Be Back Soon

To be honest, blogging began as a hobby for me and it's only ever been just that for me. I'm just not fulfilled by it right now. When I see a list of blog things to work on, I feel unmotivated. I have some new ideas that I want to put my whole heart in before writing half-assed posts about it. I want to be a better writer and write quality over quantity. If that's not obvious by the decline of Friday Faves, I don't know how else to show you. I'm just busy with classes and work and moving that my life is not blog worthy to me. I plan on coming back soon. Hopefully in time for the first birthday of the blog but no promises. If you miss me, I better hear some wonderful suggestions of what new, exciting things I should write about.

BzzAgent: Dr. Scholl's® Massaging Gel® Insoles

Disclaimer: I got this stuff from BzzAgent.com for testing purposes. All of the views expressed are entirely my own.

This could not have come at a more perfect time for me. At Family Video, we stand all day. That is not an exaggeration. Part of good customer service is always being at the ready to help a customer or putting titles away or cleaning. No time to sit and take a break when every copy of Side Effects is sitting on the counter waiting to be put back out for customers. Who needs a rest when there are phone calls to answer and Iron Man titles to find? (Not sarcasm! I genuinely enjoy the fast pace at work!) But my feet would not like to find Iron Man again. They instead would like me to point from my station that Iron Man is in the Prequels/Sequels section as you might imagine what with Iron Man 3 in theaters and all. They would like me to stay put and possibly sit on the floor, hiding from all the movies staring at me from the drop box. No time for that, feet!!! We have customers to serve!! I did have a pair of insole so I was skeptical that these would really do anything for me. Well, lesson learned. Replace your insoles every few months. My feet can now tolerate the 8 hour work days once again. Which is great, because my job isn't one where we stand still. Not much else to say except my feet sure do appreciate the extra cushion in my flats and I will definitely hold on to a coupon to replace my insoles again at the beginning of September!

Wednesday Writings

A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to myself from four years ago. Now I'm going to write a letter to myself for one year from now. I'll be graduating from college so it's appropriate with the letter I wrote a few weeks ago.

Future Jen,
What are you going to do with the freedom of choice? Are you as scared as I am? I've never had complete freedom to go and do whatever I want with my life. Right now, my brain is overrun with options. Will you go to grad school? Get a certification in a healthcare field? Take a year off? I hope you have more clarity than I do. Wait. That's a lot of pressure. I'm sorry. I know you might have even less clarity than I do right now. So don't feel pressure. I'm sure we will get through it.
Graduation! Yay! Are you relieved? I think I would be relieved. But I also think I might be sad. Leaving AST and the first home I picked for myself, GVSU, will be scary. How was alum ceremony? Because my goal is to make Emily cry. So did you accomplish that? Please tell me you did.
Don't let Mom, Dad, or anyone else ruin this for you. Don't let them bring a negative attitude to graduation day. Don't let them have too much say in the future. Just take your chance to be completely free and run with it. Everyone gets to have an opinion but you are not obligated to listen to it. I love them but let's just take this first chance to fall flat on our faces all on our own, mmk?
You go this. You so got this. Remember 4-years-ago-Jen? She is nothing like me and I am nothing like you. I've grown so much and I still have more to do. So I know you got this. Just remember how much you've grown and remember that whatever has happened, we've always figured it out so you will get it.
Love,
Past Jen

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Blah blah. I have no witty nonsense today. Just this yummy fruit salad. Joe and I made it for our failed picnic. There is this other "perfect" fruit salad that calls for vanilla pudding mix. What the heck is that? This is perfect with honey and lime juice. Way better for you than pudding mix on fruit. Plus I'm pretty sure this dressing would be perfect on any fruit. Not sure how pudding would be on everything. So yeah, this is the best. Light and sweet and tart. Om nom nom get in my belly!

Recipe from Oh! You Cook!

Jelly Doughnut Muffins

You know what my least favorite thing to move is? Food. I hate moving food. So when I was sure I was moving, I started to make plans to eat all my food. Baking supplies are the worst to move. I was searching for recipes that would use baking supplies I had without going out and getting more. I found a lot of recipes but jelly doughnuts won. Why? Because. Jelly. Doughnuts. They were yummy and moist and the jelly was the sweet little nugget on top. Next time, I will definitely go with a pastry tip instead of just poking a hole in the top with a knife and using a baggie filled with jelly. #poorcollegekidproblems Anyways. Aren't they cuuuute?! You know you want one.

Recipe from Brandy's Baking.

Friday Faves

How do these weeks keep going by so fast. It doesn't seem real.

1. S'more Blizzards

Dear Dairy Queen, I hate you. You are one rude son of a bitch. S'mores blizzards? Thanks for ruining my life. Seriously. How am I supposed to move on from s'mores blizzards? You suck, DQ.

2. Family Video

Another week of manager rentals, an awesome review with our district manager, and a 50 cent raise? What a great week! If I haven't said it before, I love my job at Family Video! 

3. Nephew Time

I got to have lunch with my sister and my mom this week and I got to cuddle the baby. I made him dance to Wagon Wheel and shared my water with him when he ate a crayon. Oh Liam, you are going to be so fun when you start dating. I'm going to tell everyone you ate two crayons in a restaurant. 

4. Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Tacos

Joey and I made them this week. This is not my photo. Because I'm lazy and my camera is way over there. I'll share my pictures in a post, I promise. I think I enjoyed time with my bestie more than the tacos. Sorry Joe. I know you loved them.

5.  Toby

My inner bear's name is Toby. He's a polaaa beaaaar. 

Strawberry Chiffon Pie

I am so excited to share this pie with you. You came here, probably looking to laugh a little because let's face it, I'm hilarious but instead, I'm going to tell you about this pie and you're going to want some right now. Please don't hate me. This pie is seriously the best desert I've ever put in my mouth. I am completely obsessed. It is light and fluffy. The strawberry flavor is sweet but not overpowering. It is ridiculously easy to make. The graham cracker crust is buttery and addicting. I ate like half a pie in a day. That's how amazing this is. It is just too good. I'm sorry for ruining your life. This recipe recommended making it in a spring form pan but instead we made it in two pie plates. Definitely worth it. There is just so much filling. Also, I did not add red food coloring. I like the natural pink from the strawberries and I didn't think red dye would really matter.

Again, I'm so so so sorry for ruining your day. But not really.

Wednesday Writings

Dream Cast: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Before we get into my picks, I totally get this is a book about animals. I do not care. I'm dream casting humans to do the voice-overs based on the sound of their voices and personality. So anyways...

Napoleon:

Napoleon is the leader of the farm after the animals take over. He is intimidating, powerful, crafty, treacherous, and devious. So clearly Joaquin Phoenix. Do I have to explain this? Have you seen Gladiator? So yeah. Joaquin. He is all of these things. He can do devious creep well. I don't really feel the need to explain this one.

Snowball:

Snowball challenges Napoleon's power over the farm. He is intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and wins the loyalty of the other animals on the farm. Kenneth Branagh plays these powerful men who aren't all muscle and militant. Like Hamlet. He plays smart guys. I think his voice would contrast well with Phoenix's Napoleon.

Boxer:

Boxer is a strong, dedicated work horse. He is incredibly loyal and even when he is being carted away to his death, he holds all of the animals together. He likes to help but he is not smart like the pigs at all. He is always saying how he can work harder. I chose Jim O'Heir because Boxer kind of reminds me of Jerry from Parks and Rec. He isn't seen as smart but he does more than his fair share and come backs for more even when the group is unbearably mean to him. His voice would be slow and purposeful like I imagine Boxer to be.

Squealer:

Another pig, Squealer is exactly what his name says. He talks. A lot. He spreads the pigs' propaganda and justifies the pigs unfair claim over resources. Orwell utilizes Squealer to show how language can be used to maintain control. Um hello. Hunger Games. This is so Caesar from the Hunger Games. The voice of crazy land.

Old Major:

Orwell wrote Old Major as a mixture of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. He is source of inspiration of the revolution. He dies and leaves Napoleon and Snowball to fight for his legacy. I just like Liam Neeson. He's got a great name.  Well and I think he could play the old, inspiring pig's speech really powerfully. It would be loud and full of inflection.

What to Wear: Business Casual

When I started at Family Video, I did some research on their dress code, "business casual." There is no standard for this common wardrobe requirement. So I decided I write my own recommendations based on my years of sorority business meetings. These are my spring/summer recommendations and they all come from Target so they are not expensive. Maybe I'll come up with some stuff for winter later. The key when it comes to working a place like Family Video in business casual is making sure you can do your job in your clothes. Business casual is all about the boss. If the boss is more formal, dress more formal. If the boss wears jeans, go for it. These are just guidelines.

Colors should be fairly neutral. I went with spring/summery colors and patterns but pair one pattern or pop of color with neutrals. Bottoms should be well tailored dress pants, capris, or knee-length skirts. Dresses are a fast, cool alternative. Tops should cover your cleavage. Cardigans are a good choice instead of coats. Trenches protect your cute outfit from spring rains. Flats save your feet instead of tacky sneakers or painful heels. Bags should be neutral too. Jewelry should minimal. Just a pretty bracelet or a watch. Notice I said "neutral" more than once. Neutral and professional is important for business casual.

What do you think? How do you wear business casual?

Business Casual by jennifer-wickham

BzzAgent: Gillette® Venus & Olay™ Razor

Disclaimer: I got this stuff from BzzAgent.com for testing purposes. All of the views expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first time reviewing for BzzAgent and I am very excited! It was extremely easy to be chosen for a campaign and I am so excited about sharing this first one with you!

I'm the freak that can shave dry and not suffer for it. I know, I know you're not supposed to but I usually forget when I'm in the shower and I'm blind in the shower anyways. I've never tried a razor with a built in moisturizer but I've always wanted to because I am so blind. This particular razor comes with the Olay moisture bar and says you don't need a shave cream so I was completely on board with that. I did wet my legs down first and my only thing was the moisture bar was a little gooey feeling. I don't quite know how to describe it but it was like dragging soap along with the razor on my legs. Just something to get used to, I guess. I have to say I am completely impressed with how close the shave was and how soft my legs felt afterwards. The best part is the Venus handles are interchangeable with the razors so if you decide to mix it up, you don't have to get a completely new razor. It also comes with a little holder so it can air dry in the shower. Love that! I definitely plan on repurchasing! Anything that allows me to keep my glasses on is a win for me!

Friday Faves

Blah blah blah. Let's get to the point. What awesomeness has in the life of the master of awesome this week?

1. Manager Rentals

What is better than ending last week over my 18% sales goal? Getting free rentals for my troubles makes the week so exciting. I also made my sales goal this week so free rentals for another week. If I haven't said it before, I love my job!

2. BD's Mongolian Grill 

I think the picture is fairly self-explanatory. I love BD's. This visit was particularly amazing. Joe and I created 4 perfect bowls on this visit and once again proved our culinary genius.

3. Best Friend Time

I love having time with Joe. Doesn't it always make my Friday Faves. We had lunch at BD's, saw the Great Gatsby, had dinner at Olga's, and picked out a pair of glasses for Joe. It's always a good time when I get to see Joe.

4. Sock Bun: Accomplished

My list of hair styles is very short but I did finally try out the sock bun and I've been loving it for work. It's been looking a lot better than that photo. It's been a lot of work but I've been rocking it.

5. Downton Abbey

I am OBSESSED!!! 

Caramel Bananas

You know what's nice? Hugs. Warm and cozy and just what you need. Hugs are just so nice. Single girls are home alone with no hugs. Tis very very sad. You're all alone and you need something warm and cozy. So instead you make caramel bananas. They take like no time at all to make and they are sweet and warm and gooey just like a hug. Am I saying I eat my feelings? Maybe. But don't judge because they are so yummy you just need to try them, mmkay? You might even give up boyfriend hugs for these lovelies.

This recipe is from SophistiMom.

By the way, do you like my plate and napkin? World Market yo. Just for you guys so my pictures would look fancy. You like?

Wednesday Writings

Dream Cast "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Lennie:

Lennie is a big, clumsy, childlike migrant worker. He has a mental disability that causes him to be completely dependent on his friend George. He is gentle and kind but does not understand his own strength. I chose Jason Segel because even though he mostly does comedy, I think he would be absolutely amazing as the giant Lennie. The point is you have to love Lennie even though he can hurt small animals and people unintentionally. Segel would instantly make the audience love him.

George:

Quick-witted and wiry, George shows devotion to caring for Lennie despite all of the trouble it gets him into. His ultimate desire is to protect Lennie. You have to really believe that George loves Lennie and yet you can understand why he says he would be better off without him. You have to still love George in the end. I picked Michael Shannon because he fits the look I was imagining with Segel. I think they would look like real friends together on screen.

Curly:

Supposedly a champion prize fighter, Curly is the boss's son. He is confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive. He picks fights with bigger guys and is extremely possessive and suspicious of his young, flirtatious wife.  Tom Felton has played this character a couple of times in a little movie series called Harry fucking Potter. That's right, I'm gonna say Curly is muggle Draco Malfoy. 

Curly's Wife:

Described as "a tart" and "tramp", Curly's wife is the only female and is never given a name. She represents female sexuality and is not a villain but just another victim like the ranch-hands. I wanted someone who looks a little ominous and whose flirtatious attitude is clearly going to be trouble. She reminds me of Dr. Reed Adamson in Grey's Anatomy so clearly Nora Zehetner would be a great choice to play a similar character. Thanks to Joey for throwing this name out there.

Crooks:

The black stable-hand gets his name from his crooked back. He is isolated from the other men because of his skin but he takes a liking to Lennie. Even though he claims to have seen countless men with empty dreams of owning their own farm, he still asks Lennie if he can go with them and hoe in the garden. Don Cheadle. Do I need to explain?

Summer Bucket List

For those of you who have poked around the blog a little, I've been doing bucket lists since I began. It's not that I think I'm going to die. This blog began as a project to do more and try more and not waste my college years studying and doing nothing else. I started creating bucket lists as more of a list of goals I wanted to accomplish in the next few months. I decided when I was working on the summer bucket list that this will be it for the bucket lists for now. It's not that I don't enjoy working on my bucket lists. It's just that I want to be freer to accomplish new things and try different things with the blog. Maybe I spend the entire month of November making soup. Maybe I find new things that I'm already doing without noticing. Maybe I start blogging about sorority land more. But for now we will talk about summer.

Summer might be the best season for the amazing that is Jen and Joe. We just have a lot of fun when we aren't doing stuff for school. This bucket list got excessive. There was no lack of ideas but these are the top ten ideas. They are the perfect balance of pushing ourselves to do things we're always saying we are going to do and things we already know we love. Because this will be my last, I am going to really push to accomplish everything on the list. There is always one or two things that don't make it but not this time. So get ready for an awesome summer!

If you want to check out all the bucket lists, here they are:

Fall

Winter

Spring

2013

Sample Stash

So here we are. One month into our Sample Stash project. Did you find any favorites? I did! First up, the reviews.

Bath & Body Works 24K Silk Lotion in Japanese Cherry Blossom: I got this while I was working at B&BW. As you can see, it is a lab sample. I haven't quite used up the sample but I will in the next week or two. It has a gold shimmer that is subtle. I have been using it on my legs before I go to work because I've been wearing a lot of skirts and dresses lately. 

PROS: It's more of a gel than a cream which is really nice for application.

CONS: It does not smell like the Japanese cherry blossom I remember. It smells like a gross guy cologne. The gold builds up on your hands, like a lot. You have to wash your hands afterwards.

VERDICT: This one isn't going on my wish list. Sorry B&BW. I just don't think the shimmer is worth it.

Check out this product here.

Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Total Care Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner: I have psoriasis on my scalp so I was excited to try this one. I got three washes out of these samples so I feel like I got a good feel for the product. Just for reference, I've been using the same shampoo and conditioner for the last 4 years.

PROS: The smell is amazing. I could smell the shampoo and conditioner in my hair even the next day. I really have been having bad patches and this cleared them up. I was really impressed. 

CONS: I don't really have anything negative to say about this.

VERDICT: Yes. Yes. Yes. I will be buying this one as soon as I run out of shampoo. It is great!

Check out this product here.

bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Moisturizer for Combination Skin: I have been using Neutrogena moisturizer for years and I've heard good things about bareMinerals. 

PROS: The smell was nice. The texture was fine.

CONS: For $28, it was not much different than my usual moisturizer. It worked fine but there was nothing amazing about it.

VERDICT: Sorry. For $28, no thank you.

Check out this product here.

Now onto this month's products to test. As of right now, I have like 7 sets of samples to test so plan on seeing this a lot.

Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professonal Effects, Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste, Matrix Design Pulse Beach Clay Strong Destructing Mud, DDF Advanced Firming Cream

Link up yours so I can find more wish list stuff, please.

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Friday Faves

After a couple of weeks of just working and staying home, I finally have stuff to talk about! Yay for not being a hermit!!!

1. Titanic Exhibit

I went to see the Titanic exhibit with Dad on Memorial Day. It was rainy and gross so we went to the museum instead of go to the lake. It was so fun. I think we had more fun walking around the rest of the museum than the exhibit. The exhibit was nice but it was dark and quiet and I didn't feel like I was getting to spend time with Dad. It was really nice to spend time with Dad.

2. Cedar Point

I went to Cedar Point with Joe on Wednesday. It was the most perfect day for it. We rode the new roller coaster, Gatekeeper, four times! It was not very busy for CP. It wasn't 8 million degrees. It was just such a great day.

3. Family Video

I finally ended my week over 18% for sales! I'm just so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Sweet Yo's

Another night of Sweet Yo's with Shelby. All I can say is I love Shelby and pina colada fro yo! Treat yo self!

5. Influenster Vox Box

Loving all my Spring Fever products!!!!

Influenster Spring Fever: Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS Dust It Hair Mattifying Powder

Disclaimer: I got this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. These opinions are entirely my own.

My last Spring Fever Vox Box review is this product that I can only sort of pronounce. Anyways, I wasn't sure when I first got it how I was going to try this out and then I thought I might use it to give some height to my usual bump. I was playing around with sock buns and couldn't get it right so I tried putting some of the Dust It powder in my pony tail and it gave it enough hold to pull of a beautiful sock bun! I was really impressed with the texture it gave my hair and unlike teasing, it didn't loose texture with handling. I'm excited to see what else I can do with it. Check out my big, pretty sock bun below!

Schwarzkopf Professional products are available at salons and Ulta. You can get Dust It for $23.50. For more information, check out their website here.

To see all of my Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box product reviews, check out this post.

Influenster Spring Fever: Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant

Disclaimer: I got this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. These opinions are entirely my own.

I'm about to give you what might be TMI. My family is a bunch of sweaty people. If it is even just a little too hot, we will drip sweat. I've tried every brand of deodorant and antiperspirant on the market. I don't mind being a little sweaty but when you get fancy for recruitment and you have sweat marks on your shirt after three rounds, you become incredibly uncomfortable. Now, I'm not about to tell you my glowing review because I received this for free. Trust me when I say. This left me dry and fresh smelling at Cedar Point in humid, 80 degree heat! I was very impressed. I will repurchase. I reapplied half way through the day and it didn't leave any marks on my shirt. It did what it promised and that's all I ask for from the stuff I test! Thank you, Secret!

Secret Outlast is available in a gel and solid antiperspirant for $4.59 at major retailers. For more information, check out their website here.

To see all of my Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box product reviews, check out this post.

Influenster Spring Fever: NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm

Disclaimer: I got this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. These opinions are entirely my own.

I have sort of mixed feelings on this one. I love the pigmentation on this and the color is so pretty as you can see in my picture below. (Ignore how pale I am and the sunburn please.) They come in a lot of other colors but I do love the color I got. I wore it a couple times to work to test it out and the texture always surprised me a little bit. It feels a little waxy. It's also supposed to be hydrating but I think I'll stick with my EOS balm. Not that it's not hydrating, it's just not as hydrating as an actual lip balm. Ending on a high note, it has an adorable little apple in the middle so personally, I think it would be a cute gift for a teacher!

NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm is available in 10 shades at most major drug store chains for $2.99. For more information on the NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balms, check out their website here.

To see all of my Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box product reviews, check out this post.

Influenster Spring Fever: Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure

Disclaimer: I got this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. These opinions are entirely my own.

Here we go with review #2. I was a teeny bit disappointed when I found out it was a press-on manicure. Not that there is anything wrong with press-on manicures. It was just that I was following Influenster's Twitter the whole week before the first boxes were sent out to hear clues on what was in the box and I was sure that we were getting some sort of gel manicure set. But this is still pretty great.

Anyways, this is the Broadway Press-on Manicure. I received "Over the Moon" which is a beautiful gold burgundy marble with hints of purple in the sun. So many customers complimented me on it at work. It would be even better for the fall or winter. I was craving something a little more summer-y. They didn't destroy my nails like other press-on manicures have. They actually peeled off no problem. The product description says they last up to a week. Mine made it about 4 days but they started to pop off so I took all the rest off. It just felt weird only having 8 nails on. They were also a little longer than how I normally wear my nails so they took some getting used to. Overall, no complaints. They worked great and looked fantastic. I plan on purchasing the french tip set for recruitment this fall. They will last just long enough for what I need them for without breaking my budget or looking like crap. Win!

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicures are available in solids and patterns. They are $5.99 for solid colors and $7.99 for patterns at CVS, CVS, Rite Aid, KMart, Walgreens, Walmart, and more. For more information on the Broadway Nails line of imPRESS Press-on Manicures, check out their website here.

To see all of my Influenster Spring Fever Vox Box product reviews, check out this post.