Wednesday, November 27, 2013

WIW--still struggling.

Hey fools! Sorry no post the last couple days. This is going to be quite a jumble, as usual, on a weigh-in Wednesday.

Friday night was awesome. We had a girls night and drank wine and played Cards Against Humanity (quite possible one of my favorite games of all time).


Saturday........I dyed my hair. I promise I'm not naked in this picture:


Yep, I finally did it!!! What do y'all think??? I also got Aveda Black Malva conditioner, which I've read is really helpful for preventing fading. In the past when I've gone dark it has always faded to a mousy brown sooo quickly, which was a big reason I hesitated doing this for so long. So fingers crossed that expensive shit works like it's supposed to.

Sunday Cassandra and I went for another hike in Mission Trails. We didn't track how long it was, but I think it was about 3 miles roundtrip. It was a GORGEOUS day.




I love Mission Trails.

So Monday I didn't wake up and run. I didn't get much sleep all weekend, so I was just sleepy. I know, excuses excuses.

Tuesday I went. I told myself I was going to go that mile without stopping no. matter. what. And I did. I'm starting to really get it when I run. If you run, you know what I mean. But what I'm still struggling with is finding the motivation to GET OUT OF BED. Why am I STILL having a hard time with this??

I'm just starting to get really frustrated with myself. I didn't gain or lose anything this last week. And that's all my fault. I better get up and run tomorrow because we all know I'll gorge myself on Thanksgiving dinner later on.

I'm also still frustrated in other areas of my life. Mainly my career. I told y'all I didn't do as well as I had planned on the GMAT, and I don't know if y'all realize just how overqualified I am for my current job. I have a business administration degree (with honors) in Hotel Management. And I am doing a job that, quite frankly, you could train a monkey to do. And I thought it was boring when we were busy. Y'all. Now that we're "slow" in the off-season, I literally sit there for HOURS without a single phone call. I'm not exaggerating. And I can't find anything else because I don't have a year of hotel experience. Bitch, I have 4 years of hotel experience in my opinion with what I went through in college!!!! Ahhhhh. I just feel like I'm stuck. I'm living with my mother. I'm living paycheck to paycheck. I'm baaaaarely scraping by every two weeks when I get paid after all my bills are paid and, you know, I live life. I just feel like a complete failure. Hopefully I get into an MBA program and that will be the tide-changer in my post-grad life. Because something has got to change. I know I need to give it more time at my current position before I start looking elsewhere, but how long is enough??!!! I definitely think me feeling like such a failure at life is a factor in having a hard time motivating myself to get healthy and fit again.

But, I have realized I need to start tracking my food again. I added my ticker at the bottom of the page because it's way too big for my sidebar (as if that will keep me more accountable or something) so feel free to add me on there too. I did start tracking with MFP after I had stopped doing WW, which is why my total lost so far is only 4 pounds. It's really 20.


Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Anyhoo, sorry this post has been kinda emo. I'm just telling y'all what's really going on in my head and I guess hoping somehow it helps everything.

I hope y'all are having a better weigh-in Wednesday than me!


Weigh In Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Yep, I used to be that kid who couldn't run a 1/4 of a mile.

Hey fools. It's weigh-in Wednesday. So here it goes: I gained a pound. Wommmp wommmmp. I am convinced it's because I caved and got Jack in the Box last night on my way home from work, and then had a couple glasses of red wine at my friend's house afterwards. Oopsies. No more, I swear.

Weigh In Wednesday

I wrote on Monday that when I woke up my arches were hurting, so I didn't go run. That was stupid.

I'm pretty sure they were hurting because of my work shoes. They're starting to get stretched out, and they're just Steve Madden flats. But either way, I should have just gone. So yesterday that's what I did. I was fine, and today I got up and ran too. I'm trying to stick with it for real this time.



That's so true. When I don't get up and run, I feel horrible about myself the rest of the day. But when I do, I feel better in general. Why is finding the motivation to actually LEAVE THE HOUSE so dang difficult!?!

Today was also a harder run that yesterday. My sinuses were causing more issues than usual. I'm not sure if I've shared the fact that I have a deviated septum that causes me to have extremely bad post-nasal drip ALL THE FUCKING TIME (it's that annoying, people), snore like a freaking freight train, and whenever I breathe in--I mean every single time--my ears get clogged. So I'm constantly popping my ears. It's extremely annoying and I've seen an ENT, just haven't been able to justify the money for a deductible right now to have the surgery. Anyway, sometimes it's worse than others. Today it was worse. My ears were getting extremely clogged with every breath, and clogged ears results in a thrown-off equilibrium. SO I was dealing with that today, and I got a breathing cramp about halfway through the mile I've been running without stopping (big deal, get to that in a sec). But, I KEPT GOING. I knew I was going to be ok, so I kept pushing.

I got all sappy when I got home because I realized how back in high school, no matter how many chubbier kids there were than me, I was always, without fail, the slowest runner whenever we had to do the damn weekly mile run. I couldn't make it one lap (1/4 of a mile) without stopping and feeling like I was going to die. So being able to just keep going for a mile, with a breathing cramp or without, with sinus issues or without, and keep a pace even when I'm fucking around with Pandora (because Pandora sucks, but I love it), is a big freaking deal.

Anyway, moving on....

I also know I need to start going for longer distances. I currently have a route around my gated neighborhood I stick to. It's about 1 and a quarter miles, so not much. But up until now that has been sufficient because I was so terrible at running. But now I want to go further. The problem is, I live in the hood. For reals. So I don't want to leave the gate, but I don't want to make multiple loops either, because I know I will convince myself not to. If I went somewhere where the loop was, say, 2 miles, I would be forced to go the entire distance. Make sense?? So I'm thinking this weekend I'll have to try to find a place locally with a longer loop that's in a safe area.

I know, I have problems.

In other, completely irrelevant news (that's normal around here, though), I'm SO HAPPY the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is back. SO. STINKING. HAPPY. I mean, the Miami girls were entertaining but they were getting to be a little too much for me. There's just something classy and timeless about the Beverly Hills women.



Ok maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but they crack me up. And lets be real, Brandi says what we're all thinking. And I love her for that.



The Atlanta 'wive are back too. Listen, I will shamelessly call those girls ghetto as all get-out. They are. Don't try to deny that. But they're soooo funnnyyyyyy. This made me LOL the most so far:



I'm addicted to the Real Housewives.

I guess it could be worse though.

Anyway, I hope y'all have a great Weigh-In Wednesday, and cheers to you if you're like me and forcing your office to listen to Christmas music even though it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Ummm helllooooo Country Christmas on Pandora is AMAZING.

That's all for now, chicas.

Monday, November 18, 2013

This wino is back at it.

So my weekend got off to a great start. My friend Cassandra suggested going on a hike/walk or whatever, and I thought of Mission Trails. It's this nature preserve area here in San Diego take takes up a few thousand acres, pretty much in the middle of the county. It's beautiful. There are lakes and waterways, high mountains (which get steep enough for rock climbing), horse trails, and MILES of hiking paths. It had been years since either of us had been, so it took us a while of hitting dead ends to decide to walk on a paved path about 4 miles total before we called it quits for the day. We will go back again next weekend, though, and be more educated about the trails.

But I did get this awesome panorama:


It's pretty, right???

Then Saturday night we went to the country bar, danced, played pool (terribly), and then went to go see a sorority sister from Memphis. She actually was an alumna advisor when I was in the chapter and on council, so she and I had a pretty good/close relationship when I was in college. I haven't seen her since I graduated but we keep up on facebook, and she went to Hawaii last week with another Kappa Delta. She had a layover in San Diego on her way back to Memphis. and since we have a curfew at our airport, she landed at midnight and couldn't fly out until 6 am. So I told her about this 24 hour restaurant downtown and she hung out there, and we went and met her there. Had a peanut butter bacon cheeseburger, which I DEVOURED, and caught up. Then she flew back to Memphis. It was so good to see her.

And yesterday we went................WINE TASTING. I had just said how I felt like it had been forever since I'd gone. Which considering the last wine tasting I did was my birthday weekend, approximately a month and a week ago, I think that officially makes me a wino, if I wasn't already one. Sheesh.

Anyhoo, it was a beeeeeeautiful day in Temecula yesterday.




Judge me. 

The arches in my feet hurt like a bitch this morning. I'm thinking it's from dancing a lot on Saturday night. But who knows. Anyway. 

Happy Monday, fools! Hope y'all have a great week!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Hungover on a Wednesday.

Uuuggksjhfkjshfkshfkshdfkshrioiojwioewfmksndsjfsh.

Yes, I'm hungover on a Wednesday. Which is a reason I'm posting this so late.

I hd today off work because I worked on Sunday, so naturally last night I went to the country bar. I drank cheap white zin that I'm fairly certain came out of a box. Listen, I lived off box wine in college. I should have just had an IV drip of Franzia, really. But I'm now an old lady wine snob and I just can't handle the cheap stuff anymore. Because I haven't been this hungover in a long time.

OK that's a lie. But for reals. This is ridiculous.

I am pathetic.

BUT I lost 2 pounds since last week. Holllaaaaaa!!! So I was 203 when I started this blog in January. I'm now 181. Not a ton of weight lost in one year, but I'm really excited about continuing to lose more now. I'm really liking running and I'm perfectly content with having cancelled my gym membership. I want to be a runner.


Weigh In Wedneday

So on my Christmas list this year will be a few running goodies. I really want one of these SPI Belts that Elle Noel suggested. And obvs I want the American Flag one.

I also want some Yurbuds. Do any of y'all use them? I can't freaking stand constantly having to adjust my earphones when I run. It's annoying.

And completely unrelated to running, I want Garth Brooks' new music set. I MEAN DUH.

Alright fools, happy weigh-in wednesday. I surely hope non of y'all are hungover like I am.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Click here to see the cutest puppy ever.


Happy Veteran's Day, everyone!!! 



I hope everyone takes a minute out of their day to reflect on the sacrifices the men and women of our military and their families have made and continue to make every day. As a girl with almost every family member having served or still serving, today's a special day.

Speaking of the veterans in my life, I last-minute decided to go visit Chris this weekend in Central California, where he's now stationed. Drove up Friday after work and got there around 2AM, and had to leave yesterday at 345AM to get to work by 8...yeah, it was that last-minute! But it was a good visit. He also has a new puppy that I. Am. Obsessed. With.

Ladies (and maybe gentlemen?), meet GM2, AKA Gunner:

That belly!!!



Yep, he's pretty much the most adorable little shithead of all time. He's still got puppy breath. And he'll fall asleep anytime, anywhere. Including when his dad is holding him up in the air.

Anyway, that's about the gist of my weekend, everyone. Nothing too crazy. Hope y'all had wonderful weekends too, and if you have today off from work, I hope you're still enjoying it!

Again, please take some time to say thank you to a United States Veteran today.


Friday, November 8, 2013

Some beauty stuff, and a CMA "recap" as you bloggers like to refer to things as.

Happy Friday, y'all! Sorry I didn't post this yesterday like I planned. I wanted to, but then I got carried away with a puppy play date at the beach :) Yes, it was 80 degrees yesterday here in beautiful San Diego. Do you hate me?


First thing, if you've read this blog for a few months, you know I used to be OBSESSED with my CND Shellac manis. And I can no-longer afford them (champagne taste on a beer box-wine budget, anyone?). So, I've been trying and trying and trying to figure out an afforable way I can do my nails myself and still have them look half as good as they did with my amazing nail girl Olga's expertise (I'll be back, soon, my love!). I think I may have FINALLY figured it out.

I want to preface this by saying I saw this pin floating around and though, hm, I should try that:


I read through the comments on that blogger's post and saw that in the end, the Hard as Wraps made the paint peel off pretty much in one whole piece within a couple of days. Then I realized, I don't give a shit how long they last, as long as they look decent for a couple days I can re-do them. I just want them to LOOK good. So out I went to buy that Sally Hanson stuff, and luckily I saw THIS:


So I bought that too. I tried numerous combinations of the Sally Hanson base coast and the no-chip's ahead top coat, and while they were looking good, I was getting air bubbles out the wazoo. And I couldn't figure out why. Alas, last week I was obsessing over it and somehow I figured out that it was, indeed, only the Sally Hanson's Hard and Wraps that was causing the air bubbles. Nothing else.

If that didn't clarify, DO NOT BUY THAT STUFF.

So here's my magic regimen that creates decent-looking, fake gel/shellac manis at home, with no UV lamp required:


  • 1 coat Essie No Chips Ahead
  • 3 coats nail color of your choice (I try to stick to OPI or Essie), letting them dry *almost* completely between each coat
  • 1 coat Essie No Chips Ahead

Please ignore my cuticles. That's one part of a manicure I don't know how to replicate :) 

Let them dry for at least 10 minutes before you do anything at all, really, and then give them at least an hour before you go trying to button your shirt up or anything crazy like that. Remember, you don't have a UV lamp (if ya do, good for you!), so you have to give them time. Patience is probably the most key ingredient to good nails.

Compared with CDN Shellac done professionally:


So obviously they don't look like THAT, but they're satisfactory to me. I really do think that Essie No Chips Ahead is the secret ingredient. They usually last me 3-4 days before a chip. And honestly, if you want an at-home manicure without a UV light that doesn't chip in any time over that, I think you might have lost your mind. The only thing I can think of that would deliver that is CND's new product Vinylux, which you have to be a professional to buy, as far as I know.

So anyway, there's that. Also, I recently found a shampoo/conditioner I'm obsessed with.

For my birthday, my co-workers got me a 3-month subscription to Birchbox (I know, they're awesome). In my first one, I got this Shampoo and Conditioner:
The full-sized bottles are $22 a pop! Not in my budget, that's for damn sure. But I LOVED them. They smell amazing, and the shampoo is sulfate-free. I know that's like the new buzzword lately, but it's really so much better for your hair than non-sulfate-free. It doesn't strip your hair of oils, therefore dehydrating it, and it's obviously much better for those of us who have color in our hair, too. So I set out to find some cheaper sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. I remembered that Organix is all sulfate-free, so after checking out L'Oreal's sulfate-free options, I looked at Organix and found these bad boys
They're about $6 each depending on where you get them. And they're buy one get on half off at Ulta. They actually smell IDENTICAL. When I smelled them at the store, I thought it smelled eerily similar. Then I compared them side-by-side and couldn't even tell the difference. The results on my hair are also the same. I'm hooked. So you decide: 
I'll probably be sticking with the Organix for a while. Thanks anyway, Birchbox!
Side note about sulfate free shampoos: They're not supposed to lather well, so stop complaining about that! Sorry, it just drives me nuts when I read reviews about some great products and the "cons" are "doesn't lather well." The beauty industry tricked us all into thinking that the more suds, the better. Not so, my friends. So don't use a ton of the sulfate-free shampoo to try to get more and more bubbles. Also, I just learned this, but it's better to lather the shampoo in your hands before you put it on your hair. I had no idea! So I guess I'm late to that club. But figured I'd pass the word on instead of any of y'all are slow like me. 
So with that outta the way. Can we please discuss the CMA awards??? 
We all know I want to be Carrie Underwood when I grow up, so I don't even need to touch on how freaking fabulous she was. She looked gorgeous the entire time. And those legs. INSPIRATION. 
The only thing I didn't like about the entire thing was, as I'm sure you suspect, Taylor Swift getting honored with the mother effing Pinnacle Award. THE AWARD THAT ONLY GARTH BROOKS HAS RECEIVED BEFORE HER. 
WUT. 
WHAT?!!??!!?!?!!
I about lost my mind. 
But whatever. She acted pretty humble, so whatevs. 
Does anyone know if it's factual that Carrie Underwood doesn't like her? Couldn't help my notice my girl Carrie was never once in the same area as T Swift, and had nothing to do with presenting her that award. Hmmmmm.....
Anyhoo. I am going for a run. Wish me luck that again, I don't die. Or pass out. Or anything like that. 
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Weight update and some thoughts.

Yay for Wednesdays!!! I'm working the 8-430 shift today because I have a meeting with the Kappa Delta Alumnae Association in San Diego tonight. Fingers crossed the women act like mature adults, at least moreso than the last time I was around them. It should be interesting, because they're forming a formal executive board and they've told me they want me to take on a position, since I held two council positions in college. I will gladly take on a position but I won't tolerate cattiness and bitchiness. So standby haha.

Anyway, since it's Wendesdays I decided to weigh myself and link up for Weigh In Wednesday. It's been a while!

Weigh In Wedneday


I'm thinking my scale is broken. It's been the same number for the last 3 or 4 weeks. Which means I'm maintaining 20 pounds lost since the beginning of the year. That's an accomplishment, but I know I could do better. But I did go for a run on Monday, and yesterday I took the dogs with me and power-walked the same route (about 1.25 miles). Nothing too crazy, but it's something.

I will admit, every muscle in my body hurts. It's crazy how quickly muscles build up and how quickly they go away when you don't use them.

On the topic of running, does anyone have any recommendations for something to hold onto an iphone and keys? I'm thinking of a belt of sorts, but I just don't know. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciate :)

I'll leave y'all with this little snippet of motivation:


Also, the CMA Awards are tonight. I won't be able to watch them until tomorrow, so don't expect an update from me til Friday, but I did hear this morning that they're considering getting new hosts next year. I totally get that, since this will be Brad and Carrie's like 5th or 6th year hosting. Totally understandable. What I do not and will not understand is if they replace them with Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes.








My favorite:


I actually like Hunter Hayes. But he's so new. He's not at all right to be hosting the CMA Awards, which have been hosted by BRAD FREAKING PAISLEY and Brooks and Dunn. Sorry, little man. But I cannot stand Taylor Swift. It angers me that she's still considered remotely country at all considering the last 5-6 shit songs she's put out.

Sorry for the language. Moving on.

Check back tomorrow, I'm switching things up and talking about beauty stuff. Like hair and nails. Crazy, I know.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Monday, November 4, 2013

God, grant me the serenity...

Hey hey hey fools. Happy Monday?

Well, the GMAT did not go as I had planned/hoped. You get your unofficial score back right away, but the official one will come in a couple weeks with my essay grade. The math was not at all like the Princeton Review book or Kaplan flashcards had prepared me for. Call me stupid but when two of the biggest test-prep companies in the business barely touch on functions in their math sections and instead focus on EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF, I didn't worry too much about functions, which I was never good at in calculus. Well, whaddya know, 75% of the questions I got were functions. It's computer adaptive, so the more function problems I got wrong, the more they gave me, and I blew it. There's no two ways about it.

On the flipside, I scored in the 85th percentile on the integrated reasoning section, which ironically is a combination of math that you have to perform after analyzing multiple graphs, tables, charts, etc. and critical thinking. So clearly I'm not an idiot when it comes to math, I just didn't study functions and shot myself in the foot.

The english section was fine. I scored average.

So, the combination of my way-above-average integrated reasoning score, my average english score, and my below-average math score rounded me out right at an average, nothing great score. I'm fucking pissed, to say the least. Sorry, but it's the truth.

And no, I'm not taking it again unless it comes to that, because it costs $250.00, and I'm about to have to spend $50-$100 per school on applications.

My gameplan now is to only apply to the two schools that I think may be attainable with that score, Nebraska and Arizona State, for summer start online. If I get rejected by both, I will re-take the GMAT. If I get into one (or both, by the grace of God), I'll just call it a day and enroll.

Sorry for the novel, I just had to get that off my chest. Nobody seems to fully grasp why I'm so upset, and I'm sick of having to explain to people it's not a pass-or-fail test, it's not realistic to plan on "just taking it again," and that I got my score right away and know for a fact I did not do well. And also, I do just want to let y'all know that while I complained about having no motivation to study in this post, I studied my ass off. In fact, I studied for 2 months. While my motivation may have been lacking in the last week before the test, I did still study, and I feel like I prepared for it as best as I knew how.

Needless to say, this is my mantra right now:








Onto other things.

This weekend was one of my best friend's birthday celebrations. We just went downtown on Friday night, and I DD'ed because I had to take that mother-effing test the next day.



Blowjob shot.





It was a fun night, and the birthday girl got DOWN. Which is always a good thing. And she didn't get kicked out of anywhere, which is a victory over last year :)

I love that girl.


So, y'all are going to be so proud of me. Ready for this? I woke up this morning earlier than I needed to (per the usual), and instead of laying in bed and watching shows I don't even like on TV...........I WENT RUNNING!!!!

Now, considering the last time I ran was maybe in June or July, I was fully expecting this to be more of a jalk. Or a wog. Whichever you prefer. But much to my surprise, I very slowly ran most of the entire thing. I stopped to adjust my headphones (which I got at biglots and hate) and during a Pandora commercial break, because I just can't run without music. Not too shabby!

Let this be the beginning of a new chapter.

Anyhoo, that's all I got. Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend!