101 Things in 1001 Days

This post is entirely inspired by Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling.  I read her 101 Things in 1001 Days post a few days ago, and I was inspired to write my own.  In fact, I tweeted her and told her that based upon her list, I thought we'd be great friends... I never said I wasn't accidentally creepy with enthusiasm.  Believe me, things can get real weird.

Ah, I digress... Without further ado, here is my list:

Start Date:  March 8, 2012
End Date: December 4, 2014

1. Come up with 101 things and figure out the date of 1001 days later. (March 7, 2012)
2. Inspire someone to write a 101 list of their own! Please let me know via comments or twitter if you do this!
3. Take a "family vacation" with my best friends.
4. Establish Sarah Anne Watson Design as a real, functioning business. 
5. Do something I never thought I'd do.
6. Plan one of my best friends' weddings.  *hint, hint*
7. Run another Half Marathon.
8. Visit as many restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives as I possibly can.
9. Get a tattoo that means something.*  (Exempt from 1001-day deadline)
10.  Visit NYC, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta and Charleston. 
11. Go on an adventure.
12. Have a memorable first date that leads to a second. (and maybe more.)
13. Redecorate my bedroom.
14. Get back on Pointe. 
15. Choreograph something remarkable.
16. Take a master class in contemporary ballet.
17. Hike to the summit of a mountain.
18. Incorporate yoga as a regular part of my routine.
19. Sing karaoke.
20. Write a book of lessons I've learned and who I learned them from.
21. Rescue a shelter dog.  
22. Watch all of the Harry Potter movies back to back.
23. Buy a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag.
24. Dance in an official performance.
25. Drink only water for one week. 
26. Learn to ballroom dance. 
27. Take a photo-a-day for a month.
28. Define my "big dream" and ultimate career goal.
29. Found Anne Alan Design with Victoria.
30. Join the Junior League.
31. Work for a dream client or company.
32. Design and build my online portfolio site.
33. Sell my designs in a boutique.
34. Invest in something timeless.
35. Write a column and have it published.
36. Spend a day doing the "touristy" things in my city.
37. Visit an organic farm.
38. Learn to sew.
39. Memorize 101 passages of scripture.
40. Find a home church.
41. Increase my strength and flexibility.
42. Get photo-worthy abs.
43. Snowboard (again) in Breckenridge.
44. Make a substantial donation to charity.
45. Make homemade pickles.
46. Go to a beach NOT in Florida.
47. Watch all nominated movies before awards season starts.
48. Eat Fried Chicken and Waffles.
49. Go fishing and cook/eat a fish I caught.
50.  Memorize the phone numbers of my best friends.
51. Make 5 new, meaningful friends.
52. Host a party.
53. Bike the full distance of Davis Island and Bayshore.
54. Eat at the Taco Bus.
55. See the works of Jackson Pollack in a museum.
56. Drink champagne for no reason at all.
57. Learn to make a Margarita without mix.   
58. Shadow someone who has my dream job (after identifying said dream job.)
59. See Dave Matthews Band in concert. 
60. Read the works of C.S. Lewis.
61. Have a picnic.
62. Eat vegetarian for one full day each month.
63. Be hired to do the decoration in someone's home. 
64. Go to Disney at Christmas. 
65. Meet a celebrity.
66. Maintain perfectly manicured hands for at least a month.
67. Learn sign language.
68. Build a collection of jewelry.
69. Go camping.
70. Pull an all-nighter doing something worthwhile.
71. Keep a Thankful Journal.
72. Get business cards.
73. Re-watch Gilmore Girls from start to finish.
74. Learn a new skill.
75. Post 25 recipes to the blog.
76. Post 25 design clients to the blog.
77. Write a blog post about all DIY projects.
78. Embrace photography as an art, and take more pictures.
79. Get a tour of the University of Tampa from Nammie and Papa.
80. Try on my mother's wedding dress.
81. Go ice skating.
82. Post 775 OOTD photos.
83. Attend 10 Gator Football games.
84. Land a quadruple pirouette.
85. Wear an amazing gown to a black-tie event.
86. Kiss in the rain.
87. Buy authentic cowboy boots.
88. Grow my hair out till it's longer than my ribs.
89. Participate in a pub crawl.
90. See 50 movies in theaters. (The Hunger Games, 5 Year Engagement)
91. Be a bridesmaid.
92. Attend a Magic game in the new Arena.
93. Watch 20 documentaries. 
94. Clear my email inbox and establish organization that will help me maintain it.
95.  Frame and hang my diploma.
96. Try five foods I've never eaten.
97. Read 25 books.
98. Improve my posture.
99. Get 8 hours of sleep every night for a full week.
100. Hold a newborn baby.
101. Witness a child master a skill I teach them.  

Here's what I learned by writing this list... It's hard to put your finger on 101 things you want to do in the somewhat near future, but when you do, it's incredibly inspiring.  Like right now for example, I don't want to go to bed, I want to cross something off my list!  Anyway, tomorrow begins my journey, why don't you start yours, too?

Wedding Wednesday: The Best Video I Ever Did See

I love wedding photos.  I love the artistic shots. I love the required group shots of family members with the bride and groom. I love the candid moments captured forever. I. Love. Photos.  But, of late, I've realized that there's something photos don't do.  They don't suck you back into the moment the way that a video can.  When I saw this video, I cried three times.  (I don't even know these people.) Three times. And not just little tears, this was legitimate crying.  Anyway, before I start saying too much and killing the real emotion of your first viewing, watch the video for yourself.  See you on the flipside, good luck not crying...

Dead Hearts: The Wedding of Victoria and Jason Evigan from Lightfield Lewis on Vimeo

And, that my friends is how you commemorate a wedding day.  I mean, with the Nana, and the dubstep, and the recording of the groom actually singing his own wedding song.  Come on.  It couldn't be more emotionally perfect.  It captures the vibe of their wedding perfectly.  Maybe the vibe of your reception is less Skrillex and more Big band.  Maybe you're not donning a halo of daisies, but rather a tiara of diamonds.  Who cares, a video has the capability to bring together sights and sounds that evoke the feel of your big day.  I just plain love this video.  Maybe it's the journalist in me and that this feels like it tells the full story in a nice neat package. I mean, after watching this video I felt like I knew the couple, and I could have been at their wedding.  That's a job well done if you ask me.  Kudos Lightfield Lewis, and I mean kew-dos.

Products I Love, Vol. 1: Hair

Sorry y'all. had to take a bit of a personal day yesterday. I hope you understand... on to the rest of the blog! 

If I'm being honest, I get a lot of compliments on my hair.  Maybe it's because it's red, it stands out more? Half the time, I think people are crazy for saying it looks good because I've got flyaways and frizz and there are pieces that are straight when it's supposed to be curly... and, oh man, some days I have a hot mess of what was wet hair in the morning but is just a tangled mass of now dried hair twisted into some semblance of a bun.   But some days, I am rather impressed with its ability to do what I ask and hold a style.  Here's how I get my hair to look good...


Wen Cleansing Conditioner and Straightening Balm
I'm not going to lie, when I first heard about this product it sounded real weird. I mean, you don't WASH your hair... But now, I'm darn near addicted.  The whole point of it is to stop the stripping process induced by most marketed shampoos.  The ingredients in shampoo that create the lather strip your hair of its natural oils causing frizz, breakage, dullness and general unhealthiness.  Your scalp is dried past the point of being cleaned to actually being damaged by the lack of nourishing oils keeping the delicate skin and hair follicles hydrated.  I got my first bottle of Wen for Christmas from my sister who knows much more about hair and beauty products.  I'm now on to my second and I've started using the Wen straightening balm.  (It's amazing!)  It's a bit of an expensive venture ($29 for the bottle shown in the pic, which is 12 oz.) but I must say it's totally worth it.  I can go longer between haircuts because I get very few split ends, and I spend less on hair dye (yes, I dye from the box to help my hair stay red, #goinggreyat23isnotcool) because Wen doesn't strip the color as fast, so maybe it all evens out in the end. You can buy Wen here or here.  I use the Almond Mint variety, but it comes in some AMAZING scents. I've used the Pomegranate and the Lavendar and both smelled wonderful.


Loreal Ever Pure Shampoo and Conditioner
Well now that I've explained to you why I love Wen, let me also explain why I have a bottle of this phenomenal shampoo and conditioner in my shower.  Sometimes my hair gets REAL dirty.  I am a dance teacher AND a dancer, and I take a weekly cycling class, and sometimes I take a shower where I only wash my face and body (Sue me, hair gods, I have to get to work on time!)  Needless to say, when my hair is soaked with sweat or has become a relative oil-slick due to my lifestyle, I like to wash it and start over with an, ahem, clean slate.  That said, if I was my hair with Shampoo and condition regularly, I use Wen, too!  I always make a point to at least work some Wen through my ends.   I use Wen more often than not, but if I HAVE to wash my hair so I can maintain my sanity peace of mind, I use these sulfate-free products... which are still less damaging than the typical shampoos on the market. 


1 in. Barrel Curling Iron:
This thing is my BEST friend.  And it's a cheap Conair from Target! I've invested in some really nice curling irons in my life, but I always come back to this one.  It's ceramic so it smoothes my hair nicely, and the clamp on the barrel doesn't pinch my hair very tight, so it doesn't pull or break the strands of my hair.  


For curls (use only a small amount in the ends or NO product when you blowdry):  Holding the curling iron perpindicular to the floor, curl from the root of the hair down to the ends in small increments, each time pulling a bit farther down the strand and curling all the way back up to the root.  Always curl away from your face.  Be sure to divide your hair in layers and spray each layer with hairspray before moving on to the next layer.


I love this "How to Curl Your Hair" video tutorial from Kate at The Small Things Blog. 


For volume (use root lifter or volumizing mousse to blow dry):  Holding the curling iron parallel to the floor, clamp the section of hair near the root, pull up toward the ceiling til the clamp is around the ends of the hair, roll all the way back to the root and hold for several seconds.  Try to keep the curling iron parallel to the floor at all times, this maintains volume instead of getting haphazard ringlets. Be sure to divide your hair in layers and spray each layer with hairspray before moving on to the next layer.


Tresemme Tres Two Ultra Fine Mist Hairspray:
This is the best hairspray OF. ALL. TIME. period.  The fine mist disperses into your hair to hold your style without creating helmet hair.  I love it.  It's only $3.98 at the drug store and it's the best 4 dollars I spend every month. Moving on.


Bobby Pins:
There's an old adage that if you can't fix something with duct tape, it can't be fixed.  Well that's how I feel about bobby pins and hair.  If you can't do it with bobby pins, it can't be done.  Whether it's securing a ballet bun, tossing an updo, pinning back my bangs or securing my stretchy headband for cycling class, I use bobby pins almost every day.  This is one of my go-to hairstyles -- a lovely half-up-half-down style with curled (or straight) ends.  It makes getting your hair out of your face classy and cute without having to wear a ponytail.  And it can quickly be converted into a full updo (see below for similar) for nighttime or a special event.  (Both images are from Pinterest, here and here.)

Flyties: 
I don't know how many of you are fans of the new feather hair extensions trend, but I am a big fan.  I have 3 "bundles" of Fine Featherheads feathers in my hair, which is about 21 separate feathers.  I have natural, turquoise, white and lime green pops of color that stand out from behind my right ear. I love them.  They're pretty easy to maintain, and virtually impossible to damage, but one thing that can damage them is too-tight hair ties.  Fine Featherheads has just released new hairties called "Fly-Ties" (I've seen similar products on the market.)  I just bought them a week ago, and I already LOVE them. Plus, they come in tons of fun colors!  

Image via Fine Featherheads

Alrighty, then that's all for today...  All my love y'all. Oh and...

KEEP ENTERING TO WIN THE SARAHANNEWATSON DESIGN GIVEAWAY on THE COLLEGE PREP!