Short, sweet, simple.

The Product: New! Gillette Venus & Olay Razor

Price
A refillable Venus & Olay with one replacement cartridge – $8.99-$10.99.
Packages of three replacement cartridges – $14.99 – $19.49.

The Razor: 5 Blades, Olay Moisture Bars, SoftGrip Handles, Shower Hook, interchangeable refill cartridges available.

My Thoughts: AMAZING!  Gillette Venus likes to talk about looking and feeling like a goddess, and I never understood the hype.  I have always been a generic, four blade men’s razor sort of girl.  And occasionally I would use shave gel.  But this has changed that forever.  My shave feels ten times closer, smoother, and more streamlined.  It saves me a good ten minutes in the shower, and leaves my terribly dry skin feeling truly Goddess smooth.  My boyfriend agrees too!  I am a convert!

Disclosure: Influenster.com was kind enough to provide this razor to me free of charge as part of their VoxBox program.  All opinions and the excitement over this razor are my own though.  Don’t believe me?  Feel my legs.

If you know me at all, you know that I love all things sweet.  But I am getting older, getting smarter, and need to start watching what I put into my body.

 Enter Truvia.

If you are not familiar with this handy dandy little delight, Truvia is a 100% natural zero calorie sweetener that is completely delicious!  I have used it in coffee and tea, and find myself using half of a packet, as opposed to my usual two packets of sugar or splenda.

The best part about it – it is gluten free and has no affect on the glycemic index, so it is safe for diabetics.  (After a recent doctor’s visit to discuss, among other things, some stomach issues, I am starting to watch my sugar and gluten intake.)

I am hooked on Truvia, and have already purchased another box, so how could I not share?!

Disclosure: I received this product for free due to my partnership with Influenster.com and their VoxBox program. Opinions are my own. Duh.

Nothing’s Bigger Than Love.

and the innocence of a child.

via weheartit.com

You gotta believe, oh
Don’t fear
Don’t break it
You gotta be free
I hope your blinded eyes will see
You gotta believe, yeah
Don’t fear
Don’t break
You gotta be free
You gotta believe
Don’t, don’t let them hold you down
Come, come on, sing it
Oh, I hope my eyes can see
You gotta believe
-The Rocket Summer – You Gotta Believe-

I want to be beautiful
Make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart,
and be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
Just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful

I had a discussion on twitter this evening with a couple of wonderful people (one man and one woman) about singleness, relationships, and what is most important in them.  We talked a lot about respect and self love, validation, and feeling worthwhile.  And it made me think of the above lyrics by singer/songwriter Bethany Dillon.

Somewhere awhile back I lost my sense of self.  I was convinced by men who didn’t deserve an ounce of my time that I am not good enough, that I am worthless, that I am not beautiful or special.  I was convinced that I had little to offer.  Somewhere back there, I lost myself.

A man can be breathtaking and beyond amazing, but it means nothing if he does not respect me and make me feel beautiful inside and out.  And I can have the greatest relationship, the great love of my life, but it means nothing if I do not love myself and find myself beautiful.

Thankfully I am single right now.  I have time to work on me.  Because I want to make you stand in awe and be amazed at what is inside of my heart.  But how can I expect you to be amazed and find me beautiful if I don’t love myself first?

I may love MN, and I may be MN Nice, but I am not a fan of the cold and certainly am not a fan of the water. In fact, I am absolutely terrified of water.

But one of my goals for 2011 is to conquer that fear, and what better way to do so than by taking the plunge?! I get to have fun, face my fears, and raise money for a great cause! Does it get any better?

What is the plunge, you are asking?

The Polar Bear Plunge is a unique opportunity for individuals, organizations and businesses to support Special Olympics athletes by jumping into frigid Minnesota waters.  This is the 14th year of the Polar Bear Plunge in Minnesota.  The first Plunge took place in Minnesota at Como Lake in 1998 and had 65 participants who raised $20,000.  In 2005, 1000 plungers raised $275,000 at 5 Plunge locations.  By 2008, Minnesota had 11 plunges, 3,500 participants, and raised $725,000.  Just two years after that, in 2010, the Polar Bear Plunge took place in 13 different locations, included over 7000 participants, and raised $1.4 million!  This year, there are 14 locations, and hopefully a record-breaking number of participants and dollars raised!!!

Here is where you come in:

I have set a personal fundraising goal of $400, and I would really like to shatter that.  But I can’t do it alone.  So I am asking for your generosity.  Please sponsor me. The donations go to Special Olympics.  Maybe you can afford $5; maybe you can do $50.  Hell, maybe $100 is in your budget.  Whatever you can afford is beyond appreciated.

In 2011, I am conquering fear (and freezing my butt off!!) for a cause.  Will you help?

So please consider pledging support.  Wanna take the plunge as well?  Join our team, I Am MN Nice.  And definitely come out to watch on Feb. 19th!

To have your ass whooped!

2010 was a bitch.  Not gonna lie.  Sure, where were some ups.  But there were many more monumental downs.

I hurt and got hurt.  I had monumental heartaches and heartbreaks.  I remembered the loss of my brother.  I suffered from severe depression that nearly ruined my life.  I remembered the past, and begged for the ability to move on.  My dating life was a mess due to unavailable men.  And lets not even get started on family.

2010 sucked.

But the nice thing is, 2010 is almost over.  It is almost time to start fresh.

So 2011, I am ready for you.  BRING IT ON!