$20 Lipstick

Hello,

Yesterday my mom and I went to the mall. I wanted to swing by LUSH to take a look at their new face masks, stop at Sephora for a better black lipstick, and swap out an item at Swarovski.

I have been drawn to black lipstick for quite a while now. I never thought finding a black lipstick would be so much work though. I honestly think that if I had different eyelids I would go for the black cat liner and crazy dark smokey eye look.



I ended up buying more than I had planned. Of course, right? New pair of sunglasses, black lipstick, chocolate bar, mini box of chocolates, and earrings. Been searching for a pair of sunglasses for months now and bought this pair for only $15. That lil lipstick there was only $20. I don't understand why it's so expensive! My goodness to think that other females out there may look at this and think it cheap. I like that I don't spend hundreds of dollars on makeup every year. This lipstick is probably more expensive than all my lipsticks combined! That chocolate bar there will hopefully help my Godiva hot chocolate mix taste the same as the sample in the store last year. $4 chocolate bar. But I got my monthly free piece and was surprised with that 2pc box for spending $20+ last month. Odd thing is that I don't recall spending that last month at Godiva. I personally thing spending over $20 on chocolate isn't worth it. Although if I ever have enough money where $20 on chocolate were nothing I would hope I would spend it on other things first.

I had bought Schatzi a fancy not so cheap pen from Swarovski for Christmas and it didn't work out. After all that time and headache it didn't work. Luckily for me the new manager there allowed me to exchange it out for these! Of course I had to pay the difference, but that's alright. $70 earrings. Still can't believe I got them. I've been wearing earrings for months now. I'll wear a pair for a few weeks then move on to another pair. I like this new style that's coming around. Stud of some sort with the other half coming under the earlobe. What's great about this pair is that I can always mix the back part with another pair of studs.

-ALG

Not Even One Tear

Hey guys,

I had my annual doctor appointment last week. Going in I figured I would just check-in, go to the nurses station, chit chat with my doctor, and drive home. Did it go like that? Of course not! After seeing the nurse she instructed me to pee in a cup. Don't worry guys I got it all in the cup like a pro! And I washed my hands prior to this photo I took back in my room. The nurse also told me I needed a vaccine. Does anybody like those? I have always cried when I had to get vaccines or my blood drawn. Makes me question how I'll ever get a tattoo but that's for another day. My doctor came in and we talked. She eventually said the words blood test and I tried to remain calm. 

I am a grownup and cannot cry. That's what I told myself after my doctor left and the nurse returned to give me my shot. I tried to distract myself with talking to her. A quick little pain and I was done. The worst part was that this little shot made my shoulder sore which prevented me from lifting weights that day!

Pulled a number and had a seat in the tiny waiting room. My number was called and I found myself face to face with the rubber band they tie on your arm. She instructed me to make a fist with my hand and open and repeat. This time I watched as the needle disappeared into my flesh. I never understood the magic of how the blood flows from your arm into the little tubes so I asked the lady. She told me that the little plastic contraption that holds the needle controls the flow into the tube. The tubes contain no air and therefore act as a mini vacuum to suck up the blood. Pretty sweet if you ask me! I continued to watch as she filled up the four tubes with my blood. Then I got all bandaged up and told not to life anything heavy that day. Too bad I had to lift stuff at work. My shoulder and arm were sore for a few days following my visit. As I sit here typing this post I can look down and see a bruise from where she took my blood. Not a fun visit, but I did laugh a lot talking to my doctor. 

Little embarrassing, but deep down I am proud of myself for not getting tears in my eyes!

-ALG

Chopped Off!

Afternoon now,

I decided to get a haircut. Nine days ago I went to my coworker's mom and had her chop it off! I don't know why, but I feel like short hair is what you do when you get older. Yes I am aware that 20 is not that old, but hey I graduated from being a teen to being in my 20's! Years ago I grew my hair out so I could cut and donate my hair to the Locks of Love charity. Definitely look into it if you have nice long healthy hair and like the idea of donating. Don't judge me based off this photo please. I was young and funky lookin lol



Here I am a day before the big cut (right). I had been so used to having long hair that as the appointment got closer I started to get nervous. I wanted to change my chop it off appointment to a let's just take a nice healthy inch off for now.

I felt like I was losing so much when she cut my hair and I could see the long chunks fall at my feet. No going back after that! My boyfriend was right when he questioned the thickness of my hair going with this new cut. My hair is too thick and I've got too much of it for this haircut to fit me. I do like the change though.







Before and after. I miss my hair, but I am not tripping about it. I will let it grow back out and who knows, maybe by then I'll learn to love having short hair. Since the photo I have bleached more of my hair and plan on coloring it again. You guys know how hard it is for me to go long periods of time without some color!

Color to come.

-ALG

Take A . . .

Hey guys,

Ever been around someone and you really want to stop them and say this? I wish that "chill pills" were a real thing. There have been quite a few times that I have been told to take a chill pill. I also find myself telling my crazy self to take one!

Well until then I guess I will have to stick to these other forms of the oh so famous chill pill:

       1. big hugs from Schatzi
       2. ice cream
       3. hot tea
       4. chocolate bars
       5. naps
       6. feet in the pool
       7. hugging the doggie
       8. painting my nails

What's your "chill pill" consist of?

-ALG

The Fence

Afternoon everyone,

When Schatzi was here he had the task of sanding, applying primer, and painting the fence in the backyard. He thought it would be relatively easy, but we were all in for a surprise. Took forever! He got an electric sander which sped things up, but still. I don't think he knows I took this photo. Look how short he looks standing on the other side of the fence.



The fence started off black as you can see in the first photo. After all the sanding we applied the primer. Sounds simple enough. It gets really hot standing in the sun holding your arm up to paint! I didn't help him with the sanding because I'm too girly for such things lol jk but not really. So I kept him company instead. Putting primer on was something I wanted to do though!


Took us a few days because we took breaks, I had work, and we had our outings. One of the hardest parts in my opinion was trying to get the primer to apply to the underside of the fence. Got it in the end though! I probably didn't do the best job, but it's done.

Painting a fence probably doesn't come to mind when you think of couples activities, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed it. Of course that's after we take away the parts when I was having my little emotional roller coaster.









Doesn't look half bad white if you ask me. I kind of like it because it makes me feel like I am near the beach. Also makes the backyard look a bit bigger than before. What do you guys think?

-ALG

Did We Kill Each Other part two

Hey guys,

Been taking these comprehensive practice exams all day today and decided I would take a break to write this post.

I thought it would be cool to go to a museum as a date, buuuuuut I was totally PMSing. Two days before I was really sad. I was crying for no good reason. Then the next day I was frustrated and what made it worse was I didn't know why I was frustrated!! OMG not knowing what was making me upset made me more frustrated! So yes I was being a total brat to Schatzi. I said some things I really wish I didn't at the time and babe if you're reading this I apologize for my childish behavior and harsh words.



















I only took a few photos. I prefer the Norton Simon over the Getty for sure! But I will admit I liked the view of LA from the balconies. We had gone on a Friday so you can only imagine the LA traffic. Not very smart of us to choose a Friday. After the Getty we went to visit my dad at the hospital. Yeaaa he was in there for maybe two weeks. Don't worry though! He's home and recovering from surgery well.

Saturday Schatzi and I got up to go bowling! For those of you that didn't know I actually was in a bowling league when I was little. I had my own bowling shoes, rolling bag, and my very own bowling ball with my NAME on it!


First frame went to Schatzi 96 vs 88. Hey we went for fun not because we are pros! I don't think I've gone bowling in years. I have been invited to work bowling parties and such but I always decline because I don't like bowling with people that judge me. Schatzi on the other hand I was good with. I actually did decently the second frame! 109 vs 85!



Of course Schatzi just had to beat me in the end! I had a lot of fun actually. I tend to get competitive though . . . I think that's just my nature.

Look at us in our funky rental bowling shoes!

Not gonna lie, I got a bit sweaty bowling my 80's. So we both took showers when we got home and decided to just relax on the couch watching movies. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention we rented a bunch of movies! Schatzi loves his movies so we went to the movie rental store and got if i stay, kickass, run all night, and sex tape. I think my favorite was sex tape. Very very funny. I had to have been laughing a good 90% of the time! If you have no clue what I am talking about click here to watch the trailer. This was probably one of my favorite moments. Schatzi is pretty tall so his feet dangled off the end while his head was on the pillow in my lap. Mimi was walking by and he picked her up and just started petting her while watching the movie. So adorable!! I can totally live with chill Saturdays like this.

My mom left us money to go out to dinner so we went to Tahoe Joe's. Our waitress was a hoot! I feel like the waiter/waitress has a huge impact on how the evening turns out. Schatzi says I'm too picky to take anywhere lol Yes I am very picky, but I did try something kind of new! Salad for me and a much needed clam chowder for my handsome fella.

I didn't want to stick to something super safe like chicken but I wasn't about to go cazy and order beef. I went in between and chose salmon! It looks like chicken in the photo, but I promise it was salmon! Very delicious but I wish there was more sauce. The veggies were a tad bit salty but it's all good. When the guy brought the food to the table he had asked what I wanted for my baked potato. I have never ordered a baked potato before so I had no clue how this stuff worked. He wanted to put the toppings on for me and I just can't deal with that so I had to ask him for it on a plate.


Enough about my dinner. This is Schatzi's plate. Look at that meat! Schatzi let me try the green beans and he cut me off a not so small piece of steak for me to try. I love him so much guys. He won't force me to try things but he makes me want to try new things! It wasn't bad tbh. I was very surprised that I ate it! We both took leftovers home. It was a lot of food!!

Not to sound creepy but I could not stop staring at Schatzi. He has this new hairstyle that makes him look a bit older and more mature. He always looks amazing in his nice jeans and black v neck shirt, but man when you add in the new hairdo! So sexy guys!

It was the last night :( We watched some Indiana Jones movies while he very slowly packed his suitcase. I was falling asleep but I didn't want the night to end so I stayed on the couch. I just wanted to be close to him guys. Does that happen to you too? When it gets to the end of your time with someone you start to get really down and cranky? Well in the end I was sent up to bed. Maybe I cried a little. Maybe I didn't.

Dropped him off at the airport and watched him leave me :(

It has only been two weeks since Shatzi left and I already want to see him again! Soon enough I hope. Right after he left I would catch myself looking into the guest room expecting to see him. Or I would be waiting for him to come tuck me into bed and give me a goodnight kiss. Goodnight texts will have to do for now though!

Thank you again for coming down babe and helping the family out. I enjoyed having you around and I look forward to the future.

-ALG

Magical Dino Bowl!

Good morning!!

I was up early today because I've got work for my other job all day. I forgot to put this in last night's blog . . .

This is how I stir my drinks at work because I am too lazy to get a spoon lol I stick the straw into my cup and blow a bunch of bubbles!

 Also last night this little boy came up to me with two handfuls of quarters to pay for his soup. Yes that's $5 of quarters! The total was $5.61 so he gave me the quarters then ran back to get two more quarters, a dime, and a penny lol So cute and such a little kid thing to do!!










Had oatmeal, a shake, and fruit for breakfast. Not mixing too well right now, but I am hopeful that it'll get better soon. This is my magical dino oatmeal bowl. It starts out green then when you add the hot water it turns yellow!! Isn't that the most awesome thing ever?!?

Well off to work I go. Wish me luck!
-ALG

To Leave OR Not To Leave?

Hey there,

I have been working at my current job, Panera, for quite a while now. A lot of my coworkers have either quit, got fired, or promoted to other stores. As a result we have gained a handful of new team members. The vibe is just not the same though.

Going into a food establishment you expect everything to be clean right? Well take a step into the back of the house and that may just change your mind. Half the time it smells like vomit, horse poop, or mold. Yes you just read that right my friend! Makes me lose my appetite.

Often times people call off last minute and I end up getting called in or asked to stay later to make up for the absence. This does mean more hours for me, but one can only take so much extra before they get burnt out. I know that I should be thankful that I simply have a job that gives me hours, but I can't help it. I'm sorry guys but this is a semi rant blog.

I've had to clean up poop in the women's restroom, vomit in the men's restroom, dirty table legs, messes children leave behind, etc. I don't think I get paid enough to do most of the tasks I just listed. Since I work the closing shift I am usually told to go on my lunch break within an hour and a half to two hours after I clock in. Which on average leaves me six hours with no breaks or food. I get off between 10:45 and midnight on the nights that I close. This wasn't really a problem when I didn't have other things going on, but life is happening and I'm not about to let Panera get in the way of that. Other things, yes, Panera, no.

Now if ya haven't noticed all of this has been negative. There have to be some positive things right? That's where the or not to leave comes into play. I love to talk to the customers. I don't have the best memory, but I try my best to remember their names, orders, small things they share with me. There's this little boy that always gets his ciabatta bread toasted with butter. Let's just call him Boots. When I am on cash Boots will ask to wait for me to ring him and his mom or dad up. It's adorable because he refers to me as his friend and he gives me hugs! Today at work I got to eat my dinner with him and his dad. Boots told me all about the TV shows he watches and how he loves to play with swords, Thomas the trains, and his little brother. At the end of my break he gave me a hug and I even got to take a picture with him! The cutest part was he told me "Remember I live in (city name). So you can come visit me some time!"

Now later in my shift this older gentleman came in. Let's call him CR. He always tells me that life is too short and I should go out and do something crazy/bad/naughty lol CR will get a cup for hot coffee, his meal, a cinnamon roll, and a big empty drink cup for his iced coffee on the way out. Sometimes he will come in with his wife and her mother, but tonight it was just him. He was telling me how his mother-in-law was at a retirement party getting drunk!

See now those were the two main customers I saw today. Yesterday I saw Boots as well with his dad. I also got to see one of my other favorite customers. Lets just call her Mia. Two days ago her dad came in to pick up some food and told me Mia had been asking to come to Panera to visit me but was at her cousin's house. An hour later he showed up again but this time with Mia! He drove to the cousin's house, picked Mia up, and brought her to Panera just to see me! Then the next day (yesterday) Mia, her mom, dad, and grandma stopped by to visit me again. They had gone to the Grove to buy a doll for Mia. So she told me all about the doll and the party she gets to go to. Every time I get to come out from behind the counter to see her she give me a big hug! She actually has walked behind the counter a handful of times to talk to me, not really knowing she isn't allowed behind the counter. Her dad caught her doing that once and she said that she just wanted to talk to me! Such a kid thing to do and say, huh? The most adorable thing about her is probably how she calls her dad Papa.

Sorry this blog post is lacking pictures, but I don't really have any to go along with this post. I can keep going on and on about the customers that make my nights, but I do have to get to bed soon. A manager that works at Victoria's Secret comes in during her breaks every week. She came in the other day and told me that I should apply at the store since they are currently hiring. Before getting hired at Panera I did consider VS. I would get to learn about all the different bras, how to do bra fittings, get sweet deals, etc. You know what else makes VS>Panera right now? I wouldn't have to clean up food, vomit, bodily fluids of the like, etc. I'm sure it may happen every once in a long while, but not as often as at Panera. But then if I leave Panera I lose all those bonds I've worked so hard to build with the customers. Plus that means no more pastries, salads, and soup for a buck or two. Then again do I want to surround myself with huge photos of half naked women that make me feel more insecure about myself?

I think I am leaning more toward VS though. It's time to move on. I feel like I need to get out before things get worse at Panera. Plus why stick around to maybe get your $.05 raise? Yeaaaaa...no thank you. Got work tomorrow all day. That'll give me some more time to think about the options I have in front of me. Then again who knows if I will even get the job?? I talk as if I already have the open door. There's so much to think about. Guess I can sleep on that along with the list of things I already sleep on. Goodnight guys (12:04 am now)

-ALG

p.s. love you babe ;)

Kit Time

Morning guys,

Today I got up at 5am and went out to Glendale to pick up my kit for my big test next week! Let me just say I don't think my body was made to wake up at 5. Grabbed some popcorn and a nectarine and headed out. Took about an hour. I met my classmate over at the kit location. Small place. Gave him my ticket, received my kit, and proceeded into a side room to check off my list.

There was a bit of an incident in the room behind me. This involved my classmate, a cockroach, paramedic, and about six guys. Yeaaa so she saw that big bug under the table and got scared. Herfoot got caught on the stool leg so she had fallen backward hitting her head on the table. Big bump on the back of her head and a few scratches but she's all good. I will admit I am so thankful that bug wasn't in my room. I'd have freaked out, probably screamed, and ran out of the room! I have no problem when it comes to small bugs that simply crawl. I can handle those whether it be squish em, throw em out, etc but that bug today was the length of my pinky! I got freaked out just trying to put a wastebasket on top of the darn thing!

Test day is coming!!!!

-ALG

Did We Kill Each Other? part one

Hey there,

Schatzi came down to visit on the 23rd and stayed all the way till the 2nd! Crazy huh? I wanted to do a blog post for each day, but I think it would be easier to do it this way. Plus since I didn't have to blog every night, I got to spend more time bugging Schatzi! I couldn't really request any of the days off from work since everyone seemed to have requested time off. On the 23rd I picked him up from the airport, spent a few hours with him (swimming involved), then off to work I went. Isn't his shirt cool? He looks like he was going to Hawaii or some tropical place to vacation.



Friday we all went to my brother's engineering program ceremony luncheon. My grandparents didn't know Schatzi was in town so you can only try to imagine the looks on their faces as they walked into the house. I can't say I'm okay with the way they treated him, but I am glad that he doesn't take it too harshly. I don't like scary movies because they make me jump a lot and then I can't sleep for months. At the luncheon we got to watch each group test out their spaghetti bridge. It was kind of painful to watch each bridge break as the weight was added on. I mean wouldn't it hurt to see so much time and effort turn to pieces in a matter of seconds?? You could hear the crunch as each bridge got closer to its breaking point. Then BAM into pieces! Interesting thing is if the whole bridge explodes then it's considered a perfect design. If only one part of the bridge collapses then it's one person's fault. Weird, no? It was a lot of fun to watch! While all that was going on we each got to eat our cute box lunches. I opted for the vegetarian option box. Not bad for a box lunch. I tend to take forever to eat whole apples. Luckily for me Schatzi offered to slice my apple for me. Yes, I realize this probably makes me sound like a total baby, but whatever :P  He spoils me.

Later Friday night Schatzi and I went to the movies. I haven't gone to the movies since the last time we went. Wait was that really all the way back in August? I made it a point not to go to the theater until I could go again with Schatzi. Not sure if he knew that, but oh well. I know how much he enjoys going to the theater and ever since I first went with him I don''t think going would ever be the same without him. So I saved it for the next time we could go together. He asked if we could go see Southpaw. Of course I had no clue what he was talking about so I YouTubed it. Going into the movie I knew I'd cry a lot. What did I do? Cry a lot lol He was probably more into the fighting aspect while I was more into the love story. After the movie we got to hang out in the parking lot catching up. I never did that as a teenager so figured why not give it a try. Turns out it was very relaxing.

Saturday was laundry and cleaning day. I combined Schatzi's laundry with mine and let me admit that I enjoyed doing it. Not that I like doing laundry, but I liked doing his laundry. Sorted it, washed it, dried it, folded it, and put it on his bed for him. He was super sweet and cleaned the bathroom for me. Then he headed out back to start sanding the fence. I was not about to do any sanding on that fence so I kept him company outside with my own equipment. First drill I've ever owned. Still trying to get the hang of it.

Sunday we kicked back and stayed home for the most part. At night we played some board games. I don't know why I don't play board games more often. We started off with some really old movie trivia game, but it wasn't going too hot so we moved on to LIFE. Before we started the game playing he told me he would beat me and guess who won? He won and boy did he beat my a**. Guess that's why you go to college right? Naw the lesson I walked away with was that I must have chosen the right guy. I mean he did win in LIFE after all!

Monday Schatzi planned for us to head to LA for some Phillipe's for lunch. It's a place well known for their dip sandwiches. You know, the thing I didn't order. I did take a little bit of his though. I got the tomato bisque with a boat load of crackers. I even surprised myself when I finished all those crackers. Those few on that plate are not what I am talking about. I talking about the small mountain of crackers on the plate I conveniently left out of this photo. Yeaaaa...what can I say? I LOVE crackers!


Schatzi got the lamb sandwich. I think I was okay with the meat, but not the sauce. My dad was telling Schatzi he HAD to try their hot mustard. He instantly fell in love with the stuff.

While in Chinatown we went up the street to buy lychee and further down to buy these delicious butterfly desserts! I was a total fatty and ate a whole box on my own. I did however buy my family a box as well. Share? You honestly think I'd share something that's that good??! I did share with Schatzi though. He's the exception :)

After that we got back in the car and headed to Johnny Cupcakes to take a look at shirts. We both expected the store to be bigger, but it is what it is. Very cute design inside though.













Look at my handsome fella over there. It's like he's posing for me without even knowing it.

Since this post is turning out to be rather long I am making it into two! Keep your eyes peeled for a part two!

-ALG