Using my shopping addiction for good

Well hello hello hello friends! Happy Tuesday :)

Soooooo I literally had a nightmare about going to the barre class this morning. I'm not lying. It wasn't specifically the clas that was nightmarish, it was getting there. I won't go into detail (and it's one of those dreams where you know it was not fun but can't really remember exactly what happened) but I took it as a sign I shouldn't go. I'm not supersticious or anything super crazy, but I woke up with a bad feeling about getting in my car at that time. Call me crazy. I'll do it soon.

I DID however go for a run again. My Nike app decided to start working which was nice. I did 1.38 miles in 19:33. My average pace was 14:10. Definitely not good but it's the 2nd time I've run in almost 2 months, and my pace was actually better than the last run I went on back in April (I was able to see it when the app started working). Not by much, but it's improvement. I'm going to try to run the next three mornings as well since I don't have to be at work until noon. Then I'll add a second loop around part of the neighborhood once my muscles start getting used to running again (they're hurting haha), and hopefully I'll be able to not come in last place o nthe 4th of July.

Speaking of, I just ordered a special Brady Band to wear for that 5k! I read SkinnyMeg's post about the story behind Brady Bands and was so touched. Go read it. Then I went to the site to find they're half the price of BicBands I've bought in the past, same concept, but the proceeds go to a cause much more near and dear to my heart. Which I'll get to in a minute. First, check out this headband I ordered:

And since they were only $6 SIX BUCKS A PIECE, I ordered one more...


Yes, it says camo diva.

So after shipping I spent $15. That's the same price as one Bic Band. Whether or not they're the same quality I guess I will find out soon.

So I've been thinking a lot about getting involved in volunteer work here in San Diego, since I was so involved in Memphis. I've said before how I was the VP-Community Service for my sorority, and part of my job was to organize the entire chapter's community service efforts, plan events with local Girl Scout troops, and plan an annual fundraising event to benefit Prevent Child Abuse America. I have a special place in my heart for PCAA because the PCATennessee Executive Director was just SO WONDERFUL when I worked with her. She was so gracious and thankful to me and my chapter for what we did (the year I was in charge was raised $7000 and collected lotssss of toys and other necessities and the next year I was an old senior but helped the new VPCS organize everything because we changed the event concept and we raised $11000), and I've kept in touch with her. I also had my internship in college at a non-profit organization in Memphis called the Exceptional Foundation, which was a day program for kids and adults with special needs. To top it all off, I also volunteered for a year at St. Jude. It. Was. Life. Changing.

My first semester at St. Jude I worked in the Grizzlies House. It was a newly-built hotel on the St. Jude campus specifically for patients in town for under 7 days, that didn't need to be kept in the hospital (St. Jude only has about 70 inpatient rooms because, well, what kid wants to spend the night in a hospital?). So now they have the Ronald McDonald house for long-term patients in town for treatment, and the Grizzlies House for ones who don't need to be there that long. Which was actually much easier on my psyche as a volunteer because most of the kids I encountered were in remission. Then my second semester I got moved to the inpatient facility. It was heartbreaking going from room to room, asking kids hooked up to IVs and exhausted from a round of treatments if they wanted to come out and play games. It made me realize how blessed I was to have my health, and I pray that I never have to go through what those families go through every day. So if I can buy a cute headband and donate money to funding children's cancer research, I'll be glad to do so.

I honestly really thought about going into non-profit work when I graduated, and one day maybe I will, but for now I'm just feeling a void of not doing anything for the community around me. So I've been looking into volunteering at Rady Children's Hospital here in San Diego. At St. Jude, obviously the kids I worked with had catostrophic diseases, where at Rady it's much more wide-ranging what the kids might be there for, so I'm not sure what I'd be in for but I think I'm going to do it.

Do any of you partake in community service in your adult lives? What do you do?

Alright, that's all I got for today.

First run in almost 2 months!

Well this is going to be a monster post. But before I get into discussing my weekend (and my morning) I'll address the fact that I'm not participating in a linkup I've taken part in pretty much every week for the last few months. I really, really appreciate bloggers who, as I said in a post a few weeks ago, comment back or at least take the time to thank you for participating in their linkups. I have met some great people through that particular linkup that I'm sure will continue to swing by an encourage me as I will continue to do with them, but it's very off-putting to continually write out heartfelt comments and such and get nothing in return (when you're promoting their blog as well by participating in their linkup). The silver lining, though, is that I know as I continue to grow this blog and meet new friends, I will continue to also make a huge effort in writing back, thanking my blog friends for encouraging me, and all that other fun stuff.

Anyway, moving on.

TIM MCGRAW WAS FREAKING AMAZING. I was concerned he was going to play mostly new stuff, but he assured me in a radio interview earlier in the day that he was playing 24 TWENTY-FOUR SONGS during his set. That's a shit ton. He even played my absolute favorite song he's every recorded, Everywhere. I cried.

 Soooo Brantley Gilbert was great too (what I saw of him). Unfortunately we spent a little too much time in the parking lot doing things like taking pictures...

And drinking....



Love my new koozie that the friendboy got for me. And I'm now a
fan of limearitas. It's like a coronarita in a can (just not as fun or delicious).



Then we got inside and sat on the lawn, where a drunk ass who can't handle his alcohol fell and stepped ON MY HIP BONE in his wannabe cowboy boots.

But the concert was great other than that, and a mishap where we all lost each other for a hot minute. Oops.




The best pic I could get. We did end up sneaking into
seats like I usually do at this venue.

The next day we went to Temecula for wine-tasting. Shocker, I know. But I popped my best friends wine-tasting grape and it was such a fun day!



That's my Mandi Maxi from Kiki La'Rue. I love it.

I unfortunately was disappointed in Keyways. It's gorgeous, but the wine was nothing special. I do love the ole standby, Wilson Creek, where I got to meet the resident potbelly piggie, Molly Merlot!



Such a diva. But a sweet diva.

We also took a tour--a first for all of us. It was so fun, and led by my favorite bartender there. We had gotten a champagne mix they do where they mix their almond champagne (the only Wilson Creek drink you can buy in the grocery store because it's that good), their peach belini champagne, and their orange mimosa champagne, before we went on the tour, and then we of course tasted as we went. So we were double-fisting.

So. Much. Fun.

Group shot at Lorimar, where I think I'll be getting a wine club membership soon.

Lorimar is a great winery if you live in the area or ever visit! They have live music outside and a pizza oven, and the service is always great. Definitely a fan.

So then yesterday I did nothing other than go to get my nails done to find my nails begging for a break from my beloved shellac. So I obliged. Another amazing thing about my nail tech Olga is that she actually cares about your nails, not just making money. She insisted on giving them a 2 week break. So she gave me an amazing mani and all the fun stuff minus any polish and sent me on my way with naked nails. For the first time since September. I feel empty :(

Now onto something fitness related for once! This morning I dragged my ass out of bed and went for A RUN! Well, it was a lot of jalking, but I did some running too. It was HOT. And the entire time I was facing west the sun was beating in my face with no shades on. I actually got a little sunburned in a matter of 15 minutes or so. Here's the route I took, since nike running app wasn't working.


1.3 miles total in 18 minutes. Not great, but not terrible considering I haven't run in over a month and a half and last time I did this I did it in about 16 minutes, at night time when it was much cooler. I realized I need to lengthen my stride, though. I have LONG ASS LEGS, y'all. I'm 5'8 and I have the same length legs as my ex who was 6'4. Yeah. Let that sink in for a minute. I could totally use that to my advantage when running but I just don't extend my legs very much. Does anyone have any tips for lengthening stride??

Also, one more question. What is a good running app besides Nike+? It wouldn't pick up my location at all today.

OK OK if you've read this whole thing, props to you. I'm enjoying reading about everyone else's weekends and I hope we all have a wonderful week! Tomorrow morning's my first barre class...wish me luck!



Celebrating Five on Friday!

Ahhhh it's finally back....Friday :) I don't have any right to be excited it's Friday since I had Monday off this week but whatever. I'm still happy. For these 5 reasons:


1) TONIGHT IS THE TIM MCRAW/BRANTLEY GILBERT/LOVE AND THEFT CONCERT!!! WHICH ALSO MEANS THAT COUNTRY CONCERT SEASON/SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!

Soooooooo sexyyyyyyyyyyyy. Mmmmm.

I've actually seen him twice before (technically 3 times but we won't talk about that). He's really great in concert, and I'm super excited to see Brantley Gilbert too. I'm also pumped because this is the first country concert I get to experience with one of my best friends, Kelsey. Yay! Help me decide which dress to wear...



From Styles for Less



OR



From Kiki La'Rue



2) I got my Whitney Maxi from Kiki La'Rue in the mail yesterday!

Super excited to wear it wine tasting tomorrow. And try a new winery I've had my eye on for a while (please don't disappoint me, Keyways!). BTW, these might still be 30% off...they all were a few days ago when I ordered. If they are the discount will be applied at checkout.

3) I just ordered these earrings from Fifth and Mae and I'm so excited. I really love Michelle's blog, and her jewelry is so pretty and AFFORDABLE. On top of that, she's having a summer sale (that I'm pretty sure ends today) so order your ish now fools!



$6.95!!



$5.95!!!



4) I'm really excited about trying Barre next week.

I know it's nothing too exciting, but I really need to get motivated and start training for that 5k (which I'm honestly not sure I can be ready for by the 4th of July) and strengthening my legs and core is a good way to start!

5) Life, in general, is good. I've had a weird week, but I have a lot to be thankful for. I have an adorable puppy dog who makes me feel like the greatest person in the world every single day, a mom who supports me pursuing my dream even if it means I have to live at home for a bit longer, a job (a blessing in itself) that I really do enjoy, and some great friends in my life. We should all constantly be counting our blessings!!!



No idea where this came from or I would credit it, but I like it.



This is the first time I've done the 5 on Friday linkup and I'm super excited to meet some new bloggers :) It's also co-hosted by Christina at Carolina Charm...and she's one of my sorority sisters! So far she's the first KD I've found through blogging and she just so happens to have a great blog, so check her out.

Well that's all I got, y'all. Have a great weekend!!!

'Merica.

One more day until the glorious weekend! Hollaaaaaaaa.

First things first. My non-scale victory.

BTW, is Lex alive?

I think it's the same as last week (I'm just too lazy to look). But I've gone to the gym after work the last two days in a row. I know the only way to for sure 100% get me there is to change before I even leave, so I have no excuses. Today, I'm going to try to run in my neighborhood. I also have a kickball game so hopefully I don't overdo it on my toe, which still hurts.

To add to my money stresses I've realized that breaking my toe essentially has turned the $100+ that I spent on my nice running shoes a waste, as they no longer are comfortable due to my toe healing wrong (no doctor would reset a broken toe though, so there's nothing I could have done about it other than not run into the wall and break my toe in the first place). Eff my effing life. I'll probably have to invest in some new ones at some point in the near future. Anyone know what to do with my Mizunos which are in pretty good shape? Can you really sell used running shoes??

Moving on, I plan on going to Barre at my gym next Tuesday morning. Has anyone ever taken a Barre class!??! Please tell me this: What kind of shoes are you supposed to wear??? Just regular ole gym shoes??

Sorry for all the questions.

This is going to now be super random and have nothing to do with NSV. But it's my blog so I don't care :)

I'm currently obsessed with the new series North America on Discovery. Literally. Obsessed. I think it's awesome. And probably because of how stinkin' patriotic I am I love that it's a reminder to people of how beautiful our very own country/continent is and maybe it will result in people investing their money more into travelling INSIDE than pumping up other country's economies. Just a little side note :) Either way, I love watching it, and I've taken away some valuable lessons that I thought I'd share here, as they were such a big hit on my own personal facebook.

1. Don't mess with Mamas. Ever. They will protect their babies fiercely and sacrifice themselves if they can.
2. If you are unhappy with what you have, go out, work hard, and earn what you want. Moochers don't fare well in the Animal Kingdom, so why should they in the real world?
3. Ladies, please at least make men exert a BIT of energy before just giving it up! Make him do a fancy dance, sing you a song, or--I know this is a crazy thought--buy you dinner first!!!! Crazy concepts, I know.

Probably one of my favorite parts of the show so far.



This little fella learned real quick how to survive on a mountainside. Props, baby goat.



And my absolute favorite part so far...



I hear it....but where is it......



YAHTZEEEEE!

I also loved the prairie dog segment. Those little dudes are funny.

So now on my lifetime bucketlist (or maybe just the next few years) is go to Badlands National Park. I've been to Zion and it's beautiful, and the Grand Canyon, and I've seen swampland and all that fun stuff. But I want to go to Badlands.

Anyway, sorry for the super random sidetrip!

I can't wait to read about everyone else's NSV's this week! It's almost the weekend, so just hold on!

And, as always....God Bless America :)

Sweet Summertime 7 Week 1 Check-Up

Happy Hump Day! I really need this week to fly by.

Today is Weigh-in Wednesday, as well as the official 1 week checkup for my Sweet Summertime 7! So here's how the 7 are coming along so far....

1. Run a 5k: Haven't been ballsy enough to run yet with my toe, but I'm planning on it Thursday after work and before kickball.
2. Get down to 165 lbs : Well, today I weighed 184 flat. That's down 1.2 pounds from last week. Considering what I've been eating this week and  how little I've worked out, I'll take it.
3. Get down to a size 8-10 and Medium : Workin' on it.  
4. Learn portion control: This is still a struggle for me.
5. Do a fitness class every week : This week my work schedule has been all over the place and has not allowed for me to make a class that sounds appealing. But next week I have all late shifts (noon-830PM) so I plan on going to a morning class.
6. Feel comfortable in a bikini in a picture without a cover-up :Workin' on it.
7. Go on a hike at least once a month : Perhaps this Sunday?

So, as you can see, I haven't made a ton of progress. But it's only been a week. If you want to join me in setting goals for yourself this summer, please do!!!

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Since I weighed in today, I also wanted to linkup for Weigh In Wednesday.

Like I said before, I've lost 1.2 pounds since last week. Which I'm perfectly happy with. I'm not morbidly obese considering my height and actual size/muscle mass, so I'm not over here trying to lose 6 pounds a week. That isn't healthy unless you're on a ranch with a little crazy lady screaming at you to move your ass and being monitored heavily by doctors. Just a friendly reminder :) 

Last night, I drug my butt to the gym after I got off work (at 830 at night, might I add). With my commute, I got there at 9. I attempted to get on the spinning bike, but my vajay-jay hurt like hell after a few minutes so I used it as my warmup and hopped onto an elliptical for another 20. I increased my resistance and incline a few times to vary my heart rate, and I feel like I got a decent workout in, considering. Then I randomly picked out a few weight machines and did a few free-weight exercises to get Jillian Michaels' arms (in my dreams), and then I tanned. Sue me.

And here's some pinspiration:

And this is a cool pin I found a while ago and actually used. I lace my shoes like in the picture, but there are tons of other ways depending on your feet shape/issue.



I hope everyone has a great Wednesday, and I can't wait to read everyone else's progress :)

Another round of weekly goals...and thank you.

Before I get to the weekly goal linkup, I first want to say thank you to everyone who read and commented on my rant on Saturday :) I really thought while writing it that nobody would probably read through it, and I definitely wouldn't receive any comments. So every one of them meant a lot to me and I appreciate it. And I also hope I made you all feel appreciated in my responses.

After my rant, I got off work early and, you guessed it, went wine tasting. Oops. 

It was a gorgeous day in the eastern part of San Diego county, and I got to wear my new Mandy Maxi from Kiki La'Rue!!! I'm obsessed. 

So glad one of my best friends Nicole could come finally!
Yes, together we are Nicole Squared. 

Sweet picture of me and my momma. 

Cheesin' with the bottle of cab franc I spent way too much money on. 

I. Love. My. Dress. And everything else I've gotten from Kiki La'Rue. Speaking of...I also finally got the chance to wear this dress I ordered a while back from their inventory clearance sale:

As far as I know, they still have this dress in stock in Blue. 

That ^^^ was before my best friend/sorority sister Lindsey's birthday dinner at Lips, a local drag queen dinner show. It's SO fun, and I highly recommend going if you are ever in San Diego.

With the birthday Queen :) 

If you're celebrating anything, after the show they call you up
on stage to take a picture. Lindsey went there. Hahahaha

After the dinner, I got to go pick up my new friendboy from the airport. I'll say that we've been dating for about two months and I really like him. He's in the military, so he was gone for two weeks and then here for a few days and then he went home for leave for another two weeks, which is why I picked him up from the airport. We got to spend yesterday together (hence no social media at all yesterday lol), and now he'll be gone again for another week and a few days. But then after that, he'll be back for a while. So fingers crossed this turns into something good!!

Moving on...

Last week's goals were to make it to the gym Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I made it there Tuesday and Wednesday. Which I'm ok with. I also had a goal to make myself sweat there even with my toe in it's condition. Which I did. My final goal was to track better on myfitnesspal. I did ok. I completed two entries, which is more than I have in a long time! Baby steps. 

This week, my goals are: 

1. Go to the gym tonight, Wednesday, and Thursday (even though I have a kickball game Thursday). Friday is a Tim McGraw concert (heck yes!) that I am going straight from work to. 
2. RUN! I want to run again. So bad. But I do hate the treadmill, so maybe this weekend when I'm home I can run around my neighborhood. 
3. Track, track, track!!! Keeping this one on the list. 

I wish everyone luck in their endeavor to complete their goals this week :) 

Again, thank you to everyone who commented on my ranting on Saturday, and I WILL practice what I preach. 

Warning: The following message contains rantings of a very frustrated girl.

Hey people.

I know the blog world pretty much shuts down on the weekends. And typically I do with it, too, but today I'm at work. And I'm bored. And I'm going to take advantage of the fact that nobody will probably read this anyway and vent my current frustrations (in and out of the blog world).

• I'm at work alone and the only thing to entertain me is Pandora, but the only way to listen is to put my phone on the iHome and I really just want to be on FB/IG/texting to make the time pass. Siiiiiigh.
• My toe is pretty much healed, but it still hurts every time I take a step in closed-toed shoes. I'm starting to worry it will ALWAYS hurt like this from now on because it didn't grow back the right way or whatever.
• Traffic in San Diego. I'm getting truly and genuinely sick and tired of it. After living in Memphis for 3 years and not really having to deal with any rush hour traffic that was completely outrageous, I guess I got spoiled. Now that I commute about 25 miles to and from work every day on some of the busiest freeways in San Diego (btw, did you know we have almost 20 of them? That's INSANE. And the majority of them have 4 lanes on each side WHY IS THERE CONGESTION!??!!??!??!?!?!?!?!), it's starting to get to me. I'M LOSING MY SANITY EVERY SECOND I SIT IN TRAFFIC HERE.
• Money. I have a college degree (that I worked my ass off for, thank you very much) (and that I earned with honors) and a pretty good resume for someone who didn't have an actual job in college other than waiting tables. I have extensive leadership experience. I had a great internship. I have outstanding references from Professors and people very high up in the University of Memphis system (one of them is the Executive Director of the Alumni Association, to give you an idea) and I'm working an entry-level job where I make $12/hour. Thank God it's full time and I can get benefits, but I'm actually considering not even enrolling because I'd rather save that $50 bucks a month for something else. Like my car payment. Or my STUDENT LOANS I'M UP TO MY EYEBALLS IN. BTW, did Congress seriously just pass a bill that would allow the interest rates to rise??? Are you effing kidding me??? I'm about to seriously start a movement to get every single graduate with student loans to just stop paying and all default at the same time and burst the effing bubble just like the housing market did. For probably the first time in his presidency I agree with Obama's opinion on this issue and I truly hope he is successful in fighting it.
• I do have to say, though, I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. It's tenmilliongajilliontrillion times better than my job before despite the pay cut I took. And i'm still confident I can make this work to my advantage and move upwards and onwards within the year.
• And one little rant about blogging: When bloggers say they always comment back, and they don't, it really irks me. I understand big bloggers (with thousands or maybe 800 or more followers) not being physically able to, but even so I know of a few bigger ones who DO comment back. So if they can, so can the rest of us. I'm fairly certain I've commented back to every comment left on my blog posts, and I just discovered how to email reply (I know, welcome to 2013, Nicole) so now if you're able to be emailed back, I will respond that way and comment as well. I also try to follow every one of my followers back--again, if their blog is linked to their profile. Maybe I just have a lot to learn about blog etiquette, but I sure appreciate a hell of a lot more the bloggers who take 30 seconds to respond to a heartfelt comment of mine than the ones who continuously don't. Just sayin. OK, rant complete.

I think it's safe to say I need a vacation. I'd like to go to these places, if anyone is interested:





     

This calmed me down from my rant:

"Take time to capture, calm, and clear your heart...Make 'happy' your most-felt emotion."

After today I have two days off. I'll be taking that time to capture, calm, and clear my heart. Hope everyone is having a fab weekend.