What Makes Me Sparkle

Post sponsored by Dasani; all opinions are 100% mine.

Over the 4th of July weekend I shuffled off to Buffalo, as I often do, to visit with my amazing family.  I always love to see my awesome aunts, uncles, and cousins (yes, we are one of those families that truly loves being in each others' presence - it's always non-stop chatter and loads of laughter), but there were three things that made this visit extra special.  My cousin and his wife are pregnant and they decided to throw a huge family BBQ, wherein we'd all get to gather together (it's a rare occurrence that we're all in the same place at the same time; the last instance being at this same cousin's wedding a couple years back*, so this in itself was definitely something to celebrate).  Plus, at the BBQ they would reveal the baby's sex (exciting!!) via cupcake (slightly more exciting!!) that would be filled with either blue or pink frosting.  Drumroll please...... it's a boy!  And the third cherry on top is that my sister flew up from Florida for the occasion, so I got a bonus visit with her.

I have to admit that I've been in a little bit of a funk lately, so being around my hilarious, inappropriate, loudmouthed, outspoken, witty, supportive, loving family was just the thing my soul needed.  Simply put, this ragtag bunch make me sparkle.

^  disorganized, disheveled, distracted - so typical of this family

^  getting closer

^  there it is...sort of

Speaking of sparkling, Dasani recently launched a tasty new line of sparkling water (which I've had the chance to try and it is deelicious!).  In celebration, Dasani wants to know what makes you sparkle.  Upload a photo of what makes you sparkle to Dasani's twitter or instagram with the hashtag #SparkleWithDASANI, and you could win a sparkling getaway to the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale!  The prize includes airfare, hotel, and spa treatments for you and three friends.

You'll also want to like Dasani on twitter & instagram so they can contact you if you're the winner (selected in early August).  Good luck!

*just gotta say, big ups to my cousin, Darren, for being the driving force behind gathering the whole family not once, but twice in the past two years!

Sparkle, Baby, Sparkle

{target flannel (super similar) | ON top (on sale for $10!) | f21 shorts | payless booties}

There are very few occasions that really lend themselves to wearing this much sparkle: New Year's Eve, a fancy party, your own dance recital, pretty much anytime you're on a cruise and are over the age of 75, and if you're Elvis or Liberace. 

But there's a sixth, unlikely option, and it is if you're doing a guest post for someone who's on vacation in Las Vegas.  (Guess which category I fall into.)  Read about it here.


linking here today.

Happy New Year's Eve Eve

{sweater, sparkly top: old navy  //  jeans: gap  //  wedges: payless}

I can't believe 2012 is right around the corner.  The end of December is such a wonderful time of year - time to spend with family and friends, time to reflect on the past year, and time to look forward to whatever the coming year has in store.

Also, its abbreviation is NYE which just happens to be my last name, and that's pretty sweet too.

This is what I plan to wear on New Year's Eve, but I'm wearing it now as a test run.  I tend to do that.

On the big day I'm thinking fancier hair; maybe some sort of up do that isn't my usual top knot.  But I'm kind of clueless about how to do my hair.  You'd think my sister being a hair dresser would rub off on me, even just a little bit.  But when it comes to my mane, I'm a mess.

What are some of your favorite holiday hair do's?

I wish you all a wonderful evening saying goodbye to 2011 and welcoming in 2012!

**update**

Thank you all for your hair suggestions!!  I didn't think I'd get so many ideas.  You all warm my heart.
I thought you might like to see how I wound up wearing my hair.  I tried the sock bun.  It looks so pretty and is sort of effortless once you get the hang of it, but one piece of advice - this hairstyle is not made for dancing.  My bun must have disintegrated about 5 times during the course of the evening.  Luckily I have awesome friends who:
a. didn't care how silly my hair looked
b. took the time to help me make it look pretty again anyway

caught by surprise

distracting the dj (aka my boyfriend)