may day

Excuse me while I mop up the drool and pick my jaw up off the floor.

Holy cow…Ashley hit the jackpot. Major props to the editors for compiling one of the most enticing promos I have ever seen. No props to you for editing me out of last season ;). Hey, do you think this season’s “Diaries of the Departed” can be montages of each guy topless? I really have no desire to hear about how they are upset to go home. No talking, more looking :)

To say these guys are easy on the eyes is the understatement of the year. I don’t know how she managed to keep her cool. Me on the other hand? I would’ve been the giddiest little girl ever…kid in a candy store….cheesy grin from ear to ear…and probably would’ve concocted some excuse to have a kissing contest with the winner getting my first impression rose. I’d at least want to snack on the buffet before I chose my main course!

In all seriousness, judging by looks Ash has a great group of guys to pick from. Please note…when I say judging by looks I mean judging by the video above and NOT from the promo shots ABC has posted. I can guarantee you there is about a .05% of Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants that like their promo shot. Everyone else has the same reaction…’it’s ok, but I KNOW I took a better one that they could’ve used’. Case in point…my promo shot was meh, okay. But take a look at my photo used for the alum contact page. A thousand times better if you ask me. They totally had a better option to shoot out to millions of people. I’m not sayin’, but I’m just sayin’ :) Another thing, as you’re scoping out Ashley’s guys don’t be harsh and judge them based on their Q&As. 1: these are answered without us knowing that they are being used for our online profile. I assumed it was just another one of the billion questionnaires they wanted me to fill out. I was short, bland and didn’t put much thought into it because I had answered these questions a billion times. 2: I mean really…most embarrassing moment? Craziest thing you’ve ever done? I have zero answers that would be even remotely entertaining…forgive me if my life isn’t a soap opera. Ask me these questions AFTER the show and I’ll have some juice for ya.

 I am super excited for Ash and to watch her journey. I know she is someone with one of the BIGGEST hearts. I was lucky enough to meet Ash the second we were allowed to see other contestants. She was in my limo and when I walked up to the group she was as bubbly as ever. After that first night when we moved into the mansion Ash and I were roomies and she was in the bunk on top of mine. We spent many nights sitting on our balcony drinking wine, sneaking off to have heart-to-hearts away from the cameras and chatting about life. I really hope this experience was great for her and that she is at the exact point that she wants.

That being said, instead of going through the guys and listing who I think Ash should pick…I’m gonna be selfish. Here are my top 5 guys I hope she DOESN’T pick…because let’s face it…only one person gets picked and it’s open season on the rest!

In no particular order (and with a large dose of humor):

- Blake. Hey there, cutie ;) Kinda reminds me a little bit of Kirk. His hometown is in CO…I have fam in CO…wanna cuddle next to a fire? Wait a sec, he’s a dentist…which would make him a fab fit for Ashley…dang it!

- Michael. Scruff, dark hair, light eyes…mmmmmm! He likes clubs and sports bars (well balanced)…just like ME. His best trip – Hawaii…my best trip- Hawaii. Coincidence, I think not (just go with it). But he’s from RI…which would make things SUPER easy for him and Ashley since she’s from Maine. GAH, another good pick for her!

- Mickey. Again, dark hair, light eyes combo gets me EVERY time. He would love to go to the Grand Canyon…ding ding ding I’m FROM Arizona! I work for Disney, Mickey Mouse is my boss. Perfect match.

- Ryan P. From Fresno,Cali…I’m a west coast chick and have family that lives in Fresno,too! (Note to self: ask cousin if he knows Ryan P.) He and his family travel to Mazatlan…I speak Spanglish and love Mexican food! Let’s go make salsa together <wink wink>

- William. He sells phones which means I could probably get a sweet hook up every time a new iPhone comes out. He’s got a tat…sexy…and no pets…me and my pup (and my iPhone) would fit seamlessly into his life.

- Honorable Mention: Nick. I mean, did you really think Marissa, the sports chick who described her perfect date as starting off at a baseball game, wouldn’t pick the guy who played baseball?! Not to mention he lives in Tampa…um, that’s only like an hour from me. And he’s a personal trainer…that equals a great bod and he could probably get me to stick to working out more than twice every other week. AND he likes to line dance…I mean c’mon! AND he’s driven 6 hours for a date?! Talk about commitment. Maybe this guy should be getting more than an honorable mention?

That’s my lineup and I’m stickin’ to it. If anyone knows one of these guys feel free to send ‘em my way. I would be happy to console them if Ashley gave them the boot. Of course, I reserve every right to alter this list if they turn out to have the personality of a rock, are a complete d-bag or hurt my Ashley.

And here is a word of advice to any of the guys on Ash’s season: don’t read the blogs/articles/etc. and if you do, don’t take it seriously. Everyone loves to be a critic. The same people that are bashing you online can’t wait to tune in and watching you every Monday. You are part of a crazy family now and have memories and an experience that no one can take away from you and not many people can say they were a part of. Live it up, enjoy everything that comes with the territory and most of all, if you’re single, call me ;)

I started my Tumblr blog over a year ago and had to deactivate it when I went on The Bachelor. Well, I didn’t deactivate, I just made all my posts private so no one but me could see them. The other day I was reading through my private posts and I came across this one that is pretty relevant and actually still explains where I am in life.

Here’s that post, written back in July of 2010

All my life i’ve been a relationship person. Always in one, always comfortable in one, always waiting for “the one”. Not to say that I NEED one, I am definitely self-sufficient…but I enjoy having someone to share my life with and one to do the same back.

In college I had a “relationship breakdown” that lasted, oh, about 6 months. My entire junior year in college (after being in a relationship all of freshman and sophomore year) I was single. Towards the end of that single year I got the itch…and panicked. I freaked out that entire 6 months and had a “speech”, if you will, that described my breakdown. It went something exactly like this (imagine a freaked out, emotional wreck of a female saying this as fast as she can as if her life depended on it):

” Well, if I want to be having kids by the time i’m 26 I need to be married for AT LEAST 2 years, which puts me getting married at 24. And before I can get married I would need to be engaged for AT LEAST a year which puts me getting engaged at 23. And before I can get engaged I need to have dated the guy for AT LEAST a year which puts me at finding the man I’m going to marry by 22. I have less than a year to find the guy i’m going to marry! ”  

Yes, that’s “the speech”. I repeated this verbatim on multiple occasions and my girlfriends either laughed or gave me a blank stare, depending on the mood of the convo. 

Whelp, i’m now 25 turning 26 in just over 2 months. I’m not on my way to welcoming my first born, i’m definitely not planning a wedding and I couldn’t nail down a boyfriend more than Lindsey Lohan could nail down a day of sobriety. 

But…i’m starting to get the itch. I have more “experience” under my belt and have lived a little more which prevents me from going into full freakout mode and creating a new “speech” tailored to my current age. But I can’t lie and say that i don’t think about my ticking clock.

I know, i’m only 25, there is NO ticking clock in sight…but I’m female…and I’m going to think about it…and no matter how far away that clock may be I will still hear a faint tick. 

I know in due time I will find the guy and will have my happily ever after.

But…if I want to have kids by the time i’m 30 I need to married at least two years………………

Whelp, one year and one reality show later, with A LOT more living and experience under my belt, and i’m still tredding water in the sea of relationships. Although, I find it rather refreshing to see that LiLo still can’t manage to figure out that sober thing just like I can’t figure out the boyfriend thing.

I don’t have any wise words to wrap up this post with. All I know is that I have become much more patient and focused on doing me. Am I a little worried that I may become so used to only thinking about myself that I forget how to give to someone else…maybe a little. But I have this great little tattoo on my wrist to remind me of what selfless love is worth :)

Ever since I posted about my Brazilian Blowout experience I have been getting question after question on how it’s holding up. I promise I haven’t been ignoring you…I just want to post something that actually has some value to it!

Today I head home for the weekend for my younger brother’s college graduation which means (if you read my brazilian blow out blog you already know) I’m getting a hair cut by my wonderful stylist Izzy! He literally is the only person I trust to cut my hair so anytime I get home I make sure to stop in and see him.

Here is where I need your help or rather, here is where I come in to serve YOU! I hope to get a video of him doing my hair to post and I also want to have him answer any question you may have about the process. If you have any concerns or questions about the brazilian blowout post them in the comments section of this blog or tweet them to me. I will get Izzy to respond to the questions y’all have and will try my hardest to get the blog up next week!

To say that I have hit a dry spell when it comes to male/female relationships that extend beyond a friendship is the understatement of the year. I haven’t been in a serious, committed relationship since the summer of 2009. (Wow saying that out loud kind of hit me a little harder than I thought! Geeze, it’s been a while!) I have no problem being single, focusing only on me (and my dog, Louis) and spending my time with my girlfriends and family. In this time, and ever since my later years in college, I have tried to understand guys better and get into their heads. We all know this is impossible but a recent conversation with a guy I ‘talked’ with revealed something that may answer a lot of questions I have had.

In college my girlfriends and I read every self-help relationship book printed: He’s Just Not That Into You, Why Men Love Bitches, Act Like a Lady Think Like A Man…you name it, we bought it! This usually was a circle of sharing books…one of us bought one, read it and threw it at the next girl raving on how we learned so much and “ohmygosh you HAVE to read this it’s PERFECT for your situation!” Looking back, those books drastically screwed me up, with the biggest culprit being He’s Just Not That Into You.

He’s Just Not That Into You Theory

This book (COMPLETELY different than the movie, might I add) lays out a series of rules that if the guy you are interested in isn’t doing them, then he’s just not that into you. On the most basic sense of understanding, sure most rules apply. If he’s not calling you all the time or making contact with you, if he’s not seeing you multiple times a week, if he’s not asking you out, if he’s not trying to sleep with you. All of these circumstances apparently will let you know if the guy you are pining for is into you or not. If he’s not doing those things…drop him, he’s only going to string you along and you will end up hurt. I walked away and ignored SO many guys and laid out parameters for relationships according to these rules. If I didn’t see a guy at least once a week, if I didn’t hear from him every day, if he wasn’t all over me, apparently he didn’t like me and I either walked away or scared him away with these expectations.

I Have Seen the Light!

I have abandoned these theories and did so based off of one conversation I had with a guy I was talking to for a couple months back in college. We reconnected and were catching up on life, sharing what has happened since he dropped off the face of the earth. Out of nowhere he apologized for never coming to see me and stopping communication so suddenly. The reason why? He said the person he was when we were talking didn’t have anything to offer me. While I showed interest, he thought I would get bored with him after a couple months and move on, only leading to him being hurt and having a real-life reality check of everything he feared: that he didn’t have much to offer a woman. Of course I told him that line of thinking is ridiculous…he doesn’t know what would’ve happened and that who he is as a person is what had me interested, not the superficial things.

This small moment of truth was like a lightning rod sparking a train of new thoughts. In an earlier blog I talked about how marriage is happening later in life for my generation, whether that be due to a greater focus on achieving personal success before settling down or wanting to really make sure that person is right for you due to the growing number of divorce. The pressure for a man to be a provider is already great, now they have to worry about being financially stable in order to help avoid financial woes which lead to stress which leads to divorce.

While I’m not a guy, I am going to try to speak for them, and not drastically butcher their possible thoughts. If I was a guy, I would feel the pressure of needing to provide for a woman and be “enough” for a woman that, no matter how much I liked her, I wouldn’t come at her unless I had my junk together. If there was the slightest doubt that I am not stable enough or don’t have something to add to her life, I’m backing off or not pursuing her at all. This is probably why you see a lot of guys with girls who are just arm candy or don’t have much to offer. Some guys don’t want to be alone, yet they don’t think they have the goods to offer a top-notch chick so they settle until they have their life straight. A guy could think you are perfect for him…everything he is looking for…but if he’s not ready for you he’s not going to take the chance of having his ego hurt. Men don’t feel the pressure of rushing to find someone like women do. A guy’s process is more along the lines of, if the girl he thinks is perfect is around when he’s ready for her, then it works. If not, there are other women and he’s sure that he will be able to attract one being that he now has everything he has worked for and has plenty to offer.

Yes, as a woman this is hard for me to grasp…my thought process is the exact opposite. If I meet a guy that has everything I’m looking for, why wait?! Why hold off on making memories, spending time together, getting to know each other? Trust me, I’m working VERY hard at being patient and not pushing and while it’s a struggle, the idea of forcing a relationship and it being all wrong is much scarier than being patient.

How about you? Have you been trapped by the theories in these self-help books? Guys, am I way off track with my thoughts?

Question on Twitter from @kellielgee

hey @marissajustmay! Any dressing tips for concerts? Heading your way this wkd for my bday and bon jovi! J

First off, happy birthday! There is nothing I love more than shopping for a birthday outfit and lucky for you, you get to tailor it to an awesome concert! Summer is just around the corner which means summer concert tours are about to start! As with dressing for any event, your circumstances will dictate what is appropriate, ie: what type of concert, who you are going with and where it is at (inside or outside). While you may have a certain look, it’s fun to dress to the genre of concert you are going to in order to blend in. I listen to EVERY type of music but definitely can’t wear my everyday outfits and expect to blend in at all of them. Here are some of my basics that I stick to when dressing for a concert:

• Dress in theme: I try to tailor my outfit to the type of concert I am going to. If I head out to a country concert, you can find me in a sundress and boots ala Taylor Swift, or jeans and boots with a cute top. If one of my guy friends treats me to a hard rock concert I will no doubt play up the tough chick look and go for some skinny jeans, a hot top (black/grey/dark colors), pumps* and layer on the jewelry. Boy band/pop concert yields a multitude of outfits: jeans and heels*, cute tailored shorts and heels/fun flats or a cute dress. Just remember, you are at a concert, not a club. Mute your outfits in comparison to what you would wear if you were going out in Miami or Vegas.

*When wearing heels to a concert keep them on the shorter side. You will be standing and/or going up and down stairs. Keep ‘em shorter than 3 inches and make sure they’re comfy. Gel inserts where the balls of your feet rest will do wonders!

• Location matters: If you’re going to a concert the setting will play a part in your outfit choice. If I was going to said country concert outdoors, I would never wear jeans unless it was in the dead of winter. A sundress, cut off jean shorts (that FULLY cover the butt) or a jean skirt would be great. If I am going to an outdoor rock concert, again, I would avoid the jeans and instead go with shorts, cute flats or maybe a flowy hippie-ish dress (see my sundress post and Gypsy 05 dress for inspiration), with stacking jewelry being the key component to this look. If you are at an outdoor concert, heels are usually never a good choice. You aren’t being paid to aerate the lawn and you don’t want to sink as you rock out. Look for a wedge or espadrille style shoe if you want some height. Indoor concerts remove weather as a factor in picking out your outfit just keep in mind the comment on heels I mention above.
• Occasion for the concert: Most likely you aren’t going to this concert by yourself. Chances are you’re going with a group of friends or with a date. I love going to concerts with a group of friends because it gives us the chance to dress alike and in theme. For instance…how hilarious is it to see a bunch of late 20-something’s walk into a Bieber concert wearing “Bieber’s Cougars” homemade t-shirts (this is all hypothetical…I am not speaking from experience, I swear)?! Take advantage of a group concert and look for something fun to dress in! If you’re going to a concert for a date this gives you the chance to spice up your outfit just a tad. Instead of wearing flats, throw on those shorter heels or wedges. Retire the plain tank and replace it with a shimmery top. And don’t forget the jewelry! I was never a big accessories girl until I went on the show and had to learn how to upgrade a plain outfit and a couple pieces of jewelry do just that! Forever 21 has some inexpensive jewelry that you can stack and take your outfit to the next level!

So, @kellielgee, to answer your question…I would go with skinny jeans, some low profile peep toe heels or gladiator sandals and an oversized top or fun tank. And for the thousandth time…don’t forget the jewelry! :)

The rays of the sun, a hot summer breeze, salty beach air- all call for that perfect summer dress. 

This year I have seen dresses make huge fashion statements. I love dresses in the summer for multiple reasons: 1) I stay cool, 2) I can avoid awkward tan lines 3) they are super easy to throw on and still look cute and 4) when I pig out or drink, a flowy dress can hide my engorged belly :) 

Below are some of my fave dresses for this summer season:

1- Gypsy 05

This is my absolute favorite dress this summer and I don’t care how many photos it shows up in. Boutique To You gave me this dress to wear on The Bachelor and sadly it never got its chance to shine. This Gypsy 05 number is made of an incredible light weight material and feels so good on. What I love best is that the dress is tailored to hit just at the top of your feet so you don’t step on it but then is a little longer in the back to give some drag. BTY offers an array of Gypsy 05 dresses…from short to long, sleeved to spaghetti strap to tube top. If you haven’t invested in a dress from Gypsy 05 yet, I highly suggest you do. So worth it and it will last you forever!

2- Target

I love a good bargain. If you haven’t stopped into a Target recently you are drastically missing out. Above is one of my favorite styles they have in right now. The top has a sweetheart neckline and it also has a bodice which gives some structure and lift to your chesticles. It comes in multiple patterns and can be easily dressed up or dressed down.

This maxi dress is my second fave you can find at Target. It also comes in both solids and patterns and hugs the body to give the “I just threw this on yet am classy with a sprinkle of sexy” look :) 

3- J.Crew Factory

One MAJOR bonus to living in the center of tourist-town is the great outlet shopping. Lucky for me (really bad for my bank account) J.Crew Factory is just down the street. Lucky for you J.Crew Factory has an outlet website (you can only purchase on the weekends but can browse 24/7) with the same outlet prices. Right now they have a plethora of cute dresses that can be worn to that dreaded summer outdoor wedding or to that first summer love dinner date ;) Be sure to check their clearance section, too. Outlet prices with a clearance discount…hello, items I must buy now!

One thing to remember, summer dresses are classic pieces that can last multiple seasons. It’s super east to change up an old dress by adding a cute belt, a colorful scarf or a lightweight cardi. 

Happy shopping! :D

I strongly dislike Monday’s. Yesterday was a whirl-wind day which ended in me hardly tweeting, not blogging, not working out and getting home from work after 10PM. After only a week of working out I have come to realize I NEED to work out every day or else I feel super sluggish the next.

This past weekend I posted some pics on Twitter and Facebook hanging out at the pool and got some comments and questions on my suits and accessories so I thought I would fill ya in on the deets :)

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Now that I have been kicking my butt back into shape I’m kinda gettin’ excited to do some swimsuit shopping! When I went on The Bachelor my lovely friends over at Boutique To You sent me some adorable suits to wear on the show. Vitamin A Swimwear has some amazing fits that flatter all body types! As someone who has nearly a negative size bust, these tops have just enough form to give you shape without making you a walking false advertisement.

The three suits I have from them are the bandeau top, the vixen top and the string bikini top. The bottoms are cinch butt only about a quarter of the way down (that way you don’t have a line going the whole way down your butt) and definitely flatter the rear ;)

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Today I got a late start on my Tone It Up workout (started at 10:15!) so I didn’t go as long as I hoped for…but good news…I ate well and avoided all sweets!

Workout 1

This video runs through the workout three times so just watch the video once through :)

Workout 2

                                 Ran through this workout twice

Abs

The girls at Tone It Up recommend doing this circuit three times through…I was exhausted and only did it once :)

HUGE step with me being distracted tonight (blame that on my ipad2 purchase) yet still getting a workout in. Tomorrow I will make sure to add in more cardio and push a little harder on the circuits. I’m hoping to get up early, watch the Royal Wedding and work out at the same time! Cheers to hot bikini bods! :)