Let's talk about our problems...

(Never have I posted a blog post this long, but I believe it's worth it. Read? xo)

 

Hi ladies! I'm not going to post about Valentine's Day, because I already did that early. You can read that post here. It seemed to be a hit, so I highly recommend you read it. All I will say is this: to all my single lady friends, think of ALL the money you will be saving tomorrow. ;) And then read that post. Then come back to this one because it is truly from my heart. And I have a big heart.

 

I'm going to share something with you. I have many secrets in my life that perhaps someday will be shared on this blog...some darker than others. I know we all do. But here's one that's not so dark, but personally eating away at me. Physically and mentally, I have many problems. I have insomnia. I have suffered with it since I was a little girl and I hate to stay awake until the wee hours of the morning. I also have severe anxiety. The two do not mix well together. I have read of a couple other bloggers that suffer from anxiety, and my heart goes out to you. It is the worst feeling--one that I cannot even describe. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, which means it is constant (every single day, all day long) and doesn't just come and go. I am on medication for it. I also suffer from depression. Is my life awful? NO! There's nothing wrong with people that are wired a little differently (aka suffering with anxiety or depression), but sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and ask God, "Why?! Why can't I be normal?"

 

I have endometriosis. If you don't know what that is, there is a good explanation here. I had a laparoscopy last October to get rid of most of it, but it could not all be taken away. A lot of it was too close to my vital organs, and the doctor performing my surgery was nervous to get close to them. Needless to say, I suffer great physical pain often. I know of at least one blogger who also has this disease, and I'd like to give a shout-out to my new friend Kel. I know she understands what I'm going through. I am suffering pains from two major car accidents that will probably never go away. But ya know what? I'm lucky to be here. To be typing this.

 

I have other physical problems, but let's not get into those now. Here is my point: I have lots of problems, some that I won't mention until another day. I often compare myself to other women. I want to be as pretty as them, as funny and smart as them, as great of a catch as them. Why do we compare ourselves to other women? We can always say that we are okay with who we are, but I know even the most confident of women have questioned themselves at one point in time. My point, my point...what was I getting at with all of this? No matter all of our problems, our insecurities, we are all so beautiful in our own ways and should never compare ourselves to someone we wish we could be for a day, an hour, 15 minutes. My very good friend Jenna just broke up with her boyfriend (tonight, the night before Valentine's Day) and I wanted to tell you why. Because she knows she deserves better. We should all know when we deserve better. :) I love you, Jenna.

 

We are so great, beautiful, and strong being the women that we are.

 

So instead of a Valentine's Day post, I wanted to tell you what I often have to remind myself. Always, always, always love you. Be kind to you. Know how awesome you are. And NEVER settle. I'm sorry for such a long post, but I didn't know how to write my feelings in a paragraph and have you all understand. I love you. You love you. And don't stop!

 

 

Dear Brani, you are pretty. You are talented. You are smart. You are funny. You have a huge heart. You are loved. Don't believe me? Let me show you proof below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, now that I feel pretty enough (and silly enough) to press publish, I am going to end this saying something super simple! Two of my very good blogger friends are having giveaways! Go pay them a visit and enter! Lauren from Fashion, Love & Lauren (formerly The How-To Blog) and Sue from Chevron and Lace. Lauren is my best blogging buddy, so you have to go check her out! And Sue is just as cool...and way creative! One more favor. My new friend, Missy, has a fairly new blog & I know she'd love it if you checked it out. She's very talented, so she's got some cool stuff up. I love blogging so much because I get to make the most amazing friends. :) Have a wonderful Valentine's Day, my lovely readers. I am grateful that you read my blog! I honestly adore you for it. xo

 

 

 

To blog or vlog? That is the question.

 

I am so excited! Wanna know why? Of course ya do! I am getting a huge beauty product review ready for y'all. I have just ONE question for you. Would you like the review as a blog (written format with pictures)...or a VLOG (video format)?! Let me know in the comments! I'd greatly appreciate it & I can't wait to share with you my thoughts on some awesome...and some not so awesome products!

 

 

I introduce to you, my sister, Arden!

Hi there! Arden here, Brani's big sis. I want to thank my sister for letting me be a guest blogger on That's Just Lovely. I am a blog follower, but never been a blog writer, so here it goes...

 

I am SO EXCITED to share my latest adventure with you, I don't know where to start! I felt like Brani Laine's blog would be a great place to SCREAM from the mountain tops my latest love affair with my skin care regimen since That's Just Lovely is all about Beauty, Fashion and Lovin' Life!

 

I guess I should start by telling you a little about myself and my story. I am a wife to an amazing husband David, and mother to the most precious children ever: Preston and Elyse. I am lucky enough to stay at home with them full time and we keep ourselves pretty busy. Like all moms, I put my children first, their needs before mine and then leave very little time for "me" time. By the end of the day I am so exhausted, I just want to collapse on the couch and watch some shows with my hubby. I go through spurts of working out, so I am fairly in shape, I eat healthy (most of the time), but 6 months ago I had been noticing myself aging quicker and quicker. I know it comes with life, age and HAVING KIDS, but it was making me feel ****. I would look in the mirror and just felt GROSS! One day I was just having one of those pity party days and happened to see a friend post on Facebook about Rodan+Fields. I think she had written that post with me in mind because it read like it was specifically targeting me and my "woe is me day" (Thanks Haley). I called her up and said, "Please tell me everything about Rodan+Fields, it sounds like just what I need!" I went ahead and ordered the largest package possible from Rodan+Fields from Haley, and that is where my OBSESSION began.

 

(Sidenote from Brani: Don't I have a pretty sister, and the most adorable niece & nephew? Let's not leave Dave out. He's one hadsome brother-in-law!)

My skin has never felt this soft and silky. It hasn't looked this good since I was in my early 20's. The lines on my forehead are fading. Lines around my eyes are gone.  It is tighter, smoother, cleaner looking. Sun spots from years and years of baking in the sun have faded. It really has lived up to the name Reverse by turning back time for all the hell I put my skin through! I love the extra care I am giving to my face and neck. On days when I don't make it to the gym or eat like crap, I know I at least took care of the skin that I am going to have for the rest of my wonderful life!

So now you might be wondering...what is this Rodan+Fields she speaks of? Well, it is the new skin care line by the same doctors that created Proactiv, targeting Anti-Aging and Sun Damage. They basically have something for every skin type. I guess I should give you a little of their story, too. Rodan+Fields started in retail sales in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Lord and Taylor, all those amazing department stores we love. It was the #1 selling brand of skin care in these stores. Their marketing analytics showed that it was actually word of mouth that was selling their products over their sales people. Rodan+Fields customers were sending their friends in, telling them they had to go buy it! They decided to pull them from under the counter and put them into direct sales, reward the people who were truly responsible for the product sales: their customers. After getting into direct sales, R+F was making monthly in sales what they used to be making yearly!

 

Fast forward 7 months and I am still completely in LOVE with the products, so much so that I decided to become a Consultant for Rodan+Fields! It has almost been a month and I am seriously LOVING EVERY SECOND of it! I never thought it was possible to have a job (a very part-time, make my own hours, easy peasy job) that would be so much fun, rewarding and would bring me the extra income we needed! It sounded too good to be true, but now I am living it and so glad I took this leap. I get to talk about this unbelievably amazing line of products, catch up with old friends on the phone, play with all the goodies, make myself look cuter and younger, all while getting paid! Ummmm, AWESOME! (Note from your sister: Sounds pretty awesome to me!)

 

So, my reason for wanting to share all of this with you FABULOUS readers is that I would love to hook you up with some MAGICAL products OR talk to you about starting your own part-time fabulous biz with me! Our team is growing crazy fast and with a new product coming out in one week that is going to take the BEAUTY WORLD by storm, now is the time to get on this ship!

 

Just some examples of what these products can do:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

https://ardenwimberly.myrandf.com/

https://ardenwimberly.myrandf.biz/

 

And as Arden's sister, I'm excited to try some products, too. So, if you're interested, don't be afraid to at least contact her. What harm can it do? You could be missing out on some life changing products! I'm already in talks with my sis about what products I want/need to try! Good luck! Remember...a confident face makes for a confident woman!

 

 

On Love, Single Ladies, and Everything In-Between.

Before you single ladies say to yourselves, "Agh! I hate you relationship people!" and skip over this, I promise you will want to keep reading. Do you know how I know that my boyfriend not only truly loves me, but also knows me extremely well? I have two pictures to prove it. Here is photo of proof #1:

 

I know there are quite a few of you out there thinking to yourselves, "Well...don't the Mt. Dew and the ZzzQuil sorta cancel eachother out?" If you want to get all serious about it, the answer is yes. However, that's not the point! I drink my favorite soda (which--yeah, total bad habit. Gotta start drinking more water!) throughout the day, and the ZzzQuil kicks in right before bed (on a good night, where it decides to be kind and work with me) and has me drooling after about 30-45 minutes. Thank you, boyfriend.

 

Okay...now let's say we have a fight. I know what you're thinking right now. "You and Brandon cannot have fights. You're just way too cute of a couple, and I can't fathom in my mind the two of you arguing over anything." That's sweet of you, and yeah, I'd like to think we're pretty darn cute together. However--just like EVERY NORMAL COUPLE, we have stupid fights occassionally. So, the other night, I come home to these lovelies sitting on the counter, just waiting for me to start crying over:

 

 

Did I cry? Yes. Because I may not have ever told you, but I'm an emotional person. So, not only do I cry over sad/bad things, but I cry at happy times just as much. Of course I ran to him and gave him a big hug and squeezed him almost a little too much. "Let's never fight like that again," I exclaimed, as if that's possible at all when you're in a relationship and actually care about each other.

 

May 23rd will be two years since we've been together. Did I ever in a million years think I'd find someone who treated me so well and loved me in such a big way that I really felt like I was their everything? NO WAY! I honestly thought, especially after all the crappy boyfriends I've have (and let me be clear on that: I've had several super ****head boyfriends who didn't deserve not one bit of me) I'd be single forever. Which brings me to one of my main points. We all know Valentine's Day is coming up. It's never been a holiday I waited for, especially when I was single. Because when you're single, you of course feel like V-Day is a Hallmark holiday made just to point out that you're single, and makes you hate everyone in a relationship...especially the good relationships. Don't let that happen, my single lady friends. Mr. Right is just around the corner, and just like everyone has ever told you, he will come around when you least expect it. I wasn't looking for Brandon and BOOM! There he was. I believe in love; real, honest to God, I would die for that person because I care about them that much, love. To all my readers out there who are in happy relationships, I'm so happy for you! To all my readers who aren't, I'm still so happy for you! Because I know you will be, but only if you stop looking so hard and let love do its thing.

 

 

 

I wanted to post about love BEFORE Valentine's Day, because I like being different. I also like to give my readers hope, especially when they feel all alone on something. Please know you're not. Also know that it's completely, 100% okay to go on match.com or one of those websites. It's okay to be sad when you're single and struggle on that stupid holiday when you feel like you're the only girl in the world without a lover. Hold tight to your friends on February 14th, and most important of all, hold on to FAITH! Also remember, I love you very much for reading, and I hope that counts for something. ;) I always like to remind people never to settle for less than you deserve! It is, and never will be, worth it. On that note, I'm off to go get my fix of Arizona Rx Stress tea. Get ready for a beauty post from my lovely big sister either tomorrow or Monday. I'm excited, and you should be, too!

 

 

 

 

While I was away, things happened.

Dear Everyone in the World,

 

(just a quick heads up: this post is long, but worth it!)

 

Today is a special day. I know that you are just dying to know why now, and I'm going to tell you...if you're good. First, I just wanted to explain my introduction. I'd like to think that when I blog, everyone in the world reads it. I think this because not a lot of people always comment, and it confuses the beejezuz (no clue what that word means) out of me. So, if I pretend like the WHOLE world is reading it, I just assume that the whole world is obviously very busy. That way my feelings don't get hurt if people don't comment. Catch my drift? Yeah, you feel me. So, moving right along. Here is a pretty picture of mountains in Colorado, and I'm going to tell you a bunch of stuff. But first, ooooh and ahhh over this beautiful, breathtaking picture of snow-capped mountains.

 

Okay, are you done oooohing and ahhhhing? Take your time. No rush. Yes, I did take that picture. With my cellphone, inside of a moving vehicle (but don't worry! I was't driving! Brandon was, and that's mostly because my fear of driving on black ice), trying to get the perfect photo before it was too late.

 

Lots of things happened while I was on my hiatus from blogging.

(And to be truthful and fair, I had no idea I was taking a hiatus)

 

Let's back it up to around Christmas-time, though. Most of you know that I quit that lousy job (thankfully after I'd already gotten Brandon his awesome presents) a couple of weeks before the holidays. I'm so glad, because I have a bit of my sanity back (I'll never have it all back), however we are on a really tight budget now. Here's the good news, though. I have a job interview TODAY! At noon. I don't really want to get into details or even get super excited about it, because if I don't nail it, I can't share my excitement over having an awesome job with you all. So, kinda pretend like I didn't mention that...but at the same time, I would love it if you could keep me in your prayers or just send positive vibes.

 

Instead of writing a super long blog, I'm going to post pictures galore and write captions underneath, so you can get a feel for what's been going on with me lately without all the boring yadda yadda blah blah talk. Sound good? Great!

 

 

That is my beautiful friend Brandie, whom is one of the funniest people I'm lucky to know. We were re-creating a picture similar to one we had taken about 3 years before this one. All we were missing was goofy sunglasses and a backdrop of Target.

 

 

Who doesn't love to see a really late Christmas picture in January...almost February? There were some REALLY awesome gifts; both from me to him, and him to me. But this picture was taken right after I found out that I was going on vacation to Aspen, CO for this wonderful event called Winterskol. Brandon got me a pair of gloves, a matching beanie, that scarf in the picture, and had those all wrapped in one thing with a note that read:

 

You might need these when we are in Aspen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just about died. Or cried a lot and hugged him. He knows CO is my favorite state, and that I'd love to move there one day. Also, I had been so stressed out for so many months that a vacation was really needed. For both of us. And we had the most spectacular time. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful Aspen is, or the feeling you get just being there. So, I'll just post more pictures. K?

 

 

That's our family. It's a little family, but for right now, that's a good thing.

 

 

Brandon's mom and stepdad came and stayed with us right after Christmas. I had always been so scared to meet his mom (they live in Ft. Walton Beah, FL in case you were wondering...I'd only met her twice) because Brandon thought it'd be cool to tell me that she never, ever liked any of his previous girlfriends. She would never call them by their actual names, she'd just ask him, "So, how are you and what's her name doing?" But not me. She'd call and ask, "How's Brani?" which made my heart smile. She, even after only meeting me three times, absolutely adores me, and even tells me she loves me. Please excuse the dust in the above picture! That is all the jewelry (I have a love for owls) that she bought me when we went to St. Augustine for the day...on top of all the Christmas presents she got me. I think it's safe to say she really likes me and wouldn't mind if I married her son. ;)

 

 

Here is us, modeling beanies for a magazine in Aspen. ...kidding.

 

 

My babes actually made it down the mountain. Not me...but that's a whole other story.

 

 

Aspen, CO is for lovers. It was even cold INSIDE our hotel room.

 

 

You're automatically cool if you make a peace sign and have snow in the background of a picture. That's just what I've been told. The coldest day there was the day that it was -14 degrees outside. Don't forget I'm from Florida, people.

 

 

DIA. Jet lag and sadness don't make for a beautiful picture, but I like this for some reason.

 

 

Around Christmas-time, one of my very best friends came "home" to visit. I hadn't seen her since she left me for Michigan, which was a week after I'd met Brandon.

 

 

I was so excited to see her, that I didn't even care what all of our eyes looked like in this pic.

 

 

I'm running out of pictures. This post is getting long and probably really annoying anyway, so I'm going to end it around here...somehow.

 

I totally forgot to add a picture from our St. Augustine visit. I just really love this man. And on that note, since I am now going to be in a bit of a hurry to get ready for this job interview, I'll end with a quote I love. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.

 

 

Not one of us is perfect, and who would really want to be, anyway? You're so good at being you. So just do that. Be you, no matter where you are, who you're with, what you're trying to accomplish. I'm going into this interview being me; I refuse to put on an act. If I don't get the job, then it just means it wasn't meant to be. And that's okay. I love you so much if you actually read this entire post (I even love you if you read most of it)! I have a great idea for my next post, but until then, I hope you enjoy reading about some of the stuff that happened while Brani took a vacay from the blogging world. I'm thrilled to be back!

 

 

 

Q&A Vlog Sesh!

Arrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeee yooooooouuuuu readddddyyyyy?!?! It's a new thing I'm doing here, people. This is how it works: you email me (or comment) with any question you want to know the answer to. Whether it's about me, my life, Brandon's life (his is sometimes more exciting than mine haha), makeup, fashion, or anything really. I will then take a few questions each week and make a vlog Q&A sesh that you get to watch.

 

I know you just peed your pants with excitement, so I'll give you time to go change, grab either a beer, glass of wine, or soda & popcorn and then MOVIETIME!

 

 

Okay, let's do this!

 

 

 (Sidenote: Ew. Sorry about the hair sticking out
on the side of my head. It's a trend I'm getting
all the cool kids to start doing...)

 

Soooo...what'd you think? Let me know in the comments! Ask me questions! Obviously, I have decided to keep this blog, just give it a little bit of a makeover without changing the looks. Don't question that--it totally makes sense. I cannot wait to read what you all have to ask (no matter how absurd or boring a question) and make another video! I hope you enjoyed! Have a great week, ladies! And that's an order.

 

And Lauren has the mic.

Hey everyone! Name's Lauren, I run "The How To Blog" (link here) which is a blog about personal style, a few delicious recipes, some beauty tips, and lots of ridiculous newlywed stories because the hubs and I have a blast together. 

And this is us:

My hubster Josh and I 

Like I said, we have a blast together. 

My posts usually have an outfit and I'll say where I got everything, then I have a section where I post quirky stories that happened and awesome moments. And of course, there is a post theme song which I listen to on repeat while I write the post.

Quirkiness 
I'm a germ freak. I don't share silverware with people, not even my husband. When we started dating he could NOT believe that I was so grossed out by germs. Every single day, without fail, he would ask "Is today the day that you'll share a spoon with me?!" Then one day I finally said, "Yes, today is your magical day." I shared my spoon with him. And didn't do it again.

Random tangent, I know. But this story has to deal with my extreme OCD towards germs, especially mouth germs. 

In the bathroom we have a toothbrush holder with 3 holes because Josh has 2 toothbrushes. Don't ask me why, it boggles my mind too. Anyway, my toothbrush is always in the middle. Makes sense, right?

Well, the other night I was very sleepy. And slightly grumpy, but that's besides the point. I mean, come on, who doesn't get a wittle (yep, that spelling error was on purpose, in case you were wondering) bit grumpy when they're sleepy? 

So I reached for the toothbrush in the middle, I lathered it up with toothpaste, and started brushing. I looked around the bathroom,brush brush brush, looked at the clock, brush brush brush, looked at the toothbrush holder, brush brush-stopped.... Noticed my toothbrush was on the far right, and was most definitely NOT being used. 

Oh my heavens, the gagging came full force. I started heaving into the sink, and may or may not have threw up a little on Josh's toothbrush, and may or may not have (yeah, definitely did not) tell him that happened...Holy cow, sickest experience. I then rinsed with the kind of mouthwash that burns and makes your eyes water for like 5 minutes, put our toothbrushes in the CORRECT places, and brushed my teeth again. 

Awesomeness

-Reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis with my Mom, and discussing the deeper meanings of the novel, and trying to figure out what it all means. 

-Waking up from a bad dream in the middle of the night, and having my best friend cuddle me until I fall back asleep. 

I'd just like to thank Brani for sharing her blog with me today! She's wondering if she should continue blogging or give it up. Everyone show her a little love and tell her how much you enjoy her blog so she decides to stay. :) 

XO,

PS. Note from Brani: I am sooo glad I asked Lauren to guest post. LO-Ren, as I call her, is a friend that I really want to meet someday in person. We're just meant to be great friends. It'll happen eventually. She is a total sweetheart who obviously has great taste in fashion. You should definitely make it a point to go visit her blog. Her followers are growing so quickly, it's blowing my mind (I "met" her when she pretty much had just started her blog and had maybe 20 followers), yet I am not surprised. You can see why. She's hilarious and adorable. My sister might be guest posting next, and then I might be back to blogging. I dunno. We'll see. What do you all think? If you read my blog on a regular basis, I'd really love to know. Because as she mentioned above, I'm not sure whether I want to continue or not. A big part of me does, but part of me is stuck. :-/ Take care, lovelies! xo