10 years flew by....

Now and Then

I went to my 10 year high school reunion on Saturday evening. It was a nice simple occasion at a local Concord restaurant (The Red Blazer). Overall it was a good experience, I wish there had been some real food rather than appetizers I don't care for...but I guess there is a serious problem with how the school board handles the class's money, so I am happy there was food at all.

It was so nice to catch up with some friends I only ever talk to on Facebook. Face to face time is so much better lol.

I am fairly satisfied with where I am in life. I am happily married, we are planning to have a baby, I love my job, my husband is the main provider. It's perfect. I definitely did not see myself becoming a career bus driver after graduating....as it says in my yearbook I was interested in attending college to become a teacher. The most important thing is that I love what I do.

Attendees of the Reunion (not my pic, Stolen from Kate W's Facebook)

If I could go back and do high school again, I would have taken the Auto vocational program and upon graduating went to the Heavy Construction Academy and gone into construction. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20 and if I didn't take the path I did, then I wouldn't necessarily be in this situation. As I said before, life is pretty decent right now.

I now understand how Jeremy Clarkson feels...

And I want to be him  even more. I got to drive my dream car yesterday. Well, one of them; the Fiat 500 Abarth. It is a 160hp/170lb ft torque turbocharged  4 cylinder engine and 5 speed manual.. That may not sound that great, but you have to remember that this is a very small car. So that is a lot of power.

Boy, do you feel the power. It is definately one of the fastest cars I have ever driven, and by far the most fun, because not only does it have a boatload of power, but it handles awesome too! It has a improved suspension over the "regular" 500. Unfortunately I was unable to really get on it in some corners due to traffic and the crappy area we got to test it in.

What I couldn't get over was the amazing sound from the exhaust. It was deep and throaty, not fart can-ish at all. A true Euro tuner. Obviously, I kept the car in Sport mode (improves throttle response, adjusts  the tightness of the steering) and you just touch the throttle and the car emits amazing sounds out of the exhaust. However, while idling at a light, it is nice and quiet. I didn't find the noise to be too much at highway speeds either. It was a perfect balance.

As far as the interior, I loved the boost gauge. The shifter had a nice feel to it, definately a higher quality than the plastic of the standard 500. It was quiet, and the race inspired seats were very comfortable. Other than that, it is the same as the standard 500.

I do know when the time comes for me to trade in my current Fiat 500, I will be seriously considering the Abarth as it's replacement. In the meantime, I am thinking a Mopar Cold Air Intake and Mopar performance exhaust will be a nice addition to my Fiat.

Been a tough week

It's only Wednesday, but it has been a tough week already.

On Monday morning, I went out to my car to go to work and found my radio faceplate had been stolen. They had ripped the bezel off the dash, which was completely unnecessary, as the faceplate just comes off. Luckily the damage was minimal. I did use the opportunity to change the bulb that has been out for a couple years. To prevent further damage, I removed the radio in it's entirety. Today, I did read an article that a Scumersworth, I mean Somersworth, man was arrested for a string of theft. I am hoping they recover my radio faceplate.

Monday evening I notice my cat is really not feeling well. She was not being herself and wouldn't even touch her favorite food. I know its time. She has been struggling with what the vet thinks is intestinal cancer for over a year and a half. When she first came to my apartment from my parents, she was only given a month or so to live, so the fact she is still alive this long was a miracle. We were able to provide her a comfortable, happy place to spend her last year.

Tuesday I had to bring my car in for service which was uneventful. But then I had to take my cat to the vet for her final visit. Definitely not on my list of things I enjoy doing. I miss her so much already, it is weird her not being there. I am surprised at how much I used to check on her, as I go to now, and shes not there. :-( It is so hard to lose a pet, they are a member of the family. She was a member of my family for 16 years. Its not easy to say goodbye. She is now with her surrogate mom cat, Tiger, and feeling no pain.

As if that wasn't hard enough, I was dreading having to get up early to go to work Wednesday to do a shift I really don't like as I have to do the same loop 4 times in a row. I almost called out as I felt like crap last night, but I didn't. I figured staying busy and away from the apartment was a good plan. So I got up, got dressed, went to work. I checked to see what bus I was assigned, only to see my name not on the list. WTF? So I looked at the schedule $#!% I am doing the shift tomorrow, not today. Epic fail.

As my week has had such an awesome (not) start, just wondering how much better it can get...

Review: Sinful Colors Sinful Shine

I am a bit of a nail polish addict. So much so I bought a professional type wall rack to display it all as my crappy Sterlite shoeboxes weren't cutting it. I got this awesome rack from Amazon to corral my collection. It was shipped quick and easy to install. We did add 2 small L brackets on the bottom for stability, but they weren't necessary. Anyways, back to the reason for the post.

I received a bottle of Sinful Colors Sinful Shine in my Influenster Sunkissed VoxBox. It was the color Rebel, I wasn't thrilled with the color, it's a neutral browny gray color. However, as part of the program, I figured what the heck, I'll try it. The color grew on me and I could see it as a nice base to do some nail art on. It applied easy. Nice and smooth. It took 2 coats and it was perfect coverage. The shine is incredible. They claim it's 5x shinier than a patent leather shoe (whatever patent leather is....I'm so not fashionable lol). To me it's as shiny as a freshly waxed car. Anyway you put it it shines.  I kept the color on for about a week and the shine lasted, but the color did chip. It's worth mentioning that I did no prep to my nails, and I drive a bus, so it's not easy on my nails.

The best part of this nail polish other than the shine is the price, it's only $2.99!! I love inexpensive nail polish! If you look at my collection, there is no way I can be paying $8+ a bottle, plus I am a bargain shopper! The quality is good for the money. You can only find the Sinful Shine Collection at Walgreens,

I liked this polish so much I went and bought two more colors, Picante, a reddish pinkish bright color, and Alfresco, a pretty light blue without being baby blue. 

I would definitely recommend these nail polishes to anyone looking for a shiny colors that's easy on the wallet. There are 32 colors to choose from. 

Review: Dr Scholls For Her High Heel Insoles

Yet another product I received in my Influenster Sun VoxBox was the Dr Scholls For Her High Heel Insoles. At first I was like, what am I going to do with these, I don't even own high heels, I barely have flats that aren't sneakers or sandals! Then I remembered about a pair of Crocs flats I owned. They are very comfy, however I am not a huge fan of the little massaging nodules that Crocs are famous for as I have sensitive feet from years of wearing socks and shoes.

Pic from DrScholls.com

Once I finally got into the packaging (luckily I won't hold that against the product lol), the  insoles felt very nice. Just enough squish to them while still providing support. I was able to peel off the backing to reveal a mild adhesive that keeps the insole in place. I had to readjust the left insole several times, but the adhesive stayed useable. If my shoes had a felted insole, I think that would affect the adhesives reuseableness, but in my case it was all good.

I liked that they have arch support and massaging gel at the ball of your foot. It made my shoes even more comfortable than they already were. I know I'll be able to strut out in style while being comfortable with these insoles under my feet. I will have to try them in a couple pairs of shoes I haven't really worn due to them hurting my feet. If you have any slim shoes, I would definitely recommend trying these insoles. Plus, there are often coupons that can be combined with sales to make these an affordable option!

Review: Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics

As part of my Influenster Sun VoxBox , I was sent a set of  Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics to try out.  Unfortunately, shortly before my box arrived, I got a hair cut which means I couldn't really try these elastics in my hair, but when my hair gets long enough, I think I will enjoy using them. They have a nice wide band of elastic ribbon that would not put as much pressure on my hair.

Pic from Goody.com

I really liked the colors, kind of wish there was a dark blue one in the mix as I wear a lot of jeans, and my work uniform has blue in it, but other than that, it's a cute color palette.

For the time being, I used them as a nice bracelet option. They are a bit tight and I have a small wrist (as in I can comfortably wear a children's watch and almost all one size fits all bracelets just about fall off), however the size seems perfect for an average ponytail. They are a bit wide for a short ponytail though, as I did try to use them in my hair. They did not pull or catch my hair, which was very nice. I have fragile hair that falls out and breaks easily, so these would be an excellent solution for me.

You can find out more information as well as where to buy these Ribbon Elastics and other Goody products at http://www.goody.com. If you have long hair, I would recommend getting these. As they are Ouchless I would also recommend them for finicky children who may not like traditional elastics.

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream

As you most likely know, I am a member of the product testing website, Influenster. You fill out surveys and review products from pet care to food, to health and beauty. Every so often, they select a group of people based on your interests to receive VoxBoxes....a custom box with full size samples of products for you to test, share, and review, and no cost. I was selected to receive the SunKissed VoxBox that had a very nice selection of products. Included in this was Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Fair to Light.

I was pleased to receive this product to test as it was something I was considering purchasing prior to my receiving the Sun VoxBox.

Image from pgestore.com

According to Olay.com, this BB Cream has 6 main benefits:
• Refreshes skin instantly
• Brightens for a radiant glow• Evens tone with a splash of sheer color• Hydrates for 24 hours• Smoothes for softer feeling skin• Protects against UV damage with SPF 15

I am definitely not an expert with skincare and makeup, I only started experimenting with it in the past year; however I have been intrigued by the promises of a BB Cream and the simplicity of application.


I applied this BB Cream with my fingers and blended it in. I was hoping for a bit more coverage, and I found it a bit greasy. My skin is combination, lately dry in the T-zone and oily everywhere else. This products felt good on my dry areas, but a bit heavy elsewhere on my face. I was hoping for a bit more coverage, but from my research, American market BB Creams are rather sheer compared to the Asian originals. After the product was on my skin for a few minutes, I did notice a better coverage than upon application. It has been comfortable to wear, I don't feel it on my skin unless I actually touch my face. I was out shopping in the heat and humidity and feel the product lasted well. The smell of the product is pleasant, and not very strong, which is nice. I don't like heavily scented products as I have sensitive skin.

If you need light coverage and dry to normal skin, I would recommend this product. If your skin is oily, I would recommend finding a different BB Cream.

You can find out more information and purchase at: www.olayfresheffects.com and http://www.amazon.com/