SYTYCD

I really love the show "So You Think You Can Dance"...I never thought I would, but I really got into it last summer. With that being said, I have been watching obsessively this season! It took me a long time to pick a favorite, because my original favorite got kicked off pretty fast. (I really loved Ashley!) But after the first couple shows with the Top 20, Jeanine became my fast favorite.

Ashley

Jeanine

Now usually it is REALLY easy to pick a favorite boy. Last season I just loved Mark so much, he was always my favorite and I never swayed. This season, not so much. I always liked Brandon, and I kind of liked Kupono. But about a month ago I really started to like Jason. A LOT. So you can imagine how devastated I was this week when he got kicked off! ARRGGHHH! Neither him or Brandon belonged in the bottom. So now I'm rooting for Brandon.

Brandon

Jason

This past week was kind of a sleeper for me (probably because I was busy making a necklace while watching...oops!) but the last hour of the show was worth it. Between the cancer dance with Melissa and Ade and Battlefield with Brandon and Jeanine, it definitely picked up steam at the end. Here is my favorite dance of the night.

Lori Ann choreographed, it was so cool seeing her on the show! I used to watch Making the Band all the time, so those of you who did also know her quite well!

One more comment on this week's show...Katie Holmes...big thumbs DOWN. I appreciate that she did it for a good cause and all, but she really did quite a mediocre job. I was not impressed. The only thing that impressed me was how good she looked...but I guess if you had a billion dollars YOU could look just as good! Probably better! :)

Any comments on this weeks show? Or even the show in general? Please share!

Things I love - Beauty Product Edition!

Every girl you know has her most favorite beauty products that she may not want to live without. (Because let's face it, you wouldn't DIE without them, but you wouldn't look and smell nearly as good, would you?!?!) I'm a really huge beauty product nerd, and when I hear the word "Sephora" I get a happy tingly feeling inside. I mean COME ON...free samples with every online order? You can't lose!

Anywayyyys.... here are some of my most favorite beauty product discoveries!

Frederic Malle's OUTRAGEOUS! Perfume

One day, little Lo was going through her many tiny sample bottles of perfume. She really wanted to like at least ONE! Then this wonderful gem of deliciousness made an appearance. I had no idea where it came from until I looked it up on the internets. I just figured you could buy it at Sephora, because that's where I get all my free perfume samples. But no, not this one! This incredible perfume is sold ONLY at Barney's Co-Op. And even worse...it's $110 for the bottle!!

I cannot fathom spending that much money on a bottle of perfume. So I am making my sample bottle last as long as possible. Then maybe one day I will win the lotto and be able to buy this perfume. Because its AMAZINGGGG.

Chi Silk Infusion

If you are someone who has a hard time controlling all those little fly-aways that happen after you have just spent an hour making your hair look like a masterpiece, then you may like this product! It also smells beyond incredible, and you can use it on dry skin! BAM!

We have a winner!

Philosophy's Senorita Margarita Body Wash

I don't know about you...but who doesn't want to spend 10 minutes in the shower smelling the delicious scent of tropical margaritas? You will literally want to try and drink the body wash. (Which I wouldn't recommend...it smells much better than it tastes and burping up bubbles is not a very comfortable feeling :(.)

Nexxus Therappe Shampoo and Humectress Conditioner

Let's face it. All girls need a good shampoo and conditioner! Even if it costs a pretty penny. Luckily, they started printing coupons for this! I bought the large bottles of it about 4 months ago and it's really lasted. So if you ask me, it is definitely worth the money! Plus it makes your hair feel great and healthy. Win!

Burt's Bees Lip Balm

I'm a huge chap stick/lip balm fan (not so much lip gloss though), and honestly I haven't found anything much better than Burt's. It's cheap and effective and it keeps your lips moisturized. And your boyfriend won't complain because it won't leave a sticky mess all over his cheek ;)

Clinique Bonus Time!

As I've probably already mentioned, I'm a huge sucker for freebies and good deals. Clinique is a bit pricey, but with my sensitive skin I need a good foundation that doesn't make me break out. Since they have one I really like, I suck it up and pay the $16 or so for it every few months. And every so often, you get free gifts! They always come with a cute make-up bag or tote, and samples! (I actually own the one above!) Free stuff = WIN!

Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer

Ok. It took me YEARS to find a moisturizer that I actually like. My skin likes to hate me most days, and it can get oily and dry, all at the same time. UHG! Then I tried this moisturizer. Once again, it's a bit more money than I like to pay, but for my skin it's worth it. I get mine from Sephora (did I mention the FREE samples they send you?) and the bottle lasts me about 6 months. It's light...and it smells like fruit loops! Most importantly, it doesn't make me break out. WIN!

Those are some of my very favorite beauty products...does anyone use/like any of these? What are YOUR favorite beauty products?

Back from Canada!

Last night I got back from my trip to visit the boyfriend in Canada! Such a wonderful trip (as always!) filled with fun times and great people. I even got to see one of my friends from home (who I don't see much here, but run into in Canada? Ha!) who I haven't seen in awhile. Here is a brief run-down on what we did:

• Saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
• Ate at delicious East Side Mario's (like Olive Garden, but tastier!)
• Went to a crazy store opening of Forever 21 (or XXI in Canada!) and spent too much $, but had a great time with some amazing ladies!
• Bought 2 new books ON CLEARANCE that I cannot WAIT to read! ("Mister B. Gone" by Clive Barker and "Jesus Land: a Memoir" by Julia Scheeres)
• Saw "Drag Me to Hell" which was so much better than I ever thought it would be. I didn't know it was supposed to be funny and scary at the same time!
• Drank lots of coffee

I'm not sure when I get to go back, but I can't wait for it!

To-Do List

Since it's summer and I am a teacher, I have a LOT of free time on my hands. Yet somehow I still find myself with a list of things to do each week! Some of these things are ongoing (who DOESN'T have to clean and do laundry every week??) and others are not. So now, I happily present Lo's To-Do List for the week of 7/20/09:

1. Plan practices for the week.

2. Pick up room so it looks like THIS again.

3. Read one new book.

4. Finish making this necklace...isn't its amazing?!

5. Get car wash details finalized (at least make sure Seniors are on it!).

6. Approve camp t-shirt designs.

7. Make August practice calendar...with actual times on it (I'm indecisive).

8. Hound cheer parents for money that is a month overdue.

9. Unpack and do laundry (oh. joy.)

10. Spend time with my lovely friend since 4th grade.

11. Make card for grad party this weekend.

12. Get rid of my insomnia (good luck, Lo!)

13. Help out parents with massive amounts of yard work.

14. Thank my lovely boyfriend for everything that he does :)

15. Treadmill, treadmill, treadmill!

I'm sure there are many more things to do this week, but this will do for now!

Enjoy the day!

Things I couldn't live without (in picture form)

I was going through my pictures, and I realized...there are many things that I couldn't live without.

So here they are!

ART

Not everyone knows this about me, but I really reallllllyyy love art. I love looking at it, but I especially love making art. Almost everything is art to me. I would definitely not be able to live without art.

MY CAT

She is spoiled and can be so annoying...but I love her!!

GOOD TUNES

Now most people who know me know that I am obsessed with music. OBSESSED! So I am always out looking for new songs to love. I also enjoy a good live show!

MY BEST FRIEND

We have been best friends since we were three years old. She has been with me through EVERYTHING. She is the greatest person alive. I love you, Bec!

COACHING

My love for coaching has stemmed from my love for teaching plus my love for competitive cheer. When you go through an athletic program like the one I did in HS, how can you not love what you do? My passion for comp. cheer has kept me with the sport since graduating! (This picture was from Districts, where we killed it!! Hence the expressions Mrs. K and I are wearing!)

FUN FRIDAY DODGE BALL

I have spent most of my time as a certified teacher teaching at the same elementary school. On Fridays in the upper el, we have "Fun Friday", where the kids who have behaved all week get to spend about 45 minutes doing something fun. All winter, we play dodge ball in the gym. The kids go CRAZY and the teachers even have a great time. It is something that I looked forward to every single week, and it has a special place in my heart.

What I want to know is...what can't YOU live without?

An explanation

Ok so my blog name probably doesn't make sense...well to anyone.

So here is the short story.

A few years back, my two friends that I spent most of my time with and I were all going through our own personal problems. After awhile, we came to conclusion that we were like unicorns.

The definition for unicorn: a mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead.

Now, I am not saying that we are mythical creatures. Or that we have horns (because that would be weird). The explanation was that there are millions of girls who are all the same. They dress and act like luts with an "s". We were just different. We didn't have to be that way because of what was in the brain, not because of what we looked like on the outside. Things have changed since then. I'm not so close with those friends, and my perception of the "unicorn" has also changed.

It's like this.

I still feel different. Everyone is different (duh). I still feel like I don't know many people like me. I still feel lost sometimes. I still feel like people don't think people like me exist. Not around these parts anyway. But I've learned to accept myself, even love myself, for who I am. No matter how different. I don't care so much about fitting in. I don't care so much about how people see me, because I know how I see myself. I still like the idea of the unicorn. And my own unicorn, George Lucas, still rides with me in my car!

So that's the story of where my name came from.

And here is a picture of a unicorn!

And so it begins!

After much thought and anticipation....I did it. I made a blog!! Once upon a time....I had a livejournal. You know, back in 2004 when they were ALL THAT. I liked my livejournal, but I realized that all I did was talk about boys. HA! I guess I've grown up a bit since then.

I guess I should start by introducing myself! My name is Lauren. Nicknames I've acquired over the years include Lo, LauBear, Lola, Ralph Lauren, and Jew. (That last one seems inappropriate I know, but it stems from my last name.) I'm 26 (YIKES!!!), and I really love music, art, and any type of crafting you can think of! I am trying to get a full time job as a teacher here in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. I'm on the right track, and I will get there soon! I also coach cheerleading at my old high school. You can check out my cheer website HERE.

I guess as I blog away, you will learn more about me! I got the urge to start a blog after avidly reading others that I've come across over the past few months. They have been nothing short of inspiring for me. There are so many amazing and creative people in this world and what a way to find them!

So if you have any questions, ask away!