Rimmel Stay Matte VoxBox

I was super excited when I was chosen for another VoxBox from Influenster! I love trying new things and being in cosmetology school I love new makeup. :)

The color matched my skin very well which was a bonus as I didn't know what to expect when I got it since the questions in the survey to receive this box were pretty vague. I like this makeup a lot but I think I will love it in the summer. I get very oily in my T-zone but during this time of year it's not as obvious. I have to make sure that I have lotion on before I put this on or my skin gets way too dry. I look forward to using it this summer when I have oil issues as I know this will help. I definitely recommend this foundation to anyone that has oily skin. I don't' need powder on top of it. It has great coverage but it doesn't get cakey when I put it on. Let me know what you think if you've tried it before! 

Thankful Project (Part Four)

November 22: An Expectation

I am very happy that my family has the expectation of calling eachother for a ride if we are drinking. I know of way too many people that have DUIs or some that have killed, hurt, or been killed because of drinking and driving. Even if I only have a few drinks I don't risk it and call someone in my family for a ride. My parents will get up at any hour of the night to pick us up as will either of my brothers. I'm glad that this has been an expectation in our family and we aren't punished for calling if we need a ride. 

November 23: Something You've Seen

I am lucky to say that as a child my family traveled a LOT but we NEVER flew on a plane. We would get in the car and tour the country for a few weeks at a time. While 8 hours a day in a van with your family could bring the stress levels pretty high we saw so many things. It was great to just stop wherever we wanted along the way. I remember staying in a hotel that wrapped around a drive in movie theater. You could lay on the bed and turn on this little box in your room and watch the movie. We saw Bruce Almighty together while laying in our hotel room. I also saw the site of the Oklahoma City bombing...before and after. We saw the twin towers before September 11. We went to Disney World and Disney Land. We even traveled to Canada for a day just to be able to say we traveled outside of the country together. I've not only seen the capitol building in DC but have photos in front of 24 of the state capitols. We learned to read maps and helped dad navigate (or so we thought) between city to city on the atlas, making sure to let him know how many more miles till this town or that town. I have seen SO MANY things and for this I'm thankful. (I don't think the 5 of us would travel together in a van so well anymore as all 3 of us kids are over 6ft tall now.)

November 24: A Physical Trait You Have

I like the color of my eyes. I have always wanted to have blue or green eyes but I like how dark my eyes are. If I am stuck with brown eyes these are the ones I want. ;) 

November 25: Something You Know

I'm thankful to have knowledge about technology. I have found this to be beneficial for me in all aspects of life. It can get frustrating once in a while when people continuously ask for advice on what they should buy or how to fix something but I love having the knowledge to help. 

November 26: Criticism You've Received

Oh this one is really hard for me! HAHA! I love getting feedback from people on things I am doing great at and maybe need to work on but if it's full on criticism I have a really hard time with it. I am not one to show that it bothers me but it eats at me for quite a while. I would have to say that being told that I overthink things has helped me to step back and breathe and not stress about every little thing. I try to plan too much sometimes and when things don't fall into place as I wanted them to I have a hard time with it. 

November 27: A Simple Pleasure

I'm thankful for SLEEP! I know that I don't get enough of it and I often have a hard time falling asleep but I'm thankful for lazy days when I can relax and nap and catch up on sleep. :) 

November 28: Free Day (Write About Anything You Want)

I am very thankful for everything in my life. I am blessed to have a wonderful family and get to see most of them very often. I have the most amazing friends in the whole world that have been there for me through thick and thin. I'm going to school for something that I love doing and can't wait to be out in "the real world" doing it very soon. I have a part time job where I get to use my knowledge of technology and help people. I am lucky to live in an area where I can continuously celebrate my heritage that is very important to me. I am thankful every day to have a church home where we are welcomed with open arms and can count on a smile, a hug, and a prayer when we need it. We are lucky to have 2 houses and 5 cars and 3 wonderful puppies to keep us busy. I am thankful to have a blog where I can write about things that are going on in my life and I'm thankful that YOU take the time to read it. There isn't much for me to not be thankful for. I am so so so so so blessed. 

Thankful Project (Part Three)

November 15: An Annoyance

An annoyance that I'm thankful for? Well I could name a few but you might think I'm a mean person. :) I would have to say that cell phones are at the top of the list. While I can complain about them and what our generation has lost becuase of them I am a number one offender. I think we have gained so much in being able to be contacted at any time and any information we need is at our finger tips (literally) but we also forget what it is to not be connected.

November 16: Something You Own

I'm thankful to own my own house. I bought my house 2 months after I turned 21 and am thanful to have the experience of being a homeowner. Brad owns a house too so hopefully in November next year we will be able to sell both houses and move to the country in a house we buy together, remodel together, and decorate together.

November 17: A Room

I am very thankful to have a comfy cozy living room. I love the times that I can just sit in my living room and relax but it's a little bit of everything for us. Our living room is our dining room as we got rid of our kitchen table to put kennels in the kitchen for the dogs. Our living room is my office as I gave up my office to have a guest room. It is a little bit of everything but I can spend days on the couch working and relaxing and always be busy. :)

November 18: A Choice

I'm thankful I made the decision to work at Best Buy…all 3 times. HAHA! Do you all think I'm crazy yet? Maybe it's just the lack of sleep from working so much getting ready for the last weekend of November. :) I am thankful for all of the amazing friends I have made over the years at Best Buy and I know that I wouldn't be where I am today in life if it wasn't for the experiences I've had in that building.

November 19: A Book

I'm thankful for the bible and all of the books that are within it. While it can be confusing and I haven't spent the time to read the whole thing, I am thankful for the answers I can find in the bible.

November 20: Something About Your Significant Other or Best Friend

I am thankful that Brad truly cares about me. He is always working to help me achieve a goal if it's important to me and helped me to achieve the goal of becoming a Director in my Scentsy business this month. He is always willing to help anyone if they need anything and will put his own wants and need aside to help someone else out.

November 21: Something That's Easy to Take For Granted

It is easy to take the amazing friends and family that I have in my life for granted. I am truly blessed to have the most amazing people on earth in my life and it's easy to forget that. I have a very close family and see them often so I forget that others never see their families. I have wonderful friends that don't forget about me even when I'm very busy and don't have time to spend with them. I don't know what I would do without shoulders to lean on and ears to listen to me during hard times and people to party with during the good times. I am thankful to all of you that read my blog too! I feel so lucky to know that people care about our little life. :)

Thankful Project (Part Two)

November 8: Words

Ok...I'm going with one person and many words she said...Elanor Roosevelt has some of the most amazing quotes that all come back to LIVE YOUR LIFE! You have to live to be happy with who you are and what your life has become. It's so easy to sit back and complain about what you have or haven't done but the truth is you have to do things to enjoy life and in the process you'll make mistakes...just pick up and move on or you'll miss out on the good in life. Here are a few I love. :)

 

November 9: A Photo

One photo?!? You're crazy! I'm a photo nut and I love looking back at old photos and reliving what happened. I think I get a little photo happy sometimes and need to step back and actually enjoy what is going on instead of being worried about capturing everything on film (or on a memory card these days.) Watch my Facebook or Instragram profiles and you'll see what I'm talking about. :) Photo...junkie...HEHE! I guess the photos I'm most fond of are those of or with the people that I have loved and lost in my life. I'll never get those moments back but I'll never lose them either as they're captured in a photo and my heart forever and ever. <3

November 10: A Memory

My parents have been cleaning out the basement ever since they had issues with a drain backing up in the laundry room and they have been finding old videos of me singing and playing instruments in band as a kid and recording them from VHS tape to DVD. This isn't on video but I remember my dad ALWAYS being super busy and doing his best to make it to all of my performances but he couldn't always make it. I was playing in a band concert in middle school and dad had told me he wouldn't be able to make it. I remember seeing the light from the hallway in the back of the room as someone walked in the door during our performance. I saw my dad in the doorway and I remember smiling so big I couldn't even play my flute. I guess that just shows that it's the little things that matter. That wasn't a special performance with a solo or anything but just the surprise of him showing up when he had said he couldn't be there meant the world.

November 11: Something You Were Taught

Good old fashioned respect! I'm so thankful that I was made to be respectful of both people and things. I think that children expect expect expect these days and everything is handed to them on a silver platter. Now...I'm not saying that I wasn't spoiled...believe you me....I know dang well I was. I am saying that I realize I had a LOT of things that other people didn't have and I'm thankful for those things. I also know how hard my parents worked to give us not only the things we needed but nearly everything we wanted. I know that you don't talk back to a teacher or argue with them. To me these things are common sense and for that I'm thankful!

November 12: An Opportunity

I'm super thankful for the opportunity to go back to school for something I love. I've always thought about cosmetology school but thought that people would think I did it because I wasn't smart enough to go to "real school" but well...I got over that! I wish people that think that spent a day in our shoes. :) I am LOVING school (other than the overabundance of hormones and drama here HAHA!) and I am so thankful that I took the leap of faith (as did my husband) and went for it. I not only love it but I'm good at it. I am good at doing hair, I'm good at marketing myself, and I'm good at building relationships. I LOVE IT ALL! I am enjoying school and know I'll enjoy myself even more when I'm in the salon full time.

November 13: An Ability

I love that I have the gift of gab. :) I'm a lot like my grandpa and dad in this one. I know way too many people in this world because I have the ability to just talk to people. It becomes incredibly helpful when I am doing hair…BONUS!

November 14: A Blessing

I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know my father-in-law. It breaks my heart that I didn't get more time with him but I am so thankful that at least I knew him. We got very close in the short time I knew him and I would like to think that I was the daughter he never had. (My husband is an only child.) I was a girly girl when it was time to dress up and look nice but would have much rather hang out with the guys in the garage and work on engines or go hunting or shooting than sit inside and have tea. I wasn't afraid to get dirty and help however I could. We spent hours goin over how to do things on the computer and me making him lists of how to do it when I was gone. Oh and there was never a shortage of us giving eachother crap about one thing or another...we always had something to say back to eachother. I can't imagine hearing stories of him but knowing that I missed out in knowing him. I'm so blessed to have been able to love him as much as his family did and know that someday our children will love him too in hearing about him from us.

The Thankful Project (Part One)

I'm way way way behind so I decided to catch up by doing a few at a time instead of posting a new post for every day I missed. I hope you enjoy reading a few things I'm thankful for. Thanks so much to Kenzie @Chasing Happy for starting this fun little link-up.

November 1: A Person

I'm incredibly thankful for my husband. I know…I know…cliché but right now I can't think of any that deserves more thanks. With going to school full time and working part time he's keeping things going for us. He's keeping up on laundry, cleaning, and bills and doesn't complain about it. (Well most of the time but we can all only take so much.)

November 2: Role You've Played

I'm thankful I've had the chance to play the role of sister. I know that while my brothers and I have had our ups and downs we have each others back until the end. Not only blood siblings but I have a sister-in-law and many adopted sisters and brothers to add to the list. Of course you can't forget my little sister I gained in the national pageant, Stephanie will always be my little sis and someday she'll run for queen (when I put in her app for her…I keep threatening.)

November 3: A Place

I'm thankful for the Czech Republic and the time I got to spend in it. I've meet some amazing friends from the Czech Republic they made me love it even more but I fell head over heels in love with the country the minute I stepped off the plane.

November 4: An Experience

Being Miss Czech-Slovak US 2010-11. This was something I had dreamed of since I was a little girl and it seemed so far out of reach. I think my heart jumped out of my chest the moment they called my name and I think it took the whole year for it to soak in that it had actually happened. Many many miles later I was standing there giving a farewell speech. Thankfully my farewell speech wasn't a farewell at all but instead a change of my role in the Czech-American community.

November 5: Talent You Have

I love that I have musical ability. I love to sing more than anything but have enjoyed learning several instruments over the years. I played the violin in elementary school from 4th through 6th grade and played the flute from 5th through 10th grade. Then, of course, in 2009 I started to learn to play the button accordion. Even in my childhood years I wrote about how I was going to be a famous singer someday. :) I may not be famous but my love of singing has never changed.

November 6: A Failure

My attempt at a degree in computer programming. Ok…let's be honest…me sitting at a desk programming all day every day? This failure lead me to getting my business degree which lead me to cosmetology school, which I am LOVING. I'm thankful that I realized that this program wasn't for me (with a little help from a teacher that was terrible to me and turned me off of it all together but hey…everything happens for a reason right?!)

November 7: A Job

Photographer for NV Photography and Vocasek Productions. I fill in for my little brother when he can't be at an event right away and work with him at big events for his photography business and photo boot.  I'm also good at posing people for photos and making sure all of the details are just right so it's a ton of fun. I'm honored to be able to help him out and we have a blast working together so I'm just super thankful to help him out whenever and however I can. I just need to learn to be a bit more comfortable with his camera and figure out how to make photos look good with all the smoke in a bar and I'll be set! :) I love that every day I learn a little more with it.

My First Blog Award! :)

I'm so excited to say that I have my first award for my blog. Thanks to Kelsey at Keeping Up With Kelsey!

 

 This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers...the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another. Here's what you have to do: 

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves. 

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to. 

3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post. 

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award. 

5. No tag backs. 

My 11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I would love to run away to the Czech Republic and never come back. I love the history of the country and am proud to have ancestors from there and fell in love with the country when I spent 10 days there.
2. I hate to drink water unless I'm super dehydrated. YUCK!
3. I am always on time...Stefanie time...which is either right on time or a few minutes late.
4. I have certain pieces of jewelry I have to wear or it drives me crazy. If I don't have earrings in my bottom holes I will go somewhere to buy some.
5. I hate pennies...I gift them to friends with children for their piggy banks all the time. Maybe I am rich and just give it all away?!
6. My friends hate going anywhere with me because I know someone everywhere...per my friend Maggie...my world is not small...I have a very big big world.
7. I am a total geek at heart! I love new technology and constantly am buying new things. (Best Buy is very bad for me sometimes!)
8. I love sushi and would eat it every day if I could.
9. I sing karaoke whenever I can and know words to way too many songs. I often wonder how I have room for anything else in there.
10. I am constantly making lists and if I could schedule everything...I would. (And then be late to what I scheduled...OOPS!)
11. When I have dreams I look up the meaning in a dream dictionary. I think everything has symbolic meaning and with some of the crazy dreams I have it helps me to realize that if there is alternate meaning then I am not just on the verge of a mental breakdown. LOL

My 11 Questions from Kelsey:
1. What TV series are on your DVR list?
The saddest day of my life is when we canceled cable. (Ok I'm kidding but I no longer have a DVR so I'll share what we watch on Hulu since that's where we catch up on shows.) Currently we are watching Grey's Anatomy and Mistresses but also like watching Beauty & the Beast when it's on. I watch Betrayal most of the time when Brad is sleeping. Everyone is trying to get hooked on Breaking Bad so we have watched an episode or 2 of that but I'm not hooked yet. I watch lots of different shows depending on my mood.
2. Main reason you began blogging.
To keep family and friends posted on what is going on in our lives and as a way for me to destress sometimes. I love to write so this is a way for me to do it and share it with the world! :) 
3. Where do you see your blog going in the future?
I will continue to blog and I hope that others begin reading. We live a very busy lifestyle so I hope that friends and family that don't live close by can keep up to date on what we have going on. 
4. Ever played an instrument?
I played violin in elementary school, flute from elementary through highschool, and accordion for the last 5 or so years. Yes...the accordion and we own 13 of them!
5. Which social media site are you the most addicted to?
Facebook, mostly because all of my other social media pages are linked to Facebook. I run 10 or so pages and groups on Facebook so I'm constantly checking on things. (Brad HATES that I'm on there so often!)
6. Any guilty pleasure's you'd like to air out?
I hate shopping for almost anything but I LOVE to shop for office supplies. Nothing makes me happier than a pack of post it notes and a new pen.
7. How many fbook pictures are your profile?
Can't check while I'm at school...I'll get back to you on this one...
8. Reasoning behind your blog name?
Our last name is Husak and we're sharing about what is going on in our Household. (So original you know!) 
9. Have you ever tried to sue someone?
No but there are times I would have liked to...wouldn't we all?HA
10. How did you find my blog? (Keeping up With Kelsey)
That Kelsey chick is my girl! :) Our dads were good friends growing up, we were Czech Queens together, and then she was the first person to join my Scentsy team.
11. Bath or shower?
Shower for sure...I could stand in there for an hour and be happy. It's the one time that nobody bothers me and I can just relax. (Well...as long as Brad isn't home...he'll stand in the bathroom and talk to me the whole time if he is home.)

My 11 Questions for My Nominees:
1. If you had to choose a last supper, what would you choose?
2. If you could go back to any era, which era would you go back to and what fashion trend would you rock?
3. What is your ultimate goal for your blog?
4. How would you describe the perfect home?
5. If you got $1 million dollars and had to give it all away, how would you share it?
6. If you could meet one celebrity, who would you meet and why?
7. If you could have any profession (real or made-up) what would you choose to do with your life?
8. Would you rather have someone clean your house every day or do your hair and make-up and dress you every day?
9. If you lived the life of a TV character, who would you be?
10. What piece of technology can you not live without?
11. Do you know where your ancestors came from (your heritage) and does your family celebrate anything special from their culture?

My Nominees:
1. Tonja @ The Sullivan Good Life
2. Raewyn @ Be a Warrior Queen
3. Suzi @ Chores & Chandeliers
4. Kate @ Crazy Lovely Me
5. Nicole @ Prairie Princess 
6. Rachel @ Raves & Revelations
7. Kelly @ Today Was a Fairytale
8. Meghan @ Life is Good
9. Callie @ My Something New With You 
10.Shelly @ Minettes Maze
11.Nicole @ Our Humble Webb

This was lots of fun and thanks again to Kelsey for the nomination. I hope the girls I nominated have as much fun with it as I did! :)

Stefanie

A Time for Change

I know I made my list of hundreds of things I want to change and a few have been acomplished! YIPPEE!! As you may have noticed there are many things on that list that have to do with my overall wellbeing. I haven't been healthy for the past few years and I have no excuse as to why that is other than I am LAZY!! It's so much easier to eat junk than to cook meals. It's so much easier to sit on the couch than go work out. That time is over and I'm truly happy about it.

A few weeks ago I decided to try going to the chiropractor for the first time. I've always wanted to go and after several sleepless nights because I was waking up in pain I called and made an appointment. The office had left flyers in the breakroom at Best Buy several months back for a free consultation and I took one thinking maybe someday I would go. It sat in my car and I happened to run across it that day. A sign or a coincidence, I'm not sure but I made the call. The office doesn't just focus on issues with your back etc but on your overall health. I really liked everyone there and was told to come back in 2 days to review what was found from the x-rays etc. In the mean time I talked to a classmate of mine about going and she told me her son went once a week since he was only months old. We talked more and I found out that her son started going due to digestive problems. With all of the stomach problems I have I thought it was odd that this had come up and gave me hope that maybe...just maybe...this would help with other things I'm having issues with. Upon meeting back up with my chiropractor he asked that I come in several times a week to fix some issues between my shoulders and also in my neck. So far it's been great and I haven't woken up with pain. I know that nothing is the miracle cure but if something helps, I'm willing to give it a try!

Around the same time I made my first appointment, Brad decided he was going to go tour the gym we both used to go to when we met. He has finally decided to make some changes of his own and we ended that day with 2 memberships to the gym (I told him if he joined he had to get me a membership too!) Part of joining was a meeting with a personal trainer for a Jump Start session. I met with Tanner a few days later and got my BMI measured, got weighed, and got some general circumference measurements. We talked about my goals and what I was going to do to make them happen. (How did he know I am OBSESSED with goals?!) Here are the things I listed to him (most of which are already on that crazy list mentioned above.) Things I want to achieve are lose 10lbs, shop outside of the plus sized section, and weigh less than 200lbs. (You all know my secrets now!) The things I'm going to do to achieve these things are go to the gym 3 times a week, plan meals for 5 days a week, and start tracking on MyFitnessPal again.

A few days after this meeting I went back for my free hour long personal training session. I forgot how much more I work when I have someone there to keep me going! After running the stairs 5 times and listening to him say "Miss Czech-Slovak US is coming out of retirement!" I wanted to kill him....but I kept going. He asked me after every set how the weight was and I told him time and time again "Eh...it was ok" to which he increased the weight. He told me by the middle of the workout most people realized this and quit telling him it was ok. Not me...I wanted to push myself and I did. That was last Wednesday....I finally had most of my muscle control back...YESTERDAY! It was awesome and I'm hoping to continue to work out with him and keep moving in the right direction.

So the plans now include continuing to go to the chiropractor and continuing to work out at the gym. I'm hoping to meet with the nutritionist at the gym to get a plan together with her to keep on track with my eating and hoping to schedule some more personal training sessions. I just want to be healthy and know that being healthier will make me happy and we all want to be happy right?!

I have to give one last shout out to a couple of people that have inspired me to make these changes in watching their amazing success. Laura and Dana you girls are amazing and watching you do it makes me know I can do it too! Love you ladies and keep up the good work!

Thursday Tunes Link-Up

I thought maybe a theme would arrise in this but I think my music mind is just a mess right now...hope you enjoy a little variety! ;) 

Miranda Lambert - All Kinds of Kinds

Well...I'M GOING TO SEE HER TONIGHT!! EEEK! :) Super excited and this song is the TRUTH! The world just couldn't keep spinning without you, me, and lots of other personalities! 

Boyce Avenue - Someone Like You Cover
I love acoustic music so Boyce Avenue is AWESOME because of all of the accoustic covers they have out there. This is one of the first ones I heard and now Boyce Avenue is one of my Pandora stations! <3 them!

Dashboard Confessional - Remember to Breathe
One of my all time favorite songs by one of my all time favorite bands. It just makes me HAPPY! 

Incubus - Warning
Another favorite band and a great song. Just love the lyrics...especially the first few lines!

Ylvis - The Fox
OMG...how does this song not make you die laughing?! It kills me every time....you're welcome for getting it stuck in your head! ;) 

Thursday Tunes Link-Up

I've been kinda hooked on country lately so you'll see lots of country on here right now...

Bruises - Train ft Ashley Monroe

I really should be sick of this song because it plays at school 2 or 3 times per day. It reminds me of hearing it live at Pinewood Bowl with my bestie and that makes me happy. It's the truth though because we all have bruises and that's what makes us...well...US! 

   

 Hey Girl - Billy Currington

I love this song! It's a fun song and I liked it before I saw him in concert at Frogfest but I am a HUGE fan after seeing him live with my friend Dana.

 We will forever and always be the first aid girls...you know where to find us...

   

 Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker
No real reason for this one other than that it always gets stuck in my head. Just a good catchy song! :)
   

 Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Buble
He hasn't met me yet...thank goodness! ;) I think I would fall over and die. I love love love a man that can sing and this one CAN! His voice is amazing and hearing him live made me realize it even more.
 

Sure Be Cool If You Did - Blake Shelton 

We all have those nights right...planning on realaxing at home and having a drink then go out and drink a little more than expected. HA! I love Blake Shelton and his wife and want to see them both in concert. Another song I turn up and jam to when it comes on!

Feeling Kinda Famous

Ok, so I'm bored at school and as we all do when we're bored (or I think this is "normal" LOL) I started googling random things. I googled Husak Household to see if anything comes up and I found the link to this blog, the link to the facebook, the link to my bloglovin account, the link to my Google+, and then I found this...

Hey Look...It's Us!

Jill has a whole Pinterest board for Nebraska and we're one of her 70 or so posts! The pin is titled "Husak Household - Nebraska newlywed involved in all things related to Czech and Slovak heritage" Not gonna lie...I was a little school girl giddy when I saw this. Thanks so much for the pin Jill! :)

I searched on Pinterest and found the pin on a Nebraska Bloggers board, Emily's board, and Oh My! Omaha's board too. I'm feeling so special...guess it's the little things. 

My First VoxBox!

I joined Influenster several months ago but I haven't been active with it until the last month or two. Basically Influenster allows you to use your social media channels to advertise and spread the word about products you use and love. Bonus is that if you do this enough you are asked to get free products and test them out and share what you think. SCORE! A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in my first VoxBox and here is what I got.

A new toothbrush that Colgate is relasing called the SlimSoft. You'll see the photos soon but it was about time for me to buy a new toothbrush anyways so this worked perfect!

The Box

MoreInfo About the Toothbrush

THANKS INFLUENSTER & COLGATE! 

I got more than just a toothbrush!

Told ya it was time for a new toothbrush...

My new toothbrush's new home in my bathroom! :) 

So far I'm loving this new toothbrush. The bristles are a lot narrower and there are a ton more of them so I feel like while it's softer than a normal toothbrush I get more cleaning action with it. I am so glad I got this and would definitely purchas another one when it's time to purchase a new toothbrush. :)

Feeling Lost in Life

Things have been getting really stressful lately. I'm working and going to school what seems to be ALL THE TIME! It's finally starting to get to me and I feel like all of the relationships in my life are starting to suffer. I'm doing my best to keep calm and carry on...a motto I found in 2010 when I was Miss Czech-Slovak US (I'd like to think it was before it gained popularity and everyone has a different version of it...if it's not true just don't burst my bubble. HA!)

I've been praying and doing my best to make some decisions in life and just can't seem to make a decision that feels right. My husband has been wonderful in supporting me in many ways in my decision to go back to school. He was right along with me when I decided this is what I wanted to do and helped me jump in with both feet and go for it. A few weeks before our wedding I quit my job and told them I was going back to school. (I agreed to come back for a few weeks to help out after our honeymoon as someone else quit around the same time.) I didn't even tell my parents until a week or 2 before I started school, to which my mom flipped out, wondering why I quit a great job and decided to do this after I had just graduated in May with a degree I thought I wanted to use in life. I started back at Best Buy as I figured it would be easier to go back to a job I already knew than to learn a new one on top of everything at school. 

I'm at school for 30 to 35 hours per week and then working anywhere from 5 to 30 hours so my time is limited. I know I couldn't have done this by myself and I know that many people would tell me I'm crazy and to keep the good job I have because we all have bad days at work. I'm lucky that he understood and supported my decision. Brad has picked up the slack at home and keeps up on laundry and yardwork on top of paying bills and any other odd job around the house. I think we're both working 2 full time jobs. I know that I should quit my part time job at Best Buy for the sake of sanity but it's so scary for me. I'm a very independent person and I already feel very guilty for going back to school and causing stress with finances and well...everything in our lives because of the time and energy I spend everywhere else. I'm a very independent person and I like being able to go out to eat here and there and buy I new pair of shoes when I want to but is that worth the stress? It's almost holiday season at Best Buy and it's only going to get worse! Could I do enough with my Scentsy Family business to make up for the job if I focused a little more time on that?

Have any of you ever went through something similar to this? I'm so scared to quit and regret it but I'm equally scared to not quit and keep missing out on everything that means anything to me.

On another note...I had a friend ask me when the last time that I took time for ME was the other day. He stopped and waited for my response...and I couldn't respond. He said when have you turned off your phone and just read a book or drank a coffe and just people watched? I had no idea...not a single example to share with him. I'm truly going to try this. I'm going to find 20 or 30 minutes of ME time and not let anyone else disrupt. I think I'm going to try taking a walk with my headphones on and just get away from everyone. Double the benefit! :) 

Wife to Wife Link-Up

New link-up time! Saw this on my feed today and thought it would be a fun new linkup! It's all about wifeys and how they make things work. :)

What are some things/topics that you do not see eye to eye on?

Do you have a compromise or just forget about them? 

Overall we do pretty good on agreeing about the important stuff. We both want children and want to raise them with old fashioned respect. We don't want them to be loaded up on sugar and caffine at all times and stuck behind a video game or on their phone at all times. We both want to move to the country before we start a family and have a laid back house full of love and fun. But of course...no 2 people can agree on EVERYTHING! Here are a few things we go back and forth about if we talk about it...

Schedule

This is a big one for the 2 of us ESPECIALLY this year. My family has always been a very busy family and I definitely took after my parents. I am in school full time right now about 35 hours a week and working 25 or so. On top of this I add being a part of the Miss Czech-Slovak US Pageant committee and running my Scentsy Family business with 25 people in my downline that I do my best to help out. Brad is working overtime at work every week plus playing polka bands through Nebraska nearly every weekend. Most days we're lucky to cross paths and very lucky if we get to spend a portion of the evening together. While I keep saying that when I'm done with school it will be better he always says he sees my family and knows that I'll just fill the time with something else. I'm hoping that this something else is spending time with family and friends that I've lost touch with in this crazy lifestyle!

Chevy vs Ford

Well this one is always a touchy one at our house! I was raised in a Ford family (by a dad and grandpa that made a career out of working on cars so the OBVIOUSLY know what they're talking about.) At some point Brad was lead down the wrong path (his dad used to be a Ford guy too but I think Brad corupt him) and started liking Chevy. He even got a tattoo on his ankle of the Chevy symbol (poor poor guy has to live with that embarrassment forever.) Someday I'll teach him...

Politics

I am very opinionated about polotics so this one is never a safe option. LOL! Then again...where is it? I have strong opinions about how our country should be run and why things are the way they are and we have learned it is just safer for everyone if we don't discuss...basically we cancel eachothers votes out when it comes to voting time. Luckily he only votes in presidentail elections and I vote every chance I get...I've only missed one election since I was old enough to vote and it was a small one so I feel a little bad but I've done a lot better than most 27 year olds!

Technology

Well since I'm 27 and Brad is 36 we don't see eye to eye on technology. I am on my phone a lot and very "connected" and he thinks it is just too much. I agree that things are misinterpreted often because of text messaging or a digital message of any type but it is so much easier for me to contact someone and deal with a situation via digital communication most times and not get tied up on a phone call for hours. I work a lot via the internet with my Scentsy Family business and Brad can't figure out just what I'm doing on the computer for hours at a time. (He also doesn't understand the hours I spend reading through all of my Bloggie Buddies posts and seeing what is going on with all of you!) I don't know if we will ever see eye to eye on this one because in this case we were truly rasied in a different era and don't understand how it was for the other! We got our first computer when I was 5 and had video games before that and he didn't really have any of that until he was in college or shortly after.

Cross One Off the List!

Well I've officially crossed the first item off my list of 300. #56 was to go to an outdoor concert. Last night I worked first aid at Frogfest at Blue Stem Vineyards. My little brother used to work for the owners of the vineyard and his fire department was working so I joined in the fun. My friend Dana, my mom, and I worked First Aid at the concert and were able to enjoy the concert too.

If you need to find us...we'll be at First Aid!

We went down when Cactus Hill was finishing playing and had a great time listening to them. They're such a good band for being a bunch of local boys! :) I ran into lots of friends...surprise surprise. Most of them I hadn't seen in a while and it was great to run into them. I just wish I had more time to spend with friends and family. 

The Stage!

We stayed down toward the front when Billy Currington came on stage. He sounded great and as people left the front area we kept moving forward. We planned to only listen to a few songs but ended up a little longer than we had planned. I looked back at the First Aid booth and saw they were shutting it down...OOPS! We ran back and helped clean everything up and listened to the rest of the concert from there. 

I'll post more photos when I snag them from Dana as my phone died fairly early on in the night...guess I should have planned ahead more. Overall it was an awesome night of great music and time with friends. I also have to say that this was one of the first concerts in a while that I have attened without drinking at all and I loved it. It was fun to truly enjoy the music for what it was and laugh at all of the crazy drunk people through the night. :) 

Till next time, 

Stefanie

300 before I'm 30 (3 Year Goals)

So I realized a lot of people were doing the 101 in 1001 lists and I started to think I wanted to participate. I thought about it and figured out I was turning 30 in 3 years. In my normal overachiever ways I decided to make a list of 300 things to do in 3 years or before I'm 30. :) Here it is! I'll keep you all posted on what I'm achieving through the next few years. Let me know if you wanna help me out on any of these or do them with me. I would also love to see your lists so be sure to post a comment with your list so I can check it out.

Eventually I want to get this organized but for now it's just a crazy long list! This list is running from 8/13/2013 to 6/28/2016 (1050 Days)

1. Date my husband once a week for 2 months
2. Go Camping (in a TENT) with Brad
3. Be a Mommy
4. Take a weekend away with Brad at least once a year
5. Get a “family” photo every year
6. Take a class together
7. Surprise Brad with gifts for a week straight
8. Write a list of 100 reasons that I love Brad and give it to him
9. Wake up and make Brad breakfast every morning for a week
10. No TV in our bedroom for 2 weeks
11. Take over family dinner and cook so mom doesn't have to
12. Have a Mother Daughter Day with Mom
13. Have a Daddy Daughter Day with Dad
14. Spend a day with my older brother Mike
15. Spend a day with my younger Brother Nic
16. Have a Sisters Day with Harleena
17. Go on a trip to visit family in Texas
18. Go on a trip to visit Grandma in South Dakota
19. Go on a trip to visit Brad’s cousin in Minnesota
20. Host a Vocasek party and get all of the Vocaseks together
21. Host a Bowen party and get all of the Bowens together
22. Host a Husak party and get all of the Husaks together
23. Host a Rejda party and get all of the Rejdas together
24. Take Family Pictures with Our Whole Family
25. Create a family tree and make it as in depth as possible
26. Make a family calendar every year
27. Go to church every weekend for 3 months
28. Do daily devotions every day for a month
29. Volunteer at church
30. Join a small group at church
31. Attend 3 Mix social events at church
32. Pray every day for a month
33. Redecorate our bedroom (using wedding photos)
34. Have a week long staycation
35. Go skydiving
36. Cook 10 pinterest meals
37. Get and complete a wreck this journal
38. Quit my part time job
39. Sing the national anthem at a sporting event
40. Complete 10 pinterest crafts
41. Organize laundry room to be blog post-worthy
42. Find a way to make guest room work well as a guest room AND Scentsy office
43. Learn how to crochet
44. Sell at least one home made craft and sell it
45. Get another tattoo
46. Get another piercing
47. Sing with a live band (polka band NOT included)
48. Do a bride's hair for her wedding
49. Go on a real vacation
50. Change out all photos in frames in our house
51. Read 30 new books
52. Watch 50 new movies
53. Send out a Christmas newsletter
54. Create a “life binder”
55. Go to 5 concerts
56. Go to an outdoor concert
57. Sew something and use it or wear it
58. Go to 3 Husker Football Games
59. Go to 6 Lincoln Stars Hockey Games
60. Go to 3 Lincoln Saltdogs Games
61. Go to a Husker Volleyball Game
62. Go to a Husker Baseball Game
63. Go to a Husker Basketball Game
64. Take a photography class
65. Take piano lessons
66. Learn to play 2 songs on guitar
67. Learn to play one song with both hands on piano
68. Learn how to drive a stick...well
69. Graduate with my Cosmetology degree at College of Hair Design
70. Get my Cozy license
71. Volunteer somewhere new
72. Walk in a walk for a cause
73. Perform 10 random acts of kindness
74. Read every night before bed for 2 weeks
75. Learn to play chess
76. Go to a chiropractor 
77. Visit a theme park
78. Ride a new roller coaster
79. Go mini golfing
80. Go bowling
81. Learn to golf (or at least try)
82. Go fishing
83. Go snowboarding
84. Apply to be on a reality show
85. Join a sand volleyball team
86. Paint something
87. Go horseback riding
88. Write in a journal for a month
89. Get CPR certified again
90. Go shooting enough to have good aim
91. Visit the Mall of America again
92. Go see Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse again
93. See the Stockyards in Fort Worth again
94. Go to a NASCAR race
95. Go to a NFL game
96. Go to a live musical
97. See a comedian live
98. Mail a secret to Post Secret (postsecret.com)
99. Leave 10 random notes to others (scentsy-theone.com)
100. Visit the Lincoln Zoo
101. Visit the Omaha Zoo
102. Go Deer Hunting again
103. Shoot a deer on my own
104. Go to the circus
105. Go on a picnic
106. Embroider something on my own
107. Sing in a choir again
108. Learn to play the bass hand of the accordion
109. Learn to sing 10 new Czech songs
110. Be a part of the Miss Czech-Slovak US Pageant Committee
111. Host another "Czech It Out" childrens’ Czech festival
112. Crown YCN royalty
113. Host a Nebraska Polka Festival at Pla Mor
114. Learn more Czech
115. Own another full vintage kroj
116. Sew a kroj on my own
117. Learn how to bake kolace well and bake a batch on my own
118. Judge a Czech/Slovak Pageant
119. Learn to play Taroks
120. Add a Czech tradition to a holiday celebration
121. Get together with our wedding party every year for our anniversary
122. Be in a wedding
123. Reconnect with 10 friends that I haven't "had time for"
124. Have a girls weekend away with friends
125. Buy a new house
126. Buy a new car
127. Get a digital SLR camera
128. Get a new couch/couches for our living room
129. Lose the baby weight from pregnancy
130. Be a vegeterian for 2 weeks (and try to get my husband to do it too!)
131. Home make all meals for one week
132. No eating out for 1 month
133. No soda for 1 month
134. Lose 10 lbs
135. Lose 20 lbs
136. Lose 30 lbs
137. Lose 40 lbs
138. Shop outside of the plus size section
139. Drink 9 cups of water every day for 2 weeks
140. Walk the dogs 3 times a week for a month
141. Take a dance class
142. Join a gym
143. No alcohol for 2 months
144. Run in a 5k
145. Do 3 more photo a day challenges
146. Blog every day for 2 weeks straight
147. Blog 3 times per week for 2 months
148. Have 250 views on my blog in one day
149. Have 100 fans on my blog
150. No social media for one week
151. No cell phone for 3 days
152. Be a part of 3 more Cara Box exchanges
153. Write a review on 3 products on my blog
154. Do a giveaway on my blog
155. Be a Scentsy Director
156. Have 20 people in my direct dowline with Scentsy
157. Have a team of 50 in my Scentsy business
158. Be a Grace Adele Trendsetter
159. Be on stage for Scentsy Annual Mentor Award
160. Help someone in my downline promote to Director
161. Have someone join my team as a Grace Adele Consultant
162. Have someone join my team as a Velata Consultant
163. Have a Re-Launch Party
164. Host a multi-vendor event
165. Hit $50,000 in Lifetime PRV
166. Earn an incentive trip
167. Go to Scentsy Director Boot Camp
168. Go on a bike ride
169. Publish a book
170. Put a 500+ piece puzzle together 
171. Send 20 birthday cards
172. Send 20 thank you cards
173. Participate in a snowball fight
174. Build a snowman
175. Write something in the sand
176. Donate blood again
177. Bake cookies from scratch
178. Bake cupcakes from scratch
179. Learn to play the Dudy
180. Own a Dudy
181. Jump in puddles after or while it rains
182. Own chickens
183. Own a goat
184. Kiss under mistletoe
185. Take a train somewhere
186. Go on a hike
187. Stand on the Skydeck in Chicago
188. Ride the ferris wheel on Navy Pier in Chicago
189. Spend the night somewhere that is haunted
190. Go to a Casino and spend $100
191. Visit a water park
192. Go to Hot Springs and swim again
193. Start YCN dance group
194. Create YCN bylaws
195. Hold one fundraiser for YCN
196. Start YCN classes for heritage, language, etc.
197. Go go-carting
198. Go on a cruise
199. Visit carhenge
200. Sell something on Craigslist or LinConsign
201. Buy something on Craigslist or LinConsign
202. Post my 100th Blog Post
203. Try a restaurant that looks totally sketchy on the outside
204. Eat at a restaurant I’ve heard nothing about
205. Be able to do 20 pushups at one time
206. Be able to do 100 situps at one time
207. Travel outside of the US
208. Post a YouTube video worthy of 1,000 or more views
209. Buy a lottery ticket
210. Write a love letter to my husband
211. Write a poem
212. Dress up in a costume
213. Fly a kite
214. Tour the Nebraska State Capital
215. Visit Morrill Hall
216. Visit the Sheldon Art Museum
217. Attend a play at the Lincoln Community Playhouse
218. Test drive a car
219. Walk through a house during an open house
220. Grow out my hair for a year
221. Ride in a small airplane or helicopter
222. Stand on pointe in pointe shoes
223. Rent and stay in a cabin
224. Take a sign language class
225. Take my first child on a playdate
226. Get my first child baptized
227. Go to the races in Eagle
228. Try raw oysters
229. Grow vegetables in my own garden
230. Go skiiing
231. Fly somewhere
232. Go to a movie by myself
233. Go to the Pioneers Park nature center again
234. Go paintballing
235. Participate in a flash mob
236. Be in a musical
237. Have a caricature of me drawn
238. Dye easter eggs
239. Carve a pumpkin
240. Teach each of my dogs a new trick
241. Ride a mechanical bull
242. Go to the Renaissance fair
243. Record a CD
244. Visit Vala’s Pumpkin Patch again
245. Visit Roca Berry Farms again
246. Throw someone a surprise party
247. Vote!
248. Enter something into the State Fair
249. Go to a drive in movie theater
250. Be within the healthy weight range for my height
251. Go to the city library
252. Start at my first job as a cosmetologist
253. Get cable again
254. Try to play a violin again
255. Let go of something I’m holding on to because of the memories and realize the memories aren’t within an item
256. Order room service at a hotel
257. Leave on a trip with no destination in mind and see where we end up
258. Send out 100 compliments on Facebook in one day
259. Make a donation to an organization I believe in
260. Help build something (a structure etc.)
261. Help host a radio show
262. Write a will
263. Take an old-time photo with Brad
264. Go to a horse race
265. Go blonde
266. Attend a UFC or UFC style fight
267. Move to the country
268. Own a cat
269. Find a 4 leaf clover
270. Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
271. Re-paint my nails every day for a week
272. Go to the Chicago Hair Show again
273. Get my hair cut or styled on stage at a hair show
274. Play a prank on someone
275. Write a list of 100 things that make me happy
276. Add a fun color to my hair (blue, green, pink, purple, etc.)
277. Do a burnout in a car
278. Ride on a horse drawn carriage
279. Run every day for a week
280. Paint a wall in my house a bright or dark color (not neutral)
281. Attend the Nebraska state fair
282. Attend the Iowa state fair
283. Win a contest
284. Sew a quilt with old t-shirts
285. Visit teachers at each of my schools again
286. Plan meals for a month
287. Have a housewarming party
288. Meet a celebrity
289. Go to a wine tasting somewhere new
290. Learn to drink coffee
291. Have a board game night with friends
292. Have a card night with friends
293. Buy food for a homeless person
294. Do the polar bear plunge
295. Go to a Rodeo
296. Do a butterfly release
297. Own a hammock
298. Have a slumber party with girlfriends at my house
299. Inspire someone to start a list of goals
300. Start a new list