It's been a busy busy 2014 thus far.

Hello friends!

I apologize for my absence in the past few months as many things have changed in my life. Since my last post, I have moved halfway across the state AND got married! My husband was offered a position in DFW in December and we had exactly two weeks from that date to pick up and move away from our cushy little small town, double-wide life. There are far more opportunities here for advancement in our careers in the future, and the opportunity just made sense for us.

AND THEN we decided that we didn't want to wait to get hitched, so we did it in our own little unconventional sort of way. Weddings are expensive to say the least, and for those of you who know me very well would say that this was a very Danielle thing for me to do. I'm definitely not what you would call 'traditional.' For us to save up for something traditional would have taken far longer than we wanted to wait. We will have a post nuptial soirée for all of our close friends and loved ones later on this year after the weather is nice and toasty again. I wouldn't recommend this choice for everyone though, just to be clear.

So now that we're up here, I've been on the job hunt. It has not been a walk in the park as our economy still hasn't quite recovered. Sometimes this degree I just received seems as if it isn't worth quite as much as I paid with it, I'm sad to say. It's a hard world out there right now for everyone, I'm sure. I have some prospects lined up so hopefully I'll have this figured out before too terribly long.

For the first few weeks up here, I tried my hand at Crossfit. I LOVED IT. I had to come home and relax in a hot bath every time I went because I was that darn sore. I learned a lot, and I'm still working out at my own pace, but it's not a cheap endeavor to get into. So Crossfit has been put on the back burner at the moment, but I am looking forward to the day I can go back. The group encouragement is enough to make you love it, and all the trainers I have met are beyond welcoming and warm people.

I'll give y'all something better soon :)
Have a fantastic weekend!

Good stuff, incase you're lookin' for some good stuff...

I watched a Jenna Marbles video on YouTube not too long ago in which she described herself and a 'Goo Hoarder.' Well, they finally put a name on it, folks, as they usually do sooner or later. It doesn't matter if it's makeup, conditioner, lotion, nail polish, lip gloss....ect. The joy of walking into Victoria's Secret or Ulta and discovering some kind of smelly-good/sparkly/make your ___ awesome product. Here's the video I'm referring to:

So now, Ladies, here's my favorites.

Big Sexy Hair Hairspray: Perfect for teasing, and just as the name, big sexy hair. I typically don't live up to the Texas hair etiquette as 'bigger is better' just because it's not me... But a girl likes the hair to stay put as much as possible. It's an aerosole can but doesn't do that sticky Aqua Net thing, which is nice.

CC Cream: I do not wear makeup on a daily basis or even on a weekly basis, I'll tell u why in my next paragraph, but I do wear CC cream which is a glorified name for 'tinted moisturizer.' I discovered this brand out of my monthly Birchbox and fell in love to the point that I tracked it down on the website just to buy some. It's self adjusting so you don't have to worry about matching your color, which takes out the part that I hate.

Skin: If you know me, you know I have NOT always loved my skin and have never felt like I could leave the house without a little makeup on. I had acne when I was younger and still get a good blemish every now and then beacuse I have VERY very oily skin. It's in my genes. But a couple of months ago I discovered Rodan and Fields Unblemish system. These are the same doctors that produced Proactiv, and they've developed 4 different skin care regimens for different ranges of people. I became a consultant, and now I bounce between the Redefine regimen and the Unblemish, depending on if I'm breaking out which is far less often. I've never loved my skin like I do today and this stuff has truly been a beauty blessing. Even my fiance has complimented me on my skin! If you'd like to read up on these products,

Here's my website: www.dmatthews.myrandf.com

OK I lied, I still wear mascara: Something about mascara just makes you look more alive, and I work in an office so I can't look like I just rolled outta bed. This mascara is called "They're Real" by Benefit and I swear by it. If you've ever tried Mabelline's "Falsies" this is very similar, but minus the clumps which is just what I was looking for.

Y'all have yourselves a fantastic day :)