!! shameless plug !!

This "coming back to blogging" thing has been much harder than I imagined. Mostly because the things that I am inspired to write about lately are all dealing with interpersonal relationships and social media and I am unsure whether or not blogging about it would perpetuate the things I am trying my hardest to avoid or not. VAGUE BLOG. But really, deciding what to share and how and with whom is the current struggle I am navigating.

THAT SAID. I have been working on another project that I am THRILLED to share will all three of my readers. My dearest friend, Jenna (you've met her here!), is a very talented jewelry designer. Jeweler? Jewelist? You know what I mean. She makes kick ass jewelry and long-story-short, I bullied her into opening an etsy shop so she would stop giving away her masterpieces for free and actually make a profit off her hard work. 

I have deemed myself her marketer (marketist? I'm really into making up titles right now) and her shop, Stay Golden Jewels, can be found on Etsy and Instagram. Her style is nature-inspired, slightly boho, slightly hippie, mildly trendy, and overall awesome. We are constantly adding new pieces and if you have an idea in mind for something you like, Jenna loves custom orders! Granted it is something in her wheelhouse. So like please don't ask her to make you a watch.

Even Figgy gets custom mala beads!

We will be having a Labor Day sale, so follow along on IG for updates (and also for darling pictures of SGJ mascot Figgy)! And because, beloved readers, I love you so much that if you so desire to make a purchase from this lovely shop you can use code BLOGGIST15 for 15% off your order of $15 or more. Because I love you. All three of you.

another birthday? weeeeeee!

And today just so happens to be the birthday of my second blogger friend ever, and one of the most amazing people I've ever had the privilege to know — Shaymeoww.

Shay will change the way you see the world and yourself. She will make you reevaluate how you've been living and if you have been the best version of you that you can be. And I equally love and despise her for that because I tend to want to just pretend that I am good. But she makes me want to really be good — and for that I am forever grateful.

The most beautiful and charming soul I've ever met...Happy Birthday, my Shaymeoww! 

a birthday, weeeee!

And the first of two very special birthdays this week belongs to my NY ladylove and the very first of my blogger friends, LISSA. Imagine yourself yelling as you say that.

Why yes I did troll her entire blog to steal this.

This girl? Never fails to make me laugh, or entertain me when I desperately need entertaining. She is brave, supportive, and ridiculously witty. Sometimes so much more than me and it makes me want to slap that pretty face. FACE. You thought I was going to say something else, ya perv.

Although I clearly can't teleport to NY to celebrate, I will most likely be having some Coors Lights in her honor.

Happy Birthday LISSA!

We went to vegas and came back unmarried (barely) V.2

I have returned from Las Vegas unscathed although mildly brain-damaged. It may be time for an alcohol break, methinks.

While you will not get the details of the Bachelor/ette party we attended, I will share some things that I learned this trip. Because, Vegas. It gets you.

• Do not, under any circumstances shout "Make me a drink, BITCH" to your friends if there is a cocktail waitress in your vicinity. It won't end well.
• When trying to gain the attention of a group of men, shouting "HEY WHITE PEOPLE" usually helps.
• The restroom at Mix in Mandalay Bay is what Vegas is all about. Peeing with a view of the strip from the highest floor of THEHotel is what Vegas means to me.
• Don't try to help the drunk douchey guys by telling them there is a free tram because THEY LITERALLY DON'T WALK ANYWHERE.
• The cab drivers usually don't want to be your friend, no matter how hard you try.
• Do not try to remove temporary tattoos with a magic eraser. You will probably get a chemical burn.
• Consistently reassure your friends, "I won't blog about this, I swear."
• Do the thing you are supposed to do with the bride to-be, even if it horrifies you. For more information, visit this post.

This pretty much sums up that last bullet point.

the party.

Oh, hi there! Remember me? I went on vacation and never wanted to come back. But, I did. And I have many stories to tell. The first of which you may have already heard from Leeann or Kathrin. I had a little birthday and my family threw me a little party. 

But really...I turned 30 and my family and friends threw me an amazing fucking party and filled my heart so much.

The party was held at 98 Bottles in Little Italy, San Diego (California, United States of America). What a great venue full of great beer. So much great beer that I don't remember a lot of details from the party. 

A few things I do remember...

• My sister created a kick-ass little photobooth situation that we all died over.
• My dearest friend Emily & her fiance DROVE from SEATTLE to come to the party. They DROVE 18 hours. The thought still makes me cry.
• Justin's mom met my family and no one died or started a fire. Success.
• Justin made a speech that everyone thought was going to be a proposal (AGAIN), including my dad. And it was sweet and wonderful and hilarious and people caught incredible pictures of this moment that I will laugh over forever.

I am forever grateful to have had such an amazing party with such wonderful people. And thank YOU all for the birthday wishes and love you have sent my way. It's long past, but I still feel the love. SO MUCH FEELINGS.

That's all I can muster up for today. Stay tuned for vacation recaps and the time I thought I ruined our vacation. Such a treat.

Romy & Michele's Flashback

Hey PCD readers!! I'm Kat and I blog over at Shop.School.Sleep. While our hilarious friend Tiffany is off celebrating her big 3-0, I'm filling in for her here on her little ol' blog. Hope I can keep you entertained with stories of Tiffany and me in our younger years.

Tiffany and I (and Leeann of Join the Gossip) met in junior high...we hit it off pretty quickly. I think it was our fashion taste :) See we went to a fundamental school (or public-private school as I like to call it) and had a strict dress code. We had to play around with our "fashion" as much as we could without getting sent home....hence our need to wear plastic skirts and pants....oh wait that was just me...anyways we became friends over our rivalry friendly quest of "Best Dressed" yearbook. We even traveled to Washington DC together our 8th grade year. Our younger sisters (the twins and my sister Hillary) were in the same grade and became friends too!! High school gave us more chances to bond as we played volleyball together and did the usual high school activities. Once we got into college, with Tiff in San Diego and me in Fullerton, we lost touch...kind of... thanks to Myspace and later Facebook. We reunited the summer of our 10th year
reunion from graduating high school and it's been fun continuing our friendship into adulthood :)

So let me explain the title of the post before I show you the pics of us....Freshman year of high school (right? 1997? dang!!) the thing to do Friday nights was go to the movies. Tiffany and I made a date to see the "it fashion" movie of the time, Romy & Michele's High School Reunion!!

via

That movie was corny, but so COOL at the time!! After the movie we decided....I don't know why...but we were like the main characters...I was Romy and Tiffany was Michele (right?) That Monday at school our
big joke was we invented post-its.... It gets better and NO, I don't have picture proof!! At one of the many sleepovers we had (because that was the 2nd best thing to do...have a giant sleepover and go TP a boy's
house) we tried to copy the dance sequence for "Time after Time" in the movie!! Along with making our own Spice Girl music videos, right Trixie Firecracker?! hahaha!!

Sad thing is we didn't have easy access to cameras as kids do today, so I don't have too many pictures of young Romy and Michele us but I did try to find some goodies for you guys reading!! I also clearly have a long memory of stories, but pictures say it better!! **Disclaimer: all pictures are out of order and I'm lazy didn't know how to do the fancy circles and writing on the pics...it will be a "find Waldo"-like feel to some pictures :) Enjoy!!

Our sophomore field trip to
the LA Zoo

Freshman year before Leeann
and Tiffany moved up to Varsity and left me on JV alone!!

This is sophomore year at the
Zoo...I think or Senior year at Senior retreat in the mountains

7th grade...our beginnings :)

8th grade Washington DC
trip

Junior year the day of our
annual Seniors Vs. Juniors football powder puff game

I'm pretty sure this is at Six
Flags for our friend's bday...but it could be the zoo again

Freshman year at one of our
Volleyball tournaments....there's Leeann too!!

7th grade for our Yearbook
picture....we were suppose to look serious

Last day of school 7th grade

There you have it!! Us as little teenagers :) I hope you enjoyed my blast from the past :) I think we all hope Tiff is having a wonderful time, but that she comes home quickly to share her hilarious stories of JmeowW (who isn't as bad in person...at least not when I met her!!) I seriously have to stop reading Tiffany's blog when I'm at work because I literally starting laughing out loud and my students all look at me all weird!! 

The Cynthia to my Phaedra

While Tiffany is off celebrating her birth week, I'm here filling in for her. My name is Leeann and I blog over at Join the Gossip. Why is that important? Because I'd like to think I'm the reason Tiffany blogs. I've been bullying her for years to start her own blog and I finally wore her down several months ago. So, essentially, her posts and your entertainment are all thanks to me. You're welcome ;)

So let's take it back to when Tiffany and I met. We were in junior high and part of the "Fashion Police" group, as we were called. And while we may have bonded over a matching plastic jacket that we both had (it was cool at the time, OK?!), we aren't exactly the most normal pairing.

In fact, we don't even look normal standing next to each other! Exhibit A:

Let me count the ways we are opposites...


She's super tall, and I'm pretty short.

She's brunette, I'm blonde.

She wears heels, I wear flats.

She likes cats, I like dogs.

She plays blackjack, I play roulette.

She's all ass, I'm all tits.

She drinks whiskey, I drink vodka.

She like slow emotional music, I like fast and loud music.

Despite all of our differences, opposites attract. She's my heterosexual Life Partner and I'm lucky to have had such an incredible friend in my life for so long!

30.

Well. Today is the day. And to commemorate this day, I would like to share with you a special poem that my dearest friend Michelle wrote for me last year. That's right, Grams. I saved it.

You're turning thirty, but not till next year,

But please don't worry, there's nothing to fear.

You'll still look hot, especially your ass

Every boy you see will still make a pass.

Your boobs won't be saggy, you're not forty two,

Is that when they sag? I haven't a clue.

Have fun in Vegas, it's a hot mess

And please don't forget a white wedding dress.

Isn't she the best?

Next week I will have epic party and vacation stories for you. This week two of my oldest and bestest friends are filling in for me.

Leeann of Join the Gossip

and

Kathrin of Shop.School.Sleep

I've known these broads since 7th grade, so prepare yourself for awkward Tiffany photos featuring that time I had "The Rachel." That was real life. Thanks for letting me make my own fashion & beauty choices in 7th grade, mom.

I will return to blogville next week. Stay classy!

These things I've learned.

With my 30th birthday on the horizon (are you sick of hearing about it yet?), I've been thinking about posting something profound and hopefully quite wisdomous. Wisdomous is a word, trust. But I would feel like such an asshole spouting off wisdom that I don't even follow. And, I realized I don't like talking about myself THAT much. I like telling stories, but like a laundry list of Tiffany wisdoms? As amazing as that sounds, I'm already sick of hearing myself.

So I will leave it at this - I am going give you some cliff notes on things I have done/learned in my life that have shaped the 30 year old woman that I am. And a few things I need to work on, just to keep it fair-and-balanced, you know? Let's do this shit.

THINGS I HAVE DONE/LEARNED

• Daily drama & crisises, while entertaining, help no one. I have made a conscious effort to be more positive and stop bitching about every single little thing in my life. Am I 100% positive? Nope. But in the past 5 years I have gotten SO much better at looking at the bigger picture and not letting little details get to me.

• I will always be judgmental. I can't help it. And if you are going to wear 6-inch stilettos to work and then you can't walk in them you deserve my judgement. 

• If you are unhappy and unfulfilled in a relationship, end it. It will be awkward and awful and you will feel like the worst person in the entire world. That will all pass. But you can't force happiness and fulfillment. You just can't. I ended a 5+ year relationship much to the shock of my family and friends and I have never regretted it and never looked back. Making yourself happy and complete will always be #1 in my book.
• Footnote: And if you should perhaps leave an unfulfilling and awful relationship, please read Eat, Pray, Love. GUYS IT REALLY HELPED ME. Learning to let go was the most important lesson of my life.

• Single ladies...LIVE ALONE. At some point in your life, ditch the roommates. Suffer financially. Decorate the shit out of your apartment. Eat dinner in you underwear. Sleep naked. Pass out drunk in your bathroom and cover up with the rug. No one will ever know. You will really discover who you are, who your friends are, and what is important to you.

• You will know when you find your other half. You will. If you can honestly not find one single thing wrong with a person, besides their shoes, then they are truly your perfect fit. And when you find that person, don't let them go. Fight your hardest fight. Have no shame. Because when it works, you will never regret the sobbing and mildly drunk phone call which sealed the deal and also solved the problem of the ugly shoes. It is so worth it, you guys.

• And speaking of having no shame, lighten the fuck up, you know? One of my favorite (probably made-up) words from a book is erleichda - and it literally means "lighten up." Laugh at yourself. Relax. But don't relax to the point of farting in front of your significant other. That shit is UNACCEPTABLE. 

• Not all cats are self-reliant. Some are special-needs. Really special-needs.

THINGS I STILL NEED TO WORK ON.

• Learning the difference between left and right.

• Saving money and sticking to a budget.

• Setting boundaries. BIG TIME. And then sticking to them. BIG TIME.

• Not getting caught up in other people's drama. Not my bid'ness.

• My fitness. I'm getting better at it, and I like it! I just really need to stick with it. Like, forever.

• Not loving beer so much. Or whiskey. 

• My television viewing choices. Or do I.

And now that I'm through this I still feel like a total asshole. Because who I am to tell you how to live your life? I didn't even have hair until I was four, so why should you listen to me? Because I am happy. I am turning 30 and I can honestly say that I am happy. And once I finally distinguish between left and right, I feel like I might really have a chance in this world.

f{b}otw

What a week, right? A few parts crazy combined with many unnecessarily long days. Most likely because I have a vacation on the horizon. Thanks so much for slowing down, time. Luckily, the blogworld provides endless entertainment. Here are my shmaves from this week.

 Michelle's eventful trip to Ikea

Because, I mean, haven't we all secretly wanted to have this moment?

 Every single comment that y'all left for me on Tuesday's post. My heart can't even handle that level of love. Thank you, from the bottom of my cold, mildly-evil heart.

GUYS. Back-to-back tweets from sort-of famous people! All thanks to my fangirling over The Face, which if you aren't watching that I don't even know you any more. I replied to my favorite fashion bloggers of all time, The Fug Girls of Go Fug Yourself and THEY REPLIED BACK TO ME! And then. THEN. One of the models from The Face, Devyn, who pretty much could win the entire show sent me some love. All of this thanks to Naomi Campbell. 

So, I know I'm supposed to share the twitter love but I couldn't help but brag for a brief moment. ME TIME. 

What were your favorite blogging moments of the week?

Cheers to the weekend!

f{b}otw

I'd translate what that title means, but I'd also like to think that you've been following along for the past 3 Fridays. Yet again, I am a little behind on blog reading (Okay fine and also posting. But I have some great things planned for next week...). This little thing called work keeps getting in the way. SO RUDE. But alas, I was able to find some special treasures this week and now I shall share them with you.

BLOG POST

We shall call this the giveaway that wasn't. I was fooled, yes I was. 

My dearest Alissa teaches us all the importance of reading, not just following.

Thanks for the lesson, assface.

COMMENT

This comment on Wednesday's randomass post probably requires a blog post of its own. To summarize, my life-partner Leeann and I went to NOLA last spring and not only did my tea leaf reader predict that I would fall in love, but I also bought a voodoo love candle. And you know what, IT WORKED.

TWEET

Do you know Kelsey? Because you should. My favorite G Dubya Bush-loving, Timberlake-obsessed friend with bangs is a hoot and a half. I wish she wrote more damn blogs, but something about school or some shit keeps her from us regularly. But, she is a regular tweeter and for that, I forgive the lack of blogging. This is a fine example of her tweeting gold.

If she can get a besties bang photo with Shelly Obama, that would probably complete all of our lives.

And there you have the week in blogging moments. What were your favorites?

Favorite {blank} of the week.

I've had this idea in my head for about 87 minutes now and I find it to be rather clever, as most of what comes out of my head usually is. You see, I've had the blogging blues lately. Not so much a lack of inspiration, but more of a disappointment in how some of us girls can be as a community. Yes, shit-talking is fun. Yes, making special friends happens. But there is SO much good stuff out there that we are all missing out on because we are not looking at the big picture. I just want to write. And also dance. Always dance.

So. That said. I intend to, hopefully once a week, spotlight some of my favorite blogging moments. Through favorite posts, tweets, and comments. Because the good deserves attention. I'm considering making this a linkup if it continues to be easy to find good content, which it probably will be because y'all are awesome.

Without further ado, I present to you my Top 3 Blogging Moments of the Week. 

{queue theme music}

FAVORITE BLOG POST

This was totally a tie. Which is a great way to start off this idea of mine, I know. But I found one incredibly wise and savvy, and the other just straight up hysterical.

Blog Advice from Erin

A Sasha Fierce Wedding with Staci

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Regarding this post, Miss Shanna started her comment with, "Here we go with the farting again!!!" Which of course made my life. We are opposites when it comes to this topic for sure.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Thirty is the wonderful age I am turning in oh, about one month or so. Thirtieth birthday party themes tend to fall into three categories: Dirty, Flirty, or Nerdy. Nerdy, I can be. Flirty? 

So in my quest to find a more appropriate word, dearest Jestina saved the day.

Cheese 30. Has a nice ring to it, yea?

And there you have it. My top three Favorite Blogging Moments of the Week. What were your favorite blogging moments this week?

Silver linings weekend.

Friday night I finally, FINALLY saw Silver Linings Playbook. And here I sit on Sunday night still thinking about it and tearing up looking through gifs and photos. My heart still so full and so broken from this film. Just believe me when I tell you that it is incredible. Bradley Cooper. Jennifer Lawrence. Robert DeNiro. Jacki Weaver. All so absolutely incredible. So wonderful that I would even allow Bradley Cooper to win the Oscar over Daniel Day Lewis. THAT GOOD.

Without getting in to it too much or giving away fine details, this movie tackles mental health issues in a way that a movie never has before. Nothing too serious, too unrelatable. Actual issues that people struggle with daily, that I have struggled with and that someone you know has struggled with. That is what makes this film so genuine and so heartbreaking. That we all have been there and we all will go back there, unwillingly and unknowingly. It is not a Rom-Com; it is a movie that will shake you to the core and fill your heart with life.

But enough of THAT talking about feelings and the like. I mean, that's not what you come here for. You come here to read about shitshows. So here is a shitshow story.

My best friend came to see our apartment for the first time since I moved to the great north (20ish minutes away). You see, I used to live two blocks from her. We used to walk over to each other's bachelorette pad or meet up in the middle for Thai or Mexican, or a drink. So this was our first official bestie night in Mira Mesa. 

Mira Mesa is a far cry from the hip neighborhood which she still inhabits. It is, dare I say, suburban. So we chose the fine establishment of El Torito for dinner, which has all night happy hour. LITTLE DID WE KNOW, Friday nights at the El Torito in Mira Mesa are CLUB NIGHTS YOU GUYS! Upon entering the bar area, we got carded by a BOUNCER. And then we were nearly defeaned by a variety of Pitbull jams and various other Top 40 hits from 2011. We genuinely shouted across the booth at each other to try to have normal conversation.

My absolute favorite part of the entire ordeal were the MOMS out for a crazy ass Friday night in good 'ol Mira Mesa. One lady, with a killer hair piece, even got grinded on by an ethnic man in a denim-on-denim ensemble. Dare I say they got jiggy with it? They sure did.

Denim-on-denim aside, it was an entertaining and interesting start to our Friday night which was finished with the viewing of an INCREDIBLE MOVIE GO SEE IT NOW. Have I made my point yet?

12 of 2012

The Twinsies turned 21.

Ran/Walked my first 5k with Leeann & Kathrin 

Visited NOLA with Leeann.

This.

Went to 9 million (six) weddings.

Met one of my heroes.

VEGAS.

Shared some tender moments with the meoww.

Blessed a chipmunk.

Moved in with jmeoww's boyfriend. 

Cleaned & stuffed a turkey. And then washed my hands 87 times.

By far my favorite photo(s) of 2012, marking the end of a dramatic
Nicholas Sparksian story and the beginning of true romance
and cheesy photo captions like this.