It's Tuesday so that means I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays and today is all about my personal style. I don't even know where to start. I'm as comfortable in a plaid button down as I am all dolled up in a dress. I love anything from boho to girly and lots of bows. I figured the best way to share my personal style is to share my Pinterest boards. After all, that is what I would buy if I had unlimited funds!
It's Tuesday so that means I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays and today is all about the mixtape to different stages of our life! Ohhhh, this is a hard one. I love music and am always singing a song of some sort so to narrow it down is going to be tough. Just go ahead and assume that if I could, I would list every Taylor Swift song, but I'll try to limit myself.
My earliest memory of music is this song:
Ironic by Alanis Morisette
I must have been about 5 and my dad and I would drive around Miami to "get gas" (meaning we drove for 45 minutes to an hour listening to this CD, sipping Dr. Pepper and finally stopping for gas). This is one of my earliest memories of music and I loved that time spent with just my dad listening to Ironic. Along with Alanis, he would also throw in a little bit of this
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
because I'm his brown-eyed girl.
Elementary school brought lots of Hanson, 98 Degrees (my first concert!), NSYNC, Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Christina Aguilera and my introduction Broadway.
I knew every word to every song of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" before I ever saw the show.
Then 5th grade hit and so did 9/11 and Black Eyed Peas released the most perfect song to put into words what we were feeling
Where is the Love? by Black Eyed Peas
I'd be lying if I said I don't remember every word to this song, especially the rapping.
Middle school brought around feeling left out by my friends and this song
Welcome to My Life by Simple Plan
What pre-teen or teen didn't relate to this song at one time or another?
Then, in high school, my world changed. I still loved pop and Broadway music, but I was introduced to country music by way of Taylor Swift.
Teardrops On My Guitar by Taylor Swift
This song was on repeat probably all of high school and is still one of my favorite songs of hers to this day.
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
My sophomore year of high school, I was in the show CATS and we played this song nonstop: before shows, after shows, during intermission, whenever! I still can't help but smile with this song comes on because CATS was a really important time in my life when I made so many new friendships and deepened others.
In Better Hands by Natalie Grant
Tragedy struck my small down several times during high school and this song helped me through. A car accident claimed the lives of two school members my sophomore year and then my senior year, a friend's mom and sister died in a car accident. I remember hearing this song and just crying thinking of the lives lost and knowing they were in better hands.
Then came college. I had never been away from home before so moving 4 hours away was a change for me. While the transition was fairly easy, I did have a rough month or so and this song really helped me get through that time.
Sweet Silver Lining by Kate Voegele
And speaking of being away from home, I can't forget these songs
Country Roads by John Denver
Home is Where the Heart Is by Lady Antebellum
I love listening to these songs when I miss West Virginia because they both give us a shout out!
Valerie by Amy Winehouse
Performing at an open mic was something on my bucket list and this was the first song my brother and I performed together in public.
Play it Again by Luke Bryan
Because who doesn't love some Luke Bryan and I definitely play this song again and again and again.
Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift
This past October I packed up my life and moved to right outside of New York. This song was on repeat my whole drive and still makes me smile!
Touch the Sky by Hillsong United
I discovered this song during the fall and immediately fell in love with it. I'm talking crying my eyes out in the middle of church when I heard it for the first time kind of love. It's such a beautiful song and a great reminder of what prayer can do.
But if I had to pick one song to be the soundtrack to my life, it would be this:
This is Me by Rachel Reinert
Rachel is a member of the group Gloriana, but she put this song out by herself. This song describes me to a T and I love it.
I can't wait to see everyone else's mixtapes and be introduced to some new music! Happy Tuesday! :)
It's Tuesday so that means I'm partnering up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays. Today we're talking about our favorite pins on Pinterest. I can't pick a favorite, so instead I'm sharing some of my favorite Pinterest boards. I can't wait to see everyone else's and pin away! ;)
Happy 2016! Last year Andrea hosted Show and Tell Tuesdays and I participated in a few of them. I decided to start the new year out by linking up with her and reintroducing myself and talk about my resolutions.
I'm Angela, I'm 25 and I'm a TV/Netflix/singing/reading/music/eating/cooking junkie who's obsessed with Taylor Swift, One Direction, The Bachelor franchise, Broadway and Disney. When I'm not doing any of those things, I can be found interning at Bauer Publishing for J-14, Girls' World, Animal Tales and Quizfest magazines. I have two degrees from Kent State University: one in fashion merchandising and the other in magazine journalism. I'm originally from Huntington, West Virginia (yes, it's its own state!) but recently moved to Westfield, New Jersey. Family is everything to me and I would be lost without them. I love the Lord, the color pink, tea, bows, all things sparkly and snail mail. (I may be 25 but I'm more like 12...or 80!)
As for my New Year Resolutions. I started something a while ago I called New Month Resolutions. Every month I try to come up with goals or things to do throughout the month and share them with you. Some of the resolutions become habit and some last just the month -- if I'm lucky!
One thing I'm really trying to do is to drink between 8 and 16 ounces of water right after I wake up. I've read about it in every magazine, but something about reading it last week really made it stick. I did some research and found out that drinking cool water right after you wake up can boost your metabolism by up to 24% for 90 minutes. Another thing that really caught my attention is that we rarely go 7-8 hours without drinking water during the day, but that's exactly what we're doing while we sleep. I'd never thought of it that way.
For Christmas, my mom got me a copy of Jesus Calling. Usually I read my devotional at night, but I really want to take the time to read this in the morning and maybe even journal a little after reading the passage for the day.
As for now, these are my main focus. I can't wait to go through the link up and get to know you better and see your resolutions!
I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays: Halloween Costumes! Last year's costume is probably one of, if not my absolute, favorite costumes. The best part, it was unique and a total DIY!
I was the leg lamp from A Christmas Story. I saw a picture of it on Pinterest and thought "I can totally make that!" It was super easy to make, all you need is a blank shirt, some puff paint, a lampshade and some fringe. My grandfather cut out the metal inside of the lampshade for me, then I hot glued the fringe around the bottom. Next, I took stencils and puff paint to write FRAGILE on the front and This Side Up on the back. I thew on some tights, and some short shorts underneath the shade, and voila! Costume complete.
Another favorite costume of mine was this:
Back in college, I dressed up as an eskimo. Not only was the costume cute, but it was warm, too. And let's face it, that was the main reason I bought it! I didn't want to be cold while I was out on Halloween.
I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays: The 5 People I'd Invite to Dinner. I love this topic and can't wait to see who all everyone would invite.
Let's get the obvious one out of the way: Taylor Swift!
I've been obsessed with her since the very beginning. I absolutely adore her and all she stands for. She writes songs that everyone can relate to. A song from one of her earlier CDs can come up on my iPod and I can still relate to it but in a different way. She's such a talented songwriter and I'm in complete awe of all she does. From what I've heard and seen, she's the sweetest person ever and I wish more people were genuinely that sweet. When she comes over to dinner, she can totally bring Olivia, Meredith and the rest of her squad -- oh! and her family, too!
"Don't ask me just how it happened, I wish I knew." Mad props if you get that reference! (It's "I Get Lost in His Arms" by Irving Berlin and used in Annie Get Your Gun). That describes my relationship with A.Lincoln to a "T". I'm told I was given a penny in preschool one day and that's all it took for him to win me over. I cannot learn enough about this man. For instance, did you know that he hated his name and signed everything "A.Lincoln"? At least that's what one book told me. I definitely want him included on my guest list for dinner.
Next on the guest list is Kelly Ripa and her family. They seem like quite the crew. I love whenever she talks about her family on Live because her stories are hilarious. Plus, aren't they a gorgeous family? They seem really down to earth and family-focused. Mark and Kelly met on a soap and after getting married numerous times on the show, they eloped and have been together for almost 20 years. SO. SWEET.
These two (and their whole family -- Mark included!) can come to any event I host. I've had the pleasure of seeing Julianne in concert as well as seeing both of them live on Lip Sync Battle and they seem like so much fun. With the Houghs at a party, I'm sure there would be a dance floor as soon as dinner is over -- if not before! I want so badly to be a Hough, but I don't think my hair is quite blonde enough or my eyes blue enough to be one. This family has some great genes!
To round out my guest list, I'd love to have one more meal with my Nana or any of my other family member who have passed. I'd give up all my other guests on this list just to see them again. That's all I'm going to say or else waterworks will be out of control while typing this.
My chef(s) for the evening:
David Burtka is an actual chef so who better to fix the dinner? And it would be rude not to let him bring his entire family with him! This family is so precious and I love when they post new pictures to Instagram.
There are so many people I would love to eat dinner with, past a present. I was tempted to just say "Heaven" as one of my guests (I know, I know, it's really a location), but I thought that might be considered cheating.
I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays.
September 11th, 2001. A day that changed the world forever. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was in 5th grade and it really affected me, probably more than most kids my age in my hometown. I've been obsessed with New York City for as long as I can remember. In 2nd grade, I declared I wanted to go to NYU. I'd only been to the city a handful of times at the time of the attack, but I loved it. It was where I was meant to be.
That Tuesday started out like so many other Tuesdays before: I got up, got ready and headed to school. My class was in gym class when the planes hit. My friend and I always raced to see who could change out of our gym clothes and into our uniforms the fastest. I won that day and had lined up against the blue painted cinderblock wall waiting for the rest of my class when the 6th graders ran in saying the tower had fallen, the tower had fallen. The gym teacher tried to hush them, but I had no clue what they were talking about. Our regular teacher came to pick us up from the gym and take us to our classroom. Once we got there, she told us what happened and we prayed. My mind was blown, I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that my dad was supposed to go to NYC the following month and I didn't want him to anymore.
The rest of the day was a blur. I can't remember what else happened at school except that my teacher didn't turn the TV on for us to watch the news. We went about our day like nothing had happened. Feeling like we were being kept in the dark didn't help my nerves or fears any, keep in mind I'm a huge scared-y cat and worry wort so I was convinced the next attack was going to be on Huntington, W.V. Once I got home from school, I sat in our TV room just watching the news trying to understand what had happened and make sense of what was going on. It's silly the little details I remember: I had chicken satay for dinner. My mom slept in my room with me that night, not that I slept much. I saw every hour on the clock, sleeping for maybe half an hour, but that's where I was on 9/11. I can't wait to read other people's stories.
Last time I was in the city, I went to the 9/11 museum and the top of the Freedom Tower. Check out my pictures from that here. I'm that person who fills up the DVR every year with 9/11 TV shows. This year I get to be in the city for the anniversary of September 11th which I think is really neat.
I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays. With schools starting up, it's so hard to believe it's been 10 years since I started high school. High school was a big change for me, I'd gone to private school for 1-8 grade but decided to switch to the public school for high school. I went from a class of 21 with only 7 boys, to a class of 600 -- oh yeah, and NO UNIFORMS! I can still tell you what I wore to high school orientation: a blue wrap shirt with a yellow tank under it and blue and white shorts. Believe it or not, I still wore my first day of high school outfit until this summer when I decided it was time to retire it.
Fall semester of freshman year, I was the girl at every event. I went to football games: freshman and varsity (sorry JV, I didn't go to your games!) as well as soccer games. I loved the change from private school to public. I remember one morning walking to Spanish class, my first class of the day, and passing people in the hall who nodded or waved at me and thinking that was so cool! During middle school, my class traveled from room to room together so we never passed each other in the hallway since we were always together.
It wasn't until second semester that I found where I truly belonged: the journalism room and the "theatre geeks." I auditioned for the local production of Les Mis and was cast in it. I quickly went from the girl at all the football games to missing everything for rehearsal ... and I loved it! I had been in a handful of local productions growing up, but once the theatre bug bit again in high school, there was rarely a time I wasn't in a show! When I wasn't at rehearsal, I could be found in the journalism room. My teacher, Mrs. Hale, changed my life and is the reason I ended up getting a journalism degree in college. By junior year I served as editor-in-chief paper and was known to go to bed with old yearbooks and a marker correcting errors. Senior year, though, I said goodbye to the paper and hello to college -- at least part time! I attended half a day of high school, took a college class, worked part time and was in a show. Can you tell I like to stay busy?
I took every honors class and a handful of AP classes. I was in several clubs including Key Club, Student Council, Drama Club, Beta Club, Spanish Honorary and I somehow ended up in Mu Alpha Theta, the math honorary! Junior and senior year I was also part of our school's Chamber Choir. Ok, enough telling, now it's time to show high school Angela.
Freshman year homecoming and this little private school girl got voted onto homecoming court!
In 2006, a film crew came to town to make the movie We Are Marshall about the 1970 plane crash that devastated Huntington by killing the entire football team and several fans. Mom let me skip school one day to be an extra on the set. I'm in the final scene, but I can't find myself in it.
I'm pretty sure this was the last day of freshman year. Fun fact: that's the shirt I wore to orientation
Sophomore homecoming! Our dresses coordinated for every dance. Seriously! And we didn't even plan it! I guess that's what happens when you've been friends since birth.
Mrs. Hale and some of the newspaper girls on her last day before retirement.
The summer between sophomore and junior year, I was accepted to attend Governor's School for the Arts, an audition-only camp. I went for acting. This is what we did when we got to our room and the instructor wasn't there yet.
Junior year I got the part of Gabriella in High School Musical and my best friend got the part of Ryan. This is us practicing our jumping picture.
Junior year also brought about show choir. This is just some of the group at one of our competitions.
I'm not exactly sure when this picture was taken, but in high school, we started our Elf movie night party. Every Christmas, it's the last movie we watch and we have a big party. My dad dresses up as Buddy the Elf and makes chili. The party has now evolved into a pajama party and we're very serious about it. If you don't come dressed in pajamas, you get to wear a nightie of mine!
This is one of my favorite pictures, ever. I loved my hair, my dress, my makeup, the group of people I went with ... everything about junior prom.
I took my senior trip the summer before my senior year because my dad was working in NYC and his company had a hotel room for him. Mom and I tagged along with my dear friend Josh and his mom. This is Josh on the subway for the first time. Oh how times have changed, he now lives in the city and doesn't think twice about taking a subway.
My senior show was Peter Pan and I was an Indian as well as adult Wendy. I actually got the call to play adult Wendy while I was in NYC with Josh. We were headed to dinner and my phone rang with the director offering me the part.
I mean, who doesn't love a good senior picture?
And then I graduated.
Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. I hope you'll join us for the next Show and Tell when we talk about where we were on 9/11.
I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show and Tell Tuesdays. This is my first time participating in this link up, but I've been watching it for awhile! I've been patiently waiting for this link up since Andrea first posted the topics.
Morning Routine:
I start each morning with Cetaphil. My whole family uses this brand and we love it. My mom and brother use the gentle cleanser, but I use the regular daily facial cleanser...and who knows about my dad. I follow that up with Tibetan Gogi Berry Eye Serum and Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum. I discovered both of these through my FabFitFun box. Go here to sign up for your own box and get $10 off! Once the serum dries, I use Clinique Moisture Surge. I discovered this face lotion while on acutane in high school and have used it ever since.
Bedtime Routine:
I wash my face once using Cetaphil and follow that up using my Aria Clarisonic with Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap. I use the Gogi Berry Eye Serum and then as a nighttime moisturizer, I use CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion.
Makeup:
I promise my makeup routine is really simple and I don't wear that much, I've just included the eyeshadow I do wear when I wear it.
After moisturizing, I start off with e.l.f. Tone Adjusting Face Primer and then NYC's Green Coverup Stick to cover any redness.
Next up, it's foundation time! I use CoverGirl Nature Luxe (RIP) in 305 -- Alabaster. I also have Urban Decay Naked Skin in 0.5. Am I the only one who does their foundation like this? My friend did my makeup once and she put my foundation on like this. It looked really good afterwards, so I decided to try it out. I use a beauty blender sponge to blend it in.
Michelle Money posted in one of her videos that once you fill in your eyebrows, it's best to let them set for a while. I took that to heart and the first thing I do after foundation is fill in my eyebrows with NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Brunette.
While my eyebrows set, I do the rest of my makeup. I use e.l.f. blush in Pink Passion. In the fall and winter I use NARS blush in Orgasim. Next up is Lancomeeyeliner in Black Coffee. (I rarely wear eyeshadow, but when I do, I prime the lid with Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion then use Maybelline's Blushed Nudes or Lancome shadow in Fashion Admirer, Little Blue Dress and Off the Rack.) I finish up my eyes with a swipe of CoverGirl Nature Luxe Mascara and dab a little NYX Concealer in Porcelain under my eyes. Then it's time to brush out my eyebrows with an eyebrow brush and set them in place with Maybelline Great Lash in clear. A quick touch of MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town and I'm good to go! To finish off my makeup, I set it with e.l.f. makeup mist and set spray.
Hair:
When it comes to hair, I only wash it every 2-3 days. For my naturally wavy/curly hair I've recently discovered Shea Moisture and I love it! My mom, brother and I all use the brand for our curls; our favorite is Curl & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner. We also stumbled across this Oscar Blandi Smoothing Hair Treatment at Kohls in the clearance section and it's worked really well with our hair. As soon as I get out of the shower, I gently wring out my hair with an old cotton t-shirt. Once I get the soppiness out of it, I use Pantene Ultimate 10 BB Cream, it makes my hair feel so soft and I've introduced so many people to this product. When it comes to taming my curls, I use L'Oreal Ever Curl Sculpt & Hold Cream Gel. I love this product because it's not as harsh or crunchy as a gel and is sulfate free! After using the cream gel, I use Suave Professionals Flexible Control Curl Mousse. Right before drying my hair, I spritz on It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. I put a diffuser on my hair dryer and get to work. The next thing I'm going to say may sound a little crazy. When I dry my hair, I always listen to music and it's always two songs. That's how I know my hair is dry, it takes me the length of two songs. After the first song, I switch my dryer off and spray Toni and Guy Sea Salt Texturizing Spray then continue to dry my hair for the second song. I clip the front section of my hair up while I finish getting ready to give an extra boost. When it's time, I take it down and I'm ready to go!
I've been obsessed with her since the very beginning. I absolutely adore her and all she stands for. She writes songs that everyone can relate to. A song from one of her earlier CDs can come up on my iPod and I can still relate to it but in a different way. She's such a talented songwriter and I'm in complete awe of all she does. From what I've heard and seen, she's the sweetest person ever and I wish more people were genuinely that sweet. When she comes over to dinner, she can totally bring Olivia, Meredith and the rest of her squad -- oh! and her family, too!
"Don't ask me just how it happened, I wish I knew." Mad props if you get that reference! (It's "I Get Lost in His Arms" by Irving Berlin and used in Annie Get Your Gun). That describes my relationship with A.Lincoln to a "T". I'm told I was given a penny in preschool one day and that's all it took for him to win me over. I cannot learn enough about this man. For instance, did you know that he hated his name and signed everything "A.Lincoln"? At least that's what one book told me. I definitely want him included on my guest list for dinner.
Next on the guest list is Kelly Ripa and her family. They seem like quite the crew. I love whenever she talks about her family on Live because her stories are hilarious. Plus, aren't they a gorgeous family? They seem really down to earth and family-focused. Mark and Kelly met on a soap and after getting married numerous times on the show, they eloped and have been together for almost 20 years. SO. SWEET.
These two (and their whole family -- Mark included!) can come to any event I host. I've had the pleasure of seeing Julianne in concert as well as seeing both of them live on Lip Sync Battle and they seem like so much fun. With the Houghs at a party, I'm sure there would be a dance floor as soon as dinner is over -- if not before! I want so badly to be a Hough, but I don't think my hair is quite blonde enough or my eyes blue enough to be one. This family has some great genes!
To round out my guest list, I'd love to have one more meal with my Nana or any of my other family member who have passed. I'd give up all my other guests on this list just to see them again. That's all I'm going to say or else waterworks will be out of control while typing this.
