Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Life in State Fourty-Eight!

So I've officially been back in the Grand Canyon State for almost a month. Woot! Although it's been super nice to be home and lazy and do nothing all day, I'm ready to see Prince Charming like now.

After spending 20 hours together everyday for four months, it's hard to just pack up and leave and not feel like you're missing something. So this summer was an eye opener and there was a lot of love-hate to my experience, but I do miss my friends and the weather.

It's almost November and it's still 90 degrees outside. And everyone wonders why I'm leaving. I'm leaving! I'm packing up my life and moving! For like ever.

I so can't wait to move to Oklahoma and find a job that I really love. I can't wait to live in a 5th wheel with Prince Charming. But I can wait to say goodbye to my family and friends again.

So my life! Recently has been a blur of emotions from sad to excited to stressed to beyond joyful to stressed again. But the things I set out to do here are almost done, the piles are made and guess what?

I bought a new car! That's right kids, you're looking at the proud new owner of Dolly or Lorretta, the 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx. Okay, so she's not new, but she's newer than Larry {My old 1994 Dodge Spirit}. May he forever be remember as the car that broke down in the desert 40 miles outside of Tucson, 4 times, in one trip. So I loved Larry, but oh man, I LOVE this new girl. It's so nice to have automatic anything!

And with the purchase of this new motorized device, it's been decided, I'll drive back to Oklahoma with my fuzzy co-pilot  in tow! And my mom. Can anyone say, "Road Trip?!?" It's a short 16 hour trek that we're going to accomplish in one day! We're the adventurous sort, we know. I'm so excited to put my first big road trip on my new car and head to my new home. I'm not so sure how Rocky is gonna handle it, but he has a new, puppy, brother waiting to terrorize him!

In addition to buying a new car, I found a job, kind of! I;m an intern, what, for a horse show in OKC in November!!! I'm so excited for this opportunity and I can't wait to get there.

So I bought a car, found a kind of job, looked through everything I own, made a pile for all my Oklahoma bound items, and traveled the state. It's been a busy month!

I'm so excited to be heading out on the road! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring and I can't wait to see Prince Charming! Hope everyone's month hasn't been as relaxingly, stressfully, busy as mine was.

How was your October!?!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

#CCBeautySwap

Was that yesterday?!? I'm the worst! I've been so unorganized on my staycation! But I'm here and I'm sharing and it's only a day late! My life has been non stop travel these past few days and I've been a little lazy!


This was AWESOME! Go Crystal for setting this whole thing up. She is a goddess for her ability to handle all of this and set everyone up with the perfect swapper! {Is that a word?!?}
Anyways, I found out about this swap from some serious cyber stalking. I'm not ashamed! And I'm so glad I creeped as long as I did, because I found a world full of amazing agriculture women who love sharing their stories! 
So I got paired with myself two years ago! A fellow livestock judging team member and lover of all things fuzzy. Kidding about the last one! But there were so many similarities! I had so much fun getting to know Amy Lynn! A fellow Oklahoma enthusiast made the conversation flow and the beauty swapping began!!!
The package arrived and I was literally tearing it open as I walked in the door! I was so excited!!! And I was even more excited after I opened it!!


My Box:

1} Sally Hansen Xtreme Nail Polish: Sparkling gold, need I say more! I was so stoked when I opened my box and discovered a new shade of nail polish I would never buy for myself. I'm in love. The polish hasn't chipped in the week I've been wearing it, which is a serious plus. And I'm just obsessed with the color! It's subtle enough that it doesn't look like I'm a pop star, but sparkles just enough to be super fun. Another bonus, Cosmo told me it was the best nail polish! 
2} Not Your Mother's Leave-In Conditioner: Since my swapper knows me so well she got me leave in conditioner, but not just that! It's Way To Grow! I've been trying to grow my hair out for like ever, but haven't we all! Anyways, I've recently become obsessed with this lengthening process and this is just the cherry on top to help me in my pre-crazy Miley hair goals!

3} Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer: When I saw this, I was freaking out. I opened the package and used it right away and it was awesome. I put it on underneath my normal eye shadow application routine and somehow all of my make up seemed to look better. My eye shadow was brighter and stayed on way longer than normal! I wore it all day long and went out that night and still had to scrub to get it off that night.

4} Peel Off Masque: I have an obsession with face masks. A collection, if you will. I love DIY at home masks, the individual ones, bottled, any kind I can get my hands on. I try to do them as often as I can. I love how it feels once you've wiped it all off! And I can't wait to use this one! I've used this brand before and I love it. It's for sure one of the best.

5} Ulta Nail Polish Remover Pads: Convenient- Check. Travel-able- Check. Something I always need, but never have- Check! This is the ultimate in beauty accessories! I always wish I have nail polish remover when I'm in the mood to mani it up, but I never have it. Between traveling during the summers and packing up apartments at the end of every year, nail polish remover tends to be one of those items that never makes it to the next destination. But that's not a problem here! They come in a small box that will fit in purse and I will always be able to keep on  me or store away for later. Can't wait to use these when I re-paint my nails shinny gold, again!

6} They're Real Mascara: Coming in a peite package, I was more than satisfied with the results of this dramatic eyelash helper. The small bottle makes it the perfect size for my ever growing makeup bag. It doesn't clump at all and my lashes are dramatically longer than any other mascara I've used before. It last all day and long into the night without flaking or clumping! Score!

7} Runway Glamor Eye Shadow: I'm obsessed with crazy colored eye shadow. It's rare that you see me in just the neutrals, unless I'm being lazy. But I never just use one color and I pretty much always use some shade of purple! So when I opened this pallet I was so excited. It's filled with all shades of purple and light browns that match perfectly with my eye color and makeup style. This shadow is super light and it only takes a little to go a LONG way! I love the colors and how long it lasts. 

So that was my box, how jealous is everyone?!?! 


This was so much fun and I'm so glad that I got a chance to meet a fellow livestock criticizer! I'm even more excited about all of the new products I get to incorporate into my make up routine. I'll keep you all updated on my new obsession, don't worry!
Make sure you head over the Crystal Cattle and see all of the other lovely ladies that participated in this beauty swap!


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The AGvocate Baton



So I've been trying for a while now to turn my little old blog into something more. I started blogging about a year ago and I have had nothing but fun with it ever since. And the more I blog the more wonderful people I find that are scattered all over the internet. So with a little inspiration from Mason, like the Jar, I'm going to try and bring those people a little closer together and create my own baton of the agriculture variety. 

If you haven't read the All About Me section, you're not only missing out, but you're really confused. Quick recap: I grew up in the middle of a city and early in high school I realized the city life wasn't for me. I feel head over heels for the world of agriculture and all that the industry has to offer. Eight years, three wrangler summers, and a Bachelors in Agriculture Business Economics later my life has become nothing but agriculture. So I decided to share that life with all of you via this blog and let you share back with me via the AGvocate Baton


Tuesday-Thursday of every week a different Instgramer {I just made that up}, will take over The AGvocate Baton Instagram account for the day. This is your chance to show Instagram and the hashtagging world all about your life and how you #agvocate every day. You don't have to be a farmer or rancher or blogger to participate. Just have a genuine love for anything agriculture.




Here's the Rules:

1} Follow Destination:ME via Facebook and @TheAgBaton on Instagram so you can stay up to date. 

2} Tell all your social media outlets that you will be holding the baton for that day. The more people know about the AGvocate Baton the more people we'll meet and get to follow. And share your experience afterward on your blogs or other outlets

3} Post all day long! Please don't post more than 10 photos a day. 

4} Be yourself. This day is all about you and we want to see what your life is really like. Try not to post to many selfies, but feel free to edit pictures and post collages. Make your photos interesting and unique. Don't be shy use all the hashtages, emojis, and tags that your caption can handle.

5} Make sure to tag yourself at the end of each post so we can follow you! {Photo by @mynameisbob}



Let's Just Not:

1} Post inappropriate content, meaning no profanity or nudity or advertising. Let's keep it PG-13 and remember this day is about how you agvocate not what you advertise. 

2} Leave the followers and account setting alone. Feel free to follow yourself, but try not to follow anyone else or unfollow anyone. If you have a problem with the account contact me and I will fix it as soon as possible. 

*The AGvocate Baton reserves the right to remove any photo that doesn't follow these rules. 



Sign Up: 

To sign up, please email me at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XDJGR5S and include the following information:

1. Your Name
2. Your Instagram Username
3. Your Blog URL {If you have one}

**I will give you a date at a first come, first serve basis. 

The day before you hold the baton, I will email you The AGvocate Baton account information so you can start posting. 

So what are you waiting for?!?! Head over to @TheAgBaton on Instagram and get signed up! And come check out my person account @Chacheana while you're at it!!!

I can't wait to see how amazing we make this!!!!







Monday, October 20, 2014

#OldPeopleVegas


So there are an alarming number of people that take the time to #OldPeopleVegas in reference to Laughlin, Nevada. But if you've ever had a chance to attend, you would do just the same.

This place. For those of you have never been or never heard of it, Laughlin is much like Vegas in that it is strategically placed in the middle of nowhere desert. Though it's not quite as large and glamours, it offers many of the same amenities, ie lots o' casinos and cheap hotels!

I've never been of legal age to consume alcohol while in Vegas so I can't give a proper comparison, but I can give you a few tips and tricks about how to conquer the sister city of Sin City.

5 Tips for Laughlin Getaway: 

1. Go to every casino you can and sign up for their rewards programs. I went to 7 casinos and I got $5 free play at all but two of them. The Tropicana doesn't give you free play, but if you loose more than $10 and up to $100, they will send you that money back in free mail, via snail mail. The Aquarius only gives you some valuable coupons of the BOGO variety. I went to the Riverside, Edgewater, Colorado Belle, Pioneer, and Golden Nugget to get me free play.

2. Buffet is your best bet. There are a multitude of buffets spread across the entire main road of this desert oasis, but the best bang for your buck is to pick one of them. I ate at the Colorado Belle for their breakfast buffet and for $8 you can't beat their made to order omelet bar and fresh fruit selection. I also ate at the Riverside Buffet and with a BOGO offer, it was $15 for two people. They had every type of food you could want from salad bar, sandwich station, to Mexican and Chinese. And the dessert options were endless.

3. Gamble. Not only can you use your free play to win lots of money, but the more you gamble the more you get. Drink wise that is. All drinks are compensated for those who are using the machines and tables. So drink away because it's free.

4. Don't pick your hotel for the views. So this marvelous city is stationed parallel to the Colorado River and many of the hotels sell you on their river adjacent views. But for the best deals, don't buy for the view. If you go during the week you are likely to get a decent room for around $18 a night. I stayed 3 nights during the week and payed a little over $63 for all 3 nights including tax. I didn't have a river view, but I found the river walk just as exciting.

5. There is always something to do, cheap. So if you're not a big gambler or like me, you only came for the free play, there are plenty of other things to do in this sprawling city. There is an outlet mall just across from the Edgewater filled with great deals. There are several movie theaters, a bowling alley, and a classic car showroom (Riverside). There are comedy shows on the weekends for around $10 a person and plenty of well know entertainers that grace the stages surrounding this retirement crowd haven at a decent price. There is the river itself which offers plenty of amusement for those who enjoy the water. There are water taxis, dinner inclusive boat rides, and jet ski and kayak rentals.

So no matter what your preference, this city has it all. Just a 3 hour drive from Phoenix and you're on your way to 65 and up paradise. On my trip I didn't gamble too much but with all of my free play I only spent about $10 on the machines. Next time you're thinking of hitting up Sin City, take a second and see if you'd rather save and hit up her sister city.



Monday, October 13, 2014

Oh Hey There AZ...

I see you're still ten million degrees in the shade. I almost forgot why I left.

Welp, I'm back home. And as much as I don't enjoy the hot sun that seems to be pointed directly at Arizona all the time, I did miss it a little bit.

Sometimes I forget that I just got back from three months in the Wyoming mountains, everything feels the same and I really just feel like I'm on summer vacation. Then I remember, my life is a summer vacation. I thought that graduating would be awesome and cool and everything I ever wanted. I was so excited to start a life and be out of the Dirty-T. But honestly, being an adult sucks.

Thus far I've learned that, I'm unemployed, broke, and have no realistic goals for the future. Wait, what? I thought the future was just supposed to work itself out...guess not.

So I sit here typing away this post, listening to Dolly Shine for the 5th time this morning, avoiding looking for jobs. Instead I'll Facebook my used to be friends and day dream about my perfect job.

Any advice here? 

I started being domestic again, which I was in college, but it seems so much more like I can legit #domestic now because I'm not cooking with Ramen or Pasta Roni and scrapping the bottom of my fridge looking for groceries that don't exist. I'm being a real live person, making real live meals, and baking. Woot. So fun. Remind me again why I'm not more excited about this?

In between looking for a job and figuring out my life, I'm trying to get back in shape from all the desserts, all you can eat lunches, and butter filled dinners I consumed at the ranch. I love working out....NOT! But with YouTube and Pinterest as my secret weapons, I think I can put the marshmallows away and do some sit ups.


All in all, being home is great! I love being able to drive my car again, not some shady ranch truck. I had an adult like dinner date with the best friend last night, which was much needed. I even went and got an adult horizontal drivers license yesterday. I love the DMV almost as much as job hunting. I  love knowing where I'm going and driving on familiar streets. Seeing my fam bam has been awesome! And seeing my other graduated adult friends gives me a small amount of hope.

But tell me this, why is it that as a recent college graduate people are talking to me about benefits. I know it sounds childish and futile of me, but I think that I can go out into this world and be excessive and ridiculous and find a job that doesn't have good benefits, because guess what? I'm 21!!!!! I don't need to find my forever career right now! I want to find a job I love and I want to meet amazing people and do fun things! I want my life to be as exciting as it seems on Facebook. Hence why I spent my summer in the mountains. I want to see the world. I want to wake up everyday and do fun things and live the life I love. Not one filled with 401k's and insurance coverage...

Anyone with me?


So end rant. And this is where I leave you, because the soundtrack to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron just started on my Spotify and I have to jam.





Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Three-Ingredient Dog Treats

Since my life of living in the saddle and never having to cook is now behind me, I've decided to change things up both in my life and on this blog! After 3 months of no kitchen time, I realized I missed it and I have been a cooking queen ever since! From pantry cleaning Mexican food to poor mans Chinese, I've been on the look out for more kitchen involved ideas.


So I was searching Pinterest when I found an idea for homemade dog treats. I've always wanted to try this, so I did! With one quick stop to Hobby Lobby for Dino shaped cookie cutters and one quick stop to Wal-Mart for the ingredients, I was off.


Here is the recipe for 3 ingredient Dino Dog Treats:

Prep: 10 minutes   Bake: 20-25 minutes
Servings: About 20 

Ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 (4oz) can of baby food {chicken, carrot, banana, etc}
1 tablespoon of peanut butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Mix all three ingredients into a bowl until they form a thick dough
Use a floured surface to roll the dough flat
Cut into pieces with cookie cutters, pizza slicer, or knife 
Place on greased baking sheet
Bake for 20-25 minutes {top rack}
Store in a paper bag

*They should come out with a cracker like consistency 

**Feel free to double the recipe if you need. These only last about two weeks

***Make sure the baby food does NOT have onions, grapes, raisins, or added sugar in the ingredients.







Thursday, October 2, 2014

Final Goodbyes and New Beginnings

I thought I was ready for this.

I was, I still am. I'm so happy to be home and it's been great being around people I know. Of course I'm not really home yet, but this is close enough. But as we crawled over the top of the driveway for the last time and I rolled the window down for one last snapshot of this place that's been my home for the last 3 months, I was sad. This summer had it's ups and downs, but I made some amazing friends and even better memories.

Breakfast was filled with a line of hugs from my favorite people. It was a bitter sweet farewell as they all had 4 more days of working here in this place while we got to go home and be normal for a minute.

So we're here. We made it home. As home as a camper park is. I've never really mentioned this on the  blog before, and now seems like a perfect time to start.

In our off time when we're not traveling to different states and being cowboys, Prince Charming and I lead very different lives. Up until May, I was in school full time and working for the university's farm. Prince Charming was welding, on a pipeline.

Pipeline welding has it's perks and it's something Prince Charming loves. But for me the situation is a little different. He welds for so many months at one location then moves to some other RV park location.


We're currently residing in Oklahoma. And I'm on the hunt for the next step.


I head home in the next three days and until then I will be attempting to train the new puppy, Oh yeah, we picked up an 11 week old Catahoula puppy on the way home! He's a hooligan! I miss Rocky! And being domestic! So if you need me I will be over here baking and cleaning!