Thanksgiving

what am i thankful for? let's see... LOTS of things! 

my parents. i truly am blessed that such loving and supportive people created me.

 i know not everyone is so lucky.

my true friends. i'm especially grateful that i've managed to keep in touch with these two, who are so far away right now.

my aunt and uncle in Chicago. without their encouragement and generosity i would never have the guts to move to a big city like that. their willingness to let me rent a room from them and invade their lives has provided me with a wonderful opportunity. 

Rachael Ray! i know, i know. she's kind of obnoxious. but she provided me with this wonderful deviled egg recipe that i modified for a Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow!

netflix, for letting me catch up on shows i don't have the time (or cable) to watch.

i could go on and on, but i won't.

this was nice. i think i might take the time to think about what i'm thankful for every night... or maybe just once a week (:

Toy Run

ever since i can remember i have volunteered at the Toys for Kids Motorcycle Parade. my parents would wake me up at what seemed like the crack of dawn and i'd bundle up and still freeze my little butt off at the mall before heading off to Dickerson's (sometimes in the parade, sometimes not) for brisket and beans. 

when i was in middle school i would man the door prize table, and somewhere along the way i drifted into the selling of t-shirts at the mall during registration. 

the Toy Run is what really marks the beginning of the holiday season for me. it's always the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so i know that turkey is fast approaching. mine and my mom's birthday is shortly after, and then Christmas follows a couple weeks later! 

when i was younger the run was kind of a pain to me. i did not enjoy waking up early and having to spend all day with a bunch of older bikers and having to look at all the cool toys that were not for me. over the years i have come to love it, however. seeing so many people come together for a good cause and watching that toy pile grow and grow warms my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. one year i went with my mom as she distributed money to charities and food banks around town, and it was truly a rewarding experience. it felt so good to be able to contribute something. 

that was the year i realized how amazing my parents are. they put so much time and effort into this event that doesn't benefit them directly at all. i am truly lucky to have been raised by such kind and selfless people. 

here are some pictures from last year's run (i forgot to take my camera this year!)

registration at the mall

my beautiful niece on my dad's bike

the HUGE pile of toys for the kids! 

these pictures do not do the event justice. i can never get a picture encompassing all the bikes or all the toys. it truly is amazing.

love

"Words are, in my humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it." 

makeup!

i know it's superficial, but i love love love makeup! i don't wear a lot on a regular basis, but i love playing around with eyeshadow and lip colors and i adore the Sephora store. it's probably a good thing we don't have one here. whenever i visit a place with a Sephora i allow myself to splurge a little. that being said, i'm gonna fill you all in on my typical beauty routine.

this primer has recently become my favorite product. i put it on every day. it blurs my blemishes and smooths out my complexion.

mascara is another thing i wear every day. i feel like it brightens up my face and really makes a world of difference, with just a couple strokes and a few minutes of my time! i'm blessed with fairly long lashes, and i like lashblast because it makes my lashes appear fuller. i typically only apply mascara on my upper lashes but on the weekends when i go out i'll coat my bottom lashes as well.

eyeliner is one technique i have yet to master. i'm not good at lining the outside of my eyes, but i always line the inside of my upper lid. this brand from Kohl's doesn't smudge off as quickly as others i have tried. someday i'll master a good cat-eye!

i use this loose powder from Cover Girl every day. it covers fairly well, masking any shine and adding shimmer. usually i only wear primer and this powder.

if it's going to be a long night, however, or if i want to look particularly polished, i'll use this powder foundation. it's light but provides nice coverage.

i picked up this amazing eye shadow palette at Sephora in Las Vegas last month. the colors are absolutely gorgeous. i think purple complements my brown eyes nicely.

i got these sonia kashuk brushes at Target. they're pretty great.

i love me some good old-fashined Chapstick to keep my lips hydrated, but when i go out i like my lips to be glossy. this is my absolute favorite brand of lip gloss.

when i want a hint of color i prefer lip stain over lipstick. "Frenzy" is my recent favorite lip color.

and the finishing touch? my friend Jenna recently posted about this makeup setting spray from Urban Decay, so i picked some up while i was in Vegas. i love it. it's perfect when i'm planning on staying out all night.

gorgeous.

growing up. becoming responsible.

last Friday night some of my friends were going to El Paso to go dancing at the OP, a gay club. i love the OP. i love being able to dance with my girls and not worry about a guy cutting in. i'm not very coordinated, so i have a hard time dancing with a partner. i much prefer dancing in a group. less pressure (:

anyway, i digress. as much as i wanted to go dancing, i declined, for several reasons.

• i had to work 11-7 on Saturday
• i had an article for Pulse due before i went into work
• after my regular job i was going to promote Jagermeister at Bdubs from 10:30-12:30

all of these things added up to a long Saturday, and i knew i should get some rest. also,

• i have had a cold for a couple weeks (another reason sleep was vital)
• i have two important birthdays coming up this week, and i figured i should save my money to celebrate with them

in the past i would have scrambled to finish my article Friday night, gone out dancing, poured myself into bed around 3 in the morning, gone into work hungover and tired, and been exhausted by the time Sunday came around. instead, i decided to do the responsible thing and stay in. 

i had plans to split a six pack with a friend and watch this movie: 

but she bailed on me, claiming she needed sleep  (i think she just wanted to stay home with her boyfriend, which is fine).

so i spent my Friday night watching this show (alone):

so funny!!!

and reading this book:

so good. you can feel her passion for food in the way she describes it.

all this is to say, i think i'm growing up. hooray.

October!

i absolutely love the month of October. it might even be my favorite month. let me tell you why.

it starts getting cooler. after the scorching summers we have here in Las Cruces, the slight drop in temperature that comes in October is long overdue. right now it's still pretty hot during the day but cools off considerably at night. this means it's almost time for sweaters, hoodies and beanies! (scarves would be included but they're never really necessary here)

if we had big green trees here, the leaves would be changing.

my parents were married in October... 32 (?) years ago.

you start seeing eggnog in stores. I LOVE EGGNOG. i think i get this from my father. hot coco is also another fabulous fall/winter drink, obviously.

and it ends with Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. i have always loved dressing up, and luckily, my mom never let us get store-bought costumes, she always helped us make our own. this means i've learned to be creative when coming up with my costume ideas, which makes it so much more fun!

along with Halloween comes the decorations, most importantly, jack-o'-lanterns. i like have pumpkin carving parties with my friends the week before Halloween. it's a fun way to bring different groups together to do something out of the ordinary.

although traditional pumpkin carving is always fun, i've come across some new ideas that i might try out this year.

these fanged pumpkins from Martha Stewart are just too cute.

peek-a-boo pumpkins.

another Martha Stewart inspiration.

sequined pumpkins. fancy!

carving using cookie cutters. genius.

using multiple pumpkins to spell out words.

this button pumpkin is adorable.

using different colored squash with simple faces to create an arrangement.

owl. duh.