Reality TV or Sports?

Ok….I have a problem.  Why O why do I watch hours of reality TV?  Not even like, Survivor, but down and dirty Bravo TV Real Housewives style.

I know a few other women who love this stuff.  I have found we all have one thing in common…..we love drama, but we don’t love being a part of it.

All of us are from different backgrounds, and different places in our lives, but for some reason we can all agree that no one is gonna check Sheree.  We watched while Vicki stood by Brooks and yelled at the TV “He doesn’t have Cancer!”  We all watched Teresa go to jail, and come home, and then Joe had to go to jail….

We leave our quiet homes, important jobs, and kids to watch the servers at SUR dish about married men, and watch Jax behave like a 15 year old……even though he is just about my age.

I agree, this kills our brain cells one by one. So I was thinking about that…and then thought – so does sports.  I mean, what is the difference?  Drama, over paid players, cheating scandals, and there is always a good guy and a bad guy.  Basically – sports is the reality TV for men.

So ladies – get ready for Lisa Rinna and her lips and watch with happiness and pride.  Because Sunday might be football time, but Monday we visit the zip code of 90210!

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

Do the clothes really make the man? (Or woman)?

You can’t be all girl power if you sell Make up.

 

This past week there has been much talk about equal rights for all.  This election has been long and like no other, and after the results, half of the country is celebrating, and the other half is in shock.   I am shocked.  The campaigns brought up so much ugly stuff, but, from my perspective, the outcome brought out some real good.  I am talking about people being ready to take action!

Now, don’t get this twisted, not the protests and riots, I am talking about making a difference.  Standing up for causes that are near and dear to you.  This is happening on BOTH sides, and even if I don’t agree with what your position is, I am glad you are standing up for something you believe in.

I started thinking to myself, I am SUCH a girl power girl, and I always have been, and the outcome has pushed me to find opportunity to get involved with my community.  The problem?  I love make up.  I love purses.  I love fancy shoes.  I love fashion.  I almost love the Kardashians.  How can I be someone who is crying out EQUAL RIGHTS?  Easy.  Fashion, shoes, make up, purses, and my TV choices do not dictate who I am.

I happen to be part of a fantastic company that has fabulous make up.  I talk about lip colors, eyeshadow, eyelashes (all the live long day with the lashes), and skin care.  I enjoy it.  The thing is, I don’t judge others on if they wear makeup or not.  For me?  Yes.  It has always made me feel confident, empowered, and just plain happy.  Wearing heels instead of sneakers makes me feel beautiful.  Having a Fendi on my arm helps me take on the world.  Some may say that this is why women are not breaking that glass ceiling.  To that person I say – if you think that, you’re the problem.  Why would the fact I want nice hair and glitter on my face make me less of a person?  Why would it make you less of a person if you don’t want that? Right. It doesn’t.

Younique also has a unique story. The Younique Foundation is a charitable organization that helps women who suffered from childhood sexual abuse.  Surprised? Yes, make up for a cause.  That is part of the reason I wanted to work with this company.  The products that I use every day and share with my friends and customers also gives back to those who need it.  One was not created to support the other; the foundation is committed to helping abuse survivors.  Younique was created to help women feel their best. The two obviously can also go hand and hand.

So yes.  I don’t look like the feminist that the old men talk about.  I don’t look like the girl who cares about anything but what the next trend will be.  But maybe, that is exactly what my makeup and clothes do for me.  Maybe, just maybe, it’s all here to fool ya.

To learn more about the Younique Foundation visit: http://youniquefoundation.org/

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

A holiday drinking game just in time for Thanksgiving….

 

I was sitting with friends today and someone mentioned they had a great idea for a game, a drinking game.  At the dinner table during Thanksgiving there should be a game.  Every time a family member said something embarrassing you take a shot.  I laughed, but my first thought was that is a TERRIBLE game.  I would be sober as a judge the entire day.

I started thinking…..people actually have bad holiday memories.  I am not talking about those things we can’t control, get the flu, a storm blows the power out, or even a death in the family.  I am talking about memories of having family members fight, cry, embarrass them, and even walk out on dinner. 

I remember Thanksgiving as a special day.  I always had a new dress, and one year we braided my hair and made it into buns like Princess Leia.  The turkey would go in SUPER early.  THE SOUP was made (another topic for another time).  Sides were being prepared.  Pies, cakes, and cookies were baking.  And my favorite tradition, prosciutto sandwiches for breakfast.  This was something we did on holidays.  We got the good prosciutto, the good bread, the good cheese (or as Gram used to say, a nice slice of cheese).  We all ate breakfast together in the morning, and yes, then dinner late afternoon. 

As I grew, some of the traditions changed.  We no longer all live in the same house, and there is usually at least one or more of the family members missing.  But we still manage to have a real family Thanksgiving. 

Now, we all gather at a house around noon (no more breakfast), crack open the wine, get the buzz BEFORE we eat.  Usually the “kids” (youngest being 21) will eat the appetizers, but us gals, we just drink the wine….buzz before bird. When it’s time to eat, we can’t fit at the one table like back in the day.  We have two tables, plus a tray or two.  We still use the good place settings, we still have the same stuffing recipe, the Monkey Bread is still a dessert favorite, and we are still all together. 

I am incredibly fortunate to not have a family that a drinking game can be designed around.  I look forward to the Holiday season every year. 

Wait….maybe we could play a drinking game on Thanksgiving.  Every time someone says Angela we take a sip. 

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

Friendship over 30….

When you are a kid, making friends is a natural thing. You go to school, you find a kid that likes She-Ra as much as you do, you invite each other over to play with She-Ra figures, the Moms chat, you have dinner at the house – BAM. You gotta friend.  I wish it was that easy now.

I was lucky enough to meet not one, but two very special women when I was well INTO my 30s.  It was actually as easy as it used to be, except substitute wine for She-Ra, and our Moms didn’t have to meet before we hung out.  Although….we have since crossed families.  The strange thing is, I lean more on these two women then I do my friends from high school.  It isn’t that I no longer “like” or “hang out” with my HS friends, it is more that exceptions have never changed with my old girlfriends, so neither have our friendships.

When you meet a new friend, there is no expectation to learn the deep dark secrets.  No expectation to gossip about the girl from high school you don’t like (did you see her new hair color?). No expection to have a holiday get together, or birthday celebration.  In my case, I see BOTH of my 30ish friends for my birthday and holidays, and usually not my HS friends.  I used to feel bad about that.  I felt guilty. I felt angry. But I think I figured it all out.

See, when you have been friends with someone for 30 years, you have a bond no one can break. You have memories of graduations. You have memories of that Catholic school your Mom made you go to.  You have memories of first loves and break-ups.  You have memories of getting in trouble because when all the Moms talked, the stories didn’t add up.

After really thinking about it, I decided that having my HS girls and my 30ish girls was a fabulous Diva problem to have. I get the best of both worlds.  I get to spill tea about the girl we went to HS with who still gets drunk EVERY NIGHT.  And I get to learn about a life out side of HS from amazing women that have become part of my family.  Even after 30.

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

Can you be home sick for your favorite vacation destination?

Family.  Do you vacation with yours? See – I do.  Vegas. Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas….or as we like to say, Diva Las Vegas.

This is something we save up for all year.  It’s something we have been doing since 2001.  We don’t get sick of it, we don’t keep doing the same thing, we are NOT high rollers, and only two of us actually gamble.  Yet, we get on the plane, which for me is a sacrifice because if we were meant to fly we would have wings…am I right?  So anyway, we get on the plane and head across country to our happiest place on earth.

Living like a rock star for a week is the big draw.  It’s only acceptable to order a coffee, water, and vodka soda all together while on vacation. For us, it has come to represent our family time. For one week, we get to spend time with only the people we love. We invite friends who we consider family, and sometimes they join us, other times they don’t. It doesn’t matter – as long as we are together.

Food.  As a foodie family we eat at some of the best restaurants in the country. Fashion. Shop some of my favorite designers, even if it’s just window shopping. It’s also a great place to let your fashion freak flag fly.  Where else can I use thick red eyeshadow with sparkles in it?  That is just for lunch! Black and white pants with sky-high wedges on a Tuesday?  Yes. I. Did. Family. As already stated, it’s been our main reason since the begging. We celebrate birthdays, weddings, new jobs, even beating Cancer. As a family, we can always find a reason to celebrate.

We just returned about a month ago from our latest Diva Las Vegas adventure.  I am home sick.  It’s getting cold, first comes leaves falling, then snow.  In Vegas, I would still have a good month left by the pool.  The smell. The sounds. The freedom.  Are we homesick for Las Vegas Nevada, or are we homesick for the experience?  We spend lots of time together, Sunday dinner, “Fun Friday” night, cookouts, parties, any reason to eat, drink, laugh, and love.  At home, there is a white Christmas…usually.  There is the true fall smell at Thanksgiving.  In Vegas, there would be none of that.  What if we could do Vegas right here, every day in life?  Freedom. Fun. Family. Freedom. Food. Friends.  Oh, and did I mention Freedom?

Everything we consider home is right here, no need to be homesick. Missing the freedom that comes with vacation…..ya, that is what I am freedom-sick for.

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

Trying to pull out some positive vibes…

I posed the following question to local Trump supporters on a community page:  “I would like to ask, without telling me why you hate HRC, can you tell me with facts – and not facts you pull from a meme – why Trump is going to be a fabulous POTUS? And I am not going to argue I really just want to know a different thought process.  You won’t change my mind, I won’ change yours.  I truly want to know.”

What followed was an article, a meme, and this wisdom:  “He will run the U.S. like a business. Like it should be. No more special interests he will drain the swamp.”

There you have it, right?  Well, it didn’t stop there.  I wanted to challenge every person, including myself, to contribute their thoughts without being negative.  This entire race has fed off saying what the other side has done wrong, with very few positive comments about what the future will hold.  HRC has put her plan in front of us, DT hasn’t.  My goal was to not hear the negativity about any other candidate or President.  It was to hear what THEY were excited about.

There was displeasure regarding Obamacare (of course).  I believe one adult called our President a “shit head.”  I did respond to that comment with the following:  “Well thanks to that crazy plan, I can afford my life-saving meds.  And yes, I work full time plus another job.  But I hear ya!  So again, in your own words without bringing up any other negatives, just positives please, tell me why he would be fabulous.”

One would think that I would get an intelligent response, or something that if I was on the fence would sway me.  Here was what I got:  “Because he will stop the special interest, keep your right to own a gun, maintain the Constitution, get rid of Obamacare, keep under God in the Pledge of Allegiance, keep out the illegals and their anchor babies from sucking off the system, bring back jobs from overseas.  Give business a better tax break.  And best of all he won’t’ be the Shit head that is there now.  That is why.”

Now, I wanted to stick with my plan: stay positive, don’t argue, and just lay out the facts without memes and Fox News articles.  My next post read:  “Now, call me silly, but can you explain to me how these things will get done? I mean, every person who ever runs no matter what side has huge promises. What will he do that is so different?”  The poster took me up on my offer, called me silly, and said “He’s not a politician.  He’s the first one to never have been a politician.”  I asked again how he would do it, and also asked if he was shutting down his own factories in other countries or if he had done that already.  Guess what? No answer.

I also had a lovely chat with a young women regarding why she feels her choice for POTUS was the best to make.  She said he would create jobs, keep guns, and shut down Planned Parenthood where she felt they were ripping babies out of wombs at 9 months.  Now, I had to keep my promise to not argue – but I did state this fact:  “Would you feel differently about PP if I told you that it’s not just abortion? It’s free HIV testing, cancer screening, and over all women’s health? But I can appreciate your abortion views.”

She assured me she knew PP wasn’t just abortion and she went to a free clinic herself for some treatments.  I was curious as to how Trump would pay for these other clinics in underprivileged communities.  She didn’t know.  At that point, she didn’t want to talk anymore.

We have witnessed a race with one extremely qualified human, and one extremely underqualified human. One side has only used the negatives; one side has used both negatives and positives.  One side has a track record, one does not.  It is an important election, not only because we are coming off eight years of changes that ARE beneficial to our country, but because we need to prove to the rest of the world that we as the United States of America are educated, proud, diverse, and welcoming.  I set out to understand what regular people from my town saw in DT as a candidate, or even as a human being.  I am more confused now, because I am not sure THEY know what they see in him.

We all believe what we believe because of how we were brought up. I will never tell someone they were brought up wrong.  However, if you are voting AGAINST someone you just don’t like, and voting to place someone in the White House, who would rather be #1 in his time slot for Sunday night, please rethink.  This is not a joke.  This is not a show.  This is our country.  This is our safety.  This is our freedom.  This is our future.

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne

Side Note:  I would like to thank KB for her edits….my second pair of eyes.

 

As Julie Andrews says…let’s start at the Very beginning…

Or at least why I have decided to share my love of style, make up, fun, and family with everyone.

My Grandmother…Angela. She always knew how to make herself, her children, her grandchildren, and everyone around her feel important, confident, and beautiful.  We would look at fashion magazines together. We would watch Dolly Parton, maybe that is where I got my make up obsession from.  We would shop together, she never told me an outfit didn’t match or didn’t look nice.  She always just guided me in the right direction.  She let me go through her costume jewelry, and I still prefer costume to the “real deal”. Obviously, we would play with make up.  She would buy the glosses that had just a HINT of color, and allow me to wear it.  We would also read together, and she always encouraged me to use my imagination and write.

Here I am….30 something (anyone know how to get that show streaming or on DVD?) and looking for a second job.  Something I could combine EVERYTHING I loved and make a little extra martini money.

In walks a direct marketing make up company.  C’mon, direct marketing?  A pyramid scheme right?  Well, since I was already spending money I didn’t have on high end make up I tried Younique.  Turns out, I fell in love.
I signed up July 1st, 2015 and never looked back!  This company lets me do stuff my way!  In this short amount of time I have learned so much about how to help myself feel great, and how to help the people I love feel equally as great.  I play with make up, I take pics of fun times with family and friends to share.  Now – it’s time to write.

If Gram was here, she would be my number one customer, and my biggest fan.  She would be so happy I found a side hustle that doesn’t feel like work.  Something that allows me to make money incorporating all my favorite things.

I am looking forward to feedback, requests, and anything else you wanna throw at me.  And I hope you enjoy this regular gals Fabulous & Fancy outlook on life!

Follow me on Twitter: VivaLDiva Instagram: vivaldivaev And Facebook: Facebook.com/YouniqueByEricaLynneV

F.F.F. – Erica Lynne