Monday, May 31, 2010

Springtime & Memorial Day

I really feel like Spring was around for two days before Summer took over. One day it was breezy & warm, & the next it was h-a-w-t! I'm not complaining, but I do love Springtime. One of my fave things are definitely the peonies. I managed to grab a few from a neighbor for my apartment, & also snapped some photos from my mom's garden. So gorgeous! I wish they bloomed all summer long...

A few traditional, huge peony bushes... & my favorites - an 'old fashioned' variety. So delicate - we had one big rainstorm & they were done!

(My dad, last Memorial Day helping present flags at a Memorial Day ceremony honoring the veterans of our small town in Iowa)
Happy Memorial Day to all!
Remember why we celebrate & honor those that have given their lives & those who choose to serve our country so we are able to relax & enjoy days like today.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Wisconsin Recap

(the beach across the road from Conor's parents' house, looking towards Milwaukee)
So, not only do they drink plenty of beer in Wisconsin, but there is the desirable cheddar cheese that I totally forgot to mention in my last post! And we consumed a TON of it. As in, dinner ends & the cheese comes out. You get home from the bars - out comes the aged cheddar!

(Me & Con at Lake Oconomowoc)
We had a great time: plenty of quality family bonding for Conor, tours of breweries, shopping, lakeside walks, and great dinners out in the city. The verdict is in: I love Milwaukee.

(Con, me, & his dad)
Out & about drinking, what else? Beer! And this set is a prime example of why I have NO nice photos of me & Conor. When told to look at the camera, this is what we ended up with...

Probably the most decent photo of us from the entire trip - & it's certainly not one for the picture frame, if you get what I'm sayin'...

(Ew, so pinkfaced!)
The brewery tour was super interesting. I hope to go on more when I return for another visit. If you drink Miller Lite - one of these cases may end up being yours, ha!

(Miller Lites & Leinenkugels on the "assembly line")

(The Miller Inn at the Miller Brewery)
Conor REALLY wanted to steal the High Life bus. It is his favorite beer, afterall. And the bus was pretty much awesome.

It's taken me forever to get caught back up from all my trips - I just returned from Iowa as well this week. But, only one more week off & back to school! Have a great Memorial Day weekend - I'm hoping mine will be lots of fun!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Presents, Pics, & Photobooths

Finals are finished! I'm officially on summer break (for 3 more weeks). Tomorrow we are off to Milwaukee to visit Con's fam & partake in some Wisconsin fun (beers tours, beer drinking, hmm...what else happens there?). In the meantime, a few updates on what I've been up to!
First off, I received the most awesome package today from Miss Beauty H2T. Seriously, I couldn't believe how fab this gift is when I opened it today! I mean, do you see that awesome Marimekko eyeshadow? So far, I've only tried the Stila lip glaze & I it. Super glossy & seriously not ONE BIT STICKY. I plan on reviewing all the products after I try them out. Go check out her blog, ASAP. She does lots of beauty reviews and is gorgeous to boot. Thank you so much new blog friend!

I promised Vegas pics, and am here to deliver what sad pathetic pics I have.

(Super gross dude @ a bar performing a scary lap dance)

(Me + another bridesmaid)

(Me + bride dodging the paparazzi)

(Our pretty + tan bride!)
I stole a few of these from other girls. I seriously took a total of 5 pictures. FIVE. Eh, I blame the drinkin'.
And how much do you all love photobooths? My sister & recently discovered one at a local bar & she "accidentally" chose the above background. Cute.

Well, now you know how I've been spending my time - socializing, grooming w. new products, posing for photos. It's a pretty hard life my friends, ha ha.

I'll try to update from the north this week!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Home, at last + some beauty reviews

{I made it through the week-long Vegas extravaganza. I started doubting I would around Wednesday, but all was good - the bride & groom are happily married, my bridesmaid dress did NOT fall off, & I only sustained two bodily injuries. Pictures will, I promise, be posted - as soon as I identify the culprit who took off with my camera after the reception, ha.}

In unrelated news, I've recently gone through some re-vamping of my beauty routine, and thought I would share with you my finds...
First off, I have oily, somewhat breakout-prone skin. It's a bummer. Hopefully I won't have as many wrinkles when I age. Whatever, there's Botox for that,right? A few weeks ago, my skin
f r e a k e d
out. It was trauma. Grossout trauma. The lovely creatures at Sephora introduced me to the anti-aging gel cleanser by Peter Thomas Roth.

It has saved my life. My skin cleared up and smoothed out SUPER fast. I highly (HIGHLY) recommend this if you have skin like moi. I use it twice daily, with my Clarisonic, of course. After cleansing, I sometimes use the PTR Gentle Complexion pads as well for a little extra exfoliation. The best part of all of these products is the scent. Peach Bellini, anyone?
Moisturizers are not used much in the Piper household (gasp, I know). I do use Clinique's All About Eyes Rich eye cream though - oldie, but goodie. I love it. I suffer from puffiness, and it's a great solution. (Plus it's like, $28!) They also have a rollerball version of the AAE that is super soothing - I used it in Vegas and it was tres helpful.
My other newest fave is Lavanila's The Healthy Deodorant. I have the vanilla-grapefruit & love it. It's free of scary chemicals & smells fabulous. With the upcoming warm weather it's a must. Try it - they all smell awesome.

Whew. That's a lot of information for one post. I'll end it there - someday I shall share more, as I'm sure you're now on the edge of your seat waiting in anticipation! Ha.
Take care of your skin!