Author Archives: Emily

Our Outer Banks Vacation

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My first trip to the Outer Banks was a raging success!  We saw, tasted, and experienced so much.  Adam’s family has traveled to OBX in the summers for ages and it was great to finally see the setting of so many family stories in person.

We got home from our trip on Sunday night but I haven’t been blogging because I took the last few days to decompress.  I’m excited to post again today but I needed some time sans camera.  Trying to recap my whole vacation seems silly at this point, so I’ll just share some of the highlights.

A few of my favorite OBX experiences –

We…

Laid in the sun.

Stuffed ourselves at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet with both lobster tail and stone crab.

Discovered self-serve froyo (of course!).

Walked many miles on the beach.

Found my favorite beer at a random bar.

Climbed a lighthouse.

Ate authentic (i.e. with tons of tangy, red sauce) North Carolina BBQ.

Came home full, tan, and happy to pick up our favorite dog.

I’ll be back next year, OBX!

Window Shopping Wednesday

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I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school on Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m liking this week –

1.  S’mores Marshmallows from Koppers Chocolate

Mini marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and then again in graham crackers?  Count me in!  These seem like they have a good balance of the crucial s’more ingredients.

2.  The 3 Ft Inflatable T-Rex from Fred Flare

I had this as a kid!!  Or at least I had something very similar; but it does trigger some memories.  I’d definitely display this guy in our apartment but I’m not sure the husband would be a fan.

3.  The Ciate Cavier Manicure Set at Sephora

How flipping cool is this textured manicure?!  The rainbow set is so funky and fun.  The reviews all say that the beads fall off quickly but this would be fun for a night on the town.

4.  The byCORPUS Cap Sleeve Baby Doll Tunic from Urban Outfitters

I love tunics so much but they are usually tanks so this cap sleeved option feels extra exciting.  This is so cute and it seems like a top that I wouldn’t overheat in as the temperatures rise this summer.  I actually like the polka dot pattern best but the photo of it had an unfortunate amount of boob.

5.  Quinn Popcorn in Vermont Maple and Sea Salt

The company describes their product as “microwave popcorn revisited.”  Y’all know I’m a big popcorn fan but I think even popcorn could be elevated by maple.  My mom would love this!

Would you rock a textured manicure?

Fifty Shades of Loves Of Late

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Yesterday I complained about money, today let’s talk about some of the things I’m loving lately.

Here are some of my past loves.

#1 – The dog

I’m sure at this point in the vacation I’ve said “I miss the dog” no less than 536,354,993,005 times!  Not gonna lie, it’s possible that I cried when we dropped him off for boarding.

#2 – “The New Adventures of Old Christine”

I realize that this show has already been aired and canceled, but I just discovered it.  Lifetime has four episodes online at a time and they are worth checking out.  Elaine (she’ll always be Elaine!) has such great comedic timing.

#3 – This video of grandmas discussing Fifty Shades of Grey.  Warning – dirty.  Dirty, dirty, dirty.

I’ve never actually read the book, but I skimmed it and that was enough.  More than enough.  A friend and I read through it in a book store a few weeks ago and after five minutes we both felt like we needed a shower (it’s worth noting here that I’m a super fast reader and can actually cover a lot of literary ground in five minutes).

Nevermind the concerning relationship dynamic between the main characters and the fact modern women’s obsession with it is basically setting feminism back to before we got the vote.  Nevermind the stilted writing, grammatical errors, overall lack of editing, and weird repetition of the word “blushed.”  Nevermind the fact that the main character said “my behind” repeatedly during what would have been a wild sex scene (then the term “fur glove” was used a few pages later and interestingly it was not a euphemism for vagina).  My main issue with the book is that the poor wording leads to a sexy time scene that described acts that were physically impossible.

But the video is hilarious.

Did you read Fifty Shades of Grey?  What’d you think??

I Hate Being A Grown Up

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Hello there!  I didn’t bring a computer to the Outer Banks so I tried to set up a few posts before I left.  Today I’m going to complain…

Do you know about Jenna Marbles yet?  This part isn’t the complaint, I adore Jenna Marbles; her “How To Trick People Into Thinking You’re Good Looking” video is still one of the funniest things I’ve seen on YouTube.  Recently she posted a funny video about all of the things she hates about being a grown up.  Warning – grown up language ahead.

I agree!  I think everyone hates those things.  The video got me thinking about what else I hate about “being a grown up.”  <– I’m not quite sure I’m there yet!

The # 1 thing I dislike about being an adult is having to worry about money.  Adam and I are ridiculously fortunate that a combination of savings and several loans allows us to live very comfortably, but I still worry about money all of the time.  I know that I’m incredibly lucky and can more than afford everything I need, but sometimes I do think about the things that I want.  Making adult decisions about money can suck.

Here are some ways I’m grown up about $ –

  • I held a part-time job throughout all of high school and college and I put most of my tips/pay checks into savings.
  • We’ve never skimped on health/car/apartment insurance.
  • I set up dermatologist and gynecologist appointments for this summer instead of a pedicure or manicure.
  • I haven’t bought makeup in years (my mom keeps me in lip gloss and mascara via my Christmas stocking) but I do wear good quality, high spf face lotion.

Here are some ways I’m not at all grown up about $ –

  • We have basically emptied our savings.  That includes the money in the savings account I’ve had since I was 10 that I always imagined myself doing something very exciting with.
  • I haven’t had a job (not including my short stints of tele-fundraising) in 3 years.
  • We don’t have retirement funds.
  • Even though we clearly can’t afford it, all I can think about some days is getting Webster a Miriam (aka a tan, girl Frenchie).

I am very thankful for the lifestyle I currently have, but I do think about the things I’ll buy when I have more money (foundation!  makeup brushes!  clothing from J.Crew!).  A lot of what I say to Adam starts with “when you’re a doctor…”

Please note – this post is very tongue in check; I do know how lucky I am!

What are some of the ways that you are grown up (or not so grown up) about money?

Out Of Office Message

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All of the important stuff is packed, I’m good to go!

Right now we are on a plane to the Outer Banks.  I didn’t pack a computer so I won’t be blogging until we get back.  If you’re curious about what we are up to in the meantime, follow me on Twitter or on Instagram (I’m “emilywax” on both).

Have a great weekend!

Soup and Sandwiches

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It’s almost 11, I haven’t showered, and our house-sitter gets here at 4am tomorrow.  Whoops?

My retainers are killing my mouth so today was pretty boring.  I hope I feel better enough in the next 24 hours that I can enjoy some salt water taffy this weekend.

I overslept and missed my cool-weather window this morning and had to workout at the gym.  Instead of being annoyed about the trip I made it into an experience.  Leisurely walk to get coffee, sip on my walk to school, then gym it.  The coffee came from 7-11.

Half French vanilla coffee (unsweetened) and half vanilla bean cappuccino (sweet).  Delicious!

My workout was good too.  I did 10 sets of 2 minutes running/3 minutes walking on the treadmill.  50 minutes and 3.9 miles.  Plus a quick session of stretching and strength moves.

Lunch was a cold slice of cheese pizza.

I got some really good news while I was at school and almost had ice cream to celebrate but something about being in a bathing suit in 24 hours made it less appealing 😉

Wonder of wonders, I got my packing done in the afternoon.

Usually I wait until the middle of the night so this felt like a huge accomplishment.

Dinner made use of this Rothschild Roasted Red Pepper & Onion Dip.

For two, I mixed the 3.75 oz jar with 4 oz of shredded sharp cheddar and a big dollop of Miracle Whip.  I spread my mock pimento cheese on 4 slices of whole grain bread and then pan-fried our sandwiches in a bit of butter.

With bowls of Imagine Light in Sodium Creamy Garden Tomato Soup.

We dipped our grilled cheeses into the soup.

Growing up in the Caribbean, this was a meal combination I’ve actually never had before!

Aching mouth or not, I knew that my day was far too light in fruits and veggies so I made us after-dinner smoothies.

Silk Vanilla Almond Milk, chocolate whey protein powder, and frozen raspberries and spinach.

It tasted about as good as it looked (i.e. not very) but it was an easy way to get in some nutrients.

I should probably get to bed!

Window Shopping Wednesday

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I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school on Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I’m wanting this week –

1.  Deborah Lippmann’s 3D Holographic Nail Lacquer in Ray of Light

I love this shade of blue!  Normally it would be a little too electric for me but the sparkle somehow makes it more approachable.  And I like that it’s got sparkle instead of glitter.

2.  Lucia Wild Ginger & Fresh Figs Soap from Burke Decor

This handmade soap comes in such a chic bottle.  I feel like I never see fig as a bath product scent.

3.  Pinnacle Vodka in Key Lime Whipped

The Pinnacle flavors are basically genius; marshmallow! red hot! cookie dough?!?  But key lime pie is my favorite dessert so I think I’d like it the best.  You could make a wicked drink with this, key lime juice, and club soda.

4.  The Vanessa Sleeveless Tank from the Sundance Catalog

An item of clothing that is ruched and wrapped?  Jackpot!  I think this would be cute for work under a blazer or it could work with shorts for a casual look.  Grey (shown) is my favorite but the pink does have a ballerina feel to it.

5.  The Tulle Lace Layered Tank Dress from Fred Flare

I know I’ve shown similar items in the past but who can help but be obsessed with lace dresses?  And I think this one is my favorite to date!  I like that this is cream instead of white and tailored but not too tight.  If I owned blue heels I’d wear them with this dress!

Do you like flavored vodkas?  Which is the craziest flavor you’ve tried?

Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back

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Yesterday we got our baby back!

It was exciting and eventful.  Webster gets carsick but we figured he would be good for running a few errands in the car after we picked him up from boarding.  Nope!  As we pulled up to our final stop he projectile vomited all over the laundry Adam had in the backseat.

I hopped out and walked him the rest of the way and he felt fine by the time we got home.  He wasn’t too keen on the bath that followed though.

He is adorably pitiful when wet!

Yesterday brought another homecoming as well.

Uggggggh!  I’m back in retainers full-time for the next 9 weeks.  It’s going to suck, but at the end I should be officially done with day-time wearing.  I didn’t blog yesterday because I was eating mushy things (plus lots of pizza!).

I kept breakfast soft today too.

Coffee with Silk Vanilla Almond Milk.

And berry banana soft serf.

I food-processed 1 large frozen banana with 1/2 cup each fresh blueberries and raspberries.  It was perfectly tart and sweet.

I was online while I ate.  I randomly freaked out about room availability for a conference I’m attending in October and booked a motel.  Between pricing, checking distances, and coordinating with friends it took up my whole morning.

I did squeeze in a “something is better than nothing” workout.  20 minutes on the elliptical at level 8 random.

Do I look professional?

The afternoon was spent on interviews for both school and job things.  Cross your fingers for me please?

I scheduled my appointments with room to spare so I killed time in between at The Spot with a large cold-pressed coffee with skim milk.

For today, this was one coffee too many; I’ve felt sick to my stomach ever since.

We are leaving for vacation on Thursday so I had to buy a few travel-sized items this evening.  Then I came home to an easy dinner.

Roasted green beans.

I used frozen instead of fresh this time and these weren’t very good.  I ended up having to add a side of french dressing (unphotographed) for dipping.

Plus cold pizza, x2.

Pro tip- Pizza Hut has really good deals on Monday nights.  Yesterday we spent $25 on four cheese pizzas.  I put them in the fridge to cool and then portioned slices into freezer baggies (wrapped in foil for extra protection).  Now we are stocked up on cheap frozen meals.  I also bought tons of fresh berries on super-sale that are waiting to be bagged.

How often do you buy food with intent to freeze it for later?  Any items that you think freeze great/not so well?