Sunshine on a cloudy day

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

Remember when I used to make you listen to my (many) thoughts about my hair all the time? (Okay, maybe it wasn’t that long ago…)

Well, a few months back, I embraced that seen-everywhere trend of dyeing my hair ombré.

As soon as my stylist stepped back to show me how it looked, I was fairly certain I had made a mistake.

It’s not that it looked horrible. (I don’t think.) It just…wasn’t me. And every time I looked in the mirror, my coloring just looked sad. The darker hair washed me out, and I felt like I just looked like I needed a highlight.

So last weekend, I accepted my mistake and went back to blonde. Here’s my best model pose, which those of you who follow me on Instagram have already seen:

The difference was immediate. My complexion seemed brighter, and I just felt more like my sunny self. (Damn right I’m sunny.)

Yesterday, Taylor, who sits next to me at work and hears my tales of woe about this all the time, said, “Remember how you always said that your ombré hair made you look different? I get it now. Because you really look different blonde!”

This is what I’ve been saying, people.

So anyway. We’re back to normal and ready for summer. You know. Because of the sunniness.

Apartment progress report.

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

Sometimes I feel like the kiss of death for me is a specific deadline.

The bathroom is still the only finished room in the apartment, despite my promises. And, technically, it’s not even done because we’re going to change the shower head and hang a caddy thing on the wall. But it’s definitely the closest.

On the bright side, we emptied and disposed of about twenty boxes this weekend, so I’m trying not to feel like too much of a failure.

Side note: If you ever have a bunch of packing boxes to get rid of and just don’t have the heart to simply throw then away, put up a free Craigslist ad for them. I’ve done this twice and always had a taker in about 20 minutes. And it has nothing to do with being good at Craigslist.

Speaking of Craigslist, I finally managed to score a cedar chest to use as a coffee table!

(Ignore the other details of this horrendous “before” photo…we’re a work in progress…all in the name of authenticity, right?)

Anyway, I love it and it was super cheap because technically it needs a little restoring, but I kind of like its character. The best part is that it provides tons of storage, so we’ll be using it as a coffee table and to hold blankets and the various misc things in our apartment I haven’t been able to convince the hubs to throw away.

I’m afraid that’s the only photo I have to show you for now. Better luck next week?

Moving update.

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

I guess this is just a post to tell you that packing/moving hasn’t killed me yet.

Let’s have a little moving update, shallll we?

Well, the lease is officially signed, so that’s good. Today I should find out when we can actually get into the place. So that’s good.

As for our stuff, I’m continuing in my goal of moving with the least amount of stuff possible. We had already sold the china cabinet and the bookshelves. Last night, I put our desk and our dining room table and chairs on Craigslist. We already have another desk, and we’ll need a smaller table (I’m hoping to thrift something). I actually got an email about the desk this morning, so hopefully that works out.

The only other piece of furniture I could see us selling would be our couch. Not because it wouldn’t fit, but because we would have more room if we got a smaller one. But we haven’t officially made our minds up about that one yet. (Besides, I have a really good streak going of selling almost everything I out up. Why would I ruin that?)

I’ve also started boxing the stuff we are taking with us. It’s a rather arduous ordeal, but I do feel good about the growing pile of stuff I’ve separated out to donate. This will be the year of limited clutter. Simplifying feels good.

I can’t wait until I have actual pictures of the apartment to show you! Someday…

Obsessed.

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

Last night. I had a dream I was viewing an apartment. I may have a disease.

But seriously. I realize the apartment hunt is all I can talk about (and, let’s be honest, think about). I’d like to tell you I’m going to chill out about it, but I also like not lying to your beautiful faces.

Plus, I don’t know, I feel like ensuring we have a place to live in three weeks is an okay thing to obsess over a bit.

In the name of OPTIMISM, I can tell you that we’ve switched tactics a bit. Inspired by the lovely Emilia’s suggestion (and, okay, my husband’s subtle requests to look at apartments there) we are officially focusing on Astoria. Why was I resisting Astoria? I don’t know. People who live there seem to love it. And, you guys. You can get so much more for your money. So that’s the new plan.

I’m hopeful that we’ll have a place by the end of the week. Please think good, apartment-finding thoughts for me.

ANYWAY. Once we actually find the place, the fun part can begin. And of corse I mean fun for me because I’m talking about decorating the place.

Hopefully once that starts, my posts will stop sounding so crazed. (Probably not.)

What I’m up to.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

So I’ve got a pretty big couple of weeks ahead of me.

This morning (bright and early), I’m flying to California for a tour/meeting at the Facebook headquarters. Actually, by the time you read this, I’ll probably already be in the air if I’m not already in California. (Yes, I am extremely excited.)

Wednesday morning, I’m hopping another plane to Salt Lake City for Alt Summit, which is basically a workshop/conference of the top design/DIY bloggers around. It’s supposed to be awesome. (Yup, I’m excited about that one too.)

I get back to New York on Saturday, and then it’s just a short six days before I head to Las Vegas to meet up with two of my oldest, dearest friends, Annie and Becca.

Seriously, I love those ladies. And I really love this photo of them, poached from the post linked above:

How could you not love those faces?

Anyway. Then things calm down (ish) for a while. (Though we may be taking an impromptu trip to Colorado at the end of February…fair warning.)

I just wanted to warn you in case I go AWOL for a bit. I promise to come back with loads of fun stories. Loads. And hopefully even a photo or two. (Who are we kidding? There will be photos. I promise to be discerning in which ones I use to blow up your Instagram feed.)(Assuming you’re following me…)(@justinelorelle)

I think that’s everything you need to know…oh! Also. I cut my hair. And I was going to write a post about it, but then I went, “UGH. Not again. No one cares.” So on the off-chance you do care, I give you this photo:

Voila.

Hope everyone has a great week!

New Year Sum-Uppance, Vol. 4

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Justine Lorelle

Okay, okay. I usually do this before the new year actually begins, but as I said yesterday in my top 10 posts round-up, I’m a bit out of sorts (read: busy) this year. Anywho.

As I was looking through my usual sum-uppance questions, I decided it was also time for a little upgrade. So, I give you, the new and improved New Year Sum-Uppance of Justine.

Age: 25 (and still getting asked where I’m planning on attending college…hurrah.)

Location: New York

Occupation: Social Media Manager (because Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest is my life)

Favorite food: Sushi. There is literally never a time when Joey asks me what I want for dinner that my mind doesn’t IMMEDIATELY leap to spicy tuna rolls. I am who I am.

Music I like right now: Snow Patrol and Augustana still hold the keys to my heart, but I also dig Mumford & Sons a lot. What can I say, I like Irish music and men.

TV shows I watch: Ugh, not even worth mentioning. Ninety-nine percent of the television I watch is trash that I only tune into to quiet down my brain after a busy day. The other 1% is The Walking Dead. Obvi. Because, while that might still qualify as trashy, your brain is on high-alert whilst watching. Lest you SOMEHOW NOT HEAR A GRUNTING, WHEEZING, BUMBLING WALKER SNEAK UP ON YOU.

Book I’m reading: I hate reading more than one book at a time, but right now I’m actually slogging through Anna Kerenina and reading Sweet Tooth as part of my office’s book club. Mixed feelings about both.

What’s my hair doing right now: Sort of a joke, but also sort of serious since I talk about it often enough on this blog. Right now it’s long, blonde, and I have bangs. For posterity’s sake, here’s what I look like on most days:

Of course, this is what I actually look like while writing this:

So you win some you lose some…or something.

How I did on my goals from last year: Figure out what I really want to do with my life? For the first time in a few years, I’m actually working a job that is challenging, satisfying, pays me enough to live comfortably, appreciates me, and that I actually look forward to going to. That’s kind of crazy to me, and I’m still pinching myself. So…I think we can check this one off.

Build up the blog into more of a business? I’ll admit, this one kind of fell by the wayside. I still do sponsored posts when the occasion arises, but once I started feeling more fulfilled by my “real” job, I felt less pressure to do something with the blog. Now I’m not really sure what direction it will go in, but for now, we’ll keep plodding along.

Travel? In 2012, I went to Iceland, Chicago, DC, Vegas, Iowa, California, and Vermont. Not bad. (Plus, the hubs and I are planning a BIG trip for 2013…stay tuned!)

Find a way to get a puppy? Blah. This post. That’s all.

Goals for next year: More travel (here’s a hint: AFRICA. Okay, so that’s not a hint. That’s me telling you. But it’s happening.), moving to Brooklyn, paying off the last of my credit card debt, ACTUALLY GETTING A DOG, running a full marathon, staying happy.

It’s funny how much harder it is to make goals when you’re generally pleased with life. Speaking of which…

Overall opinion of my life: Really good. (My answers to this question are ALWAYS lame.)

To elaborate…I’ve always sort of felt like I can never get all aspects of my life in order. Either I was rocking it career/school-wise, but my personal life was out of whack, or I had a great relationship, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life professionally. For the first time, I feel like I have all the plates spinning together. It’s kind of scary. But I’m trying not to psych myself out.

So that’s it! I’m excited for 2013. I feel like it’s going to be my best year yet. (Plus, 2012 was kind of rocky, right?) What are you most looking forward to this year?