Simple Pleasures

I am a firm believer in penciling in time for yourself. It's what keeps us sane in the busy lives we all lead and to take it a step further, it's what keeps us happy. If you were to ask me what exactly it is that I do for my "me" time, you may be surprised to find that the things that make me the happiest are rather simple.

My personal time is often my daily shower. It allows me a good 10-15 minutes of guiet accompanied by the relaxing sound of water flowing. It's a good time to clear my mind and just "exist". Afterwards, I turn my iPod on shuffle and style my hair. Sounds like nothing special, I know... but it's me doing something for myself and it goes a long way.

This month, I've found a few boosters to my normal routine that have made me more delighted than before.

Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Shampoo/Conditioner: I don't mean to sound boastful at all... it's the shampoo, trust me! After the first time I used this, I kept smelling my hair all day and each time I'd smell it, I'd feel good about myself (and we all know that feeling good about yourself is a whole different ballpark of personal happiness!). This makes my personal time last even throughout day while I assist others because each time I smell my hair, it's simply refreshing!

Dial Antioxident Cranberry Body Wash: Kind of the same effect as the shampoo really! Plus, it makes your shower smell delicious and heightens your senses on top of making you feel super dooper clean!

Turning it down a notch: Because I have naturally thick curly hair, I usually turn my straightener on- wide open, as hot as it'll go! Lately I've discovered that by turning it down to 370, my hair has been left shinier and softer than ever before. Again, feeling good about yourself goes further than anything else!

Sooner rather than later: Normally, I hear of night showers and baths for relaxation methods, and for some people, this may be the better option in order to optimize good sleep. I used to live by this theory. Now, however, I've started with my daily routine in the AM- first thing in the AM. This way, I approach my day already with a good attitude, and I put myself first. (Please note: I don't mean that selfishly at all. It just works better for me that way.) On occasion, I will still resort to a night time soak accompanied by Diana Krall... just to wash away my extra sorrows.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub: The last product I'm going to brag about today, I promise! This invigorating scrub wakes my skin and makes for a better complexion. Hey, it makes me look awake and leaves a smoother surface to apply make-up. Why not?

I hope you all make time for yourselves and if you don't, I hope you take my words to heart. This is just one step I've found that's brought more happiness and less stress to my life.

ZZ Top and Aerosmith!

This past Wednesday had been long in waiting. The day that tickets went on sale, Madison and I jumped at the opportunity to go see ZZ Top and Aerosmith live in ATL, Ga! We've both been long fans of Aerosmith, and they were on our list of "must sees". I knew who ZZ Top was, but I couldn't name you a song before this show. Once they began performing, I realized I knew several of the songs: I just didn't know they were by ZZ Top. I was pleasantly surprised with their performance! These are the coolest old guys around! I now have their Greatest Hits CD, and am so thankful that I was able to see them live!

AEROSMITH-- Prior to the show, we were able to see the set list which contained SO many of our favorites: Eat The Rich, Jaded, Cryin', Angel, Dude Looks Like A Lady, Sweet Emotion, Dream On, Come Together... and those are only a few! So the time came... We waited and waited for that curtain to fall and boy when it did, the crowd went crazy! I was absolutely stunned that Steven Tyler was not only standing in front of me in his true rock star fashion (flashy scarves on his mic), but singing "Eat The Rich"... and he.. sounded.. awesome! As the show progressed, we noticed that he had been struggling with his leg... Story behind that: On June 28th, he pulled his quad and had to postpone 7 shows. Our Atlanta show was his first since the incident. I expected him to be limited in his actions, yes. An hour into the show, he apologizes and says that he's going to have to cut it short but follows his announcement with, "Don't hate me Atlanta!". Out of the 30 songs we were supposed to get, we only got 15... and our tickets weren't cheap. I was SO disappointed. Mad almost... why couldn't he just sit on his stool and sing the rest? He had complained a time or two with vocal problems... but the next show got the full 30 songs. Please don't get me wrong... I definitely do NOT regret going; I've ALWAYS wanted to see Aerosmith. I'm just disappointed that some vocals were cut and replaced with Joe Perry's guitar solos... which were nice... but not in place of vocals. And I feel like he didn't even try to give us what we came to see. HALF OF THE SHOW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET IS WHAT WE GOT. Song highlights of the night for me were "Eat The Rich" (opening song... always a memory), "Janie's Got A Gun", "Rag Doll", and "Love In An Elevator" (pictured above- awesome light show, btw!).

I'm just so mixed about it. Glad I went; ticked I didn't get more.

Step It Up A Notch.

With everything Apple does (we all know how big of an Apple fan I am), I think they could do one thing better. With the newest software update for the iPhone and iPhone 3GS, my favorite feature is the Find Your iPhone. With this feature, you can go online to www.me.com and search the GPS of your iPhone, as well as send an alert that will sound even if your phone is set on manner mode. Ready for my complaint? Here it is: What do you do when your phone is dead?

I think Apple should make some small sort of back up battery that is only activated by the Find Your iPhone feature- when the phone is dead, of course. With everything that Apple does and produces, surely this isn't to tough a task. I feel they'd also be smart enough to think of something this simple on their own... otherwise, I would write them a kind letter with my proposal. But then again, they're the experts... not I... right?