Busy Bee!

Hi friends! Happy almost Friday...aka Thursday!!

I apologize if my posts and commenting have been few & far between recently. Work is swamped (the same as last year) and I'm trying to juggle that with my regular life. Plus I have to fit in all of my TV shows, duh :) 

If nothing else, I always want to try to get my Thursday's Thoughts up! It's a chance for me to somewhat organize all of the thoughts swirling through my head at any given moment.

• I leave in 6 days for my best friend's wedding! Besides being really excited, I haven't even had a chance to think about the details - like what I'm wearing for the bridesmaid luncheon or the rehearsal! Good thing I already have a dress for the actual wedding or else I'd be really worried! 

• I've been obsessing over this dress (finally marked down!) for a few weeks and thought it would be good for one of the wedding events. Yay? Nay? Keep in mind that I would most definitely be wearing at least 3" wedges/heels so I won't look so short.

• One thing I'm really looking forward to while I'm home is meeting Bronco Mom! She no longer blogs, but has been such a sweet friend and reader throughout the years so I'm excited to put a face to our friendship!

• I'm really sad to say this, but Charlie's Angels was pretty terrible. Like really bad. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I will continue to watch (i.e., play bejeweled on my iPhone) until it's canceled, which I'm guessing will be in just a few episodes.

• On the other hand, I am really enjoying Revenge and Ringer. Both of these shows are full of drama and very soap-y so they are definitely good guilty pleasure shows. The plot of Ringer is so absolutely ridiculous though!

• Last night Chris & I made these sinful nachos for dinner. They were delicious! I had been craving that buffalo chicken flavor for at least a week now, and these definitely hit the spot.

• On that note, I actually have ridden my bike to work 3 days this week already so I feel a teensy bit less guilty about chowing down on those nachos last night.

Please read this last bullet:

• On my last post, I mentioned that I love scarves! Would any of you be interested in participating in a fall scarf swap by any chance? I participated in one a long time ago and it was so much fun! I've only hosted one swap before so I'd like to get an idea of if I would have any participants this time around. Please let me know in the comments! And just to mention, the spending limit would probably be around $15 or less so this could be a budget-friendly way to make a new blog friend and receive a stylish scarf at the same time!

That's it from me today. I hope that all of you are having a nice week - remember, Friday is almost here!

Fall Essentials

Looks like the 90° weather is going to continue this week! I jumped the gun and wore boots last week, but it was not the best idea I've ever had. Luckily I sit inside of a cold office all day so I wasn't too miserable...

I wanted to share a few fall essentials that get me through the season!

Boot Shapers

The days of misshapen boots bundled up at the bottom of your closet are over. Simply squeeze these boot shapers together to insert them in your favorite pair of tall boots. The sturdy construction will retain the shape of your boots and keep them looking like new. Convenient hanger allows you to hang the boots from a closet rod.

Lip Balm

It gets really windy here with the Santa Ana winds in late fall and early winter. Lip balm is essential in making sure my lips stay moisturized and smooth! My favorite is still the classic Burt's Bees (which I now have a new one thanks to Alyssa!)

Scarves
It would not be an exaggeration to say that I wear a scarf almost every day. I love them so much! Forever21 has some great scarf options for really good prices. I like to keep my wardrobe pretty neutral and add a pop of color or print with a scarf (all options below under $10 at F21).

Reflective Riding Gear
One of the great things about fall is the cooler temperatures (= more bike rides), but it also means less daylight. When I'm riding I want to make sure that every car driver can see me! There is a company called Relax Reflect that makes all sorts of clothing with reflective designs built right in! It's so cool, and I think I am definitely going to need a pair of star leggings for riding in the dusk/dark. Check them out if you are a runner, biker, etc. and do a lot of training outside.

Slow Cooker
It's like having an in-house chef when you use your slow cooker! Put something in it before you leave for work, and when you come home, there is a delicious meal waiting for you. It's like magic! I find recipes all over the internet, but some of my favorite sources are: The Girl Who Ate Everything, Pinterest, and Crock Pot Girls (no pictures, but lots of recipes).

What are some of your fall essentials?

Favorite Things Swap

I recently participated in a Favorite Things Swap, hosted by my friend Leeann over at Join the Gossip! 

I was partnered with Alyssa from Ten Feet Off Beale and I am glad to have been introduced to her blog through this swap. Please check it out if you haven't already!

Alyssa is a Jersey girl currently living in Memphis. She sent me an awesome package with some of her favorite things: a Burt's Bees sampler pack, an Elvis Presley cd, and a bottle of Corky's BBQ sauce (yum)! I love how she represented Memphis with Elvis and Corky's. I went to Graceland many years ago, and was fascinated by Elvis' life. He was quite the talented man so I'm excited to have one of his cd's with some of his greatest hits! And BBQ sauce is my absolute favorite, I use it on EVERYTHING! I can't wait to try the world famous Corky's!

Thank you Alyssa for my new goodies and to Leeann for hosting such a wonderful (and well organized) swap!

DWTS: My Studio Experience!

I was expecting it, but it was still sad to see Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) be the first celebrity eliminated from Dancing with the Stars this week!

Did you watch the season premiere on Monday? Isn't the new studio amazing? It's even more amazing in person! That's right, I was there! By some crazy luck & being in the right place at the right time, Chris and I were able to get into the studio for the live taping!

I had to go to Beverly Hills for a doctor's appointment Monday afternoon so we thought we'd swing by the studio afterwards and see if we could get in. There were at least 500 people waiting, but luckily we got in as seat-fillers!

At first, we were seated in the very back facing the stage, but only sat there for one routine (Ron & Peta). Then two "celebrities" with reserved seating showed up and we had to move. For the next two routines (Rob & Cheryl; Kristin & Mark) we were standing with the crew watching on a TV screen. At the next commercial break, a stagehand moved us to the back of the right side of the stage, but I only sat there for about 30 seconds. We were split up, and I moved RIGHT BEHIND THE JUDGES' TABLE! It was insane! And Chris got a much better seat a few rows behind the entire Kardashian clan and Billy Baldwin! Haha!

It was really so much fun! I couldn't see the dances because the judges' table was in the way, but I had a good view of the critiques and the judges kept turning around and talking to us, especially Bruno. Tom Bergeron was also walking by a lot and was so nice.

I saw Courtney Cox and her daughter CoCo (so cute!), Pee Wee Herman, former Bachelorette Melissa and her husband, Ralph Macchio, Niecy Nash, Margaret Cho, and probably a few others I can't remember. Courtney was so nice to her fans! She talked to everyone and shook hands. Her and David Arquette seem so genuine and real. Unlike the Kardashian's. Kim was on her phone the entire time, Kourtney looked bored out of her mind, and Kris and Bruce just sat there like statues. Lamar and Khloe were the only ones that seemed like they were enjoying themselves.

LMFAO also performed so the segment you saw on Tuesday's episode was actually filmed on Monday night. They didn't really show it, but Bruno was going CRAZY on the table, taking his clothes off and all over Carrie Ann. It was so funny!

We couldn't take cameras or phones inside so we had to watch the episode to see if either of us would be shown. As luck would have it (being totally sarcastic here!), I appear almost every time that Bruno gave feedback or gave his score. I like to think that I was like the 4th judge. See for yourself, but blink and you'll miss us!

And that was our Dancing with the Stars experience! I highly recommend going to the show if you can get tickets. It's really well organized and so much fun!

Oh and just for fun, my favorites are JR Martinez and David Arquette! I hope that Rob Kardashian and Elisabetta Canalis go home soon.

Otter Box

A couple of weeks ago, I finally bought a case for my iPhone! I had a plastic-y case that wasn't doing much in the way of protection so I was always worried about dropping it and cracking the screen (this would definitely be equivalent to my worst nightmare, I love my phone!). My friend had told me about the Otter Box cases, but I didn't think they were very attractive and they seemed really bulky.

I went to Best Buy to check out the selection of cases, and what do you know? I ended up loving a case made by Otter Box! It's definitely pricey (for me at least!) at $45. But I guess when you think about it, that's a small price to pay in order to protect a very expensive phone.

I chose this case in the hot pink/black combination.

By the way, it's listed as $49.99 on the website, but Best Buy was selling it for $39.99 last weekend.

I wasn't asked to write this review, I just thought it might be helpful for my fellow iPhone users in case they may be searching for a good case. I highly recommend this brand!