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January 31, 2016

Two Year LASIK Update...

As you may or may not know, I had LASIK (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis) surgery to correct my vision back in January of 2014. And I thought since today marks exactly two years since I had it that I'd do an update post because my eyes have gone through the adjustment period and have definitely changed since the initial surgery.

First off lemme start off with a little bit of my background... Before having LASIK I wore glasses the majority of my life and was extremely myopic (Nearsighted). I decided to have LASIK because I started to feel restricted by my glasses in certain situations and I couldn't wear contacts all the time because they irritated my eyes if I wore them for more than a few hours at a time, especially when in the library.

So I  went in for a LASIK consultation (Which you can read about in detail here) in November of 2013 to see if I was a candidate for surgery or not. After going through the most comprehensive eye exam of my life I found out that I was indeed a candidate for surgery and booked it for January 2014.

On the day of my surgery I had your textbook LASIK procedure with no complications.

Fast forward to my one day post-op, where they told me my eyes were healing well but my left eye wasn't healing as fast as my right. But there was nothing to worry about.

Fast forward to my one week post-op (Which I wrote about here)... They did a few tests, made me read some eye charts and determined that I was 20/30 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left. My left eye still wasn't healing as well as the doctor would like it, so I was booked for a two week post-op where I was told that my left eye looked much better and that there was nothing to worry about.

I went through all of the rest of my post-ops just fine but my vision was never 20/20 but it didn't bother me because I was warned about it prior to surgery and I just loved being able to see without my glasses on.

Fast forward to just a few months ago, I noticed that my vision had gotten a tad blurry. So I recently went in for an eye exam and was told that I've had some myopic regression, which is something normal for someone like myself who was extremely myopic before the surgery (My prescription was like a -9.5).

Since I mentioned that the blurriness is starting to bother me, my doctor wrote me a light prescription and told me to try using glasses when I need them and if I find myself wearing the glasses more and more that he'd schedule me for a touch up surgery (I paid for a lifetime guarantee, so I get free touch ups for life and/or as long as the surgery center is still open). So that's what I'm going to do because the idea of wearing glasses for various things doesn't bother me. And as much as I enjoy the result of my surgery, I did not enjoy the initial recovery (I mean it wasn't terrible or anything, but still...) and want to hold off from having to do that again for as long as I can.

So yeah, even though I've had a touch of myopic regression and need a light prescription for various things, I'm still extremely happy with the surgery and would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about having it. Especially since most people's vision isn't as bad as mine was and they probably wont have to deal with the things I have had to because of that.

If you have any specific questions about my LASIK experience feel free to ask! Also, if you've had LASIK I'd love to hear about your experience.

February Photo-A-Day...

 Here is the photo-a-day list Fat Mum Slim made for February 2016...
How to take part in February photo-a-day:

  • Using the list as inspiration, take a photo each day
  • Share it on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #FMSphotoaday. You can also share on your blog or on Facebook by joining her group.     
  • Check out other people's photos and like them or comment on them.

January 27, 2016

Makeup Bag | Two New Favorites...

Recently I've added two new products to my makeup bag and I love them so much that I had to write about them. Those products being Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in the shade 1993 and Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara.

Lemme start off with Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in the shade 1993. 1993 is described as a matte medium brown and in my opinion it is the perfect throwback 90's (Duh! It's called 1993) brown lipstick. It's a creamy, non-dry feeling matte (Which is my absolute favorite lipstick finish) that just looks wonderful on. And most importantly it satisfies this need I've had to find a lipstick that looks like the one Scully is rocking in the earlier episodes of The X-Files (1993-2002).

The lipstick retails for $22.00 but it is currently out of stock on the Urban Decay and Sephora websites. The Ulta website claims to have it in stock but I don't know about that because I purchased mine from a physical Ulta store which bummed me out because I love getting me some Sephora points.

Now on to the Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara (Which I would like to note that I received complementary from Influenster but honestly if I wouldn't have received a sample of it I would have never have purchased it because I am a drug store mascara girl through and through, and the idea of spending twenty-something dollars on mascara is something I would never have entertained before. That being said, I have now been converted and I will be purchasing a new tube as soon as I finish my current one). It is a super black mascara that is described as an "ultra-volumizing mascara that delivers instant dimension for epic lashes" and I must agree with this description. It gives my lashes the perfect amount of volume and is lengthening on top of that. Plus you can apply multiple coats of it without it looking like you have spider eyelashes. It is honestly everything I've ever wanted in a mascara.
 
The mascara retails for $26.00, which is a tad pricey but totally worth it in my opinion, and is available at Marc Jacobs Beauty and Sephora.

So yeah, I am totally in love with these two new additions to my makeup bag and they make me love putting on my makeup even more.

Do you have any makeup or beauty products that you're currently loving? If so, lemme know! I love makeup and/or beauty product recommendations.

January 24, 2016

Sunday Steal...

Do You Like To See It Snowing Outside? 
Only if I don't have to go outside in it or clean it up.

Do You Tell Your Family You Love Them Enough? 
I think I do. 

Do You Like Getting Jewelry Or Do You Not Wear Any? 
I love getting jewelry that I've asked for. Like I'd be super happy if Justin or someone else got me an 18K gold 1mm to 2mm 30" or longer Cuban link chain for my birthday.

Do you watch a lot of NFL football? 
Hell no.

Have You Ever Used The Word ‘Lame’? 
Yes I have.

Are You/Were You In A Band? 
Nope.
 
When Is The Last Time You Went To The Doctor? 
Right before I went to Iceland back in September.

Do You Own Any Shirts With A Peace Symbol On It? 
Hell no.

Would You Ever Go To Japan? 
Yes I would. Justin and I are actually looking into going at the end of August this year.

What Was The Last Thing You Went To Walmart For? 
I went to see if they had any film for my Instax.

Ever Gotten In A Car Accident? 
Yes I have.

Have You Ever Been In A Choir? 
I was in chorus from 4th grade to 12th grade.

Do You Like The Color Of Your Eyes?
My eyes are fine.

When Was The Last Time You Went Ice Skating?
High school.

Have You Ever Had A Surgery? 
Yes I have. I've had my gallbladder removed and I had LASIK.

Do You Look Older Or Younger Than You Actually Are? 
Younger. Apparently no one thinks I'm thirty.

When Is The Next Time You’ll Be Up On Stage? 
Who knows...

Where Did You Spend Your Last Birthday? 
Buying myself a new used car and going out to dinner with my family.

What Is The Last Show That You Watched A Full Episode Of? 
The X-Files. 

Is There Anything You Need To Work On Doing Soon? 
Eh...

Do Your Feelings Get Hurt Easily? 
Depends.

Do You, Or Do You Know Someone Who Has Taken Karate Lessons? 
I have never taken a karate lesson in my life but I know people who have.

Were You Ever A Boy Or Girl Scout?
Nope and never did I want to be.

January 22, 2016

This Just Pinned: Week One Hundred & Fifty...

Here are the highlights of my last few weeks pinning...
(via: ModCloth)
(via: Pinterest)

As always if you want to see what else I have up on Pinterest you can check out my account here.

January 21, 2016

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Trailer...

If you remember, back in December I had written a post about all of the movies that Justin and I wanted to see throughout 2016 and included the trailers for the majority of them. Well one of the movies that I mentioned was Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising but there wasn't a trailer out for it at the time, well now there is and I had to come share it with you guys because it looks just as hilarious as Neighbors was.



Genre: Comedy
Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein, Selena Gomez and Lisa Kudrow
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller  
Writers: Seth Rogen, Nicholas Stoller, Evan Goldberg, Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien
Produced by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver
Executive Producers: Andrew Jay Cohen, Brendan O’Brien, Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake

Returning stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne are joined by Chloë Grace Moretz for Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the follow-up to 2014’s most popular original comedy.  Nicholas Stoller again directs in a film that follows what happens when the will of parenthood goes against the bonds of sisterhood.     

Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs.  But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.     

Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want.  When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.     

Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo)—bring in charismatic Teddy as their secret weapon.  If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappas’ home.  But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy. 
How awesome does this movie look?! What do you guys think? Lemme know.

January 18, 2016

Craving Adventure | Places To Visit In 2016...

Those of you that have been around for awhile know that I absolutely love me an adventure, especially in the form of a day trip. And despite all of our X-File binge watching as of late, Justin and I have been thinking about random day trips and activities we can do once the weather gets warmer.

So this is my little list as of right now...
In addition to these things, Phil and I have been talking about the possibility of some out of state adventures. Once we iron those out I'll definitely revisit the topic.

Even though these are just a few things we are contemplating doing in the up coming months, I thought I'd share them with you so maybe you can get an idea for your own day trip/activity or maybe you can recommend one for me to go on with Justin, Phil or whomever.

Here is a list of activities we've done and places we've visited in the past with the blog posts (That is, if I wrote one) about them for those of you thinking about wandering around New York this year...

January 15, 2016

The X-Files Have Taken Over My Life...

For those of you that have been wondering why I've been so boring as of late it's because of The X-Files. Yes, The X-Files. I know... I'm a loser.

Last January I talked Justin into watch The X-Files (1993-2002) from the beginning of the series because he had never seen an episode of the show in his life -- Which I thought was weird because he was a big fan of Fringe (2008-2013) and various other science fiction based television shows, but he argues the fact that he was seven-years-old when X-Files started... A response that I don't agree with and just makes me think he was brought up by bad parents that didn't let him watch awesome TV (Thanks mom for letting me watch awesome TV). But I digress...

So yeah... We started watching from the beginning in January and despite the fact that the reboot of the series was announced back in March last year, we still took our sweet time working our way through the two hundred and two episodes, as well as the two movies. And once November hit we knew we needed to get our asses in gear and start burning through the series in order to watch the reboot as it aired and to not get totally spoiled by jerks on the internet (Justin is 100% not okay with spoilers. While I'm okay with spoilers 90% of the time and in terms of this particular show I'm okay with a few tidbits here and there but I don't want someone to just ruin this for me because I am loving on The X-Files right now).

At the time that I'm posting this we are on season eight, episode four and we have thirty-seven episodes left. As well as the movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). Which I serendipitously found on the sale cart at the library the other day.

So that is why I've been boring. I've been spending all of my free time binge watching X-Files with Justin. As soon as we get our lives back from the show I will do something awesome and blog worthy. But until then, sorry for being a little boring right now.

That all being said, some of you must enjoy The X-Files and for those of you that do here is a twenty minute video on the reopening of the X-Files... It contains a few spoilery tidbits, so don't watch it if you're like Justin...


And for those of you that really can't wait, DoYouStillBelieve.com has the first five minutes of the first episode of the mini series.

Personally I'm gonna skip watching the first five minutes and wait until Sunday, January 24th enjoy the first full two hours of the series.

For those of you that have gotten down this far, will you be watching? Do you still believe?

January 8, 2016

This Just Pinned: Week One Hundred & Forty-Nine...

Here are the highlights of my last few weeks pinning...
(via: Popsugar)
(via: Etsy -LotusFairy)



(via: Pinterest)
(via: Cooktoria)

As always if you want to see what else I have up on Pinterest you can check out my account here.

January 7, 2016

January 6, 2016

ZooMoo...

I just got a press release about a new interactive channel on DirectTV in Spanish for preschoolers called Zoo Moo and because I think it's so great, I thought I'd share it with all of you.


ZOOMOO, THE WORLD’S FIRST INTERACTIVE KIDS CHANNEL 
DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO ANIMALS AND NATURE, NOW 
AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. EXCLUSIVELY ON DIRECTV 

DIRECTV’S ONLY CHANNEL IN SPANISH FOR PRESCHOOL-AGE 
AUDIENCES ALREADY AVAILABLE IN 23 COUNTRIES WITH 
WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE OF 140+ MILLION     

ZOOMOO CHANNEL AND FREE COMPANION ZOOMOO 
APP OFFER A FULLY INTERACTIVE MULTIPLATFORM EXPERIENCE     
Following its highly successful launches in Mexico and throughout Latin America, ZooMoo, the world’s first children’s channel devoted entirely to animals and nature, is now available in the U.S. exclusively on DIRECTV, now part of the AT&T family.   

Available to nearly a million homes throughout the country, ZooMoo is now the only channel in Spanish for pre-school age children and their parents available to DIRECTV Spanish base package subscribers on channel 432.     

Designed to foster a lifelong love for animals and nature through a safe and unique television experience that is both entertaining and educational for young viewers and parents alike, ZooMoo interweaves puppetry, animation, and the world’s best natural history footage available in HD to tell stories about the animal world.     

The channel is complemented by a free downloadable App to provide a one of a kind multiplatform experience that allows ZooMoo channel viewers to automatically collect animals they encounter on the TV screen and bring them to life on their tablet or smart phone with games, music, puzzles and other activities.     

Karin Simoncini, ZooMoo’s head of programming and production said, "As a Latina mom of young children I’m personally thrilled that we at ZooMoo are partnering with DIRECTV to bring ZooMoo to Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States, where today, according to Pew Research Center, there are nearly twice as many Hispanic preschoolers as non-Hispanics in the U.S. DIRECTV deserves to be commended for its commitment to offering this audience a fully interactive ‘all animals, all the time’ entertainment experience that will be educational and incredibly engaging.”      

“DIRECTV is passionate about offering high quality children’s programming to its Spanish-speaking customers in the U.S.,” said Emma Brackett, vice president of Content and Programming, AT&T. “We’re proud to be the exclusive provider of ZooMoo and a leader in entertainment to audiences of all ages.”        

The standalone revolutionary ZooMoo App, which when synced to the channel enhances the interactivity by also turning smartphones and tablets into an extension of the channel, was recognized earlier this year with a Parents’ Choice Approved Award Seal of Approval from the Choice Foundation in the United States. In bestowing the award, the Foundation lauded the ZooMoo App as “a safe, intuitively-designed and entertaining way for young children to learn facts about animals and habitats, as well as the importance of caring for them.” EducationalAppStore.com echoed a similar endorsement in its review calling the ZooMoo app “one the most professionally, thoughtful, intelligent apps out there…deeply engaging…edutainment in its finest form…cannot be recommended highly enough."

ZooMoo was developed by its CEO and former president of Fox Networks Group, David Haslingden. In 2012 he identified a niche in the market for children's channels.  “ZooMoo was born out of research that indicated that preschool-age children are hardwired to be interested in animals - 80% of their dreams are about animals – and that if early on they don’t develop a sense of respect and caring for the natural environment they are at risk of never developing such attitudes. We saw a tremendous need to show children the wonders of the animal world and seized the opportunity to create a bespoke channel specifically for 3-6 year olds that unlike any other channel provides a foundation for lasting knowledge and growth by fostering the love and caring for animals and nature,” said Haslingden.

Supported by the rich tradition of natural history programming by international producers Beach House Pictures and NHNZ, ZooMoo is brought to life by a creative team personally assembled by Haslingden comprised of 45 producers, animators, graphic artists and computer programmers in dedicated production hubs including Mexico, New Zealand, China (Beijing), Singapore and Brazil.     

Already seen in 23 countries with a worldwide audience of more than 140 million, ZooMoo’s programming comprises 7,000+ separate animal stories and more than 500 hours of original content. ZooMoo’s signature, wholly original animal stories have been scheduled into unique one hour blocks under a structure developed in consultation with a team of leading childhood learning specialists from New Zealand’s University of Otago led by Professor Jeff Smith, Ph.D

ZooMoo’s leading cast consists of funny, furry puppet characters who help young children develop a knowledge and affection for animals, leading to a lifelong love of conservation, including:      
  • Flash, an engagingly good-natured photographer, dedicated, dependable and very charming, he is a keen adventurer with genial humor and a constant can-do attitude who explores the world and often ends up in unknown places in “Lost” and travels to different habitats to find out what animals are really thinking in “Look Who’s Talking?”
  • Piglet, a high-energy blast of boundless, breathless enthusiasm, who invents amazing solutions in her awesome workshop and explores the planet in her “Adventure Machine.” 
  • Owl, who’s smart, wise, particular and slightly precious, as he guesses which animals Flash has sent him in “Download This!”
  • Ninja Gorilla, who uses his astounding ninja super-powers to turn everyday objects into amazing balloon creations in “Ninja Pop.”
  • Baby DJ, a little monkey with headphones, bling and a cheeky grin whose mission is to turn the tables on all things animal and get everyone up dancing.
ZooMoo’s U.S. operations are headed by Los Angeles-based General Manager Julio Sobral, a longtime Fox Networks Group executive, alongside Miami-based Marketing Manager Alvaro Krupkin, former director of creative services and production for Telemundo Cable Networks.     

The ZooMoo channel made its worldwide debut in Brazil in September 2013.  In September 2014, DIRECTV began offering ZooMoo to customers in Argentina, the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.

About ZooMoo  
ZooMoo Networks is a multi-media company that owns and operates the ZooMoo channel, programming and interactive content for children around the World.  ZooMoo is collaboration between some of the World’s foremost wildlife filmmakers, early childhood educationalists and technology developers.  Its programming engages and entertains children with the wonders of animals, to stimulate and develop their innate emotional connection with the natural world.  Bringing to life more than 7,000+ separate animal stories and more than 500 hours of original content, ZooMoo can be seen in 23 countries and boasts a worldwide audience of more than 140 million. For more information on ZooMoo and where to download the app, please visit http://america.zoomoo.tv/ and  http://prensa.zoomoo.tv/.

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January 5, 2016

Stuck In My Head: Time To Dance...

As a result of my road trip this weekend and telling my sister that the older of Justin's younger sisters is a Panic! At The Disco fan, I've had "Time To Dance" from Panic! At The Disco's 2005 album A 'Fever You Can't Sweat Out' stuck in my head for days. So here is that for you guys...


So back to Justin's sister being a Panic! At The Disco fan. Justin and I think it's funny that she's a Panic! fan because we really enjoyed their first album when it came out and we had seen them on tour back in 2006 when she was only five-years-old. I even went out on Halloween in 2006 dressed as my interpretation of "The virgin the one the lawyer met with on strictly business as he said to the Mrs." from the song "Build God, Then We'll Talk." So it's kinda interesting and funny to us that a band we enjoyed ten years ago is something she is into now.

Road Trip To Vermont | "Favorite Page #1's" Wedding & Some Ice Cream...

As I mentioned in my little New Years Eve post, I was traveling to Vermont this past weekend to attend "Favorite Page #1's" wedding. So here is how that and my first weekend of 2016 went...

On new year's day I was woken up by a phone call from my sister telling me that she had been sitting outside of my apartment for ten minutes because I did not wake up to her five text messages. So I threw on some clothes, let her in and proceeded to make us a little breakfast before we packed up my car and jumped in to begin the drive from Long Island to Vermont.

Despite being a six and a half hour drive, it went relatively quickly. My sister and I spent the majority of the time singing, car dancing, snacking and Snapchatting.
Once we made it to our hotel in Burlington, we checked in and immediately jumped into the bed (I was being cheap and got us a room with a king size bed instead of multiple beds) to relax a little bit before having to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.

At the rehearsal dinner my sister and I sat with "Favorite Page #1's" family, as well as the bridesmaids and we had a lovely time. It was such a nice pre-wedding get together.

After dinner we went straight back to the hotel just to chill because we knew that we'd have to be up early the next day so I could go help the bride get ready for her big day.

Fast forward to the next day... My sister and I wake up before 6:00AM to shower and gather all of our things before heading over to the wedding venue where we met the bride and bridesmaids for wedding morning breakfast and primping.

As one of her gifts, I did "Favorite Page #1's" makeup for her big day and told her to let me know whatever else she wanted me to do because she was amazing and did so much for me on my wedding day.
So I helped her and some of the other girls get ready. Then my sister and I hung out with them until it was time for us to be seated right before the ceremony.

The wedding started at 11:00AM and went until a little bit before 4:00PM. Everything about the wedding was beautiful and sweet just like "Favorite Page #1" is.
After the wedding my sister and I headed back to the hotel to change out of our dresses and relax a little before heading into downtown Burlington to wander around and grab something to eat.

We ended up at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill for a nice cheese filled dinner, which prompted us to ask the waitress where we should go to pick up some good Vermont cheese. She pointed us just down the block to City Market/Onion River Co-Op.

While at City Market/Onion River Co-Op I picked up a couple of different cheese, maple syrup and some other goodies made in Vermont. Then we wandered up and down Church Street Market Place before heading back to the hotel and packing up our bags.

The next day we left the hotel around 9:30AM so that we could hit up the Ben & Jerry's Factory as soon as it opened. We went on the little half an hour tour that they offer, ate a scoop of free ice cream (It was Salted Caramel Blondie, which is Salted Caramel Core in the pints, for anyone wondering) and walked up a snowy hill to check out the Flavor Graveyard before really driving back to Long Island.
The drive back was pretty much the same as the drive up with the exceptions of that it took a little longer and we stopped at a Cracker Barrel (There are no Cracker Barrels on or near Long Island, so whenever we see one we stop and eat at it because we love them) for some food.

So yeah, that was my first weekend of 2016. I took a nice road trip with my sister (We didn't fight at all) and I got to be apart of the union of two people I care dearly about. It was a great way to start off the year.