Lucy Turns One!

On June 7th my sweet puppy, Lucy, that I adopted in September turned one!  Of course for such a big occasion we had to celebrate.  I got her the cutest dog cake from Amelie's Bark Shop in South Philadelphia and it came out even better then I ever could've imagined.  If you're looking for a custom dog cake (she even does ones with dog portraits on them!) or any other bakery style dog treats then you absolutely have check out Amelie's.

For Lucy's big day we went to two dog parks, showered her with dog treats, gave her a new toy, and sang her "Happy Birthday" with her cake.  She definitely had a day filled with fun and love, which she so deserves.  Last, but not least, I had to do a little photoshoot to commemorate the occasion!  I landed up getting two hats because one came late, but I took pictures with both because I'm extra like that.  Here I've put together all her super cute 1st Birthday pictures (she's the best little dog model!) and also a few pictures of her amazing cake.

Do you celebrate your pet's birthday?

                    

Twenty Six Facts

Happy Valentine's Day! I realized that haven't done a post in a long time that lets you get to know me a little better.  For my twenty sixth birthday a few weeks ago I shared twenty six fun facts about myself on InstaStories so I thought it would fun to share it on here with all of you too.  Here are twenty six completely random facts that I hope you enjoy!

1. I try not to eat fried foods, but when I do french fries and fried calamari are my favorite cheats!

2. I don't like breakfast meat or eggs other then egg whites.

3. For a big breakfast I much prefer bagels, waffles, french toast, and pancakes.

4. I don't drink alcohol anymore because it is a HUGE trigger for my Crohn's disease and I also cannot drink with the medication I take for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

5. When I was in college and could drink I either drank vodka cocktails or champagne.

6. I much prefer the snow and cold weather to the sun and hot temperatures.

7. Lately I've been obsessed with watching TLC and HGTV.

8. I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, but thanks to medication and therapy I have it (mostly) under control.

9. When I was in high school black nail polish was very high fashion and I loved it. My Mom thought black nails looked "goth" though and wouldn't let me wear it. That is the only time I remember really arguing with my Mom about clothes or makeup as a teenager. (And eventually she let me paint my nails black!)

10. My sophomore year of college I got my cartilage pierced after I had a pretty major surgery because I felt I didn't have a choice about the surgery, but I did have a choice in getting a piercing.

11. Probably the only other clothing/makeup/accessory my Mom and I argued about was said piercing (after I got it done).

12. My Mom was super lenient with me in high school because I got good grades and was a rule follower. This is the reason we only ever had like two fights that related to fashion.

13. My Mom and I are super close and I consider her to be one of my best friends.

14. I have donated my hair three times.

15. I got my first dog when I was sixteen and I will never not have a dog.

16. I don't like musicals.

17. I've lived in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

18. I want to wear pale pink when I get married because it's my favorite color and I look awful in white.

19. I met my best friend when I was six months old.

20. I've taken Spanish, French, and Russian, but cannot speak any of them.

21. I love to travel alone.

22. I don't sleep well at night because of my chronic pain. For some reason I feel better and more awake at night then during the day so it's better for me to stay up at late night and sleep more during the day.

23. I was home instructed for most of high school because of my health and going away for college was HUGE for me. I was also terrified because I was really only used to being around adults (doctors, teachers, my parents, etc.) and hadn't been around people my age in so long. It was the BEST thing I've ever done though.

23. I did college in five years due to my health. I could only take four classes a semester because of my chronic illnesses so I needed to do an extra year to get enough credits to graduate.

25. I had to have my gallbladder out when I was 15.

26. This year was the first time it didn't snow on my birthday in twenty six years and I'd be lying if I said I was not bummed.

Now that you know more about me, I'd love to hear more about you so leave a fun fact about yourself below in the comments!

                    

Vogue 73 Questions Birthday Edition

Vogue's 73 Questions is a video series in which Vogue interviews celebrities by asking them 73 questions within a short period of time, kind of like rapid fire.  If you haven't seen one before I definitely recommend checking them out, you can find them all here.  I'm a huge fan of the series and when they first came out I did my own version of it here.  Well, today is my 26th birthday so I thought it would be fun to do an updated one with some different questions to celebrate!  Keep reading to learn more about me!

1. What is the last song you listened to? Supplies by Justin Timberlake

2. If you had a superpower, what would it be? To heal pain

3. What is your favorite fashion trend of all time? Leopard

4. What's your favorite junk food? French fries

5. What's keeping you busy these days? Getting ready for my trip abroad!

6. What's a book you plan on reading? Gone Girl, but I'm also looking for recommendations for after that.

7. A person you'd love to have coffee with? Meghan Markle

8. Blow-dry or air-dry? Air-dry

9. What's the best thing you've done so far this year? Booked a kind of spontaneous trip abroad.

10. It's brunch and you don't have food allergies, what do you order? Cinnamon Bun French Toast from Nudy's Café

11. Who is the last person you texted? My best friend

12. If you could switch lives with a person for one day who would it be? Gigi Hadid

13. What karaoke song would you sing without needing the monitor? Any Britney Spears song

14. What's the last thing you ate? Popcorn

15. Last show you binge watched? The Crown

16. What is your favorite birthday cake? Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting

17. What is something you can't do? Drive

18. Best advice for your 18 year old self? Everything will work itself out and college will be so much better than high school.

19. What is one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime? Getting a Masters Degree

20. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Anything with bananas, I don't think they belong in desserts.

21. What is your spirit animal? A white tiger

22. What do you usually eat for breakfast? A GoMacro protein bar

23. Cooking or Baking? Baking

24. Best fashion advice you’ve ever received? Save on trends, splurge on classics.

25. Who do you turn to when you’re sad? My Mom

26. What is your Kryptonite? Dogs

27. Best first date idea? Getting coffee because you can make it go longer or shorter depending on how the date is going.

28. Favorite type of flower? Peonies

29. What's the best part of living in New Jersey? Being so close to New York City, Philadelphia, and the beach.

30. What do you miss about college? Having all my friends around all the time.

31. Favorite pizza topping? Extra cheese

32. Favorite ice cream topping? Whipped cream

33. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate

34. Jogging or swimming? Swimming

35. When was the last time you cried? Last week I slipped on the throw rug in our kitchen and hit my back and bad arm really hard on the countertop on my way down.

36. Do you like your handwriting? Yes

37. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? How hard I am on myself.

38. What is your most favorite thing about yourself? How (mentally) strong I am.

39. Favorite smell? Vanilla

40. What is the farthest you have been from home? Greece and Hawaii, they're about the same distance in either direction from New Jersey.  That's about to change soon though!

41. Where were you born? New Jersey

42. Sweet or savory? Sweet

43. Lipstick or lip gloss? Lipstick

44. Who is your girl crush? Blake Lively

45. Cupcakes or cookies? Cookies

46. What's your favorite season? Fall

47. What’s your New Year’s resolution? To eat healthier.

48. You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? Pasta with red sauce and melted fresh mozzarella

49. Favorite superhero? Wonder Woman 

50. What do you usually order at Starbucks? Hot Chai Tea Latte with skim milk

51. If your life was a song what would the title be? What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

52. What’s one cause that’s dear to your heart? Dog rescue

53. Who would you want to shoot a love scene with? Zac Efron

54. What’s your favorite thing to wear? Right now it's definitely joggers.

55. What is something you always travel with? Magazines

56. Biggest pet peeve? People standing too close when you're on line at a store.

57. If you could only dance to one song for the rest of your life, what song is it? Crazy by Britney Spears 

58. What are three things you look for in a man? Kindness, humor, and happiness

59. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be? Grace Kelly or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - I can't choose between the two!

60. Would you rather fast forward ten years and be rich or be able to redo your life with all of the knowledge you have gained over the years? Fast forward, I think it's better to look ahead and not dwell on the past.

61. What could you give a presentation on with no preparation? Skincare 

62. What do you wish you knew more about? The human body

63. Who was the president when you were born? George H.W. Bush

64. What is your favorite chain restaurant? P.F. Changs

65. Would you rather always be ten minutes late or twenty minutes early? Twenty minutes early

66. Lauren Conrad or Kristin Cavallari? Lauren Conrad

67. Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton? Paris Hilton

68. Snow or sun? Snow 

69. If you could learn a instrument what would it be? Guitar or piano

70. Would you rather have to live without your laptop or your phone? Laptop

71. What's something you like to do the old fashioned way? Handwrite thank-you notes

72. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live? New York City

73. Would you rather scuba dive or skydive?  Scuba dive

What do you think of 73 Questions?  Answer one of the questions in the comments - I'd love to learn more about you!

                    

Today I'm linking up with #HowIFall, Hello Monday, and Weekending.

Meet Lucy

If you follow me on social media then you probably saw that my beloved dog, a Maltese named Coco Chanel, died a few weeks ago.  Coco's death was very sudden and I was left heartbroken.  My parents got her for me when I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at sixteen because I was always home and she was my best friend since the day we got her.

Since I'm still at home most of the time not having a dog was pretty rough for me and my family decided that we wanted to adopt another dog.  My Mom, sister, and I all have allergies to most dogs, with my Mom's being the worst.  Because of this we needed a hypoallergenic dog, but I knew that most dogs in rescues and shelters aren't hypoallergenic so it would take some time to find what we needed.  Since we had such a specific need I decided to start putting in applications and looking around early so that if a dog came up that was a good fit we'd already be prepared; it also gave me something to distract me while I was still grieving Coco.

Last Wednesday I was perusing Petfinder and just happened to come across a baby Maltese/Shih tzu mix (both breeds are hypoallergenic!) and decided to email the rescue she was at for more information.  They were so quick to respond and tell me that she was three months old, weighed three to four pounds, and they rescued her from a puppy mill in Missouri where she was going to be euthanized because she did not sell.  A picture was also included in the email and I absolutely fell in love with her!  When I told them I was seriously interested they took her off Petfinder that night and we began the adoption process.  She was at Open Arms ResQ, Refurral & Sanctuary in Pottstown, PA.  

The amazing people at OAR made the adoption so easy and we were able to pick her up in Pottstown on Saturday afternoon.  So today I want to introduce you all to my new dog, Lucy!  We are so in love with her and my family is so happy to have another fuzzy family member in our lives as we were all really missing Coco.  We're also so thankful that we were able to aid in helping to save Lucy and become her (very, very) loving forever family!

If you are looking to adopt a new family member I suggest checking out Petfinder, especially now since there are so many dogs that were displaced during Harvey that need a good home.  Also if you are near Pennsylvania I also highly reccomend seeing what pets are available at Open Arms ResQ, Refurral & Sanctuary as they are a really amazing group and so easy to work with!

I'm sure that Lucy will be making quite a few appearances on here and I know that she will be all over my Instagram so make sure to keep an eye out for her!

                    

4 Year Blogiversary & a Giveaway

Oh my gosh you guys I can not believe that it's been 4 years since that fateful day I started my blog!  If you've seen this post then you know that my 4th Blogiversary was actually 2 weeks ago on June 26th, but due to life circumstances I had to postpone and have a belated celebration instead.  I'm actually so glad that I landed up postponing though because that extra time allowed me to give this special occasion the celebration it deserves (and also to plan a pretty kickass giveaway for all of you).

I started my blog 4 years ago on a whim when I was bedridden and recovering from surgery.  I had no idea what I was doing and honestly just started it to give myself something to do while I was stuck in bed.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think this space would become what it has and still be going strong 4 years later.  I also never could've imagined the amazing friends I'd make, all the lessons I'd learn, the countless events I'd attend, the incredible collaborations I'd be able to do, and so much more because of this blog.  However at this point it's even more unimaginable to think of my life without blogging because it is such a big part of my life and one of my favorite things to do.

I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me on this journey for the last 4 years.  Thank you to my amazing followers/readers without you this space wouldn't be here.  Thank you to my friends who are my biggest cheerleaders when it comes to blogging, which means the world to me.  Most of all thank you to my family, the ways you've helped and supported me with my blog have been countless and I can't put into words how much I appreciate you.  You've helped me with every part of blogging from taking pictures, to helping me create recipes, to taking me to and attending events, and doing pretty much any crazy thing I ask of you!  Mom, Dad, and Bridget I hope you know that without you none of this would be possible.

As I enter into my fifth year as a blogger I hope to only be able to expand on everything that has come so far.  I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for me as a blogger and I hope you'll continue to take this journey with me.

  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To celebrate The Blush Blonde's 4th Blogiversary we are bringing you a giveaway made for summer.  This giveaway includes a straw handbag, pool floatie, beauty products specially picked for the warm weather, and a gift card to Nordstrom!  Here are all of the goodies you have a chance to win:

Mar Y Sol Tybee Tote- This summery Mar Y Sol handbag is detailed with bright contrast stripes and a strand of pom-poms.

BIGMOUTH INC. Shell Pool Float- If you can't be a mermaid, at least you can lounge like one in this giant pink shell floatie.

$45.00 Nordstrom Gift Card- This is included to buy any other summer essentials you might need!

Sephora Favorites Safe Sun on the Fly- A five-piece set of Sephora’s favorite sun care products in convenient travel sizes, featuring sunscreen, moisturizer, lip treatment, and CC cream with SPF—plus a waterproof, reusable bag that’s perfect for your summer adventures.

Products from Physicians Formula- Butter Bronzer Murumuru Butter Bronzer, Murumuru Butter Blush, Bronze Booster Highlight & Contour Palette, and #InstaReady™ Multi-Finish Eyeshadow

Fine Print: 

This is open internationally, pending shipping laws/restrictions. You must be 18 or older, or have a parents permission to enter. This giveaway is open for exactly one week. Winner must respond within 48-hours or a new winner will be chosen. Your form of entry will be double-checked.

Good luck!

                    

Today I'm linking up with Hello Monday, #HowISummer, and Weekending.