Playoffs!!!

Its playoff time in the Arena Football League…..and the C’s team, the Rattler’s made it again this year!!  

The final game of the season was Saturday night and the team dominated in Iowa….84-45. They have had their division clinched for a few weeks now and they have the best record (15-3) in the entire league which is quite exciting.

Now I haven’t talked much about Arena Football here yet, so I thought I would do that in honor of the Rattler’s playoff berth!

Yes ladies (and gents? Are there any out there?), I am about to talk about football!

Arena Football is a lot like the NFL, with a few key differences. Believe it or not, the league is celebrating its 26th year! It is still a professional league, but the game is played indoors, hence the “Arena” part.  The guys do get paid, just not million dollar contracts like in the NFL.  A lot of these guys are really playing it for the love of the game! They usually have to get jobs in the off-season, which is exactly the opposite of the NFL, August through March.

As you can see above, arena football can be a very high scoring game.  The reason? The field is only 50 yards, instead of 100 like the NFL.  Oh man does this make for some intense games. I mean really, a quarterback can throw a pass the entire length of the field for a touchdown!  That being said, it means a team can score really quickly.  Last season, C’s team was down 9 points with a minute to go and they ended up winning!  (You can’t take a knee in arena football, you must keep playing)

Another difference is that there are no sidelines on the field.  The entire field is surrounded by a padded wall (in our home stadium it is about 3.5 feet tall).  Multiple times a game you can hear the boom of a player being shoved into that wall. It sounds really dramatic. Even though they don’t actually have sideline space though, pushing another player into or over (yes it happens a lot) the wall is considered “out of bounds” so the clock stops, like in the NFL.

Because the field is a lot smaller, obviously there aren’t as many players on the field.  In arena football there are only 8 players on the field at a time, versus 11 in the NFL.  Also, an arena team can only have 25 players on its roster (versus 52 for an NFL team) which means a lot of the guys play multiple positions. An arena team can’t afford to have players that only play special teams (except for the kicker) so players on the kick returns and such most also play an offensive or defensive position.

One last major difference that is noticeable right away are the goal posts.  In the NFL, the regulation width is 18 feet, 6 inches.  In arena football, they are a measly 9 feet! Let me tell you, it definitely looks tiny from the stands.  Granted, the kicker obviously isn’t kicking as far, but there isn’t much room for error. Yikes.

So that’s a very basic overview of Arena Football! Next time I will talk more about C and what he does!

In order for the team to make it to the coveted Arena Bowl on August 17^th, they must beat 2 of the 3 teams they lost to this season. Eek.  This Sunday is their first game and the next playoff game will be the following weekend.  It will be a tough road, but I believe they can make this happen!

I can't wait until Sunday to watch them kick butt!

Go Rattlers!

Words

“To the person saying them, words are just words.  But to the person hearing them, words are often everything.”

This is probably the truest statement I’ve ever come up with.

For me, when someone says something to me, I take it to heart.  No matter what.  If it’s said in anger or just in passing, I completely envelope what was said to me and believe that person meant it to their very core.

Obviously, this is a problem.  I have tried to not let things affect me, but I just can’t do it.  I am so hurt by what people say to me sometimes that I can’t focus.  I spend days thinking about what they said.

I know I am over-reacting, but I can’t help how I feel.  

How do you learn to let the words people say not hurt you? How do you get past it?

Beauty Box 5 Review - July

Just got my July Beauty Box Five package in the mail!

After last month’s pretty crappy box, I was really curious to see what I’d get.  This box is really a make it or break it for me! They have been good for many months, but then bam, I start getting pretty boring things that aren’t worth my money! As you know this box is $12 a month for 4-5 products, so I really hope it delivers this time.

Here we go….July’s Beauty Box Five box! 

1)    Every Beauty Foot Smoother– (FULL SIZE)

Hmmm….I guess this is like a pumice stone? The packaging says this thing is great for hard to reach areas “like in between toes.” Um I’m sorry, this thing is at least an inch thick, that’s not gonna fit between my toes!  It also says you can use it dry and on other parts of the body.  That’s the only part that intrigues me since I already own a pumice stone. C might like this thing also, too bad it’s pink!

Full Size: $8.99 My Value: $8.99

2)    Jean Pierre Cosmetics Nail Polish Remover Wipes– 2 wipes

Now there’s something new!  Not. I’ve gotten these by several different brands before.   At first I thought they seemed cool, but one wipe won’t even work for a whole hand. I ended up breaking out my bottle of nail polish remover anyways. For the price, I rather buy a bottle that lasts me much longer!

Full Size: $3.99 for 10 wipes My Value: $0.79

3)  La Fresh Travel Lite Antibacterial Wipes – 8 wipes (FULL SIZE)

These look pretty convenient. The package is light and small which is nice for my purse. I always carry hand sanitizer with me, so these will be nice for when I run out. Too bad there aren’t very many in there though, 8 wipes isn’t much.

Full Size: $1.99 My Value: $1.99

 

4)   H2O Plus Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment – .27 oz

Looks like a regular old oil-free facial moisturizer. Too bad it doesn’t have SPF. That’s really all I have to say. 

Full Size: $36.00 1.7 oz. My Value: $5.72

5)  Be a Bombshell Lip Gloss – .11 oz (FULL SIZE)

I was really hopeful for this one, I love lip products.  They are my favorite things to get in my monthly beauty mailings.   Really, of all the things I saw in the box, I knew this was my favorite. Until I saw the color name…diamond.  I thought aw man, it’s gonna be a sheer light color.  Then I opened it.  It’s stinkin clear. Clear?!?!  Really? How lame.

Full Size: $14.00 My Value: $14.00

Final Cost: $12.00

Final Value: $31.49

Beauty Box Five…..you have officially been fired!!

I wouldn’t suggest it anymore guys.  They seriously used to be great, but something has definitely changed! Yeah the value may look good, but who pays $14 for CLEAR lip gloss? Certainly not me!

Any other beauty boxes out there I should try?  I currently get Ipsy ( a.k.a. Glam Bag) and Glossy Box.  I’m not a fan of Birchbox.

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these things in hopes that other people will get to have the same fun that I do, or in this case so people can stay away!  I am not compensated in any way.)

(Oh and I just tried to go to the BB5 website and its conveniently down until the end July so I can't cancel.  I will definitely be emailing them though!)

About Me + Giveaway!

So....after having this here little corner of the web since October of 2011 I finally updated my About Me section!!  How crazy is that?   Also, I really didn't know I started that long ago.  Whoops. 

I know I still need to add more, but at least I've got something there and not just a "Coming Soon" note.

Check it out and let me know what you think.  If there is something missing or something you'd love to know, tell me that too!!

Besides that though.....I have a giveaway for you!  Yay!  Check out all the awesome prizes and bloggers below :)

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How would you like to sit back, sip on your mug of coffee and watch your blog grow?

Enter our July Giveaway and this could happen to you!

We are giving away 4 Top Blog Ad Spaces, $15 Starbucks Gift Card and $5 Paypal Gift Card!

Bugs and Beans || Sleepy Single Girl

                          Sew Craft Angel || My Life of Travels and Adventures

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Awkward Sauce

Back when my brother lived in Arizona with me (he’s since gone into the Navy so he’s lived in several other places) we were really close.  We are almost exactly 3 and a half years apart, so we get along really well.  Oh and yes, we fought when we were younger.  I remember getting him in trouble for using his “karate” moves on me.  I also remember putting makeup on him and pinning hair bows in his hair.  My dad definitely didn’t like that, let me tell you! Whoops, that was way off topic.

Anyways, since we were so close, we obviously hung out a lot.  Apparently, we were so close that people thought we were in a relationship.  Say what?!?  People were so used to siblings kind of hating each other, that to see a pair that was so close and that actually liked each other, they went straight to coupledom. I mean it’s not like we walked around holding hands and hugging. Ew, it just weirds me ou
t thinking about it. Needless to say, it made for some really awkward moments!

The most awkward moment happened when we were in a grocery store.  I was being an awesome older sister and buying some adult beverages for my slightly younger brother so we were keeping our transactions separate.  Another line looked like it was clearing faster so he hopped over to that line.  Then, the line I was in ended up moving faster.  So, the lady who was in line behind me says “Would your fiancé like to come back over to this line?” Ok what?  Fiancé?  I wasn’t wearing any rings, so I have no clue where she got that.  Who starts with that?  I mean she could have said friend.  Or maybe boyfriend if that was the route she was going.  But fiancé?? It was nice of her to ask and I didn’t feel it was necessary to explain that he was my brother, so I just replied “No, it’s ok.”

We proceeded to buy our groceries in our separate lines and he came over by me when he was done.  I guess I should have explained to her that he was just my brother, because as we were walking away she made sure to let us know that we were a “really cute couple.”

So yeah, my brother and I make a really cute couple.  Lucky us.

Has anyone has to deal with weird sibling situations like this?!?

TV Addicts

So….I am kind of addicted to watching TV. Wait, let me rephrase that, BOTH C and I are a bit addicted J

 

We love coming home in the evenings, making dinner and just watching our favorite shows. I think it’s a time where we can both just unwind from the day and get lost in the story.

Some of our favorites are Nashville, How I Met Your Mother, the Big Bang Theory, Dexter, Game of Thrones, Spartacus, and Modern Family.

  

  

Recently, we’ve been plowing through True Blood on Netflix.  After watching the first few episodes, we were hooked.  We only have one season left to watch and we are caught up (which is good because it just started up again).

My problem is, what will we watch when we are done with True Blood?

We were thinking of trying Mad Men or Breaking Bad. Has anyone seen those? We don’t know much about them, except that they seem to be pretty popular!

Anyone have any other suggestions? 

Santa Barbara - Part 5

(Don't worry, this is the last one, I promise!)

Thursday was our last full day in Santa Barbara and the day we had planned to make our "beach day."  Too bad the beach looked like this....



That was at a place called Butterfly beach, which is right in front of a fancy hotel that a lot od celebs stay in.  We were told it was a pretty secluded location so we thought we'd try it.  Too bad it was so darn cloudy/foggy that we could barely see 50 yards in front of us!

Thankfully, we pushed on and went to a beach about 10 more miles down the coast.  It cleared up some, so we decided to lay on the beach.

Next up: obligatory beach kissing shot

See?  It's still pretty gray.  Somehow I still ended up with a wicked sunburn.  I had put on sunscreen, but I pretty much half-assed it.  I ended up burnt all along the lines of my bathing suit and my armpits (?) as well as a big ole' patch on my right thigh. Thank fully I never flipped, so I didn't burn any of my back. Don't ever half-ass sunscreen. It's not sexy.

After we cleaned up from the beach, we went to the top of the Santa Barbara Court House Clock Tower.  It's several stories high and you can see the whole city from up there.  Just beautiful.  It's amazing how many red-roofed buildings there were!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around leisurely.

After dinner we rented a couple of movies (Side Effects and Oz the Great and Powerful) and got a bottle of wine. I didn't even make it through a third of the first movie (Oz) before I passed out.  Whoops!

Friday morning we decided to head back down to LA and do the touristy thing.  We drove along the coast (the Pacific Coast Highway or the 1...which is my favorite freeway...is it weird to have a favorite freeway?) and we were literally driving in the clouds. It was so cool!

As we got further down the coast it got pretty gray again. Even with all the clouds and fog it was just beautiful!

We stopped at Zuma beach in Malibu (ever wonder where Gwen Stefani's sons name came from?) to walk along the beach.  Everything was going great until we were just about to leave and a huge wave came and pretty much soaked my dress.  I had packed everything else so I was stuck wearing it until we got back to Phoenix! 

I always take this picture when I go to the beach.  It's one of my happy places....where the water and the sand meet.

I'll probably always take this picture when I am with C too.  Our footprints together in the sand.

Next we stopped at the famous Sushi place Nobu for a snack.  C had been talking about sushi for days so I thought it would be fun to stop.  Thankfully we had already had lunch and this was just an afternoon snack because that place was darn pricey!  Beautiful views though.  The pic below is right from our table on the patio.

Next up, the Hollywood sign!  So cheesy and touristy....but C had never seen it!

We drove all the way up into the neighborhood.  This is as close as you can get to it by car.  You can take about an hour hike to get closer, but it was almost 100 degrees. No thanks!

Finally, the Hollywood Walk of Fame!  I had to get a few of my favorites.....

Judy Garland (Wizard of Oz)

Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind)

And of course....C!  Haha just gave away his name! I'm still gonna call him C for now though :)

We walked around Universal Studios city walk too.  C was pretending to be forest gump.  He had to take his own shoes all the way off to fit into those fake shoes.  Most normal people just slip their feet in shoes and all!

And I can't not include this gem from out stop at Cabo Wabo for margaritas before we hit the airport!

Oh yeah, we totally got a parking ticket in Hollywood too. So lame.  $68 freakin dollars.

All in all it was an amazing trip and I can't wait to get back to Santa Barbara!

Ispy Bag review - July

Yay!  My ipsy bag is here! 

I knew it would be coming this week and I also knew that with my luck, it would get here the day that I wasn’t in the office because of C’s (successful!) surgery.  I was totally right!

Anyways, as you know this box is $10 a month and its my absolute favorite!  I always love pretty much everything in the bag.

The theme of this month’s bag is Beach Beauty and I think they hit it right on.

So here we go….July’s Ispy bag! 

1)    Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray– 1.7 oz. (travel size)

Oh man this stuff smells really good!  I love using beach sprays like this on lazy days so I can just wear my hair wavy (I have a bit of a natural wave).  I really can’t wait to try this!

Full Size: $19.95 5.1 oz. My Value: $6.65

2)    Coola pH Mineral Sunscreen/Tinted Moisturizer– .23 oz.

I am excited to try this too!  I use a tinted moisturizer daily instead of a foundation, so this is a welcome addition to my beauty stash. Plus, it has SPF 20 which is pretty great. I can’t tell if the “tint” is dark enough for my skin though, that’s my only worry. I might have to use this one as just a moisturizer and sunscreen with some color over it.

Full Size: $36.00 1.7 oz. My Value: $4.87

3)  pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuchsia Flirt - .1 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Well this looks fun! The color looks a bit bright in the stick and I was hoping that was just the packaging, but nope.  I look like a Barbie with it on.  Bummer.  Maybe I can find a dark gloss to go over this to calm it down?

Full Size: $25.00 for six crayons My Value: $4.16

4)   benefit Benetint in Rose – .08 oz

I love lip tints!  This is a cheek stain too, but I am way too afraid to use it that way.  I have a feeling I’d end up looking like a clown or it wouldn’t spread very well and I’d have red dots on my cheeks! It is not nearly as dark as I thought it would be, I think I will need a lip gloss this too. It totally smells like roses too. It's weird!

Full Size: $30.00 .40 oz. My Value: $6.00

5)  bhCosmetics California Collection Eyeshadows – 1” width each

Ooo I love these colors!  They are especially fun since I just spent time in Malibu and Hollywood and plan on going to San Francisco next and those are the names of three eyeshadow colors.  My favorite thing to get in beauty boxes is eyeshadow, because I know I will always use it! I went on their site and each of their single eyeshadows is 98 cents, so hopefully I will like this one. They have 120 different colors to choose from!

Full Size: $0.98 1” width My Value: $2.94

Final Cost: $10.00

Final Value: $24.62

I seriously can’t say enough about this box.  They are always pretty much spot on with the items in the bag (which there are always 5 of). I love everything (except maybe the lip crayon color) and I plan on using it all.  If you are a beauty box person, I highly recommend this one!

If you’d like to give it a try…..use my referral link?  Pretty please?  :)

(Also, I swear I’m not a review blog….I just like sharing these things in hopes that other people will get to have the same fun that I do!  I am not compensated in any way.)

Thankful

Ok so you know how I told you all about my little accident?

I just have to say that I am so THANKFUL that I had it!!!

How can that be, you ask?

On Friday I took my car to the dealership to be checked out because the airbag sensor light has been flashing since the accident. Obviously, that’s not a good thing. It’s definitely not safe and I shouldn’t have let it go on as long as I did, but getting to the dealership is tough for me because I work during the day and it’s about 25 miles away. I was told I couldn’t have the light checked just anywhere, it had to be Nissan because of their computer systems, so that’s why I didn’t just stop at any old place (I tried that first).

Anyways, since I was getting off of work early I took it in to be looked at. When I got the call from the service rep, I was shocked. Turns out my air bag sensor system had completely failed….BEFORE my accident. Meaning, had my accident been worse, the airbags still wouldn’t have gone off. The sensor had completely failed. The fact that the light came on after my fender bender was a complete coincidence.
 
If I hadn’t gotten into the accident (thankfully it was so minor) I could have been killed someday in an accident that was worse because my airbags would have never gone off.

So scary to think about. I know that God completely protected me.

Sometimes the things in life that we think are terrible or not fun or are wasting our time are God’s gentle nudge to keep us safe. We often never know what he is doing to keep us out of harm’s way!

Are you thankful for anything really weird?