Top 2 Tuesday

It's Top 2 Tuesday- Random Things About You!
Link up at The Undomestic Momma and play along!

1. I love Soy Chocolate Milk. I drink at least 1 cup of it every morning after I work out and before I get in the shower to get my day started. Side note: I sniff the cup before I drink it...the chocolate smell is delish!

2. I've read every Harry Potter book...TWICE! They are like Lays Potato Chips...once you start, you can't stop! Call me a dork, but I love those little wizards and witches!

Five Question Friday

http://www.fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/

1. Did you pass your driver's test on the first try?

Nope! Took me two tries. I didn't pass the first time because I didn't come to a complete stop...what the heck is that about? I mean I managed to parallel park the boat of a Tahoe but couldn't come to a complete stop.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment?

8th grade at a cheerleading competition. I got so excited that we won 1st place that I may or may not have tinkled in my uniform :)

3. What TV show would you like to be on- Oprah, Biggest Loser, or What Not to Wear?

I keep saying Biggest Loser...not that I really need to lose weight, I just want a full trainer and dietician! But on a side note...Real World...that's the one I wanna be on. I actually tried out 2 years ago!

4. Would you ever get plastic surgery and what kind?

I'd consider having my chest done post babies to make them um, how can I say this, back to normal.

5. What are your favorite jeans to wear?

Any jeans! I do have a favorite pair, my MEK's, but any jean will work!

I think it MIGHT be working

I'm not one to out my weight, size or all that jazz. But for this, I might. I've been a solid size 8 for at least the past year and a half. Not that a size 8 is bad, but in my warped little mind, I needed to be smaller (as in size...not height as I've got the miniature height thing already down!). I've done all the crazy stuff like diet fads, "working out", running, heck for about 2 hrs I thought about not eating at all--if you know me, you know this is a LONG period of time. This year I got hooked on this little gem...BOOTCAMP!

I've blogged about it a few times this year...mostly about how much it sucks and how it's hard blah blah blah. Now I'm here to blog that I think it might be working. The test...fitting back into a size 6 in almost EVERYTHING! I mean lets be honest here...I still eat Qdoba (food of the gods), have an occasional beer or five and eat what I please...but I do burn some serious calories at Bootcamp and Dance101 (my other awesome cardio fit way to keep in shape!) Here's what a typical workout is for me...remind yourself...at 6am in the Park!

Patsy, my bootcamp cohort, and I breezed through (ok not breezed but you know what I mean) our first month of bootcamp. We liked it so much, we got another...and now we want another month. I know, we might be freaks, but hey, we both think it's helping. The number on the scale may not be in the range I want yet...but dammit my clothes fit and I look hotter than I used to (stop laughing....no really, stop!). Getting up at 5:30am is a lot easier than I thought it'd be. I'm up to bootcamp 5 days a week--sometimes 4 depending on work and such--and I feel great. So great in fact I can't stop shopping because hell, everything fits better. In fact, last night I was at an event at The Limited with my friend, Kristin, and I had to buy this adorable purple (size 6 mind you) dress. I mean it was calling my name (which is precisely what I told Mike when he gave me the, "you went shopping...AGAIN" look).

So here's to another four weeks of early mornings, squats and death hill...it's for a good cause right?!? I mean it is almost bikini season!

Wishful Wednesday

'I wish' ....
I could afford this gorgeous Burberry Tumbled Sheepskin Hobo without putting a dent in my pocketbook!

It's so pretty looks like it would fit all my stuff just nice and would look gorgeous on my arm! Why oh why must it cost almost $1,000?! Do you think Mike would notice if I used my bonus for this rather than paying off my last 2 credit card bills...sadly, I think he would. So for now, I'll *wish* for it and perhaps the genie will give it to me!

Top 2 Tuesday!

It's Top 2 Tuesday- Things you can't live without!
Link up at The Undomestic Momma and play along!

There are few things I'd say I can't LIVE without...but if I have to pick 2, then here they are!

1. Jeans!
Thank goodness I can get away with wearing them at the office cause I adorn my body with jeans about 4 days a week! In fact, I'm wearing some now! You can read about my obsession on one of my Friday Favorite posts!

2. Coke Zero!
I have started limiting myself to 1 a day, if that but in any case, this sweet nectar of the Coca Cola Gods is amazing. It makes me jolly and can instantly zap my bad mood to a good one and give me a jump in the lull part of my day!

I Survived Another Year...Hello Late 20's

Four more years and I'll be 30. Yeah, that's right. That makes me the big 26. It's a scary yet kind of liberating thought that I've lived this long. I've done many stupid things in my life and probably should be gone for a few of them, but hey, God's got a sense of humor doesn't he?

This year I didn't want so crazy bash, though it always turns into one. I managed to stay in control and not get to schmamered...yay me. My birthday falls right before St. Patrick's Day so it's inevitable that my birthday parties are accompanied by some sort of Green Festival full of leprechauns. We hit up Park Tavern for Lucky Fest, which is a mishmash of drunk single and crazy Atlantians celebrate the Irish and then sauntered over to RiRa Irish Pub for some fare and good times. My friends, God love them, are the best and always make my birthday awesome...THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR THIS! I always get decked out in green and birthday gear and look a fool as I stumble along for my yearly birthday bash. Here are some photos from the day!

Patsy,Meredith,Mary,Maria and I at Lucky Fest

Ivan, Mike and I at Lucky Fest

Mike and I at RiRa

Kyle, Will, Kerri, Todd and I at RiRa

Thanks again for all who make my birthday one of the most awesome days of the year. I'm truly grateful!

I Miss My BAMA Boys!

I have these guy friends. Not just any guy friends. These guys are awesome. Smart, funny, pretty good looking and best of all, we suffered...I mean enjoyed...our years at The University of Alabama together {Can I get a Roll Tide?!} We definitely had our moments in college.

Tyler and Parker at Talladega 2006

Tyler and I used to drive around talking about anything and everything while eating popsicles. We even found out that Tuscaloosa has a toll rode...who knew!? Parker and I used to ride fake ponies in Spanish class while acting out Don Quixote and boozed a lot in Spain together. Parker's even tried to date a friend or two of mine. HA! Many a night out on the town, a flag football championship here and there, a beer or two, countless popsicles and studying for tests...oh and a drunk trip to Talladega is what made this friendship awesome.

Parker and I at Mugshots in Tuscaloosa

Tyler and I at Mugshots in Tuscaloosa

We've gone our separate ways post graduation. Parker lives in DC, Tyler in Wisconsin (mind you he's married now) and I in Atlanta. We don't talk everyday, but I can count on these guys to give me a good chuckle and always be there for me. They're a part of most of my college memories and I'm thankful for both of them.

Today, I sent them silly picture of me telling them how much I missed them. This said email sparked a redic email chain from them. Here you can see WHY they are so freaking hysterical.

From Tyler:

Haha. Parker told me that he thinks you look cute when your hair is straight. Frankly, I can't disagree with him, but mostly I miss you. Just all of you. I miss those times in Spain, where you and I would lay beneath the stars overlooking all the city. And I would lose myself in your eyes after we polished off a bottle of chardonnay. I'll never forget the day that it all started. Who would have ever guessed a casual stay at your parents house before we departed for Spain would muster up feelings like this inside of me. As I sipped my mimosa the next morning I was just overwhelmed with joy, thinking of the possibilities that summer would bring as I whisked you away to a land of beauty. I constantly can't get you off my mind. And seeing you today has only deepened that feeling deep inside of me. May I call you Sweet Melissa?

From Parker:
For the record:One night when my sweet Melissa was sauced and I was again requested to walk her home in one of the most peaceful cities in all of Spain. I thought I'd play my cards, or at least see what I had against the dealer. We walked, swaying to and fro, the night air was cool and her sun dress flailing in dreamy moon beams escaping from the ever flowing willowy clouds above. There were no stars that night, but I thought if I played this situation right... Along the cobble stone road we walked, and I stopped her. She was gone. I could see it in her eyes. The smell of lavender and lace infused my senses. I dove in head down and eyes closed releasing her arms but drawing in for a kiss when, and when and where I was supposed to be joined her lips to mine, she had withdrawn and I there in drew, and spewing violently and madly was the fermented mishap billowing biliousness from her inner bowels. She hacking and my eyes ever so surprised by the vomit and the rancid odor luring from the ground. She cleaned herself off and picked herself op. I smiled and laughed, a little, only so she couldn't see, because it was cute. I then walked her home, vomit in her hair and all. This was the night that Melissa and I had our missed and near kiss.Do you remember this night, Maddawg?

Needless to say, this email chain is still going between us three. I've laughed so hard I've cried twice already today. Talking to them at random times, especially on slow work days really makes me thankful for the friends I've met along the way...especially these two.

I miss you guys. I sure hope you come and visit soon. There's always a place to stay at Mad Dawg's casa.

Someone Grant Me Some Patience!

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Have you ever wanted something so bad that waiting for it is almost torture? There's this little thing called Patience...and I was not given any when I was born (a mere 26 years ago in case you were wondering...).

You see, there's this pretty little thing I've been waiting for. It's all sparkly and shiny and it will fit me just right. I've found the perfect person to give it to me as well. He's amazing, probably the best in the world, well in my opinion at least. Obtaining this sparkly and shiny thing is so close that I can sniff it. But it's the waiting that's killing me! If I had proper patience, I'd have let this go out of my mind a long time ago and just wait it out...however, I don't. I'm a snoopy thing and have no patience and now I've made myself crazy.

So someone, anyone...please, I beg you. Grant Me Some Patience!

Oh, and by the way, I'll be sure to let you know when I get my pretty, sparkly and shiny object...that I will call, My Precious!

Happy Leprechaun Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Here's a little tid bit o' information that I found when researching about St. Patrick's Day

Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people. When the Irish would find the four leaf clovers, they would say, “Aye… the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and that last one’s for Patty.”

Hope you go drink some good green beer and enjoy some corned beef and hash and cabbage...isn't that what Irish people eat?!

An Act of God....

That's about how I feel about losing weight. I mean come the heck on. I am either going to be this size for the rest of my life or somethings gotta give. I've never been itty bitty on the weight scale, the height scale yes. Growing up I was active, yet ate like a champ. It wasn't until I stepped on the campus of The University of Alabama campus that I became aware of how everyone else looked and how I was "supposed" to look. In turn, in college I got gym crazy. I had access to our awesome REC center on campus and signed up for flag football teams galore...might I add we won the championship for the girls 2 years in a row...snazzy huh? I was able to drop about 10lbs right before graduation back in 2006. I have since plateaued at the weight/size I am now. Talk about frustration.

Since college I've had two surgeries that have made me put working out on hold for upmost of 9-12 months...sucks huh? I've gained maybe 4-5lbs back that I lost back in 2006 and well, that's just not good enough for me. In fact, since about November 2009, I've gotten psycho about working out and eating right. I have stepped my game up by hitting up Dance101 3-4 days a week for cardio dance classes and some technique as well as I go to bootcamp 4-5 days a week, mostly in the mornings and sometimes after work and on Saturday's. Couple these two with a running regiment I'm using to get ready for Warrior Dash (oh this thing looks INCREDIBLE, you must check it out!). Living with a triathlete doesn't make it any easier. I swear Mike eats more calories than me, you and your friend over there a day and STILL doesn't gain anything!

You'd think I'd drop major lb's by 2 a days and the amount of working out I do right?!? WRONG! I actually told my friend, Patsy, I'd be willing to cut my arm off to lose weight. The conversation went something like this:

me: i might even give my arm to weigh 135
Patsy: oh wait. I do give money
me: haha
Patsy: well, if you gave up an arm, you'd definitely weigh less
me: well hell! get to cutting, got a saw?
Patsy: it might make burpees even harder though
me: i'll find a way
me: one armed burpees. similar to one armed jumping jacks
Patsy: that sounds like hell. i think perhaps those take place within one of Dante's rings of

hell. Perhaps the 5th one. They make you do one armed burpees

I have now decided it's time to really keep up with what I eat and watch the intake of carbs, protein and calories...not to mention fat. It's amazing to count it all up and see what it is at the end of the day. In fact, some days, I'm disgusted with how much of the "bad stuff" I eat. My coworker, Maria, turned me on to South Beach. I feel that it's time I give it a shot. She was so successful in her weight loss and keeping it off that heck, I think I can do it too. I'll keep my progress posted here every few days or weeks and let you know. Phase 1 kicks in ASAP...okay after dinner tonight...so really tomorrow!

Wish me luck! What tips do you have?

Friday's Favorites--Girl Scout Cookies

Everyone loves them, nobody can escape them. They are on every corner come the beginning of March! Their colorful boxes and yummy aromas are beyond tempting and lets be honest here, who is going to turn down a cute kid selling you cookies. Not this girl. I LOVE and I mean LOVE Girl Scout Cookies!! In fact, the little girl who sells them to my office gets over half her cookies sold just from my family (thanks, Jason for being a cookie monster!) These delectable cookies are pretty much the only kind of cookie I eat. I'm not prejudice against other cookies, it's just that Girl Scout cookies are the bestest ever! It takes me back to my childhood when I see the girls in their little outfits as I too, once was a Girl Scout...yeah you read that right.


I can't lie, I do have favorites. Each year I try to get a box of the new ones, but they always seem to let me down. My family is notorious for buying tons of boxes a year. However, my long-time favorites...Samoas and Tagalongs...are always there for a pick me up! Only 75 calories a pop (okay, yes I know that's a lot) I can't help but to have at least one a night, until they are all gobbled up and in my tummy!

Which box of Girl Scout cookies are your weakness?

¡Ah! ¡Los terremotos son no bueno!

8.8 Magnitude earthquake (terremoto en espanol) hits Chile...ya know the country that's currently housing one of my friends, Courtney. Needless to say when I got up at 5:45am for a mere 10K race--okay I wasn't racing but I was going to support Mike and some coworkers--I heard about the earthquake and immediately started to worry about Court. I got ready to head outa the house, checked CNN quickly and realized this monster of a quake shook the earth pretty hard. Mother Nature must be pissed...or it's that time of the month. Either way, the thing looked scary! I called and was able to leave Courtney a message on her cell phone, yet never got a call back. It wasn't after a few tries and an hour or so later that I called her parents and the calls, texts and FB messages piled in to know if Court was okay. My only answer, "I've tried to reach her, it could be hours before we know. Keep positive thoughts and I'll let you know when I hear."

12 phone calls, an omelet and a few hours had passed when I finally got through to her Court tell me she's okay! I talked to her for a few moments so that my nerves would be calmed as well as hers to know that we're all okay here and well, worried as hell about her. I immediately phoned her family and her friend Kit to let them know I got through...they had no such luck at the time. Thankfully, Courtney's parents were also able to get through via skype after a while...all is well, at least for Courtney's safety.

I can't imagine to think what it is like in Chile right now. Some photos I found lead me to believe it's utter craziness.

(photos courtesy of http://www.boston.com/)

Check the magnitude of this bad boy...Talk about INTENSE!

I will continue to keep positive thoughts for the people of Chile. Courtney, I couldn't be happier and more thankful that you are okay.