A Very Armstrong Halloween

These are only, oh, a month late, but that happens when you're busy to no end and you have another holiday less than a month after that. Papers and finals and exams and quizzes are kind of important, too. 

Missing from this post is the ADORABLE little farm from where we got our pumpkins. I was eager to get these up, though, because I'm so in love with how these turned out. I've been processing my images differently and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. Anyway, at said farm, we got around 8 pumpkins, some mini pumpkins, and indian corn for an insane price. We paid way less than what they were worth. Part of that is the bonus of buying pumpkins late in the season, but part of that is shopping locally! Always support your local businesses. 

The first Halloween we spent together as a married couple, we established that we we're going to take part in all the really timeless traditions. AKA, carving pumpkins. We did that (recall James's USC and Red Bull pumpkins from a couple years ago) and even today, I still remember sitting on the kitchen floor surrounded by pumpkins, James sitting against the side with the sink and me against the refrigerator. I'd pull out all the pumpkin guts (my FAVORITE part) and hand them over to James to carve. I would've carved that year, but ask James about how good I am at decision making.

This year didn't deviate too far from that, except we sat in our dining room next to each other and I actually carved some, too. Since our early days, my ability to make decisions has greatly improved and we ended up with five carved pumpkins instead of two! Two creative ones each, and one traditional pumpkin. Three of them aren't showing, simply because processing the images of the jack-o-lanterns takes a great amount of work and a lot of playing with. They'll show up eventually, but I need a break from editing images that heavily. 

Until then, enjoy a sneak peek of what our Hallow's Eve was like!

The Armstrongs Go West: Day 5 - Colorado

Oh, Colorado. This state completely won my heart, and we only spent a few hours driving through here. Perhaps it was the fact that it was the first time we'd seen mountains and terrain in who know's how long or because it was an incredibly welcome change after seeing only yellow and corn coming through the mid-west, but regardless, I fell in love with this state. 

The pictures that follow are a pretty good testament of how beautiful it was and what our eyes feasted on as we cruised through the Rockies with our pets and trailer in tow. From the rolling hills to the soaring peaks of all the mountains to the thousands of different hues in the rock, I can't say that I wouldn't mind calling this place home one day (should I be so lucky). And that's just the aesthetic piece of it. All through the Rockies, there were people biking, running, hiking, fishing, and living life outdoor. Everyone was so active and healthy, which is exactly what we strive for in our lifestyle. And surprisingly, there were a lot of amenities, even when secluded in a small, mountain town. It reminded me of Watertown, only a hundred times better. Small town feel with big city amenities. 

I was disappointed to only spend a total of 24 hours there. We stopped there in Lakewood for the night, deciding to call it a short day. For that, I wasn't disappointed. I gladly enjoyed being able to take in the elevation after being deprived of it for so long. 

All the photos below are copyright of Danielle Armstrong and are not to be altered in any way or claimed as another's work. 

My Dean's List Vox Box!

A while back, I started up a profile on influenster because I was intrigued by the products my cousins had been receiving from them to test and try out. Not too long ago, I received my second one! This one was far more exciting to get than the last one (sorry influenster, but it's true because there was so much more in here!). 

I definitely was not disappointed. I waited (very impatiently) for it to come and opened it immediately once it arrived! Inside, I found some candy, foundation, tampons, false lashes, pens, nail polish, and chapstick! If you didn't feel like you made the Dean's List after getting this box, then my sincerest apologies because I definitely did. 

The first thing I busted out were the tampons because, well, female need. They were from Playtex and were the active ones they made. Sadly to say, I was REALLY disappointed with these. Sorry guys, skip through this paragraph because it's going to get detailed here. There was not one thing I liked about these. Every, single one I tried was uncomfortable, leaked (even though they were supposed to be for exercise and heavy activity), came out of the inserter, and hurt coming out (even if it was drenched and used well). I hated that these were scented. In fact, the scent caused a yeast infection for me. I will not be recommending these to ANYONE and you can bet I've left my reviews for other ladies out there to see. 

Everything else was awesome, though! The falsies sent out to all us testers were probably my favorite  - they look super natural and are so light! I wish they had come as demi lashes, though. I prefer a much more natural lash to the point that full lashes are too dramatic for me. 

The pens glided really well and are permanently in my purse for when they're needed. I wasn't a huge fan of the candy - mostly because it wasn't chocolate, but that's beside the point. 

I'm already looking forward to my next VoxBox and you can bet I'll be working hard to make sure I get myself in the running! 

The Armstrongs Go West: Day 4 in Nebraska

Ahh, Nebraska. This is going to be an extremely short text post because there is not much to say about Nebraska. What they say is true - there's nothing in Nebraska but corn. It's a huge, flat state that is overly abundant in that crop. 

Day 4 was spent driving through the other half of Iowa and most of Nebraska. We ended our day in Lexington (no, we didn't stay in that Comfort in - that's just where the sign was) and what do you know, there was a massive corn field right behind our hotel. 

All the photos below are copyright of Danielle Armstrong and are not to be altered in any way or claimed as another's work. 

The Armstrong's Go West: Day 2/Day 3 to Iowa

Day 2 and 3 of our trip - on the blog!

Continuing on with the deets (details) of our adventure, Day 2 was primarily driving. We (meaning I) had put down Chicago as our "site to see" for the day, but after the shenanigans of Cleveland, we opted out. By shenanigans, I mean extreme culture shock. After being in upstate New York for three years, I forgot what real traffic was like and what city life entailed. We stopped for gas before getting to the hotel and within the 30 seconds of being out of the car, James was harassed by three different homeless people asking for money or booze. That's not even an exaggeration. Not even a little bit. 

We spent no more than 15 minutes getting into the city, filling up, and getting back on the freeway. That 15 minutes was more than enough for the both of us, and especially me. Since it was more my decision to stop there, I made the call to pass it up and see it another time. At the end of the day, the last thing I wanted to do was cart around a trailer and three animals in this massive, over-populated city. I have a great desire to see this country, all parts of it, and to experience it to the fullest, but not that way. There will be plenty of opportunity to see Chicago and other big cities, all of which will probably be much more relaxing and enjoyable. 

With that in mind, we made our way to the edge of Illinois and stayed the night there. Uneventful, but  sometimes, that's exactly what's perfect. And with having school assignments to do during all of this, an earlier day was perfect after the previous one. 

Day 3 started fairly early. For us, at least. Even at the smoothest routine, it probably took a good 20-30 minutes to get all of our stuff and the animals into the car from the room. So, once that was done, we made the hour and a half trip to Iowa to visit Grandpa and Grandma Armstrong! Upon deciding that we were driving across rather than flying, it went without saying that we would be stopping to see them. I had only met them once at the very beginning of our dating days, and sadly enough, that was the last time James had seen his grandparents. Over the years, too, James had always mentioned this story about a summer in Iowa at their home here and that story about spending time with them there and that I'd love their house (which I totally did). With all these factors, both of us were more than happy to spend the day there. 

It was just absolutely wonderful, to say the least. The two of them live in the tiniest little town where everyone really does know everyone. Time is spent volunteering at town events and helping your neighbors out. It's so unique and refreshing to step into that atmosphere compared to the fast-paced nature of the society I'm used to. I wish we could've spent more time there, but we were working on a tight timeline. Anyway, after getting the animals settled, the four of us headed down the road (literally!) to the Flea Market. Don't be fooled, this was actually a HUGE event and there were booths upon booths upon BOOTHS of antiques being sold. I could've spent all day there and, truthfully, I could've filled a whole additional trailer full of photo props and decor for the house. But alas, that darn timeline and curse not having a stable income any longer at that point. 

After our time walking around and "oohing" and "ahhing" at those beautiful, old treasures, we headed back up the road to their house for a bit and then out for dinner at the Pizza Ranch. That was followed by repacking the trailer as it was a total cluster of chaos that had been thrown together in the madness of trying to get out of our apartment on time, a walk to the cemetery to see all of James's lineage that was buried there, and then relaxing at their home, talking and catching up. We stayed the night there and were up and at it again the next morning, ready to continue on through what would be the most BORING part of our trip.

All the photos below are copyright of Danielle Armstrong and are not to be altered in any way or claimed as another's work.