Today, We Celebrate Your LOVE

Happy Anniversary, to my Amazing Parents...

Thank you for setting an example over the years of what a relationship is supposed to be about...

Working through problems together;
Finding a common ground,
Supporting each other when the going gets rough
Being the best of friends
Loyalty, honor, respect
Spending time together...
Whether it's calling each other to see how the day's going...
Or knowing that you always have a movie date,
A vacation companion and travel partner
A lover to come home to at the end of the day
And someone you can always trust and count on.
Someone to hold hands with as you go through the good times
And a hand to grasp tightly when times get tough, or you're scared...

Your marriage has taught me that real love does last and that it's something worth waiting for
And it taught me not to settle for less than I deserve.
If I had not had parents like you,
I might not have learned how to love myself first.

Thank you for giving me, and all of our family, the love and the example of love that you did...
And someday, I hope you get to be there when I walk down the aisle, too, because I will know that it was
worth waiting for...just like you always told me it would be. ;)

Happy 44th Anniversary Mom & Dad. We Celebrate Your Special Day With You...& Wish You Many More Years Together.

Love,
LC

Good Girls Go Bad...

One of the things I've observed since I've been teaching early childhood students is that even when little girls are 3, 4, or 5 years old, if you ask them who their alter ego is, or, what they want to be when they grow up, they're likely to tell you they want to be a princess.

Most little boys want to be a ninja.

Which, if you think about it, explains SO much about my dating life over the last 15 years.

Our society has raised young girls to believe that the key to happiness is to aspire to a crown of some sort, and to someday become a beautiful princess who is worshipped, pure of heart, and adored by her husband, the prince, who will one day inherit the throne once the in-laws kick the bucket.

Personally, after having viewed every Disney film in existence, especially the Disney Princess movies, I can tell you that we do girls a great disservice by putting these ideas in their heads. The idea that you can go through life being nice and sweet to men and that it's going to lead you to a guy who will whisk you away on a white horse is a load of bull, but more than that, it sets everyone up for disappointment.

Although each princess has some qualities that are admirable, the villainous women of the Disney films are always ignored or dejected. They're the bad girls on campus, the ones who have to fight for what they want because they can't rely on their looks or charm to get anywhere.

The bad girls are always the outcasts, but like the saying goes, good girls go to heaven, but bad girls go everywhere.

The Disney Villains collection by MAC has gorgeous hues and color schemes, shimmery shades that are sure to lure you in and make you want to do some damage to your credit card. The nail polish had me under a spell, but unfortunately for me, I didn't get to my favorite MAC counter in time to get the shade of polish I wanted before they'd sold out.

Check online or at MAC counters nationwide to check out the collection for yourself. If you're a Disney fan (whether a supporter of the Princesses or a lover of the Villains) you'll appreciate the sleek packaging and new colors.

The Skinny on the Faux Fur Vest

Heyyy skinny bitches! This vest is calling your name.

Before I start getting hate mail, (and believe me, I do) please understand where I'm coming from when dishing out the fashion advice when it comes to this chic cold weather trend.

FIrst off, please do not think I am ridiculing anyone who's made the leap to purchase a faux fur vest. I mean, I would buy one, too, in fact, I would love to purchase the one above, except that since my breast size is deceiving, and with the right bra, I could pass for a D cup, I look a little top heavy, which is a look I loathe. I think it makes you look unnecessarily fat.

Which brings me to my next point. If you're toting around a few extra ten, twenty, or thirty pounds on you, I don't CARE what your "dress sexy at every age!" magazines tell you to do. You have no business wearing a faux fur vest, unless you're planning to go to a costume party afterwards and double as Chewbacca. These vests are made for the super slender, and you have to be able to pull off the look with simple, clean lines through the rest of the outfit. They can make your body look at least 10 to 20 pounds bigger than you really are if you're not styling the look right, if you don't pick the right type of fur, or if the vest is not cut right, and if you're already a curvy gal or if you have a little extra cushion here, there, and everywhere, you're going to make a mockery of the vest.

Look, I'm not saying i haven't ever made some serious fashion faux pas myself. For a brief moment in college, I owned a pair of dark denim jeans that were seriously as bell bottomed as Cher or Sonny's, and much too tight, considering I really needed to diet more and drink less liquid calories in my undergraduate days. (Vodka was my BFF.) They looked hideous on me, and it's a lesson I wish never to repeat. Add to the fact that I had some truly heinous pairs of shoes in my closet that I'd wear once or twice and never wear again. My style has since improved; but it's these lessons that I wish to pass down to the next generation. Why have knowledge, if you're not going to share it?

Even if it has to do with faux fur vests, and Juicy Couture's gorgeous version, pictured above, when you've got wisdom to share, and some tough love advice to give, a gift isn't a gift until you give it away.

Ahhh, Snooki, Snooki...

OMG.
Where do I even begin?
Okay, I do better with letters.

Dear Snooki,

I understand that you've had a rough year. Although I'm not big on any shows that involve your home state of New Jersey, including Jerseylicious, Jersey Couture (which, let's face it, there is nothing that could resemble haute couture coming out of New Jersey), or your show, the infamous Jersey Shore, I will say that I do feel sympathy for your issues with men. Hey girl, we've all been there. Some of us have been dumped and looked pathetic more than a few times, especially while under the influence. I, for one, have fallen on the floor at a party, drunk, after I had just kicked a guy to the curb like Beckham. Of course, he was in the process of flirting with his ex-girlfriend, so I didn't really have much of a choice. So, Snooki, I get that you have had some challenges in your life, mostly with those damn "gorillas" that are givin' you a hard time. Hooking up with anyone who has the nickname "The Situation" can't be easy, especially when he can't keep his damn shirt on. (Or his boxer shorts on, for that matter.)

But even with those life events occurring, I would like to think you could find a way to cover it up a little bit more, or at least figure out how to get a better spray tan. We all know you people are all about the "GTL," but it doesn't look like you've spent a whole lot of time at the gym, and your tan kinda sucks, Snooks. And as for laundry? Well, this dress leaves little to the imagination, doll, so I don't think you're having to pay a whole lot at the laundromat, if that's where you're doing your laundry. Which I really doubt that's where you're doing laundry, because you've got to be making some pretty decent money these days, and why wouldn't you have a washer and dryer like most decent, self-respecting working women?

But back to you, Snooki, dear. What I am saying is, next time you go out in public, here's my advice. Man cannot live on bread alone, but neither can woman, and you really should avoid bread at ALL costs. Your muffin top is hanging out of your clothing, and it's really unattractive.

Next time you decide to spend time perusing the likes of Match.com or Find-a-Man.com or whatever the hell the single girls looking desperately for Mr. Right are getting on these days, why not spend some time on a fashion website, or perhaps on your IPad, reading some Tim Gunn style wisdom? This might help you out next time you think of wearing a dress that is the size of a cocktail napkin and that looks like something you'd pick up in a souveneir shop on the Vegas strip, next to the section devoted to latex condoms and lube. This is simply not awards-show worthy, and you don't want to appear on the red carpet looking like you got into a fight with your self-tanner and will probably never see the true color of your skin again.

And although I like you much better than Angelina, and even more than JWoww, I think you could stand to improve your look. Starting with the funky banana clip that you're always rocking behind your bump-it.

Keep It Classy, Girl.

xoxo,

LC