{friday fun} summer lovin'...had me a blast.

it's the end of august. temps are getting cooler, days are getting shorter, and my desire for all things PUMPKIN is increasingly getting stronger. yes, fall is right around the corner and i'm looking forward to it. it's not that i don't like summer. i love a good beach vacation, a lazy day by the pool, bbqs, and outdoor concerts. but this summer was SO busy. hence why i haven't updated this blog since april. haha. whoopsies.

i'm on a boat. summer 2013.

between the real estate market going bonkers and stella & dot trunk shows coming out of the yin-yang, i barely had time to do much else. however- i did make one thing a priority. yes, friends, i online dated my summer away. i mean, what better time than when i am tan?! fact: everyone looks better tan.

now let me preface this post with providing you background on my romantical past. so i'm putting this out there- i've had 2 long-term boyfriends. one in high school and one in college. after college it's honestly been one hot mess after another. HA. if i've been out with any of you in the past 8 years and you're reading this, my bad. but obviously it didn't workout for whatever reason. as my brother said recently: 'there should be a reality show based on your dates.' and if i get ONE MORE message that just says, 'you so sexy,' i am going to scream. if you can't type a full sentence using proper english, do not contact me. lol. anyway, for your reading pleasure, here are 4 of the funniest/most absurd/craziest dates i've been on in the past 8 years:

date #1: we've all been to those restaurants where they cram people into every nook and cranny to maximize their space. how this isn't a fire hazard is beyond me. i mean, when you have to move the table next to you to get into your seat, we've got probs. i digress. anyway, when we leave we discuss our neighbors that we basically ate dinner with. ha. the couple to our right was fighting the entire time. the couple to the left was on their cells the entire time. as we're trying to decide which i worse, i say 'i never take my cell out when i'm on a date. it's just rude.' his response (spoiler- there's interesting language ahead): 'i always do. mainly because i'm afraid of the radiation on my penis, balls, dick area.' VERBATIM. i kid you not. i wish i could have seen the look on my face.

date #2: this one started off well. reservations at a good restaurant: check. well-dressed: check. looked like his picture: check. and then the conversation started. this guy was definitely looking for a wifey. i asked a very simple question: 'what are you doing this weekend?' his response: 'well i'm going to my niece's birthday party with my entire family. i'm the only single person. my sister and her husband will be there. my brother and his wife. my other brother and his wife. my parents. my cousin and her fiance. my dog and his partner. they call me uncle single.' now i may have added the dog part, but you get my drift. he was so focused on getting married that he was missing the whole point of dating- getting to know one another. his next stop: mail-order bride.

date #3: he fell asleep. on our date. at the bar. i have no other explanation. i asked if he was ok. i should have asked if he had narcolepsy. lol.

date #4: tall, tan, and australian. i thought i hit a home run with this one. turns out his visa is active for 2 years, but his work contract is up this november so he wasn't sure what was going to happen. awesome. pretty sure he was looking for a green-card wedding. it wasn't as awesome though as the movie. ha.

here's the deal though- i actually have grown to like going on dates. like A LOT. it's fun to meet someone new and also have awesome stories after the fact. most of my friends are attached so i am constantly told they are living vicariously through me. so glad i can go on horrendous dates to provide comic relief to everyone out there. lol. plus i feel like it's a numbers game- i am in sales after all. the more first dates i go on, the higher the chance that i'll meet someone i actually want to go on a second date with. and at the end of the day that's all i'm really looking for. someone who's company i actually enjoy having around and can have fun with.

as kip moore says: 'life's a long and winding ride. better have the right one by your side.'

xoxo lauren

{friday fun} everything zooey.

this weekend was the kick-off of awards season with the golden globes. so as i sat with my two GBFFs watching the red carpet, we immediately began asking each other who looked the best. i loved both of the dresses worn by the ladies of nashville and, of course, kate hudson looked smashing in her simple black stunner. but the one that really stood out to me was zooey deschanel's red princess dress. i loved it because it was soooo her. this girl never forgets who she is and her style- but isn't over the top with it either. she didn't look like she was playing dress-up. it looked like she took her style to a next level.

i realized though that there hasn't been too much she has done that i DIDN'T like. i loved (500) days of summer, she & him, and, of course, new girl. now my tv preferences are all over the map. i love sci-fi, medical dramas, family comedies, period pieces, and the occasional reality show. but new girl has to be one of my current favorite shows on tv right now.

this is a group of adults my age that are dealing with the same ridiculous issues- and make it look hysterical and not-so-serious. take their constant ragging on each other for their jobs or the nick/zooey relationship. i can point to different areas of my life at this very moment and share their similarities. but i will not. that's my secret and i'm sticking to it. ha.

i love zooey's character jess, but it's her relationship with her 3 dude roommates that just adds a whole other layer to the show. nick. winston. schmidt. o. m. g. where do i begin with schmidt. here's a video to give you an idea because i can't really verbalize him. truth.



if you haven't checked it out, i HIGHLY recommend you do so.

another one of zooey's projects is the ah-may-zing hello giggles. this is literally a giggle-inducing website. no joke. they tackle touch subjects with heart. they review old movies that i may or may not own on VHS in their 'old lady movie night.' and they make fun of themselves along with others. so for your {friday fun}, i give you their realistic, hysterical, and logical review of jessica simpson's music video for her early hit, i think i'm in love with you. if you aren't about to fall out of your chair with laughter while reading it, there may be something wrong with you. seriously- you need to get it checked. i have a great doctor to refer you to if need be.

xoxo Lauren

{friday fun} girls get bored of jewelry?! NO!

this was actually a question that my brother recently asked me. see- his girlfriend is a HUGE fan of Stella & Dot and over the past few months they've celebrated numerous occasions that called for gifts. their anniversary. her birthday. christmas. and each time, my baby bro turned to me and asked: 'what's on her wishlist? i need to get it for her.' but as the bling piled up, he legitamitely asked me: 'don't girls get bored of jewelry?!' i promptly replied with the following: 'um, no! if that was the case, cartier and tiffany's would have been out of business decades ago.'

see, we loooove accessories. and jewelry is the creme de la creme of this category. point me in the direction of a girl who doesn't like something shiny and sparkly. you'll be hard pressed to find one.



so when i got word of the new Stella & Dot line, i was uber excited. literally could not contain my excitement. and when it was time to purchase my new samples for trunk shows, i legit spent hours contemplating my order. so without further ado, i give you a sampling of the Stella & Dot 2013 Spring/Summer Line. yay for bling! :)

necklaces

calypso, $89

jolie, $79

aileen, $59

piper, $29

maya, $39

earrings

lilly, $39

soiree, $24

raina, $39

seychelles, $44

bracelets

christina, $49

zinnia, $49

rings

mary-margaret, $39

moraley stackable bands, $39

the new line is available TODAY, so stop wasting time and get shopping! you know you deserve it. ;-)

xoxo Lauren

{friday fun} lost rhino brewery

it's not too often this local girl is out of the loop on the newest places to grab a bite, grab a drink, or grab a  band. but it did happen recently and i'm not ashamed to admit it. my name is lauren riner and i don't know everything. wow- my parents are going to note this day in the riner fam record books. ha.

so i was recently out at the reston town center grabbing a drink. in conversation, i was made aware of a new brewery in my hometown of ashburn. actually, i noticed the lovely sign on route 7 near leesburg, but thought nothing of it. i figured- if it was worth visiting, i would hear about it. low and behold- it is worth it.

lost rhino brewing company is definitely worth the trek to loudoun. it's been way too long since there was a craft brewery run by our own hometown residents- RIP the original old dominion brewery. but after the owners sold old dominion to one of the big boozy conglomerates, they decided to take those funds and start again. alas, we have another ashburn gem with good food, good brews, and good times.

most of my friends know that i'm not the biggest beer drinker, but i have to say, it was pretty darn good when i was last there with my friend/client christina. we had a long day of househunting (i.e. having fun) around loudoun and decided that a brewski was definitely in order. lost rhino is somewhat of a needle in a haystack- located in an office park near the home depot shopping center between waxpool road and farmwell road. so we pulled up, walked inside, and all of a sudden were in a hidden gem.

they have your typical tables for dinners, a tasting bar to rival all of the local wineries, and plenty of cocktail tables to host your post-work watering hole needs. the beer is all brewed on site and you can see it- through HUGE glass windows. the list of available beers is carefully displayed on a chalkboard behind the tasting bar and everyone is there to help with a suggestion. they've even got a stage for bands on friday nights. wahoo!

we didn't have much of the food- we ordered the hummus platter to munch on. however a quick glance at the menu proved that they have perfected the gastro-pub experience. a few items to mention: crab stuffed jalapeno poppers, smoked pumpkin-andouille-bacon chili, and they're woody stout 'beerimisu'. yes- it's tiramisu drenched in beer. yum in the tum. although food was not on our mind, i have to say this non-beer drinker thoroughly enjoyed her 'pretty in pink' beer.

if you haven't been yet, this is a must. and for all of my local loudoun county raised friends, definitely check it out. welcome to the neighborhood, lost rhino brewing company!

and to finish off today's friday fun, here's a hilarious and genius beer commercial. enjoy!

xoxo Lauren

{friday fun} welcome home!

we all have people in our lives that are considering moving, are in the process of moving, or have recently moved. it's just a reality of life that people are always on the go. but what happens when you are faced with coming up with some sort of housewarming gift and you don't want to just give the typical gift card or bottle of wine? head to pinterest, of course!

vinny, barrett, meghan, matt, and myself at the annual hsc-rmc tailgate.

two of my good friends, barrett and vinny, recently purchased their first home down the street from my house. to say i am excited to have them within 5 minutes from my home is an understatement. i wanted to celebrate their excitement and give them a gift that truly captured their personalities. so when i saw the following pin, i knew it was perfect:

heidi's version at lightlycrunchy.com

thanks to heidi at lightly crunchy, it was an awesome gift compilation for the foodies in your life. below is my version with items from our local trader joe's:

i included 2 loaves of bread (one cranberry walnut and one alpine gruyere), candle sticks, a himalayan pink salt grinder, honey apple butter, garlic olive oil, and cocobon red wine- all from trader joe's. instead of a basket, i knew that an insulated bag would get great use! barrett and vinny loved the gift, so mission: success.

the best part is the card that i attached to the bag, listing the purpose behind each of the items i've included:

'bread so you'll never go hungry. candles so you'll always have light through the darkest times. honey so you'll always enjoy the sweetness of life. olive oil so you will be blessed with health and well-being. salt so there will always be flavor and spice in your life. wine so you will always have joy and never go thirsty.'

here's another option for those beer drinkers in your life: lime tree and coronas.

and now for the funny. here is a great housewarming someecards.com invite i found. enjoy!

xoxo Lauren

{friday fun} starbucks secret menu.

it's friday, so why not have a little fun? with that begins my weekly friday post very cleverly titled, {friday fun}. oh yeah, i'm real witty. with a useful tip (this is a blog by me afterall), will come a funny vid, pic, link, list, or whatever gives me the giggles. hopefully, you'll giggle too.

yesterday was november 1st, so here in the riner household that meant that pumpkin spice latte was no longer alone on the starbucks menu. eggnog latte, gingerbread latte, and others joined in...it's a holiday drink partay! did you know, though, there's a whole menu of drinks you can order or customize to your pleasure. another pinterest find!

try one this weekend and let me know how it tastes! in the meantime, enjoy this hilarious starbucks video from the ellen show.

xoxo Lauren