Tuesday's Together, Sacramento CA, New Leader!


I'm super excited to announce that I'm the new leader of TuesdaysTogether - Sacramento, CA! If you don't know what that is, it's a once monthly meet up for creative entrepreneurs and business owners. We chat all things business-related with new monthly topics given to us from The Rising Tide Society. If you or anyone you know might benefit from this meet up then get in touch with me and I'll connect them with our group! I'm so excited this door opened for me and I can't wait to lead this incredible group of creatives in Sacramento!!

Jamberry Nail Wraps | Review & Giveaway!



I've heard so many people rave about Jamberry Nail Wraps over the last year and I had always thought they looked fun but I just never found the time to experiment with them. Well, fast forward a few months and my friend Janie started working for Jamberry and contacted me asking if she could send me some samples to try out and see how I liked them! Since I always have my nails painted, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give them a try and see what these nail wraps were all about. 

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for a little giveaway! 

A little about Janie & her thoughts on Jamberry

"I am a married to my high school sweetheart, and we have a 2 year old mini-me! I also work full-time, so between family and my job, I knew I didn’t have a lot of free time to commit to another venture! I am an introvert through and through, and I run my business almost exclusively through Social Media. Since Facebook is such an integral part of most people’s lives, my Hostesses are able to invite friends and family to a party, even if they are scattered across the country!

Jamberry is still a new company. When I looked into it, I realized that I would be able to share this trendy product with tons of people who had never heard of it before! To have that type of ground-floor opportunity is rare today! In these past 6 weeks, I have talked with girls who have tried Jamberry and love it, girls who have heard the name or know about the wraps and are excited to try them, and girls who have no idea what I’m talking about but fall in love! Everyday I have the chance to share a product that I truly love, and have other people love it just as much!"


My overall thoughts

I absolutely love Jamberry Nail Wraps. They really are so much fun! It took me a few tries to figure out the best way to apply them but once I got the hang of it, it was so easy to do. There are a lot of helpful YouTube tutorials and videos on the Jamberry site that explain the application process. 

Below are pictures of my nails on Day One. The ring finger has a Jamberry wrap and the other fingers are just regular nail polish. 

Two tips for applying the wraps that I found most helpful; 

1. Before you clip off the excess wrap be sure to give it a nice pull so you can get out all of the grooves. Since we all have different fingernail shapes sometimes the wraps tend to bubble a bit. But, the adhesive is really strong so once they're on your nail just give the wrap a little tug and it will smooth right out, going flush to your nail.

2. Make sure to file in a downward motion.. only, when trying to get off the excess wrap. I made the mistake of filing back and forth my first try and it tends to fray the edge of the wrap. The video tutorial explains this a bit more, but just take your time and go easy on the filing & the edge of your nail will remain nice and smooth. 

Here is a picture of my nails on Day Five! Jamberry still in-tact and looking just like Day One.. pretty awesome. 



I highly recommend Jamberry Nail Wraps and can't wait to purchase a few sheets of my own in all of the fun designs offered.

The Giveaway! 

Janie has graciously offered to give a half sheet of Jamberry wraps of your choice, to one lucky reader. This half sheet will give you a full mani, pedi, and a few extra accent nails. How fun! 

To enter the giveaway (3 entries total): 

1. Leave a comment below telling me which Jamberry Wrap you hope to win (To view designs click here)

Extra Entries
2. Share this post on your Facebook page and leave a comment here saying that you did.
3. Repost the image below on Instagram, use the hashtag #nicolediannegiveaway & tag me @nicoledianne



This giveaway will be open until Thursday, April 9th at 11:59 pm. Winner announced Friday morning.


I was sent these wraps in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.



conversations with jeff // v.4



This husband of mine constantly keeps me laughing, And he never fails to remind me how many years he's added onto my life by doing so! Please enjoy my day-to-day conversations with this silly guy.

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Jeff: I think I'd look good with a pony tail, it would be different, it's kind of bohemian. 

Me: I don't think so.

Jeff: You've been wrong before. 


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[Jeff on Twitter

Jeff: How do I say something on here?

Me: Use your wit, you're hilarious

Jeff: No. Literally, how do I say something on here? Where is it?

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Me: You haven't posted anything on Instagram in over a month

Jeff: I know, I'm having a creative block

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Me: Hey will you throw my clothes in the dryer since you're over there?

Jeff: Sure, but everything is going in the dyer! Including your sweatshirt. You're going to get bacon zipper!

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[Jeff dancing around like crazy

Jeff: Man I'm tired, Jazzercise is REAL.

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[Shopping around in West Elm]

Jeff: $150 for a DUVET COVER? We're not the Prince of Persia here!

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[On Pringles]

Jeff: I knew once I popped I couldn't stop. 

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Jeff: Hey, do I have any other nieces?

Me: Nope, just one.

Jeff: Okay. Lina you're my favorite niece!


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Jeff: Should we name our future son Maxwell? 

Me: Sure that's a cute name.

Jeff: Actually let's go with Maximus. Maximus Greenwald...gotta set him up for success. 

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Jeff: You know what I could get down on right now? A gallon of milk. 

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Me: Hey what do you think of this edit?

Jeff: I mean your aperture is great, but your contrast ratio is a bit off. Is that the right way to critique? 

Me: I applaud the effort.

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[After me reading him a conversation my friend had with her son, that she had posted on Facebook]

Jeff: So wait, am I like your child? You always write down what I say and post it places!


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v.1 || v.2 || v.3 



Monthly Goals | November


Raise your hand if you're a list-lover like myself! Over the years I've discovered that I seem to be far more productive when I make lists for myself. It must have something to do with being able to physically cross items off upon completion and having a tangible representation of all I've accomplished in a day. So I have decided to start posting monthly goals on my blog to stay on track with everything and see the progress made from month to month! I'll start with my business goals and end with my personal goals.

Business
+ Photograph 3 weddings
+ Photograph 1 family
+ Finish editing 2 weddings
+ Design 2 albums
+ Move everything from old external hard drive to new external hard drive
+ Blog 3x weekly
+ Decide on client Christmas gifts

Personal
+ Take down Fall decor
+ Put UP Christmas decor!!!!
+ Thanksgiving!!!!
+ Start Christmas shopping
+ Organize hall closet
+ Gym 3x weekly
+ Unplug one day
+ Finish The Night Circus
+ Be more present with friends and family!

Do you have any goals for the month of November?! List-making means we have to be intentional throughout this next month and since my "word" for the whole of 2014 has been intentional, I'm determined to cross these items off one at a time!

First Impressions | Vol. 1

In an effort to move toward using more natural beauty products, I recently purchased some new items to try out this month and I thought it might be fun to give some first impressions of each! I've only been using these products for a few days now and I'll be sure to update in a month or so with whether or not I'll continue using these products. I'm no beauty guru, nor do I have any bit of professional advice for you, I'm just an average girl looking for decently priced beauty products that get the job done well!

Seche Vite Top Coat Nail Polish: You know the super smooth, can't stop touching, extra shiny top coat finish we all want? Seche Vite is your girl. This top coat polish is a game changer in the best way possible, helping to achieve a gel-like finish to your manicure. My nails did chip a bit on day two but I think it was because I couldn't stop touching them to feel their smoothness, I should have just let them be :).

Dr. Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Serum: I had never used a face serum until I stumbled into Origins about a month ago where they introduced me to the Dr. Weil's line of skin care and educated me a bit on the benefits of a facial serum. Since adding this product to my skincare regimen I definitely see reduced redness in my skin and overall improvements to the way my skin looks daily! I use primarily drugstore skincare so I don't feel as guilty splurging on one expensive product that I know will be beneficial long term! But let's be real, if I could afford it, my entire skincare regimen would be and Origins lineup!

Botanics Shine Away Clay Mask: This mask left my skin feeling smooth, refreshed and hydrated. The Botanics line is a plant-based skincare line so I feel better about putting it on my skin! It was also fairly inexpensive for a drugstore mask which is always a bonus.

Botanics Night Cream Triple Age Renewal: We all want to preserve the youthful skin on our face and one of the best ways to do so is by using an age renewal night cream. Botanics promises results in five days and I'm only on day two, but so far so good. This particular one smells and feels lovely on the skin. My skin does feel a tad bit oily after putting this on, like maybe it isn't soaking in enough. So I may just try using less of the product tonight and see if that helps. But overall, the oily feeling doesn't really bother me because I'm asleep anyway!

Aquaage Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner: I am LOVING this new combo shampoo and conditioner right now. My hair feels so light and deep cleaned after washing with this, and it smells like fresh ocean in a bottle which is probably my favorite part about it.

Are you trying out any new products this month or do you have suggestions for products I should try out next month? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!



Married: F o u r Y e a r s


Today is our four year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's already been f o u r  y e a r s! It's wild to think about all of the milestones we've gone through together in just four short years and how each of those events has shaped what our marriage is today.

Our first year of marriage was spent in separate parts of the world while Jeff was deployed in Iraq. Our second year of marriage we took the plunge into fur-parenthood and adopted our favorite little animal Turbo. Our third year of marriage Jeff landed a new full-time job and I began planning my inevitable escape from Starbucks. And finally, our fourth year of marriage we've made some of our biggest life decisions yet! I've gone full-time with my photography business and Jeff has decided to further his career in the Army, with songs of re-enlisting and becoming a pilot being sung through out our home. Yowza! I'm sworn to secrecy on details, but more on that in the coming months ;).

Thinking back to four years ago today, I didn't know what marriage at 22 years old would look like. I didn't think it would be easy, and I didn't think it would be perfect, but I did know that Jeff and I had the power to figure that out together and we were so excited to do so.

By no means have we figured out the formula to a perfect marriage and I know that we never will because perfection isn't achievable. But we have figured out what works for us and I am so happy to be doing life side by side with the man God had for me! I am so excited to see where God takes our marriage and our little story in the next four years because if it's anything like the first four, I know it'll be wild, beautiful, adventurous, full of laughing, big changes, and completely us.

Also, we had this conversation this morning:

Jeff: should we name our future son Maxwell?
Me: sure that's a cute name
Jeff: actually let's go with Maximus. Maximus Greenwald...gotta set him up for success.

I love a man with aspirations to further our nonexistent child's career. 


Stream of Consciousness

I have been reminded this week of all the many precious people in my life.

Nothing life altering took place, but it's special when you experience Jesus through other people.

It's in these experiences that I've been challenged to refocus and recommit to becoming a better version of myself and the person I want to be. It's easy to get caught up in selfishness and forget that my purpose is rooted in showing the love of Christ to people. Thinking back to all the many ways I've lost focus of that both saddens me and pushes me to a better place of knowing who and what I want to represent, and all of the ways I can achieve becoming a better me.

I want to be present when I'm with friends and family. I want to ask questions, engage in conversation and I want others to do the same. I want to forget where my phone is and remember the next morning, and not care about catching up with the social media missed in between. I want to read more books and look at less screens. I want to define the things that matter to me most in life, and forget about the rest. I don't want to be concerned with what I am "supposed" to value, or what's "standard for the industry." I want the things that I value to be the standard for my decisions. I want more real and less Pinterest.

I'm not super interested in the life that social media and blogs have created. That's not to say that a beautifully curated coffee shop image doesn't inspire me, but I think there's a fine line that is often crossed when defining reality vs. inspiration. Blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram offer some amazing inspiration for beautiful living, elaborate weddings, and special memories, but they have also created this alternate reality of square-ready vignettes, easily cropping out the real life happening just inches away.

I am interested in pursuing a life with less social media, less criticism, and more tangible moments with uplifting conversation.

And speaking of less screens, I'm off to read a book!