He proposed!- The tale of a Day to Remember!

So I know I'm typing this a bit late (considering it happened December 4th), but I decided I DID indeed want to share the story of my proposal. Even though I've told it a million times to anyone who cared or wanted to know, I want to put it down in writing. That way it's out there and I can forever look back on this time a reminisce about one of the most amazing days of my life. For a little background (for those who do not know) My now Fiance, Eric and I have been together for five years (October 7th, 2009). Quite a long time I admit and so would he. I was sure that come our five year anniversary it would happen and so that came and went. I was disappointed it didn't happen on our five year anniversary vacation trip to Florida (I mean come on the beach what more do you need?). Alas it didn't but even though I was disappointed I knew it would happen and I suddenly felt a weight lifted. The moment I had built up had come and gone and now I had the mindset 'It'll happen when it happens".
And so the story begins....

I started the day of as any typical day. My shift was 11:30AM-8PM and off I went to have a most productive day at work on Thursday December 4th 2014. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred at the begging, but after 4 (unsure of the exact time) I was helping a customer when I went to go grab something and almost ran into someone. As I went to apologize I realized that someone was my dear friend Jazmine Estes. She had her hand behind her back (thought nothing of it) and I hugged her as I asked what she was doing here. While she explained she was 'in the neigborhood' (she actually should have been at work) I realized she had flowers behind her back. She said they were for me and then said let's go we are leaving. I obviously had four more hours to go so I laughed when I told her and then to my surprise my Store Manager came up and said oh don't worry it's slow (it wasn't) go on and get out of here. At first I thought I was being fired, when she assured me I wasn't I grabbed my things and followed my friend out of the store. I realized then what was happening. I mean it's been five years anything out of the ordinary would have sent red flags, but I said nothing and off we went.

After assuring me that we didn't need to take my car and that hers would suffice, Jazmine led me to "HER" car. There was a driver waiting with a car to take us to my apartment to change. I couldn't believe it. So whole way to my apartment and then to Chicago (according to them we were going on a tour) I played along with everything. I couldn't contain my excitement. I started to text my mom and almost told her what I suspected, but I refrained from doing so (don't jinx it right?) haha. So after a longer then normal drive to the city (protestors were out that day and not to mention the Bears game) we drove to a spot not to far from the Planetarium. At this point they (the driver and Jazmine) are trying to distract me from seeing Eric walking to the car (which I clearly saw). Eric then opens the door all dressed up and hands me more flowers while saying we are going for a walk. There we left Jaz and the driver (who I knew I would see again).

As we walked we got many congratulations from passerby's on their way to the stadium. Though nothing had happened I smiled and thanked them as we walked on in our own conversation. I could see us approaching the Planetarium and started to notice the beautiful skyline view of the city all lit up in the cold dark night. We walked a ways, close to the lake and Eric started to talk. This is what I remember.

"It was about five years ago on a Thursday in December that we went on one of our very first dates. You sat here in this exact spot looking at the skyline. It was your first time and I took a picture of you (one of his favorites). Fast forward to five years later and they have been the best five years of my life. I just have one question for you. (Down on one knee) Will you marry me?"

At this point I am a mess (Kim Kardashian crying is how I like to put it). I said yes immediately and he reminded me that I still had my glove on and as I ripped it off and threw my flowers and bag to the ground we hugged and looked out to the amazing view. I was so happy. He preceded to tell some things he wanted to do, but unfortunate events (case in point the protestors) made that impossible, but I didn't care. I was elated and nothing could make this better. But Eric had something else up his suit sleeve.

As we hugged again I asked who all knew and he proceeded to tell me basically everyone. He had called my store manager a month ago to make sure I would work, but would be able to get off. My whole family knew at Thanksgiving. And as he said speaking of your family he turned me around to find my family starting down the hill towards Eric and I. Cue the Kim Kardashian crying. I couldn't believe it my Mom, Dad, Sister and cousin were there. Along with Jazmine (knew it!) and Austin (Best man). It was perfect and I knew he had made it even better, though I thought it couldn't be done.

We then decided (because we are classy and sophisticated people) to eat at Steak N' Shake. Our go to place from the beginning of college (mainly because they are open 24/7). I then made all the necessary calls. Finally finding some future bridesmaids that weren't told and started my epic tale of what was to be one of the most memorable days of my life. I am truly lucky to have so many loving people in my life and extraordinarily thankful to have Eric be THE ONE!

While I do apologize for this long long blog, I do want continue writing down everything through this wonderful journey. To not only remember it as it happens, but to share it with those of you who want to know. Hopefully these future post will become helpful to you and I will try to write them in a way that is so. Hope you all are having a happy New Year. Can't wait for the adventure it brings!

xoxoKira

Crockpot Corner: Chicken and Dumplings

So I have recently gotten into the whole crockpot scene (yes it's a scene.. and it'll change your world). I'm all about keeping things simple and the crockpot definitely does just that. All you do is throw everything in and voila! You can get so many things done while it sets there cooking! Multi-tasking at it's best! So I have been looking for recipes to try out on my days off and I came across this one through PINTEREST. Of course I added some things to it and so can you. Here is the basic recipe that I found:

1lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 cans (10.5oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can (14oz) Chicken Broth 
1 medium White Onion, diced 
4 Large Flaky Refrigerator Biscuits (half a can)

Here are the couple changes and additions I made: Instead of an onion I added a half a bag of mixed frozen carrots, corn and green beans. I also used Chicken Stock instead of Broth, but same thing really. I also used a special herb addition of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup for some extra flavor as well as some Cumin.

You can honestly tweak this recipe however you want, you can't really go wrong here! Now this recipe does serve about 6-8 people. I plan on making extra to pack for my lunches at work and maybe even freeze some for later on. So with out further ado here are the instructions:

1. Place thawed chicken in crockpot. Top with butter add cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and onions. Cook on high 4-6 hours or on low for 8 hours (I did high, because I was ready to eat it that day!).
2. After the chicken has cooked through, cut each biscuit into small pieces(appox. 9 each). Add biscuits and continue to cook 30 mins to an hour longer, or until the biscuits are done. 
3. Remove chicken and shred. After shredded place chicken back into crockpot and mix. I added a little bit of Parsley, Cilantro, Salt and Pepper to taste to finish it up!

Before

After

See easy as 1..2..3! I also made Roasted Sweet Potatoes to go with (I'll share this recipe on another day!). I'd love to here feedback about this post! Since it is my first "try it out" recipe post on my blog, I want to know if YOU found this helpful and if YOU have in fact become just as much as a crockpot junkie as I have! Sending you the best, this Holiday!

xoxoKira

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

While enjoying the fact that I can do absolutely nothing on my days off of work, I also look forward to sitting on my couch with my warm fuzzy blanket, lit candles and a good movie. All this wouldn't be picture perfect, however, without a nice cup of coffee in hand. Now let's face it, it's fall so to make it better it's Pumpkin Spice! Now I realize this makes me a so called "Basic" girl, but I mean come on. If you can honestly tell me that you wouldn't enjoy doing any of these things in any combination I'd be surprised. I would also completely reconsider our friendship.....that may be a bit dramatic.....but I'm okay with that.

So today I enjoyed my ritual and I thought I would share my "recipe" for my Pumpkin Spice coffee (which honestly is probably what the majority of you guys do). So be prepared to be un-amazed at my mad coffee making skills!

Starbucks House blend Keurig Cups

Coffee Mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer

Whipped Topping

Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg

There you go! Like I said nothing special. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin or peppermint. I do have a question for all of you though.....What coffee brand do you use? If you do use Starbucks, what blend of coffee do you prefer. I bought this to try it and I like it, but I'm open to more!

xoxoKira

Cruelty Free

So for every 20 something year old there's going to be changes happening. Whether they are planned for you, by you or unexpectedly, changes occur 24/7. So with the obvious stated for you, here's the not so obvious. I decided to make a lifestyle change about two months ago. I've always had a soft spot for animals. And for some time now I've been donating money to the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States). It's not an outrageous amount by any means, but it's something to help each month. Through social media, however, it was brought to my attention more and more of the on-going issue of animal testing and animal cruelty. I felt the need to do more, I had to do more!

This is where http://www.gocrueltyfree.org came into play. This site helped me realize what I could do to help end this outrageous problem, by simply replacing the products I use daily with those that are cruelty free (not used on animals). I was shocked to find out that so many products that I used were not animal friendly. But this website gave me options to use in place of those. It made it easier to make the transition. I by no means am at 100%, I am still a work in progress with this lifestyle change. I also don't claim to be perfect, so if you have any information that will help me or educate me more in this process I am more then willing to take that in.

So with all that said, I wanted to share some of the swaps I made in order to work toward a Cruelty Free lifestyle. Now I won't post the products I used to use, but I can verify why I chose the new ones!  I tried to choose products that were in my price range. I've also shared the links so you can see you pricing for yourself.

TOOTHPASTE: TOM'S OF MAINE

At an average price of $5 depending on where you purchase from, Tom's of Maine was an easy switch from my previous toothpaste. The cruelty free bunny of the back of the product immediately let's you know there was no animal testing with this product. A company pays to have that symbol on the product. From what I learned though, there may be a company that is cruelty free that does not have the symbol, but you'll need to do research on that. But I look at it this way, why wouldn't a company want it's consumer's to know it's cruelty free? Just a thought.

COSMETICS: NYX COSMETICS

This brand was a lifesaver because usually Cruelty Free makeup can be a bit on the expensive side. This brand comes at a reasonable price and delivers the bunny! I use a Matte and loose powder as my foundation, but they have other options as well. Other options for cruelty free cosmetics are (but not limited to) e.l.f cosmetics, Tarte, Bareminerals and Stila cosmetics.

BODY CARE: LUSH 

One of my favorite places to go because the staff is always so helpful. They will also let you take samples of items if you aren't sure. Not only are the cruelty free, but they are also a very GREEN company! I've used their face cleansers and masks and can attest to them working. My skin feels amazing afterwards! You are able to pick the amount you want and that depends on your price. It may get a little more pricey at times, but it's worth it and depends on what you get.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST!

BURT'S BEES

For a definite honorable mention I wanted to include Burt's Bees. They sell several different products that you can easily incorporate into your life. I use several of their items (below) and still want to try more! 

So it's safe to say there are a lot of options out there for you to make the switch to CRUELTY FREE products. Doing your own research will definitely help to grasp a better understanding of what it means to be CRUELTY FREE as well as what options are better for your lifestyle. It's taking the time to make the change that seems to be the hardest part for most people. Once you do though, you will feel like you are making a difference and will want to share how easy it was (case and point myself!).

I do not claim that these are my pictures. Found with the help of GOOGLE. 

:)

xoxoKira

Pinterest again!

Just a little view of my PINTEREST account!! I'm a pinning fool!

Love this color scheme!

I am in love with chevron print! And the colors with it our amazing!

My wedding ring one day! (A girl can dream!)

"Me and Mr.Darcy"

My day off of work this past Wednesday was spent reading the book I mentioned in my previous blog "Me and Mr. Darcy" by Alexandra Potter. Although there were a few instances where I could predict what was coming, I all in all enjoyed reading this book. The ending was actually something I didn't expect, but I'm not the most avid book reader so you may predict the ending from the beginning. The main character Emily Albright is very much relatable to myself. The language used is also modern as could be. Even though the date for this book is in 2006, I still found it relatable and was surprised that it incorporated fashion (a Fashion Marketing and Management Graduate can appreciate that). 

In "Pride and Prejudice" I found it hard to think Mr. Darcy was this perfect man that all women want. As the main character explains her love for Mr. Darcy I soon began to see why he could be so perfect, but by the end was satisfied to see he had his flaws and I was glad to see that I hadn't missed something about him in the first place. (Hopefully this made since). The next book on the list is "Since and Sensibility" by Jane Austen again! I'm not sure when I will get to reading that and when I will finish, but for now I set aside the book reviews. Who knows what the next will be about?!

Check it out! Tell me what you think!

<3kira div="">

Back to Basics: Book Review

So it's been a while since my last blog (over a year in fact). Considering it's almost March, It's a little too late to say I'm starting the new year off by religiously blogging my butt off. So all I can say is "Hello welcome to my blog! You'll find many random things that may or may not interest you, but I can assure you that I am 100% passionate about what goes on here. Hopefully that helps and captures your interest. You'll at least get to know a little more about me!"

(While listening to Pandora I type this)
Today I spend my day with recent book purchases. I finally finished the classic "Pride and Prejudice" by the great Jane Austen. I do have to confess that when I started reading this book I had a big question mark on my face. I could barely understand what was going on with the wording of everything. Granted this book was written centuries ago, so totally understandable in that aspect. So I decided to watch the movie with Kiera Knightly as the dear Miss Elizabeth. Afterwords, everything made more since. Although it may have ruined the ending I still enjoyed reading it and felt very accomplished.

So what's next?

Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter!

From what I have read this is a modern take of Mrs. Austen's love story, that mentions the main characters love of Jane Austen books. So I'm very interested and may mention my thoughts of this in a future blog. Who knows? Keep you posted!!!

<3kira p="">