Pictures Update!

I just LOVE how these pictures turned out over the holidays and wanted to share...XOXO

Writer's Block and my new LOVE for writing in #hashtags

Hi Friends...

It's been awhile. I've had a case of this...

So mostly, I've been reading other people's fabulousness instead of creating my own.

 

I've also been talking in hashtags...

which tells me I'm not getting the creativity out of my head.

 

 #help #ineedtowrite #ihavenothingtowriteabout #soihaveafewdrinks #andthenistillhavenothingtowriteabout #justaheadachethenextmorning

 

So I thought I would share where I've been getting my entertainment from (since I apparently cannot create my own)...

 

Pinterest Told Me To Blog

 

#omg #sofunny #shemakesfunof #TheBachelor #hilar

#juanpablodidthedirty #juanpablonobueno

...

 

And also, books...

 

I discovered Jenna McCarthy...she's funny. You should stop whatever you are doing and order up this book right now.

No seriously, I don't care if you're at work...

 

#aintnobodygottimeforthat #readthisbooknow #thankmelater

 

People say that if Chelsea Handler and Dr. Phil had a love child,

it would be Jenna McCarthy.

It's true.

 

I literally LOL while reading this

 

Well that's all for now...back to my bad case of #writersblock

Also, I made a new twitter account, searching for inspiration there.

 

You should follow me: @KaylaBrieManley

 

I'm hoping someone will think my tweets are hilarious and they will offer me a book deal.

#wishfulthinking #iknow

 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ARE RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED RAIN BOOTS :)

My mom called me the other day and here's how it went:

Kayla... "Hello"
Mom...  "Hi, what are you doing?"
Kayla... "I'm at Target"
Mom...  "You are ALWAYS shopping"

Why yes...yes I am.  It is what I do best. FYI- the last two times my mom has called me, over the last two days, BOTH times I have been out shopping. I love shopping, you should love shopping too.

I absolutely ADORE the holiday season. I thought this blog might be nice to showcase where I shop for Christmas gifts...because if you are anything like me, you are probably panicking that we have ONE MONTH left to shop!  So here's how it goes in my household...

 

In past years, I 've always set a budget. I would write out who I needed to shop for and what I needed to get for that person and how much I was planning to spend. I would start my shopping right after Summer and found that spacing it over several months helped me avoid the "financial ouch" that the holidays always bring.  If you are on a tight budget, start shopping early.

In the most recent years, I began my shopping in November, which totally stresses me out, but I've been busy, so this is just how it goes. My FAVORITE stores for Christmas shopping are:

• Marshalls
• Kohls
• Target
• Pier One
• Home Goods
• Online Stores

You will notice that I don't have Wal-Mart on this list.  People...don't go to Wal-Mart when it's almost Christmas...just don't.  I absolutely hate crowds.  So you will NOT find this girl anywhere near a store on Black Friday...nor will you find me near a Wal-Mart, case closed. 

You will also notice that I left "Ross" off this list.  If you know me, you know I typically enjoy a Dress For Less shopping spree.  However, two weeks ago (the VERY beginning of November) I walked into our lovely Oro Valley Ross and there were people EVERYWHERE and their shelves looked like an unorganized yard sale.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  I walked ran out of there. So this year, I have been going about twice a week to some of my favorite stores to gather some presents for some of my favorite people.

For the MEN in my life, I usually go for the following:

 

A nice sweater or long-sleeved shirt. 

ALL of the men in my life refuse to shop for themselves, so the women in their life do it for them :)

 

I stick to name-brands (Calvin Klein, Polo, Michael Kors...quality, timeless pieces, you get it) and I usually pick these up at Marshalls. I mean you can get a $50+ Calvin Klein shirt for $30 (I know this because I just bought seven two).  AND if my brother or my husband knew these shirts were $30, they would probably say something stupid like "you know you can buy a t-shirt at Wal-Mart for $5" STOPPP.  We do not buy t-shirts at Wal-Mart for $5 as Christmas Gifts. Repeat after me: we do not, we do not, we do not.

 

Sometimes I also buy them these...

 

Because for whatever reason, men love these gadgets.

But when in doubt and when men are so difficult to shop for...go for these...

And then enjoy watching these men take 14 years to finally spend their gift card. 

Bless their sweet little hearts :)

 

...

 

So for the lovely LADIES in my life, shopping is easy. I usually buy everyone a candle, because I love candles and I feel like everyone else should love candles too.

 

I really love the one below from Kohls (because it's usually on sale around the holidays for about $5, which is a fabulous deal!!)

They always smell so pretty and they burn forever. 

I would know, because I have like 14 (times five) candles in my house.

I think these fabulous boots would be a wonderful Christmas present...

They are Hunter Wellington's (AKA Wellie's).  I heard they are nothing short of amazing.  I heard they are a little on the pricey side, but well worth it.  I heard that the dark purple ones are a very nice color. I also heard you can buy them online at Nordstrom.

 I am talking to you Max Manley.

 

I think anything girly is good for Christmas presents too.  Think nail polish, lip gloss, make-up, lotion, bubble bath stuff.  I am currently obsessed with Essie polish...

 

The ladies in my life often ask for home-decor or kitchen items.  Home Goods is my GO-TO for anything dealing with the home.  Have you been to Home Goods?  You NEED to go.

 

I also stop by this lovely little piece of paradise everytime I shop every Holiday season...

 

 

Ohh.Emm.GEE.

I love this store, it makes my heart SO happy.

And it's a great place to find nice gifts, you're welcome :)

 

And now for some fun pictures...I love Christmas...

Awwee :)

I think I was probably about 13 here

 



Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012

 

My goal this Christmas is to take more pictures.

Turkey Day is right around the corner and before you know it...Christmas will be here.  Enjoy!!

XOXO

 

 

 

 

I Love Vegas & You Should Love Vegas TOO!

I love me some Las Vegas...

 

I think we have been to Vegas every year, for the past I don't know how many years.  This place is a dream because you can go on any budget, at any time.  Perfect. You can do Vegas as a couple, as a family or with friends. 

 

In 2010, my hubby and I ventured to Vegas for our Honeymoon...I was newly 21 and I couldn't think of anywhere else I would rather be!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this trip, my lovely parents let us use their timeshare and we stayed at the most AMAZING condo The Jockey Club Resort Suites

 

Fear not, if you are not lucky enough to have a timeshare, you can still book a room at The Jockey Club.  It has a fabulous location, right next to The Bellagio and it has amazing views (GET A VIEW ROOM!!).  It doesn't have a casino or shopping inside, but if you are staying for more than a few nights, this is your place!  Here are some views from our room when we stayed.

 

I know...amazing...you are very welcome.

 

We have also stayed at a few other places.  We went with my bestie and one of Max's best friends a few years back and our main goal during that trip was to absorb the culture get drunk and crazy.  So we didn't care about the room...we stayed at Excalibur and it was everything you would expect out of a $40/night hotel room. It looks like a castle, which makes me really happy. 

 

 

 

Max and I returned to Vegas last year and we went with a GO BIG or GO HOME attitude.  We flew in for like two nights or something crazy, we stayed at New York, New York (LOVED IT) and we went to all the shows we could, we ate SO MUCH FOOD and we drank, drank, drank. 

 

 

Max spent some of our money...

 

We heart Vegas.  We also heart New York, New York and here's why...

 It's all kinds of pretty.  Look at it...don't you want to stay there? 

 

It was clean, it was reasonably priced, it has a Starbucks inside and lots of places to get food 24/7. 

It has a Starbucks inside...did I already say that?  This is important for Vegas...coffee is important.

Also, it made me feel like I was in New York City...I've always wanted to go there...but flight and hotel packages are basically like a bagillion dollars...if you stay near Times Square...at a Marriott or a Hilton...and I refuse to stay anywhere else, because I've heard NYC has some crimes issues, some bed bug issues, some "you best not stay at The Days Inn issues".  So until we can GO FANCY or GO HOME...I'm not going :)  

 

 

We ate here...I think it was breakfast time...but you can still order beer with fish and chips.  This is why I heart Vegas so much. 

 

So let's talk about some of my favorite Vegas tips...

 

1. You can drive or you can fly.  Southwest Airlines usually has flights for $85-100 ish dollars each way, so before you know it, for a couple, you might be spending $400...but let me tell you...there is nothing worse than driving home from Vegas, if you did Vegas right. It might be the best $400 you have ever spent, no joke.

 

2. If you fly, try www.southwestvacations.com they can package your flight and hotel together and it's usually cheaper.

 

3. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy a drink inside the casino.  It will cost you $20 and you will be mad.  Make those little ABC Stores your best friend...they sell normal priced drinks.

 

4. Wear comfortable shoes.  One time, I was an idiot, and I brought heels to Vegas.  Who does that?  Ladies...bring boots, bring flats, bring tennies.  If you think you might dress up for dinner and you MUST wear heels, bring flats in your purse.

 

I think Vegas is so special in-part because you can fly in first class, stay at The Bellagio and enjoy some seriously luxurious shopping OR you can drive, you can stay at that Circus, Circus place for like $12/night and regardless, you can have an AMAZING time. I love Vegas and you should love Vegas too!

 



Kayla Brie in Hawaii (I can Rhyme)

Ladies and Gents...

This blog needs to see more action (this is mostly my fault...I've been busy??).  Today I am writing about VACATION.  The husband and I love to travel.  That man will spend thousands on vacations, but has a temper tantrum when I come home with one three new pairs of shoes.  I love him.

Two of our favorite vacations are trips to Las Vegas and Cruises, because you can do both of those things on any kind of budget, at any time of year, for any number of days and it will be fabulous.  So keep an eye out for more posts on those two places!  But today, today is about:

HAWAII

We went to Oahu, Hawaii in April of 2013, for a week and it was absolutely amazing. We stayed at The Marriott Ko Olina http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hnlko-marriotts-ko-olina-beach-club/ it was seriously the most beautiful place, everyone needs to visit this resort!

The Marriott Ko Olina really made our trip so much better than it already was.  Max likes experiences and would be so happy at The Holiday Inn, but I love, love, love nice resorts.  And we all know if I am happy, we are all happy, right?  The food was amazing, they had spacious condo so we bought food and cooked or BBQ'd which was awesome.  Starbucks was onsite (yes please!!) and they had a private beach...yes, private beach, hotel guests only.  I liked the resort, because we could come home after a long day and still have a really nice night on our nice safe resort property because there was so much to do on-site.  Nothing creeps me out more than exploring places I don't know after the sun goes down. I know, a little weird, a little paranoid.  I'm not a big risk-taker. Deal with it, my husband does :)

 

We explored Hawaii everyday.  We went hiking, we ate local food cart food, we found beautiful beaches with no one around, we went whale-watching on fancy boats, we went to a cute little Luau.  Hawaii is fabulous. 

I think everyone should go to Hawaii at least once.  But lets go over some tips.

1. Prepare for the flight...that sucker is long.

2. Rent a convertable and then stay off the freeways during rush hour.  I thought Hawaii would be this cute little place with rural roads...it's not.  Find the cute backroad style freeways, those are better.

3. Go when you can spend.  Hawaii is a beautiful, gorgeous, expensive paradise. 

Splurge a little, it's fun.   

4. Stay for at least a week.  We went for six nights and I think that was a little short. 

Hope you enjoyed Hawaii as much as I did!!

Stay tuned for my next post...Vegas...one of my very favorite places!!!

XOXO Kayla Brie XOXO

How a Blog and a Dog changed my HEART about ADOPTION

Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precuious when they come

I think a lot of things should remain completely private, between a man and his wife, between a family, between best friends. But I am also so grateful that some have chosen to pour out their most vulnerable moments to the internet, because their stories have shaped my stories. So this is private, but I'm making it public, because someone else made their private story public, which forever changed my life, which is really, really special.  

I remember the moment my heart changed about adoption. I was standing inside Starbucks waiting for my drink, in the middle of the day, crying like a little girl.  I was reading a blog that I closely follow, about a couple who struggled with infertility in their early twenties, who thankfully got pregnant and had two beautiful babies. This couple had just announced that they were adopting a little girl, that she would complete their family and the story was the most beautiful thing I had ever read. I think I have re-read it about 15 times and I cry each time. The story tugged at my heart strings more than anything had in a long, long time.  The way they described how adoption had entered their hearts made me re-think every single thing society had taught me about where babies come from. It made me think, it made my heart warm and fuzzy and it also made my heart ache for all of the beautiful children in the world who didn't grow up like I did. If you aren't crying yet, you should be. Anyways, I'm standing there in Starbucks, reading quotes like "I never knew how much I loved your daddy, until I saw how much he loved you"- thinking to myself, "Where the hell is my drink, everyone is looking at the crying girl in the coffee shop, why didn't I use the drive-thru, what an idiotttt?". So I finally got my coffee, went to work and that was that. Except for not. 

The story stayed with me for way too long. I couldn't stop thinking about it.  So I decided to have a chit chat with my handsome husband. He's completely used to my emotionally-infused ideas and so I knew he would humor me about the whole thing. Plus, it wasn't the first time we had talked about adoption, we've talked about it before and we are both very open to it. But I think he could tell that this time I was a little bit more serious. And so he agreed, yes, adoption is wonderful and yes, we should think about it. And we both agreed that we would love to have biological children AND possibly adoptive children, it just depends what the universe wants to give us. What cards will we be dealt? 

Deep down I've always thought Max would be a wonderful parent to ANY child. Biological, adopted, mailman's kid, it doesn't matter. He has this amazing ability to be completely selfless and to love anything and to never get flustered...he's a freak of a man, I am SO lucky, you have no idea. But I've always questioned myself as an adoptive parent, until now. I used to think that adoption was a great idea in theory, but that it just wasn't for me. In my very early twenties, I was worried about one thing and that was ME, Myself and I. I was inpatient, frustrated, hot-headed, uptight and totally unprepared. But I think a lot of that has changed. I now find myself calm, understanding and different. I know myself so much better and I know what I want from life a little bit more now than I did then. Many things have recently happened that have changed my seriousness about adoption. One of the things that changed my heart about adoption, was my sweet dog, Apple. (And also, Grey's Anatomy...I mean do you see how friggin cute Derek and Meredith's little adopted baby is?? Come on now! Sorry...sometimes when things start sounding too serious I make jokes that involve stupid, totally unrealistic TV shows). 

If you don't love animals, you might stop reading now, because this won't make sense to you. A few months ago, Max and I adopted a beautiful furry baby named Apple (for those that don't know her story, she is a rescue dog who is newly blind and she's the most amazing little thing you will ever meet). I talk about her a lot on Facebook, but I haven't talked so openly about her, so it's time to share. Apple changed my life, she changed my viewpoints and my thoughts and yes, she is "just a dog" (I hate that phrase). We have three dogs, our first two, Minnie and Nemo, we got as puppies and I consider them my "biological babies" and I consider Apple my "adopted baby". When Apple came into our life, I knew she was that thing that had been missing, that little piece that would leave me forever changed. She brings us so much happiness. I watch her stuggle sometimes and I cry. I cry because she was dealt a shitty hand of cards, but I know that so many people have loved her and changed her life and for that, I am so happy.  Sometimes I sit on the couch and I watch her play fetch with my husband...I think to myself my God, she is blind and she is playing fetch, wagging her tail, licking us all over. She was treated miserably by humans at some point in her life, but tonight, she is going to cuddle up in our warm bed, sprawl out completely unguarded and not think twice. It's her safe place, WE are her safe place, she loves us. She doesn't care that she is blind, she's amazing. 

So the other day, Max was taking Apple to her fancy vet appointment to get her eye checked on. He came home with an update, he said she's doing great but she might need to have one of the eyes removed later in life to avoid some complications. And we both shrugged our shoulders and thought, whatever we need to do to maintain the best possible quality of life for her, whatever the specialist recommends, we will take care of it. And we never talked about how much the procedure might be, neither one of us really cared, we just want to take care of our baby. It was then that I realized how much our hearts had grown, and how much we had grown. I've always loved broken things, broken people...I like to try to fix. Apple satisfies that in me. But I think I might have been a little broken, and my beautiful "broken" dog fixed me. I feel a love from her that is very different from the love I feel from my other dogs. I love them all the same, but Apple's love is different. If we go back to the adoption story...my greatest fear in adoption is that I will love my biological children differently than my adoptive children and that it might be a bad thing. Apple stopped that fear for me. She gave me a glimpse of what it would be life to love a baby who was dealt a less than favorable hand, who didn't come to me from day one and who was not my blood. She showed me that love is love and that's it, end of story. A soul who needs you is a soul who needs you. A mom loves her baby, regardless of where that baby came from. 

And so, my amazing dog set my mind at ease about loving a baby who did not come from my body. I still return to that blog post I found and it still gives me the chills and sends tears down my face. I remain uncertain what my future holds, but I now know that there is a very special place in my heart for adoption and that makes me really happy. 

Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn't grow under my heart, but in it

Beautiful Little Fools...and drinking beer out of a can

"I hope she'll be a fool, that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" 

I remember watching The Great Gatsby and thinking to myself how amazing it would be if I could be like Daisy. Sure, the love of her life disappeared, but that's okay, because she met a ridiculously wealthy man and enjoyed the finer things in life, until he could return. And then, when he shows up again, turns out he is stupid rich too and also, madly in love with her. He's not terrible to look at either. So what a freaking dilemma, two powerful, incredibly wealthy men fighting over one woman. Poor thing, I feel so bad for her. Some of you are probably saying yeah, yeah, but money can't buy happiness. Sure it can. Money can buy Louis V bags, giant mansions, fancy cars...are you telling me those things won't make you happy? Oh, maybe you aren't materialistic (sorry, I tend to think everyone is like me, ha). Well in that case, here's how money can buy you happiness...you can forever pay your bills on time, every single one of those bills. If you are some weird hillbilly who lives in a creeper van, you can buy yourself a nicer creeper van and if you literally don't want anything, then donate your fortune to charity and feel good about it. In Daisy's case, the money and happiness thing doesn't really matter, because that Gatsby guy turned out to be a freak and so her obsessive, father-figure of a husband carted her off to another town, and she bowed her head and followed, like a true woman. Gag. 

I think when Daisy rattled off that beautiful little fool quote, she truly believed it. When I heard it, my first reaction was whattttt an idiottttt. Who wants to be a fool and follow around some idiot, asshole man for the rest of their life? I'm so glad women decided to straighten up. But then I thought about it, and maybe she has a point. Wouldn't it be nice to be a fool? I mean, that's what those women on Real Housewives are, right? I mean seriously, you think your Plastic Surgeon husband who is twenty years older than you really loves you? Come on ladies, lets not be foolish. But in all reality, I am sure those women love the life they live. They have replaced true love with lavish parties, purses that cost as much as my first car and plastic bodies. They are beautiful little fools and I bet it's not too shabby of a gig. I'm pretty sure I don't want to be a fool. Some days I think it might be nice not to worry about the real things in life, but then reality smacks me upside the head and reminds me that I'm a friggin boss and I better start acting like it. 

So here I sit, in a really confusing place. I'm about to turn 25...that sounds really old and really young all at once. I want to have babies, no I want to get drunk in Las Vegas, babies, Vegas, babies, Vegas. I want to be a stay at home mommy, no I want to have a powerful, rewarding career (remember, I'm a friggin boss). Nooo...powerful careers are for men, I want to stay home and clean and cook and do laundry. Actually, I don't like cleaning, I can cook about two things...but I am pretty good at laundry. There has to be a happy medium, right? RIGHT. 

I don't think it's beneficial to be a beautiful little fool. But I also think that role would be impossible for me (and my point here is that it is certainly not impossible for ALL women...cough, cough, Real Housewives and Kate Middleton). I love being dominant and bossy. I have an attitude problem and I'm pretty proud of it. I like talking about controversial issues, as long as you are on my side...if you aren't, don't talk to me. I like that no man can tell me what to do...because who made up that rule back in 1891 and decided it would carry on for the next hundred years or so (I know those dates are correct...okay, maybe they aren't...I only paid attention in English class...I wasn't a fan of math or science or history or anything else that wasn't English). But we all know beautiful little fools cannot be any of those things, they cannot be crazy and hot-headed, they're probably not allowed to drink beer out of a can, they cannot say whatever they want and they cannot ask their husbands why the hell dinner isn't ready (I'm smiling so big right now...that's right...cook my dinner!!). I really don't want to be a beautiful little fool. Glad we cleared that up. 

XOXO