Work Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts!

Work Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts!

DO go to your office party! (it's a delight to see your coworkers in a more relaxed setting)

DON'T party until the early morning.

DO have a cocktail, or two. (limit yourself) And have a big glass of water between drinks.

DON'T get so drunk that you are water cooler talk the next day.

DO mingle with your coworkers - and introduce yourself to others in different departments! A handshake can do wonders.

DON'T spend the whole night on your phone, put it away!

DO dress appropriately and check the dress code before arriving.

DON'T show up to the party in your club clothes (ladies AND gentlemen).

DO keep conversations light and happy and show interest in others.

DON'T spend all night talking about business, gossiping, or on inappropriate topics. (ex: politics and religion)

DO be sure and see if spouses/significant others are invited.

DON'T bring a guest if it's not allowed.

DO appoint a DD or call a cab if you plan on drinking.
DON'T drink and drive.

Happy Holidaze!

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Sick Blog pt. 2

Sick Blog pt. 2

So yeah - I'm still sick. I haven't had the energy or the motivation to really do anything. I've spent the past 5 days sleeping and laying around my house. The only time I left was Monday to go to the doctors to actually find out whats wrong with me, and today when I attempted to go to work.

Lets just skim through the weekend:

I slept. 

No seriously thats it, I went to my Grandparents house and slept and watched movies (mainly westerns) all weekend. I left to pick Chris up from the airport - and then came home and went back to bed. After I slept for a bit again, ate some dinner, and drove our butts home.

I felt like absolute poo by the end of the night and just decided it was time to see a doctor - I had been sick for an entire week and had run a fever of 101 on both Saturday and Sunday. It was time to go. I made an appointment for Monday morning at 11am - that way I could go to work and not worry about being too late.

Top left: Elder Signs board game Chris & I played
Bottom left: Buster being overprotective of his Momma
Right: Me tornado'd in my blankie in our living room chair

Of course there was an event going on at the school, and I had to hunt for parking for 20 minutes. Which of course made me late for my appointment - so I missed my doc appointment and had to get squeezed in at 11:40am. Either way, I got squeezed in and met with the doctor. I told her all my symptoms: dry coughing, what was a stuffy nosed turned into a dry gross one, chills, fever, fatigue, generally just feeling weak and unwell. She listened to my lungs and told me she'd get me some medicine so I could get some sleep. She also told me that she was giving me some antibiotics so that we could make sure that I didn't having walking pneumonia, and that I should go home and take at least a day or two off so that I could get better.

Ya girl may have walking pneumonia?! Like... What?! I didn't think it would be that terrible. The worst is when I had to call my boss and let him know how sick I really was, and you could tell in his voice that he was like "Oh shit, shes really sick!" and not just saying I was sick so I could get out of a Monday.

Left: Me today - feeling better! But still not 100%
Top right: Buster and I on the chair in our living room.
Bottom right: Nene and Buster laying on me Friday night.

As you can see from most of the pictures - the dogs have been a constant since I got sick. Buster has been such a good dog since I started to feel unwell. He's taken up being a bit of an overprotective watchdog since then, and will wake me up by licking my face if he thinks I've been sleeping too long (during the day). Its cute but also very annoying if I've only been asleep an hour and am exhausted. My Grandma thinks its cute because it's like he's watching out for me just like I watch out for him. She knows he's a Mommas boy (sorry Dad!).

Either way - getting knocked on our ass like this for what I thought was a little cold is no joke. I'll probably still be out of the loop for another day! 

Stalk me?

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OOTD: Casual Work Dress

OOTD: Casual Work Dress

Lets cut right to the chase, some people don't always have seriously formal business offices. My office is probably the most casual of them all - we can show up in jeans and a t-shirt. (Perks of being an online based business) But my lovely office manager always seems to make comments to me (and only me) about how I dress in the workplace. I think she likes to believe that shes looking out for me, but commenting on my weight or how large my breasts look is very inappropriate. But no one says anything to her about her constant track suit/capri style.

Either way, I've had to develop a seriously conservative wardrobe with her prying eyes around. Considering even a v-neck tee shows "just a little too much". Busty girl problems, am I right? This OOTD is office manager approved for the shoe choice, no cleavage, and dress length. Its seriously /boring/ but can jazzed up with just a few cute accessories.

Work OOTD by xwenchqueen

Yeah, its another Polyvore. I wanted to snap a picture of todays outfit (which is ridiculously similar except for the amazingly cute cat bag) but by the time I had gotten home from work the sun had set and the lighting in my house is terrible. Either way, the dress I had on was a comfortable but appropriate 3/4 roll-up sleeve t-shirt dress with a string tie in the center to give it some shape. I wore Black flats with a large black bow on them, and accessorized with a chunky necklace from Target, some simple sunglasses and a cute hair bow to go with my messy topknot. I kept the makeup super simple with just a small wing for my eyeliner and a nude color Milani lipstick.

This outfit and many more like it have started becoming my go-to for work. What are your go-to outfits for school or work? Does your job/school have a strict dress code? Let me know in the comments!

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I'm wearing WHAT...?!

I'M WEARING WHAT...?!

Pants. Yes, pants.

To those of you who know me, you are seriously surprised because I only wear pants every once in a blue moon. Well, apparently a blue moon is tonight because I've got not only JEANS but SKINNY JEANS on.

To be honest I never thought I'd fit in these pants again. But, I do! They are still a bit tight, but wearable nevertheless. They are a darker denim and I've paired them with a colorful top. For my hair I've just done a simple hairstyle and paired it with simple makeup. I find going to work all glammed up to be a bit overkill. All I do all day is stare at code and the only people who notice are my co workers, who are already in shock that I've decided to wear pants. Please ignore my sandals: I had a charlie horse in my calf last night that left my leg aching for the majority of the day. (I actually left the house in my slippers!)

OOTD - FOTD - Weight Loss Update!

This morning my wardrobe was seriously lacking because more than half my clothes, accessories, and shoes are packed up. So doing an OOTD was almost impossible, but I decided to do it anyway.

It monsooned outside my office on and off all day.

This outfit is pretty simple, just a dress I picked up a few years ago at Target. My fiance actually picked it out, and I wore it on the night we got engaged. The shoes are Pink & Pepper black madja gladiator sandals. I carried a blue teal Coach leather handbag I've had for a couple years. Its large and can hold all the things I need for school and work! (minus my laptop) I had my hair natural in just a headband. It was another wet day outside today, so I kept everything simple.

T-minus 1 week until move day!

It is exactly 1 week until I move from my childhood home to my new apartment! Oh my goodness I'm so excited but severely unprepared for this move! I feel like I dont even know where to start with the packing. I was supposed to start cleaning out my room last weekend, but I never actually got around to it. (my best friend moved back home, read here)

I know most people are probably a lot farther along than I am at this point, but I guess I need help. Or I just need a list of how to tackle my room, with my closet being a major part of it. Haha!

I'm still anxious and definitely more than a bit nervous about the whole move. But I'm also excited and looking toward the future that I'm building for myself. It is time for me to step out on my own, and although this is one of the more terrifying things to do. I'm ready.

We sign the papers next friday, and I'm hoping to get the kitchen and dining room done. It'll be a bonus if we can start the bedroom closets and organizing that (what I know will be) a mess. On Saturday is the day we move all the furniture, we're getting a big truck and hauling furniture from our respective homes. Asking for volunteers from anywhere we possibly can. ;) Sunday will hopefully result in us getting everything else in order and then another crazy week starts. My final project is due for my class next week but I have a final the wednesday after I move in. Eep!

These next few weeks will probably be nuts, but oh well, here we go~!

-Jenn

Review: Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation

I recently have spent some lengths of time in the sun, and because its the summertime my face gets fairly shiny pretty quickly. I wasn't even looking for a foundation originally, I had just given up and was going pretty bare-faced except for a light powder and possibly a BB cream this summer.

And then I went on vacation, and got really tan.

Soooooooo my BB cream no longer matched my body, and I was going out with my Mom and some of her friends we were on vacation with. One of her friends had just bought this and offered to let me use it. So I put a little on my hand and it matched me perfectly. I applied it with my beauty blender and it kept me matte all night in the Florida beach heat. So I had to buy it for myself.

The next day I went and picked it up for myself at Walgreens for $4.99. The price was seriously on point. I've been wearing it almost exclusively since then, and I love it. My tan is fading so I'm going to have to get a lighter color soon.
Pros:

• Keeps me matte all day/all night in the muggy South FL weather.
• I barely have to use any concealer.
• Mild scent
• Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin

Although I do have to say if you are more heavy handed using your foundation it can look cakey. If your going for that dewy summer fresh faced look, you won't get it with this foundation. But that is fine with me, because I sit in an office for most of the day anyway.

The image to the left was taken outside, and the one to the right was taken in my office.

If you have any comments or questions about this foundation leave a comment below!
-Jenn

Who else despises the word 'diet'?

Because I definitely do.

The one thing that I have absolutely abhorred about myself since my graduation from high school is my weight gain. It didn't bother me so much when it was only that 'freshman 15' but that freshman 15 has turned into a freshman 50.

Yes, in my 6 years since I graduated high school, I have gained 50 pounds.

My weight has fluctuated a lot since then, honestly, but this is the highest I've ever been and I really needed to take charge of what I was eating and my health in general. So this past week I've been doing a fairly decent job of keeping track of the food I've been eating and making a conscious effort to eat healthy. The only thing I do not do, is exercise. Its not that I don't enjoy doing anything physical, its just that I get bored. I do not find running on a treadmill or lifting weights systematically very stimulating mentally. Starting small is probably the way to go. But where to start...?

The first thing I did was download the myFitnessPal app. I heard about it while browsing youtube and looking for ways to kickstart this "lifestyle change." The app suggests that I eat 1230 calories a day. Which is only 30 calories over what I should be eating minimum a day. I knew that was going to be hard but ugh. Misery! After a few days of realizing how many calories I was probably eating I know how I got to be as heavy as I am now.

I started this journey on Monday, and the first week has been a course of trials and tribulations. (and portion control, and impulse control, and frustration) But I'm getting the hang of it.

I think I'll realize that this journey is being successful when I hit that first 20 lbs.

-Jenn

Moving Pains

Recently, I've decided to try and spread my wings.

Honestly, I had been almost completely dependent on my Grandparents for everything. They wanted me to focus on school, and nothing else. So I did, I didn't work, and I attempted to get good grades. In this past year, however, I've gotten a (shaky) footing and have been making a steady income. With my entire IT department (okay, there was only 3 of us) resigning and moving onto bigger and better things, my boss offered me job security. Which affords me the opportunity to be able to move closer to work and school. My family is happy for me, but I know I'll be missed. And truthfully, I'm starting to feel like the first time I moved into the dorm again.

At least this time though, I'm moving with people who I know will love and support me: My fiance and my absolute best friend.