Currently

Excited about: Taylor Swift of course. Katie and I are in final countdown mode. Only 4 more days. Can you believe it? Because I sure as hell can't. Today actually marks the one year anniversary of her 1989 album. How has it already been out that long? I'm just beyond pumped to not only see one of my favorite musicians but to do so with one of my favorite people (ahem that's YOU Katie). It's almost officially time to SHAKE IT THE HELL OFF!

In pain from: My tattoo. The second session was not only more painful during but it's been a more painful and annoying healing process too. I know I know it comes with the territory. It's not that I'm surprised necessarily I just want to feel back to my 100% self soon. Sunday I barely slept because I couldn't get comfortable because it was hurting. Then last night I fell out at 8pm because I was so exhausted. Ha! Whatever, I'm getting through it. One week of discomfort is worth a lifetime of a badass tattoo.

Reading: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - This is Rainbow's newest book and I've only just barely started it (maybe 5% in). It's based on characters from her other book FanGirl but is (from what I've read) a stand alone book. FanGirl was about two sisters who write fan fiction. Well Carry On is the fantasy book that inspired that fan fiction. I love her books so much but I love that Carry On is essentially a parody of Harry Potter. So I'm going into this book with huge expectations which probably isn't fair so I'm trying to dial it back a bit but so far she's killing it. Oh AND she's going to be at the Downtown Orlando Library at the end of November. I plan on going and meeting her!

The whole article can be read here: Vanity Fair

photo

Watching: Scandal! After the urging of several people I have finally jumped aboard the Scandal train. And of what a scandalous train it is! I'm mid-way through the second season and still loving it. Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is so bad ass it's not funny. She is just awesome. There are so many great characters on the show and it's fun to see how everything twists and turns. This is definitely a show where you think you have a character pegged and then they totally throw you. I'm able to fit in a few episodes a week but once my weekends slow down I'm going to do a nice little binge. 

Listening to: Adele's new song Hello and Gwen Stefani's new song Used To Love You. Those girls are bringing it. I've missed Adele's powerful voice/songs. I'm glad she's back! And Gwen, although I'm sad she's heartbroken and clearly going through a lot personally, it's definitely when she's at her best musically. Actually that's when most artists are at their best. I've had both of those songs on repeat.

This Weekend

TATTOO

I left work early Friday, picked up Dustin, and headed to Ormond. We got there early enough to enjoy a little Subway lunch and some quality time with the Bentons. It's weird to think that it just might be the last time the four of us hang out before baby Benton arrives. So crazy!

Dustin and I headed over to All Saints for round two of my heart/flower tattoo. I was under the painful needle for about 2.5 hours this time around. The color hurt so much more than the outline. I had to have Cortni put bactine on it a couple times just to take the sting out. But I got through it. The third session should be the last which I'm so excited about because it'll be the last of the pain and more importantly my tattoo will finally be complete. Two more weeks!

GARAGE SALE
I had been waiting for our neighborhood's annual garage sale. We had never participated before but I wanted to this year because we just had so much stuff that is just collecting dust. So for the past few weeks Dustin and I have been going through closets and the garage piling together all the things we wanted to sell. I mean we had everything from golf clubs to paintball guns to a box of movies to old purses to our giant grill. I woke up at 6:30am Saturday and started dragging everything out to the driveway. Dustin came stumbling out and ended up selling one of his drum heads 5 minutes into the whole thing. He didn't stay out with me the entire time but when he did come out he was on his game. He managed to sell all of his paintball items as a package deal for $100. I sat out there from 7:30 to about 10:30 am and it was steady with people the entire time. At first I was kind of worried because I didn't see any other homes on our road participating but the traffic flow was constant. I loved the "drive by" folks who slowed down to take a peak at what we had and then quickly decided they weren't interested and drove off. Ha. There were all types of people. Some people were very specific in what they were wanting. I got asked if we had old coins, antique furniture, and computers. I was all "no, no, and no". Most everyone was very pleasant. I especially enjoyed talking to a retired teacher about J.K. Rowling books. We both agreed that The Casual Vacancy was super depressing but he suggested I try The Cuckoo's Calling. I added it to my "to-read" list on Goodreads. I had to bite my tongue when a little boy took Dustin's putter and started playing golf with the acorns in our driveway. OUR CONCRETE DRIVEWAY. Dustin said something to him and then his parents told him to wait at the end of the driveway. Kids, man. We had a really successful day but still had a lot of stuff left over. I'm donating most of it and the rest will continue collecting dust I guess.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Dustin and I decided to totally veg on the couch with Halloween movies. We started with Casper which was just as lovely as it always has been. Then we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas (Dustin's pick). I can honestly say I have seen it only once before when it came out back in the mid 90s. I was in elementary school and I remember not liking it. Well I am now reminded why little kid me didn't like it. It's creepy. It's scary. It just gives me a weird vibe. I will say that a lot of the songs are catchy but the film itself doesn't feel like it should be for children. Maybe more like middle school age and up. Needless to say, I was not a fan. Dustin said to me "Maybe I was a weird kid because I always liked it." Um yeah, definitely weird.

CAR

Today I decided on a whim that I wanted to wax it which of course meant I would need to wash it first. So I did. Then I waxed it. Thankfully Dustin helped me with the "wax off" part because I was so done. My arms were aching and my face was on fire because it is still so damn hot outside. But we teamworked the shit out of it and got it done even if we did have to duck for cover every time the wind blew and acorns came raining down. I also Rain Xed  my windshield, got new windshield wipers, and Dustin filled up my tires with air. I am feeling very accomplished in the car front! 

What I Wore #35

I got this top (on sale) at Old Navy and I am in love with it. The little delicate cut-out feature makes the whole thing. The small detail on an already simple shirt just adds so much without being crazy! I paired it with my old skirt and a cardigan because it's sleeveless and I wanted to be work appropriate. I can't wait for it to get cooler out so I can wear the same look but with tights. My pasty legs would probably thank me. And the world too for covering them up. Ha!

Top: Old Navy

Cardigan: Forever 21

Skirt: Old Navy (forever ago)

Shoes: ModCloth

Found

7 Best Pop Culture References To Felicity's Shocking Haircut

Best Gun Control Commercial.

Write your Congressman about how you feel about gun control.

SNL even got in on the gun talk.

Listening Session with Taylor Swift: Part One / Part Two / Part Three

Billy On The Street: Chris Pratt Edition

Tom Hanks Reveals The Movies That Have Meant The Most To Him

Sarah Silverman perfectly sums up what it's like to have a panic attack.

Five Sisters Thanked Their Parents In The Loveliest Way

Taylor's GQ photos are amazing!

Hey Angelina and Brad, can you adopt me next?

23 Emotions We All Feel But Don't Know The Name Of

What Harry Potter Books Should Have Been Titled

Ryan Adams interviews Taylor Swift

Really loving this new Gwen song. I need it on iTunes like now!

This Month In Photos

Dustin drew this. By hand. All by himself. WITHOUT TRACING PAPER. He seriously could've been an animator or do voiceovers or a musician or a heart surgeon. I'm constantly impressed with all of his many talents. // Cool snapchat filter bro. 

Donut party! Sometimes you just have to buy all the donuts. Or half a dozen. Dustin and I tried that fancy cream-cheese filled square donut in the center and it was totally not worth the double cost. All others were delicious though. 

I put my new penguin hat on Dustin while he was xBoxing. He secretly loved it. // It's times like this when I really love my long hair. But these days are few and far in between lately. Short hair is coming...

Dustin and I make pretty cute Peanuts characters. I especially love Dustin's little ring that looks identical to his real one. 

A couple weeks ago we decided to try Shake Shack because it's all the rage and I've heard Taylor and Lorde eat there together. Anyways we tried it. It's pretty pricey but the burger are so worth it. I'm gong to be bold and say they are my favorite behind Five Guys. Their shakes were bleh. There was just no flavor or sweetness. So don't bother. The fries were decent but nothing special. I did really enjoy the whole vibe and the fact that it's located on a lake. There were such pretty views. 

This is my delicious Shake Shack burger. Mmm! //  This is future me. I will need both a pair of glasses and a monocle because my eyesight has gotten so bad. 

She looked at me. I looked at her. And we just knew. I had to bring her home from Barnes and Noble. I really hope they make more characters especially Luna Lovegood!

Seriously obsessed with Snapchat and it's many filters. I think I pull off the mouse look pretty well. // Oh did you guys not know that Dustin and I are no longer? Sorry to break it to you over a blog post but I belong to an even harrier man (if you can believe it). HA!

Cute little sign outside of a cute little shop on a cute little day spent shopping by myself. 

This is what I look like when Dustin asks me to try on his Walter White costume. I'm basically the white version of Missy Elliot. // Why yes of course I'd love a piece of FREE cake. I guess I'll just eat it right in the produce aisle, as you do. 

Dustin and I spent the 20 minutes before the movie started to come up with these little posters. It's hard because there were so few characters. But yeah, this movie is badass. 

Pretty much over the long hair. I am this close to pulling a Britney and shaving it off. It seriously takes 10 minutes to brush after I wash it. It takes so long to dry. It's just awful. But I have to keep repeating to myself "I will not cut my hair. I will not cut my hair." // Party gun mess. (Worth it!)

Tweet Tweet

9/16/15
The NFL should suspend Tom Brady for endorsing Trump. Jokes all around.

9/17/15
How do you become a pierogi racer? cc: @Pirates

9/20/15
I haven't been able to full enjoy my Sunday thanks to our A/C not working. It's currently 81 in our house.

Nothing has made me want to cut my hair more than my A/C being broken while watching all the short haired ladies on the Emmy red carpet.

9/28/15
I kind of hope one day Facebook will go down and never come back.

9/30/15
I get pretty pissed when movie theaters don't offer early movie times. I'm talking like 9AM Saturday morning. #notjoking

10/4/15
The problem with healthy food is most of it doesn't interest me at all.

Everyone's posting their 2nd pregnancy announcements and I'm over here wondering if I should announce my Ben & Jerry's flavor. (Cookie Dough)

10/7/15
I just came across an animal called the Saiga antelope. Having a hard time believing it's real but that's what the internet is telling me.

Went through our DVDs and managed to part with 33 of them. Still have 312.

10/8/15
I just asterisked an emoji because it was important to me that the person know which emoji I meant to send.

10/9/15
It's settled. Dustin and I are moving to Mars and bringing lots of ketchup.

Forgot how emotional it can be to let go of a good pair of shoes that have been worn to the max. "I will remember you. Will you remember me?"

10/10/15
Is it so hard to use grammar and punctuation when writing a two "sentence" Craigslist post?

10/12/15
The songs @dustinkensrue writes for his wife are some of my favorite songs ever. So beautiful, sweet, and real.

My emojis aren't showing up AND I am unable to tag people via my phone. Facebook, you're getting on my nerves.

10/18/15
I think it's time for Carl to head over to Jessie's house for a haircut. He's looking like Darth Vader/Nancy Grace more and more.

10/19/15
I'm 30 years old and have no idea what just happened these last 3 episodes of Girl Meets World. #soconfused #soold

A Halloween Post

Katie and I will be "Shaking It Off" come actual Halloween. I can't think of a better way to spend the holiday. I mean, we're down to less than two weeks! FREAK OUT.

So Dustin and I decided to carve pumpkins today. We have carved a pumpkin every Halloween since we've been together. That's 11 Halloweens which comes to a total of 22 pumpkins between the two of us. I love that we have our little traditions and pumpkin carving together has always been something we enjoy. Some years we carve alongside of friends but this year it was just the two of us sitting in the middle of our "dining room" floor. Having done this for so many years we had the whole event down to a science. We laid out an old sheet, set a box in the middle (for the pump guts), set our tools out, and got to work. Now you know you're getting old when you have to take a break half way through due to your body aching. Dustin was all "my legs hurt" and I'm over here "ugh, my back is killing me". HA! Dustin said next year we're carving at a table. This is growing old together. And it's just fine with me. We poked, sawed, cussed, and then before we knew it we were done. My favorite part is when we set our pumpkins in the bathroom (no windows = no light = better finale), light the candle, and oooh and aww over our hard work. We both chose hard(er) patterns (Slimer & T-Rex for the win!) this year but we still knocked them out of the park. Sore bodies and all! High five Dust!

ABC Family is starting their 13 Days of Halloween TV schedule line up tonight and it's pretty damn epic. How do people live without cable? (I obviously could if necessary but if we can afford it, you bet your ass we will have it.) Anyway the full line up can be seen HERE. Now I own all of the Harry Potter movies and Hocus Pocus (DUH!) but there's just something about having them on the TV too. It's nice to be flipping through the stations and BAM an old favorite is on. I asked Dustin if we could have a little Halloween movie marathon next weekend. I have requested Hocus Pocus, Casper, and both Addams Family movies. That's my childhood in a PG Halloween movie nutshell. Ha! I really don't like scary movies at all so I try and stay away from them at all costs. If I had to pick some I think I'd throw it back to the 90s with the original Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. But movies like IT, The Shining, & Poltergeist are all on my never-watch-again list. I've seen them once and that's enough for me. I'm the girl who gets scared of the horror movie preview commercials. Yeah, I totally cover my eyes. I like Halloween but I hate being scared. I've become an even bigger wuss in my old age and I'm not going to apologize one bit. 

Dustin and I were invited to my cousin's costume party but since I'll be hanging with Katie and Taylor that night, I had to decline. So I'm hoping she has another next year because I'm really itching to dress up. Maybe Dustin and I can wear some sort of couple costume! Pfft, he'd never go for it but I have a year to work my magic. 

I'm loving this WWE couple costume. But I think I should be Macho Man and Dustin can be The Hulk. 

source 

I kind of really want to be Wilson!! And Dustin would only have to grow his beard out for a month to get to the crazy Tom Hanks Castaway level. 

source

More couple costumes here. 

Also, have you all noticed the baby costume game is extra strong the last few years?! I kind of want to have a baby just so I can dress it up! Ok, not a reason to have a baby but maybe someone who is costume-challenged will let me borrow their baby! Any takers? 

Anyone willing to dress their baby up as a Bill Murray character is awesome in my book. 

source

Um, little RUN DMC is kind of the cutest. The accessories are just too perfect. 

source

I love this little 80s aerobic baby! The little boombox just make it. 

source

I'll end this post by saying that I love this season. I love October. And Halloween. And everything it brings. As much as I wish time would just stay right here, I know that these times are extra special because they aren't available all year long. So I'm just doing my best to be present and enjoy every second. As much as I want to speed up time so Katie and I can go hang with Taylor, I know that once it comes it'll be over just as fast. So I'm not going to wish these next two weeks away but enjoy every single day leading up to Halloween. But come Halloween, we go hard. 

source

A Child Like Mind

Nothing drives me crazier than people who grow up. Society tells us all that we should be or act a certain way by the time we're done with the college years. 

Don't shop in the juniors anymore; you'll look ridiculous. 

You can't listen to N'Sync; everyone will think of you as teeny bopper. 

You're too old to still be quoting The Lion King. 

Why are you eating a go-gurt? Those are for kids. 

Blah blah blah.

You're expected to mature and get serious about your life before you even know what the hell you want to do with it. Wear a suit. Put on makeup. Go to bed early. Get up early. Drink coffee. Punch that clock! Work until you go crazy. Die. 

The difference between Dustin and I and most of the rest of the world is we haven't bought into that mindset. We both have jobs. We both pay our bills on time. We both go to the dentist. We definitely do our fair share of adulting. But we also have fun. Like kid kind of fun. We play video games regularly. We have almost as many toys as couples WITH kids. We still think farts are funny. We have dance parties in our living room or in the middle of Target on a whim. We have Harry Potter and Star Wars home decor. We rather have board game nights than go drinking at a bar. And we're known for our not-serious-at-all-totally-fun Christmas cards. Dustin and I have always been a little quirkier that way. We aren't going to change ourselves or the things that bring us happiness just because maybe they aren't what society deems age appropriate.

I feel like so many people use their kids as the excuse. The excuse to carve pumpkins. The excuse to swing on the swing set. The excuse to go to a theme park. The excuse to eat a cupcake at 10am. The excuse to rollerblade around the block. The excuse to play dress us. The excuse to watch cartoons. Dustin and I don't need an excuse to do any of the childish or weird things we do. We do things we enjoy. Period. Sometimes we enjoy activities that would fall into the geriatric category, such as going to dinner at 4pm, but most of the time we're just kids who have and own their responsibilities without sacrificing their fun. 

We know we are 30 years old. We know that our childhoods are long gone. We're not living in a complete fantasy world. We just choose to live our lives how we want. I'm sure you've noticed but we don't really follow the same book everyone else does when it comes lifestyle.

I didn't write this for any other reason than to remind whoever is reading this right now to not lose the things you love no matter how nerdy or cheesy or childish they may seem to others. We all change and morph into different versions of ourselves but that doesn't mean we have to let go of every seemingly childish thing. Have fun no matter your age. Don't let questions like "Am I too old for this?" creep in your head. Who gives a shit. Be kind. Be responsible. But don't ever grow up. 

I swore that I would be

all grown up in my twenties

But I've got a child like mind

When everyone let go

and decided to move on

I said a little more time

Source: One, Two, Three

What I Wore #34

I have been dying for some gray jeans for awhile now and found the perfect pair (ON SALE!!) at Old Navy last Friday. Perfect for the cool weather that I'm hoping for but they still work in the hot hot heat too. Dustin gave me extra compliments on them which made me feel extra awesome. At first I had a black Paramore shirt on but it was so hot that I changed into my sleeveless Hogwarts shirt. It was the perfect outfit for a lunch date.

T-Shirt: Forever 21

Jeans: Old Navy

Sandals: Sanuk (Amazon)

Dustin Says

Facebook is just Jerry Springer with people you actually know.

I laughed so hard the back of my skull hurt.

When he got a call from the lab... 
I got a call from the blood people.

Well the Browns and the Jaguars lost. Must be football season.

Found

Bill Nye Perfectly Explains Why Men Should Stop Telling Women What To Do With Their Bodies

Watch this adorable little fisher.

This dance routine gave me serious chills.

25 Things You Didn't Know About Hocus Pocus

Age of Ultron Bloopers.

13 Extravagant Movie Houses You Wish You Could Live In. I love most of these houses so much but I used to pretend I lived in the Casper house. I thought it was just so cool!

The commentary at this baseball game is hilarious. Kind of sad. But funny.

8 Things I'm Too Old For

Women Try The Diva Cup. Just watch the video.

Grandpa gets a puppy!

Go, Cecile Richards!

Taylor Swift soap opera. HA!

What I Wore #33

This is probably one of my favorite clothing purchases of 2015. I mean, everything about it is perfect. From the color combo to the sleevelessness to the Peter Pan collar! This specific day was one where I dressed it down with jeans but I've also worn it with my nicer work pants. It's so versatile and will last through the gross summer stickiness into the crisp Florida winter. I've worn a cardigan with it while at work but I really can't wait to throw a full on sweater over it and have the collar and bow stick out. I can just picture the cuteness in my mind. 

Top: Forever 21

Jeans: American Eagle

Flats: Sophie & Trey

In The News

School Dress Code

I've read at least five different cases where teenagers/young women were sent home from school or work due to their outfit. I immediately thought back to my school days and distinctly remember my middle school dress code. We were not allowed flip flops or any sandal without a back. If we lifted our arms over our head and our stomach showed, then we were in dress code violation. If we put our arms to the side and touched skin, we were also in violation. The only rule I kind of (almost) broke was the no tank top/"spaghetti strap" rule. But I never once got in trouble. I dressed really tame in middle school. Actually I'd say most of the student population did. There were always that one girl or guy who always wanted to push the limits but I don't remember them ever being sent home. They were always just given a shirt or new pants to wear the rest of the day along with detention. Now in high school things were a lot more lenient. I thought I was so cool when I showed up to my first day of freshman year in flip flops! So cool until someone stepped on the back of one causing me to walk out of it and making me almost lose it entirely in the stampede of teens. But I still wore them. Because I could. Because I like them. Again, I never pushed the dress code limit. I was never that girl who wanted to show off a lot of skin. I'm still not. This brings me to the case where a Kentucky girl was sent home for showing her collarbone. HER COLLARBONE. There's also the recent news story about the girl with a badass leopard haircut who was sent home from school because of it. And then of course the ex-JCPenney employee who was sent home for her outfit that she actually bought from JCPenney. I believe a reasonable dress code is necessary and just part of life when it comes to school and work. Reasonable being the key word. How is a collarbone offensive or too revealing? It's not. Neither are shorts or a tank top. The argument that any of these clothing choices distracts the male population is absolutely insane. Why don't we teach our boys respect instead of shaming these girls for no reason? I strongly believe in teenagers being able to express themselves in creative ways. If they want to grow their hair long, or shave it off, or color it purple, then they should be able to. Hell, adults should be able to too. I do understand that certain workplaces aren't as flexible here but a surprising amount do support your personal expression and I absolutely applaud those places. The JCPenney incident was where my opinion fell on the border. On one side of things the girl did buy the clothes from JCPenney's business section but on the other hand I don't find shorts and a tank top appropriate for that kind of job. Was the outfit inappropriate? Not at all. But I don't feel like it was suited for that specific store. Some jobs you are allowed to wear shorts and some you aren't. I get her frustration to a degree but I feel like she handled it like a brat. To just up and quit over something like this is pretty immature. But to each her own.

Oregon Shooting
I was just as heartbroken and disgusted as every single American to hear that yet another (school) shooting had occurred. Another shooting period is one too many. I absolutely hate that this has become apart of American culture. I hate that nothing is being done. Because like President Obama said, thoughts and prayers are not enough. When are we going to actually take responsibility? When are we going to actually change some laws? When are we going to stop this bullshit? I do not like guns. At all. I don't get America's obsession with them. I don't get why so many assholes want to hurt innocent people. I don't get why everyone keeps screaming the second amendment. I don't get any of it quite frankly.

I don't know the shooter's name and I'd prefer to keep it that way.  The spotlight should remain on the victims, the heroes.  

I wish every conservative who whines about explaining gay marriage to their kid would tell me how to explain mass shootings to mine.

— Marla Caceres (@MarlaCaceres) October 1, 2015

Another mass shooting. Another gun control debate. Another nothing getting resolved. Another things go back to normal. Another mass shooting

— Brandon Calvillo (@BJCalvillo) October 1, 2015

I wish that they wouldn't publish the names and images of these mass murderers. They don't deserve to be known or remembered.

— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) October 2, 2015