Today's prompt is "all about your city", but I would prefer to talk about my home state of Maine! For the most part, I grew up in Maine but I had to go to college in Virginia to *reallllly* appreciate what an amazing place Maine is. 

I live in southern Maine, and I am just a few minutes from the beach. I could easily ride my bike but lets face it, we all know I am too lazy. Anyway, I absolutely love going to the beach in the summer. I try to go at least once a week. It is just so relaxing to lay there with my feet in the warm sand, listening to the waves crash and then running into the water when the sun becomes too hot to bear. 

Not only is Maine the perfect summer state, but fall/winter are perfect seasons too (I don't like spring no matter where I am)! The leaves changing and the crisp autumn air are picturesque...its no wonder why so many artists and authors find so much inspiration here. As far as winter goes, even though its super cold and snowy, it allows for some of the best skiing in the country. I skied a lot when I was much younger...I would be nervous to try it again now! Definitely would stick to the bunny slope... or perhaps just stay in the lodge by the fireplace?

Now I see that I have talked a lot about the weather, but I swear there is more to Maine than the sky! There is an awesome downtown in Portland with cobblestone streets (that are impossible to walk on in heels), boat rides, blue lakes, lighthouses, seafood, and the coastal attitudes!

If you ever get the chance, Maine (also known as Vacationland) is worth the trip! 

What is your home state like?

Blog Everyday...til the end of July?

One of my favorite bloggers, Juliette @ The Other Juliette, has been blogging everyday in July and has challenged everyone to do the same! I've really enjoyed the frequency of her posts because she is HILARIOUS. She loves Netflix, wine, being alone, gifs, and I could go on about what else she likes but then you might get her and I confused. Anyway, to make things easier with blogging everyday, she and a few other bloggers (Faith @ 'Cause You Gotta Have Faith and Allie @ allieology have made up a topic list for every day in July (click here for the list). I really wish I had started in the beginning of the month, but I figured that since today is exactly halfway through July, it would be a good day to start! HERE WE GO!

Today's topic is Top 3 Favorite Blogs!

1. Zoella/Tanya Burr/Sprinkle of Glitter

I grouped these three together because I love reading them (and watching their YouTube videos) for the same reason...They all have an interest in beauty and fashion, but they also include posts about their lives, vacations, random thoughts, homes, recipes and more. To make their blogs and videos even better, they are all from the number one place in the world that I am dying to travel to...England! Each of their posts and videos make such a nice addition to my morning cup of coffee on my day off. 

2. The Other Juliette 

I truly admire her witty and honest writing style and how she isn't afraid to tell her embarrassing stories to the whole internet. I would love to be able to sit down and have a glass of wine with her (while watching Netflix of course)! She also has the best tweets, so go follow her!

3. College Prep

Carly is a 20-something living in NYC living the bloggers dream. She posts things about fashion, her daily life, adventures and great giveaways! Something that I really love about her blog is that she always posts fantastic pictures. If you have any bit of the preppy spirit in you, you will love this blog!

What are your favorite blogs?

Monthly Favorites | June 2014

So before getting to the favorites of June 2014, I should apologize for the lack of posts... I had a two weeks of blog sulking where I didn't feel like taking the time to write anything down or take any pictures of the things I was doing and then I was just mad at myself for not feeling motivated for blogging. However I am back (hopefully without hiatus) and ready to rumble. So let's get on with some monthly favorites!

Beauty

If there was an award for the most shallow New Years resolution ever made, I think I would have been a nominee (and quite possibly a winner). While most people make meaningful resolutions or resolutions to better their inner-selves, I made a resolution to start wearing lip color more often (I know, don't laugh!) I usually would forget about it but then I realized what a big difference it makes in leaving the made up face with a perfect, put together finish. Soo in the past few weeks, I ended up buying a few Revlon lipsticks that are perfect shades for summer! I have a shimmery coral (Kiss Me Coral), a light pink (Wink for Pink), and a bright purple (Wild Orchid). 

My second beauty favorite of the month is the NYC Color Cosmetics Bronzer in Sunny. I love this for two reasons... One being that it is the perfect matte bronzer for my very pale face in the winter, but is build-able so it transitions well to my tanned summer face. Two is that it is extremely cheap! Since we have had such nice weather lately, I have been spending at lot of time at the pool and at the beach thus my face has a nice summer glow to it (even though I load SPF 50 sunscreen on it every 30 minutes...) This bronzer is the perfect shade for any skin tone so it is a year-round product!

Television

Now I know I am a few years late to being obsessed with this hit show, but in the month of June I could not stop watching One Tree Hill! I actually started this first season back in the fall, but schoolwork became too much and I lost interest in the show. I picked it back up again for the summer and I have been really into it! For those of you poor unfortunate souls who haven't had the show before, its about a group of high schoolers and their drama/romance/coming of age. I know it might not be up everyone's alley, but just watch it anyway (for Nathan Scott).

Food

This is a weird favorite I know, but I cannot stop eating Fage Greek Yogurt so I thought I would include it my June favorites! I never used to like yogurt until I tried greek yogurt and then my life was changed. It has a thick and creamy texture that almost makes me feel like I am eating a dessert for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack/whenever I am eating one. My two favorite flavors have been honey and cherry-pomegranate. YUM!

What were your June favorites?

Making the Most of It

Now that I am really into the groove of summer vacation, I want to share with you some advice about summer expectations. Every spring I tell myself that the summer will be the best one I've ever had and completely hype up the season for myself. As you could imagine, these expectations I had set for myself were really hard to meet. The past two summers I felt that all I did was work and when I wasn't working, I was sitting at home moping about not having a great summer. I had so many regrets that I wasn't doing more with my time. Towards the end of last summer, I started to change from being a sluggish and noncommital bore, to making the extra effort to make something useful out of my day. 

This summer I have really tried to make the most of every day I have off, and tried to be productive. I don't mean productive in a way that I get a lot of errands done or a to do list checked off, but I mean that I have made the most of my time. I go to the beach, spend quality time making amazing memories with my friends and family, read books, write blog posts, or take my dog for a walk, just to name a couple of things. I ask myself multiple times a day, "Is what I am doing right now going to make me happy when I look back on my summer?" This is my guiding summer question, and I suggest that you ask yourself the same thing!

Now you may be saying "Meghan, what about Netflix?...that doesn't seem very productive!" I have really tried to limit the amount of Netflix/TV/YouTube I watch on my days off. I let myself watch some while having my morning coffee, and somedays its really nice to have a lazy/slow morning to let myself recharge a bit (especially after working three 12 hour shifts in a row)! If I let myself be lazy in the morning, I make sure to make the afternoon/evening really productive.

On the days I work a long shift, I can't run home and go right out with my friends or John or even just stay in and read because I am usually falling asleep the second I get out of my car. So I have to make the most of my day while I am at work. I thought I would find this difficult, but I have had a stroke of luck this summer with my job. Compared to the past few summers, I really love my job and it gives me a lot of personal satisfaction. I have more confidence, feel more capable and feel like I make a difference in others' lives. When I walk into a shift with all these feelings, how could I not have a productive day?? 

To wrap up this rambling post, I challenge you to spend your time like you should spend your money...carefully and with confidence that you are doing the right thing with it! Make the most of everyday so you do not look back on your summer or your life with regret that you did not spend your time doing things that were important to you!

To sum up this post in one picture...?

What are you doing this summer to be productive?

Cheeseburgers With A Side of Shopping?

The stars had a rare alignment yesterday thus resulting in John and I both having the same day off! To celebrate this unusual occasion, we decided to drive a ways up the coast to Brunswick to this little drive-in restaurant called, Fat Boy Drive-In. Its a pretty famous Maine restaurant that has been featured on TV and in many articles for its delicious (and cheap) burgers and old style drive in service! 

We pulled up, left our lights on for service, and in no time a waitress was giving us menus that feature cheeseburgers just over $2 and a large side of fries for $1.80! John and I were starving so we ordered SO much food, and since it was so cheap and local, we tried not to feel too bad about it!

Us waiting for our food to arrive! 

 We ordered a cheeseburger, a specialty burger, a Canadian BLT, a side of onion rings, a side of fries, a Coke, and a vanilla frappe! We figured we should sample a bit of everything to get the full experience, right?? When they brought out all our food, they put it on a tray that hung right on the window of the car.

Food just hanging outside the car

By this point, John and I were a bit hangry BUT I managed to snag a picture of my cheeseburger before it was devoured...LOOK HOW YUMMY IT IS!

I got it with my two favorite burger toppings--ketchup and pickles

Once we finished this huge meal, we decided that a bit of outlet shopping would be the cherry on top of our vanilla frappe! We headed to the outlet village in Freeport (one of my favorite shopping places!). Our first stop on our shopping excursion was L.L. Bean, of course! For those of you that may not know, Freeport, Maine is home to the L.L. Bean flagship store...and its also one of John's favorite stores!

Did someone lose a boot?

After some wandering around the sale racks and looking at all the tents set up outside, we decided to check out some other stores. We both had success in the Old Navy outlet and the J. Crew Factory store! 

My mini haul!

I got two pairs of flip-flops from Old Navy, even though I'm not a big flip-flop fan, but I needed a few pairs to throw on for the beach. I also grabbed a bikini top from Old Navy for $6.50...SCORE! Finally, I bought a plain purple tank top from J. Crew Factory for $4...what a bargain!  Although J. Crew was having an awesome sale, I didn't want to spend a ton of money because John's birthday is this  coming weekend and I knew I would be spending money on his gifts this week! (More info to come on his gifts, I just don't want to spoil the surprises!)

We ended the day with one of my brother's Little League All Star games! It was a warm night for the game and turned out to be a fantastic night because they won! 

When was the last time you had a delicious cheeseburger?

Anatomy of a Work Day

Like any semi-reliable blogger, I was worried about what I was going to write my weekend wrap-up post about seeing as I worked all day Saturday and Sunday. I didn't just want to skip a post or just write "I worked"...So I am going to bore you with a dissection of my work day...BUT it is going to be explained through gifs so maybe keep reading?

When my alarm goes off:

Having to say goodbye to my cats for the day:

Once I'm at work, it's 12 hours of this...

...and this:

When I look at the clock and I am only six hours into shift:

When my 12 hours are up and I get to leave:

15 minutes after getting home: 

30 minutes after getting home:

How I feel about my job overall:

What did you do this weekend?

Meet My...Dog!

Reilly Jane is a four year old Golden Retriever. She loves swimming, long walks, and cuddling with her big sister (ME!). 

 We got her when she was just a puppy and I was a junior in high school. To be totally honest, I didn't want much to do with her at first. She was so cute but a ton of work that I wasn't interested in. 

However as time went on, I fell more and more in love with her, and now I can't imagine being home and not having her there! I miss her so much while I am away at school and it is the best feeling to come home and be greeted by her big grin and incessantly wagging tail. 

She can always make my day better and I hope these cute pictures of her makes your day a little better too! 

BONUS: Heres the cutest gif of her!

Do you have any pets?