Say No To Cosmo

While I didn’t always make the best choices in relationships, I think that I’ve always had a pretty good record of breaking up with guys when I couldn’t put up with their crap anymore.  My prowess when it comes to breakups has lead me to start a little #SayNoToCosmo series I’d like to call “Deal or Dump”.  A couple of questions have already started rolling in, so let’s get to the dealing/dumping!

With a guy who doesn’t give any date ideas. I’m the only one who picks
the fun adventures. Even though I like picking things out and I know
where all the good spots are, what should I do? Deal or dump?

DEAL!!!

This is actually a pretty common complaint I’ve heard from a lot of my friends and I’ve dated a couple of guys that are pretty lazy in the planning department! 

I’m a big fan of being open and communicating as soon as you have an issue with something.  Sit your guy down and tell him exactly how you feel.  Explain to him that you do like picking dates out, but it would be nice if he shared in the planning from time to time. 

You might already know this, but guys don’t really like it when they feel like we are telling them that they are doing something wrong.  Instead, make the conversation into something along the lines of - “I’m afraid that we are only doing things that I want to do and not enough of things that YOU want to do.”  Encourage him to show you things that he enjoys doing as well.  This way you are making it more about his shared happiness rather than nagging him to make you happy!

Don’t expect instant results!  If he hasn’t planned any dates up until this point, encourage him to maybe plan 1 outing every 2 weeks.  Hopefully, he will enjoy getting to do more things that he likes and he will offer to do it more often. 

If this doesn’t happen, you need to decide if this is a deal-breaker.  Nagging him won’t encourage him to spend more time with you - if anything it will only push him away more and shy away from wanting to do activities with you!  Try to keep a good perspective - at least he isn’t cheating or something horrible like that!  If this is the main source of all your problems, I think y’all can easily overcome this! :)

So what do y’all think?  Did I make the right decision to deal with it?  Have y’all encountered lazy planners in y’all’s past?

Remember to send your relationship questions to sntcosmo@gmail.com!

I’ve been in NYC for almost 4 years now and the city is still coming up with ways to take my breath away and make me curse its name. 

The subway is usually the source of most of my anger towards the city.

Here’s my latest complaint:

This photo was taken on my morning commute to Brooklyn Heights on the R train.  It was pretty crowded at this point and there were actually a couple of women that were standing up because there weren’t enough seats.

Why weren’t there enough seats?  Because this gentleman had to have a seat for his Burger King breakfast bag and some other officey bag that I can’t identify.

You, sir, are kind of a douche and thus providing me with another reason to be frustrated with this city and miss the manners of the South.

I had never even heard of “feathering” until I skimmed thru the May 2012 issue of Cosmo, but dear Lord, I thought nothing could be more dumb than vajazzling.

Apparently, girls are now getting a brazilian wax and then placing feathers or fox fur in a decorative shape on their lady bits. WTF ladies?  Whyyyyy are you doing this to your self?

The Carnival Bikini - Dumb!

The Foxy - Super Dumb

I guess what infuriates me the most about this article is that 52% of the 100 guys they asked on the street said they would “stay” if they de-panted (yes I made that term up) a girl and she had feathered herself.  There is no way in HELL that these guys knew what they were talking about!  Or do guys really not care how we “manicure” ourselves down there?  I get super freaked out when guys “manscape” too much - anyone else?

I guess my questions are:

Ladies:  Would you feather/fur your lady bits?

Fellas:  Would you really be into this?

Person that came up with this:  What the heck is wrong with you?

images via http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/131700/update_your_boring_vagina_with

Today I think I’m going to start a little series where I educate you fine young men of the world - I’m gonna teach you how to be a good boyfriend!  If you are a girl and reading this - hopefully, you will forward this on to your significant other or send it to your guy friends that undoubtedly need help in this little area I call -  relationship manners.

Sometimes, I’ve been known to do my boyfriend’s laundry.  It just so happens that I love doing laundry - so before you ladies get all mad at me about women’s rights and how guys can do their own laundry - give me a second ok?  I think it can be a pretty sweet gesture and this way your honey will always have clean undies, spotless shirts, and won’t look all wrinkly all the time!  But wait a minute, this isn’t a lesson in what us girls should be doing, this is a lesson to all you boyfriends out there!

I in no way agree with this picture…but I do think it’s funny. :)

If your girlfriend/wife/partner/whatever decides that she would like to do something nice for you and do your laundry, YOU MUST REMEMBER TO DO THESE THINGS!!!

1.  Get it all together for your girlfriend and put it in a hamper, bag, etc.  Do not make us go around the house and try to decipher what is clean and what isn’t.

2.  If you get a stain on something, immediately take it off and tie your shirt in a knot.  This will alert us that there is a stain on your shirt and we will try our hardest to get it out.

3.  Do a little clothes maintenance before you gather all your clothes.  What do I mean by this?  Button all the buttons on your shirts and pants.  Unroll all your rolled up sleeves.  Make sure your socks aren’t in little balls.

4.  If there are certain items that you don’t want to be dried in the dryer, put them in a little grocery bag so we don’t shrink your stuff ok???

5.  If you don’t like to smell like Vanilla Lavander then freaking tell us!  We aren’t freaking mind readers and that’s a nice smell to us!

6.  Make sure your undies aren’t inside-out.  If there is something scary in there (skidmarks) I don’t want to see that $h!t.  Literally.

7.  Honestly, if you have skidmarks, you should just throw them away!  Once we see that stuff, we can never look at you the same way again.  I have serious doubts about my boyfriend if he can’t master the art of potty training or wiping for that matter.

8.  Make sure you don’t have lighters, gum, ipods, or phone numbers in your pockets.  Nothing infuriates me more than gum sticking to laundry….well, except for the whole “Why in the hell are you getting other girl’s numbers?” thing!

9.  We aren’t going to iron your stuff, but you should invest in a bottle of this:

10.  Tell us thank you and don’t get mad if we didn’t fold something right, overdry something, or get out a stain!  We just did your freaking laundry.  Be grateful - good boyfriends are ALWAYS grateful!

image via http://imgur.com/ZDnY0

So what do y’all think?  Do you ever do your significant other’s laundry?  Do you appreciate it if they do?  Did I leave out any must-dos?

If you live in New York, you know that Winter really kicks you in the balls here.  I never thought S(easonal)A(ffective)D(isorder) really existed until I moved here and let me tell you - I HAVE to take Vitamin D supplements or I cry all day in dark rooms.  Kidding! (Sorta)

Winter really gives me the sadz y’all…

However, Spring is finally here and I want to share with y’all some clothing, makeup, etc. that is really getting me in the mood for this warm weather!

Zara dress with irregular pleats - $79.90

This dress didn’t look like much in the store but once I tried it on, I fell in love with it.  Pleats and pastels are in right now and I love the pops of color at the bottom.

Michael Kors Sandals - Nadina Platform - $150.00

Ok, I know these are a little bit of a splurge (I cried a little when I paid for them) but these are the most comfortable, hottest sandals you will ever purchase.  I get so many compliments when I wear them and they go with everything!

O’Neill Penny Ruffle Bikini - Top and Bottom - $62.00

I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect bathing suit this year and O’Neill never disappoints me.  I think this bikini is cute and not too revealing!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Tipsy - $25.00

My good friend and makeup goddess Raychel Wade gave this to me and I haven’t stopped using it since!  The color is so pretty and really does last all day.  Just a little bit will give you a dewy coral flush that screams “Spring is here and I’m freaking happy about it!” 

Vanilla Flame Body Mist - $6.00

Have I ever told y’all that I hate perfume and I will only wear Vanilla Lace lotion from Victoria’s Secret to make me smell good?  Well that used to be true!  Some friends over at Gud just sent me some of their new products and I’m obsessed with this Vanilla Flame body mist!  Gud uses only natural ingredients and they never test on animals, so you can smell good without feeling bad!

So what do y’all think - are you just as excited about the warm weather as I am?  What are your favorite Spring products?

OMG y’all, I am so sorry that I haven’t written in so long!  I went to Florida for work around Easter and then as soon as I got back to NYC I boarded a plane for NC and experienced one of the most fun events I’ve ever been a part of!

A few months back, I was asked to be a celebrity (haha) guest for the Wilmington Azalea Festival.  Y’all might not know this, but I actually used to live in Wilmington and I graduated from UNCW - so it felt a little weird going back and being a guest in a town I used to call home!

Here’s some pictures from the event!

The beach was too cold so Scott and I got some beers at Jerry Allens! :)

I loved Keith on Top Chef so I had to check out Catch while I was in Wilmington!  Best crab cakes I’ve ever had and he introduced us all to baby guinness!

I had to introduce myself at the Queen’s Coronation and I was terrified!  I ended up telling the audience how I had eaten 2 Trolly Stop hotdogs already that day :).

In between events, we got to relax on a yacht provided to us by Marine Max - it was amazing to say the least!

Scott and I at the Celebrity’s Luncheon.  I can not tell you how thankful I am for Scott - he was such a good sport that week and everyone loved him!

Me with the rest of the celebrity guests - one of them was an astronaut that had been in space 7 times!  I would always joke with the crowd that I felt pretty silly being grouped in the same category as him!

Kenny Loggins isn’t so great at taking pictures.

Sporting our Southern best for the Garden Party!

Do y’all like my Kate Middleton hat?

My escort let me wear her hat for the ribbon cutting and it matched my dress perfectly!  Go see Jan at AMuse in Wilmington to see the works of art she creates!

I have to admit that I had never heard a Scotty McCreery song before his concert but he is an amazing talent and I had such a good time!

Scott wishes he was driving ;)

How cute is my sister?  So glad I got to see my family while I was in NC!

My very handsome boyfriend and I before the Patron’s Party - we had such a good time!

What kind of restaurant serves a side of 2 babies?????

As you can tell from these pictures, I had an absolutely wonderful time at the festival.  I felt so honored to be a part of a 65-year tradition in North Carolina and I was amazed at how dedicated all the volunteers were to this event!  If you live in Wilmington or NC, this festival is definitely something you should take part in every year!

Have y’all ever been before?  Any similar festivals in your towns/cities?

So these videos were supposed to be included with my article - not sure why it didn’t happen!  But here’s the videos for y’all die-hard romantics :)

The Bachelor franchise just recently celebrated its 10^th birthday and I was thinking what could be a better way to celebrate than counting down some of the most romantic moments in Bachelor/Bachelorette history?  The show gets a lot of flack for its dramatics and lack of successful relationships, but there have been quite a few moments that made us all swoon!  Here are my top 10 favorite romantic moments:

1.     Reid returns to propose to Jillian – Everyone’s heart skipped a beat when fan-favorite returned in the finale to propose to Jillian!  Everyone’s hearts proceeded to break when we all knew that she was too far-gone and was head over heels in love with Ed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1W47BONlyc

2.     Ashley and JP’s first date – This clip was actually never shown on the show but I think it was romantic for so many reasons.  For one, you can tell she is absolutely comfortable in front of JP because she wore her ugly glasses and pjs for the date.  Secondly, she fell asleep on him, finally feeling like she could trust someone in this process after Bentley was so awful to her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf2ZIu6gN58

3.     Ames leaves Bachelor Pad after Jackie Gets Voted Off – By far, one of the cutest moments ever in Bachelor history (ok technically Bachelor Pad).  You could see how heartbroken he was when she left and I’m pretty sure I even clapped and cried as I watched him run towards the limo and his heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0J-GYcn8Nc&feature=related   (start at 1:00)

4.     Byron’s proposal to Mary – Sadly, ABC is horrible with providing videos for earlier seasons of the show – but one of the most romantic proposals on the show happened when Byron proposed to Mary in Spanish, so her Spanish speaking parents watching at home would know exactly what he said.

5.     Ryan’s SeaWorld poem to Trista – Ryan proved that he was more than a pretty face after he shared with Trista, a very heartfelt poem written for her.  She got teary; they kissed, and have ended up as one of the franchises most successful and in love couples.  Brad Paisley even wrote a song for their wedding later that was inspired by this poem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U2QmguxLEQ  (Starts at 4:16)

6.     Molly and Jason’s first dance at Wedding – Maybe it’s just the fact that this is one of my all-time favorite songs or maybe it was their really romantic wedding but I loved their first dance to Gavin DeGraw’s “Follow Through.”  You can tell how happy and in love they both are while they dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vui-Z5uEZHI&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL130EBAB784CA7D6F

7.     Andy’s proposal to Tessa – It was pretty obvious to viewers throughout the season that Tessa was the only one for Andy.  She wanted to leave multiple times but he always fought with her to stay.  When he proposed to her, it marked the 2^nd time in 7 seasons that a Bachelor actually proposed and you could tell how crazy these two were about each other!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4m8Gtl6PTQ&feature=related  (starts at 2:51)

8.     Ali and Roberto dancing on the streets in Portugal – The chemistry between Ali and Roberto was evident from night one, so I could name a couple romantic moments between them.  But my favorite romantic moment occurred when Roberto asked her for an impromptu dance in the streets of Lisbon!  Sexy!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb51aDYOb2w

9.     Ian’s proposal to Meredith – We all though that Ian wouldn’t propose to Meredith after he insisted to his brother that he would never do it.  However, Ian confessed that after he saw Meredith during the finale, he couldn’t deny that he wanted to marry her.  The surprise and their happiness ended up in one of the most romantic Bachelorette proposals ever!

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/bachelors-now-10110740  (about .30 seconds in)

10. Ashley and JP’s beach kiss in the rain – I know, I know – I already have one JP and Ashley moment in here but it was hard to find old footage from previous seasons and this moment was too romantic not to include it!  JP and Ashley have a much-needed chat on the beach and Ashley encourages him to be patient.  He replies that he isn’t going anywhere and then they share one of the steamiest kisses in Bachelor history…in the rain!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=942ASUdqD8o  (start watching about a minute in)

So what do y’all think?  Did I leave out any of your favorite moments?  Which should I have included?

Happy Birthday Bachelor!!!!