I'm back! (What'd I miss??)

Today's sunset, San Diego (10/14/11)

Hello, my lovelies! I'm BACK! Yay! (The sunset today was just so beautiful I had to whip out my camera and take a pic!)

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you for the loving messages you've left me here, on Twitter and on Facebook over the past week. I just cannot, no matter how hard I try, find the words to express how much it meant to me to see these words of support and love from you about my dad. I could write a blog post every day for a year straight and still not accurately express how grateful I am. So before I start crying (again), I just want to say thank you, from the very bottom of my heart. I will never forget this outpouring of love, and it truly has made all the difference during those quite times in the hospital waiting room. I reached for my phone quite often to read, and re-read, your messages and I'll never be able to thank you enough for them.

The GREAT news is that my dad is now home, resting comfortably, and on the mend! YAY!!! He's in great spirits and our entire family is just SO happy and grateful!

In fact, my dad is doing so well that I came home in great spirits and actually felt like blogging for the first time in a week. I have never gone this long without writing a blog post since I first started my blog almost three years ago and, honestly, it feels very strange to be writing again. But of course it also feels like home. :)

So let's get down to business! I'm so ridiculously behind on blogging at this point, but here's a little list of things that I want to cover ASAP:

• The Target Beauty Bags! Many of you have written to me to say that you received yours (I haven't yet, which probably means I'm in the last shipment, like last time), but I have been sent numerous pictures from readers who HAVE received them, and I want to post those so that we all know what we can look forward to!

• The Rite Aid beauty clearance sale! WOW! I stay away from the drugstores for a week and all heck breaks loose! Depending on where you live, you may have noticed that MANY of the LE displays at Rite Aid from the summer and fall are now on 50% off clearance. I'll post more details about that soon (hopefully tomorrow) but please don't wait: get to your Rite Aids ASAP and look for those clearance tags (and yes, you can use coupons on clearance merchandise!).

• The 40% off + $2 +UP Revlon deal at Rite Aid! I popped into a Rite Aid tonight and since I live in a test market, the weekly sales start on Thursdays for me. So I was SHOCKED to see the Revlon deal that will start for the rest of you this Sunday. Um, not only is ALL Revlon 40% off, but you get $2 +UP Rewards when you buy ANY lip color or nail color! THAT'S ON TOP OF THE 40% OFF SALE! So I bought one of the polishes from the Expressionists collection for 40% off (it came out to $2.87) and THEN I got $2 back in +UP Rewards, bringing my total down to just $0.87 for a bottle of polish (if I had had a coupon it would have been FREE, and there IS a coupon on the Video Values site that I forget to print out, darnit). I'll of course post more about this tomorrow in the Weekly Drugstore Makeup Sale post, but I just wanted to give you something to look forward to next week!

• Reviews, reviews, reviews! 

Actually, I would like to leave this up to you: I've got SEVERAL products that I need to review and I literally do not know where to start. So here's the list, and if you have a preference as to which product you'd like to see reviewed first, PLEASE leave a comment and I'll do my best to review it ASAP:

Jordana (an overview with swatches of the products now sold at Walgreens)

Revlon Lip Butters

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

City Color holiday 2011 collection

Sinful Colors Winterberry nail color

Nicka K. (NK) nail enamels and crackle polish

Shea Moisture haircare (various products)

Avon Outspoken Intense by Fergie eau de toilette

Sally Hansen beauty tools and cream blushes

I think that's all that I'm currently ready to review, so please, if you have a preference, let me know what you'd like to see first (but of course I'll review everything eventually)!

And I am super back-logged on new product sightings--I've got TONS of pics I need to crop and edit and I'll try to post the first batch ASAP. Please bear with me as I try to play catch-up, and again, I apologize if you have emailed me and not received a response. It's going to take me a while to sort through my in-box, so thanks for your patience!

SO great to be back!

G. xo