maybe it's the weather

is anybody else ready for spring?

I have been in such a bummed out mood.

yesterday it was warm but gloomy.

today is freezing but sorta sunny.

it's really not working for me...

I hope I am not the only one.

I honestly have nothing nice to say,

and nothing good to blog about.

but I have legit things planned for next week.

hopefully I can get Aaron on board.

I'll be back tomorrow and I'll work on my mood.

promise.

mutha effin tuesday

alright, so something sick just happened to me.
i am ready to just get down to this Tuesday post.
no fancy intros this week because i am truly ticked!

this week I am ticked off because...

• a half gallon of $4 milk exploded in my damn fridge while I was gone this weekend!  making it worse, I called my grandma on Friday to have her stop by and pick up some hamburger that I left in the fridge... she didn't. milk and old ass hamburger getting cleaned out of my fridge at 11AM
• my ankle is killing me! the weather is supposed to be crappy but warm today.  I desperately want to go for a run outdoors and I can barely walk. Cool ankle, real cool.
• I have no money... uh join the club? am I right.  I just want to buy and shop and do me.  not sure if you are aware, "doing me" is an expensive habit.  I need financial support!! [just realized how dramatic I am. my life is good and I have everything I need.. just not everything I want ;)]

• I have been home for less than 24 hours and my house is a disaster.  it's not fair people... as an unemployed girl I want to be lazy.  a messy house and a fat ass are not conducive to me not doing anything all day everyday... [again with the dramatics? god Amanda, pull it together!]
• the Hansel & Gretel movie.

alright, I'm done now..
hope you guys are having a less stressful day.
see you tomorrow!

XXO Amanda

[instagram] [twitter] [vine: thisismyrealhair]
 

shot gun shells & a 22

this weekend has been pretty crazy and it's not over yet.

the trip up here was not all that I hoped it would be.

Aaron actually left work early so we were excited thinking we'd make great time.

however, a typical 4.5 hour trip took well over 6.5 hours.

the roads were extremely icy, snow was failing, and traffic was heavy.

once we finally got further north the snow had stopped and the pace picked up.

Saturday morning we got up sorta early.  we had to go to town for breakfast and groceries.

it takes about 45 minutes to get to anywhere from where my grandparent's house is located.

so what are you going to do on a long car ride? take ridiculous pictures of course.

 

I am not easily deterred.  even when people are yelling at me to stop taking pictures

there is noway I'm stopping. if I didn't you would have nothing to look at.

you are most welcome.

grocery shopping was terrible as always.
and people were definitely getting annoyed with me...

but I still didn't stop.

 

we played board games and we shot guns

overall, I would say that this was a successful weekend.

is that not the most terrifying photo of me ever?

it totally is and I love it [thank you picmonkey]

see ya'll later for Ticked Off Tuesday.
look for a button and a link-up this week.

XXO Amanda

yeahhh boi...it's friday!

I really need/want/am dying for some sponsors and guest posters! 

Please contact me if you are interested. [thisismyrealhair.ak@gmail.com]

how embarrassing was that title?

it's friday! and I am taking a three day weekend to go up north.
you know, in Michigan that is what "we" do. vacation = going up north
hopefully the time up there is actually relaxing...
Aaron and I are taking Riley [pictured above] so you can never be sure!

Ashley from The Sweet Season is also from Michigan and knows all about Up North
because of this, I have decided that The Friday's Letters link-up is the best way to go today.

dear three day weekend, I am looking forward to getting away and getting out of the house.  dear Aaron, sometimes you act a little crazy... I still love you though!  dear taxes and fafsa, I hate filling all of your documents out.  I wish I could just have all of the money without all of the effort.  dear new computer, I love you.  you're amazing!  dear Michigan weather, knock it off already.  single digits ain't okay with me.  dear Kalie, I can't believe how much you sleep.  You're in bed all the time... it's crazy.  dear camera, I should use you more.  I miss you actually.  dear Kayla, thanks for doing the blog swap with me.  it was great :)  dear readers, I love you guys.  thanks for coming day after day.

I was going to post more about our New York City trip today but I have decided against it.
you can expect a detailed NYC post next week [probably on Wednesday] be prepared for a long read.
I also wanted to do a health and fitness post.. but I wasn't sure if anybody cared to read it...
if you have any thoughts or opinions on that, please let me know.

have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday

XXO Amanda

whore's-day

I might have titled this post whore's-day just to get your attention...
in fact, that is exactly what I did. sue me. just kidding, don't. I'm poor.

is it wrong to do link-ups? I sorta think of it like online dating.
I just want to meet as many awesome like minded bloggers as possible!
also, if I do a link-up post and a "real" post, there is no harm done, right?

 

I think there is a lot that is ok with me this week!
"It's Ok"...

• that I love reality tv. I should probably just stop watching all of the time!
• that I am jealous of Michelle Obama's bangs.  there is nobody I'd rather be jealous of... right? those arms, those bangs. dang girlllll
• to sometimes not know what to say. just being there for a friend is enough.
• to hate Lance Armstrong for stealing blood from needy people.
• that I am also 100% sick of hearing about Lance Armstrong!
• to workout 5 days a week some weeks, and a little less other weeks.

that list could go on and on, but I am going to switch gears.

I have been wanting to post a recap of my trip to NYC for awhile now.
it just takes so long to get all of the photos in order and to figure out what to say.
Aaron, Breanna, and I went to NYC for New Years this year.
we were there from the 30th to the 1st.
sure it was a short trip, but it was amazing, and of course expensive!
I was really glad that Breanna could go with us and experience the city.
she had never been before and new years was a really great time to be there.

for the most part, I am going to let the tons of photos do the talking,
I just don't want anyone to say that I never warned you...
what you are about to see may be disturbing to some viewers.
there will be fatties, crazy eyes, and potentially worse.  this is not a post for children.

as I mentioned, there are some terrifying photos. mainly of my face, and some of Breanna's.
which.. I am sure she is going to completely appreciate me publishing to the internet.
during this trip I realized a lot about myself. one, I have a lot of face weight to lose.
two, I have a crooked jaw, and three, my pupils are not the same size.
you probably aren't supposed to share these things with the world..
but I consider you like family, so I can only imagine that you probably already knew.
let's press on shall we?

it is extremely difficult to get a picture of all three people that close up on an iPhone.
however, we do what we can and this is what you get... amazing isn't it? it's almost like you are there.
did you know that in New Jersey you aren't allowed to pump your own gas?
that was pretty awesome because it was FREEZING out!!

we had a really nice time wandering around the city just seeing the sights and showing Breanna around.
we had dinner reservations for New Years Eve, but we were a little early, so we had champagne on the roof looking at the Statue of Liberty.
we ended up watching the ball drop from Central Park with a massive crowd of people.
it was a great location because we could also see the fireworks that they set off.
it was an amazing night.

we did other great expensive stuff too which I plan to tell you about tomorrow because this post has gotten excessive! have an amazing Thursday everybody!!

XXO Amanda

does it look yellow in here today?

guys! i made friend with a little kid and now i want you to be friends too!
she's 5 years younger than me, you know the saying laugh to keep from crying?
yep that's why i have to poke jokes at this unfortunate for me situation.
the fun thing about this swap though is that we are pretty different.
don't panic though, i am extremely judgmental. like, its a problem.
but if i like her (and i totally do) then you will definitely like her!
______________________________________________________________

Hey all you This IS My Real Hair readers, I'm Kayla and I blog over at My Kind of Yellow! 

Over there you will find me mostly rambling talking about my upcoming (and quickly approaching) wedding, date night ideas, and just the randomness that life brings to this yellow-obsessed 21 year old.

If that super generic paragraph above didn't entice you enough to stop on by, here is a little bit about me:

My names Kayla and I am addicted to food, mountain dew, and pinterest. (& we all say "hiiii kaylaaa").

See what I did there?? A picture of me in an apron...to make me feel better about the fact that I am totally not prepared to be a wife and cook for someone every night of my life. Don't get me wrong, its only the cooking part I'm not ready for. Trust me, I can't wait to be permanent sleepover pals with my man, Caleb.

Speaking of that super hunk...

Aint he a cuuutiee? I know, I'm lucky. That's besides the point.
The boy loves to fish, and he currently holds the record in his family for biggest fish caught to date.
He likes to bring that up every now and then and rub it in his brother's faces.

We also like to dance whenever the opportunity presents itself;

That boy matched me without even seeing my dress before. Impressive, eh?

I started my blog so when I'm old and senile, I can look back at all the fun I had being a young lady. 

I'm sure when I'm 87 I will still be a crazy old dancing fool, embarrassing my grand-babies and still wearing way too much yellow (is there such a thing?? Didn't think so!).

My fiance and I, and my soon to be BIL & SIL like our hometown NFL football team a little too much ;) We may or may not travel to away games and take ridiculous pictures too often, only to be yelled at by the opposite team. Oops!

My life currently consists of working for an independent financial advisory firm, planning our wedding, taking way too many pictures, Insanity: Operation Beach Body, while resisting greasy food (trying to make a lifestyle change here, people) and preparing for life on my own.

Amanda and I started emailing months ago, a couple of months after I started this little blog of mine. Of course, like you, I followed her because of her charm and good looks. Isn't that what everyone does? ;) 

Hehe, but in all seriousness, her and I have gotten to know each other over our ridiculous email exchanges... 

and we once even did an entire post on the ridiculousness of fake eyelashes. HA!

If that wasn't random enough, I'd love for you to swing by and say hi, and see what other random things I have up my sleeve. ;)

{Blog} {Twitter} {Instagram}

______________________________________________________________

see. you liked her didn't you? 

now go follow her!

and read my post while you are there!

XXO Amanda

is it tuesday again?

oh yes, it is time.

here is a list of what is rubbing me the wrong way this week:

• why is my coffee never the right drinking temperature?  i feel like Goldie Locks, but i still haven't found the coffee that is "just right".  my cup always starts out way too hot, then i wait and wait then go to drink it, and of course it is too cold! #firstworldproblems
• honestly, how long does it take to see some progression in a work out??  i just want to be able to actually jog for a mile.  the large people on the biggest loser just ran a 5k last night. most of them ran the entire thing!  i can currently only do just over .25/mile, how sad.
• wtf cancer.  lets be real: there are so many horrible people in the world.  why can't we save the incurable killers like cancer and brain aneurisms for these people?  it's just not fair. 
• isn't it customary to ease into a new semester of classes? why do i have a shit ton to do already? i feel strongly that teachers should give me a break stop assigning work before this class even starts! and why in the world do i have to read From Socrates to Sartre, Part One: Plato, AND Vitruvius, Ten Books of Architecture, Book 1 in one week?! this woman is absolutely insane. 

and lastly,

• i am so tired of losing followers!  i realize that i only have myself to blame and that i have got to get more dedicated to you. i am honestly not even sure if anyone is reading this... my pageviews are down, i have been getting like no comments at all.  sorry i sucked, but i am back!

perhaps i am wrong and you are reading this.  maybe you even participated in Ticked off Tuesday!
if you did let me know in the comments so we can all see what you are ticked off about this week.

and don't forget, tomorrow i am swapping blogs with the beautiful and goofy Kayla. see ya then!

 

XXO Amanda

lazy bones

time for a little weekend review,

it shouldn't be too hard on you guys...

I did almost completely nothing!

it really isn't too often that I get to say that,

so I am fully appreciating it.

I feel like the blogger in me has been on vacation.

typically I would have made little mental post-it notes:

oh remember this! this will be great for the blog!

but lately not so much. not even pictures.. 

my phone is completely dog focused.

___________________________________________________________________

Friday was pretty crazy, not busy mind you, just..ya know, different.

I finished my first Accounting assignment for my online class.

it only took two trips to the library and three days to complete.

then, by the way, on Sunday, I was informed my very first answer was wrong.

oops. I never said I was a pro at using a calculator.

I also had a really nice dinner with Aaron's Step Mom.

you might be asking yourself, 

was this the dinner with the virgin drink and the pregnancy question? 

and the answer, my friend, is yes. yes this was, in fact, that particular dinner.

I have decided to try giving up alcohol, but more on that later.

the food was tasty.. though, you wouldn't know it from that photo.

Saturday... man totally insane. I am a liar. complete and total liar.

we did nothing. sat/laid on the couch the entire day. it was magical.

around 8PM we actually did put some clothes on, and go to dinner.

another unhealthy meal.. as I write this post I am reevaluating my choices.

which reminds me of something totally awesome that you should all know!

I found something really interesting fucking cool on twitter: @dietbet

I am so interested in doing this, I have no job... I have to get Aaron on board.

perhaps this can be my new source of income. more on this later too!

Sunday, yesterday? hell if I know. everything is sorta blurring together.

oh yeah! I went and looked at computers at the Apple Store.

I need a new laptop for blogging school. currently, I think I like the Air.

does anybody have one? am I going to break it? any other recommendations?

_________________________________________________________________

I have a really busy day today.

I am making a button for Ticked Off Tuesday

that means PLEASE come grab it and participate tomorrow, okay?! 

I will also be writing my guest post for Kayla, we are blog swapping Wednesday.

I'll see you guys back here tomorrow for Ticked Off Tuesday.

I can't wait to read what you guys post about.

XXO amanda

a mixture of greatness

like cheese and wine...
popcorn and butter...
starbucks and me [duh]

today, since I am behind, I decided to combine two posts. actually,
now that I think about it... I'm really not combining them at all.
I am just writing two posts separately and then posting them as one.
why would I do such a thing? because it is not Tuesday, of course.

let me begin with a link-up that is close to my negative heart!

so what if...

• I am a little behind in everything blog related. I will get back on schedule once the rest of my schedule falls into place. sometimes my "real life" health has to become top priority [and i don't even mean watching the biggest loser!]
• I want fake boobs real real bad. I only have my own real ones to judge off of here people. they are enormous and they don't ever do what I tell them to.
• I just shared that with you!
• I fed the dog muffin mixed into her dog food this morning. everybody deserves a treat every once in awhile.
• I'm doing a blog swap with Miss Kayla next week and I'm stoked about it. 
• I called her "miss" because I feel like she's a little kid because I am so old... and she looks so fresh and new. She's not married yet either and Insanity might not let her make it to the wedding.. we'll see :)
• I am about to jump back in time to do a ticked off Tuesday post! BAM

wooooooosh 

did that music help you get back in time?

you bet your sweet ass it did.

alas, it is time for another...

 

this week I am ticked off about...

• architecture. I am quite sure I chose the worst field ever! I can't even find a crappy entry level intern position. how sad is that? oy.
• the weather. I want to believe that its not punishing me for being a lazy B when it was super nice out... but I just can't. last week it was 50 degrees TWICE! did I go for a run, a walk, anything special outdoors? I cracked my sunroof... and now it is in the 20s.
• the Target clearance rack. why is everything I find and love on the 50% off rack from the dang 15-30% off rack!? AHHHHHHH
• bitches. girls trying to start shit. le sigh. just letting you know, I'm really old. please leave me alone.

XXO Amanda

26 in 26 [review]

on Sunday [January 13th] we.. I.. will be a month into my 26 in 26 challenge.
I mean, I guess it isn't going terribly [you know the saying, "could be worse"]
unlike most New Years resolutions it is something that I haven't completely forgotten about.
I have actually gotten a start on "many" [7] of the actions on my list.

1. be in NYC at midnight on New Years Eve - COMPLETED
2. visit California 
3. visit 20 of the 50 United States - 15 states down, 5 to go!
4. finish my portfolio for grad school - sorta started
5. be accepted into the Masters in Architecture program
6. finish all 3 studio courses for my graduate degree
7. lose 50lbs - I think that this is in process, but the best way to track my progress is to really update my weight every time I update this post [monthly]. *shutter* current weight: 165lbs - 40 to go!
8. run a 5k in under 45 minutes
9. grow my hair out - touching my shoulders now!
10. pay off all credit card debit
11. pay off at least one of my student loans
12. finish all of the renovation work on our house so that we can move!
13. expand my photography skills
14. stop swearing
15. keep blogging consistently
16. reach 500 followers
17. get a job I love
18. be a more positive person
19. go sky diving 
20. start a 401k
21. do something helpful/kind for someone else without them knowing 
22. donate plasma
23. volunteer
24. read and finish six books - I am finishing one today and starting the next one!
25. complete a scrap book for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary 
26. go to a psychic and have my fortune told - this is planned for NYC in April for Breanna's birthday!!

overall I would say that my list is going fairly well for being only a month deep.
I am excited to keep this momentum going.
is anyone else doing a goal list like this? if so, what is on it?

tomorrow, it's OK Thursday and another travel post!

see ya then

XXO Amanda

BAM I'm back for more...

 it might be soon to you, but I have been holding this rage in for weeks!

building a carefully crafted list of things that really just.. "get my goat"

and my dream for this post, is that a lot of the things piss you off too.

that us share in the joy of anger, shall we?

• grocery shopping. does this even need an explanation? you go work your butt off for like two hours, surrounded by annoying children and angry people doing the same thing.  you stand in line for 30 minutes to give ALL of your money away. you spend another 10-15 minutes cramming  all those carefully cart placed items into your car [where they never stay in the same place].  then just when you think it is over, you get home and there is nobody around to help you carry all the nonsense in and put it away! hours and hours of work only to find your forget five things and you still have no food.
• dishes & laundry. you think you've finally cleaned every single item in the house BAM 100 more just show up. it is a never ending, always losing, battle for your sanity.
• the gym. there are only skinny bitches at the gym! stop torturing me, I am working on it! I do not need to see your bones while I am sweating my ass off on crunch number 35.  or how about the super skinny girl/guy on the treadmill running like a 9.0? god. please go home! or at least run outdoors because I know you can you do it dude!
• heartburn. the kind of heartburn where you are screwed no matter what you do. oops I threw up in my mouth a little because I was laying down, sitting, standing, walking, doing nothing! I took 2 Prevacid, 5 Tums, and 4tsp. of Gaviscon. yep still have it. heartburn from hell. [sorry... that was probably too much information. love you anyway]

I hope you can all relate.

what else can we be ticked off about today?

have an amazing Tuesday, and come back tomorrow!

I will be recapping my 26 in 26 goals and achievements.

if you have a list like this I would love to see it, just let me know.

XXO Amanda

east coast travel [part 1]

long time no blog everybody! I will be quite honest with you,

I am not 100% sure how many parts this post will be broken in to.

we have done a lot in the last four weeks, and most of it has been travel.

for my first post back I am going to cover our first trip.

why did we take a trip? no real reason at all.

Aaron had a ton of vacation time to use before the end of the year,

and we thought, what the hell! why not?

so we set out on the road. we made stops in Atlanta, Savannah, and Charleston.

if you follow me on Instragram (@thisismyrealhair) then I feel bad for you,

because you have seen all of these photos already, probably more than once!

however, I know that many of you don't. so I will repeat post them.

also.. I was pretty lazy on these trips and didn't use a real camera at all.

 our stop in Atlanta ended up being pretty lame.

it was freezing cold and it was raining.

though this was definitely my favorite hotel.

we made our stay there very brief, but made sure to hit a Starbucks!

personally, I fell in love with Savannah.

it was beautiful there, the people were friendly, and the food..

oh wow, it was so amazing. that steak! yummmmm

we were here for like a day and a half. it was a really nice time. 

but Aaron kept telling me Charleston would be better.

 maybe I lied.. maybe this was my favorite hotel.

I have never really stayed in a small business hotel like this before.

I've only been to chain hotels, like the Hyatt.

it was amazing. so nice and so big.

I must have a king size bed now.

the weather in Charleston was amazing, the food was so good.

the only thing that was annoying was that it was the day before Christmas.

the tourists and people shopping were totally out of control.

I am not one for crowds at all, so I definitely could have done without that.

the middle picture above is a sign that was in the restroom.

it was really chilly one morning in Charleston so Aaron and I went to the bar.

obviously, drinking = gotta pee. as I sat there, 

I read this sign that told me to sell my eggs.. totally strange.

we had a great road trip and time.

I can't wait to do it again.

next time though, we need to head West!

see you guys tomorrow for Ticked Off Tuesday!!

please feel free to take the image from previous posts and do one too.

I would LOVE to read what you guys have been ticked off about lately!