him.

Happy Hump Day!

XO. Tarah


Linking up with Because Shanna Said So.

It's a Polka Dot kind of Day

Alright so let's just get this out in the open cuz I feel like a need to confess...I absolutely did not go to the gym last night.

I got home, took Marley for a walk, and then fell asleep on the couch for a good hour or so.  But then I woke up and I cooked a pretty impressive dinner of baked tilapia for Vinnie and I.  I'm still not sure if Vinnie liked it or if he was just saying it was good to toot my horn (he's not exactly a fish kind of guy) but either way, I liked it.

Baked Tilapia - Original Recipe

Ingredients:

Tilapia fillets (I used 3, the recipe called for 4 6oz fillets)
3 tbsp. melted butter
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I used garlic salt)
1/8 tsp salt (I clearly didn't measure that one)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp paprika 
The original recipe also called for 2 tbsp of capers (drained) but I'm not a fan of capers and I obviously don't keep cans of capers around so I didn't add those.

Directions:

Place tilapia in an ungreased baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine melted butter, lemon juice, garlic salt, and salt; pour over fillets.  Sprinkle with oregano and paprika.  Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes (I cooked mine for about 13) or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

I served this fish with rice pilaf and I added some diced red peppers to the rice to give it that little extra zing (just call me Rachel Ray).  Anyways, I thought it was great except I may have used a little too much paprika since I didn't actually measure it out.

After dinner we each had a beer and then we went to bed like a lame old couple.  We have a good excuse though, we both work extra long today.  I am working both jobs and closing down the bar tonight and Vinnie is working a double header at US Cellular Field so he's working twice as long as he's used to.

As for my outfit today:

One of my favorite purchases from Groop Dealz!

Peplum tank: Express // Jeans: Express (old) // Necklace: Groop Dealz // Shoes: Banana Repulic (old)

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I really don't have any plans since I'm back to my work schedule of not having a life on the weekends.  We're hoping to have a little date night on Sunday night (fingers crossed someone's not too tired!).

XO. Tarah

On Wednesdays, We Work Out

Hello everybody!  I hope you all had a good weekend.  I would do a weekend recap today but seeing as it's Thursday, that just doesn't seem right.  I had a great weekend full of friends, dancing, family, and booze.  I'll have to tell you about it some other time when it seems more appropriate.

I'm wearing this lovely little number on this beautiful day.  Nothing beats a ruffly dress and some glittery shoes on a gorgeous summer day, amiright?  

Last night when I got home from work I decided to be productive.  I took Marley for a walk and then I changed in my 'workout clothes'.  The thing is, I didn't feel like going to the gym so instead I just put some music on and started dancing.  Yes, this white girl 'twerked' and did a lot of other not so appropriate dance moves that I would never do in front of anyone else, and it was fun, and i sweated.  And then I decided to look at my old trusty pinterest 'Health Nut' board (which I haven't looked at in quite some time) and I picked out a few pins to try out.  

I did both of those workouts and today my legs/butt are definitely feeling it.  It's a good feeling though.

True dat.

So then I ate an avocado egg bake, which is just half of an avocado with an egg in the middle baked in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, and it was delicious.  Then I took a shower, did the dishes, changed my sheets on my bed, and put all of my clean laundry away.  I was feeling pretty good about myself and what I had accomplished since the night before was just spent on the couch watching Pretty Little Liars and The Vineyard (which I am oddly obsessed with because it reminds me of The Hills and oh how I miss The Hills) and having several alcoholic beverages and eating ice cream for dinner.  

So what I'm saying is, I think I'm going to try and be more productive like that more often because it feels good.  Vinnie got home from a boys golfing trip at 2 am and then he got up at 8 am for a golf tournament.  Am I dating Tiger Woods?  Let's hope not because I would like to avoid any sex scandals in my near and not so near future.  JK, but really I don't understand his obsession with golf except he texted me and told me he won money today so today I am not hating on golf.

Ok, that's all.  Have a good night!  Dare I say I am going to the gym again tonight to continue my productiveness...

XO. Tarah

 

Oh, this old thaaang?

Hi ya kids!  I don't feel like working today...isn't that weird?!  But you won't catch me complaining over here (except for that last sentence where I complained about working) because today is my last day of work for the week.  Tonight Vinnie and I are heading back to my stomping grounds because it is finally Maggie's wedding weekend!

The bride and I at her Bachelorette Party!

It's going to be a busy weekend, starting with early morning nail appointments tomorrow morning and lots of setting up for the wedding itself and for the reception.  I'm excited though.  My parents are going to the wedding too so I'm even more excited to see them.  

Anyways, today I decided to dig deep into my closet and wear a shirt that I bought 3 years ago.  I forgot about it but it's actually been one of my favorites.  Every time I wear it I get compliments.

Oh, this ol' thang?

After I took this picture I realized that almost my whole outfit was old.  I bought the shirt 3 years ago on sale at Urban Outfitters.  They only had one left and it was a large.  Since I usually wear smalls I was hesitant about buying it but it only cost $9 so I figured, what the heck?  I have to wear a tank under it though or else everyone would be getting quite a show.  The white racerback tank I'm wearing is also from 3 years ago, via American Eagle.  Those shoes?  Banana Republic outlet...you guessed it, 3 years ago.  The only things that aren't old are my Express skinny jeans that I just bought this past winter and those trendy glasses (that are real, come one, I'm not that hipster) that I just got a couple of weeks ago.  I wasn't so sure about the glasses when I first picked them up but they are growing on me now.  The guy at Lens Crafters assured me that I could pull them off so I put my trust in his hands.

Alright so the whole point in all of that was, I forget sometimes about my old clothes and just keep filling my closet with the newest, latest trends, which is fun but also expensive.  This is a cute, summery outfit and I'm definitely going to try to continue to dig deep into the confines of my closet and dresser drawers to start pulling together some cute looks with my old clothes and start saving myself some serious cash.  What better time to do that then now.  As of today (August 1) I have claimed this month, 'No Spend August'.  I've seen other bloggers do this and it's a good idea so I'm jumping on the band wagon.  I'm not going to spend money on anything I don't need (food, gas, toilet paper, the essentials) for the whole month of August.  Some of you are probably like 'whatever, that's freaking easy' but guys, it's me.  I'm addicted to online shopping remember?  So I guess I'll be limiting my trips to Target and my online browsing in attempts to save myself from any temptations.  I'm also going to try to start posting more outfit pics so that you can see me recreate looks with my old clothes (but don't hold your breath because that probably won't happen and I'm not promising anything).

You know what else is old and nice?  Sending cards in the mail.  I personally love to send cards and letters in the mail but I usually only do it for special occasions.  I've been having a rough 'go at it' lately and my mom knows that.  Yesterday I received a card with a much appreciated note in it from my mom and dad.  It really brightened my day.  Whatever happened to the art of hand writing notes and sending them in the mail?  Receiving nice e-mails is just that, nice, but receiving a note that someone took the time to handwrite, address, and send is so much nicer.

I am a truly lucky girl to have parents like mine.  

Hope you all have a good weekend!

XO. Tarah