HELLO
Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.

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Category : Words

Products I Love: Ardell Lashes

I was in love with two things on my wedding day:
my newly acquired husband
… and my eyelashes.

My friend Lacy, the queen of make-up, recommended MAC eyelashes for my big day. During our pre-wedding trial run of my make-up, she gave me a quick tutorial of how to apply them. I had always loved the look of false eyelashes, but had been intimidated by the process. I instantly fell in love the the MAC lashes – they looked defined, yet natural. However at $13 a pair it seemed like nothing less than a luxury after my wedding day.

That was, until I discovered Ardell Eyelashes at Target for under four bucks. They have all different styles, but my favorites tend to be the less flashy versions.

lashes

At first, applying eyelashes can drive you batty (pun intended), so here are a few reasons why I love them, along with a couple tips:

• You can re-wear them! In fact, I always like them a little better after I’ve given them a night out on the town (by then they’ve been molded to fit your eyes perfectly).
• They’re my secret weapon to taking good photos. Actually, 95% of the reason I wear them is because I like how they look in photographs.
• Always bring the glue with you. Typically this is never an issue, but the one time I left the house without it, was the one time one of them actually started coming off. Don’t be the embarrassed girl with one big eyelash and one small one.
• The same lashes look different on different people. Case in point:

My wedding day lashes…
IMG_6405

And Laura, one of my bridesmaids, wearing the exact same kind… So much more prominent (and oh so lovely)!

DSC_0162

Don’t believe the hype? Take a look at
Allure’s Top Eight Eyelash Looks from 2009.

Busted

Blue, my favorite animal ever in my life, passed away about a year and a half ago. Even with all that time behind me, I still think of her more than anyone would ever know. She was in my life for 15 years.
We were BFFs.

going thru photos...

How could I not think of her all the time when her big, beautiful face is constantly looking over living room?

Blue painting from Lauric & Brustin. I cried.

Well, this week I was reminded of her again, but in a different way. In a way that has really hindered me, actually.

You see, Blue was weird. So weird that one of her favorite things was to chew on rubber things. One time I even bought her one of those old, curly phone cords (the kind grandmas still use) to chew on and she was in total heaven.

Unfortunately, I think she took that as an “okay” to chew on other tasty electrical things that cats should not eat. About a year before she died she took a chompin’ to my Apple power cord, displaying a few of the metal threads. It still worked, so I didn’t get too mad.

This weekend, sparks finally flew and the cord went to join Blue in heaven. Because of this, I can’t use my laptop, meaning I can’t properly blog or post any of the photos from my recent road trip. A replacement is on its way, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m back to my internet-obsessed self.

It’s been nearly two years since her death and she’s still finding ways to make me laugh. So now when I think of Blue, I’ll picture that busted computer cord hanging out of her stinky, cat breath mouth.

Cheers, Blue.
And thanks a lot.

Blues

TO: Mom LOVE: Sarah

This week my mom had a birthday.
I love my mom.
She’s the very, berry best.
I say this because…

She dances by herself on Beale Street.

Memphis - Girl Trip!

She attempts to use complicated new technology
(my digital camera)

Memphis - Girl Trip!

She parties VIP style.
With me in Vegas.

While watching Ludacris
by the Palms pool.

Mom & me at the Luda show

She gets arrested in front of the White House.
Protesting the war in Iraq.

Mom getting arrested

She combs her hair
with silly wall murals.

Memphis - Girl Trip!

She fulfills many of my lifelong dreams.
Like taking me to see the New Kids on the Block in D.C.
for my birthday.

The New Kids on the Block. DC.

She tells stories to strangers
as if they’re her best friends.

Recently Found Photos

She’s always been both beautiful
and badass.

Mom

And most importantly,
she loves me unconditionally.
Just as I love her.

Products I Love: Downy Wrinkle Releaser

I honestly have no clue how I made it through my college years without this stuff. I know I’m just way behind the times, but Downy Wrinkle Releaser (travel size especially) is ah-may-zing. If you travel as much as I do (or just really hate to fold clothes), this magical spray is a must carry for your back pocket.

downey

California Meeting

A big part of my job is planning and carrying out our company’s annual convention. Every year it takes place in a different location, somewhere in the US. This year it was our 106th annual meeting and it was located in Anaheim, California. After months of planning and 5 busy days onsite, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually over! There’s still a lot to do now that I’m back and then of course we’ve already started planning for next year’s convention. Anyways, that’s what I’ve been up to. Here are just a few photos I snapped while I was there…
california fireworks

california meetings

11 lanes wide

wings

fresh air

That being said, I made it to sunny Orange County, CA