Stuck in the Middle

It's strange...

Sometimes I feel like I want time to just go by so much faster than it is so that I can get to the future.

Other times I feel like I want time to slow down so that I have more time to get more accomplished, spend more time with loved ones, etc.

It's weird to feel stuck in the middle of the two. Some days feel like they have rushed by so fast, and it feels great because then I can get to bed sooner...but then other days, it's disappointing that it went by so fast.

Do you ever feel like that?

I try my best to keep myself grounded, but it's hard not thinking about how cool it would be to control the time around me, even if by just a little bit.

Ironically, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. And fitting with this post, it feels like 2010 not only dragged on, but it also flew by. I guess it can never just be the one, but instead both. I suppose it's better that way though.

Happy New Year's everyone.

See you in 2011.

Happy Holidays!

So Christmas was a lot of fun with both of our families this year. Lots of good food, great presents, and family time. We haven't exchanged with Dan's brother's family yet because they were in NC, but will soon. :)

In other news, my Winter Break started on a rocky note, when I found out I was a victim of credit card fraud. No small cost either...it's currently up to $740.10. I filed a police report and at first they thought the cashier from Target may have taken my number from the swiper (which I was secretly hoping was false, because then my obsess...I mean uh, relationship with Target would drastically change for the worst). But after the officer checked into it more, we found out that that is not possible (my love for Target is completely restored!!). We also found out that all of the charges are from California. I guess a hacker may have gotten it from me when I ordered something online recently. Who knows.

Well what made this whole situation even more irritating, was that my bank said it would take up to 2 weeks to get back my cards. OH YEAH...and that's another thing. I only have two cards. A debit card and a credit card, both under the same institution. So since they're supposedly connected, they both had to be blocked. GREAT. Well they told me that I can expedite the cards, for ONLY $15.00 per card. Um, excuse me?! I have to pay money to get my cards sooner, when this whole mess wasn't my fault?! AGGH!

So I ended up expediting one of the cards. Turns out Fed Ex is the one who delivers it, but only with a signature. I was not aware of this. So this morning on my door, was a Fed Ex sticker saying that I had to go pick up my order sometime after 2 pm. Ok, fine. No big deal, right? Nope. The catch: It's in Linthicum. Great. We got SUPER lost in the icky part of Baltimore for a good half hour trying to find this stupid place. Then, when we got there we had to wait a while because the package was on the other end of the building so it took a while for the person to get it.

AHHHH what a mess. Oh, and I am still waiting to file a claim for the money, because I can't until ALL of the charges have gone through. Still waiting on one charge. Once that goes through, I'll be in the bank filling out the paperwork for it. Hopefully they will put the money back in ASAP. We shall see.

Ugghh.

Went shopping with Dan and his mom today. I was really good! I only bought one shirt, which I'm really excited about, from Old Navy.

Don't you love how feminine and pretty it is? I love it! It may just be part of my New Year's outfit, but we shall see. Dan and I are going to Maggiano's for a nice dinner (which is why I'm not sure about the white shirt at a pasta place) and then stopping by his brother's later on for the countdown.

I'm trying to get rid of a cold. I've been taking these Zicam rapid melts and trying to drink lots of fluids. Wish me luck!

Happy Holidays!

2 days to go!

Two more days to go until Winter Break. Thank goodness! I am soooo ready to have a break to relax and just breathe for a minute. I plan on drinking more hot tea, sleeping more, and just taking time for myself. I hope to workout a lot too, which will be easy with Dan home. He always wants to work out. :)

So despite how tired and ready for break I have been lately, I'm still really enjoying my class this year. I think that since it's my 2nd year now and I know what's going on, I have more of a chance to really enjoy my students and laugh more than I did last year. It's nice. When I'm away from them, I honestly miss them! (I missed the kids last year too, of course).

So in other news, our pension system which is already pretty suck-tastic, is getting worse! Grrrreaatt. Seriously, this is not making me want to stay with teaching for very long! The pay already sucks, and now they're making our pension even worse?! WTF.

It really makes me think that one day I will consider switching fields. If possible, I'd love to stay within education somehow, mostly because I just love it so much and it's always been a part of me. But honestly, I don't know how it'll work. I know that I will at least stay in for five years so that I'm vested and get the money that was put in for my pension. Apparently if I leave before then, I don't get all of it.

So what field? I have always seen myself doing something that's related to admin or office kind-of work. I love scheduling, planning, paying attention to details, and staying organized. I think I would rock an assistant job or administrative office job. Well, maybe one day later on.

Anywho, time for bed.

Peace out!

Needed a change

Like the layout and design?

I needed something new, and found this super cute background. :) It's so happy and colorful. Exactly what I need right now!

:)

Sooo not here

I love my job. I love my class. I (for the most part) love my co-workers.

And yet I do NOT want to be at work this week. At all. I am literally counting down the minutes until Winter Break. I need this break so bad, I can just taste it! I am exhausted, on the verge of getting a cold, and just need a chance to relax!

I have no energy to do anything. For lunch today I barely ate a yogurt and that was it! I had no appetite at all and literally just wanted to crawl in bed instead of be with my kids.

I feel like I'm just not here this week...I am here physically, and I'm doing the work that needs to get done...but mentally, I am somewhere else. Where, you ask? Probably on the fabulous vacay that Dan and I are planning.

Dan started helping me, and he's waaaaay better at planning this vacation than I am! He found several deals with Orbitz for flight+hotel vacations that fit right within our budget! Our current front runners: Virgin Islands and Cabo.

Our plan is to have something booked by the end of December. I. Can't. Wait. SOOOOOOOO excited. It'll be so great going on a vacation with just the two of us to do nothing but relax and just enjoy the warm weather together. All of this nasty weather right now will be the farthest thing from our minds, and it will be glorious.

I will leave on that high note, and say goodnight. :) 3 more days to go!

Planning a Vacation is Hard!

Trying to plan our vacay in April has been such a pain! The cruise prices went way up in a matter of 2 months and so have flight tickets. We have saved a lot for this, but we are not trying to spend a fortune on a week vacation!

Looks like we may end up just flying to one place, staying there the whole time, and then flying back. Which is fine by me.

My only guidelines:

1. Must include beaches
2. Has to be somewhere neither of us have been
3. Has to be within our budget
4. Doesn't include a crazy long flight

Wish us luck!

Have a great 4 day week! :)

You know it must be Winter when...

...two of your items in your Target cart are snow boots and de-icer!

Ugh, I hate the cold!!

10 more days until Winter Break...

8 more School days until Winter Break...

10 more starbucks drinks and doses of excedrin needed before Winter Break...

10 more naps needed before Winter Break...

Ugh! I love the people in Maryland, but I am not a fan of the weather!

Motivation? What motivation?

I have ZERO motivation to workout lately.

(oh and p.s. the shredding stopped because 1)the dvd kept skipping and messing up and 2) I couldn't get into doing the same thing every single day)

I feel sooo lazy and horrible about it, but I literally just want the flab and extra pounds to magically come off without working for it! That's awful! I used to LOVE working out and going to the gym...now, not so much! I'm sure once I get back into it, I'll find that love again...maybe. But for now, it's a STRUGGLE to get there.

Tonight, I'm going to the grocery store to pick up some quality junk magazines with lots of useless knowledge about the lives of celebrities that I don't even know personally to help distract me while I work out at the gym.

Ok....here I go....to the gym....to workout.

...ok, still here.

Will someone just build me an in-home gym please?! It would save me a lot of time and money...and pounds!

K, thanks!

My Lifelong Struggle with Acne

So it's not something I enjoy talking about, because it's always been such an embarrassment, but I feel like venting and that's what this blog is for, so here goes...

Since I was 14, I have always struggled with acne. In addition to that, I have very sensitive skin that dries out easily, which makes it even harder to treat my skin.

So in highschool I tried every single wash, cream, lotion, mask, etc. that was out there. Nothing worked. Some even dried my skin out so bad that my face turned bright red, throbbed, and itched for hours until taking benadryl to stop the reaction. My acne got worse and worse, and especially around my time of the month. It was awful! I have always had a love for makeup, but not when I have to wear for cover up. I would rather just wear it for fun. But I just didn't have a choice. I would carry around concealer with me everywhere and constantly go to the bathroom to check how my face looked. I hated it!

Well fast forward to now, and it still sucks!

Two years ago I started on a strong antibiotic called Solodyn. Well it did nothing other than give me chronic yeast infections. So my dermatologist recommend that I go on Accutane. Well to go on this medicine, you have to join the "I Pledge" Program where I basically sign and agree that I will do everything I can to not get pregnant while taking this medicine, because apparently it causes some serious birth defects in babies and I guess they got sued for it at one point.

Well in addition to signing all these contracts, I also had to get pregnancy tests and blood work done a month before starting the medicine and then also once a month every month while on it. It was awful!! I HATE needles and seeing blood being taken out of me makes me want to throw up. So doing it once a month was miserable! That wasn't even the worst part...the side effects. OH MY GOD the side effects!!

*Dry Skin...so dry that if I just slightly scratched at my cheek, my skin would literally flake off into my hand

*Acne got worse, before it gets better. The first month of the medicine was awful! I had acne ALL over my face, and it was more severe than ever before. It was sooo embarrassing and miserable. I wanted to hide away from everyone until it healed.

*Nose bleed....my nose would bleed constantly and then dry up all at the same time, because I was just soo dry everywhere, inside and out. It was so disgusting and uncomfortable.

*My fingernails constantly peeled and broke because they were so weak.

*Fatigue and Moodiness....I can't prove it was the medicine, but I have a feeling it had something to do with it. Many say that depression is a side effect as well, but I didn't have much of that.

*My lips were the worst I have ever seen them...drying, burning, cracking, bleeding constantly. The only thing that made them slightly less uncomfortable was "Dr. Dan's Cortizone Lip Balm."

*Dry Eyes

*Body and Muscle Aches all over

*Going to the bathroom (#2) -- Painful, bloody, miserable!

(Warning: Possible T.M.I.)

The last symptom I just listed was by far, the worst. I went to several doctors about it and tried several different medicines, as well as some embarrassing medical treatments that I won't mention here. Nothing worked. Well, it got worse and worse. It got to the point where when I was digesting even before going to the bathroom, it felt like glass was moving through my body. It was soooo excruciatingly painful. It made me literally want to stop eating and consuming anything at all. I finally went to my regular doctor again and she gave me some medicines and ideas to help me out and sent me home.

The next morning at 7am she called me personally to tell me to stop taking Accutane immediately because she did some research and apparently it's linked to causing Crohn's Disease and Colitis, among other serious colon diseases and complications. I was SO upset about this, because I was on month 3 of the medicine and only had 2 months to go! And now, I had to stop.

She also told me to go see a gastroendocronologist and get everything checked out. No surprise to me, I had to get a colonoscopy. I had to take 24 pills within an hour the night before the procedure and then 12 more pills an hour before the procedure the next morning at 5am. I spent literally 6 hours going back and forth from the bathroom. It was awful! I went in for the procedure, had a mini-anxiety attack because I hate needles and they stuck one in me and left it there with an IV bag...which grossed me out. I woke up after and it was fine. They didn't find anything, thank god, but needless to say I was told that it wouldn't be a good idea to continue Accutane. I was PISSED! Accutane had finally just started to work for me, and then I had all these complications and had to stop. SON OF A *****!

OH yeah, and because I had been for this visit along with the fact that my mother's side of the family has some history with colon cancer, I have to get a colonoscopy every five years!! I'm only 25! Had I not come in then, I wouldn't have to had started until I was 40! To say the least, I was not happy about this!

Well the first month after stopping Accutane, I was fine. With the exception of maybe a spot here or there, my skin was clear for the first time ever!

Well nowadays, my acne is not like it was before accutane, but still occurring all the time! It's soooo irritating that I went through all of that trouble for nothing! I went to my dermatologist a couple weeks ago and he gave me 2 different topical medicines to use, and big surprise....it's not working.

I am soooo close to just paying an arm and a leg and getting those laser and light treatments for acne. I am SO done with this and it literally makes me want to never look in a mirror ever again whenever I see ANOTHER freakin pimple or blackhead pop up EVERY morning.

UGH!

Ok, so that's my venting.

And P.S., in case any of you are considering Accutane, DON'T!

(Have you SEEN all those crazy commercials?? (http://www.accutanelawyers.com/, http://www.the-accutane-lawyer.com/, http://accutaneattorneys.net/, http://www.accutane-lawsuit-lawyer.com/)

Pumpkin Dip-Edited

I edited the measurements...I had a few mistakes the last time. Fixed!



Pumpkin Dip

1 can of pumpkin-about 15 oz
1 8 oz. box of cream cheese (I used 2 to make it super smooth)
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together cream cheese and sugar.
Add everything else and mix.
Refrigerate for a few hours.

Serve with soft gingerbread cookies, apples, or graham crackers.

It's DELICIOUS! So beware, you may never stop once you start eating it!

Turkey Day is almost here!!

Great food, awesome family, and no school! I can't wait!

From Last Weekend

I wrote this blog last weekend in Word and just forgot to put it online...

Friday, November 12, 2010

I’m in Virginia Beach. I got here last night around 1:00am. I jammed out to loud music the whole way down, which made the ride go faster.

Before I left for Virginia, I had an appointment with my therapist. I had seen another therapist a couple months ago and really didn’t feel good about her. I didn’t feel comfortable talking to her and really felt that we weren’t getting anywhere. Then I found out about how my school system offers 3 free therapy sessions to all employees. The only catch is that they choose the therapist. But that’s fine with me, considering it’s all free. What could it hurt, right?

Well it turns out that they pick AWESOME therapists because my new doctor is fantastic! He listens to me and involves me in the conversation, as opposed to just listening to me and then diagnosing. He has given me several coping strategies to take with me after every session, and is not judgmental at all, which I appreciate considering my last therapist seemed to judge a lot.

My session last night was my last free session and I have decided to continue seeing him, since I enjoy going to him so much. Thankfully, my insurance is great and my co-pay is only $!5 which isn’t bad. I don’t feel that my anxiety is that bad right now, and I feel more equipped for when it is, especially with the strategies that we have talked about. So because of that, I’ve decided to only see him once a month to kind-of check in to see how I’m doing. He agreed that that was a good idea. My bank account is ok with that as well. Even though it’s only $15 a session, going once a week would end up being pretty expensive in the long-run. So I’m happy about it.
Although this is the most stressful time of year for me, there’s still a lot to look forward to:

11/17 Harry Potter Movie!!!!!! Wooooooo!!!
11/21 Bridesmaid Dress Shopping with Jen
11/24 No School – Getting ready for Thanksgiving
11/25 Thanksgiving
11/27 My Tattoo
12/4 Kinsley turns 1!
12/11 Dan’s Birthday
12/25 Christmas – My favorite holiday of the year!

I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend and hope to get lots of sleep, have some good food, and have some quality time with Dan.

Can Fingers Grow??

So I have ALWAYS been a size 4 for rings! (Well the fingers I usually wear rings on anyways...I think my middle fingers and thumbs are more like a 5 or a 6). And I have this claddagh ring that I LOVE and that is supposedly size 4. Well I wore it a few days ago and it fit fine...I wore it to bed and the next day it was super tight and wouldn't come off!! I'm not usually one to have fingers that swell and find it very odd!!

I have been measured at a jeweler pretty recently and they said size 4 too! So does this mean I'm actually size 4 and a quarter or something? Or that my fingers just started swelling? It freaks me out!

Do your fingers swell like that? Or have they before?

Back in the Swing of Things

*Ha! Get it? SWING of things?
**Will this what Maryland will look like in a few weeks? Lord, I hope not!! I am NOT a fan of snow anymore! Not after last Winter!


Gram's service as well as other things that have been going on the past few days have kept me away from my shredding. However, I picked it back up tonight! I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed soooo bad but I pulled myself together and worked out anyways! Woo! I also finished my report card grades and comments by 9:15pm which is fantastic! So I'm feeling pretty good right now. :)

I've also been eating pretty well lately, and haven't eaten fast food in a long time. I've been pretty good about going to bed on time too. Speaking of which, it's that time.

Peace Out!

Newer Hair

So the pictures I had posted of my hair with the red highlights looked WAAAYY better than in real life...in reality up close they looked red-red! AND after one wash, it was pink!

I called the salon and they graciously fixed it free of charge! :) They gave me a color all over that's a slight bit darker than what I had, and left my blonde highlights alone so that they could pop out a bit. As for the former red? Now it's brown with a red tint! Woo! Just what I wanted in the first place! Hallelujah!

Take a look:

:)

Gotta keep on keepin' on...

So I found out that my grandmother passed two nights ago. This shouldn't have come as a huge shock, she's been battling with an umpteen amount of medical complications and problems for the past two years. I guess I've just been hoping and praying every day that she would at some point be on the mend back to recovery. I'm happy that she's at peace and no longer suffering, however I will really miss her. I feel awful for grandpa as well, because she was his rock. Hopefully we can convince him to move closer to us soon so that we can spend more time with him as we works through this tough time. Her service is this Friday and I'm thankful that school has bereavement leave that I can use for that day.

I'm trying my best to think positively and to just keep on going, but it's tough. Much to my surprise, I mustered enough strength to a second day of Shredding, despite my sore muscles from last night. I also ate pretty well today which I'm happy about. I have plans for a healthy-food filled tomorrow as well.

Good night all. If you're someone who prays, please keep my Gram and our family in your prayers. We will need it.

Miss you Gramma

I'm just full of love today...for etsy!

Check out these cute prints from "The Big Harumph" etsy shop.

LOVE it!

Ha, I also love this one:

Day 1: Shred

Day 1: (Level 1)

I shredded at 11:30pm tonight. I have no school tomorrow, which is why it's so late (because I can).

I'm a sweaty mess and I must say, I can see how this workout can give results. It's hard! I like it though. She switches it up every couple minutes which keeps it interesting.

I took my measurements yesterday and my before pictures tonight. I would rather wait to see if I have results and after pictures to put next to them, before posting them...ugh! Not cute.

We shall see how I do by the end of this week.

So far, my diet hasn't changed much. I didn't eat very well today, but I plan on going grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon to get lots of fresh produce, and healthy snack items (like carrots and hummus or almonds, yum!).

I really hope I just see soooooome kind of result. I know that that's all I need to keep motivated. I'm hoping I will!

Goodnight!

I'm in love....with this Etsy Shop!

Check out these awesome prints from one of my new favorite etsy shops, Volume 25!

Don't you love it?? :)

Too Red??

Got my hair done today...my aim was for red-brown highlights more towards the dark brown kind with a hint of red. Well, it turned out more as red-red, which I've had before, so it's not a huge deal...but still not really what I wanted. Ah well, I guess the good/bad thing about red... it fades fast, so it doens't matter too much that I'm not in love with it.

Before:

After:

What do you think? Too red? Or ok?

30 day shred

Ok so I'm SICCCCKK of complaining, SICK of not feeling good about how my clothes fit, and SICK of my excuses for not eating as well as I should or not going to the gym.

SO...

On Monday, November 1st I will be starting this insane 30-day shred program by Jillian Michaels. I have heard several things about it before, and was reminded again of it when Erin had mentioned it.




Well I was at Target today, saw the DVD on sale for $10.00 and thought why the hell not...I need to get off my bum and do something!!

Well after seeing multiple before and afters (see here, here, and here) and reading up on how this program works, I'm convinced.

November 1st is the big day! I thought it would be nice to start on the first of the month as a fresh beginning. I will be taking measurements the night before and tracking my progress through this insane program. I will be honest and post my true feelings, so beware of my venting, whining, or nay-saying. I will do this!! If anyone wants to join me, let me know...I could always use a wing-man! (can you have a workout-wingman? Or does that only apply to men who need a friend to help them pick up chicks? Ah well, I'm using it anyways).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, it was my 3 year anniversary with Dan this past weekend. We went to the melting pot (where we had our first date), played mini-golf, and went to see Jackass 3D (soo funny!). Overall, a great weekend. :)

Now....on to bed. Have a great Monday tomorrow everyone! :)

Recipe: Mediterranean Dip

I'm making this tomorrow for our school's "Munchie Lunchie." It's basically a pot-luck all day lunch made by and eaten by the staff and faculty.

I haven't tried it yet, but I have high hopes!! **Note to reader: I love ANYTHING that's greek/mediterranean styled/involves feta. So it's a no-brainer...it's going to be DELICIOUS!





Prep. Time: 10 min
Total Time: 10 min
Makes: 1-1/2 cups or 12 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped seedless cucumbers
1/2 cup Athenos Basil & Tomato Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. Kraft Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 cup chopped spinach

Make It
Spread Neufchatel onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.
Mix remaining ingredients except for feta cheese; spoon over Neufchatel.
Sprinkle feta on top.
Serve with Wheat Thins or assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.

Double Post Day! Happy Hour Time!

So I'm hosting a Fall Happy Hour at my house this Friday for my work friends and I'm super excited about it! I LOVE hostessing and entertaining!

Here's what's on the menu so far:

*Buffalo Chicken Dip with Chips

*Veggie Tray with Ranch

*Fruit Salad - grapes, bananas, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries

*Pasta Salad- pasta, balsamic vinagrette, celery, olives, tomatoes

*Spinach Dip in Bread Bowl with pieces of bread to dip

*Cucumber Cream Cheese bites (it's a piece of pumpernickel bread with this italian seasoning/cream cheese mix on top with one slice of cucumber...so delish)

*Cheese/Crackers/Pepperoni

*Hummus and Pita Bread

*Possible Deviled Eggs if I have enough room in the fridge

*Bowls of Mixed Nuts

*Tzatsiki Sauce with pretzel chips

*Pumpkin Bread

*Brownies for dessert (possibly cupcakes too)

*Beer, Wine, and a non-alcoholic punch made with sprite and some different fruit juices

I'm so excited!! I'm going to be cooking a lot of this on Thursday night and I actually took a half day on Friday to go home and get it all ready before they come over right after school!

Mmmm it's going to be soo good!! :)

It's been a while!

Ok, I'm still alive! I've just been crazy busy! But I've been having fun too, so it's cool. :)

My birthday was awesome! I had some great family time and some time with my best friends as well. Georgetown cupcakes made a delicious apperarance, as well as Maggiano's wonderfully italian food. :) Here are just a few of the awesome gifts that I received:

Hand-Stamped Teacher Necklace from Etsy :)

Wooden Love Sign <3

A fabulous dress that I ended up wearing to Amy's Wedding

Some fantasticly bright stud earrings from my favorite Etsy Shop


So all in all, it was a great birthday!!

~~~

In other news, the working out early just doesn't work for me. It's too hard and if anything it makes me less motivated. So I'm just going to have to figure it out in the evenings. Which I have been doing pretty regularly lately. I'm still going to my Pilates classes and although I missed the last 2, I will continue going to the Zumba classes. I've also been working out at the gym here and there as well. :)

Hope all is well with you all!

The Big 2-5!

So I turn 25 tomorrow! Woo! I'm excited about my birthday. I tease my co-workers about how I'm getting "old" but I really don't feel like it. I'm really not worried about it at all and I think that age is really how you feel. I still feel like I'm 18 in some respects, so it's whatever.

Dan will be home this weekend, which I'm really happy about! I haven't seen him in almost a month! He has Monday off, so I took a half day so we can have breakfast together and just have a few more hours together before he goes back to VA Beach.

School has been really busy lately. I feel less stressed about it than last year, but I'm still busy all the time. Ah, well. I'm still enjoying it so I guess that's what counts.

Anyways, I'm off to bed. I don't know why, but I just can't get enough sleep lately!! I'm counting on some seeerrriiouuusss sleeping in this weekend!

Have a great rest of the week!

Early Mid-Life Crisis??

So lately, I feel as though I'm constantly thinking of the things that I have always wanted to do, but have yet to do so far. I'm thinking about several things all at once, and it makes me wonder if in the back of my mind, it's because I know I'm getting older and sooner or later I will get to the point where doing some of these things won't be possible anymore...so I should just do them now.

What things you ask? Well, I just so happened to make a collage to showcase a few of them...

1. Buy myself an awesome diamond necklace. I've never really bought myself something really nice, and I've always thought that it would just be nice to be able to do that for myself. I'm in the market for a heart necklace (big surprise!). For those of you who don't know, I am all about heart jewelry. I'm not really sure why, but hearts have just always been my thing. I've found a possible winner, but I'm still on the lookout for something amazing. I'll probably be doing that in the next month or so as my birthday gift to myself. :)

2. Take a dance class again. I have been dancing all of my life!! I took ballet classes when I was younger, jazz classes as I got older, dance in high school, joined a company in college, and continued dancing through theatre throughout high school and college. I miss it! I miss stretching every day, learning new combinations, working on form, performing...all of it! I've looked into taking classes at HCC before, and I think I may start looking again for this Spring. It's just something that I really want to do again. Last Spring I took a Hip Hop class with a friend through Parks and Rec. That was fun, but I really miss the authenticity of taking a class at a dance studio.

3. Get a tattoo. I've talked about this before, and it's still on my mind constantly. I'm not sure exactly when I will be doing this, but it is for sure now, and will most likely happen before the end of the year.

4. Learn how to play the acoustic guitar. It's just a cool thing to know how to do!! I have always been interested in music (I played the flute in band for 9 years) and the guitar is such a laid back-have-fun kind-of instrument.

5. Learn how to do a back walk-over and/or back handspring. Ok, I know this sounds odd, but when I was younger, I LIVED to do gymnastics. My parents couldn't afford the classes, so I was never really in gymnastics classes, but I practiced and pretended as though I was every day outside in our backyard. I would do round-offs, cartwheels, splits, and of course land with my arms in the air and a smile on my face just like the pros. BUT I never quite learned how to do a backwards walk-over and I've always wanted to!! A back handspring would be even more awesome, but I think for right now a back walk-over would be more realistic. (Google them if you're not sure what I'm talking about, there is a difference). I can already get into a bridge from standing up, so I'm half-way there. PLUS the music teacher at my school is a gymnastics teacher and she said she could help me (yes, I actually asked her...I'm serious about all of this stuff, people!). I'll keep you updated on my progress.

6. Learn how to line dance. I already know a few dances, but I SO want to be one of those people who just walk into a line dancing bar and just chime in oh-so-effortlessly. There's a place around here that gives lessons once a week, and my roomie and I have been talking about going here and there to brush up on our skills.

7. Take a cruise! This plan is already into action. Dan and I are planning on taking a cruise for our 3 year anniversary (which is 18 days from now!) in the Spring, during my Spring Break for school. We plan on going to the Western Caribbean. I can't wait!!

8. Learn how to play the piano. I never had much interest in the piano when I was younger, UNLESS my grandfather was playing. He was the most amazing pianist. He played the piano for 2 hours a day since he was 5 years old, played in all of these well-known concerts, played with jazz bands, etc. It was awesome. Since he passed, I've missed hearing the piano. I'm very intrigued by it and I really think it would be great to play. Dan is interested as well, and we have even talked about having a piano in our house one day to encourage our curiosity. :)

9. Travel the world! Ok, so this goal won't happen overnight. BUT I would like to start somewhere! Other than Canada, I have never been out of the country!! And as far as this country goes, I have only ever been on the East Coast! I personally feel that that is sad! I need to see the world! I want to taste new foods, experience new culture, meet new people, speak new languages and just live! I'm sure my cruise in April will give me the travel bug and influence me to start planning more trips. Europe is most-likely my next out-of-this-country stop. As far as within the U.S., I have been wanting to go to California to visit some family as well as travel through wine country, so maybe that will be my next US trip.

Well, that's it for now. I know there's more, but I tried to keep it to 9 (mostly because that's how many collage pictures I had, lol).

Do you have a yearning to do something special anytime soon?

So I've been thinking...

Problem**: It's a fact. I need to work out more. This having-a-belly thing is just not working for me. I love wearing flowy tops, but I don't love that it's also partly that I need to in order to cover up the love handles...it'd be nice to wear them just because I love them.

Resolution: I am going to attempt something that my college self would be shocked (and a bit ashamed****) of...

I am going to start working out in the mornings before work. Yes, you heard it right. I'm going to try and work out in the mornings 2-3 times a week in the morning before work...meaning around 5:15am. Ugh!! Just saying it sounds awful. BUT the fact is, that I'm really unhappy with how unfit I am feeling and I really do miss having a regular workout schedule.

I'm still doing Zumba on Wednesday evenings (heck yea 1,000 calories in one hour!!) and Pilates on Monday nights. So I figured with those classes plus a couple early morning workouts during the week, I should be able to lose some of this extra weight and maybe even put on some more muscle.

Well, wish me luck!! I will be posting my progress and/or frustration (probably more of the latter) with this idea as I go along.

Until then, I'm going to sleep...at 8:30pm...so I can get up at 5:15 to workout. Oh boy. Lord save me!



**when typing in "problem" into google to look for better sounding synonyms, the phrase "Can of worms" came up. Ha!

****and by ashamed, I mean that never before have I ever considered giving up my precious sleep for anything; especially not to work out and become even more exhausted, therefore wanting more sleep...ok why am I doing this again?!

T.G.I.F.

**ignore the fact that I posted this on Thursday...I was thinking ahead and getting excited for wearing jeans tomorrow at work! woo!

My Current Faves

After being inspired of an older post from Amy I thought I would make my own list of 10 great things that keep me feeling girly and pretty. :)

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Dream Angels Wish Body Softening Lotion -- This lotion rocks! Smells great and keeps my skin super soft. I usually put it on right after a shower and my skin feels great for the rest of the day!

2. Bare Minerals Warmth -- This bronzer is fantastic! I love the brush that came with the kit to use with this. It's nice and warm (obviously!) and it doesn't look too dark for my skin.

3. BioSilk Silk Therapy -- I've had the smaller version (2 or 3 oz. size) for at least 6 months now and it's still pretty full! You only need a tiny drop to put on the ends of your hair before (or sometimes after) blowdrying or styling hair. It makes my hair silky, shiny, and helps de-frizz a bit.

4. Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Polish -- I've talked about these kinds of polishes before...they're abosolutely my favorite! Especially the fact that it actually dries super fast! Who has time to wait for nail polish to dry anyways? Not me! The color below is my current color: Instant Iris :)

5. Maybelline Volume Express The Falsies Mascara --- I finally found a mascara I love!! Woo!! Low clumpage and doesn't look spider like! Yess!!!

6. Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser -- This gentle and basic face wash saved me during my Accutane days. It's never harsh and always makes you feel nice and fresh after using it!

7. Maybelline Define A line Eyeliner in Rich Raisin -- So apparently liners with a hint of red or ruby coloring to it really make my green eyes stand out. This one does a great job of making my eyes pop, but not in a crazy dramatic way. I love how smooth it is, and I also love that on the bottom side of the smudger, there's a sharpener! Gotta love that!

8. This is a joint favorite....two of my favorite concealers.. Physician's Formula Correcting Concealer (It comes with a green to diminish any red coloring which is great for acne, a yellowish concealer for under eye bags, and a pink highlighter to put in the corners of your eyes to make your eyes stand out).

The second fave concealer: American Beauty Perfecting Concealer -- This is a super creamy and blendable concealer I found out at kohl's. I absolutely love it, and coming from someone who has tried 5395289211 different kinds of concealers, trust me! This one is a keeper!


9. Aussie Mega Hair Spray -- Flexible Hold -- My new favorite hair do?? Curling my hair with S waves, spraying my hair brush with hair spray, and then brushing my hair!! My hairstylist gave me the idea, and I love how my hair looks!! *I added a picture to show you!!


10. Two inch Turbo Chi Hair Straightener -- Ok, so this is not mine...Yet! This is actually my roommate's flat iron, but she lets me use it all the time. It literally straightens my hair in less than 5 minutes!! It's SUPER freaking hot, so I have to be really careful. It's fabulous and one day I hope to have one of my own!

What are your favorite make-me-feel-pretty products?

Quirky

So I've mentioned before, but I have quite a few quirks...here are just a few:

1. I can never set my morning alarms to typical times such as 6:00 or 5:30. They have to be unusual** even numbers, and usually look like this: 6:02, 6:16, 6:36, 6:52. I'm not sure if this is because of my love for even numbers, my love for every last second of sleep, or a combination of both. But it is what it is. I have even gotten Dan to do it whenever we take naps together! ha!

2. I love symmetry. I typically chew my food on both sides of my mouth (just like a good friend of mine). I'm bothered if one foot hurts, but the other doesn't too. If there's two pillows on one side of the bed, there needs to be two on the other side.

3. I really hate the word moist. Typing it just now grossed me out. It just sounds disgusting to me. I have gotten better and can say moisture and moisturizing out loud, but you will most likely never hear me say the root word. (See above -- I'm not typing it again).

4. I find joy in labeling and color coding. A calendar is just not the same without color coded events, neatly written annvirsary reminders for every 21st of the month, and highlighted days of when I have classes at the gym.

So those are just a few. Trust me, there are a lot more. Although the word "quirky" may have somewhat of a negative connotation sometimes, I like to see it as a great thing. Something else to seperate you from the masses. Something unique.

What are your quirks?

**I added "unusual" to clear things up...obviously I realize 6:00 is an even number (ahem b.g.) but I just think they look better to me when it's a number that's not so typical like 6:02 or 6:18.

I'm in love!

While helping Jen find some ideas for her bridesmaid dresses, I found this beauty...

Kneelength, sleeveless, comes in a variety of 42 colors, it's pretty reasonably priced considering it's a bridesmaid dress and they usually go for big bucks (only $135) ANDDDDD drumroll please...

IT HAS POCKETS!!

I'm in love!! No, I'm not planning my own wedding currently....BUT you better believe this dress will be on my mind when I do (or something very similar).

I also love this one too...this is the same one that a friend of mine had at her wedding in this color (apple):

Bonus: They're so cute and fun, they could be worn to other events or other fun occasions!