The magazine has featured articles on style, healthy living, home building and decorating, food, and more.  Their latest issue, which hit stands on Saturday, has a piece on the upcoming Tyler Rose marathon and the Rose Festival.

Operating under the same roof as the Tyler Morning Telegraph, IN Magazine has access to the city’s most talented writers and photographers.  Think of it as a newspaper but cooler.  Maybe the news isn’t quite as relevant as the news reported in the traditional paper, but the traditional paper doesn’t have the big, pretty, glossy photos that IN Magazine has.

You should definitely read IN Magazine if you do not already.  It can be found at racks all over Tyler. I hear the new issue  features a blurb on food bloggers…  I am definitely looking forward to reading that!

The Courtyard hotel is officially open as of July 1st, 2010

Amenities include:
121 guest rooms and suites, including luxurious jacuzzi suites
4,200 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space
On-site fitness center featuring cardio equipment and free weights
Indoor pool and spa
42″ LCD flat screen tvs in every room
Free wireless internet
Patio with fire-pit
Starbucks available 24 hours a day
The Bistro Eat. Drink. Connect. restaurant and bar

Stop in and check it out!
For reservations go to http://www.courtyardtyler.com

Being the five year old that I am, I was of course immediately drawn to the Clydesdale horse that was giving carriage rides near the entrance.  I tried to line jump all the other people (children) in line, but my husband wouldn’t let me and instead we made our way to the barn to mingle with the grown-ups.  The word barn doesn’t really do this place justice, but that is what it is.  It was a horsebarn that has now been converted to a reception hall, complete with a food serving area.  The food, provided by Chez Bazan, was presented beautifully and tasted great.  Tables were set in a way fitting of a wedding reception, and beautiful floral arrangements were on each table.  Every inch was tastefully decorated and made me wish I could have another wedding.  The Sugared Rim bartending service was there serving wine and cocktails to attendants.

Brides have lots of options at Centaur Arabian Farms.  Everyway you look there is another picturesque setting for a ceremony or reception, both indoors or out.  The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the bed and breakfast is cozy and homey.  Though I wish Bill and Eva Sealey a world of luck with their project, somehow I doubt they will need it.  This is a fabulous place backed by even more fabulous people, and I can’t wait to come back soon.

After spending approximately 72 hours straight studying their website intently, I narrowed down my focus to one of the body scrubs or the body wraps.  Since my sister opted for one of the scrubs, I decided I’d go for the wrap.  I had no idea what to expect, and that was the exciting part.

We arrived at Jessica’s on a Tuesday afternoon, and I’ll admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the exterior appearance of the spa.  Thankfully, the interior is absolutely beautiful!  Dim lighting, a calming color palette, and the aroma of Jessica’s very own recipe of body products fills the air creating the ideal atmosphere for indulgent relaxation.  Just as I was thinking how spoiled I was to be getting such a pampering experience, I noticed the Jessica’s apparel aptly declared ‘Spoiled’ in screen printed letters on really cute tanks that I might have to go back and purchase.

No decision is easy for an indecisive person such as myself, so of course I was thrown for a loop when asked if I wanted the herbal body wrap or the seaweed body wrap.   In the interest of being daring I went for the seaweed and waited to be transformed into a human sushi roll.  My sister opted for the Brown Sugar and Cranberry Oatmeal body scrub/massage which sounded good enough to eat.

The talented Kylie directed me to my room and instructed me on how to prepare for my treatment.  First, she exfoliated my skin with some rough gloves.  Then, she used a seaweed infused product to coat my legs, arms, and stomach.  Next, she pulled a roll of Glad cling wrap (!!) out and began wrapping my limbs tightly.  Once I was a cling wrapped sushi mummy, she wrapped my whole body in a sheet, blanket, and some sort of metal blanket and turned the heat way up.  While I was cooking up a seaweed storm, Kylie gave me an AMAZING head massage and foot massage.  The 45 or so minutes I spent soaking in the seaweed goodness flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for me to emerge from my deep sea cocoon.  First, we removed the cling wrap, then Kylie used warm towels to clean up most of the seaweed goo.  I don’t know if I could really tell that inches were melted off my body like the treatment claims to accomplish, but my skin was soft, taught, and the effects I noticed are still going on close to five days later.

Though I haven’t had a chance yet to experience it personally, my sister has been raving about her scrub and about the amazing job Samantha did.  The scrub is on my list of must trys, along with just about everything else on their menu.  I can’t wait to start making Jessica’s a part of my routine.

The Tyler flower market is currently dominated by Garden Style. No florist in town can even come close to creating arrangements like them.  Garden Style excels in quality, service, and most notably, creativity.  You will not find any of the typical run-of-the-mill roses by the dozen or lily/carnation/baby’s breath combinations here.  Garden Style uses exotic varieties of flowers and unique vases to create floral masterpieces that are like actual pieces of art.  The amount of skill and talent that goes into each piece is evident.

Located in the Harley’s shopping Plaza, Garden Style also offers a good selection of plants, pots or plant holders, and small gifts and home goods like candles, reed diffusers, and hand care.  While browsing be sure to take a look at their refrigerated case of all the arrangements going out on any particular day…  It’s almost worth ordering an arrangement and having it delivered to yourself.

Floral arrangements from Garden Style don’t come cheap, but if you have some extra cash laying around they are worth every penny.  My husband sends me arrangements from Garden Style on special occasions, and my sister got the flowers for my bridal shower here.  Each arrangement was just as beautiful as the last, and they all were completely unique.  I’d love to be able to have a small arrangement on my desk everyday to enjoy, but because I can’t it just makes it that much more special when I do receive them.

Wednesday was one of the best days of my life.  I didn’t get engaged, married, no huge job offers or raises, and NO I did not find out I am expecting (whew!).  Nope, none of that stuff.  On Wednesday, my life was changed forever when… I got hair extensions.  This may seem shallow or trite, but on Wednesday I went from being a woman with a wimpy, boring head of hair to a woman with a long, thick, lustrous mane of beautiful locks and had hair confidence for the first time in my life.

Everyone knows all the celebrities have hair extensions.  Stars like Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears have been using them for years.  I lived under the impression that those kind of services and that level of skill simply was not available in East Texas.  Enter Kimberly Sullivan at Belladonna Day Spa.  Kimberly recently relocated to Tyler from San Francisco, and found her way to Belladonna where she specializes in hair additions and extensions.  Take a look at some of the amazing work she has done at www.hairadded.com or by checking out her Facebook page.  She is AMAZING.

I first met Kimberly at Belladonna’s Be Beautiful seminar, and was immediately interested when I heard about her specialties.  When I got a chance to see some of her work in person I was astonished.  The extensions she put on Belladonna’s owner, Angela Moss looked gorgeous!  They look 100% natural, and I never would have guessed they were not Angela’s own hair.  At that moment I knew I had to have my own.

I went in for a consultation so Kimberly could get a feel for my hair type, texture and color.  There are many different application methods for hair extensions, and different methods work best on different people.  For me, we went with seamless, 100% human hair extensions, applied via the cold fusion method.  Kimberly matched my hair color, ordered my hair, and scheduled an appointment the following week for the application.  The anticipation I experienced that week can only be compared to that of the week before my wedding.  Don’t judge!  I was really, really excited.  FINALLY, the day arrived and I went in for the application.

With anyone else doing my extensions I would have been nervous, but Kimberly had the background and experience to make me feel totally at ease and confident in her ability.  She has been trained extensively in all areas of hair additions, and just from talking to her I really got the feeling that she enjoys her work and is in it to help people feel good about themselves.  Like I mentioned before, she used the cold fusion method on me, which involves no heat and is non-damaging to the natural hair.  Each tract of hair is placed at the scalp and fused with a cold glue.  These extensions will last anywhere from five to 12 weeks and then I will have to go in and have them re-fused at the scalp as they grow out.  The hair itself can be reused three to four times giving it a life of up to a year.

Though completely irrelevant in my mind, there are a couple disadvantages to having hair extensions.  First is the cost.  High quality extensions are not cheap.  Far from it, in fact.  However, consultations with Kimberly are free, and there are a certain number of variables that significantly affect the cost, the major one is dependent on the type of hair that is used.  The other disadvantage would be the maintenance involved with the upkeep of extensions.  Over time the seams may come loose, but this is easily remedied with a little time and glue.

I love, Love, LOVE my new hair.  I feel like this is the head of hair I was meant to have all along, and it is so natural looking nobody would ever know it’s not mine.  I do not have enough wonderful things to say about Kimberly and Belladonna Day Spa.  Kimberly has to be the most talented hair stylist in Tyler.  Just take one look at my new, fab head of hair and I am sure you will agree. Give her a call at (903) 372-2977 and schedule your consult today!

I just booked my appointment with Debbie Allen at Belladonna Day Spa in Tyler after hearing rave reviews on her expert application of eyelash extensions.  From what I hear she is the best in town.  That being said, I do have some concerns.

1.  Will my lashes look natural enough for the workplace?

2.  Will they take forever to apply?

3.  Will they be manageable once applied?

4.  Will they interfere with my Lady Gaga fake eyelashes I am planning on wearing tomorrow night for Halloween?

I go in tomorrow for my appointment…  Can’t wait to report back!

After