Happy Halloween!

BRAAAAAIIINNNSSSSSSS

Cara Box Love

Let me first just say, Kim of The KO Jewelry is the bomb.com.

This is just one of the fabulous fall nail polish colors she got me!

She also got me THE cutest journal (umm Hi, I freaking LOVE journals -- I've already started jotting down blog ideas in it). It has a magnetic binder and these pens are flippin' sweet. She said they were her favorite kind and I was confused as to why she had a favorite pen, but then I wrote with it. It glides perfectly. A writer's dream (and yes, I still write by hand every day). Then I found EOS lipgloss, which is so awesome considering my last EOS lipgloss (which I coincidentally received in a different blog swap in February) just ran out. Perfection. Then she goes and gets me the most wonderful fall nail polish colors AND a base coat. It's like she knew that I'm totally clueless when it comes to nails and she's teaching me her masterful ways. Here's where it gets freaky though, she and I both got each other nail polish, scarves (how cute is this scarf? I'm obsessed.), a hot drink mix and a mixed CD (which had so many great songs, none of which were already in my iTunes library. Can you say soul mates? Even Ziggy loves my new scarf.

Here are some of my favorite tunes from my sweet new CD:

Thank you, Kim. You are the best!

Join the Cara Box party here.

Music Monday: ZBB

(Pay no mind to how horrible my hair looks. This is changing once and for all tonight. Updates soon to come.)

Friday night my lovely friends and I went to go see Zac Brown Band (and Blackberry, who we were too busy chatting and drinking ridiculously expensive slushee drinks to actually listen to) at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. These guys know how to jam. Seriously. Fun fact, my friends, I used to hate county music. In fact, it's still not my favorite genre (there's a very fine line between "Chicken Fried" and "There's a tear in my beer") but I have, over the years, become quite fond of some feel-good-beer-drinkin'-tailgatin'-kinda country jams! I still have pretty low expectations when it comes to meaningful lyrics or open-mindedness as far as the genre is concerned, but ZBB whaled on their banjos, guitars and fiddles. I was very impressed. At one point, I got up to pee five minutes into one of their jam seshes and they were still at it by the time I got back. I was also a little nervous that I was going to hear the only three songs I know by them (the chart-toppers) and the rest of the time I'd be tapping my foot waiting for "Chicken Fried" to play, but these guys know their audience. They didn't bother playing a ton of obscure songs that only true fans would know, instead they rocked the shit out of some covers. They played "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith, "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison (I freakin' love Van Morrison), "Can't You See?" by CCR, "All Apologies" by Nirvana and lastly, "Devil Went Down to Georgia," which was ahhh-mazing. Serious fiddle playing right there. I was also pretty stoked to hear a not-yet recorded song called "One Day," so I took a crappy iPhone recording of it, which maybe I'll learn how to upload one day.

Also, let's talk about one of the most exciting moments of the concert (and maybe my life, idk, I'm not that exciting). See this chick who's all "Ithrowmyhandsupintheairsometimes"?

Yea, it was dark, but I had to get some sort of photo of her as she was absolutely dancing her ass off. She and her boyfriend were sitting in the row right in front of us, that is, of course, until her boyfriend did a straight up flip over the seat and rolled down approximately eight rows of seats. It was terrifying and hilarious at the same time. It honestly looked like a cartoon. I thought he was going to fly over the railing and break his neck (hence the 'terrifying' part) but instead he jumped up and continued to dance, drink and make out with his lady friend. It. Was. Awesome.

Overall, awesome show. The only thing that would've made it better is if these guys weren't rooting for Georgia.. They all put their UGA shirts on. Boo. 

Happy Monday, friends!

Sunday Confessions

1. These kegs are empty. I know, we had you fooled.

2. We drank Captain Morgan, Crown Royal and whiskey out of this water bottle in addition to singing Vitamin C's "Graduation Song," "Call Me Maybe," "Don't Stop Believin'" and many others on the public transportation bus (keep an eye out on Youtube for it).

3. This gentleman had no idea that he had been drawn on while passed out in the bushes until we said, "Excuse me, sir, you have a penis on your face!" 

4. His friends were NOT happy with us.

5. Apparently kicking beer bottles is a bad idea. However, Jax EMTs are pretty cute and surprisingly good humored.

6. We followed old, creepy tailgaters (who appeared to be neither UF nor GA fans) to their RV in hopes of scoring potato chips. We were successful.

7. We all ate a ridiculous amount of pizza last night (my stomach is still pissed).

8. We ended our Saturday night watching Twilight and falling asleep around 11pm.

9. One of us slept face-down under a pool table.

10. I may have spoke too soon with my "Suck It" comment seeing as GA spanked us.

11. I think I gained 15 lbs this weekend.

12. It's still great to be a Florida Gator.

Friday's Letters

Dear Zac Brown Band, Be sure to play a super-extra awesome show tonight because yours truly will be there. ;) Dear Georgia Bulldogs, SUCK IT. Dear Florida Gators, Please crush said bulldogs as I already told them to 'suck it.' Dear Ziggy, Please forgive me for abandoning you all weekend. Try not to channel your sadness into destroying all my underwear this time, pleasekaythanks. Dear Wendy (my FLAGA partner-in-crime), This time two years ago we drove to Jax last minute for this game, stole liquor and tailgating food from unsuspecting game-attendees, found abandoned shoes and a wife-beater (which allowed my cousin to ride the trolly), were hungover by 5pm, wore ghetto costumes to The Landing, got invited onto a yacht and even took over a bunch of frat boys' hotel room. Let's make this weekend equally epic. Dear Cara Box Partner (Kim), I can't wait to show off all the goodies you sent me! It was absolutely perfect. You're the best. Dear Readers, Don't miss me too much this weekend. I'll be making some awesome memories so I can blog about them later.

Love,

Kensie

 

Carry On

"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and carry on."

I couldn't stop smiling while watching this. 

I got the chills. 

I got a little teary.

I got that exciting, adventurous feeling in my chest.

This is what this band does to me.

Some Nights is by far my favorite album of 2012, hands down.

What I Wore

Shirt: Cotton On // Boots: Steve Madden // Shorts: TJ Maxx 

Shirt: Old Navy // Skirt: Goodwill // Belt: Charlotte Russe // Shoes: Steve Madden

Dress: Lauren Conrad // Shoes: Target

Shirt: Brit // Jeans: Hollister?

Shirt: PacSun // Pants: ???

Dress: Old Navy // Shoes: Payless // Belt: Target

Does anyone else, like, really hate wearing jeans that have been hiding in your dresser all summer?

I officially deem "love handles" to be "hate handles." Dresses are far more forgiving. Maybe I should join this chick in her Dress Dare project.. (How cool is that?)

Next time I try on those jeans I might just have to read this out loud.

Much better.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Linking up here: The Pleated Poppy, Rae Gun Ramblings, Transatlantic Blonde and Rolled Up Prett

Weekend

Have I mentioned how excited I am that my best friend is getting married?

It all started back with this post, and the excitement has been mounting ever since.

In two short weeks my bestest of best friends will be walking down the aisle.

Sunday she threw us bridesmaids a luncheon and it was gorgeous (as always).

She gave us fabulous personalized Tumblers, cookies and pearl bracelets to wear on the big day.

A big thank you to Jessica's parents for creating such a wonderful friend and person for the world to enjoy. I am so thankful to be able to be a part of this wedding and their lives in general.

I love you, Jess.

Thanks for letting me be your Maid of Honor!

(PS: Check out the bachelorette party here!)

Music Monday: Concert Edition

Concert Wear by mackensieg featuring graphic t shirts

I won tickets to see Minus the Bear and Cursive in Gainesville on Sunday!

They were absolutely amazing. So much energy and dancing, and I just love when a live performance makes me want to listen to a band that much more (also, Minus the Bear is from Seattle. Eeeek!!). As I was getting ready for the concert and trying to decide what to wear, I thought I might come up with some concert wear suggestions for my readers. There are definitely some things to avoid wearing when rocking-out is sure to ensue later (this will all be common sense to you avid concert-goers, but turns out not everyone goes out of her way to see a dozen live concerts a year.. crazies.) One of the most important things to do is to wear comfortable shoes (if they happen to be adorable too, then it's all the better). It seriously disturbs me when I see a chick waiting in line to pick up concert tickets wearing 8-inch stilettos. It physically pains me. I know she's going to be hobbling out of the venue later with bloody toenails and jet black feet as the heels will surely end up in her hands half way through the opening act. Besides that, wear bags/purses that strap across or behind you so they're not in the way of your flailing arms and lighter waving (and you might stand a chance of not losing all your possessions in a passionate crowd surfing moment -- you will still, most definitely, get groped though). Lastly, layers are a pain in the ass at concerts. It might be chilly outside, but you know you're going to sweat your balls off inside, so just wear something breezy. Distressed denim (I chose shorts because I live in Florida, but jeans are good too) is always a solid choice. And the more out-there the accessories, the better. No one's judging you at a concert. Unless, of course, you're the chick on the guy's shoulders that's blocking everyone view and is flashing her tig ole bitties at the lead singer (in which case I will most likely take a picture and use it for a shocking game of "Where is Waldo?" for my friends... hypothetically....) Lastly, wear your hair down. I know this goes against the whole sweating-your-balls-off thing, but it's important that your locks are free for full-on head banging and ultimate whipping-your-hair-back-and-forth-age. I think that covers all the basics. Now go listen to Minus the Bear! Way too many people have not heard of them.

I don't care, I love it

I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone.

I crashed my car into the bridge. 
I watched, I let it burn.
I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs.
I crashed my car into the bridge.
I don't care, I love it. I don't care.

You're on a different road, 

I'm in the milky way

You want me down on earth, 

but I am up in space

You're so damn hard to please, 

we gotta kill this switch

You're from the 70's, 

but I'm a 90's bitch.

This song?

I don't care..

I LOVE IT!

(Happy Game Day! -- Go Gators!)

Friday's Letters

Dear Ziggy, You have me completely wrapped around your unclipped dewclaw. You know I can't resist your adorable puppy eyes and that pathetic wimper you make when you see me putting on my running shoes. I truly think you are the only being that I would wake up at 6am for (simply because you want to play outside for that matter!) Dear Monsieur Belvedere, I think that even though you are a wine caddy, this is a rather appropriate nomenclature for the likes of you (and yes, I just said 'nomenclature'). I wish I could win the giveaways we do at work.. Dear Hair, Nice work. We've almost got you in a top knot. Keep up this growing quickly streak you've been on. Dear Monster Pie, Whoa. I didn't even realize that many apples could fit in one pie.

Dear Readers, Have you ever noticed how I only post the semi-healthy foods I eat on here? Yea, that's not on accident, and it's not because I'm a super-human-that-never-eats-potato-chips either. I do try to be healthy though! Also, goat AND sheep cheese make appearances in the above meals. Thank buddha for cheeses that don't contain lactose.

Dear Aunie, Thanks for introducing me to the "Friar Tuck" a la Bye Bye Beehive. ;) So stylish! Dear Weather, You have been gorgeous lately. Now if you'll just cool down even more so I can wear my boots, kthanksbye. Dear Dairy-free Friends, (do I have any of those?) almond cheese is also awesome. Try it! Dear Weekend, I'm actually looking forward to Sunday. Weird, right? BUT I won a ticket to see Minus the Bear and Cursive in Gainesville on Sunday! So stoked! Friday and Saturday, however, will be spent serving people fried rice and pretending I care whether they want lemons in their waters or not. Dear Big Bro, Happy Belated Birthday!!! Can't wait to celebrate with you at Disney in a few weeks! Dear Readers, I have reached 300 of you!!!! I never, ever thought this day would come. If you're new 'round these parts PLEASE introduce yourself. I'd love to get to know you and stalk the shiz out of your blog! :)

Love,

Kensie

Linking up here, here and here!

Puppy Love

These days there are few things I like better than running with my dog and blogging.

It's the little things. 

Thanks for reading, friends.

What I Wore

Shirt: Cotton On / Shorts: TJ Maxx / Boots: Steve Madden / Headband: PacSun

Linking up here: The Pleated Poppy, Rae Gun Ramblings, Transatlantic Blonde and Rolled Up Prett

My Womanifesto

My Womanifesto: by MacKensie

I am a woman.

I will cry when I’m sad, touched, bleeding, overjoyed, hysterical.

I will laugh with my entire body.

I will smile ‘til my cheeks hurt, even when it freaks people out.

I will get my feelings hurt often.

I will love deeply.

I will be broken hearted.

I will heal.

My right is to wear push-up bras because they make me feel sexy.

My right is to take hours to get ready on one day & roll out of bed the next.

My right is to rock chipped nail polish at all times.

My right is to flirt to get my way. I am in control.

My right is to dance in a sexy, goofy or wildly inappropriate way.

My right is to be a rockstar.

My right is to sing as loud as I possibly can.

My right is to blast music with the windows rolled down.

My right is to party and be young (even when I’m not).

My right is to lay on the shower floor hungover the next day.

My right is to run as fast or slow as I want.

My right is to be the best sister, daughter, dog-mother, aunt and friend that I can possibly be.

My right is to keep every note, love letter, drawing, poem or birthday card I have ever received.

My right is to be sentimental.

My right is to be enthusiastic.

My right is to be terrified.

I’m going to push myself constantly. It is not my right to be comfortable all the time.

I will twirl in circles until I’m dizzy.

No longer will I miss out because it’s safer to do so.

I will dive in, no matter how much my senses object.

No longer will I dwell on the past.

No longer will I depend on a partner to make me feel whole.

I am whole.

No longer will I look in the mirror with disdainful eyes.

No longer will I try to fit in.

I am different. Different is good.

No longer will I compare myself to others.

I have come this far. 

No longer will I hold grudges; life is short.

Today is wonderful.

Tomorrow too.

I am a rocker, a cowgirl, a gangster, the girl on the hood of Whitesnake’s car, a hipster, a hippie, a prep, a sororostitute, a groupy, a feminist, a lover, a fighter, a punk, a clown, a wild card, a nerd, a jock, a freak, a gypsy, a follower, a leader, a dreamer, a lady. A woman.

It is my right to never commit to just one.

I am the very best at being me.

I embrace my imperfections.

I embrace my fair skin, freckles, big ass.

I embrace my sensitive stomach.

I embrace my even more sensitive soul.

I embrace my skepticism and my optimism.

I embrace my drive to do, be, see and achieve more.

I embrace my hunger and my fire.

I embrace my asymmetry.

I will be inappropriate. I will cuss, spit and offend many.
& I will be judged.

But I will always be tolerant of others.

I will never settle. 

I am woman. I am me.

Weekend

I threw my best friend a bachelorette party on Saturday, so naturally there was lots of wine and phallic objects. We stayed at the most gorgeous resort in Palm Coast and had a fabulous time. I took it upon myself to write down some of my favorite quotes from the weekend, so whether you understand them or not, I hope they make you chuckle.

"My name may or may not be Jesus because I'm going through this wine like water." - Kelly

*Upon pulling out a very petite penis-shaped lollipop* "I bet this guy has a big truck." - Mary Beth

"OH! I want to do a head stand!!!" - Kim

"Jessica can't be the DD at her own wedding! She'll be busy getting her freak on." - Me

And a playlist from the weekend:

Cheers to a fabulous weekend with fabulous ladies!

Sunday Confessions

1. I like my ombre hair infinitely better when it's curled than when it's straight. I also like my curls better the second day.

2. I just ate a lactose-filled chocolate brownie AND lasagna. Momentary satisfaction = worth the pain.

3. I've listened to this song so many times lately. Obsessed.

4. I threw a bachelorette party yesterday.

5. I made phallic Jell-O shots for said party.

6. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon coming up. My running habits have been so weird lately. I don't foresee a PR in my future.

7. I'm a little disappointed that my 1/2 marathon PR was about two races and two years ago. I need to step up my running game.

8. Regardless, I'm probably going to spend the entire day today in bed. So tired.

9. I may have completely reversed all progress made with the Whole30 over the past couple weeks (so. much. junk. food.) 

10. It's way harder to find apartments that allow dogs than I thought it would be.. I cannot imagine living without my fat beagle baby, though. 

11. I've been trying to read the same book for about two months now -- my reading habit has been suffering considerably of late.

12. I STILL don't know what to be for Halloween.

13. I spend a ridiculous amount of time on Facebook and Instagram. I guess there could be worse addictions..

14. I cannot believe my blog is approaching 300 followers. I never, ever imagined that could be possible. I can't even express how thankful I am that you all visit my little space on the internet and take time out of your day to read, interact and leave comments. You make a day, always. Thank you.

Paleo Eggs Benedict

I decided to make eggs benedict paleo-style because I thought we had Canadian bacon. We didn't. But we did have one portobello mushroom and one tomato, so I improvised.. like, a lot. The good news is I finally made hollandaise sauce the right way! I have attempted this feat before and was very much defeated. And of course now I cannot find the actual website that enlightened me, but it was similar to this. (Actually, I think it was this one, although his looks nothing like mine.) Basically I melted the "butter" (I used Earth Balance, which is not technically Paleo, but clarified butter is. It's also more expensive and I was out. Improvisation, folks) and melted it in the microwave. Meanwhile I whisked together two egg yolks and lemon juice in the plastic bowl shown above. I then heated water on the stove until it was bubbly and whisked the yolks over the heated water--slowly adding the melted butter. I continued this process for about five minutes when it was thickened (and holding the bowl does become very hot.. I wore a bass-shaped oven mitt, because I'm classy like that).

I also, sort of, learned how to poach eggs. This actually was my first attempt at poachifying some juevos, but despite the yellow peeking out up there, I think I did a pretty good job. First I brought a pot of water to a slight boil while soaking one egg at a time in white vinegar (for a couple minutes, apparently this helps the eggs stick together, kind of like not eating 12 hotdogs before going on a rollercoaster, or popping Pepto bismol after eating cheesecake..), then I created a whirlpool in the pot by stirring it clockwise rapidly and then letting the egg slide into the eye of the storm. After two minutes of watching the little ghostly wisps float around the pot, I scooped it out with a slotted spoon and put it aside.

I then layered an oiled-up-and-heated-over-the-stove portobello mushroom cap with slice turkey (improvising, remember? No Canadian bacon to be found) and the poached egg, salt and pepper.

Next came the hollandaise sauce, green onions and an attempt at doing all this again with half of a small tomato. 

It actually tasted incredible. I was very surprised impressed. I think the reason English muffins are so fabulous for the bottom layer, however, is because they soak up all the juice! You should have seen this plate after cutting off the first bite, it was covered in brown, yellow and red liquid. It was intense. And I was kind of sad that I had nothing to soak it up and chomp down on it with. I may have licked the plate though, no shame in my game.

What I Wore

 Top: Express // Jeans: AE // Boots: Steven Madden (it was not actually cold enough to wear them.. fail.) Top: O'Neill // Jeans: Hand-me-downs? // Shoes: Steven Madden

Shirt: Old Navy // Pants: Kohl's // Shoes: Old Navy

Dress: Some surf shop // Belt: F21 // Shoes: Target

What I Wore Wednesday, my friends! 

Let's make these outfits more exciting by playing a little "Where is Waldo Ziggy?" game.

Happy Hump Day!

Linking up here: The Pleated Poppy, Rae Gun Ramblings, Transatlantic Blonde and Rolled Up Pretty

Weekend

I know I missed 'Music Monday' but it's only because I'm overwhelmed by all the awesome new music I now have at my fingertips due to my recent conformation to the Spotify cult (I'm obsessed, there, I said it). Totally blows Rhapsody out of the water as far as cost (FO' FREE), speed, consistency, variety, all of the awesomeness. But that is beside the point, the point being that my weekend was ah-mah-zing.

First of all, we beat LSU. Yea, suck on that Tigers (freshman year I went on a road trip to NOLA for the game and, I kid you not, LSU fans literally spat at us after we lost in the last few minutes of the game. Not cool, guys.) But not this time! We are the champions!

Secondly, I got to play with some of my best friends ever. They are the greatest, and yes they really are this beautiful in real life.

Thirdly, I collected three different pairs of sunglasses, the coolest of which shown are above (we were gifted them by a rowdy bachelor party that just-so-happened to have lost the bachelor).

Fourthly (is that a thing that people say?) after recovering all day Sunday (epic. hangover.) I went to go see "Pitch Perfect" with my sister last night and it was so flippin' funny. We both wanted to just stay in the theater and watch it again. And maybe one more time. I have a new-found respect for Elizabeth Banks. She was hilarious and she produced the movie, which makes me really excited about this. Go see it, seriously. Like, now.

Nextly, I bought soy cheeze pizza today right after work as well as soft goat cheese and almond cheese.  Have I ever told you guys how much I hate being lactose intolerant?

Lastly, NEW GIRL IS ON TONIGHT.

Also, this. Just 'cuz.

PEACE.

Sunday Confessions

1. I love that the Gators beat LSU yesterday, but let's be honest, I barely watched the game at all. I spent most of the game drinking, dancing and drinking some more. 
2. I literally accomplished nothing today (except drinking Gatorade and eating greasy food) thanks to the hangover induced by confession numero uno.
3. Ziggy is stretched out on the couch and draped over my legs. In order to avoid the pins-and-needles effect without waking her lazy self, I just whacked my face with my laptop, hard. Fail.
4. My entire body hurts right now from dancing way too hard yesterday.
5. I just registered to vote (I know, I know, I'm an irresponsible citizen of the United States, but in my defense I had just turned 18 before the last election) AND I sent in my registration in a pastel purple envelope. Elle Woods-style.
6. I miss college more than anything right now. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. Hey Doc, how about you hook me up with a DeLorean?
7. I've been slacking in the blogging department lately. I apologize for the lack of comments on your posts, I promise I've been reading quietly. I've also been failing at reading books (I can't wait to read this one!!!), gymming and cooking lately. I need to get my act together.
8. I watch The Office every single time it's on. Even though I have seen every episode ever. Same goes for Friends. These are two of the only things I could ever possibly win trivia for (with the exception of maybe a music genre).
9. The newest episode of New Girl made me laugh so hard that I cried -- full-on crocodile tears, uncontrollable laughing and bawling simultaneously. I'm obsessed.
10. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL JANUARY!!!! 
What do you confess?

InstaFriday/Friday's Letters

Dear Friday, Please hurry up and be done so I can be reunited with these beautiful people in the Swamp. Dear Gators, Please beat the crap out of the LSU Tigers for me. Dear Bachelorette Party, You are going to be EPIC. Dear Ziggy, You are the biggest bed hog ever. Dear Cheerios Commercials, I hate your jingle. Like, a lot. Even the cute kids can't remedy it. And why always two in a row? One is quite enough, thank you. Dear Facebook Friends, Everyone has political opinions. This is not the best forum to have stupid arguments intelligent discussions about them. Just stop it. Dear Life, You are moving quickly! I can't believe it's almost time to see my best friend walk down the aisle and then it's time for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Still can't believe it's been a year since the last one. Exciting adventures to come, but until then, work, work, work! Dear Readers, What should I be for Halloween?! This is a serious decision.. I don't even have options. Everything just seems unoriginal. I like to get serious with my costumes, by the way. Were any of you guys around for my Labyrinth costume last year? I need a costume to get excited about. Any suggestions?

Happy Friday, friends. Have fun and be safe. Go Gators!

Linking up here, here and here!