spending time with the manfriend

Believe it or not, the “manfriend” has a name. It’s Andrew. Andrew Michael when I’m upset with him.

20140504-213353.jpg

We’ve been together for six years this month. Like any other couple, we are far from perfect, but he truly is my best friend and has been since college.

20140504-144105.jpg

Currently, we are working on strengthening our bond by addressing some flaws that we previously neglected to.

The really abridged version of our love story:

He saw me, liked me, chased me. I turned him down. He got a girlfriend, I got jealous. They broke up. I graduated (I’m older), we started dating. We moved in together, and a year after that we were engaged. In 2012, we were supposed to get married. That didn’t work out. We stayed together and moved to Vermont. I got really depressed and started seeing a therapist for seasonal depression and anxiety. I discovered why they say that you can’t love someone else until you first love yourself. My emotional health was hindering my ability to be the best me and a good partner. Then more stuff happened, and here we are, working on us.

20140504-144054.jpg
Photos courtesty of Once Like a Spark Photography

The three biggest things that have been helping us (I asked Andrew what his thoughts on this were and he said the exact same three things!):

  • Talking (communication is key)
  • Showing appreciation and affection
  • Spending time together

Of those, I really enjoy spending time with Andrew. Our job can be very time-consuming. Yes, we also work together. We used to pass work off as spending time together, but it is not the same. When we do things one (or both) of us enjoys, we get to know more about each other, we learn what we have in common, and we talk more than we normally would.

What do we do together?

Andrew is a gamer, so this past weekend we played Diablo III.

20140504-212548.jpg

I like boardgames, so we also played Scrabble.

20140504-212555.jpg

We both enjoy watching movies, so we went for a walk to our local Redbox and rented four movies to watch while we snuggled on the couch.

20140504-212611.jpg

Spending time together is great, but it is also important to remember that some alone time is much needed and can be just as great.

Do you have a partner/spouse? How do you keep your relationship going? Post a picture of the two of you doing something together on Instagram and tag #spendingtime. This can be a super fun way for us to share some “date” ideas!

xx
Bethany

Dressing the “True You”

A while back, I shared about attending the Vermont Women in Higher Education (VWHE) Women’s Leadership Conference. I also had the pleasure of attending the Pre-Conference, and while the entire experience sort of spoke to me, it was Stasia Savasuk, the founder of Thrift Me Pretty, whose story moved me most.

Stasia spoke about the importance and power of dressing the “true you”.  She opened by sharing about her humble past, the joys of thrift shopping (one of her favorite brands is J. Crew, but why pay retail when you can score great deals instead?), and stories from her current experience as a personal stylist.  During her presentation, Stasia had us think back to our most favorite outfit as a child, and asked us to remember all of its special details…the texture, color, pattern, fabric, and most importantly, she asked us to remember how it made us FEEL. She then talked about ways to translate those features and feelings into our own personal style today. We learned that if we wear clothing that is true reflection of our soul, then we will feel better, act better and do better.

Now, at this point I’m sold! (Stasia, if you ever decided to write a book, save me a signed copy!) Then she played us this clip and it really brought her point home.

This video was supposed to be for a B-School scholarship, but because it was too long, it didn’t qualify. However, you’ll be happy to know that Stasia was able to raise enough money for the 8 week on-line marketing program through GoFundMe, and is rockin’ her way through B-School now! And as for Raisa, I heard she just landed a gig as an Instagram photogher…You can check out her work on Instagram!

Stasia’s favorite thrift shop in Vermont? Shalom Schuk in Burlington. “…It’s fantastic. Prices are great, and they’ve got some real quality goods…”

She also recommends the Goodwill in South Burlington.

While this was not a sponsored post, I do want to mention that I was so busy being inspired and taking notes, that I wasn’t able to get any photos during Stasia’s presentation. The feature image is from the VWHE Facebook page.

Lipstick Challenge

Social media has opened up whole new worlds for me! From twitter parties, to networking opportunites, to finding out about Keiko Kaveri’s #NoBareLips30.

This lipstick challenge starts today, with It’s World Kiss Your Mate Day, so take a photo kissing someone you love and join in on the fun! After the 30 days, I will share all my photos from the challenge along with what products I used.

Can’t wait until then? During the challenge, I will be sharing my photos on Instagram and Twitter, so if you aren’t already…FOLLOW ME! And don’t forget to tag me, if you want to make sure I see your lippies!

Instagram

My April Birchbox

I promised that all my posts wouldn’t be about Birchbox, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to share about my monthly Birchbox!

20140421-125336.jpg

This month’s Birchbox theme is Rainy Days. And even though Vermont has been seeing more snow showers than rain, in my book (and Birchbox’s…I asked on Twitter and they said yes) it still counts!

20140421-125714.jpg

While I really liked everything in my Birchbox this month, I was particularly excited about the Color Club Art Duo Pen. I got it in black and plan to use my points to purchase in white.

20140421-125834.jpg

Do you have a Birchbox subscription? What was your favorite product in your Birchbox this month?

Have twitter? Follow me
@20somethingplus

DIY: Mini Planters

Me being in line to check out in a drugstore (or any store really) is just bad. While waiting to checkout at CVS, I spotted these cute tiny plants for $2 each.

20140415-095225.jpg

I picked out three and figured I could finally do something with the small leftover candle jars I had.

20140415-095235.jpg

This was super easy and didn’t really take much time at all.  I had also scored a new bench that I’m using as a coffee table, I can’t want to style it using these mini planters. More photos to come!

20140415-095247.jpg

I’ve done other succulent and cacti projects in the past but my green thumb isn’t so green. What plants do you like to decorate with, any recommendations?

Mani and a Magazine: Plus a Pedi

Today actually hit the 70s! In Vermont, that’s a BIG freakin’ deal! So of course sandals are a must and that means one thing: PEDICURE!

20140414-161246.jpg

Even though I’m super excited that the weather is nice, I have to be realistic. I know the temperatures will dip again, so I didn’t go too fancy with my feet, but my life needed a little perfection in it so, I went with Formula X for Sephora in Perfection.

20140414-142147.jpg

For my mani I wanted to embrace spring and love A Crewed Interest by Essie, it’s one of my absolute favorites and just really reminds me of spring.

20140414-142202.jpg

20140414-144337.jpg

Still haven’t gotten my first official pedi of the season but when I do, you’ll know! Anyone else rockin’ sandals yet?

Fitting Room Sesh: Target

Although I truly enjoy living in Vermont, I have to admit that I miss having a Target in state. I mean Walmart is great, but it’s no Target.

All these Target collabs kill me, because if I can’t get it online, then I usually can’t get it. However, while I was visiting my parents, I figured I’d try my luck to see if anything from the Peter Pilotto for Target collection was left or made it’s way to clearance…

20140410-123652.jpg

I was also happy to see that Merona and Mossimo have really stepped up their game!

20140410-124357.jpg

I ended up not getting anything shown above (and I really wanted those tux inspired pants), but I would have gotten it all, if it had all been my size and I didn’t have bills to pay.

I did end up getting a couple of things…

20140411-135453.jpg

What are your thoughts on Target’s style? Like what you see on my blog posts? Follow me on luvocracy! Not there? If I ever post about something and you can’t find it, let me know!

Free Cone Day!

So…yesterday was my Monday (I had Monday off). Yesterday was also Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s.

Ben & Jerry’s is from Vermont. I live in Vermont. So naturally, I had to partake!

20140409-160519.jpg

Not only did I make it with just one minute to spare (the event ran from noon until 8 pm), but they had my absolute FAVORITE flavor left. And sugar cones.

BEST DAY EVER!

If you’re in the area or ever looking for something to do, you should go on the factory tour!

Do you love Ben & Jerry’s? What’s your favorite flavor?