Your face is dirty.

Micellar water. 

I've written about it before, but I'm about to write about it again. 

Why? Because it's a magical tonic? 

Yes. 

Everybody, by this point in life, probably has a face wash to which they are loyal. I have been married to a few face washes in my lifetime: Aveeno Exfoliating Scrub, Clean and Clear Exfoliating Scrub, and Aveeno Foaming Cleanser. 

But nothing, nothing, nothing compares to my micellar water. Because micellar water is my face wash AND my moisturizer. 

(Especially since I found out that microbeads are about to be outlawed because of the way they slip through shower drains, don't dissolve, and kill the fish!)

Micellar water is the simplest cleanser out there, and, in my opinion, the healthiest for your face. The science behind it is really easy to understand. Micelles, which are just molecules of oil, attract impurities like dirt and makeup.

When you sweep a cotton round soaked with micellar water across your face, it's basically the skincare equivalent of a Swiffer: all those things you don't want? Sucked like a magnet onto the round.

In addition to cleansing your skin of all the stuff you don't want on it, it's also depositing healthy oil onto your skin, which is great for keeping your face young-looking. Normal cleansers strip your skin of makeup, but they also strip your skin of healthy oils, creating dryness and tightness. 

The thing that sold me on micellar water was exactly what I'm about to show you, because it really is such an easy-to-grasp example of exactly how micellar water is more effective than other cleansers. 

When I put on a full face of "everyday" makeup, I use: 

• Moisturizer mixed with foundation
• Under-eye concealer 
• Bone-colored eyeshadow on my brow bone
• Sand-colored eyeshadow in the crease of my eyelids
• Liquid eyeliner on my top lids
• Mascara on my top lashes 
• Darker brown eyeshadow to fill in my brows
• Brow gel 
• Blush 
• Some kind of lip color 
• Loose powder 

...that sounds like a lot when I type it all out. Yikes. 

Anyway, so for this experiment, I put on all of that makeup. I washed my face with Aveeno Foaming cleanser, then thoroughly removed my eye makeup with Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover. 

Just so you can see that I've taken all my makeup off, I took a (really unfortunate) makeup-free bathroom selfie. You're welcome. 

Hi. 

Right. 

Then, I soaked a cotton round in Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water.  (The bold text there is a link if you'd like to purchase some yourself!) 

This is what was removed AFTER I washed my face and took my eye makeup off (I included a clean round for comparison): 

I thought, "I wonder if there's anything else left..." 

So I repeated the experiment and the second picture includes the SECOND round that collected makeup and dirt. 

It's mind-boggling, honestly. Despite my face appearing to me squeaky-clean after washing, I still had enough junk on my skin to fill up one and a half cotton rounds. Ew. 

The best part about this process? You just watched the entirety of it. Sweeping your face with cotton rounds = done. That's the whole thing. 

You never wash your face with water. You just sweet micellar water over your skin twice a day (morning and night). Your face never gets dry - it just keeps getting better. 

I use a homemade mask (coffee grounds, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and honey) once a week to exfoliate. Otherwise, it's all micellar water, all the time. 

If you need more convincing (because I would - I like second opinions), read about it here and here. If you don't need more convincing, go buy you some daggum micellar water and prepare to be amazed. 

DIY: Return of the Chairs

Some of you may remember that about two months ago, I bought some chairs at an estate sale with the intention of refurbishing them. My first post, detailing the steps of my inaugural attempt at beating these chairs into submission, can be found here. 

Today, we have Part II of the tale. 

51. Ask your husband what he wants to do on this beautiful Saturday. Ignore him when he says what he wants to do is go fly fishing. 
52. Bribe him with promises of snacks and beer to help you work on your chairs with you, which have been sitting, dormant, on the porch. 
53. Quickly FaceTime your mom, who agrees that the chairs need to get finished, but mostly just because "they look so tacky sitting on your porch." 
54. Decide she's right. Make another list. Go to Lowe's. 
55. Promise to behave. Break said promise. Hide behind the ladders and jump out at a man who you think is your husband, but isn't.
56. Quickly ponder what going to jail would be like.
57. Arrive home with the supplies in tow. Lay out newspaper and realize what an undertaking this is going to be.

58. "Listen" to your husband read the instructions aloud on the back of the bottle of paint stripper. 
59. Make a whole bunch of stripper jokes and dance seductively around your porch. 
60. Listen to your husband tell you he's not helping if all you're going to do is spaz around the porch while he does the work.
61. Actually listen to him talk about how to use the paint stripper. 

62. Laugh bitterly to yourself at the phrase "WORKS THE FIRST TIME!" featured underneath the product title, as you have already tried this product without your husband and it did not, in fact, work the first time. All it did was eat your sponge brush until you were painting with a stump. 
63. Examine the photo on the front. What exactly are they trying to peel up?? Instant mashed potato flakes?? Did somebody have a house party that got out of control? 
64. Glove up so this stuff doesn't eat through your skin. 

65. Apply a thick layer of Goof Off to two chairs and wait for twenty minutes. Watch in amazement as the paint starts to bubble up. Loudly complain that it didn't do that last time. 
66. Listen to your husband tell you that's because you used a sponge brush and not a paintbrush. 
67. Know he's right, but don't tell him. 
68. After twenty minutes, start scraping the paint off. This would be a good time to realize that though this project is labor-intensive, this particular part is your OCD dream come true: 

69. Since your husband has so deftly completed this step, grab the paint scraper and go for it on your own chair. 
70. Realize with sadness that your husband is simply better at this than you are, but do not be deterred. 
71. Scrape until you want to cut both your arms off. Then go back over the spots that aren't coming off with more Goof Off. Then scrape some more. Scrape, scrape, scrape. When you think you want to die, scrape some more. 
72. Think that you are done because you've lost your will to live. 
73. Agree when your husband decides you should buff the first two chairs, then repeat the scraping process on the last two. 
74. Silently scream to yourself as he lays out clean newspaper and you get started on round two. 

75. As you start applying what seems like the fortieth round of Goof Off, look over to discover your husband has reached new levels of anal and is now scraping the tiny little crevices with dental tools. 

76. Decide your husband is pretty awesome.
77. Keep scraping. Try not to throw up when you come across a dried Band-Aid next to a single dried Golden Graham on the underside of a chair. 
78. Definitely don't think about why the Band-Aid and Golden Graham are next to each other. Put it out of your mind. And don't eat either. 
79. Wonder if you should take all the paint off, or if the distressed look is kind of cool on its own.
80. Because you're musing instead of scraping, accidentally drop some Goof Off on your thigh. 
81. Scream in horror because your "SKIN IS GONNA MELT OFF JORDAN HELP ME RIGHT NOW." 
82. Watch your husband help you while LOLing, because this stuff definitely doesn't take your skin off.
83. Ask him why he made you be so careful, then. 
84. Listen as he explains that it can be dangerous if mis-handled. 
85. Stew in silence over being treated like a 5-year-old, then remember you did actually did drop what is basically poison on yourself, so shut up and decide he was right. 
86. Conclude that the chairs are better in their "distressed" form, rather than in their original paint-less form. Once you scrape all that gunk off, of course.

87. Get distracted by an article called "Broccoli Rabe Dreams Big," which describes how vegetables have marketing directors. VEGETABLES. As in, if a vegetable is "hot" right now, the marketing people will promote it on talk shows and ask celebrities to endorse it. A VEGETABLE. I can't. 
88. Get back on track and finish the chairs. Look at your work. Decide it's pretty good. 
89. Look at your shoes. Look at all the paint you've gotten stuck to them. Realize your husband has been doing this in bare feet for this exact reason, but has failed to pass that advice along.
90. Remind yourself to thump him in the head later.
91. Step back, assess, and pat yourself on the back. Listen as your husband tells you he's proud of you for working so hard. 
92. Set the chairs back in their corner of the porch to wait until next time, when we'll be putting the foam backing on. There will be a staple gun involved. 
93. Let your mind run wild with the possibilities of how you could, and probably will, injure yourself. 
94. Reward.

Wedding Gifts the Bride Will Love.

...because, let's be honest, when is it ever about the groom? 

Wedding season is in full swing, and though it's always safer to choose a gift from a couple's registry, sometimes you want to do something a little extra special for a couple that's dear to you. In those cases, there are a few presents that are always welcome in any home. 

1. A cast iron skillet. 

Cast iron is one of the tried and true staples of Southern cooking. In everything from frying eggs to making biscuits and cornbread, this is a gift that will sit on the stovetop for decades to come. Really, you're giving a legacy - a lot of cast iron cookware is passed down for generations. I loved that I inherited some from my great-grandmother. Find some great options at lots of price points here. 

2. Custom gifts from a local artist. 

No, oven mitts you knit yourself do not count as "custom gifts from a local artist." I know, disappointing. 

Jordan and I live down the street from these fantastic glassblowers Lexington Glassworks. The two guys who run the shop have created some of the most stunning glassware, pitchers, lighting - you name it. We've given several of our close friends these pitchers and cocktail glasses (in the above photo) to rave reviews.

It's extra special if you shop at a local business, because that gift will be both beautiful and unique. And you never have to worry about the couple receiving more than one! Just be sure you're certain of your friend's taste, and this will be a slam dunk every time. 

3. A sweet chemise.

Every bachelorette party I've been on has had a lingerie shower included in the itinerary. It's sometimes tricky to decide on the right thing - something classic, yet sexy, but also something that won't get duplicated 50 times by all the other girls. 

Enter the chemise. 

While super-sexy lingerie certainly has its place, a chemise can be more multi-purpose. This sweet little number functions as sleepwear, lingerie, and (best of all) something the bride can throw on straight out of the shower and wear to put on her makeup. 

I received one of these for my own lingerie shower and wear it constantly while I'm getting ready. The trick is to choose something beautiful and feminine, but not too sheer or revealing - trust me, your bride friend will absolutely love it. Find the one featured above here. 

You can always go in with someone on a pair of thigh-highs, too. 

4. Gift cards to local shops. 

I know, I know, gift cards can seem really impersonal. But hear me out. 

After the wedding is over, most brides will have received a couple of registry items more than once, or will be kicking themselves because they meant to register for something and didn't. This is where gift cards can be really handy. 

Things like window treatments, throw rugs, and some kitchen appliances can be VERY expensive, and returning a duplicate gift often doesn't quite add up to fund a replacement. So while gift cards may not be a physical gift, I loved having them because we were able to pool them together and purchase curtains, throw pillows, and other household items I never thought to register for. 

If you feel funny about getting a gift card, you can always make it for a little more than you might have spent on a gift (to cover what would have been the shipping gift wrapping costs), and then enclose a card recommending that the bride use it for "whatever extras come up." She'll appreciate it - promise! 

5. High quality picture frames from Framebridge. 

I have recently become a disciple of a company called Framebridge. If you haven't heard of them, let me introduce you! 

Framebridge has taken the middle-man out of framing your photos. Instead of you lugging pictures around to expensive framers, you can use Framebridge one of two ways: 1) They'll send you a waterproof kit, you roll your photo up, send it off, and they frame it for you, or 2) You upload a photo from your computer, and they'll do the rest! 

"The rest" means mounting, finishing, and sealing the back of your frame. Their frames are gorgeous and SO reasonably priced. They send your pictures back to you framed and ready to hang - the package even includes the hardware you'll need to hang your picture! Learn more about how it works. 

After a wedding, there are always incredible photos that the couple wants to have framed. A frame kit, or a gift card to a framing service, will allow them the freedom of choosing their own frame, but on someone else's dime. This is one of the gifts I loved getting the most because it allows us to relive our wedding day every time we walk into our den! 

Happy hunting! 

Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet: Fetch or Wretch?

This event isn't really major - in fact, I had to stop and ask "Who is that?!" like 45 times during the show, but we did stumble upon it on TV last night. So I'm posting about it, because it's Monday and what better to ease us into our week than clothes? 

Fetch. 

Britney Spears. 

I'm changing the rules for our girl because her red carpet look was very bad, but THIS is what she looked like during her performance. 

BOW. DOWN. 

Zendaya.

I legit have no idea who this girl is or why she's famous. I *think* that she was a Disney Channel star of some sort? Regardless, I see her on the red carpet every time it's is rolled out, and she almost always knocks it out of the park. Some will say this look is too monochromatic, but I think she nailed it - she knows what works for her. She looks statuesque and fabulous. 

Ke$ha. 

...it physically pained me to type that stupid dollar sign. It also pained me to put her in the "best dressed" category - but I would wear every piece of this outfit, down to the shoes. There has certainly been a lot of controversy around this lady lately, and while there's no way I'm going to opine on that, I will say she's definitely succeeded in toning down her look to be taken more seriously. Jordan looked at me last night during her performance and said, "Why is this so solemn? Is she re-branding herself?" After I got over the fact that my husband knows what "re-branding" is, I had to agree - her publicist is doing a great job adjusting Ke$ha's image to reflect that she's got more to offer than glitter vomit and sweaty club remixes.  

As an aside, I had no idea she could actually sing. 

Laverne Cox.

A little grand for the Vegas red carpet at the Billboard Awards, but when someone is slaying in this manner, it doesn't matter. I don't mean to be politically incorrect, but this used to be a man, people. SHE IS SO FIERCE.

...and those four outfits are the only ones I liked. Now, on to the not-so-successful. 

Wretch.

Rihanna.

Girl, the 90's called and wants every single bit of this look back, right down to the mom hair. But you CRUSHED your performance and you normally get it right, so we'll give you a pass. 

Ariana Grande.

WAY too much going on with the cutouts, leather, and pattern. Ages her a decade. Too small a person to carry off that much dress. Hate the shoes. 

Nick Jonas. 

Looks like he grabbed four pieces off his bedroom floor and threw them on in the car on the way. Also, in every picture, those pants are doing something weird in the crotchal region. Also, it's too casual. 

Jessica Alba.

...why are you wearing black suede boots in the middle of May?? 

Idina Menzel.

It's almost right, but that dress gives her three boobs. 

Some Person I've Never Heard Of.

Who does she think she is? What the hell is she wearing? How did she move around? Does the skirt detach? Do you think she made the photographers wait until she got her face and hands arranged in that, "Leeeeewk at me I'm a bewwwwwwtifwel fissssh!" pose? Is the top sheer? Was the wig heavy? Does she know there's already a Lady Gaga?  

There were a lot more looks that I really didn't care for, but I genuinely didn't know who they were. Like, had never heard of them or their music.

Is that it's like to get old? 

See you tomorrow for the first episode of Bach-capping. 

5 Things: Reasons I Love Traveling with Jordan

This week, Jordan and I are at a beautiful resort hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC. He's doing some continuing education work, but we're still getting to spend lots of time together! Yesterday while the weather was cloudy, I stayed inside and watched Downton Abbey for about 4 hours. And I'm not even sorry. 

Most of the time when we travel, we're with people and/or only gone for the weekend. This is the first trip since our honeymoon where we've had several days in a row getting to relax and spend lots of time together, and I am gobbling it up. 

So, in honor of that, here are five things I love about traveling with my husband. 

1. He will eat anything. 

I don't mean he has low standards, I mean he'll try anything. Weird, cultural foods are his jam. He loves to try something new if the occasion calls for it, and that's one of my favorite things about him. Last night at dinner, he had the waiter choose for him (because he likes almost everything). The guy brought him salmon Rockefeller and he gobbled up every bite. I think the reason I like this quality in him so much is that it speaks to his low maintenance personality - he's just here to have a good time. 

2. He doesn't sweat the small stuff.

I am the planner in our marriage. I know what's happening, when, how long it will take to get there, what the attire is, who'll be there - I RSVP, send the gifts, and book the plane tickets. That is my role. But since this is his trip, I took a backseat and decided to just show up and go with it. True story: we drove here (a little over 5 hours), and about 30 minutes before we arrived, at 11:15 PM, I confirmed the hotel with Jordan. "Yeah, that's right," he said, "But text someone to make sure." (His entire dental office is also down here, so that's who he was getting confirmation from.) Turns out, we had the wrong hotel. I, of course, was basically bleeding into my brain stem that it was almost midnight and we didn't know where we were staying. But he was fine and we got it figured out within minutes. In the scheme of life, having every plan perfectly nailed down isn't that important. Jordan reminds me that we all have to loosen the hell up sometimes. 

(To be perfectly clear, I will still want to know what hotel we're staying in well before we arrive in the future. Just in case you're reading this, Jord.) 

3. He'll take pictures with me. 

I know that many men are pretty irritated the minute their wives pull out their cell phone and try to snap pictures. Rightfully so - I don't blame them. We take too many pictures. We can't help it. Though Jordan definitely has his limit (example: selfie, take a picture of me by myself, now take a picture with me again, oh wait my hair was doing something weird, etc.), he is almost always such a good sport about posing for as many pictures as I want to take. He says, "It may not be my favorite thing, but I'll want to remember this at some point." 

4. He is happy first thing in the morning. 

I don't know about you, but I am a groggy, nasty wreck first thing in the morning. I'm not one of those, "Don't talk to me before I've had my coffee," people, but it definitely takes me a second to get up and moving. Jordan, on the other hand, is happy right when he opens his eyes. For example, this morning he woke up, snuggled up to me, and started laughing at me because I'd put my pajama pants on backwards last night. #classic Even in the middle of the night if I have to get up for some reason, he's so pleasant and unbothered. This makes traveling a breeze - no grumpiness to fight through, just happiness. 

5. He is a big, curious nerd. 

Any of you who know Jordan personally know that he is a giant nerd. If we go to a park or zoo, he loves to read every SINGLE placard in the joint - all the details about the specific types of trees and/or animals. If we're stargazing, he loves to talk about star death. And if we're beach walking, like we were yesterday, he loves to search for shark teeth (for his dad) and identify every living creature we see along the way. It's a precious habit and always reminds me that stopping to be curious about the natural world pays off in fascinating little bits of information. 

SO let me go ahead and use all the cliches about him: "I love doing life with you!" "THIS guy." "So happy to be in a beautiful place with my favorite person." 

...but really, he is my favorite person. And I'm really glad we got married. 

5 Things: Financial Lessons to Learn Before 30

If you're Southern, money isn't something that's proper dinner conversation. It's impolite. It's tacky to talk about money. Know what's tackier? Ending up thousands of dollars in credit card debt because you didn't save in your 20's and spent recklessly.

MONEY IS SO HARD. Seriously though, it can be so challenging to deal with and think about - no matter what stage of the financial game you're in, there are questions and doubts and freak-outs about money. 

Some of my past freakouts have included the "WHAT?? I thought I had so much more money than this!!!" checking account realization; the "Of COURSE I'll pay for everyone. Another round on me!" unnecessarily generous and semi-drunken gesture; the "Oh, J. Crew Factory has a clearance section? I'll just buy a couple of things..." rabbit hole; and, of course, the "We owe HOW MUCH in student loans?!?!" sinking feeling. 

After college, I was teaching school for a couple of years, had my first experience being financially independent, and learned a LOT of lessons. Now, I manage our finances and pay our bills, create and adhere to (mostly! eek!) our budget, and talk to our financial planner monthly. I have come a long way from my more irresponsible financial days. Though I haven't got it licked, here are some things I've learned. 

1. Save. 

This seems like a no-brainer, but it isn't. When I graduated from college and got a job, my first impulse was to think, "I'm making my own money and I'll SPEND IT HOWEVER I WANT!" Even if I was saving, I would freely dip into my savings account whenever I needed a little extra. 

DON'T! 

Everyone is in a different place when it comes to saving - some have room to save a lot, some, a little. Saving between 10% and 15% of your monthly income is always a safe bet. And once it's there, don't dip into into to pay credit card bills or to cover a splurge purchase. That's your nest egg, and you should protect it.

I remember vividly a weekend in Memphis where my car (without me in it) was sideswiped by a tow truck. Though having to get my car repaired was REALLY inconvenient, that occasion marked the first time in my life that I was able to pay for the damages with my own money without having to worry that I wouldn't have enough to live on. That was such a good feeling. Having money saved gives you financial freedom in the best way. 

2. Credit cards can be your worst enemy.

As of 2015, the United States was in $733 BILLION of credit card debt. Did that blow your mind or what?? Which means the average person in this country is in $17,000 of credit card debt (that's not including mortgages, student loans, or any other type of debt). 

Here's a hard and fast rule: if you can't pay your credit card bill off every month IN FULL, you're spending too much.

Lest I sound preachy, let me clarify that this rule took me about 5 years to actually take to heart. 

Credit card companies make billions of dollars a year from the interest they collect when we don't pay our bills off each month. By owing money, we set ourselves up to ultimately pay through the nose on fees and interest that compound on the money we owe. It stinks. And credit card companies are sneaky, enticing us to sign up for a card and get a discount at our favorite retailer, or to get x, y, and z benefits. 

Building credit is important, so having a credit card is great! But having a credit card is like having a parent who wants to be your friend rather than your disciplinarian. It whispers, "Hey man, just go ahead and swipe me! This is basically Monopoly money anyway - don't you want that pair of shoes? Come on - you can just pay it off later. You only live once!"  Don't listen.

It can be really tempting to spend outside of your means at this stage of life to try to keep up with peers who you feel are living a more affluent lifestyle. I totally know that feeling. It's hard to fight against, but the reality is, many of our peers at this stage who we look to as having luxurious lifestyles are also spending more than they make in order to appear that way. It's a slippery slope, and ultimately, it's a very expensive one that can follow you for years. 

3. Credit cards can be your best friend. 

On the flip side, having a great card can be fantastic if you use it wisely. For example, Jordan and I did some research into which cards give the best rewards (and there are lots!). We ultimately decided to get an Amazon card, because we knew how often we'd be buying products on that site since we have a Prime account. The Amazon card gives you rewards points that turn into Amazon cash, which allows you to make purchases entirely with points. 

Quick story: 

Tom Hanks, God bless his little heart, sheds like a maniac. I know he's a labradoodle, but he's 3/4 lab, which means he sheds for two dogs. So we were really hurting having to clean up his hair every. single. day. 

We started pooling our Amazon points to save for a Roomba. Right after Black Friday, there was an Amazon event on Cyber Monday where lots of products were crazy discounted. I searched to find that our Roomba, the Pet Series, was on the list of discounted merchandise - $100 OFF. So this normally $375 product was slashed to $275. I looked to see how many Amazon points we had: 272. So I got what is normally close to a $400 product...

...FOR THREE DOLLARS. 

Three dollars, people. If that doesn't sell you on a rewards card, I quit. 

4. Make a budget.

This is the more boring piece of advice ever - so boring, in fact, that I just started following this advice THIS YEAR. Oops. 

I don't like budgets. I don't like math. I don't like Excel spreadsheets. I don't like talking about any of the previously mentioned things. But (ugh) they're necessary (ugh) I guess. 

If you're like me and very averse to dealing with numbers, Mint.com offers an incredible, interactive budget that allows you to see what you've spent on each category of your budget in real time. They'll even send you friendly reminders if you're close to spending more than you budgeted on movies, clothes, or food (not that I do that or have ever done that, cough). 

Budgeting has really changed the way I think about money. I no longer want to overspend because I'm very competitive against myself to see how much I can save. I've learned through experience that there will ALWAYS be an unexpected expense (a car breaks down, a computer crashes, the dog gets sick, you need a plane ticket, etc.), and paying for those extra things really makes you wish you had all that money on clothes and food back. 

5. Read your bank statements. 

You, like me, may have signed up for paper statements in the mail, only to toss them in the recycling bin whenever they arrive. We're in the digital age now, which means it's incredibly easy for us to check our statements online; it's also easier than ever for people to steal from us. 

Another quick story: 

When I lived in Memphis, I had a curiously low bank statement one month. I sat at the kitchen table and pored over every transaction from my debit card in the last few months, only to discover that someone had been siphoning money from my account without my knowledge. 

How did they do it without me noticing, you might ask? 

Because they realized I wasn't paying attention. 

At first, they'd take money out in small increments: $5 here, $7 there. Eventually, they figured out that the cardholder (me) wasn't paying close enough attention to notice these small, strange purchases. So they started getting a little braver. They bought $30 items, $40 items - still didn't notice. It wasn't until they bought a $250 dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Utah that I actually woke up. 

So I called the bank and explained what happened, and they promptly explained to me that they already knew this was going on and had sent me a letter three months ago. Apparently, I was one of the people whose credit card information had been stolen in the big Target hack that year, and because I wasn't opening my freakin' mail, I didn't know. 

Thankfully, all that money was recovered. But since then, I've caught four separate occasions where I've either been dramatically overcharged or actually stolen from because I now take the time to comb through my bank statement every few days. 

Ultimately, money is a tool. It can provide you with opportunities you'd never otherwise have; it can fund things you care about; it can offer you solace and comfort. It doesn't have to be a dirty word. There is no better feeling than knowing that you are on top of your finances and have no dark clouds looming overhead. But the only way to do that is to be proactive. 

Shout out to my ladies here - these lessons are especially important for us to learn. Because:

MC: out.