Movie, The Intern

Last week, friends and I went to see the movie, the Intern. We were looking for a funny, light-hearted movie and it fit the bill. Anne Hathaway shined in this role. She plays, Jules Ostin, the overworked owner of an online women's clothing company. Robert De Niro plays her intern, Ben. He's a widower who is part of a senior's intern program. He just wants to help, but Jules can't quite seem to let him help her. So while he waits for a project from Jules he becomes indispensable to everyone from interns to assistants.

One day when he oversees her driver drinking on the job, he takes over as her driver. They build an unlikely friendship. Her company is going through growing pains with her financial partners urging her to hire a CEO. She struggles to find someone who has her vision. She also struggles to balance her husband and young daughter. Amid the chaos of her life, she finds out that her husband is having an affair. Her whole world is crashing down on her. Who helps her pick up the pieces, none other than her trusty intern, Ben.

This is definitely a feel-good movie. The only thing that darkened it's glow was an unneeded erection scene. Didn't really add anything of substance to the movie as a whole.

Wildtree

My cousin had been talking about having a freezer party. It sounded like a good idea; prep food for busy times. The more I learned, about the company that she did the party through, the more I liked it. Wildtree wasn't just about prepping food, it was about healthy food. We all need help making healthy choices. We picked what bundle of spices we wanted to buy to make 10 recipes at the party with. We prepped meat and veggies for the party. At the party, we got our spices and measured everything out into the freezer bags. I'm in grad school and working full time. Fall is an especially busy time for me in both areas. I knew that I needed all the help I could get to make healthy choices. So, I was very excited for the freezer party.

Since then, I've been eating some tasty, healthy meals that are so easy to prepare. My favorite is the Mexican Chili, so good! Many of the products are also organic and gluten-free. I'm definitely making efforts to move to more organic eating.

Since, I have rheumatoid arthritis and often deal with swollen feet, I pay a lot of attention to sodium content. Thankfully, Wildtree's products have low sodium content and no weird preservatives.

Now, my cousin that introduced me to Wildtree is selling it, check it out: www.mywildtree.com/tessieriffel

Saying Goodbye to Max

Late summer, I wrote about my family's dog, Max's fight with cancer here. Late August we saw Max struggling more and my parent's took him back to K-State Vet Med, one of the top vet med school's in the country. We found out his liver was shutting down due to the cancer and he had 3-4 weeks left. That hit hard. We started him on 24/7 pain meds.

The good thing about knowing Max had cancer was that we got to shower him with love every day. We cherished every moment with him. Though the vet gave him 3-4 weeks, no one told Max that and he continued to fight with everything he had. How he fought so long, I'll never know. Despite his pain, he still greeted me every day with a wagging tail. He enjoyed time outside in the golden sunlight of fall and being petted.

The beginning of the semester is very hectic for me at work. By mid-September we felt that time with Max was drawing to a close, so I went to work every day and spent every night at my parent's to get more time in with Max and try to help out a little. About two weeks ago, I came home to my parent's and Max didn't seem excited to see me like normal. I attributed it to him being sick, but was still sad. He must've know that I missed his attention, because that next morning he busted into my room and laid next to my bed so I could pet him. Though I was now up much earlier than planned, I was so grateful he sought me out and came to spend time with me. In a nutshell, that's Max; always giving love.

He struggled moving and over time didn't have the strength for his beloved walks. So, my parents chauffeured him around the yard for one last walk. Max was so excited as was Max's brother, Riley.

Make Up 101

I'm that girl who is kinda bad at being a girl. Make up and especially eye shadow techniques are totally over my head. While on vacation, last month, my make up savvy friend showed me the ropes.

I learned to make a "wing" using eye liner. I learned using Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper. For me a thinner wing looks best with my dark features. My friend had me practice on my hand. Applying light pressure and then increasing the pressure as you get to the outside edge of the eye creates a wing. I always thought it would really be hard, but I did it perfectly the first time.

My friend shared that you should exfoliate and moisturize your lips before putting on lip color. This helps to make the color last; it works so well!

I found my new favorite polish, Ciate, Monte Carlo on this trip too. It's a bright, glittery polish. I initially used it with a white base and a fuchsia accent finger. I've actually been searching for the polish since I tried it. I just found and ordered some this week.

My friend also opened me up to the joys of highlighter. My friend gave me Benefit, High Beam. Essentially, it helps illuminate your eye area. Here's how is should be applied (thanks, Pinterest).

I also got to try Tarte Lipsurgence Skintuitive Lip Gloss. It is really neat, according to Sephora, "This skintuitive energy shade joins tarte’s LipSurgence lip glosses for a bright lip look in your own unique shade of pink. Infused with the same pH-adjusting skintuitive technology that made tarte’s LipSurgence skintuitive lip tint a bestseller, this lip gloss is infused with rich antioxidant plant extracts that assist with smoothing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while delivering intense hydration and your own complexion-enhancing shade a pink in a sweet vanilla, glossy finish." It's different for each person which is really cool! It was a bright, cheery red on me. :) This is going on my Christmas list.

I was also introduced to Tarte's Glamazon 12-hour lip stick in Inspired. Since I learned all about eye shadow, I needed a lip color so I could better balance my look. I love this soft pink, it's perfect for everyday and especially when I'm doing a heavier eye.

My friend also introduced to me my new favorite mascara, I normally hate the stuff because it clumps, but Make Up Forever mascara in smoky extravagant is a dream. It has a unique, cone-shaped brush tip and NO clumping. It's nice and smooth.

As you can see, I learned a lot and am still experimenting. It's been a lot of fun! Next up? Figuring out contour maps. ;)

Readers from 56 Countries

I'm constantly surprised by the reach on my blog. I've had readers in 56 countries! As of July, it was 39; talk about growth! This was mainly from my blog on how to remove scuffs from tennis shoes being picked up by several international blogs. It was so cool to see hundreds of new readers a day. I'm working to keep these new readers engaged while maintaining a busy work and school schedule.

Welcome new readers are from these 16 countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Andorra, Denmark, Bulgaria, Sweden, Philippines, Belgium, Moldova, Algeria, Singapore, Greece, Estonia, Portugal, Kenya, and Croatia!

I've previously had readers from these 39 countries: Macedonia, United Arab Emirates, Cayman Islands, Ireland, Latvia, Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, China, Serbia, Netherlands, Venezuela, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Mongolia, France, Israel, Czech Republic, South Korea, Romania, Spain, India, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Canada, Cameroon, Slovakia, Hong Kong, and obviously the United States.

Readers, what do you most enjoy reading from me? I want to better engage you. Funny stories, how to tips, recipes, travel recaps, movie/music reviews, life stories, etc.?

My First Real Sephora Experience

While on my vacation in Virginia, I had my first real experience with Sephora. I've always been intimidated by the store and make up in general. My friend that I was visiting is an eye makeup guru, so I got lots of help. The 15 minute Sephora eye shadow class was overwhelming for a girl who generally just wears concealer and foundation every day. On a good make up day I wore eye liner, curled my lashes, and put on lip glass. I had a lot to learn, but I wanted to get better at eye make up.

First off, I loved the Urban Decay eye shadow primer, Minor Sin. I seldom wore eye shadow because I didn't know what I was doing and I hated the crease in my eye shadow that always appeared before noon and made it looked like you hadn't even tried. Even though I'm cheap, I had to get the primer. I'm happy to report that 98% of the time it doesn't crease! Here's they looked they created for me.

Next time, I'll go lighter on the liner wing.

My friend also helped me build a great palette of 6 eye shadows from Buxom: Posh Purple, Backstage Pass (darkish blue), Schmooze (tealish), Cool Cavier (a rich, medium gray), Pure Platinum (a fun sparkly silver), and Diamond Darling (a shimmer-y white). Every day of my vacation after my Sephora trip, my friend guided my through the world of eye shadow.

I finished off the trip with 2 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencils in: Psychedelic Sister (a fun purple) and Sabbath (a medium blue). They are so smooth, I love them!

I'm definitely having a lot of fun experimenting with all my new items!

DC Nightlife: Adams Morgan

My friend and I wanted to check out the nightlife in DC, but our only night to go out was a Monday. A friend suggested the area of Dupont Circle, but said that since we were going out on a Monday, we should try the Adams Morgan area. We did and the area as a whole was pretty dead by the time we made it out around midnight. We really wanted to go out dancing, but weren't left many options. The most happening place looked to be, Madame's Organ. If I'd had any other option, I would've left immediately.

My thoughts on Madame's Organ: The place is dimly lit and looks like it should be condemned. The stairs are rickety. Three odd levels. Floor one: main bar, restaurant seating, and stage. Floor two: pool table, dangerous balcony, dance floor, and DJ booth. Not sure if you can call that small of a space a dance floor. The DJ wasn't very good and only a few, drunk people were dancing intermittently. The DJ was annoyed with my song suggestions (Pitbull and JLo) which were major improvements on what she was playing. She through a fit when I suggested the song, "Cheerleader." Apparently she prefers to not have an audience. The music was way too loud, the bartender couldn't hear my friend's drink order. The drinks were watered down. The 3rd floor had a weird rooftop bar and subpar/dirty bathrooms. A soul band played on the first floor and was pretty good. Left disappointed in the lack of dancing.

I'm planning to head back to DC and try out the nightlife again; hopefully at Dupont Circle next time.

My First Uber Experience

While on vacation in Washington DC last month, my friend and I used Uber for the first time. It was pretty easy to get setup using the app. I downloaded it, entered my credit card info, and that was it. Things to know: 1) you can see the cost estimate for your trip ahead of time, 2) you can't book your trip ahead (just when you're ready to be picked up), 3) there's no cash exchange (they charge your credit card), 4) they show you a photo of the driver and the vehicle description.

Once we put in the call for our driver, it took roughly 5 minutes for him to arrive. Our first driver looked scary. My theory is that if I don't think I could kill the person, I don't feel safe. Now would I actually kill them? No, but I think of it that way. So, we cancelled our first driver. The next one looked nice. Uber also gives you a confirmation code for the driver, to confirm that they're indeed a legit Uber driver. Also, Uber drivers display an Uber decal on their car window.

Our driver, Imron already knew where we were going since we entered that information into the app when setting up a ride. He was very nice and talkative. His car was clean and we felt at ease with him quickly. He gave us info on the area we were going to. We learned about his life and that he plans to start flipping houses full time soon. Felt like we were riding with a friend. I'm now generally more comfortable with the idea of Uber vs. a regular taxi for the most part.

Use this referral code to get $20 off a ride with Uber: MYRANDAK6UE
Come on, I want a free ride! ;)

Lastly, our fare was really reasonable.I would not hesitate to book another Uber ride in the future.

Max

Max was a happy puppy. His tail was always wagging. My dad joked that he had a "happy ending" because of his ever-wagging tail. Though considerably smaller than his brother, Riley, Max took charge as the alpha male. Despite that, he's always been eager to please. He is also a mama's boy. When mom has been away from home, he'd go on a hunger strike. When he comes in from outside, he searches the house until finding mom. He needs constant love. He loves riding in my dad's truck and seeing how many toys/"babies" he can fit in his mouth.

The last couple rough, Kansas winters have been hard on the little guy. Mom says he's stiff and moans in his sleep. She tries to keep him warm. This spring, he started getting a growth on his tummy area and didn't want to eat. Long story short, he was bleeding into his tummy. They removed a tumor, his spleen, and most of his liver. Our slightly over 50lb. dog had over 10% of his body removed that were two types of cancer. The liver tumor was slow-growing, but the other was fast.

Three months after surgery, the vet said he doesn't have much time left; 3-4 weeks at best. The cancer has consumed his liver. The tumors continue to grow. Despite the pain he's in, he's still active and loves to go exploring outside. He's on meds for pain. He's such a fighter, but time is fleeting.

I wish I could freeze time. The end is nearer than I can bear. #heartbreaking I wish there was something I could do to take away the pain. I pray again and again for Max; that the cancer will leave, that he won't be in pain, that he'll know how much we love him.

I'm reminded of all the things he's taught me: joy in the small things, greet everyone with a smile, let your friends and family know how happy you are to see them every day, and every day is good for a walk.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

I love butterflies, so we headed to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. It was beautiful! It had lovely ponds, gardens, and fountains. It's also a popular wedding ceremony location. We saw set-up for wedding there. Talk about terrific wedding photos!
They had so many types of butterflies and beautiful exotic plants.. We even saw newly hatched butterflies.

Me:

They also had a vast array of orchids; my favorite flower. I enjoyed seeing them. In addition, they also had a feature of plants from dry areas, like cactus.

The fee to enter the botanical garden was $12, but they also had a military discount which was nice. They also had a really nice gift shop with items such as gardening-related tools, jewelry, and small gifts.

If you're in Richmond, this is a must-see! Here's their review page on Trip Advisor.