Gel nails nail NAILS!!!

I've always been a girlie girl.  I've always had great nails and always loved to do my  nails.  I got a manicure a couple summers ago and the nail tech asked if I wanted to do a "gel manicure".  I said no cause I did not want fake nails I wanted my own nails.  She explained it was just gel polish, so the manicure would last 2-3 weeks.  I said sure, I'll try it.  Well it ended up lasting 4 weeks without a single chip.  I loved it so much I got another one done a little while later with my mom.  After that I decided I wanted to buy everything so I could learn to do it myself.  I thought I would write a blog post about it so everyone could learn how to do beautiful nails at home that will last 3-4 weeks.  It is a little spendy to get started.  I researched the two main gel products; shellac and gelish.  I had a manicure done with both and I realized I like gelish better.  It feels a little thicker and I think it is easier to apply.  I bought everything on ebay.  I spent about $135 to get all my needed supplies.  If you were to get a gel manicure at a salon, you will spend anywhere from $45-60 before tip.  So if you do 3-4 manicures at home you have paid off your products.
Here is a list of the things you will need to do your Gelish manicures at home:

PH Bond

Gelish Foundation Gel

Gelish Structure Gel

Gelish Top It Off

Fine Glitter
I bought these fine glitters on ebay, you just want to search for "fine glitter".  If the glitter is not fine the light will not be able to cure the product as well and the manicure will not last as long.  Getting these on ebay is a good option because you can get 10-20 colors for 8-15 dollars.

I just bought these fine glitters from Michael's.  They were on sale for 14.99 and it came with 30 fine glitters.  These work very well and give you a lot of color options.  I love them!

Stiff Nail Brush.  I got a set of 10 of these brushes on ebay for 9.99.  It is good because there are different sizes which is helpful when doing the glitter on the tips

Orange wood Stick

100% Acetone

I got this at a local drug store like walgreens

Cuticle Oil

36 Watt UV light

So now that you know what you need I will list the steps of how to do the manicure

It is easier to do one hand completely and then move on to the next

Step 1: Clean the nail beds by wiping with a swab of acetone and shape the nails

Step 2: Use a fine nail file to lightly buff the entire nail

Step 3: Put the PH Bond on each nail, this will dry out the nail bed getting all the oils off the nail.  It will turn the nail bed white.  I apply 2-3 coats to make sure the nail bed is really dehydrated.

Step 4: Apply a thin layer of the foundation gel to each nail.  Use the orange stick to wipe around the nails so none is on the skin.  Cure under the UV light for 2 minutes 

*do no touch the nails, they will be sticky after each step until the end*

Step 5: Dip the nail brush in the structure gel so you have a little ball of gel on the end.  Then dip it in the glitter.  Put the ball of glitter on the tip of the nail and move it around so it forms a smile line on the tip.  You can then use the orange wood stick to move any glitter that has gotten too far down on the nail and on the skin around the edges of the nail.  Apply to each nail.  Make sure the glitter is where you want it before you cure, once you cure it, it will be stuck.  Cure for 2 minutes

Step 6: Repeat step five so it is a solid line of glitter with no see through patches. Cure for 2 minutes

Step 7: Take a cotton pad and put acetone on it.  Simply wipe each nail so they are not sticky.  The cotton pad may leave some cotton on the nails so make sure to get that off of each nail.  

Step 8: Take a fine nail file and lightly file each nail.  This will smooth the glitter so it is soft and it will soften the smile line as well.  Do not file too hard so you file away the glitter, just enough to smooth it.  You can run your finger over the smile line to make sure it is all smooth.  File down any high or rough patches.  

Step 9:  Put a thin layer of top it off on each nail.  Wipe the edges of the nails and skin with the orange wood stick so there is NO top it off on the skin.  This is a very thick layer so you really don't want to get any on your skin. Cure for 2 minutes

Step 10: Wipe the nail with a pad of acetone to remove any the sticky layer.

Step 11: Put Cuticle oil on each nail and massage it into the nail.  This helps to hydrate the cuticles and keep the gel nail polish flexible. I do this 3-4 times a week as well and I think it helps my manicures last longer and look great!

Here are some pictures of some of the manicures I have done on myself.  Any questions just ask, I love to do this stuff!

First Christmas....ALONE! :(

Well as I explained in my previous post Brandon and I spent our first christmas alone :(  It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Christmas morning Brandon and I got to video chat and open a few presents from our family.  It was fun to be able to talk and see each others faces christmas morning.  I really do not know how people did long distance before video chatting on cell phones came around!
 His parents and my mom tried really hard to keep my spirits up but there was definitely a lot missing this year.
My mom and I went to Brandons parents Saturday night and that was a lot of fun.  Patty made home made gumbo and it was delicious.  I ate TWO bowls, as I always do :)  We all exchanged little presents and had a lot of laughs.  It was really fun.  We even got to video chat with Brandon for a few minutes so that was exciting.
Sunday I went to my moms and she cooked us all a big dinner.  She made like a 7 course meal and it was all so yummy.  My favorite of course was the home made caesar salad :) I could never eat too much of that.
It was hard to be around everyone who was just so happy.  Everyone had their loved ones all there and had everything they wanted.  I missed Brandon so much, I tried really hard to not be down but it was impossible to not feel a little sad.
I feel spoiled this year, my mom gave me diamond earrings for christmas and my birthday...so I can start to get some jewelry back.  It was so sweet and I was definitely surprised!! I love them!

Brandon and both got some money for christmas and I got some for my birthday.  Goal driven me wanted to put all our money on bills, but thank goodness for Brandon making me realize it is OK to spend some money on ourselves.  So we are both taking the money we got for christmas and doing some fun things for ourselves.   I bought a new navigation disc for my car so I'll have updated maps on my in dash navigation :)  I even think I will have enough money left over to get my windows tinted on my car...something I have wanted to do since I got the thing!  So I am excited for that.  Brandon is of course buying tools and shirts from far west line specialties.  I don't think he will ever spend money on anything else for the rest of his life!  He also went to this go cart race track in Denver today, he said it was so much fun! He got 3rd place out of 10 riders...not to bad for his first time, he didn't tell me how old the 1st and 2nd place people were...I'm thinking they may have been little kids, haha!

Well we made it through the holiday and I am glad it is over.  I am looking forward to the new year and all the exciting things to come.  Hopefully Brandon will be able to come home in January so maybe we'll get to see each other in like 4 weeks :)

"If you fight like a married couple, talk like best friends, flirt like first love & protect each other like siblings; it is meant to be"

Brandon's 2nd Step!!

Brandon turned second step today!! There are 7 steps in Brandon's apprenticeship.  Every step is 1000 hours and / or 6 months on the job.  The JATC gave brandon about 900 hours for his previous work experience so he was able to move up to 2nd step really quickly.  This is so exciting!! Its like he is being sent home 6 months earlier than normal!!  So I guess you could say we really only have about 2 1/2 years left until he can start trying to get a job at here and come home!

I'm really missing Brandon this week. I thought I would be strong enough to do the holidays without him but I am bumming bad.  We thought I would have to work the Monday after Christmas and we thought Brandon would only get the Monday after Christmas off.  We didn't want to fly him home for 3 days when I would only be off work for ONE day while he was here.  Well his crew didn't work today because the snow was so bad in Denver.  Tomorrow they are working a half day most likely and I found out I have Monday after Christmas off.  So in the end we probably could have brought him home for 5 days...instead we will just video chat Christmas morning, I sure am thankful for technology!

When Brandon first left I went through a lot of emotions.  Clearly I was very sad, my best friend just moved 1000 miles away.  I was so proud though, this thing we had been chasing for the entire time I had known Brandon was no longer a chase....he had gotten it.  Most of the time the pride I have for what Brandon does and the journey he was on trying to reach his goal outweighs my sadness.  Some days are harder than others.

I also felt a little bit of excitement to a certain extent. I know it is horrible to say but let me try to explain.  I felt wow, I will only have myself to take care of, my own laundry, my own dishes, my own self to cook dinner for.  I can watch my own TV shows, be on my own schedule and do anything I want when I want.  I felt I better enjoy this time now cause when we have kids I will never have anything "my own" again, let alone my own time.  I went the first 2 months of Brandon being gone without stepping foot into a grocery store.  I didn't want to buy food for just myself, so I just cleaned out our pantry and freezer.  I didn't make our bed, or barely clean our house...what did it matter no one would see.  I realized I needed to get out of that funk and keep the house the same way I would if Brandon was here.  I am trying to cook myself an actual dinner at least twice a week.  So far it has consisted of me cooking a large dinner like pasta and making it last all week....but I am trying.

3+ months into this I am over it being myself. I miss my partner.  I miss having someone to cook for, sometimes cooking two dinners cause we want two completely different things.  I miss doing his laundry and finding wood chips all over my clothes cause his pockets were full of wood chips from work. I miss watching our shows together or sometimes he would have his "Trucks" show on in the background or him watching a car show and rewinding it over and over to show me the same car several times.  I miss him tucking me in in the mornings when he left for work and running out to see him when he pulled in the driveway.  I miss running our errands on the weekends together, always crossing things off our to-do list.  I  miss getting to go see our friends together, instead of just me filling them in on how Brandon is doing.  I miss my old life with Brandon...but this is a new life so I have to find the good in it and it enjoy it while it lasts cause this phase will be a  distant memory someday and I am sure I will miss it too.

"Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory"

First blog post ever....

So I am completely new to this whole blogging thing.  I have went through the myspace phase and I love Facebook but I am just now getting into this blog.  I'll start my sharing a little about myself and my current situation.


My fiancé and I have been together for  over 3 years now.  He is the absolute love of my life and I cannot imagine not having him in my daily life.  He is my number one fan and I am his.  He is my best friend and everything I could ever want in my partner.  He is the smartest man I know and always setting huge goals for himself,  another great quality!

 He proposed on April 17th, 2011 and it was the most amazing day.  He brought me up to one of our favorite spots in Coeur d Alene, ID, where there were 20 of our friends and family.  He then had one of our favorite artists up there, start playing one of our songs....he also had a friends of ours record the entire thing on video so I have pictures and video of all those special moments.  It was an amazing day to say the least.  I also got my DREAM wedding ring, which is yellow emerald with diamonds set in white gold!! :)

Brandon is a lineman apprentice.  He works on the power lines.  I am so proud of him.  He went to Avista lineman school back in 2008 and the economy was horrible in 2009 so he struggled with getting his apprenticeship for 3 years.  I have never seen a man more determined for anything in my entire life.  I am so proud of him for never giving up!!

I live in North Idaho and we are currently buying our dream piece of property.  5 Acres about 20 minutes out of town.   We are living in a  great manufactured home now and can't wait to build our dream home someday.

Brandon got his apprenticeship in Denver, CO.  He is working for Mtn State JATC, which means they can send him anywhere in CO, UT, WY, MT and Southern ID.  So we are definitely trying to adjust to living apart from each other.  I miss him so much every single day.  Two weeks before he left I started a great job with a company that I love.  There is great opportunity there for me so i am not really able to leave everything and hit the road with Brandon right now.  We try to see each other every 6 weeks.  He left in the middle of September and we have been able to see each other twice.
I have an amazing group of support at home, all my friends and my mom really do everything they can to make sure I know I am cared for.  I am so thankful for that.  If it were not for my friends and my mom I know I would not be able to stay away from Brandon.

Brandons apprenticeship is 7000 hours, usually ends up to be about 3 years.  I look forward to having this blog to document all the crazy adventures this job takes us on.  There will be good days and bad days but hopefully whoever cares to read will stick with me along the way.