Author: alittlebitsquirrely

Fashion

Gift Guide: Purrfect Tops For Any Cat Lover

alittlebitsquirrely

For those that don’t know, I’m a cat lover. I’m not ashamed to embrace the “crazy cat lady” title. With that being said, I decided to create a gift guide for the purrfect tops for the cat lover in your life (or if you’re like me, a gift guide to TREAT YO’ SELF). I’ve scoured my favorite brands to bring you top-shelf cat lady approved attire. (You’re welcome).

Wildfox Couture’s Seeing Cats Dali Sweater
This bright read boxy crop top sweater is a must-have for the season. Pair it with your favorite high-waisted jeans or even a faux leather mini (BLANKNYC skirt from Nordstrom) for a night out with friends.

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Lauren Moshi’s Felix the Cat Ragland
This super-soft boyfriend ragland top is here to give you all the vintage feels! Pair it with distressed denim or jogger pants for a casual look (Willow & Clay’s Faux Leather Jogger Pants).
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Meowington’s Cool Cat Tank Top
This ultra-cool and on sale tank can be easily carried into the fall/ winter season. Rock it with a pair of black skinny jeans (Madewell’s High Waist Skinny Jeans) and top it off with a Moto jacket (BLANKNYC’s faux leather Moto jacket).
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Shein’s Cartoon Cat Print Sweatshirt
Are you kitten me with this sweatshirt from Shein?! This is the purrfect weekend sweatshirt for brunch. Personally I’d pair it with some colored denim like JJen7’s Release Hem Skinny Jeans in charm pink. If the top runs long on you, knot it on the side.
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J.Crew Factory’s Sleepy Cat Teddie Sweater
This slim fit sweater is a must-have for any cat lover. Take the look up a notch with a pair of black skinny jeans (Topshop’s Leigh jeans) and a fitted black blazer (Vince Camuto’s Drape Front Blazer)
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Anthropologie’s Wild Cat Top
Take a walk on the wild side with this cat print top from Anthropologie. The ruffle detailing gives it some spice and “cat-titude.” What I love about this shirt is that you can take it from desk to dinner so easily by either adding a fierce leather jacket (Pistola Tracy Cropped Faux Leather Jacket).
Screen Shot 2018-11-20 at 6.15.28 PMNow I want all of these tops. Guess I’ll be adding some of these to my Christmas list!

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Dad's Journey, Uncategorized

Navigating a New Way of Life

alittlebitsquirrely

IMG_4806Things have been a bit stressful these past few months. The day before my birthday we received confirmation that my dad has both frontal lobe dementia and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). While we all suspected the news was coming, I was in total denial about it and sorta still am in denial about it. The only blessing is that with dad’s dementia, he doesn’t realize that he has ALS.

We learned that dad’s ALS is likely tied to his time in the military. Apparently it’s a growing trend with military veterans being diagnosed with ALS. While dad never served overseas, he did work with many types of chemicals for warfare and whatnot. I don’t know all the specifics about what he did, but I do know that back then they never wore protective gear (masks, gloves, etc). Even with his actual job (post military) he dealt with a vast array of chemicals and of course they never wore protective gear for that as well. It was never a concern back then.

Now we are navigating a new way of life. We’re learning about ALS as well as dementia. Dad is no longer driving (he thinks the doctor told him that because he’s not wearing his hearing aids), but that’s not the case. We’re trying to keep dad happy with continuing with activities that he loves: going to the gym about 6 days a week, going to NC State football games, dinner with friends at his favorite restaurants (42nd Street Oyster Bar and Hayes Barton Cafe) and most recently a trip to the NC State Fair.

I’m going to try to keep this blog regularly updated about dad to eventually share with family and friends on how he’s doing and all the activities he’s still involved in.

Dating Diaries

Dating Diaries: Mr. No-Show

alittlebitsquirrely

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In my 30-something years of living, I have never been stood up. Until now.

This was probably karma coming back to me for leaving my date with the doctor when I told him I had a headache.

We were planning to meet at a little hole-in-the-wall bar that has fun games like ping pong and skee ball. Prior to us meeting we had to reschedule our dates a few times, I didn’t think anything of it. I arrive at the bar and text him letting him know I’m sitting outside. He responds, “running a few minutes behind I had to take my dog out.”

I decide to order a glass of Pinot Grigio and wait for his arrival. Twenty minutes go by. I text my friend to ask her how long does one wait until they realize they’ve been stood up.  She instructed me to text him about his ETA and wait at least 20 minutes before leaving.

I shoot him a text asking him,  “Hey _____ just seeing if you’re planning on coming or not. If you’re not, it’s cool… but just let me know.” Radio silence. No reply. Nothing. At this point I couldn’t help but laugh a little. I finish my wine, close my tab and bounce out of there.

If I learned anything from this non-existent date, it’s that I can totally go somewhere and drink a glass of wine by myself and not feel weird about it. Victory!

 

Dating Diaries

Dating Diaries: A Disaster With a Doctor

alittlebitsquirrely

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I went on my first and last date with a private practice doctor. I have nothing against doctors, my best friend married a doctor who works at Duke and I love him to death. *Note: I told my friend about my date with the doctor and she told me to stay away from doctors who are in private practice as they’re high maintenance and all about the money.*

So I met the doctor at Vivace at North Hills, which I thought was just going to be for a drink since it was 9pm. I don’t know about you, but I can’t eat dinner after 9pm for the fear I’ll get heartburn. Anyways, I arrive and he’s sitting at the bar and we greet each other with small talk. As I’m handed the drink menu from the bartender, I make a comment about how I could really go for a glass of rosé. The response I received from the doctor was not expected… “don’t order a glass of wine, get a cocktail. I’m thinking we’ll have a nice bottle of white wine from Italy when we sit down for dinner.” Insert my facial expression of disbelief when I was told what to do. That was red flag number one. In case you’re wondering, I never ordered a drink. I did not want a cocktail and I wasn’t even sure I wanted a glass of wine after that.

Red flag number 2. He proceeds to talk about himself and the practice he was recruited to. He talks about skiing, elaborate vacations, the country club he belongs to, etc. It was then I realized this was not going to work out. I could tell he was looking for a trophy wife. He wanted someone to show off, someone to be a stay-at-home mom and be the one who takes care of the home while he works. This was not something I wanted to sign up for.

Red flag number 3. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I noticed he kept jingling his wrist throughout the date. It was obvious he wanted me to see his watch. I thought I’d play along for giggles. Here’s how it went:

Me: *Looking at his watch* “Is that a Rolex?”
Doctor: “Why yes it is!!” *He proceeds to remove the watch from his wrist on his own accord and hands it over to me thinking I will marvel and drool over the luxurious watch.* “It’s 14 karat white gold”, he exclaims.
Me: *Blank stare. Thinking to myself, is this real life? I gotta get outta here.* To try to lighten the mood I say, “Well you know I have this fancy Garmin watch on. It tracks my steps, my heart rate, I get text messages, etc.”
Doctor: “Maybe I’ll buy you a Rolex one day.”
Me: “No… I’m good.”

I hand the watch back to him and tell him I probably wouldn’t be staying for dinner as I had a headache. Truth be told, I was getting a headache and I didn’t want to have to sit through a meal with him that he would insist on paying for. As he walked with me outside red flag number 4 was minutes away from happening. He proceeds to tell me he used to live in the apartments above North Hills, but had to move to a “higher rent district” because he wanted to be around more sophisticated people like him. I couldn’t leave this conversation fast enough. We exchange goodbyes and I head to my local McDonald’s so I can treat myself to some french fries and think about what just transpired.

Don’t get me wrong, I like nice things too. I just don’t air it out or brag about it. Good for him if he bought himself a Rolex or joined a country club… that kind of stuff doesn’t impress me. If you really want to impress me, tell me you volunteer at an animal shelter or that you’ve ran your first marathon.

Beauty

Here’s My Philosophy

alittlebitsquirrely

Ok guys, I’ve been on a major Philosophy kick.  I’m OBSESSED with their purity facial cleanser.  Apparently I do not need to buy any more of it- I have two bottles of their super size cleansers AND a few bottles of their 8oz bottles. *Note to self: do not request any more of their facial cleanser for Christmas or until I’ve put a dent in my current stash.*   It’s basically my go-to cleanser and my skin feels so clean and soft after I use it.

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Pro-tip: use a Clarisonic Mia 2 brush with the cleanser to feel extra fresh.

So I have two of Philosophy’s bath + shower gels that I use- Fresh Cream and Melon Daiquiri. I have to admit out of the two, my favorite is the Fresh Cream. Maybe I’m drawn towards to the fresh scent of it… regardless, it’s my favorite of the two.

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P.S. Has anyone ever tried their recipes featured on their bottles? I’ve always been curious about that.

So that leads me to my next predicament… what do I request this Christmas? Side bar: my mom is having a hip replacement at the beginning of December so she’s asking us for our Christmas list… now. That means I’ll be moving home to help take care of her since my dad has the early stages of dementia and basically won’t be the best caregiver. Maybe I should also ask for the best bottles of wine to get during my stay at my parent’s house… I’m probably going to need it!

I’m 87.9% sure I’m going to ask for their exfoliating clay mask. I’ve been on the hunt for a clay mask that reduces pores and gets rid of blackheads.  I would LOVE to get any recommendations on the best clay mask to try out.

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I’m also thinking of requesting one of Philosophy’s bath + shower gels. I’ve narrowed it down to the following: Cinnamon Buns, Vanilla Birthday Cake or Apple Cider. I guess you could say I have a thing for baked goods + sweets. If you had to choose between the three, which one would you choose?! #firstworldproblems

Finally… do I ask for Philosophy’s Renewed Hope in a Jar moisturizer or one of their No Reason to Hide serum? I have dry skin in certain areas on my face with a few imperfections, but I don’t need anything that tightens and firms- hence I narrowed it down to these two products.  Does any one have a favorite to choose from?

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If only I had the time to go to an Ulta or Sephora store, I’d go scope it out in person but with launching my own business it’s been on the back burner.  And let’s be honest, any free time I do have, it’s spent either meeting friends for happy hour or catching up on my  favorite shows.

 

My Bucket List of Bands, Uncategorized

That’s What I Like

alittlebitsquirrely

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Two words. Bruno Mars.

Can I just talk about how amazing he is live in concert?  But really.

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Here’s my overall review of the show:

  • The opener, Jorja Smith, was kind of a snooze fest.  Her voice sounded just like Nelly Furtado, but her style (fashion) was more Rihanna.  Most of her performance consisted of her standing at the mic.
  • Bruno opened the show with Finesse from his 24K Magic album with some pyrotechnics from the stage.
    • I could have done without the pyrotechnics, every time it went off I screamed. My friends got entertainment out of me being startled every single time.
  • He played most of hits like, 24K Magic, Treasure, Chunky, That’s What I Like, Versace on the Floor, Marry You, Grenade, Just The Way Your Are, Locked Out of Heaven and Uptown Funk.
  • Bruno’s band was the bomb dot com, they provided so much energy to the show that paralleled perfectly with Bruno’s stage presence.
  • He didn’t talk a lot.  Sometimes performers like to talk between sets (which I’m not a fan of), he didn’t do that… so Mr. Mars, I thank you.
  • Shout out to the man in front of me who wore a Chance the Rapper shirt and had his ears plugged the entire night.  Maybe you should have bought ear plugs or purchased seats that was further from the stage. You blocked a lot of my views. #notblessed

It was a stellar night with friends. If you get the chance to see Bruno Mars in concert, DO IT! The man can sing, dance and play the guitar. And let’s not forget he’s easy on the eyes too.

Dating Diaries

Dating Diaries: Regina George

alittlebitsquirrely

I swear, I have the worst luck when it comes to dating guys.  I decided to give the app, Hinge, a go.  I matched with a nice looking fella and we basically hit it off immediately.  By hitting it off I mean we had the same taste in music and movies- I guess that was pretty much it (looking back it should have been a red flag).  I got blind-sided by the fact that we had a conversation via MEAN GIRLS memes… I mean wouldn’t you?!FullSizeRender-6

More red flags:

  • He thought I was looking for a BFF or a cat babysitter.
    • Ummm…. NO and NO
      • I have enough BFFs and Boo Radley (my cat) has enough babysitters
  • He did not appreciate my witty sense of humor.
    • I might have referred to him a blue-haired lady because he mentioned eating dinner early in one of our conversations.
      • He took offense to me referring to him as a “lady” and did NOT like that one bit.  It. Was. A. Joke.
  • He appeared to be a little homophobic.
    • I sent him a meme from the brosbeingbasic Instagram account and he indicated he used to follow them, but it got too gay for him so he unfollowed the account.
      • UMMM??? Ok.

Needless to say there were red flags, but I ignored them.  I thought to myself, “I’m going to see this date through!”

Side note: my outfit was amazing. I had on a Free People tank, distressed Joe’s Jeans and a pair of Michael Kors wedges on.  I basically wasted an amazing outfit on a bad date.

I arrive to our date destination.

He was dressed very nicely. He had on a pair of designer jeans and a Brooks Brothers shirt.  He also had on typical frat-bro loafers and a nautical belt that fratastic guys usually wear.

The conversation was TERRIBLE.  I mean it was REALLY bad.

  • He did not like what the hostess was wearing, he thought it was see-through.
    • No it wasn’t see-through. I actually liked her dress.
    • A quote from him, “If I was a CEO and she was working for me she would not be wearing that dress.”
      • Ok…..
  • He did not like the type of glass his beer was served in, he thought the glass was “fruity”
    • See my observation above under red flags about him being homophobic.
  • He was very opinionated about tattoos.
    • Side note: I have a small tattoo on my wrist.
      • According to him you have to play the role of the career you want.  Apparently that means you can’t have tattoo sleeves and be a CEO.
        • Am I talking to my dad?  I’m pretty sure I was on a date with an 80 year old man, not a 31 year old.
  • I commented to him that our waitress looked like Kristen Bell.  His response: “Kristen Bell is old, she’s like 40.”
    • Me: “No she’s not. She’s about my age.”
      • After consulting Siri, yours truly was right.  He then told me he didn’t think our waitress looked like her, but I told her anyways.  It made her night.

That was probably the shortest date ever for me… under 45 minutes.

Now here’s the best part.  Well, not the best part, but it would only happen to me.

We’re walking down the street and the sidewalk had a lot of uneven pavement. I’m not even at the corner and I feel my ankle giving out.  My arms flail around like a crazed bird and I do a 360 spin like a drunk ballerina (P.S. I wasn’t drunk when I fell, I didn’t even finish my Moscow Mule on the date).  Next thing I know I’m laying on the ground staring up at the sky.

Here’s a series of thoughts that went through my mind:

  • How many people saw that?
  • Is this real life?
  • Did I break my ankle?
  • This would only happen to me. #storyofmylife
  • Should I buy a Life Alert?
  • I wish my friends were here to see this.
  • Can I just lay here for a few minutes?
  • Are my jeans ok?
  • I wonder what judgmental thoughts are going through people’s minds about me.
    • “Oh that girl is a hot mess.”
    • “She probably had too much to drink”
    • “It sucks to be her”
    • “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

I probably laid in the street for 3-4 minutes.  Several bystanders walked by me to ask me if I was ok and my date just stood there.  My response to everyone, “Oh I’m fine. I’m just laying here to make sure nothing is broken and to collect myself.” Followed by a nervous laugh.

I finally get up with the help of Regina George and continue walking with a slight limp and I just start cracking up.  He didn’t think it was funny.  We said our awkward goodbyes and departed.

God bless Google for telling me how to treat my ankle. I wrapped it up in an Ace Bandage, iced it and elevated it.  The following morning was touch and go, but since I was proactive my sprained ankle wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

For those of you wondering, he texted me the next day and said, “Hope your foot is ok. Bye.”

I give this date ZERO stars.

 

 

 

Dating Diaries

Dating Diaries: Mr. Sensitive Guy

alittlebitsquirrely

So I recently went out with a guy (twice), that I’ll call Tom that I met off Tinder.

Tom + I met at Trophy Tap + Table in Downtown Raleigh.  When I arrived he was already sitting at the bar.  The conversation was great and we had some laughs.  Towards the end of dinner he tells me he has something to tell me.  I’m thinking to myself, “oh great, I can’t wait to see what confession he has for me.” He proceeds to tell me that he’s not 38 per his info on Tinder, he’s 42.  Am I happy that he lied about his age? No. I try to brush it off.  We then decide to head to Fox Liquor Bar for a drink.  He then tells me has something else to tell me.  Bless America! What else is he going to confess to me about?!

He tells me he walks with a limp.

Ummm… ok.  I’m thinking to myself, ok no big deal and don’t be superficial about it.  I mean there was some chemistry there and I figured I’d give the guy a chance. As we started to walk out of the bar it was a very obvious limp. The only way I can explain it which is going to sound mean (which is not my intent) is that it was like on the episode of Friends where Phoebe goes running with Rachel (but picture walking like that).  See? I knew you’d thought it would sound mean, but that’s the only way to give you a visual.

We get to the bar and he wants to sit in the dark corner. Of course this isn’t going to end well.  Thirty minutes in the bar and we’re making out like we’re two teenagers. Side note: I’m not going to be able to show my face in that bar for quite some time.

When we parted ways we decided to make plans to hang out again.  I figured I would give him another chance to redeem himself for lying to me about his age.

Date rating: 8/10

 

 

 

Dating Diaries

Dating Diaries: BMX Guy

alittlebitsquirrely

It’s been awhile since I posted about my dating life.  Things have been picking up lately, maybe it’s because summer is here. Who knows?!

All names have been changed to protect their identities.

A few weeks ago I went out with a pro BMX bike rider who I will name Ryan, that I met off Tinder.  He had over 117k Instagram followers, was verified ON Instagram and was from South America. A latin BMX rider?! Say whaaaat?!

I already had an idea that this probably wouldn’t work out, but when would I ever get the opportunity to go out with a famous BMX rider?

So for shits + giggles I decided I’d meet him for a drink. I’m not going to lie, a part of me thought I was being catfished.  I mean why would a pro- athlete be on Tinder? Of course I told several of my friends where I was going like I always do in event I end up on Dateline.

Since he lived on the outskirts of Raleigh we made plans to meet halfway at a hole-in-the-wall bar, Abbey Road.  The good news was that he didn’t catfish me, he was who he said he was.  The conversation was steady, but not stimulating.  For someone who traveled the world for a living I knew he wouldn’t be a good match for me, but he was a super nice and down-to-earth guy.  With a friendly hug we parted ways and headed back to our own  lives.

Date rating: 6/10

 

Around Town

Who Dis?

alittlebitsquirrely

Cinco de Mayo… another reason to eat Mexican food + drink delicious margaritas.  It was a good thing we booked our dinner reservations a week prior since everything was practically full.  The lucky restaurant that got to see our bright, shining faces was Centro in Downtown Raleigh. I must admit, it was my first time going there (why? I don’t know), but damn it was good.

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The margs were well worth the price.  I had the Fabulous Cadillac + my friend had the Spicy Mezcal… both phenomenal.  If I wasn’t unemployed I would have had more than one. #firstworldproblems.

Our waiter was an adorable kid (22 yrs old with five majors), you could say we got to know the staff while we were there.  With over 150 reservations, the restaurant had a prefixed menu which worked for them so they could usher everyone in and out in a timely manner. Bravo, Centro!

Next stop: our favorite bar, Landmark Tavern.  It’s a low-key bar and the bartenders are way cool… plus they allow dogs in the bar.  (I do not have a dog at the moment.  I have a crazy ass Mainecoon cat named Boo Radley and after he beat up a pug, I’ve decided he has to be an only child.  When I do get a dog though, I have my eyes set on getting a corgi). ANYWAYS…. back to the evening-

One thing I love about Landmark is the music they play.  It’s old stuff, not 90s and current music, it’s more like classic rock, 80s and some oldies.  For example on Friday night some of the tunes I recall hearing was Summer Breeze by Seals + Croft and Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears.  We may or may not have belted our hearts out singing the songs. Don’t judge.  Two memorable things occurred that evening:

  • I’ve been getting these random texts since January from an unknown person. See exhibit A below:
    FullSizeRender-6So I typically know who I give my number out to… this guy (?) doesn’t seem to get a hint, but I don’t want to reply because I want to see how much long I can keep this going.  My friend decided to take it upon herself to text this person and I created a name for this unknown person, “Who Dis?”
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    “Who Dis?” then asked my friend where she lived and then proceeded to ask if she wanted to meet up. Which begs the question, how does he know that my friend is a she and he’s not being catfished. Granted we weren’t cat fishing, we were just trying to get to the bottom of who was texting me. We never found out who the person was. Stay tuned for further updates.
  • I met the most adorable three month old French Bulldog that was wear a denim hoodie.  I was SMITTEN with the fashionable puppy along with all the puppy kisses I received. Ugh! I really need AND want a dog.  Maybe I’ll see if I can take Boo Radley to see a hypnotist and not have an urge to attack dogs.

P.S. I wish I had taken a photo of the dog wearing the stylish denim hoodie.
P.S.S. Now that I am over 30 and under 40, I can stay out late and not feel like shit the next day.
P.S.S.S. I went out drinking the next day.
P.S.S.S.S. Am I doing the P.S. thing right?