In vs. Out

I've always loved Allison's in vs. out posts, so I have to say I'm more than excited for her monthly link-up. If you haven't seen one yet, go check out Allison's page! And now, I also found out that Chelsie is hosting a similar link-up. All the excitement.

Now without further ado, here's what in & what's out for me this month.

Humpday Confessions | You're a Hot Head

I confess that...

Relationship Myths and Questions

This whole dating, relationship, growing up thing is hard. I've come to realize that I'm always learning and that many people know a lot better than I do. One thing I'm struggling with right now is relationships. As most of you know, I ended my longest, most serious relationship earlier this summer. So now, here comes the tough part, dating. This is the first time I'm dating out of college now, since my last relationship was technically post-grad, but we had met in college, at a fraternity, and we partied like we were still in college. So I'm not counting it as a post-grad relationship.

Fall Swap Reveal and Books Lately

About a month ago, I signed up with a Fall swap from Lindsay from Bourbon, Lipstick, and Stilettos I received the cutest package from my partner last week!

My partner was Julia from Grace Makes New.

And here's what she sent me:

Humpday Confessions | Horseback Riding Hurts

Thank you Columbus Day for making me almost forget that today is Wednesday and almost forgetting this link-up. But fear not, confessors, I somehow made it!

I confess that...

My Life Lately and October Goals

I started this post as a goal check in and realized how boring it was and revamped it, not once, but three times before I decided it was acceptable to be on my blog. I've been churning out crap and more crap, and I know I'm being hard on myself because I've been getting some really good feedback but alas I'm a perfectionist.

How I feel about life lately. Btw that's Starla paw slapping me. It happens frequently. Sometimes you can get to see it happen in live action, especially if you follow me on snapchat at alannaandco.  Just saying...

Humpday Confessions - It's Back!

Welcome to Humpday Confessions!! It's back. Like I said two weeks ago, I am the new host for humpday confessions. I'll be hosting this every week starting this week. I hope you can join along with the fun!

I confess that...

Between The Lines & Reading Update

I'm finally getting back into reading! It's been almost two months without reading a book. I really have no excuse. I'm listening to more audiobooks now too, since I've been taking the metro into work and I can't stream music underground.

What I Read

Nine Songs to Add to your Playlist

I haven't done a music post in a super long time! I don't know about you but I love streaming music. I apologize for a lot of my posts coming back to the fact of my new job, but I'm literally having to change many parts of my lifestyle. For example, the fact I can't play spotify when I'm underground on the train. Insert crying emoji here. So I'm back to downloading my music. So I've decided to share some of my favorite picks that I've recently added to my phone.

Hotline Bling by Drake

On Feminism

Ever since I can remember, I've always identified as a feminist. Not until recently am I really delving deeper into the real meaning of what that means for me and others around me. If you haven't already read them, I was inspired by Nicole's post and Jord's post, numerous posts from Brita. I tend to stray away from posts that can be controversial, but I'm trying to throw that notion right out of the window. 

To bring it down to basics, feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

In the past few years, I've been learning more about the nuances of feminism, equality, and misogyny, in turn I've also been in more situations where I can see misogyny and experience it for myself. I was raised in a middle-class family, as an only child. My parents raised me to be independent, not compare myself to others, and to fight for what I believe in. I went to a large,  urban, bipartisan school that was almost equally male and female. I joined a sorority, and even though many would think that being in a sorority would negate my feminist perspectives, it helped empower me to understand what a group of women can do together. Trust me, we all don't just have pillow fights, cry over who gets picked to go to who's fraternity date party, and paint coolers just so you can get lavaliered. Anyways, before I get stuck on sorority stereotypes and how many of them are wrong, let me get back on track. I never would have thought, in any setting, that I would find myself dating a male chauvinist. Here comes my one and only disclaimer for this post. I have never taken any women's studies, cultural study classes, etc. So I apologize if I'm not using the right terminology. I will try to explain the best I can, and if I'm incorrect I would love if you could let me know politely in the comments. For two years, I sat and listened to what I was supposed to do as a woman, what women aren't supposed to do, and why I'm doing good for a woman. Eek. I get that he wasn't trying to crush my spirit or be intentionally spiteful but why did I stand for that? As most of you regular readers know, I broke up with him a few months back, said my peace, and never looked back. 

Humpday Confessions & Link-up Announcement

Happy Humpday! I am so happy for long weekends and that today is only the second day of the work week. Now let's get to the confessions!

I confess that...

-This is the first week of my new job and I'm starting to learn the metro better. I really hope it doesn't snow a lot this winter because I will really need to wear in my snow boots in that case.

Favorite Things to Do in Autumn

It's finally September! Are you all ready for autumn as much as I am? Today, I'm teaming up with Jasmine from Classy, Sassy and Smartassy and we're bringing you the best things to do in autumn.

I'm Jasmine and I blog over at Classy Sassy & A Bit Smartassy. I'm a beauty & lifestyle blogger. I have two boys ages 4 & 6. I'm a girlfriend and self taught makeup artist.  Today, were going to talk about Fall. If you don't know, Fall is my favorite season. But living in Wisconsin we only get maybe 2 months of Fall. Which really sucks. So we have to try and fit all activities in that short amount of time.  

What are my favorite things to do in Fall?

September Goals

Yay, here goes my first goal check-in. 

August Goal Progress

1. Get 1K Instagram followers. Nopeeee. I went from 790 to 821, so that's okay, but not quite there. 
2. Read two books this month. Another no. I've been Netflix binging and working out a ton, so I haven't had time to read....

Saying Goodbye to Summer

We all love the endless long hours of sunshine, the trips to the beach, or swimming. There is so much to do in summer that we are all sad to see it leave. The last few weeks will be fun though, because we have brought you our version of saying goodbye to summer. Check them out and don't forget to enter in the giveaway for Paypal Cash below.

I'm looking forward to fall, but I'm going to make the most out of my last few weeks of summer. Over labor day weekend my hubby and I will be taking a small road trip to visit family and friends in his home-town. We are hoping this weekend will be full of laughter, ice-cold drinks, sunshine, and happiness. 

~Ashley from Keeping Up With Ashley and Cody~

Weekending IV

Why are weekends so short? What I wouldn't give to have had one more day this past weekend and still be at the beach...

This weekend I adventured out to the Eastern Shore a bit south of Chincoteague. Think Misty of Chincoteague. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any wild horses because we stayed away from the National Park because they don't allow dogs. 

It was the first time I used AirBnB and I loved it! I'll do a recap specifically about the stay and AirBnB later, so stay tuned. We stayed at this adorable house on a ton of farm land. We checked in Friday evening and the first thing we wanted to do was to to grab some great local food right on the marina. We ordered crab dip, I had the tuna, and he had Atlantic salmon.

We also lucked out and saw the prettiest sunset ever! If you follow me on Instagram you might have gotten a taste of this photo. I still can't get over how beautiful it was. 

August Goals

Many, many bloggers write out their goals for the month. So I'm jumping on the bandwagon to keep myself more accountable. I know we're almost halfway through August, but whatever!

1. Get 1K Instagram followers. I'm at 790 right now and growing due to the Instgram challenge. I want to utilize hashtags more frequently and more effectively. I'm also focusing on commenting and liking other people's photos more. You can help me out by following me ;)
2. Read two books this month. I'm not doing a reading recap because this is the first month this year that I haven't finished even one book. Given, I have been very busy with friends, family, birthdays, job stuff, etc, but still not an excuse.
3. Workout three times a week, every week. I need to lose about 8-10 lbs or so. I need to get my butt in gear. Now that I have Classpass, I have no excuse. This leads perfectly into the next goal of...
4. Cook dinner at least once a week for myself. I'm great at single girl dinners like mac & cheese or a sandwich, so I want to be better about cooking healthy meals.
5. Stay within half of my budgets on Mint.com. I'm already over my budget for Bars/Alcohol and Blogging Spending....damn photo shoot photos.

That's all for now. I'm going to start small and hopefully grow more goals each month. Like I said, I've been super busy recently so it will help me to write all my goals down and be able to check them off. I plan to add one more goal to my monthly list each month.

My top five posts in July:

What I've Read in July

Eight Clues that You Have Resting Bitch Face

Growing Pains: Break-ups

A Day in my Real Life

August Instagram Challenge Announcement 

What are your goals for August?

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The Awesome Link-Up

Truly, August is going to be awesome! There are so many things I'm looking forward to and so many awesome things that have already happened!

Warm Weather

The weather has been so great lately. Still a bit humid, but nice and sunny for the most part. I absolutely adore summer and can't get enough outdoor time. 

Finally, getting good photos taken of me!

As you know I don't have a fancy DSLR camera. Everything iPhone. I am also cursed with not having any photographer friends/boyfriend/family members who can take a couple good snaps of me. So I got a photoshoot the other day (primarily to use for the blog photos!) and a lot of them came out amazingly well! Go check my about page to see some of the others ;) But here's a sneak peek!

Getting in shape

Getting in shape is always awesome, but it's even more awesome when you get a discounted Classpass membership! If you haven't heard of Classpass, they basically offer you any group fitness classes through tons of gyms and studios around your area at $99/month (usually!) I've already mentioned my love for group fitness classes, so I think this may work out really well for me! I had barre last night, crossfit tonight, and yoga tomorrow night. Wish me luck for crossfit!

Instagram photo challenge!

If you haven't heard, I'm hosting an Instagram challenge. The pictures that are coming in are AWESOME. I am so happy and proud with the participation and cannot wait for the rest. It's been hilarious how serious I take it. I have to schedule a good 30 minutes to just go through all of your photos a day! Also, a huge thanks to my co-hosts because they are awesome as well. All the blogger love goes out to these guys: Erica from Looking to the Stars, Jasmine from Classy, Sassy. and a Bit Smart-Assy, Ashley from Girl Talk, Helen from Hel on Heels, Christine from Christine Everday,  and Dayne from The Daily Dayne.

Summer Nights! #EverythingAugust #SeaFair

A photo posted by Angie Scheie (@chasingmyhalo) on Aug 1, 2015 at 10:18pm PDT

Best friend's bachelorette party

My best friend's bachelorette party is this weekend! It's definitely going to be awesome. We're going out to Baltimore for the evening, but I'm not going to share too many details because it's a surprise!

Last minute vacations!

Seriously, I love planning. I'm a meeting planner for my job! But spontaneous beach weekends are awesome. So the weekend after the bach party, I'm going to a quick 2-night beach trip to Chincoteague! I can take the Starla beast and there are wild ponies! What could be better? 

Now, join up and tell us what is awesome in your life?

An InLinkz Link-up

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Best TV Shows to Binge Watch

Thanks to the invention of Netflix (and every other media company who has followed their streaming TV pattern), binge watching is now an epidemic! It's amazing. Huffington posts says that, "Fifty-percent of adults now identify as binge-viewers, meaning they're watching multiple episodes of a TV show back-to-back, according to a new study of 1,000 adults with pay TV subscriptions. The percentage was even higher for those under 35." But honestly, who needs statistics when you can get home from work and have plans with an inanimate object for hours? I'm talking about your TV!

To help out all you fellow-bingers, I've put together this handy binge-watching to-do list. Please enjoy! Also, if you want true descriptions of the show instead of my rhetoric, I've helpfully included links to their synopses.

Ranked in order of most binge-worthy.

The Affair

Where you can find it: Showtime

Why it's binge-worthy: It has all the drama. Not only is it a simple story of two people who engage in an affair, it shows their stories from different point of views, and also a great twist at the end. 

How binge-worthy: Not even the temptation of snacks or wine will drag you off the couch to stop watching.

American Horror Story

Where you can find it: on Netflix or FX for new episodes!

Why it's binge-worthy: Morbid fascination. Terrifyingly good. The first season is actually the weirdest, and the slowest, so force yourself through it and then get into the next few seasons. It's great to see the same actors play different roles in each season. You can go from loving one person, to hating them season to season.

How binge-worthy: Too scared to hit "Stop Watching."

Game of Thrones

Where you can find it: on HBO

Why it's binge-worthy: You totally get to immerse yourself in a rich fantasy world with great character development that keeps you on your toes at all times.

How binge-worthy: You just have to see who is going to die next!

Pst, the answer is "yes!"

Sons of Anarchy

Where you can find it: on Netflix

Why it's binge-worthy: Call your inner bad-ass, (s)he'll love it. Goes from epic firefights to heart-wrenching romances, and back to a whole ton of motorcycling. Apparently this show is pretty true to reality, too?

How binge-worthy: You'll want to don your leather cut and ride off in the wind with your Netflix account forever.

Sex and the City

Where you can find it: on HBO

Why it's binge-worthy: I really hope I don't need to explain why it's binge worthy...but if you're one of the select few who have never seen at least one episode, here's why: A group of girls looking for love in the city. Revolves around a handful of unrelatable character that together you can totally see yourself in. Plus, they have every girl's dream life. A rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan, with a dream job of either being in PR, a lawyer, a writer (about sex, nonetheless), or the perfect housewife.

How binge-worthy: Put on your yoga pants, grab the wine, and go to town.

Lost

Where you can find it: on Netflix (from ABC)

Why it's binge-worthy: Why'd that happen? Who is that? Where are they? What is happening?! WHY?! You'll think you know the mystery, but trust me, you have no clue. 

How binge-worthy: You can't hit "Play next episode," any faster.

Law and Order: SVU

Where you can find it: on USA pretty much every other day. 

Why it's binge-worthy: Again, morbid fascination. And your love for Ice-T's puns. It's a classic, I know all my laws and Miranda rights from it! It's a bit more intriguing than the other Law and Order series because of Benson and Stabler, and their steamy sexual tension throughout the show.

How binge-worthy: Just turn on the tv and grab some popcorn. You won't even have to scroll through your queue to find this one.

BRB. Going to go watch TV for days now.

What are your favorite shows to binge watch?

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Do You Know How to Use Commas Properly?

I thought I did and I seriously needed a refresher. It's something I still struggle with. With the invention of spell-check and grammar-check, we've become lazy and forgotten our basic grammar rules. Trust me, I had to look most of these up to verify that I was getting them right.

Oxford Commas

This is also known as a serial comma. This is used to separate items in a series. For example, "I love ice cream, gelato, and fro-yo." The oxford comma is the last comma after gelato. This indicates that you like three separate things. If you forget the oxford comma, then your sentence will mean that you like ice cream individually and then gelato and fro-yo together. Make sense? Here's a handy graphic for the oxford comma. 

(credit)

Use a comma after introductory adverbs or if the sentence starts with a freestanding "yes" or "no".

Example: Thankfully, I got fro-yo.

Example: Yes, I would love some fro-yo.

Use a comma when attributing quotes.

Example: Amanda told me, "I will die if I don't get fro-yo this instant." 

Example: "I will die if I don't get fro-yo this instant," said Amanda.

Use a comma when directly addressing someone or something in a sentence

I'm totally guilty of being awful at this. Sorry!

Example: Thank you, Amanda.

Example: Amanda, thank you for bringing me fro-yo.

Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun.

A good tip for this is asking yourself if you can insert an "and" in between the adjectives for the sentence to still make sense. 

Example: My large, fruity fro-yo was the most delicious thing I've tasted all day.

See, the fro-yo was large and fruity, so use a comma between the two adjectives.

Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.

Example: I want fro-yo, not ice cream, to eat. 

Example: I want fro-yo to eat, not ice cream.

(credit)

The meme says it best! Use commas. Don't be a psycho. Just kidding! But hopefully this helps a few of you. Making this post definitely helped me refresh my grammar and punctuation skills. So I hope I got all of these right.

What grammar pet peeves do you have? Do you have any comma rules that you'd like to add to the list?

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Weekending

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend was as good as mine.

Friday, I went out to DC Improv to see Flip Orley who is a comic hypnotist. I was a bit apprehensive and skeptical about it, but it was absolutely hilarious. He wasn't crass and didn't make any volunteers do anything embarassing. However, he had all of his volunteers forget their name unless they spelt it out letter by letter, and he had one of his volunteers believing that he was the Pumba mascot at disney. 

Saturday, I had an early morning photoshoot! I'll share the photos shortly, I hope they turned out well. Starla and I met our cute next door neighbor puppy. Then I had a Twilighter 5k. I've been running a bit more lately, but I still wasn't prepared for this 5k. My heart rate was ridiculously high. My body felt good, but my lungs were just not having it. I started the timer late as you can see below, but I finished in 37 minutes. 

I've also realized that Starla thinks that my bed is her own. I've been trying to implement a no-bed policy unless I invite her up...but she's too spoiled for that. 

Sunday, I went to brunch at Beuchert's Saloon in Eastern Market. So tasty! We started off with biscuits and unlimited mimosas. The nice twist to the mimosas were that they had mead in them! We ordered the Challah French toast and Eggs benedict. Then of course, dessert was calling our name so we got key lime pie with marshmallow whipped cream. I'm drooling just thinking about this again. 

Finally, I met up with my bestie Ariel for some drinks. We got some wine out and then she decided to cook up a storm. We had home made mac & cheese, sauteed spinach, and grilled sandwiches. The thing I loved the most was the wine bottle, so I snagged it to use it for something....

Isn't it pretty? I would love to use this bottle as a candle if I could cut off the top. Any ideas of what I can use it for?

Hope you all have a great Monday!

Linking up with Biana.

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