Cake, Birthdays, and a Countdown.

What am I doing tonight?

Oh, you know, just eating some cake.

But only a little bit. . .

Okay, maybe I'm eating a lot of cake. At 11 PM. BUT I have a great excuse.

In fact, I have a few good excuses.

Ahem.

#1. It is my mother's birthday today. (Happy Birthday Momma!)

#2. It is double fudge, my favorite flavor.

#3. I didn't have time to eat dinner because I was rushing to the mall to get my mom her birthday present.

#4. I just came to the realization that Miss Utah is in 3 Months & 11 days.

You may be saying to yourself "I understand reasons 1, 2, & 3... but what does Miss Utah have to do with anything?"

Well, I'm competing in the Miss Utah Scholarship Pageant on June 11th-16th. & I am excited, might I add. So, I am having one last celebratory late night snack, and then working it all off at the gym tomorrow night.

Yes, getting into shape is a huge part of my preparations for this competition, along with working on my service platform (more on that later), practicing hours and hours of piano, keeping up on politics & news (CNN sends me updates on my phone all day), and then of course the really fun stuff: wardrobe. We pageant girls really do keep busy.

You will probably be hearing way more about all of my preparations as the time is counting down to the competition, but for now, what's really important is that I again say:

Happy Birthday to the BEST,

most HARDWORKING

and GENEROUS mother

EVER.

I lubba you.

Life too Complicated? (Life Lessons with B)

I'm not one for beating around the bush.

In fact, I probably should be a little more tactful at times with the way I approach things.

But when it comes to telling someone you miss, love, or need to resolve conflict, there's no point in holding it in. I've learned this the hard way, and have seen loved ones go down a path of loneliness because they complicated life.

Why? I'm not sure.

I think that speaking your mind in the right setting & tone is very refreshing & necessary. It took me awhile to figure this out, but as I came to the realization that I wanted to be a more authentic person, the change was immediate. It was easy for me to find a better way to communicate, which led to more happiness instead of more stress.

Readers, what do you think? Is it always better to speak your mind?

I can hardly contain my excitement!!

BECAUSE.

I won this giveaway! Steoffrey Language is a blog I have been following for quite some time, and I seriously just LOVE Stacie (even though we've never met, I think she's the most wonderful person ever).

What exactly did I win? An amazing day spent with personal stylist, Bronwyn (from The Lion, The Witch, & My Wardrobe).

That's her -------->

I lost it at work when I found out I won. I probably overreacted a bit... jumping up and down & squealing... but my reaction matched my excitement!

I can't wait to give you more details! EEP!

Guest Post: A Guy's Take On 10 Fashion Dont's

This post is from my friend, Chris at Chris's Normal Life. We decided to swap posts, and I asked him to write about fashion donts (from a guy's perspective). Enjoy!

I was asked by Becca to write 10 fashion don'ts from the guys point of view. Why do you care what I think?

1. I am a guy
   


2. I would consider myself fairly stylish


3. I took design classes and have an eye for it


4. I am observant and opinionated


5. I have made several trips to Europe...they are usually a year or so ahead of us as far as fashion is concerned.

Again this top 10 is coming from a guy who thinks of a girl as a girl not a trophy, goal, or piece of meat. You may not agree with some of my picks, but again that is the difference between a guy and girl. The first 5 are in part because I know how guys think, where as the last 5 are just plain don'ts. Here are the top 10 don'ts:

1. The biggest turn off for me is when a girl's thong or underwear is showing. I realize that most girls probably don't realize it's showing when it is, but don't wear clothes that don't cover you enough and the problem is solved.
   


2. To follow that showing too much skin is a big turn off (Unless you are looking for someone to think of you as an object and not a human.) Short shirts, skirts, low cut, spaghetti strap, etc unless you are going to the beach is sort of trashy. Not just trashy but it shows you have low self esteem and are easy prey. Examples: Bandeau tops, booty shorts, mesh tops, skirts that even if you cross yourself you will be showing the world to someone...This includes short skirts with bare legs. It doesn't look good nor does it attract the right type of guy unless you are looking for someone wanting to date you briefly and dump you as soon as something "better" comes along.
   


3. Pants or shorts with words on your butt...the guy isn't just trying to sound out the word. He is checking you out, and not in a way that you would want him to.
   


4. Tights or leggings as pants/Clothing too tight. No this is an incredible fad that will hopefully end soon. Why even wear clothes at that point? We can see everything. Just because their is cloth covering your skin doesn't mean that you are really dressed. (Example: Wet T-shirt, sheer/mesh clothes. Just no. Plus they don't really go well with anything.)
   


5. This one should be obvious, but I have seen it more times then I can count. Wearing white when your underwear isn't. Yeah we can tell not only what color you are wearing but everything else. I also know that your excuse for doing it is probably something along the lines of: "Oh opps I didn't even know" or "I didn't even think about it." We both know those are most likely untruths.
   


6. Rarely (if at all) wear slippers or pajamas outside. I know you might think it looks, cute but unless the guy already thinks you are attractive it's usually a turn off. Or turn on for the wrong reasons.
   


7. Miss-matched socks...If you are wearing boots you can get away with it, but anything else not so much...that is all.
   


8. Shoe category - platform flip flops, Uggs, and jelly shoes or crocks. No, ugh (short for ugly), and definitely no!
   


9. Two styles that have emerged that I wish would disappear as fast as they showed up are tunics as dresses and dresses over jeans. Tunics already look weird. They look worse by themselves, and dresses over jeans makes it look like you are trying to hard to stand out or be creative or you ran out of clean shirts in your closet. No matter the reason it doesn't work. Wear a coat, it accomplishes the same thing except looks better.
   


10. Last, at least on this list is what I would like to call "the headache". It's best described as miss-matching patterns or multiple bright colors that clash. (Example: Leopard and stripes, polka-dots, or anything, Layering where each layer has it's own texture or pattern, etc)

Again you can take these suggestions as suggestions, because they are my opinions. I will tell you that I am not alone in these opinions though. I don't bring them up to make you all self contentious, more to make sure you don't have to be. Follow these simple things and you will be fine (both meanings of the term :)!

-Chris' Normal Life

Alright everyone, remember to check out my post at his blog as well! Look forward to more posts like this soon, and hopefully another post geared toward dont's for guys ;)

So... Can I just never grow up?

True That.

print found via

Girly iPhone Cases & Wallpapers from CupTakes

So, I'm pretty sure the iPhone is the best piece of electronic I have ever owned. I loved it so much, that I spent over a month looking for the perfect case for it. I finally found mine at Nordstrom. It's a hot pink & navy Rebecca Minkoff cheetah print case, and I love it, but I'm about to show you a site that will make you want a case for every day of the week!

The company is called CupTakes (yes, like cupcakes... eep!) and they have the best GIRLY iPhone cases & wallpapers.

Here are my picks:

Oh! One more thing, you do get 10% off your purchase when you buy 2 or more, so the more you get, the more you save. . .

. . . that's the way it works, right? ;)

Girly iPhone Cases via

Giveaway Announcement!

I'm SO EXCITED.

That's right! I'm going to be doing a giveaway to get things started the right way here on my blog!

I will be putting together a goodie bag with some of my favorite stuff to giveaway once I have 50 followers!! This bag could include beauty products, treats, accessories, gift cards, etc. etc. I'm not going to skimp out on this, either. I am fairly certain there will be at least $50 worth of product in this gift in honor of my 50 followers.

Can I get a "Woop Woop?!"

So. This is pretty simple, basically when I reach 50 followers, you will all get one entry. I will then use a random number generator to select a winner. . .

Continue following & commenting, and encourage others to do so as well so I can continue doing things like this on my blog!! I would really like to regularly be doing giveaways, so follow away! :)

Happy Heart Day!

Ohhh, this wondrous day of St. Valentine. I hope all you ladies are wearing your most vibrant red lipstick, you fellas your dapper ties, and are getting ready for a night out with your special someone.

If not, I hope you're getting all dolled up anyway for a night in with Audrey Hepburn movies and a box of chocolates (popcorn for me, please!).

You deserve it!

Here's what my valentines day looks like:

Yep, I'm at work! ("hellooo!" sorry for the semi-awkward photo... )

... but at least I have cupcakes.

Happy Heart Day!

The Best Of Fashion Accessories: La Mer Watches

I usually don't wear jewelry. I'm not a huge fan of necklaces, always forget to wear earrings, and usually end up taking off rings as the day progresses. I do, however, love to wear anything on my wrist. I love cuffs, watches, bracelets, ribbons, etc. It gets to the point where if I'm not wearing something on my wrist, I feel like part of me is missing. . . especially after Trev got me the La Mer Watch I've had my eye on for the past 2 years.

(I seriously had the best Christmas ever.)

I thought that today I would share a few of my most favorite watches from the La Mer Collection, all of which are on my wish list for years to come.

Odyssey La Mer found Here

Turquoise & Rose Gold La Mer found Here


Onyx La Mer found Here


Sting Ray La Mer found Here

Leopard La Mer found Here

Gold La Mer found Here

These watches definitely are one of those decadent purchases, not necessarily for fashion on a budget. It's nice, though, because once you buy one, you won't have to buy any other wrist accessory ever again.

How's that for being frugal?

Come Steal my Awesome Blog Button!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I have created a blog button (just for kicks!) for you to put on your blog. Feel free to steal it if you'd like, you can see it there on my sidebar, or you can also get the code here in this post:


<center><a href="http://rebeccakaryn.blogspot.com target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyEMbwB_lfTGuQlhBM9i69XpfjaqKnbJlnEuKbelbnAcDwnHJaYmxIxPc-WaUt_2x95BZH9DY-0ho1juBATXEsW4t05TMeYJGTg_bjaPeFLxpoQY1CIumSaAltW2wYjLsj7pa4Fdz2U8/s1600/Button+-+Crop2" /></a></center>


<center><a href="http://rebeccakaryn.blogspot.com target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxaiDdRDVeYivG-Fm7X4P7pmB-gYyQNazrdz8nvH_LY3u8C314vvO-pGe9_Dn-CU1K4jc-J62FsamjKsHntrXEHJsKH7UUs4wXMMyE9BHHrV8vlGSCIP-cSROXDP9cgMAfqfQelT9x4U/s1600/good+as+gold+button.jpg" /></a></center>

Goodbyes, Saturday Shopping, and CREPES

Weekend Update!

So much has happened this week! First of all, two of my bffs (The red head, and the blondie to the far right. Kaila & Heather) left to work at Disneyworld for the next 6 months, so we had to say goodbye to them. We enjoyed dinner at Sammy's and then took some pictures at a photo booth at the mall. They will definitely be missed, but I still have my other girls to keep me company. :)

Other than saying goodbye to my soul-sisters, this weekend was a really good one, I was able to spend some time with some good old friends, alot with my man, and spent a little more money than I should have. (In my defense, my tax refund came this week, and I couldn't resist!)

Trev & I went to the mall yesterday, because I was needing to exchange some jeans I got with my friend Alex the night before. I ended up exchanging those, and spending another good chunk of my tax return at Express. I love that store, and they were having a killer sale, so I really can't be blamed for my spendings. . .

ALSO, Last weekend, Trev's brother & sister introduced us to this amazing restaurant here in Orem, Utah. It's called Savory & Sweet. They have the most delicious pasta, crepes, and desserts... ohhh their desserts! Usually I'm more of a savory girl than a sweet, but their dessert crepes and hot fudge brownie sundae were to DIE for. Last night, we decided to try and recreate their triple berry crepe at home. So, as Trev sat in the kitchen with me listening to the Nevada Caucus results, I was whipping up some homemade whipped cream, flipping crepes on the stove, and washing some fresh berries to make us some dessert.

Let me just say that they didn't do the crepes justice from Savory & Sweet, but they still were delish. I'm very pleased with how they turned out, and next time I make them, I'll be sure to write down the ingredients I used & take pictures so I can share them with you! Pictured Left: Trev & I at Spark for Kai's 21st

Speaking of which, I bought a camera charger (mine has been missing for MONTHS), so I am set and ready to roll with more photos.

I would really like to start posting "weekend updates" every Sunday, so keep an eye out for those! What did you do this weekend?

Free Makeup? Count me in!

One of my FAVORITE things in the world is makeup. I really like buying new makeup products to see what works best for me. I'm not necessarily a pro by any means (I've seen a lot of other people that can do the cat eyeliner WAY better than me...) but I like to pretend.

Anyway, one of my very favorite brands, e.l.f., is having a KILLER deal right now on their website, and I really wanted to share this amazing news with you. So, the deal is you can choose to either get 10 (yes 10!!) free (yes FREE!!) mineral eyeshadows (a $30 VALUE!!) with the purchase of $25 of product on their site. Just type in the promo code DELIGHT at checkout! OR you can get free shipping (a $7 value, wah wah)with the promo code SHIP25.

Pretty much I was in makeup heaven. I purchased 4 lipsticks, 2 makeup brushes, and 10 mineral shadows for $30. It was a killer deal. I definitely wanted to share this amazing information with all of you, and think you should take advantage of this opportunity before the 6th of Feb, which is when the deal ends.

Also, keep me updated on any awesome fashion deals you may find as well. I think this relationship will work best if we keep eachother informed ;)

images via e.l.f.

Colors shown (top to bottom)

Socialite

#6504,

Sassy

#6510, &

Caffeinated

#6515

I Love this Post so Much I Could Cry!

Now. We all have those things that we love so much, we probably could get a little emotional about them. For me, it's english bulldogs, Disneyland, and Chuck Bass. (Gossip Girl reference, everyone!) Literally, if someone brought me a bulldog I would probably shed a tear or two. (hint hint, mom? Trev?)

The reason I'm bringing this up is because Kristen Bell loves sloths (yes, sloths..) so much, that she just about loses it. It is hilarious and makes me want to be her friend even more now.

We all need a good meltdown every now and then, don't we?

What's something so good that YOU would cry over it?