North Carolina Re-Cap

My Christmas gift from the boyfriend was a plane ticket to see my best friend (Bestie) for her birthday on January 29th. My flight was scheduled to leave on Tuesday, January 28th, but as most of you know, the South encountered some crazy winter weather and my flight got cancelled. I didn't get on a flight until Thursday, January 30th.

 

The boyfriend failed to mention the teeny tiny 3 seater plane that would take me from Baton Rouge to Dallas. However, I did get a single seat with a window view. I've always been a sucker for pictures of clouds...

 

 

I made it to Dallas in time to get the Bestie a "We Are Here" mug from Starbucks and take the dreaded SkyLink to my next gate. I was thankful for a much bigger plane. I was in the very last row and had no seat mates but I couldn't see out of the window due to the engine being in the way. It was the perfect opportunity to read. Thank goodness I didn't forget to put my Kindle in my purse.

 

2 hours later I made it to Charlotte. I must admit how impressed I was that my bag was rolling in by the time I got to the baggage claim. Of course, nothing beats this:

 

 

We had dinner at Longhorn to try and wait out some of the Charlotte traffic. I'm obsessed with their cheesecake and Tennessee Honey Blackberry Lemonade.

 

Friday, we explored the town of Mayberry. Lots of fun shops. Even one that has My Little Kitchen Fairies on hand. I haven't seen these in person in quite a few years. The Bestie and I both collect them.

 

 

We've been friends for almost 5 years. And I've heard lots of stories about the famous Odell's Sandwich Shop and it's "Big Moe" which is kinda like a Big Mac. So, naturally, we had that for lunch. I was amazed by the low prices and great taste. & who doesn't love a vintage drive-in?







I've also heard lots of stories about The Depot so we had dinner there. The Bestie and her husband met there while they were working teenagers. It's a very fun place and the food was yumo. I did think the hushpuppies that were in donut shape were kind of awkward.

 

Saturday we went to Pilot Mountain State Park. My mind was completely blown by the views.

 

Then we went to Winston-Salem for some Pyrex hunting. I found some goodies and they thankfully made it home safely.

 

I was supposed to fly home Sunday, but my flight got cancelled, again, due to crazy winter weather.

 

So,  we headed North to the Virgina line for some more Pyrex hunting. Lots of crazy stuff was seen on this trip. Random flea markets, over-priced Pyrex, molded ham, old books & lots of junk.

 

That night we had a birthday feast for the Bestie and watched the Superbowl.

 

Monday was a lazy day at the house other than walking across the street to Shelton Vineyards. I definitely have to see this in the spring/summer.

 

Overall, it was a great visit. But next time I will not do it in winter. Ha!

 

PS: I taught Ryder his new name, RW & how to say "Geaux Tigers!"

 



Back to My Routine

I am so glad to be back on my normal routine!

The holidays messed me ALL up!

Days off from work not only effected my routine but also my paycheck.

& last week I worked at another location because Courtney was on vacation.

I feel like I have a million things to do to get situated.

Not to mention I'm still working too many hours trying to make up for the holidays and to have money for my trip to North Carolina in 2 weeks.

Good news is, I love my job.
The 10 hour days just get long when it's slow season.
I'm determined to start reading more, but we will see.

Even though I'm back on my routine,
I feel overwhelmed about the next few months.
2 weeks I'm flying to North Carolina.
February is Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
& March is my first NHL game.

I'm overwhelmed because of my lack of availability to save money.

I'm selling stuff on eBay (seller: jessbfox33) because my house is getting too small for all the junk I have accumulated. & also to make some money. But it's tricky, every time I sell something I spend the money on something from my Amazon or Etsy wishlist. See, I told you I can't save money...

I have big goals for myself this year as a Scentsy Consultant, but this time of year is sooo slow. It's terrible. I'm having to get myself out of my comfort zone.

I'm looking forward to this year though.
Especially now that it's back on the normal track.

RIP Mom

It's been a year today...

Every time that I smile,


Every time that I sigh,


I think of your face,


And a tear escapes my eye.

You were my world,


My inspiration and my heart,


But when you left me,


I thought I would fall apart.

You were my best friend,


My one true ‘confidante’,


And that’s not all you were,


You were also my mom.

I didn’t want to live without you,


But you would have wanted me to,


And if there’s anyone I want to make happy,


That anyone is you. 

I would have given anything to have you back,


But I know now that it was meant to be,
For you are still watching from up there,
And I know you’re watching me.

I’ll make you proud mom,


I’m going to fulfill your wish,


You’re going to see me and smile,


That’s a daughter’s promise.

Peppermint Essential Oil

Let me start by letting you know that I'm not trying to sell you anything.

I needed a place to send inquiring minds. I've decided to try out Essential Oils and all my friends have a million questions. This seems like the easiest way to address most of them.

It all started a few years ago when I bought an aromatherapy roll-on to help with headaches & stress.

After doing lots of research I decided that my first Essential Oil purchase would be Peppermint because it had the most benefits to me:

Headaches:
Simply inhale the straight from the bottle or massage it onto your temples and forehead. (I've timed it. It clears my headache within 10 minutes!)

Morning/Afternoon Pick Me Up:
Inhale, apply to temples/neck, or put a drop in water/tea. Apply to neck & shoulders to keep energy up. (I put the bottle on my nightstand and inhale it before getting out of bed. I also keep the bottle in my purse for pick me ups at work during the boring afternoon hours.)

Curb Appetite:
Diffuse or inhale. Add to herbal tea to minimize sugar cravings. (I'm very anxious to test out these claims!)

Congestion:
Inhale/diffuse. Apply topically or gargle in warm salty water for throat congestion. (I had a client massage it into the back of my neck when I was really sick with a cold a few weeks ago. Within minutes I could feel the phlegm breaking up. It clears sinuses like a miracle worker!)

Heartburn/Indigestion:
Ingest or massage onto chest/abdomen. (I have really bad issues with acid and am ready to kick the Tums and Zantac.)

Muscle Cramps:
Massage directly onto muscles. 

Spiders:
Yep. They don't like peppermint. I'm going to put 10 drops in 8 oz of water and spray my house down! I will also put a few drops on cotton balls to put in hidden places like behind the toilet and under my couch. 

Aromatherapy:
PMS, concentration, anxiety, stress, depression & mental fatigue.


Those of you who know me, know how I feel about medicine. Both prescription and over the counter. I want to cut all of it out of my life. Peppermint Essential Oil can be used in the place of Pepto-Bismol, Imodium-AD, Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta, Prilosec, Zantac, Tylenol, Motrin, Beano, Gas-X and Midol. 

This is a very small list of what Peppermint Essential Oil can do. I only provided why I chose it. I encourage you to do research. 

One thing I do want to advise is to not go buy a random oil. It is very important that you get 100% Pure, Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oil. I did my research and decided on Young Living. It is one of the top brands. There are a few top brands, but there are hundreds of brands you do not want to end up with for a long list of reasons.

Do your research, I cannot stress this enough. 

I'd love to hear from anyone who is an Essential Oil user!

2013 Recap

I'm going to try harder about posting to this blog.

 

Figured a good start would be with a recap of 2013:

 

January was a very hard month.

I lost my mom unexpectedly.

It made for a very rough year,

but I'm thankful for all the friends who helped me along the way.

Hockey with Lindsey was a big help.

 

 

 

February was a month of keeping myself busy and occupied.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans with great friends.

 

Spanish Town parade & my very first massage with Lindsey.

 

LSU baseball with my dad.

 

& Ice Gators hockey with Lindsey.

 

 

 

March was lots more hockey, baseball & crawfish.

 

Rode in the St. Patrick's day parade.

 

& visited New Orleans w/friends from Oklahoma.

 

 

 

April was more hockey, crawfish & drunken nights at the bar.

Lots of moonshine was consumed this month.

 

I also got to watch my niece at her dance competition.

 

 

 

May was more nights in the bar and a trip to the beach.

Also full of snowballs & crawfish.

I cut my hair off on Mother's Day for my mom.

 

 

June I played model for a friend.

 

& went to the circus!

 

 

 

July I went to visit my best friend in Alabama.

 

I also house sitted for the Dillon's

where I spent lots of time in their pool.

& spent the 4th of July with Lindsey.

Who knew Walker had decent fireworks?!

 

 

 

August was lots of girl time!

Trips to Hooters for beer & chocolate cake.

& Mexican food for Kimmi's birthday.

 

 

 

September was full of football games.

Lots of tailgating at LSU.

 

My very first Saints game!

 

& mom's signature tattooed on my finger.

 

 

 

October was the month of concerts.

Chris Young in Biloxi. 

 

& Jason Aldean in New Orleans.

 

I also had my first trip to a fondue restaurant.

November was hockey & Thanksgiving with the Robinsons.

 

Also made a trip to Shreveport with the boy toy.

& made my first ever (crustless) pumpkin pie.

December I turned 29. Ughhh

& spent lots of time with the new boyfriend.

Including a trip to Houston to visit his mom.

 

 

I cannot wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!

 

Happy New Year!

Tanning

As most of you know, 

I quit my big girl job and now work at a tanning salon.

I was working here part time anyway so it seemed fitting to just make it full time.

I love what I do & I love my clients.

I've tanned since I was 18.

I became a yearly tanner when I discovered it kept my eczema under control.

Much cheaper than a doctor. Some might say I'm addicted.

I call myself a tanorexic.

Yes, I'm aware of the pros and cons of tanning.

Yes, I know it can cause cancer.

Yes, I know ALL the bad things it can do.

I also know the good things it can do.

Like the happy boost I get from the Vitamin D.

A lot of friends and clients ask how I get/keep my tan.

So, I decided to write a little post about it.

First of all, there is no magic trick to being tan.

IT TAKES TIME AND EFFORT!

I cannot stress this enough.

Also, everyone tans differently.

For instance, I do not hold my tan well.

And that means I have to tan at least every other day once I've reached my desired color.

Other people can keep their tans much easier. You just have to know your body.

Burning does not make you tan.

You NEVER want to burn.

& you should not tan on top of a burn.

Being hot doesn't make you tan better.

I don't know where this came from but the temperature of the bed has nothing to do with how your skin reacts to the UV rays. So a hot bed is just that, a hot bed.

(That probably just needs better ventilation.)

Wear goggles! Protect your eyes!

20 minutes is the max you can tan by law in the US.

This is why tanning beds are better than the sun in my opinion.

You can control the amount of UV rays you are getting. You sure can't do that outside!

Based on your skin type you start at 5/6 minutes and go up 2/3 minutes every day after that you don't burn. I always suggest to tan every day until you get your base tan. (TIME) Otherwise, it's going to take you longer to get results. Don't tan once a week and expect to see results. I'm speaking to those attemtping to get a tan at this point. If you're already tan and trying to maintain then you need to learn what your body needs. In most cases, a tan person can maintain their tan with one visit a week in a high pressure (160-200w) bed.

If you don't have access to a stand up tanning bed then you should roll over halfway through your tanning session. This helps keep everything even. It may not be comfortable but it's what it takes. Sometimes I even have to lay on my side to get certain areas to catch up. (EFFORT)

Do not use the same bed all the time.

Although a salon has mulitple beds of the same pressure it does not mean they all react the same. Your skin can become adjusted to a certain bed if you only use it and you will likely hit a plateau. You may also switch it up inside the bed and put your head where you normally put your feet.

If you decide you want to tan your face, make sure it is clean before you get in the tanning bed. Your moisturizer and makeup most probably have SPF in them that will keep your face from tanning. Wish I had a quarter for every time someone complained to me (in full makeup) that their face wasn't getting tan. Tanning is also a great acne treatment.

Before I worked in a tanning salon I was really bad about not using lotion. Even at home.

I learned pretty quick why it was so hard to keep and maintain my tan back then.

Moist skin equals tan skin.

Put tanning lotion on before you tan, moisturizer when you get out of the tanning bed, and moisturizer after your bathe and as often as necessary if you have extra dry skin, like me. There are a million tanning lotions to choose from. I will show you my favorites.

Accelorator:

Bronzer:

Tingle:

After Tanning:

Always check with your salon if you buy a lotion from an outside source. Some may contain ingredients that harm the acrylic and keep the UV rays from coming through which will keep you from getting tan.

Now go get you a tan!

Weekend Recap

Friday night I had to work until 7.

Good thing I love my job.

I spent the night soaking in a tea bath.

Works wonders on taking the sting out of a sunburn!

Yes, when tan people take a week off they get burnt.

I also had to work 9-3 on Saturday.

After work I headed to Hammond for a photoshoot with my friend, Britney.

Not for me, for her. She likes to practice.

We went to an old park that was kinda scary.

She made me lay on the ground, which resulted in a briar incident.

All so she could do this:

She had quite the time getting me to hold my legs right. ha!

& no, cowboy boots are not a norm for me.

Probably will never happen again!

This is my favorite from the day.

It was great to see her and get to catch up.

I miss her dearly.

We ate dinner at La Carreta after we worked up an appetite.

I was not impressed, of course I rarely am with Mexican food.

{except Taco Bell, they always win}

I meet Donna at our favorite place, The Jones Boys' Hall of Fame.

We got there kinda late to the show. Chase Tyler was playing.

He may just be a new favorite. Very entertaining.

As we weren't on everyone else's level, we didn't stay long.

Too many drunk old folks. It was funny, but we weren't in the mood.

Sunday I had a day date in New Orleans.

Well, he had to go drop some stuff off for work and I tagged along.

But I still had a good time. He makes me laugh a lot.

I got to see parts of New Orleans that I hadn't been before.

The New Orleans Yacht Club had sail boat races going on.

Brought back lots of good memories from my childhood.

We also visited City Park.

I didn't realize it was even there!

We watched gay guys playing softball.

Y'all, I cannot explain how entertaining this was.

I'm still taking applications for a gay guy best friend!

We ate lunch at Deanie's Seafood.

Best stuffed flounder of my life!

Although it rained on us all the way to New Orleans,

we had a beautiful scenic ride back in the sunshine.

Gotta love this crazy Louisiana weather!

By the way, is everyone prepared for Hurrican season?!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/ready.php

I have a feeling it's going to be a rough one...