I hate beer. I always try to drink it, or taste new ones that Andre gets, and I even enjoy going to a brewery, and will drink the free beer they give you, but I really do not like the taste of beer. I'm a girl's girl with my alcohol. I mostly drink white wine...moscato to be exact. Or I will give something new a try every now and again. But the drink I really enjoy (besides the moscato, of course) is a hard cider. I haven't met a hard cider I didn't like. Redd's, Strongbow, Angry Orchard - I like them all. I will order whatever cider's on tap, or buy whatever's cheapest at the grocery store. I can only imagine a day when I buy an expensive cider.

Usually, I'll buy the 6-pack or single cans, but I took a leap recently and bought the 12 bottle variety pack from Woodchuck - the Cluster Chuck (how funny, right?).



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When I was reading A Million Little Pieces sometime last month, I was given the recommendation to read the sequel, My Friend Leonard, which I had actually not heard of before then. Generally reading a book, I'm aware if there is a sequel, but I actually had no clue about this one until I was given the recommendation. So, you can see my shining review of Pieces here, but I just had to keep on reading because I loved the style of Frey's writing, and I loved the characters that I grew so attached to. I was super excited to find Leonard at an awesome second-hand media store (think games, movies, music, and books) called 2nd & Charles for only $6. In my excitement, I posted about my awesome literary find on social media only to be met by remarks about the controversy behind James Frey and his two memoirs. It was kind of weird to me I was just getting those remarks on My Friend Leonard, when no one had mentioned anything about it when I had posted that I was reading A Million Little Pieces. My thoughts on the controversy behind the memoirs will follow my review.       



My Friend Leonard picks up just a couple of months after A Million Little Pieces ended. Though it had been several weeks since I'd finished Pieces, as soon as I started reading Leonard, I was right back in the story line, like it was all one long book.

James Frey has an undeniable writing style. As I mentioned in my review of Pieces, his style is very much stream of consciousness. There are no quotations marks, words and phrases are often repeated several times, and while this would generally cause me to put a book down, that was not the case with Frey's writing. Leonard, like its predecessor, will pull you in. The story is raw and exciting. It's impossible to not connect with James and those that he meets along the way. Leonard will make you laugh out loud, give you chills, and make you ugly cry like you've never ugly cried before.

When reading either Pieces or Leonard, which feels like just one big book, you are not only a reader. You are James, you are his best friend, you are his confidante.

Both A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard have easily made it into my top favorite books of all time. I would recommend the James Frey memoirs to anyone.




I am now going to discuss the controversy surrounding James Frey's memoirs. If these claims will distort your thoughts on the book or you'd rather not read about them, please do not read on. 

My Friend Leonard follows through several years after Frey's release from rehab and jail, his connection with Leonard, who he met through the program, and his every day life trying to succeed in being "normal." In the first pages of the book, there is a disclaimer stating that some facts, timelines, and names/descriptions have been changed due to privacy of those included in the memoir, as well as for story-telling aspects. The memoir I specifically read was a first-edition hardback, so I feel that the disclaimer really should cancel out the remarks and controversies surrounding the memoirs, which are now labeled "memoir/fiction."

I am not a writer. I'm confident in my writing, but I've never written a novel or the like, therefore I am not a writer. However, I can understand a little fabrication to make the story a little more interesting. So, let's get one thing straight - James Frey was a 23 year-old addict and alcoholic when he entered his rehab program. He had more or less gotten straight off a plane (that he wasn't even sure why he was on), he had fallen off from an emergency exit and seriously wounded himself. He went into this program and went cold turkey off substances after over a decade of drug and alcohol abuse. I very highly doubt that his intentions were to bad-mouth the program he went into (it obviously helped him). In fact, he never names the program, or celebrities, or places that he goes to, etc. While some people and places can be determined by the reader (and he probably left the names out so he would not be sued), he never clearly states the name. Anything the reader assumes is just that, an assumption. But let's go back to this cold turkey thing. He is going through withdrawals, he is going out of his mind trying to become more human again. I cannot imagine what he went through, but I think it's safe to say that some of his memories, especially through the first few weeks of his program, are more than slightly skewed. I think it's hateful and malicious that people are saying such hurtful things and calling him a liar, when he went through so much more than most people could ever imagine going through. I realize that several people bought his memoirs believing they were 100% true, but how does anyone know that any memoir is true? Writers are story-tellers, and editors and publishers change things all the time in order to sell books. Furthermore, regardless of how true the story is to the readers, it would be impossible to truly say what is true to Frey. Each person lives their own truth, and I can't tell any other person besides myself what their truth it. I can't honestly say why I feel so incredibly passionate about this controversy surrounding these particular memoirs. I've never been an addict, I've never really been affected by addiction, but I would never call someone a liar for speaking their own truth. It's obvious that Frey had a difficult life, and while the things written in the Pieces and Leonard may stray from the truth, I think the basis of the story is more important. Yes, he did lie about the book at first, but he's only human. I stand by James Frey.

February 25- Andre and I had a pizza date Thursday night, and all I can say is yum.

February 26- Came into work to tons of donuts, pastries, and munchkins. Such a great way to end the week!

February 27- Did a little thrift-shopping on Saturday and went home with some awesome new pants for the gym, the office, and a business-y tank.

February 28- Had a big day on Saturday. Details soon, hopefully!

February 29- Took a day off on Monday, and took a trip to Kennesaw Mountain with Andre.

February 29- At the top of the mountain!

March 1- Took time during my lunch break to vote on Super Tuesday! Hoping to see my candidate on the ballot in November.

March 2- They are spoiling us at work. We had Waffle Wednesday at work. (I had two. Eep! This one is bananas, pecans, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar.)

So, what were you up to this week?

The major songs we decided on were for the bridal party recessional, the bride and father-of-the-bride entrance, the "HEY! WE'RE MARRIED"/recessional song, the first dance, the father/daughter dance, and the dance of the moms. Andre's extremely introverted, so I danced with my mom while he danced with his mom, That way, he wasn't the center of attention.

Bridal party processional: I Choose You by Sara Bareilles
Bride and Father-of-the-Bride entrance: XO by John Mayer
Recessional: You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates
First dance: You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
Father/Daughter dance: Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Mother/Son & Mother/Daughter dance: Soldier by Gavin Degraw




We also mixed in a ton of fun songs, including traditional dance songs like the Cha Cha Slide. I actually forgot about choosing songs for the bouquet and garter tosses, or for cake-cutting, but we just let the playlist play through, and that was fine. The playlist I made was all-together about 4 hours long, which was perfect for us. We weren't going to have alcohol or a full meal, so we knew a shorter reception was the way to go. I don't think we even made it through half the playlist, it all went by in a blur.

I will say that that wireless speaker didn't carry as far as we thought it would, so I would recommend getting the louder stand-up speakers, especially if your wedding will be outside. But truly, it wasn't a big deal. We got married, friends and family were there to celebrate it, and it was an amazing day.


Did you go a traditional route with your music? If not, what did you do for music for your wedding day?

In Case You Missed It:
The Thriftiest Wedding Find: Bridesmaids Dresses
Our Wedding Florals
My Wedding Dress & Other Details
Our Wedding Portraits
Photos from Our Wedding Reception

Photos from the Ceremony

Our Wedding Quilt (Guestbook)

Our Thank You Cards

Five Fun and Easy Wedding DIYs

How to Change Your Name After Marriage

Adventures in Honeymooning Part 2

Adventures in Honeymooning Part 1

A Quick Wedding Recap

Creating the Perfect Bridesmaid Giftbags

What to Pack for a Theme Park Honeymoon

Why I'm Taking His Last Name

How to Save on Save-the-Dates

Engagement Session Photos

Linked up with Macy at To Travel & Beyond for Wedding Wednesday.

I have thin, flat hair. It's not always straight, and it's not really curly. It's more frizzy and wavy, and it's always thin and flat. I was excited to try thickening hair care products, and I received the perfect opportunity from Hask. I've used thickening and volumizing products before, but nothing that I've felt made a large impact.

My first impression of the mint almond oil shampoo was that it smelled like beer. The mixture of the mint and almond created a kind of funky smell, but it wasn't a bad smell. Like I said, it kind of smelled like beer. After washing and rinsing my hair, I could tell my hair felt clean. It wasn't smooth and silky after the shampooing, but it felt insanely clean.

The conditioner smelled more minty than anything. The smell kind of engulfed the entire shower, and just created a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere. (Is that a weird way to describe my conditioning experience?) Once rinsed out, my hair didn't feel extremely detangled and smooth like it does with other conditioners, so I wasn't so sure I was happy with these products.

Once I brushed my hair, I could already notice that my roots seemed to stand up more. My hair didn't look as flat, and this was while it was still wet. I don't generally blow dry my hair. I shower at night and then straighten and style my hair in the morning when it's dry. The spray recommends using on towel-dry or damp hair, then drying and styling as usual, or spraying on dry roots for extra power. Obviously, I went the dry roots way.

I was worried that to root thickening spray would make my hair greasy, or even feel gross and dirty, but my hair felt just as clean as before the spray was applied. It also left my hair shiny and soft, but still very lifted. I was surprisingly impressed with root spray.

Once my hair was dry. I still wasn't sure how happy I was with this shampoo and conditioner set. My roots did seem more volumized, maybe thicker, but the ends of my hair seemed frazzled. I color my hair, so I wasn't sure if that was the reason behind the frazzled ends. I straightened my hair, as usual, and once styled (I don't really use extra products besides shampoo and conditioner, or the occasional dry shampoo), my hair felt soft and so so clean. I just cannot get over how clean my hair feels. My actual scalp felt extremely clean (and that's saying something, since I tend to have light dandruff). I may add a deep conditioner just to the ends of my hair to remedy the frazzled ends. Unfortunately, the minty smell does not stay in your hair. In fact, my hair doesn't smell like anything at all. I do appreciate great-smelling shampoos and conditioners, but overall, I really truly liked this set. Since they are paraben- and sulfate- free, I think using them will definitely have a long-lasting effect on my hair, and I plan to continue using the set.

Obviously, my hair is not styled in the after picture, but you can see the results.

 Have you tried Hask products before? You can find out more about the mint almond oil set (thickening) here, or find the set that works best for you at haskbeauty.com.








I received this set free from Hask Beauty for review. Links included are not affiliate.