Finding Fitness

Sundays :)

2011-07-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Bloggies!

Or should I say goodnight? And what a long night it has been! And a great morning! Last night was actually a really great night work wise especially since the night before I only sat down for 20 min. the whole shift and left an hour late. On the other hand last night seemed to just drag by but I managed to get a chapter and a half of macro reading/notes done sooo yay - that means more sleep for me today!

The past couple of days I've been meaning to go workout when I finish my shift because that's what I had been doing in the past but Saturday and Friday morning I was just way to exhausted and I barely made it into bed out of my scrubs. Last night I broke down and ingested some caffeine which is kinda a big deal because I have managed to stay away from it for the last two weeks! I will say though that I do not regret in the least drinking a sugar free red bull. I felt so great this morning when I got off work but I also think that drinking 60 oz. of water might have had something to do with that. I never realized what a huge impact drinking half my weight in water in ounces. Seriously, if you've never done this try it!

Anyways, let's get back on track, after work this morning I went to the gym! I did half an hour on the treadmill at 4 mph (fast I know!) on hill intervals. So basically the treadmill just alternates between different levels of incline every couple of minutes. I like it because I don't have to do anything but not fall off. I can watch Food Network and read while letting the treadmill set the pace for me. After that I did a killer ab circuit and managed to complete it without stopping to rest which I normally never am able to do! I finished off my morning/night with 3 egg whites scrambled with broccoli (it tastes better than it sounds) and some water.

It is such a nice feeling having already done my workout when I wake up. It's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders and I can focus on all the other things I have to do during the day!

Now off to bed before I fall asleep and drool on my computer (I'm ashamed to say that it wouldn't be the first time...) because I have tons of this to do later....

HOMEWORK!

Sucezz

2011-07-06T07:59:00.001-07:00

Today I had my first successful complete Tone It Up/Eating Clean day! Well, I've had complete eating clean days but today I actually followed the cooler system and ate the right food at the right time, blah blah blah don't pig out or eat crap.

It was such a hectic day because instead of waking up for my usual 6am workout I slept in until almost 8:00am but hey! the body wants the body wants sometimes it's Justin Timberlake sometimes it's sleep and one is definitely more feasible then the other (I'll let you guess which one that is). Due to my late snooze I had to hurry in order to shower, make breakfast plus two snacks for the day, and lunch (I wasn't going to be home till 6:30ish) - I'm proud to say that somehow I managed!

My plan was to hit up the Western gym during my 4 hr break that I had (their gym is noiiiiice!) but much to my disappointment when I got back to my truck after macro I realized that I had forgotten my tennis shoes... I remembered my eyelash curler and a bottle of hair spray but not my shoes, really?!?!? I decided that instead of eating my mid-morning snack that I would just go ahead and get lunch (it was already noon...) at Wasabee, this amazing sushi place in Bellingham. It literally has the best sushi and it is so incredibly cheap. I'm very proud of myself that I didn't order my favorite roll with the tempura shrimp but settled on a Baja and spicy New York roll (nothing fried there just some prawn and crab).

Since I had such a yummy lunch I wasn't starving until the middle of my bio review session... Some major stomach growling going on there I'm pretty sure the people around me thought that I had a rabies infected cat with me. After class I wanted to go to Trader Joe's for some cayenne pepper and black beans (random I know) so in order to avoid going grocery shopping hungry I forked down the salad that I had brought with me in the car on the drive there, lemme tell you that was not smart. Eating the salad - yes, but eating a salad while driving - no. I'm soooo glad that I ate before I went in because I had great self-control in my food choices :) I bought...

Pistachios
2 cans of black beans
Chicken breakfast sausage
Zico coconut water
Peanut butter chocolate chip Lara bar
Who knew that cayenne pepper is so hard to find!

I've never tried the coconut water so I decided to buy some since it has so many great nutritional qualities (what an awkward way to say that it's good for you...) and it's currently chilling out in the fridge for future consumption. I got the Lara bar and 'stachios so that I could have something in the car for when my inner mountain lion wants to ravage anything it can find, at least this way I'll always have a healthy snack nearby so you don't have to hide your children anymore.

My new and improved snack stock the Chevy manual wasn't cutting it:)

Once I got home I split half the nuts into a plastic bag and stuck it in the car and put the other half in my room to keep them away from the bros (hey! those puppies are pricey!). I'm really hoping the Lara bar won't melt (although I'm sure it will) with all the sun that we've been having (meaning today and yesterday... blurg WA weather). I've never tried this flavor and I generally hate anything with the flavor "peanut butter" even though I love actual peanut butter but we'll see how this works!

Once I got home I battled with whether or not to go to the gym or study for my big exam so I decided to do both!

I was running so fast the words were blurred! NOT

I did a half hour of elliptical on interval training and a .5 hr of intervals on the treadmill. I found that doing intervals and going up and done with speed and incline on both the treadmill and the elliptical is a great workout! I was definitely very, very sweaty and tired once I was done! Andddd I managed to actually get some studying done :)

For dinner I made myself a delicious Southwestern/Greek salad. I wanted a Southwestern-ish salad with spicy chicken and hot sauce but I didn't have any chicken so I settle for spinach (from mi padre's garden), tomato, 1/4 avocado, feta, and 1/4 c. black beans. All I had was homemade garlic herb dressing so I drizzled that over it. It was definitely an odd combo but it worked out!

Melting Pot salad nom nom...

So... Today's breakdown

Meal One:

1 egg white puff - delicious and quick!
Whole wheat toast with about a tsp. of butter
2 tomato slices
Meta-D

Meal 2

This was *supposed* to be some Chobani but it coincided too close to lunch

Meal 3

6 pieces Baja roll
6 pieces spicy NY roll

Meal 4

1 cup spinach
1/4 tomato
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp. Italian dressing
1098403984 near deaths experiences from reckless ~~driving ~~salad eating~~~~

Meal 5

see above (no need to beat a dead horse, right?!) + some stachios (I can't resist the green goodness!!)

So far I've managed to drink about 64 ounces of water (I'm trying to drink half my body weight in ounces) but I have more to go before hitting my mark (yes, sorry to disappoint I do weigh more than 128 lbs.)

Not to toot my own horn or pat myself in the back but toot toot and pat pat because I turned a nutso day into a great one with good choices.

I hope that your Monday/Tuesday was a great one!

Exciting News!

2011-07-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, so, so sorry for the long absence I know that I've lost a few subscribers since the blog has kind of started going on a tangent this year and my not-so-stellar updating skills! Thanks to those that have stuck with me, ya'll really mean a lot to me :) There's been some craziness in my personal life lately - definitely both blessings and not-so-happy happy events but... on to the exciting news! (I will say that even the exciting news also has it's downside - I ended up spending quite a bit of this $$$... it was worth it!)

SO many good things to list that I guess I should put them into some sort of order...

1. The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno isn't something new and it's actually been on the market quite a while with multiple revised editions and spin-off products. I've often seen this book in bookstores and such but wrote it off as just another "no-fail diet" book that would promise weight loss and lifestyle change but would result in great temporary results but eventually fail you (South Beach Diet [yeah I know hypocrite here], the HGC diet, Atkins, etc.). I've seen it happen so many times to friends and family but then I cam across this little beauty on here. The Biochemista is a blog that I discovered a while back In essence, Lauren suffered from migraines, poor eating habits and an assortment of other troubles. After her friend read the book and got great results from it Lauren decided to try it out and it really improved her life! Migraines - gone! Skin issues - gone! Fitness performance? Improved! Soooo.... after reading this I thought you know what? what do I have to lose (other than some dollar bills)? I didn't want to invest a large amount of money into something that I was still skeptical about. After doing a little bit of research I found the diet book and a recipe book for a total of $20. Great buy!

This book is so great! I've already made quite a few of the delicious recipes and am really loving it!

2. My biology class is covering nutrition right now so not that it's exactly exciting news but I've definitely learned a lot about micro-anatomy in relation to our diet health and cholesterol. I've learned some really great stuff that I can't wait to share with you! I'm definitely gong to have a separate post about this kind of stuff! (maybe a separate tab...)

3. After two years of wanting to buy this and wishing I had it I finally bought the ToneItUp fat burning system!!! This is also a lot like the eating clean book - so it's really more of a lifestyle than a 'diet plan' per se. I know it seems weird to have the ToneItUp plan and the eating clean books but when I bought the eating clean books I didn't think that I actually was going to buy the Tone It Up plan but I'm definitely planning on keeping them! The plan was really expensive but I don't feel bad about spending the money because I really support Karena and Katrina's business so I'm glad I did!

Reading it on my Nook... thanks Ty :)

So your probably thinking that all that sounds great... in theory. Since I don't have a good track record with actually sticking to stuff I'm excited to say that I've drastically changed my lifestyle with all of my new found information about nutrition and health. For the last two weeks I've been eating clean and following the ToneItUp rules of what to eat when and it really has made a difference. I've had so much more energy and I rarely get headaches anymore! Yesterday I didn't eat clean and I really felt the effects on my body. My mom made dinner for my brothers and instead of making my own I just had some of theirs and boy I felt so sluggish and just blah. So I can really say that eating clean makes a difference!

Challenges.... like with anything this has its challenges the hardest really is getting the meal plans of the ToneItUp system to match up with my schedule. Since I switch from having a normal schedule to a nocturnal one every four days at night I don't really know when's dinner or if I eat breakfast when I come home... My goal this weekend is to figure out some sort of schedule.

Expect more posts and know that you mean tons to me!

ToneITUp-date

2011-06-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hello from the great WA bloggies! This week has just been chock-full of celebrations! Thomas graduated from high school and Ian graduated from middle school, so I was lucky enough to attend not 1 but 2 commencement ceremonies. All three of us kids went to Catholic school from K-8 and since it is the only Catholic school in the county they always have a big graduation ceremony to mark your transition from Catholic school to public school. That was Thursday night and then Friday evening my family attended the Big Dog's (that my bro's nickname...) graduation. The grad was outside which was nice except for the fact that it was freezing, so it felt more like a football game than a graduation. Saturday we had their combined big grad party that went wonderfully! Thursday night I went out with one of my girlfriends to a party in Bellingham and it was so nice to get out for a night! I worked Friday and Saturday and I also work tonight and Monday then I get a couple of days off!

So far so good on the ToneItUp train! I went for a run this morning after work that went splendidly. There's a short window when I got off work in which I inhabit a manic state of productivity before I completely crash. For example this morning I managed to get a lot of crazy weird little things done, clean my, go running, and chit chat with my mom before I crashed face first onto my Nook.

Instead of just going out and running for as long as I can (which is not long at all), I've been doing what Amber and I used to do when we went running together by running 4 min and walking 2 min. It was a really nice morning so I decided to rock some capris and a long sleeve top. I had just bought these yoga pants from Cost Co a couple of weeks ago and hadn't worn them to go running in yet and I will def not do that again. Maybe it's my giant boot-ay but they just did not want to stay up, sorry for the TMI but it's just a warning! I would definitely suggest buying these because they're super comfy and look great but they just aren't very practical.

This has turned into a bit ramble but I need to go knead my bread dough!

More Recipes...

2011-06-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

(but don't worry a ToneItUp update soon to come...)

Today I was craving fast food like a mofo (yes this really is this best adjective that the deep recesses of my mind could come up with at 4:00 am) so what's a girl to do when she craves greasy, salty, million calorie fast food? you ask... Well first I had to cough up an hour from my super busy schedule and then create a delicious alternative to satisfy my artery clogging craving :)

Lately, I've been scheduled to work every other day and I don't know if any of you bloggies out there have ever worked NOC shifts before but switching from working all night to not having to work every other day is really difficult. I try to sleep normally on my nights off and I generally do but because I have to work the next night I spend a good deal of the next day sleeping. Apparently my day-sleeping is very distressing to my father because he seems to enjoy waking me up every morning (on the days that I work) to keep me from living an apathetic lifestyle, maybe I should start waking him up at 2:30 am each night in order to keep him from getting lazy... That being said once I was prematurely awake this morning and finished my errands and imaginary busy work that I create for myself I set to work making a late lunch for myself and my darling brothers. I settled on baked "chicken nuggets" (the word nuggets sounds so gross and unappetizing... eww) with "French fries."

Chicken Bites (that sounds slightly better than nuggets...)

16 oz. chicken breast
salt
pepper
bread crumbs (whole wheat or regular)
parmesan
thyme
oregano
garlic
olive oil

*Preheat oven to 450*

In case you haven't noticed cooking with thyme, oregano, and garlic seems to have become some what of a trend for me but you don't need to use these spices if your palette prefers a different medley of flavors, this recipe really lets you play around with flavors!

Take your chicken breast (you can use however much you want, 16 oz just looked good to me) and dice it into pieces - all of them about the same size. After you've cut your 'nuggets' salt and pepper them to your liking (try not to over salt them because you will be seasoning them once again) then place them into a bowl. In a glass mix together crushed garlic and olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture over your chicken then mix the EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and chicken really well so that every last little 'bite' looks like it's about to hit the beach (oiled up...).

In a separate bowl mix together 1 cup of bread crumbs (I used Trader Joe's Organic Bread Crumbs but you can really use whatever), 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. thyme (if you didn't use crushed garlic go ahead and add garlic powder as well) and more salt and pepper if you feel that its necessary.

Using a few bites of chicken at a time thoroughly coat them in the crumb mixture. Place your chicken on either a greased cookie sheet or take a wire cooling rack, place that on top of the cookie sheet and then put on chicken on top of it (this helps the chicken get extra crispy). Repeat this process until all of your chicken is ready for action!

Cook your chicken for 8 to 10 minutes then flip it over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until brown and cooked all the way through. If you're having trouble getting your chicken to be crispy go ahead and warm a little teensy weensy bit of EVOO in a skillet and brown them that way - I know that this seemed to defeat the "baked" purpose of this recipe but a little EVOO never hurt anybody (just skimp on the cheese if it makes you feel better).

I didn't take any pictures but if you want to see what it's supposed to look like just check out Gina's Skinny Recipes (that where I adapted mine from) The next time I make these I think that I'm going to use Cajun spices so that they have a little more kick ;)

Next post to come... ToneItUp update and my no fail 'French fry' recipe

Fauxcoccia Cheese Bread

2011-06-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

Now lemme tell you this bread was a huge hit! It went even faster than than the buns did, and I've already made it once since. I also found this recipe through StumbleUpon on a blog called Perry's Plate. I didn't make very many changes to the original recipe because it was already incredibly simple and easy.

This bread is a lot like a focaccia expect it's a lot flatter and doesn't have rosemary but that's why it's called fauxcoccia...

Fauxcoccia Cheese Bread

Fauxcoccia Dough

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
1 c. warm wate
1 tbsp. oil

*Preheat oven to 500 degrees*

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium sized bowl. In a cup mix the warm water and oil then add it to the dry ingredient mixture. Mix the dough with your hands and add additional flour if the dough is too wet and having trouble forming. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a separate bowl with olive oil and place the dough into it. Turn the dough once so that the top has been greased.

Cover the dough and let it rise for 20 minutes. Just like I did with the brioche buns I let the bread rise on top of the warm oven and for the last ten minutes brought it to the edge of the stove, opened the oven a crack and let the heat escape. The dough ended up rising a lot!

While your dough is rising you can get everything ready for your seasoning.

Seasoning

1/4 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 c. parmesan
dash pepper
1/4 (or more) c. of Italian dressing

I make my own Italian dressing from a packet that I mix with oil, vinegar, and water but I'm sure that it doesn't matter what kind of dressing you use as long as it's Italian.

In a bowl mix together the salt, oregano, pepper, and thyme. If you don't have crushed garlic use garlic powder and go ahead and mix it in with the other seasonings. Since I prefer to use store bought crushed garlic I just mixed that in a glass with my Italian dressing. I didn't measure either but I mixed them together until it looked right to me. I happen to like a lot of garlic so I used more than 1/4 tsp.

Once your dough is done rising punch it down and place it onto a pizza pan or any kind of sheet. Press it into the shape of the pan that you are using. Once it is pressed you are ready to season it! If you happen to have a pastry brush use that and brush the dressing onto the dough. If, like me, you can't find yours or you don't have one ball up a paper towel and dip it into the dressing then brush it onto your dough. I didn't use all of the dressing so don't worry if you don't either.

Once your dough is covered with the dressing go ahead and sprinkle it with the salt, oregano, and thyme mixture.

After your dough is thoroughly covered and seasoned add your cheese. I don't find a purpose in measuring out my cheese so I just eyeball it until the dough is covered in it.

Place your dough in the oven and cook for about 15 min. My family is very picky about bread/pizza - the bottom must be browned. Ten minutes into cooking I took the bread off of the pizza stone and cooked it just on the rack. (It took a lot of maneuvering to get it off the stone with out it falling or burning me...)

I cooked it for another 5 minutes then broiled it for 1 minutes so that the cheese was all bubbly and toasty.

Yay! You're delicious fauxcoccia is finished! I let the bros tear off pieces and it eat that way but the second time I made it for family dinner so I used a pizza cutter and cut it into strips.

I'm thinking about using this recipe for pizza dough the next time I make it, so I'll let you know how that turns out. This bread is so yummy and incredibly easy to make!

*The changes I made to the original recipe include but probably aren't limited to... using only Parmesan (instead of mozzarella), crushed garlic, and I cooked the dough at 500 not 450.

I also found a better picture of my buns :)

Decisions, Decisions

2011-06-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

It's funny how working a job that isn't the normal 9 to 5 Monday through Friday makes you completely lose track of what day of the week it is. Normally on Fridays I'm thinking "TGIF!!!" (as is evident by most of my Friday posts) but I don't really have Fridays anymore now that I'm working at the Health Care Center again. It's just so strange not having a weekend anymore! In order to try to grasp some semblance of my former life pre-work I'm going to celebrate my one night off this week by stopping by my friend's 22nd birthday party!

This week has just been full of decision making! There's no better time to think than when you're awake all night taking vitals signs. Monday marks the jump back into the ToneItUp Spring Into Bikini Season series. Now that I have a work schedule with set hours it'll be a lot easier to plan the rest of my day. If I have a schedule that I need to adhere to then I will definitely get things done. When left to my own devices on the other hand I will do nothing. I have to have a to-do list and hour-by-hour time table and then things can get accomplished!

ToneItUp is one decision that I know hands-down I will be happy I made. The other decisions I've been making about college, majors, and my future I'm just going to have to hope and pray that they'll work out for the best!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cinna-yummy Brioche Buns "Cupcakes"!

2011-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Now, who doesn't love a corny recipe title?!? I originally found this recipe on bunsinmyoven after being directed there by StumbleUpon. The minute I saw this recipe I knew that I was definitely going to have to try it out because (1) I love a delicious brioche, (2) cinnamon and sugar - 'nough said and (3) I love anything cooked in a cupcake tin! Karly's recipe is called Sugar & Spice Brioche Buns but since I put my own spin on her recipe I needed to put my own twist on the title. The picture above is Karly's, my buns turned out exactly the same but unfortunately my pictures didn't. Of course to be fair I did post the picture that I took even though it doesn't do justice to these deliciously, delightful delicacies (I want to continue the corny theme I've got going on here...).

I'm going to preempt this by telling ya'll that my baking and cooking style isn't exactly to the tee. I'm one of those cooks that eyeballs measurements and goes with handfuls and dashes rather than cups and tablespoons but don't worry! this'll be as close to precise as I can possible make it.

Brioche Dough

4 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 c. cold water
5 eggs
2 3/4 sticks (1 c. plus 6 tbsp.) butter - at room temperature

You can use either a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a food processor. I used a mixer but this would have been much easier with a food processor, don't be afraid though it was still totally doable with a mixer and my hands!

Add all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl then mix them together until combined. After adding the cold water beat on low for about 4 minutes, make sure that all the flour is incorporated. After all the flour is incorporated continue mixing for another 3 to 4 minutes - the dough will be very dry.

Cut the butter into about ten pieces but make sure that it is a least room temperature otherwise incorporating it into the dough will become exceedingly difficult. Add each piece of butter one at a time. Do not add another piece until the previous one has disappeared into the dough. Use your hands if necessary to knead the butter into the dough. After all the slices have been incorporated mix on low for 10 minutes. At this point make sure that all the butter is thoroughly combined with the dough. Don't be afraid to use your hands! To make this easier when I was baking I would take out half of the dough, mix in a slice, take the mixed-in half out and replace it with the first half and combine that with another slice of butter. Cutting the butter into even smaller pieces will also help if you're really struggling!

Once all the butter has been mixed in (refrain from giving up on it'll be worth it!) increase the speed to medium and beat for 15 minutes. The dough will become sticky, soft, and shiny (kinda like butter.... imagine that?) It's amazing that it actual does transform to this texture right before your eyes - I had my doubts but it turned out ok! After your smooth buttery dough has is the proper texture beat it on medium-high for one minute.

To make sure that the dough is the right texture pull at it. It should stretch and give a little. If instead it breaks off into pieces when you pull it mix it on medium until it develops more strength. If, on the other hand, the dough is very batter-like and wet/loose add flour and mix until is is all incorporated.

Congratulations! You've your dough! Gather all your hard work into one piece and place it into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap - the wrap should pressed onto the dough. So, now that you've spent all this time nurturing and messing with this dough you've got to let it proof in the fridge for 6 hours. This sucks! I felt like a kid sitting and waiting for Christmas morning while this was in the fridge (I let mine sit overnight so that I could have the real 'Santa came!' experience - opening the fridge in jammies with the bright eyed and bushy tailed expression included)! You don't need to bake your dough right away, the great thing about this recipe is that you can freeze half/bake half (not that you'll want to). The dough can be frozen for up to a week and used.

YAY! You've made it this far! The 6 longest hours of your life have come and gone!

*Preheat your oven to 350*

After preheating your oven hunt down your long lost cupcake pan (or muffin tin if that's what you prefer to call it) and either line or butter and flour 20 cups - it doesn't really matter. I used cupcake liners but that's just because mine were super cute and colorful!

Flour a relatively large work surface and plop half your dough down and roll in into a 10x15 in. rectangle-like shape. If you don't have a rolling pin you can also press it out but I would suggest using something that mimics a rolling pin because rolling the dough out was hard enough or maybe that's just my puny biceps (if you can even call them that). Cut the rectangle into 10 equal strips across and 5 down - 50 1 in. squares of dough (I suggest using a pizza cutter for this!).

Place 5 squares in each in half the muffin cups. Since my rectangle wasn't exactly a rectangle per se I ended up with more then 50 pieces and was able to get 12 buns out of each half of dough. Don't worry about having exactly 5 in each cup just as long as there aren't some cups that are much fuller than others.

Cover the tins (loosely) with plastics wrap and set them in a warm spot to rise for 1 1/2 hours. This is why I preheated the oven so early. In order to have my dough rise as much as possible I set it on top of my hot oven. For the last half hour I took off the plastic wrap and covered the tins with a dishcloth, I opened the oven a crack and moved the tins to the edge of stove so the heat from the oven would rise directly underneath them. This has worked before for me when I've had trouble getting dough to rise and it proved to be effective for me once again with these buns.

Bake the dough for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. After the buns are done cooking allow from them to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Cinna-yummy Mixture

1/2 c. Butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt

Don't be alarmed by this recipe. You are not going to use all of the sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Much to my parents chagrin I find nothing appalling about using salt when baking or making something sweet. I think that the saltiness of the um... salt brings out the sweetness of the cookies or whatever your cooking. If you don't agree and your highly sophisticated palette can detect even the tiniest grain of salt your buns will still be cinna-delicious without it .

Melt the butter in a small bowl. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a separate bowl (by a dash of salt, I really mean the teeny tiniest pinch).

While the buns are still warm take them out of their tins. At this point my buns were so buttery that they just came right out of the cupcake liners but no worries my short encounter with my beautiful liners satisfied my obsession with cute baking accessories.

With a pastry brush or paper towel brush the tops of the buns with butter and then roll each bun in the sugar mixture. I found it easiest to do one bun at a time for maximum sugar coat-age.

Congratulations your cinna-yummy brioche cupcakes are done! So now try to cram them all onto a cake stand then take a picture in bad lightening with a something that can be likened to a disposable camera glued to the world's first cordless phone (no I didn't spray these down with self-tanner as a tribute to my idol, Snookie - the lightening in my kitchen is just that bad).

This recipe was not that difficult and I highly suggest that you try it out - especially if you have food processor! My family went nuts over this! They were all eaten (the buns not my family) within 24 hours of being made and everyday since my brother has asked me when I'm going to make them again. So don't be intimidated by this recipe and if you ever happen to have a bunch of eggs and butter laying around you know what to do....

Hello World!

2011-05-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggies!

Long time no blog, huh? The last couple of weeks have been filled with lots of cooking, baking, and relaxing but now it's back to reality! I started working nights again last Friday so I'm back to working full time. So far work hasn't been that bad but then again I've only been working for about four days now... Think positive though, right? On to the things that have been on the blog to-do list that I just haven't accomplished yet....

My mom's 48th birthday party was combined with her best friend's 50th and we threw a huge celebration that included lots of tasty eats that will be coming in a separate blog post.
I finally discovered StumbleUpon which is like meth for people prone to procrastination (like me) but unlike boiled down formaldehyde and Tylenol it's just a bunch of websites that correlate to my interests. Despite the fact that this time leeching website distracted me from studying during finals I did find a lot of great recipes and DIY crafts. Since being home I've made this amazing Italian herb cheese bread, brioche cinnamon buns, chicken spaghetti with a white wine cream sauce, as well as a couple of other things. I'm going to make a post for each of these recipes because even if they weren't the healthiest they were definitely a hit with the family!

Season two of the Annie show has officially begun. Stay tuned to see how this busy (soon-to-be) 20 year old manages a full time job, college classes, blogging, working out and trying to maintain some sanity!

Will she ever be able to kick a debilitating Diet Coke addiction or is the monkey on her back here to stay? And for God's sake why is her hand so awkward?! ....oh the suspense!

Homecoming :)

2011-05-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

As promised I finally got the pictures off my other camera from my 'homecoming' on Sunday night! I had such a long day of traveling! Saturday night I got to see all my friends one last time and we went out to the Hofbrau. The Hofbrau is a great restaurant and beergarden. There was a Jason Aldean cover band playing and we all just kind of chilled out for a while before Neyaz and I had to go back to the condo that we were staying at and pack! We basically had a really late night and then woke up at 5:30 the next morning to clean up the place and finish packing. My flight left at 9:00 so I didn't get to the airport until about 7:30 and got through security and all that no problem. Basically up until that point I still had not recovered from being up for basically 5 days straight during finals so I was so exhausted. To be totally honest I hardly remember the trip back to Washington, all I know is that it was waaaaay to long. My daddy and brother met me in Bellingham and when I got home I was warmly greeted with some delicious spaghetti :)

My brother surprised me by making some Mazurka! Mazurka is not only a folk dance but a delicious bar type of dessert that is normally decorated with candied orange peels and almonds and other dried fruits and nuts. My dad makes it only once a year at Easter because it is quite a bit of work. Apparently he's passed the recipe down to my brother though and I came home to this...

Should say... Welcome Kuła

I still don't understand why the non-native english speaker was delegated the task of writing the english word and the non-polish speaker wrote the Polish name. Kuła is my Polish name which is a nickname for a cuckoo. There is a lot of debate as to wear this came from but the name has stuck nonetheless and it's very rare that someone in my family actually refer to me as Annie or AnneMarie.

The dinner and mazurka was delicious! While coming home is very bittersweet I know that I'll be back in Texas sooner rather than later and I should just enjoy the time that I have here now :)

Just a Quick Post...

2011-05-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

to say that I'm home!

I got home pretty late Sunday evening to rain and clouds and nothing makes me you feel quite like your in Washington then some good ol' drizzle. I'm going to recap the rest of that evening in another post because my pictures are on a different camera. As for last night though....

I've had a super relaxing couple of days and last night I headed over to my best friend Kate's for some good eats. Her mom had made some spicy chicken taco filling so I just constructed the taco part. Two mini whole wheat tortillas, half a tomato, one quarter avocado, and some of the 'good stuff' (that's how Kate and I refer to Tabasco sauce) later and I had two delicious chicken tacos. So yummy!

The rest of the evening was spent in sheer idle laziness :)

This morning I was very politely woken up by my brother jumping on my bed (he's 18...) asking me what he should wear for his senior boards. After he decided that there was no way that I was going to get to go back to sleep I got up to make myself some breakfast. I made the two of us a couple of smoothies.

Our fridge was frighteningly empty though so I had to make do with a Chobani yogurt, some frozen strawberries, milk, and Splenda. He wasn't very happy that I didn't include any protein powder but I didn't feel that the walk that I took my dog on yesterday was such a workout that my muscles really craved some artificial protein.

Since it was also so close to lunch time I also decided to make a delicious salad with whatever was left in the refrigerator. I was able to find some tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, and avocado.

After chopping up all my veggies I had to hunt down some salad dressing. After realizing that we didn't have any I discovered that I did have a packet of Italian seasoning hidden in one of my cupboards. I mixed it with some vinegar, oil, and water and poured it onto my salad. I also added some tasty croutons and voilá! a delicious salad!

My delcious salad and smoothie combo was a wonderful way to really kick off my day! Now it's time to continue filling out applications and then go for a run in this fabulous weather that we're (shockingly) having!

Just a Quick Post

2011-05-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

Just to say...

I wish I was exercising, cooking, blogging

instead of

studying.

Tough Decisions

2011-05-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, even though it sucks, you have to make the tough decisions and choose between fun in the sun or staying in. This weekend was our sorority's formal and, like the adult I pretend to be, I made the tough decision to not go in order to stay in and study. I'm pretty bummed about not going especially since Neyaz went but I have a huge final on Wednesday along with two papers due so it would have been irresponsible of me to partake in the festivities. Regardless, I thought that I would include some pics of my own little 'vaca' at the chateau le dorm, I even got to use my formal tumbler!

It's kind of hard to see it here but the tumbler has every PC on it from 08 to 11 around it as well as our name (or whatever name we wanted to put on it). Instead of sipping a delicious marg from it I made myself a yummy smoothie.

And... instead of including pictures from the beach here's my delicious strawberry smoothie and I about to hit... the books! Coincidentally this is also my weekend/finals outfit - pants optional of course.

I'm going to get back to studying so I probably won't post for awhile!

Have a wonderful week ya'll!

It's only Tuesday?!

2011-04-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Neyaz looked at me yesterday with the saddest look on her face and asked me this, sadly the answer was yes. Nunu (my pet name for her) and I have been working nonstop since Friday. Although we both did spend Thursday doing nothing and we took a mini break by the pool Friday we have been super diligent. Monday night we didn't go to sleep until 5:00. I had promised S'Kate that I would do her hair at 6:15 the next morning because she was going to be on Good Day SA. They were doing a segment on Momentum which is a big dance production. After one hour of sleep I woke up and did S'Kate's hair. Little known fact about me - I have a strange talent for styling hair. I know, I know that is probably hard to imagine considering that state of my hair in most pictures but my talent predominately pertains to doing other people's hair. Last year before any sort of event I would be walking up and down my hall doing people's hair. After curling S'Kate's hair and putting it back I looked at her and told her that I was shocked that she let me come near her with a hot curling iron considering my current state of exhaustion. Regardless, she looked good. After that I went straight back to bed. Neyaz woke me up at 9:00 and asked if we were going to watch S'Kate on TV and I promptly told her that I already had... the show was at 9:30. After gaging my state of delirium Neyaz told me to just go back to sleep.I didn't wake up until 11 and I was in a fog the rest of the day. After class though I got to do my favorite thing ever and no it's not go to office hours... I went grocery shopping!

First Neyaz and I went to one of my favorite grocery/everything stores - Target and then we decided to go to Walmart as well. I definitely understand what they mean now when people say don't go grocery shopping hungry, too bad Neyaz and I didn't remember that before we went. Needless to say everything looked SO good. Our little excursion ended up taking us two hours overall but oh well! I thought that I might as well include here what Neyaz bought as well because mostly because I'm trying to waste time but also for ya'll to know what I'm up against here.

1 lb. sliced deli smoked turkey
bread
cheese
mayo
Hot pockets
Ruffles
French-onion dip
Cup o noodle soups
Lipton soup
Buffalo wings
Easy Mac
Special K strawberry crisps

I think that this is everything. My shopping list also wasn't the healthiest and includes quite a bit of frankenfood but overall I'm happing with my choices

Diet Coke with Lime
Snap Pea Crisps
Ritz chip crackers (these are great and waaay healthier than greasy chips)
Skim milk
Crispix
Lowfat, sugarfree vanilla yogurt (a tub)
Frozen, whole strawberries
Sugar-free cranberry juice
150 calorie warm delights/creation things
Lipton noodle soup

I didn't do a photoshoot this time because I had already put everything away just so before it came it mind! I am completely aware of the fact that this food isn't the healthiest but I needed snackies.

Now it's back to work ! Have an amazing day!

Three Day Weekend

2011-04-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Normally by the time the end of the week roles around it really feels like it's Friday but to be totally honest today definitely does not feel like the start of the weekend. I'm so glad that we have a three day weekend because I could definitely use a day with no job or classes to go to. My plan is to tonight just relax. I lit my super yummy lavender vanilla candle and am ready to settle in with the new magazines I got in the mail this week.

As well as Skinny Bitch. I read this book my senior year of high school but I recently bought it for my Nook so that I could read it again, this time with a different mindset. I'll let ya'll know how goes!

I'm Alive!

2011-04-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Do not worry I have managed to come back from the coast all in one piece! It was an amazing weekend but by the time I got back to campus on Sunday morning I felt as though I had run a marathon. We had a date party on the that Thursday night so I went out then and just kept going until Saturday night.

Thursday night was fabulous! I decided to kick off the confidence/rock that bod! weekend by wearing a translucent top with nothing underneath and a high waisted skirt. I generally wear the grey shirt pictured below with a black cami but I decided to mix things up a little bit and live on the edge. This is the first time that I've gone out with the girls and we haven't had a 'photo shoot' before hand so the only picture I had of my whole outfit was this impromptu one taken outside of the club.

Surprisingly enough I managed to not feel too self-conscious throughout the night and had a great time! Needlessness to say I was exhausted Friday and the last thing I wanted to do was spend a weekend partying it up but hey a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

I drove down to Port Aransas on Friday afternoon with two of my sorority sisters, Kristen and Ali. We had a fun drive listening to music and reading cosmo - I definitely recommend this for your next three hour drive. We were so shocked when we pulled up to the beach houses that we were staying at because they were really, really nice. We stayed at Celestial Escape. If you click on the link you'll understand what I mean. I will say one thing though, beautiful beaches plus crazy frat boys is not a good idea. When we left Sunday morning they had accumulated $800 worth of fines. So if you want to vacation on the Texas coast and you aren't a frat boy I highly suggest staying here. It was close to the beach, had a great pool, and the houses were so beautiful!

Friday night was amazing! We went to the beach that evening and it was perfect timing because there was a sand castle competition that weekend so we were able to see all the sand castles in progress before all of the craziness of the day time. Of course we ended staying up all night playing Beirut, dancing, and having a great time! For some reason Saturday mornings during formals are the only time that everyone wakes up early and doesn't sleep in, which doesn't really make sense considering that everyone is up super late the night before. We spent the whole day on the beach Saturday and then I passed out at 12:00 that night, I was so exhausted.

I don't know how people party so hard for so many days, I was super exhausted. My date and I had to leave Sunday morning at 7:00 so it goes without saying that was so, so tired. I got back to my room at 10:00, unpacked, and slept until four. Ever since then I've been going nonstop with homework. I've been planning my days hour by hour so that I can get as much done as possible but I think that a little blog break was necessary :)

huh?

2011-04-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

So even though the picture below has nothing to do with this blog I had to draw it on Word for my other blog (for class). I spent a good hour and a half at least on it so I just absolutely had to put it on here and well, you know, show off!

It's not that I think that the shoe looks that amazing it's more so that it actually resembles something like a shoe. I'm not terribly artistic (at least not physically) and computers cringe as I approach them so this little guy is my new baby.

It's pretty late to blog and I have to be up in five and a half hours but I'm just in such a great mood that I couldn't resist. I expected this to be a relaxing week but then I remembered that I had a 8 to 10 page paper due Monday.... Mine is on the Pythatgorean Theorem and the different proofs that lead to it. Let me clarify - I am NOT a math major so I've been doing a lot of head scratching. Procrastinating and head scratching do not add up to a paper (now there's a proof that I could easily prove!). Needless to say tomorrow is going to have a lot of work in store.

I got to go to Walgreens today (I know it's weird that it makes me so happy to run errands!) and pick up a few things. I needed to grab some sunscreen for this weekend as well as face wash and I also grabbed the latest Cosmo!

Cosmo + tanning oil/sunscreen + a bikini + my bubbakeg + the beach = :) Good times!

The bubbakeg will make an appearance in the very near future! It's basically a 52 oz giant mug/tumbler/mini-keg that keeps your drinks cold and it's a sorority tradition to get one on your bid night from your big. I never got one last year so I bought myself one a couple of weeks ago (they have them at Walmart!) but I didn't decorate it. The great thing about this is that it keeps anything cold, it's great for ice tea, water and, even (and especially).... adult beverages! Neyaz was nice enough to decorate for me and then my friend Catherin jumped in and did some decorating of her own. Basically it is the coolest looking thing ever! I want to wait till I get my camera back to take a picture because I want ya'll to be able to see it in all its glory!

Social Media

2011-04-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

A year ago I decided to enter the world of social media and expand beyond email and facebook with blogger. Now I've decided to take the next step and get a Twitter account. I've followed a couple of other bloggers on Twitter for a while but I finally decided to actually use my account and 'tweet.' Now I've decided to take another step into future and actually make a video. As you all know I've been following the Tone It Up Spring into Bikini Season work out series. One of the perks of this series is that there are a bunch of giveaways and contests so I finally decided to enter one. I entered the lunch box contest and made a video of myself making a healthy recipe. Since I live in a dorm room I wasn't going to enter at all but while I was working out yesterday it hit me that I could make a smoothie!

This is my first video so it's not very sophisticated and the lighting is really off. I originally made it as a kind of 'rough draft' just to see what it was like to make a video but then I decided to post it just for fun! I decided to included it down below but it can also be found on my YouTube channel (it sounds so weird saying that).

So, first off apologies on the weird eye movements I didn't really know what I was doing. The smoothie dance is kind of a Tone It Up tradition so I decided to partake. I definitely see myself making more videos especially when I'm at home and I can actually cook but this was a lot of fun! Neyaz mentioned that I sound really monotone in the video and that's so true which is odd because I am not a monotone person at all! I also sound a little more conceited than I do in real life but oh well! If any of ya'll want to enter the contest do it! You don't need to make a video, you can tweet or Facebook or leave recipes as comments to enter!

On the workout front, yesterday my friend Sophie and I went to the YMCA and used these really interesting Ellipticals that were much more of a workout than a normal elliptical. I woke up this morning really sore so I did a little bit of yoga to stretch out! I had a great hour long work out last night on the elliptical and got to watch Food Network the whole time! Nothing like watching people cook while you're burning off calories!

I'm off to start my day now! Have a good one ya'll :) I would love some feed back on the vid, - good or bad!

Crispy

2011-04-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

I actually went to bed by midnight on a SATURDAY night! Needless to say I slept like an angel baby. I woke up periodically every hour after about 9:00 in the morning. I finally jumped out of bed around 11:00 after reading and watching some TV. I'm embarrassed to say but I rarely am awake before noon on a weekend unless I absolutely have to be. Since all my other friends were still sleeping I went and got an omelet for breakfast with ham, spinach, green onions, and tomatoes (supper yummy!). After eating and lounging around some more I decided to call up one of my really good girlfriends, S'Kate, and see if she wanted to go lay out by the pool. I need to break in that new bikini! We tanned for about an hour and lemme tell you, it was hottttt! Afterwards we hit Sonic up for happy hour and I got a delicious Diet Coke with tons of lime (the fruit, not the syrup).

After our fun adventure S'Kate had dance practice so I decided to hit the gym as well. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and walked for 15. I also did a ridiculous ab workout as well (I'll post the ab workout later :) ). I was absolutely drenched in sweat, it was great! After a great workout I took a much needed shower and that's when I noticed that I was very sun burned. The odd thing was, my burn really did hurt all the much. The tops of my thighs, upper arms, chest and stomach are nice a pink. Out of all the burns my stomach is definitely the most burnt and sore. Oh well! You win some, you lose some, hopefully with a lot of aloe and lotion I'll be nice and brown by tomorrow.

It's been a long time since I posted about one of my good friends and since I mentioned S'Kate in this post I thought that I might as well post on her!

S'Kate <3

Sarah Kate is one of my best friends here at Trinity and I realize that it was about damn time I gave her some credit for putting up with me. I put up the first picture of S'Kate because (1) she looks gorgeous and (2) you can't really tell who's who in the second picture. After I posted the glam shot I realized that I needed a picture that best represented our friendship so I decided to upload the second one. The events that transpired that night are super secret and stealthy but I think it would help to explain our poses. The hats that Catherine and I are wearing say 'Monkey Pimps' (which was the name of the softball team that her family was on at the time, hence the hats) there is also a matching shirt of a monkey doing that same pose, so of course monkey-see, monkey do. That was probably one of the funniest and most ridiculous nights have had at college thus far. S'Kate is a crazy amazing dancer with psycho double-jointed hips! She and I are Sonic happy hour junkies and gossip queens. I always tell her that we are worse that Jewish Jersey mamas they way we gossip, and it's true but I still love her!

Finally Over

2011-04-09T20:09:00.001-07:00

Thank god my life is finally back to normal! I've been in a coma since Friday after 1:30. Before falling into a deep sleep I remained in my zombie-like state for a couple more hours and went to this wonderful French cafe with one of my sorority sisters. After our great afternoon we watched Sex and the City for a couple hours until my roommate got off work. Tess just moved into a new apartment so Neyaz and I went over last night to check it out. We had a great time and by the time I fell into bed it was 2:30 in the morning and I didn't wake up again for another 12 hours.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but at Trinity instead of having a formal formal, out formal consists of a weekend at the beach in Port Aransas, Tx with your date. Last year I got invited to three different fraternity formals as well as my own but I didn't go to any of them because I was way to insecure. My goal this year was to have lost tons of weight and obviously I didn't. So, I'm once again faced with my insecurity and caught between going to formal and having a blast or letting my lack of confidence keep me here. Next weekend I have a frat formal and I'm really panicking about it but I would feel awful flaking out on my date again. In a drunken state I mentioned to him the reason why I didn't attend last year and he straight up told me that I was crazy. I know that it's mostly in my own head and besides all the guys will have their beer goggles on and hey! they're not Abercrombie models or anything.

Neyaz took me, wait for it... swim suit shopping. Soooo fun! In all actuality it really was very difficult. I'm tried to stay super positive about it and ended up buying a swim suit and a half.

This was the swim suit that I had originally but I really wanted to get another because this one isn't very, I don't want to say sexy, but it is just seemed a little old for me. The top was under- wire and it was just really obvious that it was a swim suit made for girls with big boobs that don't want to flaunt it. Although that is my general game plan when I get a swim suit I don't want it to seem obvious to everyone else. Since all the girls at formal will be slutted up I wanted to get a swim that wasn't slutty but a little more fun. I went to Victoria Secret a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't persuade myself into getting a push up, sex-it-up swim suit so today we went to Target (what's the point of getting a $70 swim suit if it won't fit in a couple months? hee hee...). Now swim suit shopping isn't just hard because I think I need to lose a couple lbs but I'm also packin' a pair of double DDs around (sorry for the TMI...), I've always been super self-conscious about them so I definitely didn't want them out there! I'm pretty happy with the suits that I ended up with overall...

The one on the left is a combo of Walmart bottoms and then a top I bought today. Neyaz blanched at the thought of buying such a boring swim suit but I love all black swim suits and that top is totally in my comfort zone. The second on the other hand obviously attracts attention but I love the color. It's a bandeau with a halter. This is totally out of my comfort zone but I think that it'll be good for me to do something a little different.

You're definitely going to hear me venting my inner battle about going to the beach next weekend over the next couple days but I know that I can't let my insecurities get the best of me! It's so nice to be done with tests, papers, and projects so I can finally start going to be at a normal time (midnight instead of 4 am) and working out again! I had to take a picture of something I had on for my mama and then I thought that I 'd post a more natural picture of myself on here since the only pics of myself are usually taken right before I go out, not right before I go to bed. So I decided to not only send it to her but post it on here as well.

Ah post-shower, pre-blog, pre-pre-bed! Nothing like a good pair of norts to help you get to sleep! This post wasn't really fitness or healthy eating oriented but body image is really important (and obviously) a big deal to me and this next weekend will really test my confidence. Thankfully I have the support of my sisters (and hopefully bikini top...)!

Night, Night sweet bloggies!

Annie

A New Week

2011-04-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well duh! Annie, it's Monday so obviously it's a new week (as I am told by the person looking over my shoulder)! For those of you unclear as to what day it is, it's Monday the day before Tuesday, which is the day before Wednesday, which is the day before Thursday, which is the day before Friday (Friday, Friday, Friday Oh!)! If you don't get my Rebecca Black reference consider yourself lucky! (I'm a total poser though because I haven't actually watched the whole video or heard the song itself)

Anyways! It's Monday and surprisingly this one hasn't been half bad. My parents and brothers came down this past weekend for vacation so I got to see them briefly. They left today and I had breakfast with them before they drove to Austin to catch their flight. There weren't really any good eats before 5 today so I'll fast forward to dinner and guess what?! I finally took some pictures!

Spinach, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, broccoli, cucumber, and tomatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic
Barbecued turkey with a little bit of barbecue sauce

I got all the vegetables steamed and then I put some delicious turkey. I originally got a little bit of sausage to put on it to but honestly I don't know what I was thinking because no bueno. I ditched the sausage and stuck with my weird concoction. I wasn't able to finish all of it but it was still yummy. I didn't manage to get to the gym this morning so I went this afternoon and did 30 minutes speed walking on the treadmill and 5 minutes running. I had a yummy snack after my workout.

Which... leads me to a haul! I finally have something to 'haul' about! And it's my favorite kind of haul - food and toiletry-type things! (Yes, I am a weirdo)

I love face wash and shampoo and all that stuff! I've been scraping the bottom of the barrel with what was left of the random bottles of face wash, toner, and moisturizer so it was soooo nice to get new stuff. I'm a toiletry-aholic so it was a goal of mine to use up what I had left of the tons of random products I've used and I did it! I finally bought some big girl face wash and not something geared toward teenager acne prone skin so we'll see how this works. I was kinda of in a rush so I just grabbed some Garnier Moisture Rescue face lotion. This is an embarrassing thing to admit but I do actually research what face wash and stuff that I want buy. Since this was a spontaneous trip with my mother (and she offered to buy...) I just grabbed whatever looked good. I also got the Tresemme heat protectant spray which I love! I definitely recommend it as a cheap dupe from higher end products like Chi.

I also got some fabulous foodie finds. I'm trying really hard to not eat processed franken-food but hey! I needed something without a lot of carbs or sugar that would satisfy my sweet tooth and my mom suggested this sugar-free pudding so we'll see how it pans out. Now, back to the yogurt that I ate earlier - this Dannon Oikios yogurt is by far one of the best Greek yogurts I've ever tasted! I had the honey flavored one tonight and it was delicious! The only one I like better is Fage (which is a little too expansive for my taste). Dannon is kind of like the Chobani where the fruit/honey is on the bottom and needs to be mixed in. This was so creamy and thick, just like Greek yogurt should be. Of course I needed to feed my love of carbonated drink so I tried out some diet Ginger Ale which was super tasty!

It's definitely been a good day that is not even close to being over so back to studying (well... after Bethanny Ever After Ends ;))!

(Almost) One Week Later

2011-04-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

It's almost been a week since I started South Beach so you know what that means - I hit the three day hump and.... didn't make it over. I've been putting off this post because I'm so ashamed up my lack of self-control. There's no excuses for my behavior and I'm the only one to blame for my indiscretion. There's nothing I can do now other than just keep on trekking and put down the bagel (or burger in my case)!

Despite my sudden onslaught of amnesia regarding carbohydrates, I did do something really great this past week. I FINALLY went to a spin class! I've been wanting to try spin for such a long time and I finally did! Guess what?!? I LOVED it! One of my really good friends (and sorority sister) Lauren invited me to go along with her and I am SO glad that she did! I've known Lauren for a couple years now and she is one of the main reasons I joined SPURS sorority. This year I also learned something else about Lauren... she's a BLOGGER! Her blog is called HealthEasy and it's super cute. Basically, Lauren blogs about delicious healthy recipes! I love living vicariously through her since she's in a position in which she can actually cook (she lives off campus). So go check out her blog and amazing recipe ideas and reviews!!!

Back to spin.. The instructor was a really nice older man and was very helpful and kind. The workout we did was 'scenic hills,' if that's any inclination (haha pun INCLINE-ation... I'll stop now...) of the difficultly level. Needless to say, there were a lot of hills! Behind him a projector displayed a video of a trail in front of you. I thought that it was kind of interesting and you could almost pretend that you really were riding on the road! I only had two complaints about the class (that's minimal for me because I am very critical lol)...

(1) the instructor did not have crazy energy. He was really great but I like group instructors with tons of energy that really pump you up and motivate you.

(2) The music. I was expecting some dance hits or 80s club hits (maybe even a little top 40..) but to be totally honest the music he played was a mix between African drumming and a Swedish porn with techno beats - very odd

I don't currently have a membership to the YMCA and since school ends so soon there is no point in getting one but I'm going to see if there is anyway I can pay per class or work something out because I'd really like to go again. I had worked out the same morning (Wednesday) of spin so I was planning on having super sore legs the next day but in actuality my shoulders were more sore. I'm assuming from holding my upper body up while biking? I'm not really sure but they did hurt! All in all I can't wait to go back!

For some reason I was super nervous about posting since I haven't really been sticking to my guns and maintaining my "diet." That's what tomorrow is for I guess! No reason to let a couple days set back keep me from reaching my goal!

Is It Friday Yet?

2011-03-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

I know, I know it's only Tuesday but hey! a girl can dream :) It's been quite a busy week thus far, but in a good way! I've gotten a lot of work done and been really productive. I finished last night off with some Dannon Light & Fit strawberry-banana yogurt and laundry. I had an ridiculous amount of laundry to do! While I was away (from blogging) my closet flooded and the damp carpet created a terrible smell that, unfortunately, did not escape my clothing. The plan was to get my clothes dry cleaned and the clothes that can be washed regularly were to be taken to place that will wash, dry, and fold them. The great thing about this was that the school was going to cover the costs, the downside was that since I don't have a car I wasn't able to take them to a dry cleaner. I ended up washing a large portion of the clothes over the spring and finally finished the rest of them last night. For the last week (since Spring Break) I've been living out of my suit case! Last night I spent a lot of time washing and folding clothes. My bathroom looked like a dry cleaners, I had clothes and bras air drying everywhere! My poor suite mate had to walk through a shopping mall to get to the shower. Surprisingly enough, I managed to make to make it into bed at by midnight.

As I've mentioned before I am absolutely in love with the ToneItUp girls! They have the most amazing workouts, attitudes, and bodies! I've been watching them for about a year and just recently they came out with a new video series - Spring into Bikini Season!

I was sold on this instantly! Their videos are amazing and their diet and fitness plan has been very successful. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to purchase their diet plan (plus I have my own - South Beach hehe) but I can watch their videos! I signed up for this about a week after they launched it. This series is made up of giveaways, challenges, giveaways, and tips. It's 8 weeks long and it pretty much laid out step-by-step. Below, I'm going to include a series of links so that ya'll can check out this awesome series and girls!

Tone It Up blog: This is how I found the Spring into Bikini Season program. This is also awesome because you can subscribe to it on your blogger feed.

Tone It Up YouTube page: You can watch all of their videos here and it's really easy navigate.

Bikini Strap Workout: This is a print out of the first workout if you just want to check it out :)

Spring into Bikini Season Calender 1: *Hopefully this link works* Just in case you want to see what the workouts and program entitles here ya go!

I'm starting from day one (or three I guess since it's Tuesday) and in true ToneItUp fashion I began this morning at 7:00am with a half hour cardio workout. I chose to do the elliptical for a half hour because it's low impact and my hip felt fine during and after. Even though it's not on the calender I'm going to do some sort of ab or leg workout also. Today I haven't been 100% on the on South Beach train. I started off my day with a handful of walnuts and some water. For breakfast I had an egg and some sausage (gotta mix it up a little bit). This was all before 9:30 am so by the time lunch rolled around at 3:45 pm I was super, super hungry. I had a gigantic leafy salad with what was supposed to be grilled chicken. Unfortunately, the grill gave me chicken strips and at that point I was way too hungry (and in a hurry to get to work) so I just cut it up and threw it on top. I only ate three of them so I don't feel too bad.

Woah! This was quite the long post but I hope that ya'll enjoyed it!

I'll leave you with a delicious ToneItUp smoothie video (back from when they first started)!

Please leave a comment below if you want to join me with the Spring into Bikini Season series! (you can also leave a comment just cause :) )

Pat on the Back

2011-03-28T19:08:00.001-07:00

I must I'm very proud of myself and although the day is not over I feel safe to say that I went one full day without and carbohydrates! I didn't eat any fruit, bread, or starches (potatoes and such). This is huuuuuge for me! For anybody who has read any of my older posts they are FULL of remorse for sneaking a cupcake or piece of toast but today I was able to resist all temptation. Needless to say I'm really happy. I wrapped up the day with some steamed spinach, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, feta cheese, corn (kind of starchy...), and peas with salt, pepper, and garlic. I decided that I needed some extra protein so I had some brisket with a little bit of barbecue sauce. All in all a packed day. Now to do some laundry!

Over and Out!

Annie

Off to a.... Good Start

2011-03-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Thus far I have managed to eat carbs only once and that was due to pure necessity. I generally eat at the cafeteria on upper campus because the dining hours fit my schedule much better. Unfortunately, their salad bar refrigerator hasn't been working all weekend so the only other options were pizza, burgers (and all that kind of jazz etc.), as well as sandwiches. I decided to go with grilled chicken on pita with provolone and dressed it with the little bit of lettuce available, tomatoes, and a tiny bit of ranch. It was delicious! I finally found something on campus that I actually enjoy eating. Not gonna lie, it was nice eating a pita yesterday but hopefully the salad bar is back and fully functioning. I spent a large portion of my day yesterday helping my roommate move into her new apartment with her boyfriend so I didn't get a work out in. My hip was really sore after running on Saturday. I have double jointed hips so sometimes they do funny things; I've never had them hurt after running but I definitely needed to ice them.

I'm planning to get right back in the saddle today with some low impact elliptical and weights. So far I've started my day off carb free which was much harder than I though that it would be. I guess it wasn't totally carb free because I did have a Green Machine just so I could get in some essential nutrients that I don't factor into my normal diet. In addition I had an omelet with mushrooms and ham but then I remembered that I don't actually like mushrooms so I just ate around them... Don't get me wrong I love the taste of mushrooms but the rubbery texture gets me every time, and not in a good way. I really like eggs but I don't generally eat them without toast or something so I decided to try something new and slather them in salsa - definitely a very effective attempt at making them easier to eat.

So here's to a great day that feels more like a Friday than a Monday!

Annie

Ch-Ch-Changes

2011-03-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

As I said in my last post (from like an hour ago...) I'm rededicating myself to this blog and my goals! After reading my older posts I decided that I need to go back to being that girl that's super determined to be fit and toned. Although that image is always in the back of my mind I need to make it a priority again. I decided that I'm going to go back on the South Beach (not that sticking to it for a day counts...) because it's a diet that I can maintain eating cafeteria food and when I go out with my friends. I made my decision on Friday and the only carbs I have eaten since then is about a cup of brown rice and my Naked Juice Green Machine has fruit in it. Considering that I've had a lot of temptation since then I'm pretty happy with myself ;)

=

Today consisted with a lot of sleeping, a short run (I forgot that running when it's 85 outside is hard...) as well as a handful of walnuts, a super delicious giant salad, and some Green Machine.

Till Tomorrow

Annie

...and I'm Back! (For Good This Time)

2011-03-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

The other day I was thinking about when I first stumbled upon blogger and I knew that I was coming up to my 1 year anniversary but I hadn't realized that it already passed! I first joined and started reading blogs in February of last year. So much has changed since then. I went through and started reading my old blogs this afternoon and it almost seems like a different person writing them. I remember thinking that by this time I would already have lost all the weight that I had set out to do. Although I have lost some weight I'm still not at my goal. Regardless, in my journey to lose I have actually gained and it doesn't show up on a scale :)

I have found a confidence and security that I've never had before! I still wouldn't call myself a super secure or confident person but I'm definitely come a long way from my starting point. This year I definitely invest more time and energy in my appearance and the way I present myself. I used to go to class or out and about in yoga pants and a tee but not this year. Sure, I still live in sweats in my room but I try to look put together when I'm around people other than the cast of Law and Order. My new found confidence didn't come from make up or jeans but from ya'll - bloggers, bloggies, and the healthy living community. Finding this resource was a wonderful thing! I feel so embraced by this group of women all fighting the same fight!

That being said, I know that I have been gone for a while but I'm rededicating myself to this blog. I kept telling myself that I wasn't blogging because I didn't have anything to blog about (that's partly true...) or I didn't have time but I realized that I do have something to blog about, my life! I realize that a lot has changed since I started writing and this blog has kind of taken a new direction. I don't necessarily want to return to the mindset I had then but it has definitely put me back on track with my goals but I'll put all that in another post, this one's long enough :)

Back to Life

2011-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

Back to life and back to blogging! I have let myself go way to long without blogging and checking my blog roll. This semester started off really terribly on the wrong foot and I had a couple struggles in my personal life that made things really difficult. Thankfully I'm getting off that roller-coaster and things are going back to normal. It'll be nice to start blogging and having a routine again. This post is just a quick little blurp to say that I'm back and happy about it!

It's Official San Antonio Hates Pedestrians

2011-01-19T22:42:00.001-08:00

Today was such a busy day! Granted I didn't start class till 10:30 but for a night owl that's more like 8:30 ;). After my little 'cat nap' I had another lesson in blogging 101. I had to come up with a new blog and blog concept because the professor knows that I already write a blog. I ended up coming up with a blog title/concept that I really like - 'Nerd in the City.' Basically it'll be a play off of Sex and the City. Unfortunately I can't be quite as graphic as Carrie (even though I do know a few Samanthas that I could write some interesting things about...) but it should be a lot of fun to write! I don't plan on it taking time away from this blog because chello! this is definitely a priority. After I figure out the design and template I'll include a link.

By the time I got done with classes and work I decided to go on a run. Amber had already worked out by the time I was ready to go so I decided to brave the neighborhoods (or just hood) of San Antonio on my own. Since I didn't head out until 5:20ish I didn't want to get lost while the sun was going down. I set out with my phone and ipod determined to run the whole distance (instead of the 2min walk/4min run combo I've been doing recently). So it's going well I'm just cruising along and normally when I have to cross the street I just jwalk (sp?) when there aren't any cars but aparently at 5:30 everyone is driving, I know right?!? Who knew? So I ended up having to improvise and run till I found a stoplight and I got completely off track of what Amber and I normally do and ended up running a lot farther. This is a good thing but I was still very frustrated with the drivers of San Antonio for not allowing me to cross at any crosswalks without a stoplight?!? And yes, I did run the whole 40 min. and I felt like I was running a great pace. Normally when I run I have to listen to crazy club music to feel pumped up but I was actually able to zone out and just listen to country and folk music (folk fan here!). I eventually made it back to campus before the sun disappeared. It felt so great to just go out there and get all sweaty, I can't wait to go again tomorrow! I attempted some yoga when I got back but I really wasn't feeling it. After a quick shower I had to go straight to the sorority house to do some preliminary voting who we are going to give bids to, so it was quite a night!

I had a really delicious lunch before work - Greek pasta salad with grilled chicken. Normally I don't get chicken in my salads but I decided that in order to lose weight I should up my caloric intake. I generally eat somewhere around 700-900 calories a day just because I don't really make an effort to go get food when it's inconvenient. Today I made sure to add extra 'good' calories to the things I ate like the chicken in my pasta salad and I had a loaded smamich (a sandwich made with love) for dinner.

Ham, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, and lettuce (with a little mayo) and of course OJ! I also had some Ruffles that someone managed to disappear before I too the picture... wonder where they went?

All in all a good day. I managed to finish all my econ homework for tomorrow and now I just have a ton of philosophy reading to do before my three hour class sooo SparkNotes here I come!

I hope everyone had a great hump day :)

Thank you Texas...

2011-01-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

FOR BEING SUNNY! The cold front finally waved goodbye and a beautiful day was ushered in. It felt so good to be able to walk outside in just jeans and a t-shirt. After my economics class I had to go to work and there was quite a surprise waiting for me - tons of filing. I just love to alphabetize papers so basically work was a blast. Just kidding! After work my friend Amber and I decided to go running since it was so nice. We ran for about 35 minutes and we went through the neighborhoods around our school. The nice thing about running near school is that you have the incentive of surrounding frat houses to make sure that you don't slack off, God forbid that the hottie that sits next to you in English sees you crawling past his lawn. It goes without saying that we didn't want to wimp out although with the cross country girls flying past us I'm sure that we looked super athletic...

I finally have my schedule figured out and books in! This semester I will be taking:

MWF TTR

10:30-11:20 Symbolic Logic 2:10 - 3:30 Intermediate Microeconomics

12:30 - 1:20 Essential Information Technology 4:30 - 7:45 Philosophy of Friendship

1:20 - 2:30 Early Modern Philosophy

This is pretty much opposite of last semester when I only had one class WF that didn't start till 1:30. Tuesday and Thursday are the longer days so I'm glad that I have fewer classes then and my three hour once-a-week class has been surprisingly interesting for the whole 3 hours. Symbolic logic is basically like learning a new language, it's for computer science majors and philosophy majors. So far it's constructing sentences out of shapes soooo yeah, it's weird. The EIT class is required to graduate and it is a computer class. You can generally test out of it but I missed the test date last year so now I'm trapped in the class with a bunch of freshmen and currently we are learning how to make a blog. On the bright side easy A, not on the bright side totally boring and a waste of time. Since I have an hour break between logic and EIT I decided to sneak up to the library for a quick cat nap but decided to make it blog sesh instead :)It's still really beautiful so I decided to hide in a little corner of the fourth floor of the library. since my blog the other day didn't have any pictures and this one doesn't either I thought I that would snap a pic of my view from up here (please ignore the terrible quality of my camera phone).

Have a great hump day!

Balancing Act

2011-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

I got a little treat in a mail the other day and it wasn't another magazine... Netflix sent my Shiva Rea Flow Yoga for Beginners DVD! I originally had just done bits and pieces of the workout that I could find either on demand or online. There are four flows on this DVD, foundation pose, Beginner's Backbend Flow, Relaxing Flexibility Flow, and Beginner's Standing Pose Flow. The DVD ends with the really relaxing shavasana.

I have yet to do the complete workout but I did the first three sequences all at once the other day, then this morning I just did the Beginner's Standing Pose Flow and shavasana. This flow is the longest and also the hardest in my opinion. Since I've been running consistently for the past week I thought that today could be a yoga day and I'll probably throw in a quick weight workout at the gym later.

It's official I'm over the honeymoon phase of being back at school. The three day weekend was a godsend and it's finally over. On the upside I was able to have a lot of fun, work out consistently, and finish all of the homework that I have due today and tomorrow. Since the end of rush is approaching really fast we have a lot of little sorority things going on like rsvp, special showing, pref day, and eventually bid day. Our alumni are also having a couple of events so there's a cocktail party on Friday as well as a sorority retreat on Saturday. Thankfully the retreat isn't a sleepover so I won't have to spend and ridiculous amount of time away. I don't like having to have to go to so many different events, especially ones that are mandatory but hopefully I can stay on top of my homework and balance everything.

The Last Day of Freedom

2011-01-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how unprepared I am for classes to start tomorrow! I don't have any of my books or school supplies but I figure that that's what the weekend is for :) I'm excited for the upcoming semester because all of the classes that I'm going to be taking are right up my ally (except for computer science).

Last night I went out with my girlfriends for some back to school fun. The party wasn't that great but there was lots of dancing so the night was not a waste! Last night my friend Amber and I decided that we were going to go running this morning and by morning I mean noonish. When she first called to wake me up I said that I had a momentarily lapse in judgement and told her that I didn't want to go but after I thought about it I decided that I had no good reason not to go! Our friend Catherine has mono right now so she can't do any strenuous work outs so we decided to run around the track so that she could walk and we wouldn't lose her in the neighborhoods around our campus. We alternated 2 minutes of walking and 4 minutes of running for half an hour. We ended up going about 3 miles which is pretty good in my book!

After our workout we went and grabbed some food. Since it was afternoon they only had heavy lunch/dinner food so I settled on some grapes and watermelon (which I scarfed down before I could snap a pic), a banana and Odwalla.

Now that I'm all showered and clean I'm going to enjoy some Sex and the City reruns and a quick nap before I need to organize my schedule for tomorrow and order some books for my classes.

I hope that ya'll are having a great Tuesday!

Flying

2011-01-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

In her blog Rachel Wilkerson recently wrote a post about traveling from her home state of Michigan to her new home in Houston, Texas. Something she wrote in the post really resonated with me, that being that the trip wasn't so much traveling as it was time traveling. It is so true! When I'm in Washington all I can think is "who am I?!" I feel like such a kid again! I'm in such a strange state of limbo right now I don't really feel like an adult but at the same time I live very independently. Leaving home this time was a lot harder than it usually is; I'm not sure if it was the freshly fallen snow that finally decided to show up or the fact that last semester was really difficult but I've never come so close to crying while leaving. On another note I can't believe that it finally snowed! We had to leave extra early this morning for the drive to Seattle because of the ice It started completely dumping snow and I was so close to turning the car around so that I could play in the snow! Once we got to Seattle though there was no snow and it was just cloudy and grey so I felt better about my decision to leave. I took a picture of the sunless sky but then I realized (a little to late) that I had left the cord that connects my camera to my computer at home. I guess that I just enjoy getting mail :)

I ended up getting to the airport really early so I bought myself some breakfast.

This, obviously, was not taken by me but it does the job. I had a super yummy strawberry raspberry parfait. I could hit up Sbucks without getting a delicious beverage so I decided to celebrate coming back to Texas with a very sunny drink:

mmm... passion tea lemonade with Splenda! It was a great way to start by day. I'm going to go catch up on some blogs and enjoy watching all the depressed Saints fans wait for there flights.

Happy Sunday!

Rain, rain go away

2011-01-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

Today was officially the first day since I've been back that it has rained NON-stop all day; thankfully, today's reminder of average Washington weather will make my trip/transition back to Texas only that much easier. It's been so cold lately that I was really hoping that it would be snowing instead of raining this morning. Despite the fact that waking up to the sound of rain is not nearly as soothing as waking up to the peacefulness of freshly fallen snow, it does make you thankful that you don't have to be anywhere other than your bed! My brother, envious of my snoozing, likes to take it upon himself to to keep me from getting too comfortable... My brosef gets up at five every morning for a 2.5 hour swim practice workout then he comes home to take a nap after which he likes to come poke at the hibernating animal that's upstairs, namely me. There's nothing like getting woken up first by my brother looming over me, then by pulling my covers off me after which is followed by a 20 minute long smoothie making process accompanied by blender noises; needless to say he got a 'talking too' this morning by yours truly :) What can I say? I love the kid but he can be pain.

Thankfully he inspired me (to put it nicely) to get up and start my day which comprised of watching movies with my best friend and then a nice long workout. I decided to go to the gym tonight to watch the Lakers/Suns game on TV, might as well do something good while watching the boob tube. I did a hard 30 minutes on the stair climber followed by a hard 30 minutes on the treadmill. I alternated running and walking at an increased incline. After my sweat-sesh I did some weights than headed home. I went to the gym with both my parents tonight which isn't my usual routine. I don't like to workout with other people. When I'm at home I like to drive to the gym on my own time and stay for as long (or as short) as I want then leave as opposed to going with someone else where my choices are dictated by other people. When I'm at school I like to workout with my friend Catherine because she and I are pretty much on the same wavelength most of the time. Surprisingly, going to the gym with my parents today was not that bad.

After watching the Lakers beat the Suns I had a delicious post-workout smoothie:

Seven ice cubes
1/4cup frozen mango (thawed)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries (thawed)
1/4 cup fat free milk
3 Splenda packets

Mmm! So yummy! I decided to stop putting yogurt in my smoothies to (1) cut down on calories and (2) recently I've enjoyed the less-creamy consistency. Since my family didn't go grocery shopping until yesterday I've been living off of mainly smoothies for the last week but I never get sick of them (only of cleaning the blender afterwards...).

After some nosh I had to whip up some cupcakes for my brother's basketball banquet (the younger, younger one not the high schooler). I decided to make red velvet with vanilla frosting. While baking and icing these I was in the midst of watching my first ever biggest loser episode on Hulu.

I actually really like this show! I'm definitely going to continue watching it. It gets a little too cheesy and emotional at times but I totally understand what all the hype is about. I felt a little guilty slathering frosting onto cupcakes while watching blue and green teams weighing in at like 400lbs. but not so guilty that I couldn't finish the job without sneaking one of these bad boys...

If only Jillian Michaels were here to make me push a pick-up up a hill to help me burn off this cupcake! All in all today was a successful day lots of nothing and a little something, I like that ratio!

Do any of you watch or have watched the biggest loser?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

~Happy 2011~

What better way to ring in the new year (3 days late...) than with a post! After many hours, trips to Woods coffee, and faces like these:

I finally figured out how to create and personalize my header, background, and navigation tabs. I know it doesn't look like much but for someone who can barely find the on button on my laptop I'm pretty proud. I hope that the changes are an improvement :)

Home again, home again jiggity jig... so far my 'vacation' has been filled with a lot of sleep, yummy food, and chilly weather. It's been so nice to be able to go downstairs and make myself something to eat instead of having to walk across campus for a barely edible pre-made meal. I've also really enjoyed being able to go workout at a really nice facility! Homestead Farm's is Lynden's version of a country club it might not be as nice as a Lifetime or Ballys but it's much nicer compared to Trinity's gym.

To avoid going back in time I decided to post a collage of pictures from Christmas :)

This free collage customized with Smilebox

This was by far the best Christmas I've ever had! My family had a wonderful Christmas dinner with ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, green bean casserole (yum!), and squash. After our fabulous dinner we opened presents then went to midnight mass. There's nothing like presents under the tree to make you feel like a little kid again; I have never received such wonderful gifts!

This Christmas was full of surprises! My mom totally surprised with my favorite perfume that I have wanted for so long, Ms. Dior Cherie. She also tracked down two of my favorite movies - Cactus Flower and Butterflies are Free, they are both Goldie Hawn movies from the 60s and are absolutely amazing! I received a beautiful watch and dress from my grandma as well as a gorgeous wallet from my mother. My mother did such a great job getting me the most thoughtful gifts, she even made me a scrapbook of my grade school years!

I also got two other really big, really great surprises this Christmas. For the first time ever my precious baby brother (the older, younger one) got me a wonderful gift - a beginner's yoga set!

It came with a yoga mat, a brick, a strap and a beginner video. He even got it in my favorite color! I don't really like the video but it's nice to use have the equipment to practice on when I download yoga podcasts. I was so shocked that he was actually listening to me when I was badgering him about Christmas presents but it was definitely a nice surprise. One of my really good friends also decided to surprise me... with a NOOK!

My really good friend Tyler is currently stationed in Iraq fighting the good fight and totally surprised me on Christmas day. I can't wait until he sees what I got him :) So I really never knew anything about the Nook or Kindle because I assumed that I would never have one, on the other hand now that I do have one I am in love with it. It's great because I can read magazines on it (feed my addiction hee hee), books, surf the web, listen to Pandora, and play games on it. I really en joy when I'm at the gym because it's so easy to use! Once I learn more about how it works I'll be able to use it more until then it's still a learning experience, but a great one!

It's been such a great break from school (despite the weather...) and although I can't wait to get back to my friends I am not looking forward to starting classes again. I hope that ya'll had a great break!

17 days

2010-12-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

It has been 17 days since I last posted a blog. 17 days filled with complete misery but it's over!!! I finished my first semester of sophomore year and it is truly a surreal feeling to know that I am almost half way done with college. Enough ruminating on how fast time flies and more talk about blogging!

I was so excited to fly through airport security and get to my gate quickly so that I could sit down and finally check out blogger. I have shown some pretty great self-control and I have managed to not log on to blogspot once since finals had started. I decided to end the semester just the way that I started it... with some Las Palapas. It isn't really the snazziest little bistro to eat at but the food is delicious and you can gurantee that there will be a Mexican soap opera on one t.v. screen and a Spurs game on the other. To start my trip off I decided to hit up something else that I wouldn't be able to eat in WA - Dunkin' Donuts, nothing like an iced coffee and a bagel with cream cheese to start off a fabulous day of traveling. Just to keep my flight from getting boring I picked up a little light reading...

Cosmo is the definition of guilty pleasure! I can't wait to break into this I also brought The Brothers Karamazov along. Hopefully I can manage to finish it by the time that the break is over. I'm also looking for some light fun reading so if anyone has a suggestion please comment below :)

I'm so glad to be home now!! I can't wait to finally be able to do some day to day blogging and cook my own food!

When I Get the Urge to Blog...

2010-11-30T23:39:00.000-08:00

I BLOG!

Freud is our latest study in my German Philosophy class and according to him our urges and desires are all subconscious and if you don't give into them they become displaced a present themselves through other actions. So since I don't want to compulsively wash my hands I decided I should just do a post instead :) I really want to do a run down of my Thanksgiving weekend (I have lots of pics!) but I don't have time right now - this blog is just a quickie to tide me over until I have time to do a real blog post.

I'd like to start off by saying that I only have 16 days until I'm back in my old home!!!! I am soooo excited to fly home this year. Last year I was burnt out but I wasn't overly stoked about flying home but this year I am the complete opposite! I also noticed that the older I get the more excited I get about holidays. I used to be somewhat of a scrooge (to put is nicely) and I generally strongly dislike holidays but I am SO excited for Christmas this year and I was also excited for Thanksgiving. I don't know what it is but being happy about such a joyous time is a great sensation :)

Unfortunately having only 16 days until I go home also means that I have to complete my finals... blurg. I hate finals especially since this year I have five finals, two papers, and one presentation to complete. Thankfully I had the break to recharge and re-motivate myself for a marathon of studying (if only using brain power burned as many calories as running...). I'm so happy that I finally caught onto working out in my room because it's a great way to get energized and get some physical activity in without taking a huge break from studying (unfortunately lifting a diet coke to your mouth doesn't constitute as a bicep curl...).

In other news - forgetting to eat throughout the day results in a manic hunger attack and all the sudden that microeconomics book is looking mighty tasty. The first thing I did to prevent myself from throwing salt on my textbook was call Neyaz and beg her to pick me up some food from upper campus (since she was already up there) unfortunately she wasn't coming back to the room till eleven. I had to instill plan B: root around her fridge (Lauren always keeps it stocked with food) and I came across some soy milk since it is no secret that I am a cereal addict I immediately texted Lauren and begged for some sustenance. I must admit that I have never tasted soy milk. This summer I stopped consuming as much milk and started drinking almond milk but I never actually tried soy milk. After Lauren responded to me with the go ahead I came up with this concoction:

Maple and Brown sugar granola
Kashi GoLean (basically twigs and other foliage)
Silk soy milk

Soy milk is a lot better than I thought it would be. The only problem that I had with it is that it is a little too sweet for me. I was also surprised to see that it wasn't very low-calorie. If I can find some that's lower in calories (this was 100 cal per serving) I might consider using this instead of milk more often. The granola had a really strong brown sugar flavor. I noticed that Cascadian Farms cereals are a little overpowering, I tried there cinnamon mini-wheat type of cereal and it was just too much! Thankfully I toned this granola down with some really bland Kashi golean. I don't know how people eat it by itself. This combo was SO filling I could barely finish it all and I probably had a cup of cereal. That was at 8:00 and it is now 2:30 and I am still full so that's saying a lot! I'll definitely try this again :)

I'm going to stop rambling now and dream of the day when finals are over. I've been stalking up on magazines and have all of these waiting for me :)

Magazinessssss, one of my many vices

Jumping on the bandwagon

2010-11-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

I've read so many posts this weeks about what everyone is thankful and I told myself I wasn't going to do the same but hey! why not?

I'm thankful for my family

(1) ~~psycho~~ wonderful brothers

Thomas :) (17)

The brosef and I this summer

And Ian (13)

Ian and I about 4 years ago after a full day of windsurfing (me) and goofing around (him)

My daddy

What a stud! He's probably the most in-shape 52 year old man I've ever met. The man runs 7 miles a day and play soccer with the guys half his age.

My mommy

I was lucky enough to be home on her birthday last year. She was an avid runner until she got runners knee (a common problem with women) so now you can find her working out on the stair-master or the stationary bike.

(2) My amazing friends

(3) My lovely sorority sisters

There are sooo many other things that I'm thankful for like my beautiful school - Trinity, my health, and the fact that I get to spend Thanksgiving with Neyaz's lovely family!

Let's Get Physical (Physical)

2010-11-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

Just for your information I have some Olivia Newton-John blasting as I write this blog :) Now if only I was wearing leg warmers and spandex but I don't want to have to pay for my roommates therapy...

It's been a while since my last post and the only thing you've missed is my whining about tests and papers - so nothing exciting! I've been stalking up on things to write about though.

Last week I went with Neyaz to her aerobic dance class and had quite the work out! Aerobic dance is a PE class that Trinity offers to fulfill their requirement for a general curriculum credit. I took it first semester of my freshman year and nothing makes you hate working out more than being required to do it for a grade. Sure, taking a work out class is a great thing but when you're in the middle of homework or rushing from work to make it from your class it becomes a lot more of a hassle. On the other hand, when you're not in the class it's fabulous! I haven't had a group type workout in a long time so it was awesome!

I am incredibly competitive so classes are my thing. I know that you're supposed to be competing against yourself and what not but come on... sweating a little more and squatting a little lower than the girl next to you really keeps you working hard.

We started with a really great warm-up: we rotated between between jumping jacks, running in place, high-kicks, butt kicks, and squats. It was a really quick rotation, fast pace, loud music a great warm up!

After the warm up we did a cardio/strength training routine. First we V-ups, push-ups, and squats with an arm press. This was also a fast paced workout and I was really feeling it. After that we rotated between a vertical leg crunch, donkey kicks, and push-ups again. Unfortunately push-ups are not my thing so instead I just stayed in the plank position because I feel like I get more out of it and I'm not just struggling and attempting to succeed. After we finished all of that we did hundred yard sprints on the track. I was SO sore the next day (and the day after and the day after...)! It was ridiculous! But an awesome kind of ridiculous. It was so nice to feel really sore after a workout but that Friday I had a sorority rush event at a night club so I danced the night away on sore legs but it was still great!

I had a really busy week but today I thought that I'd fit in an ab circuit while watching Glee (which is terrible this season in my opinion!). I am a huge fan of Toneitup.com! If you've never heard of Karina and Katrina then you really need to check them out. I've subscribed to their youtube channel since last year and they have so much to offer. Check them out, you won't regret! They record a lot of different types of circuits and my favorite is their ab circuit which I've included below. It's a really good work out!

After my great ab workout I decided to do some yoga. I started doing Shiva Rea's Flow yoga for beginners this summer when I had On Demand TV and I really enjoyed it. I was able to find a little clip of it off Youtube because I don't own the DVD but I would really like to (hint hint mom). What I couldn't find off the internet I had to do from memory and the old noodle didn't let me down I was able to do most of the workout.

It was a pretty great way to get in a workout without having to leave my dorm room and I could enjoy watching TV without feeling guilty :)

Tomorrow I am off to Houston with Neyaz to get my Thanksgiving on and to finally get out of Trinity!!!! YAY! I haven't been off campus all year and it'll be wonderful to get away!

8 days later...

2010-11-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

Week one goal check:

1. School comes first

This past week I was pretty productive except on Friday - I decided I needed the afternoon off after taking a big test.

2. Exercise!

All was well on the exercise front. I only got a few days in but I'm okay with that since I haven't really been able to eat due to stomach issues and exercising is an agitator of that problem as well so I'm glad I went running at all

3. Be frugal

Major fail! I've been dealing with some boy issues (I have a terrible tendency of referring to grown men as boys...) so Friday Tessie decided I needed some retail therapy. What can I say my roommate's a great therapist?!? Nothing like a girl's day to take your mind off things. A haul to come soon!

4. Try Bikram

I still have another three weeks till this goal expires

5. Drink water

I have been drinking tons more water! Yay!

6. Stop eating after 9:30

Surprisingly enough I've been really good about not eating late which I normally epically fail at.

Now that I've just gotten off work I'm about to start round two of homework before my three hour marketing class (bleh.). For a pre-class energy boost I decided to pick up a strawberry kiwi yogurt parfait with granola. First of all who eats kiwis with yogurt? I didn't realize that people ate kiwis and strawberries together in the first place, I thought that that was just some weird combination created by juice makers. Needless to say I did not bother to dig the kiwis out from the bottom of the cup. While I'm on my parfait rant I must mention that the strawberry to yogurt ratio was disgustingly uneven. Waaaay to much yogurt and not enough strawberry (or granola). While I begrudgingly ate my parfait I happened to glance down at the nutrition facts and dios mijo! there are 395 cal. in this baby. "Low-fat vanilla yogurt?" Really, really? The (small) tablespoon of granola included couldn't have possibly been very many calories likewise on the almost nonexistent fruit. Out of sheer hunger and an intense love of strawberries and granola I managed to eat half of it. At one point I caught wind of a little kiwi flavor on my spoonful of yogurt and egads! that is not a tasty combo (at least in my opinion).

Parfait rant aside I must continue my strategic analysis of the Starbucks corporation which is about fun as you can imagine. It sounds weird to say but I miss you bloggies oh so much because I feel like I am hardly ever on here anymore. Thankfully I manage to find time every couple of weeks to sift through my blogroll and catch up with everyone else's live. It's almost Christmas time so when I'm at home for the holiday I'll be able to revamp the ol' blog and dedicate much more time to it!

Happy Monday

mmm.... Starbucks

November!

2010-11-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the month again... the beginning! My roommates are constantly reminding me what time of the year it is with the countdown to Christmas (winter) Break and the end of this semester. The only thought that goes through my head while their celebrating is "ah! Only one month to left to get A's in my classes!"

Seeing as it happens to be the first of November I felt that a 'November goals' post is necessary. No, goals of the month isn't something I've done before but I'm gonna go with it. From me the problem with goals is not achieving them soooo maybe I shouldn't let that happen....

Goals:

1. School comes first this month

a. No sleep, dinners, parties, or friends until everything is completed

2. Exercise comes after school

a. (Once again) no sleep, school, parties, or friends until working out at least 3 times a week

3. Be frugal

a. Don't spend either November paycheck

4. Try Bikram

5. Drink (at lot) more water

6. Stop eating after 9:30 pm regardless of how late I stay up

I think that these are all feasible but I guess it's up to me to prove that!

This weekend was a relaxing start to what is going to be a busy month. Neyaz and I did a little shopping, got our nails done, and generally chilled out. Don't worry I didn't go the whole weekend without doing any homework - that would be absurd!

Here's to a tough week ahead, full of productivity and sleep deprivation (just kidding! kind of...)!

It's My Birthday Party...

2010-10-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

It has waaaaay to long since I lasted posted! It's been a hell of a week. I had a paper, presentation, and test sneak up on me. Well, I guess they didn't really sneak up on me I just had my head turned momentarily and then BAM! work, work, work.

Today was an interesting day on the food spectrum. I don't think I've mentioned it in my posts before but I have a terrible problem with esophageal reflex disease. Most of you probably know what that is because your parents or grandparents suffer from it. Basically it's heartburn - only on steroids. Why do I a perfectly normal (that's debatable) 19 year old have it? I'm sure this question is plaguing you mercilessly. Why wouldn't it? A 19 year old's heartburn is very important in your day to day life. Last year during second semester I had an incredible amount of pressure put on me from pledging my sorority (that's a loooong story), school, and myself. Don't take me wrong, I THRIVE on pressure and stress. I absolutely love having a little bit of pressure on me at all times and if I don't I create stress in my own life over stupid things, like making my bed (prime example my school free summer...). For me "this guy's coding with a blocked airway and needs a tracheotomy STAT" Grey's Anatomy scenario stress is magnificent. Game 7 Boston vs. LA stress, bring it on! I think that I've proved my point about loving stress so to continue, last year the stress on my body surpassed anything I've ever experienced. I was having hand tremors (which resulted in a second degree burn one time - another loooong story) and by the end of the semester I couldn't eat anything without throwing up. To avoid being too graphic I will simply say throwing up your own stomach acid multiple times a day sucks. I thought I had an ulcer (who knows I might?) but health services told me to take Prilosec (you've probably seen Grandma take this with breakfast) twice a day. This was a pretty big improvement but I still had to change some of my eating/food habits to adapt to this issue. After the school year ended I figured that since the bulk of my stress was gone my heartburn would go with it. I was wrong. Turns out that pledging a sorority saddled me with a problem that I'll deal with the rest of my life, talk about regrets... Now to get to my original point - I have to take my medication every single day or else I have a day like today in which the only thing that I could really eat was a Clif Z Bar. That's not to say that I didn't try to eat other things like this delicious salad with a turkey burger on it.

So good except much regretted five minutes after eating it. Dinner was some whole wheat noodles with vegetables and soy sauce, or I should say few bits of this tasty concoction. Sadly my life can't revolve around this problem so I had to choke down a sugar-free Red Bull in place of a cup of coffee (either way caffeine is a killer) to stay awake and suffered the consequences. Without taking my omeprazole I feel like my stomach and esophagus are burning and I can taste the acidity in my mouth (how's that for not being graphic?). I looooove food and caffeine so note to self DON'T SKIP. This blog isn't a place for me to complain but I felt like throwing a pity party and you all were invited - no RSVP necessary. Party favors will be happening!

I have apparently turned this blog into my own personal photo album so to go along with the theme of this I thought I would include some pictures from two nights of freedom!

Tess and Neyaz before SPAMMA (SPURS and Gamma Chi Delta date party)

Candid silliness part deaux

(everyone needs to make a fool of themselves and then publish it on their blog)

ROOMIES!

Alumni Weekend - Bengal Lancer party

The question on many minds is probably if she has sooooo much homework how does she manage to go out so often? Told you I was a psychic ;). To be fair I did do homework after I came home from both of these events. Instead of taking a study break to watch Glee I went to the Lava Lounge instead and watched frat boys pound back beers and drunken sorostitutes do things that they are probably ashamed to admit to doing in the morning (if they even remember).

Remember I mentioned party favors?!?!?!?!?

Well since I don't have companies that send me food or products to try (which is probably a good thing considering I live in a cubicle...) I thought that I would find some adorable pictures to brighten your day!

I have a pug and they are precious (and noisy)

If you don't like puppies, or just pug puppies, first of you should be ashamed pugs are so ugly they're cute. Second of all these babies are even cuter than the pugs (don't tell my dog that).

If you don't like pug puppies OR babies these kitties better melt your what can only be a-heart-of-stone. :)

Enjoy! Thank you cards will be sent out shortly.

Brown Chicken Brown Cow

2010-10-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Warning: This title has absolutely nothing to do with this post. I just have a hard time titling posts and bow chika bow wow keeps going through me head for no apparent reason.

I hope that my last post inspired some introspection. Taking a transcendental point of view in life is important to do now and then. There's some of my inner philosophy nerd for you, who else actually talks about transcendentalism? or even uses that word? Nerds that like to think about things that don't have any impact on regular life that's who. :) I'm still hoping to see some 'coming out' posts...

Unfortunately I don't see a run in tonight's forecast. :( Boo on my part. I really should go because my legs are really sore today and running on them would make them feel better. I actually miss that sore feeling (the one that makes you take five minutes to sit down) when I'm coming up with excuses not to work out and it was very welcome today, even if it did make me feel like I was trudging through pudding as I walked around campus. Alas I ate a late dinner (as in I just ate) and if I went running now I would definitely yarf; on the off chance that there's some eye candy on the track I wouldn't want to scare them away. The only time puking in public doesn't scare away college boys is when you're wearing fake eyelashes, showing too much cleavage, and your chacha is playing peek-a-boo with the short skirt you're wearing aka at frat parties or outside of bars. (Disgusting, I know!) Since I currently am not a candidate to acceptably blow chunks and I don't want to run at 10:30 at night I'm just going to stay in tonight and do homework. To be honest I'd rather be outside. To prove this I decided to waste even more time and give you all the wonderful pleasure of viewing my dislike for studying...

Exhibit A: Homework

Exhibit B: Me

Rocking the man flannel sooooo good!

My psychic skills are telling me that a run will occur tomorrow and they're usually pretty spot on - especially concerning my own future. In honor of Fat Talk Free Week I'm going to try to do a post about that tomorrow. Trinity University was the first school to establish the sorority and female athlete body image program and even national sororities have jumped on board. It's a cool program. We have a Fat Talk Free day every week and we make a pretty big deal about Fat Talk Free Week here. So... hopefully some more info on that tomorrow and maybe some pics :)

Night Night! I'm want to see some closet doors opening soon...

October

2010-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

In the mix tonight:

Party in the USA: Miley Cyrus
No Air: Jordin Sparks ft. lady hitter McButtface (I am an adult I swear)
In da club: 50cent
Shots: LMFAO
Doing something Right: Billy Currington
Forever: Drake
Girlfriend: Avril Lavigne

I started out running pretty strong but with Miley Cyrus blasting it's impossible not to fail, right? Nothing like a trampy teen to keep me motivated. 50 cent - always a classic 'nuff said. LMFAO, I still don't know what that stands for but I think I can make a pretty educated guess; that song always reminds me of the Kardashians and for no good reason what so ever I love those ladies. In my opinion the sign of a strong runner is someone who can listen to chill tunes, zone out and run. I am not one of those people. When I run there has to be either a night club blasting in my ears or just one step short of a mosh pit. With Billy Currington I can make an exception.

Ahhh Billy Currington. He's a wonderful combination of my favorite things - scruff, tan, muscles, sailing(!), musical talent and my favorite - a big nose. What can I say I love a big shnozz? Did I mention the blue eyes?!? So dreamy... The nice thing about running on a track is that I can close my eyes on the straights and think about Billy... Unfortunately that can only last so long and I have to put on something with a little more pizazz. (Nothing like a little eye candy to get the blog rolling) Thankfully the song Forever came on next. The thing about 'Forever' is that it features some great artists, a little Kanye (he's not so great...), some weezy (and I'm not talking about my lungs, I mean the real deal - Lil' Wayne), and my favorite Eminem. Unfortunately Eminem's part isn't until the very end of the song so I had to run an extra lap to hear the whole thing (I can't skimp out on the real slim shady now, can I?). Either Eminem's rap was too short or I wasn't running fast enough (which one, which one?) but I had to finish the lap with Avril. I'm pretty sure I heard some tell me that 8th grade called and asked for it's music back as I zoomed past them but I could have just imagined that... All in all it was a successful jaunt around the ol' track. I ran 2.25 miles and then walked 1/2 a mile cool down. I started out going really hard but by the end I was pretty tired. I drank a baby Red Bull during my three hour class and I think it gave me a little extra kick because I didn't start dragging till the last two laps.

On a different note, this is national LGBT history month. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. October 11th is National 'Coming-Out' day. At Trinity we have a great LGBT club (or group, I guess) and on the 11th we celebrated National Coming Out day. The LGBT club put up a table in our esplanade and handed out blank name tags that say I'm coming out as "fill in the blank.' The fill in the blank doesn't have to be your sexuality. You see people walking around with "I'm coming out as having great confidence," "being a fake blonde" or "having depression." It was really about anything you want to say. I think that it would be great if in the blog world we had a 'coming out' day or movement where we have a 'coming out' post. This isn't so much about sexuality as it is about owning it - to borrow a phrase from Rachel Wilkerson (if you haven't checked our her blog you MUST, it's fabulous). To kick it off I'll do my own little 'coming out.'

I'm coming out as insecure. Thankfully nowadays flaunting your insecurity isn't really a good thing and I do my best not to make it known. No one wants to be around that girl (or guy) that constantly asks you if "I look fat?" or that wallows in their low self-esteem. This can really hurt friendships and make things awkward. When the girl next to you that weighs 20lbs. less its talking about how 'fat' they are that affects you. I know when I'm in this situation I think "it they think that about themselves, what do they think of me?" Needless to say I don't want to hang out with this person so I do my best not to be this person. One would think that being in a sorority would make you feel more insecure. In my case it's the opposite. All the girls in my sorority try to make you feel good about your body or intelligence or whatever it is you can feel insecure about. I love this about my sisters! Regardless, insecurity is a huge part of my life. For me it's hard to admit it. I live with three beautiful, gorgeous women and insecurity creeps up on me by being around so much foxiness ;). I do my best to act confident and hide my low self-esteem. If people have the bravery to face adversity by declaring their sexuality, I can sure as hell muster up some moxy to admit that I'm insecure. For me my 'confidence' is about is all about faking it till you make it. If i'm going to 'hit the clubs,' even if I don't feel totally kick ass in my new dress I'm definitely not going to make that visible. I'm not going to lie, acting like you have self-confidence actually makes you feel more self-confident! The blog world is full of beautiful, healthy strong confident women and it's hard for me to admit on here that I have debilitating insecurity that has (thankfully!) improved by blogging. I'm coming out as insecure.

I don't want this to offend anyone or make anyone feel bad. Coming out is a serious thing and I think that we can all take a cue from the strong individuals who share their sexuality with the world and muster up even a quarter of the strength they have to come out with something that maybe not everyone knows. This doesn't have to be a negative fact. Coming out as "someone with kick ass quads" or a "strong runner" is awesome! Just the same it's empowering to come out with something maybe you feel insecure about like coming out as someone "being afraid of gaining back the weight they loss" or "afraid of what's going to happen after grad school, or university, or after they have a baby." So if you can do a 'coming out' post or tweet or even a comment on this page that would be awesome! Coming out is a great thing and we should all do more of it!

Nothing's sadder...

2010-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

than the end of a weekend. It was a great one but I've heard it said that all good things must come to an end so I guess that I can't complain. I didn't do near enough homework meaning I didn't really do any homework but I did do a lot of sleeping and relaxing. I got to go workout yesterday with my friend Catherine and I'll go again tonight. It's nice to know that I can workout again without getting really behind in my study schedule. Catherine and I also got to go out to a party last night and we had a great time! I'm not that much of a party girl but once a weekend is good enough for me. I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend and lots of good things happened. Now I must commence ~~watching the Law and Order SVU marathon~~ doing homework.

Ciao bloggies!

Hallelujah! No more tests (for now...)

2010-10-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

I made it through the week! I meant to blog yesterday but I was in a post-midterm coma that could only be cured with a five hour nap and Mexican food - it was FABULOUS. After all that shenanigans and ten hours of sleep I declare myself ready to reenter society. I did manage to capture a few wonderful foodie moments that transpired this week:

Kashi Chicken Florentine: chicken (duh), spinach, peppers, Portobello mushrooms, orzo pilaf, and garlic white wine cream sauce.

Red Bull: death in a can

Luna bar: s'more flavor (Luna bars are so good but I'm think that they're scent is pretty funky)

Green Machine!!!! So gooooood, I wish my Green Monsters tasted like this.

I'm usually really hesitant to buy frozen dinners but I was feeling waaaay to lazy to stand in line to buy a sandwich (sad, I know) and this was the only microwavable option that appeared to be more edible than cardboard pizza. I hate to rave about stuff but it was delicious. The description on the box and the title seemed a little pretentious to me (come on, garlic white wine cream sauce? - in a box?) but I was proved wrong, royally. This legitimately tasted like I had purchased it at a restaurant. So if you're ever in the neighborhood for quick food I would totally suggest Kashi.

I made it almost six months going without a red bull because last year I drank way to many during a really hard week. I legitimately felt like I was going to die. It was awful. This week I was desperate. I started out slow with a little can then the next day a bigger one and I felt okay so for some reason I rationalized that it would okay to drink three - in one day - bad call. I felt sooooo bad. Thank god I now have written (or typed) proof that drinking three beverages that have at least 600 mg. of caffeine per can in one day makes me feel like crap. Naked juice, 'nuff said.

I really wanted to post a blog last weekend because last Wednesday our sorority had its Crush party! Basically our sorority rents out a club and we anonymously invite our 'crushes.' It was a great middle of the week break! I got ready with my roommates and Tess's boyfriend.

My lovely besties

candid silliness

If only everybody could have friends this beautiful

Roommates

It probably seemed like you were just taking a tour of my Facebook but I love pictures that aren't just of mediocre meals.

If that wasn't enough fun I got to go to a Chopin concerto with Lauren on Friday night.

The view from our balcony seats, so great!

We had a really wonderful time! It was two hours of beautiful music and great company. Fast forward to Saturday morning it was study study study and no running, elliptical, or yoga. Yes I said yoga. I was supposed to go to Bikram with Lauren but Thursday afternoon turned into a ridiculous nap so hopefully I'm able to go tomorrow. I'm really nervous about it but I trust other bloggers and it I'm pretty sure I've heard Bikram mentioned once or twice in the blog world and I can't be real member of the healthy living blog community without trying this craze.

Finally the last installment of the women crazy enough to live with me. Neyaz finally found a picture that she deemed appropriate to be posted online.

Neyaz or my little NuNu is the definition of a Persian princess. She stuck by my side and Tess's during pledging. We made a pact together to pledge the same sorority last year and it brought us closer than I ever thought we would be. She is a biochemistry molecular biology major and will be a kick ass radiologist some day. Even though she doesn't technically live with Tess and I she definitely does. It's wonderful having a friend like Neyaz because she keeps my head on straight and makes sure my priorities are in line. It's really hard to find people who I share similar ideals with and Neyaz definitely does. When we first met at the beginning of freshman year I would have never thought that we would become best friends but we have definitely become as close as sisters.

Another post to come tomorrow! (maybe it'll include some yoga...)

Shout Out

2010-10-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

I know that normally you are supposed to do a shout to someone about something but I could not figure out what else to title this post (I find titling posts very difficult). Update - I am alive :) just very busy. I have three exams this week (one of which is tonight...) so I will resume regular blogging on Thursday after my last test!

Even though I'm more of a summer than a fall I couldn't resist...

Leaves - we have these trees in my neighborhood at home

I love the contrast between the dark trunk and the bright leaves

This looks like my running trail back home

and where I wish I was - Paris in the Fall

There's a She Wolf in the Closet...

2010-10-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Not really. I just had a good dose of Shakira to start off my run (jog?) tonight. I had a pretty weird playlist going on:

She Wolf - Shakira
Poster of a Girl - Metric
Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna
When Your Heart Stops Beating - +44
Forgot about Dre - Eminem and (of course) Dr. Dre

Can you tell my ipod was on shuffle? Somewhere in there I listened to bits and pieces of songs but had to skip them (I have terrible music ADD). I also really update my ipod because this was a really strange mix of songs to run to.

I only ran 2 miles and then did and .25 mile cool down walk. Eventually I'll start running more than just two miles but for now I'm satisfied with the fact that I actually tear myself away from my homework for more than 5 minutes. I haven't been bringing my watch with me so I don't actually know how ~~fast~~ slow I was running. Surprisingly I felt amazing when I first started my jaunt. The weather was fabulous today, very fall-y! I don't miss Washington weather (EVER) but it was nice to have cardigan weather because I am an absolute cardigan addict. I even got to wear long pants on my jog. I find that in fitness magazines the editors always say that they absolutely must workout in cute clothes, apparently it makes them feel better about themselves. I'm the kind of girl that when you see me running on the treadmill you have to double take because at first you thought I was a homeless person working on my fitness. Thanks to my addiction to yoga pants I did finally purchase some nice Nike pants and capris - both of which I absolutely love! In case ya'll forgot I don't ever work out in shorts for a number of reasons. I also never wear cute little running shirts or tanks but giant t-shirts that have been willed down in my sorority for the last hundred years (slight exaggeration). Back from my bird walk - bottom line the run was a great one. There was some eye candy out on the track (always a plus) and the weather was fabulous.

For breakfast (lunch? I didn't get up till 11:30) I had some delicious Chobani.

It was slightly less than stellar but mostly because I don't like blueberries. I was wearing my big girl pants today so I forced myself to finish it. I had an afternoon snack of honey nut Cheerios during my weekend gossip rundown with one of my girlfriends. For dinner I had a baked potato (my first in probably 8 years) and some smoked turkey breast. I topped my 'tater with some butter, diced tomatoes, chives, and garbanzo beans. I took a picture but apparently potatoes aren't photogenic, go figure!

Now on to homework! I met with one of my professors today about declaring my major and found out that I need to get immaculate grades if I want to pursue grad schools other than law school. Oh the pressure! But that's the life of an undergrad.

Question: Do you prefer looking together and stylish when you go the gym or like you got dressed in your older brother's closet - in the dark? Does it affect your fitness confidence?

Weekend Wrap Up

2010-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

After posting yesterday's blog I had every intention of doing homework. Sometimes intentions just aren't enough. I managed to make a long list of everything that I need to do but unfortunately making a list means that I actually have to cross things off of it, ergo accomplish tasks. Lauren and I spent quite a bit of time lounging around and pretending to work, needless to say nothing was accomplished.

I've recently come across some different blogging communities online and am considering whether or not to join. I'm currently a part of the Healthy Living blogs community but there's a few others I'm looking into. I am also considering switching from blogger to wordpress. Wordpress users out there - what do you think about it? I really want to get an 'about me' page and different tabs. I've heard that it's more complicated than blogger but I would like to expand my blog a little bit. Who knows? I'm pretty sure I have a million other more important things to do than research blogs hosts.

After wasting ample amounts of time and accomplishing very little homework I actually went running! It's been a long time since I've gone running (which is a sad truth indeed). I decided to go running around the track. I thought that it would be boring but I just cranked up some tunes and ran. It was around 9:00 at night so there was only a couple people out there. There are lights around the track so I felt pretty safe. I only ran two miles and then walked a 1/4 mile for cool down but two miles is better than no miles! The weather was perfect! It was nice and warm with a light breeze. Muy perfecto!

Afterwards my lovely pledge sisters coerced me into going out and we had a fabulous time1

Amber, yours truly, Katey, and Catherine. Katey went out with another group but it was still good to see her. I was worried that my foundation was too dark so I mixed with a really light Revlon Photoready foundation and my faced turn out too light so I'm pulled off a Snow White all night. I just recently picked up some Redken color extend shampoo and fell in love! I was really hesitant about purchasing it because it's so very pricey but Allure named it the best shampoo/conditioner for color treated hair. The Texas sun makes my hair really light so I dye it regularly to keep it rich and dark. I might be a blonde at heart but I'm a brunette on the outside 100%. Getting off my beauty spiel now! Last night was fabulous lots of dancing, cute boys, and SPURS (my sorority)!

I started today off with some Chobani. I'd have to say that the peach kind is definitely my favorite.

Today was spent trying to finish up some homework but mostly I was just too drained to do so. After the load of laundry that i just put in the dryer finishes up I am hitting the sack!

Goodnight bloggies! Have a wonderful week and remember it's only five more days till Friday :)

Friday continued

2010-10-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

I started writing yesterday's post in the morning after I had just come back from giving the okay on the programs I designed and was dead set against falling back asleep before my class. Thursday evening was great but Thursday night ended up being crazy. 5 second recap: Neyaz records all of her cell biology lectures on a tape recorder so that she can review them later- Thursday night she couldn't find her tape recorder. We tore up her room and car looking for it. Finally at about 3:00 am we went to bed after deciding that it was probably in some classroom and the next day (after getting up at 8:00 am) she found it. Some one in the Geosciences office had found it. Being Catholic I am a firm believer in praying to Saint Jude (the patron saint of lost things) when I've lost something. I have never not found something after praying to St. Jude and voilà (after some prayers) the tape recorder was found. The moral of the story is that I was tired hence I fell asleep mid blog. I finished up yesterdays blog this morning and am currently writing this morning's (afternoon's) blog about last night. I'm complicated and for a philosophy major I'm (obviously) not always the most logical person.

After yesterdays long and pointless induction ceremony the weekend really started. San Antonio has a tradition called First Friday. On the first Friday of every month local artists and craftspeople open their studios and have booths set up down town San Antonio. Much to my chagrin I had never been. I love to look at art so I was soooo happy when Lauren suggested we go! Tess and Neyaz usually get off campus for the weekends so Lauren and I were the only two left here. We decided to make a full night of it and get spruced up.

I decided to take a little "outfit of the day" (ootd) picture - my first evah! I'm not an expert on outfit of the day etiquette and I felt a little (a lot) silly snapping pictures of myself in my closet but I succumbed to some peer-blog pressure and gave into the trend. I tried to take the picture without flash but the poor lighting in my closet made me look green.

Lauren and I went to this cool local micro brewery called Blue Star. They had a live reggae-ska band and the atmosphere was really fun. It was so hard deciding what to order! We settled on getting their black bean nachos as an appetizer.

So delicious! Not too much cheese and just the right amount of beans. The pico was also really good piled on top. I also I tried my first jalapeño!!! I've always been too scared to actually eat one but it was so tasty I actually ate three. They were just the baby wimpy jalapeños but it was a big step for me :)

Blue Star is supposed to have really good seafood so I ordered a fish sandwich. I'm not a big salmon person because I ate so much growing up and the only other cod alternative was fish and chips.

The sandwich was really good. I was worried that the cod would be really deep fried but it wasn't at all. The vegetables on the sandwich tasted really fresh as well. Lauren and I decided to split our side dishes so we got sweet potatoes and fruit. These were some of the best sweet potato fries I've ever had. Lauren got the Blue Star burger with a veggie patty.

Everything was so filling. I was only able to eat about 3/4th of my sandwich but it was worth every bite. The food was well priced and they had a great selection of beers.

After dinner we walked through all the art galleries and heard some pretty great bands play. There were so many stands selling jewelery, pottery, t-shirts, and art. Lauren and I got some cool funky looking bracelets.

I got these too. It was really hard to decided but I settled on two that had beads with the 'evil eye' on them. Lauren got one similar to these and another that had all the multicolored beads. We saw so many cool things and had a great time. We left the scene at about 10:40 and decided that we wanted something sweet to eat. Since everything was closed except for fast food we decided to go to Walmart and pick up some ice cream. I picked up my favorite flavor - French silk. It has dark chocolate pieces, mocha and vanilla ice cream. It only has 130 calories per serving which isn't bad for something this delicious.

Can you tell I didn't take this picture? Lauren got some chocolate soy ice cream which was not my thing at all. We also picked up some other things that we needed. I got fat free milk and Fresca, which is pretty much my favorite soda other than diet Hansen's cola.

Sometimes there's nothing like a good compliment to make your night. While walking around Lauren and I walked past some very stoned and/or drunk guys in there 20s. One of them looked at me and said 'you've got really great legs." Sometimes all it takes to put a smile on your face and a pep is your step is a compliment even if it is from someone obviously not in there right mind. We had such a good night and it was so much fun. I strongly recommend Blue Star to anyone visiting San Antonio (or living here).

Coming soon: October goals

TGIF

2010-10-01T08:40:00.001-07:00

Seriously thank God it's Friday! This week seemed to last foreverrrrrr and I am so glad that it's (almost) over. I don't know why this week in particular seemed to last ridiculously long but I think it had something to do with the fact that I had a lot of things outside of class going on.

I hope that ya'll liked the Indian food Wednesday post and I've inspired some plans for next Wednesday... I had a great Thursday! (wow that was a simple sentence) Thursdays are usually less than great for me because I have three classes back to back and two of them are painful to sit through. I also work longer on Thursdays than most days but yesterday one of my classes got canceled (not the fun one thankfully) and I was only at work for a short time. :) After work Neyaz and I headed out to do shopping. I have an induction ceremony today that I'm speaking at and I needed something to wear; Neyaz also needed to pick up a few things as well. Our shopping trip was unsuccessful. Shopping is usually hit or miss for an yesterday was definitely a miss. Our trip was not all in vain though - Neyaz found the cutest Bebe romper, seriously it's fabulous. I picked up my first MAC product ever. I know that this isn't a beauty blog by any means but I love makeup. Those that know me would probably be shocked to hear this because I don't actually wear makeup very often but regardless I love it. I read beauty blogs and watch youtube videos about makeup but I just don't wear it...

I've been hearing great things about the MAC face and body foundation so I decided to try it out. I really like MAC stores and the people are always very nice. So after getting my face painted I decided to actually make a purchase. I am the most hesitant buyer ever and I almost always return most of what I buy but not this (hopefully).

I don't usually spend very much money on cosmetics but $34.00 (with tax) for 120 ml. is not too bad considering MAC brushes start at $35. Right now I'm using the Clinique Perfectly Real foundation that my mom got me for my birthday. I really like it but since I'm almost out and repurchasing it is also pretty pricey I decided to try something new. I'm C1 which goes to prove that I am incredibly white. I don't see any tanning in my future so I'll continue on being casper's understudy. To go along with this purchase I also did some online shopping. A haul is soon to come...

To finish off a great night Neyaz and I went to Panera for a late dinner.

A delicious Greek salad with a (not pictured) lemonade. Panera is one (of many things) that I miss about San Antonio when I'm at home in Washington because our nearest Panera is about 2 hours away. I've never had one of their sandwiches but their salads are amazing!

Soon to come: A (more about) Friday post and October goals!

Better Late than Never

2010-09-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

A minor delay on the Monday post and in Annie world today technically still counts as Wednesday because it's not Thursday until I'm walking around looking like Snookie because I was too tired to open my eyes when I put on my bronzer in the morning so needless to say I'm going to consider myself relatively on track with my goals. A management test and a paper got in the way of blogging. I tried to get my teachers to change my test and paper dates but apparently blogging isn't a legitimate enough reason... I know, I was shocked too!

My fabulous 5-0 celebration continued onto Sunday with a trip to Cost Co! I know that it's super weird but I absolutely love Cost Co. At home a trip to Cost Co meant fighting over parking spots and having to spend an extended amount of time around Canadians because they seem to pilgrimage to Washington Cost Cos in numbers even greater than the Wailing Wall receives (no offense Canadian bloggies ya'll are much cooler than those NW Cost Co Canadians). Regardless of the bad driving and 'ehs' I still enjoyed my trips to the bulk gods and was saddened at the thought of going a whole 9 months without multiple bags of, well, everything! My fears were quieted when my suite-mate Lauren said that we could go together. Was it ever glorious! Texas Cost Co rocks - no long lines(no Canadians), tons of samples (no Canadians), and they actually had Greek yogurt in bulk (and no Canadians).

My loot!

Special K Red Berries (can you say yum?!)
4 lbs. of grapes
Clif Z Bars in Graham Cracker, Chocolate Chip, and Brownie
Chobani!!!! Peach (my fav!) Strawberry (also my fav!) and Blueberry (meh. Blueberry is the CSPAN of fruits - boring)
Pretzels

While shopping I must have forgotten that I live in a cubicle so I putting everything away was a bit of a challenge, where's Martha Stewart when you need her?

Thankfully the only thing in there before was a jar of pickles, salsa, and milk - I like to live life on the edge.

The pretzels are hiding on my makeshift night stand (a storage container) halfway under my bed.

I'm still planning on taking pictures of my dorm room for your viewing pleasure but I've only been here for what? almost two months... So needless to say it's self explanatory why I don't have everything set up two months isn't nearly enough time to organize a cubicle with a bed in it.

Sunday was spent basking in the glow of my newly stalked fridge and paper writing (a wonderful combination by the way). Monday went by in a blur due to the massive amounts of studying that occurred. I needed to start Tuesday or Testday morning out right with some of my Chobani!

Seeing this picture on my blog is making me question why I took such a wide shot of a little container of yogurt... Regardless it was delicious! The test went well, Tuesday was crazy busy like it always is and I didn't take many pictures. On the plus side my teacher is letting me turn in my paper tomorrow (er today) so that I could have more time revising it.

Today was great! I was the first time I celebrated Indian food Wednesday! I first hear of this concept from Gina over at The Fitnessista. Basically every Wednesday it's a reason to eat Indian food. After my roommates and I decided to get Indian food they looked at me like a nut when I jumped around shouting "It's Indian food Wednesday!!!" apparently that only exists in the blog world. My excitement was due to 1) I haven't had Indian food in years and 2)obviously if I haven't eaten Indian food in years then I haven't had the chance to actually celebrate Indian food Wednesday.

Lemme tell you IT WAS FABULOUS. We went to India Palace (it sounds a little shady but if the shoe fits...). Despite the high creep factor our rumbling tummies and the smell of saffron rice kept us on track. Commence ridiculous sequence of pictures of Indian food (not for the faint of heart or stomach)

Mango juice for my vegan gal pal (I don't actually refer to people that way blogging just brings out the crazy in me or it could be because it's 2:30 am, who knows)

Vegetarian samosas - my first time with the little nuggets of goodness

Mango lassi for the non-vegan and I

Neyaz's plate - pretty much anything spicy she could get her hands on

Lauren's plate full of vegan friendly delicacies

My plate - saffron rice (amazing), plain Basmati rice (I couldn't bring myself to cheat on the saffron rice to eat it), naan, delicious orange chicken stuff with a name I can't remember, ditto on the yellow chicken and red chicken

I didn't realize that going to an Indian buffet meant you had to go back for seconds so basically we all suffered from food comas upon arriving home. The food was a little pricey, it probably would have been more worth the price if I had eaten more because for a buffet I'm sure it was more than fair. We came, we saw, we devoured. It was a great hump day topped off with some final revisions on my paper which will be turned in tomorrow. Another plus my first class got cancelled tomorrow so I get to sleep in!

Have a great night bloggies and thanks for reading!

A Momentous Occasion

2010-09-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Dun dun dun da! 50th blog post! Comparatively number 50 isn't that impressive but I'm proud of it. To celebrate the big 5-0 My roommate and I made dinner together and enjoyed a fun night

Our fabulous spread! Bleu cheese burgers, crinkle fries, salad, and a nice sauvignon blanc. An interesting combination, yes, but an inexpensive delicious one.

Tess and her beau Bryan, my wonderful hosts. Tessie and I spent the day relaxing after a stressful week. We shopping, got our eyebrows threaded, and ran errands.

My wonderful date, Boris. He is only the sweetest, cutest, most awesome husky that I have ever met!

I'm going to be hitting up Cost Co tomorrow for some foodie essentials. My friend suite mate is going to be bringing her magic bullet from home so I'll finally be able to make smoothies again! I'm thinking about going back to the South Beach diet because it's really effective. My biggest problem with South Beach is breakfast. I find it hard enough to make carb free breakfasts at home let alone in a dorm room. I might do the Master Cleanse before cutting out carbs. I looked into it quite a bit this summer - read books and watched vlogs chronicling people's experiences with it. It's a big commitment but I feel that college does not always inspire the healthiest life styles so a cleanse isn't necessarily a bad idea.

More thoughts on that later! For now goodnight!

On Track

2010-09-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday and..... (drum roll please) I'm posting a blog! This is the most consecutive posting I've made in a while. I decided that it would be good to take a little break from studying and do a little blogging. :)

Here are a few pics of the blog worthy things that I ate.

A delicious sammy with all the fixin's and a side of ice tea

A super yummy Ceasar salad (with a little too much dressing...) and don't be afraid my hand really isn't really that giant, it just prefers to be photographed from the left

A turkey burger also snuck in there some where as well as some cereal. I really need to go grocery shopping and pick up some staple items like Chobani, fruit, oats, and peanut butter.

In other news I also worked out Monday night (and almost missed my 3 hour long marketing class...). I only had time for a short workout - so I did 15 min. on the elliptical and 15 min. running on the treadmill. I would have liked to put in more time but class was calling my name.

I want to go work out again tonight but I woke up yesterday morning with a terrible cold! I've been sniffly the last couple days but I blamed it on allergies. Yesterday, on the other hand, was the full monty - my body hurt, my nose was stuffed, sore throat. I was miserable. These things always happen at the worst timing. You have a 5 page paper to write and 2 tests to study for? Perfect timing to get sick! Thanks body. So currently I am two seconds away from giving my self an Emergen-C IV while I cloister my self in my dorm room trying to study.

Have a great Hump day bloggies! (and try not to get sick)

Goals, Goals, Goals

2010-09-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

I would say that my most important non school related goal right now would be to blog more regularly. This summer I was really great about blogging once, sometimes twice a day but then again the only thing I had on my plate was work. I don't know how you bloggers with work, kids, and families do it! Major kudos to ya'll! My new mindset is going to be that if someone with a life twice more hectic than mine can keep up with blogging then so can I.

Not too much has transpired since the last time I blogged excepts a few more workout were incorporated into my schedule. This makes me super happy because I had been completely cutting out exercise from my life, not intentionally of course. I would just make excuses like 'I'm tired today' or 'I have to much to do' and the always popular 'I'll go tomorrow and just work out twice as hard.'

Since I don't start class until 1:30 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I figure that I should be able to post at least those three days as well as on Saturdays. No one is ever to busy to be healthy or blog! So no more excuses and let the blogging commence!

How do you keep up with regular posts despite the chaos that is life?

By tomorrow I really meant now

2010-09-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Before I begin my spiel on this past weeks ventures I will recap today's fabulous happenings...

Today I experience a wonderful dose of torrential rain. I'm talking about rain so crazy that you can barely open your eyes while your walking.

It goes without saying that I rocked it and totally looked like this (hotty included):

Yeah right! I looked more like this adorable sopping Yorkshire, minus the adorable. It was more like drowned rat chic but without the chic. Basically I looked like a drowned rat.

It totally sucked walking into my classes so soaked that I could literally wring out my jacket that I had attempted to use as a shield from the crazy rain (just an fyi cotton doesn't repel water, why don't they teach you THAT in college). My hair was dripping all over the desk of the poor guy who sat behind me. He did get a nice view though considering my shirt looked like it was painted on my it was so wet. Then again I was wearing navy so the Miami beach wet t-shirt contest look was not in effect. The upside to today's rain: my boss gave me the day off (she was probably scared I would start to mold if I was in the office too long) and no one could tell that I hadn't showered for um... two days... (yes I do in fact believe in hygiene, but there wasn't any hot water in my dorm). The downside to a rain shower is that when I finally dried off I decided to go with the hobo look because I didn't want to venture out of my room. Unfortunately for anyone with eyes on my campus - I did. My cheerio supply was running low and I was in desperate need for some liquid crack aka Diet Coke. I spruced up a little bit and repped the Britney Spears a la 2007 look (pre shaved head of course).

Add uggs, minus the paparazzi, and the only thing missing (much to my displeasure) was a Starbucks beverage. It was the whole package, big booty and all (hey I got a donk give me a break). I think I might have heard someone say 'it's Britney, bitch!' when I walked into the dinning hall (if only...)

Just to put your mind at ease concerning my hygiene (and sanity) I do, in fact, dress and act like a proper human some of the time. On Thursday night I went to a sorority mixer (oh the joy of a 1:30 class on Fridays) which was Jersey Shore themed.

My roommate, Tessie and I rocking some glambition.

Saturday night included a three and a half hour football game (waaaay too long in my opinion) and a frat party with some of the peeps.

Can I get a brewskie for my broskie please?!

Minus the intense amount of homework and sucker punches from life it was a great weekend. Before I get back to studying and singing along to my Glee soundtrack I want to include another segment of 'the people crazy enough to live with me.' Last time I wrote about one of my suite mates, Lauren. For today's bio we have, drum role please, Tess!

(Don't worry this was for a 70s theme sorority bash - she doesn't really dress like this everyday regardless of how smokin' she looks in gogo boots and a minidress)

Tess, or Tessie as I like to call her is one of my best friends and dearly beloved pledge sister. She braved pledging a sorority with me as well as living with me. She is a neuroscience major and a total brainiac! Tess has a wonderful boyfriend, Bryan, who is gladly the third wheel whenever the three of us go out. Her positive energy and exuberance for life is apparent within just meeting her. Tess is an incredibly loyal friend that never fails to disappoint in putting a smile on the faces of all who surround her. Her great family never complains when I tag along to dinners and shopping. Tess and I just recently spent the whole day sailing and after braving the open seas (or lake) with her I would gladly say that there is no better way to avoid homework than spending time with one of your best friends. I forgot to mention she (and my other roomie who you'll meet later) check my blog everyday, regardless of the fact that she is with me everyday. It's always great to have a friend remind right before you dig into a salad 'don't forget to take a picture for your blog Annie." It's great to know that even if nobody else reads my blog there is always someone who will. Love you Tessie!

uh... life can you please say excuse me next time you get in the way

2010-09-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Excuse my French (I actually hate it when people use that phrase) but life can be such a little SOB sometimes. It totally gets in the way of everything like blogging and fun (and blogging) and homework (and blogging) - you get the picture. Life and I have been playing an intense game of dodge ball except all the balls are on the other side of the line. I happen to have the coordination of a newly born baby calf (minus the placenta) so the best I can do is duck but unfortunately life has aim comparable only to Kobe shooting 3s. Needless to say my desk is covered with sticky notes and lists helping organize (and compartmentalize) basically um... life. C'est la vie! (this time excuse my cheesy use of French)

If I had been blogging regularly these past couple of days (or week, whatever, who's counting?) this is pretty much all you would be seeing

Cheerios: my feeble attempt at making up for all the stress and caffeine I pump into my heart

You must be thinking, 'Really Annie did you need to include a picture of your yarf from last night's frat party?' To be perfectly honest you wouldn't be far from the truth Cup O' Noodles is totally sketchy. To help minimize the sketch factor I prefer to put mine into a bowl so I don't feel like a total crack head slurping my MSG from a styrofoam cup. I think that this method adds a little class, no?

Last but not least... MICROECONOMICS! The Green Machine is another feeble attempt at receiving good karma in the form of an A in micro for being nice to my body - and for some reason I feel like the gods of econ will not care about my daily kale intake...

Needless to say reading a post with a picture of cheerios, death-in-a-cup and a healthy side of bitching about homework everyday would not have been very interesting.

Another post to come very soon (hopefully by tomorrow night) about all the good things that did happen during my hiatus.

Morning Post!

2010-08-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yay! This is my first morning post in a while. I really enjoyed the time when I would blog every morning and night. It was a great way to get my head in the game (so to speak). I started out my day at 7:30 (ick!) with some strawberry Fage

I have an 8:30 half-marathon class so I wanted to get some nosh in before braving the heat. I looked at the weather report and weather.com told me that it was 95 but felt like 105! The hottest I have ever really run in was like 78 degrees; so you can just imagine my shock at running in humidity and heat. Thankfully it was a little overcast so the sun wasn't beating down but nevertheless... I ran a half my warm up around the track then ran around campus for 20 minutes with a girlfriend of mine whose in the class. I have NEVER sweat so much during a work out. I'm pretty sure I looked like a strawberry my face was so red. Hopefully I didn't scare too many people as I was heading back to my room. After substantially cooling down I had a second breakfast.

cheerios and milk! Soooo refreshing!

I had a fabulous nap and after getting showered and dressed for the day I'm ready to go on to my next classes :) Before I end this blog I want to add my 'goals' for the day.

Drink 8, 8 oz. glasses of water

Go to bed by midnight

Figure out work schedule

Fill out/pick up FWS form

Laundry!

Off to lunch and class!

Last Day of the Weekend

2010-08-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

The last day of the weekend is always heart wrenching :( It means no sleeping in, no staying up late watching TV, and no spare time. I had a lot of homework this weekend so that was a little bit stressful but I love not having to be in a certain place at a certain time. My suite was completely empty so I just did my own thing all weekend. I missed my roomies though! It's so quiet here without them.

After my crazy 'binge' yesterday I ended the night with a little bit of peach Fage.

I started my day off with some breakfast tacos (it's my weekend treat)

(excuse the nasty picture - it's better than it looks)

My mid-afternoon snack was a cup of Total cereal. This is the first time I've ever eaten Total and it wasn't half bad, not too terrible but not my favorite by any means.

My dinner was even more cereal. Cheerios!

I L-O-V-E cereal! I could seriously eat it morning, noon and night. That kind of sums up my day. Not really the best nutritional choices but it could have been a lot worse. I had a really chill weekend - lots of sleep, lots of reading (for class :/), and not a lot of stress. I got all my homework done for Tuesday and Monday and I'm feeling pretty good about the week to come.

2010-08-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of this

this weekend. There was definitely a lot of indulging Thursday and Friday night. I definitely went a little nuts with the chips and queso these past couple of days. I'm pretty sure there was also a honey butter chicken biscuit involved... and some breakfast tacos... and lucky charms... :) I don't even like queso that much so it's definitely a once in a while thing. My roommate last year loved queso, she would actually eat it by itself. Not my thing but I guess we all have our vices.

Tonight was fabulous and (thankfully) not as 'indulgent.' A couple girlfriends and I went out to Piatti. Piatti is a fabulous restaurant in the Quarry (a shopping center near my school), all the waiters look like male models and the atmosphere is really classy. I had a delicious Caesar salad with some wonderful sparkling wine. We sat there for close to three hours chatting, catching up and having a great time. So tonight instead of going out tonight I decided to stay in with...

a little bit of this

(hey at least it's not queso)

and some of this

which to read, which to read? Prometheus Bound, which must be finished (and started) by Tuesday or Allure, with the fabulous Kim Kardashian on the cover? It's a tough call...

Last Night of Freedom

2010-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

How did I celebrate this monumental night?

With a little bit of this...

Whatachicken' with sprite and fries.

I was starving tonight! I had a late lunch at 4:30 that did not tide me over.

Small salad with a chicken strip and a coke zero plus some unpictured nuts

I don't normally eat that late at night, especially fast food; but I was jonesing for some nosh. My eyes were definitely bigger then my stomach because I could not finish all my food (which is probably a good thing).

I started out my day with some Greek yogurt, half a banana and a cup of coffee.

I spent a lot of time today planning my schedule class schedule and figuring out my major/minor plans. It was a very uneventful day but somewhat relaxing which is just what I needed before the craziness that is Trinity ensues.

Holy Stress!

2010-08-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today was stressful! It's not every Tuesday that I'm scheduling the rest life (or so it seems). I spent a large majority of my day revising my schedule for the upcoming semester. I'm a philosophy major and minoring in Ancient Mediterranean studies. I have a huge passion for both of these subjects but they're not necessarily the most practical. I'm going to get a secondary minor in the business administration of legal studies and possibly a secondary major in business administration with a focus on marketing.

I'm a pre-law student and I plan to go into litigation law but if I could do anything in this world I would love to be a fashion assistant or editor in the magazine industry. I have a lot of thinking to do. My schedule thus far consists of...

Half marathon training challenge

Fundamentals of Financial Accounting

German Philosophy

Management of Organizations

Greek and Roman Drama

Microeconomics

It's going to be a really hard semester but I know that through the support of my besties (love you Nezie and Tessie) I can do it.

In foodie news I started my day off with a not-so-good grilled chicken salad. Trinity dining leaves much to be desired.

Lots of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, grilled chicken, and balsamic vineagrette

with the customary big ol' ice tea with extra lemon

I had a delicious, 90 cal. smoothie as an afternoon snack.

The girls and I had an RA meeting then some din din, nothing special (or healthy) just and unpictured piece of pizza with ranch. Then we hit up Central Market for some staples.

Neyaz hitting up the apples

The goods!

I decided that since I'm back at school I'm going to feature each one of my roommates here each day.

First up... Lauren

Lauren is a brilliant, loving girl who lives an amazing lifestyle. She is a biochemistry molecular biology major. Lauren is a vegan and lives an amazingly healthy lifestyles. She is a very dedicated student and an inspiration.

More to come...

2010-08-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

The day started out in my most favorite way - at noon! I looove sleeping in especially after a late night of doing nothing. After showering and all that fun stuff my bestie and I headed across campus for some breakfast/lunch.

Brown rice, beef (they were out of chicken), broccoli, mushrooms, peas and soy sauce plus a little spicy sauce that I don't know the name of. I washed that down an extra large unsweetened ice with lemon. This is probably one of my favorite things to eat at Trinity. Trinity's dining options aren't very impressive especially for a healthy living lifestyle. I'm eventually going to go grocery shopping but since I spent quite a bit shopping today (more to come with that) I'm going to put off further spendage and make do with the Trin. After lounging around for a while and cooling down (it was 111 here today!) My roommate, suite mate, and I went out for frozen yogurt.

Mango flavored fro yo with strawberries - so delicious!

In order to avoid coming back to campus we hit up the nearest mall and ended up with these:

I needed more shorts (since I rarely wear them in WA) so I picked up some white ones at Arden B. Arden B. is one of my favorite places to shop - it's pretty affordable and there's usually lots of good stuff. After sifting through tons of merchandise at Forever 21 I ended up with a simple turquoise top and a white undershirt for it. I didn't spend very much which is good because I'm trying to keep it thrifty.

I also grabbed some summer shoes at Rack Room Shoes.

All this for $25! I really needed some new shoes so these were some great purchases. My whole suite all has the same shoe size so we can all share which is great!

After the mall and pre-Rack Room we went California Pizza Kitchen. DELICIOUS! I got an appetizer to nosh on because I was starving.

An arugala and spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Parmesan

My friend Neyaz got the Mediterranean plate

Hummus, pita and some kind of salad. The hummus was amazing

She and I also split the Greek Pizza

I don't even remember all that was on it but it was amazing. It came with tzatziki sauce. I've eaten at CPK before but I don't remember it being that delicious. Nezie and I are still raving about it.

It's been a great day and it's nice to get in some fun before the craziness of school starts.

Dorm Sweet Dorm

2010-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

After a really LONG day yesterday I am finally all moved in! All went smoothly yesterday (no bag troubles - expect for the ones under my eyes) and I'm glad to finally be in the city. I forgot home much I loved the south - warm weather, nice people, and some good southern cooking.

I started off my move with the right foot
a wonderful Texas sized iced tea. I'm not a sweet tea person but a little bit of extra lemon goes a long waaaay. I paired my tea with a couple tacos and some beans and rice. Not exactly healthy living but definitely worth it!

Sunday funday was more of a Sunday stress-day. I hate moving! It is just so incredibly stressful. My roommate and I had to make three trips back and forth from my roomies house and the dorms before all our stuff was in the room. The room ended up being much smaller than we had anticipated. Picture are soon to come! Right now I have tons of unpacking and organizing to do before the room is blog worthy.

My suite mate and I went on a much needed trip to Walmart for some necessary items

I love shopping for toiletries! Stick me in a Walgreens and I'm a happy camper. After that we found that our dining hall had clothes so we decided to hit up the local Sonic. Definitely my favorite fast food place.

Crispy chicken salad with a small lemon-berry slush! Delicious! Even though is wasn't the most healthy dinner I did get some vegetables in.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get everything organized. It's a nice change going from..
this

to this

Off to bed!

A Trip to the Circus

2010-08-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

and by circus I mean airport. This place is seriously a zoo! I had to get at 5:00 am this morning so that I could be ready to drive to catch my shuttle by 7:45 am. That is the problem with living two and a half hours away from Seattle aka the nearest international airport. I was so exhausted! I don't know if it's just me but I have such a hard time falling asleep the night before I'm flying out somewhere. I don't know if it's nerves or anxiety but I just get so restless. Anyways I started my day off right with some eggs scrambled with whole wheat noodle and a little bit of pancetta. Muy deliciouso! After battling crowds, lines, and TSA agents I finally made it to my gate and purchased some grub.

This Starbucks was definitely lacking in the nourishment department so I settled for a Strawberry, Raspberry Yogurt Parfait. It's pretty high in the calorie department (320) but it was really the best option. I paired this with a tall, soy caramel latte.

Now I just have to play the waiting game before I can get on the plane. I always get nervous when I board a plane because I feel like my carry on is to big and I won't be able to fit it in the designated area. Then again my carry on is ridiculously heavy so I might have to find some hunky help... I'm definitely not a cute traveler. It's comfort all the way - yoga pants, comfy t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

Do you prefer to travel in style or comfort?

Many Thanks!

2010-08-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone that stopped by my blog! I loved all the helpful tips left in comments here and on Skinny Runner's blog feature on me. A special shout out to SR for being awesome! I'm trying to vamp up my blog and add an about me tab (anyone know how or where to find a tutorial?). I'm also still trying to figure out the ins and outs of replying to comments and stuff. So much to learn! If you have an suggestions or criticisms just drop a comment :)

I went on a nice, long walk with the pooch today aka Mrs. Pugglesworth (her actual name is Venus)

and here's her beautiful face :) (pugs don't age well just fyi...)

It still hasn't hit me that I'm leaving for Texas on Saturday morning so needless to say I have not started packing yet! It was not hard to put off packing seeing as I had a fabulous dinner to make

This mess includes...
Squash, onion, bell pepper, and carrot stir fry
Baked herb chicken
A teensie bit of whole wheat pasta

All in all a great day :)

Long Time No Blog

2010-08-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Has it seriously been almost a month since I've posted an entry?!?! To answer my own question - yes! I can't believe how fast time goes by. It seems like just yesterday I had come home from a particularly grueling semester with me heart set on becoming an avid blogger...

Mission accomplished? I think not. I did, on the other hand, read all the blogs on my blog roll almost everyday and stayed caught up in the blog world. I also managed to NOT gain any weight this summer. That is quite the accomplishment for me because I also gain around ten pounds each summer. (hmmm, could that be how I ended up at this point...) I might not have made a lot of physical progress this summer but I did overcome a lot of mental road blocks and made some pretty big decisions that will definitely affect my physical and emotion health in a positive way! so... yay!

In other news I'm going to be heading back to Texas on Saturday! Call me crazy but I do miss my rigorous schedule, dorm life and of course my sorority sisters! I think further developing the already existing routine I established last year is going to help me a lot in my goals next year.

Random info. but I picked September's issue of Women's Health

which included a "Fall 2010 Style Guide" when you turn and flip over the issue

(ah! glare...)

I really like Women's Health now. When I first picked it up I didn't really like it but after picking it up more and more often I decided I really like it - almost as much as I like SHAPE. I'm trying to figure out what fitness mags. I want to subscribe to and I really like the two previously mentioned as well as FITNESS.

Any recommendations?

Hi I'm chaffy mcchaf pants, did I mention TMI is my middle name?

2010-07-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

as in too much information. To give a little background I haven't gone running in shorts in about three years. I always wear capris or long pants. Today though I thought 'oh hey! why no?" Why not?! because they ride up in the front and cause chaffing! So note to self do not wear shorts, ever. At least not while running.

Today's run was a struggle. I only ran 3.25 miles but it took me 33 min. I took a couple walking breaks. I think the reason it was so hard is because I was running around a field with the sun shinning down on me. This is apposed to run through the wilderness, which is way more fun!

After the 'great' experience I made myself some lunch

Some TJ's pot stickers and steamed vegtables. So yummy!

After that delectable treat I did 20 min. of yoga :)

Shopping!

2010-07-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

That's what I did yesterday! Well, not physically but internet-ly. I love Arden B but I don't have a store close to me so I did the next best thing - online shopped! I'm usually very hesitant about online shopping but I had a good feeling. Pictures to come!

After all that fun I did some cleaning and then was ready to go on another lake run. Unfortunately my dad feel asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him. By the time he woke up it was time for him to be somewhere. Since that didn't happen I decided to try out Exercise TV On Demand. I did a 30 min. Shiva Rea flow yoga for beginners. It was called something like Bend, Hold, Pose. I really, really enjoyed it. I'm planning to do it again after my morning run today!

Yesterday wasn't all good though I pigged out on pizza last night. Total binge! Today I started fresh with a banana and canteploupe for breakfast.

Followed by a big glass of water in my favorite glass :)

Now onto a morning/afternoon run, followed by some yoga!

Holy Cats

2010-07-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Friday and it's Tuesday.... In my defense I have had blogging on the brain. Lots of pictures have been taken and blogging plans made. I originally planned to recap the weekend but I decided why go back when going forward is so much better! (I will recap Monday and the rest of Friday though...)

Friday
I left off with running plans. Lake Padden is about 2.6 miles around and a 40-ish minute drive away but totally worth it! It is a very beautiful run and there's always lots of other joggers, runners, swimmers, and bikers keeping you company. It's a pretty hilly trail and I only managed to go around it once. I completed my run in about 27 min. That's a little slow but I'm not complaining :)

I also decided to color my hair! Nothing like an impromptu trip to Walmart to inspire makeovers.
It's nice and dark which is how I like my hair. Last summer I went almost blond and it was not a good look for me at all. So even though summer is a time to go lighter, these locks will stay in the dark. I also painted my nails with a new color I found.
When I first painted it on it was super flesh toned and I was think 'eww.' It's grown on my though and I really like it. It was look even better if I was tan, but then again everything looks better when you're tan. Except cancer! So spray tanning it is.

Monday
Yesterday I went to work with my mom because she needed an extra hand. She owns her own dental practice and when she is short-staffed or double booked I come in and do some amateur dental assisting. I had a delicious mid-morning snack
A super yummy Clif Z Bar in chocolate chip and a big 'ol cup of coffee.

After all that jazz I ran some errands with the padre and then went on another venture to Lake Padden with Mr. Pops himself. My dad is in incredible shape for a 51 year-old (but then again he's been a competitive athlete all his life...) so he ran ahead of me. I ran about 1.5 times around so that's about 4 miles. I finished in about 50 min. I was running super slow at the end (those hills killed me!) but I never stopped to walk and that was my goal!

I had my first ever real Green Monster before my run
Lots of spinach, blueberries, half a banana, almond milk, and a tablespoon of Greek yogurt. My next goal is to actually make a green one!

After my run I had a white peach (not as good as the yellow ones but eh) and some water. My mom and I made delicious chicken stir fry that night for dinner. Muy delicioso!

That concludes Monday and Friday :)

Tuesday
I woke up a little sore but was remedied by some delicious French toast.
After that I finished getting ready and headed to my mother's office once again only this time to partake in some wonderful front office work (which I am supposed to be doing now ;) ). I started the work day with a delicious cup of coffee made from her Keurig coffee maker and topped with coconut coffee creamer (yes heaven in a cup does exist).

I'm one of those people who will drink one cup of coffee for hours - hot, cold, lukewarm I'll sip on it all morning. Gross! I know. My roommate used to think that it was really weird. I also munched on a Honey Graham Clif Z Bar (my new favorite thing obviously).
I can't decide between Honey Graham or Chocolate chip... tough call.

Phew! Back to work!

Bright and Early

2010-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I got up super early this morning (at 6:30) and started my day off with some Fage Greek yogurt with strawberry jam-like stuff that you mix in. I've never tried this kind of Greek yogurt but I really liked it. The strawberry was a little too sweet but still super delicious, almost like dessert!

Inhaled it! After going through my blog roll and laying in bed for another hour I took the puppers for a walk. She's slowed down a lot in the past year so we had to pace ourselves. I then made a delicious tropical smoothie! Also another first for me. It is definitely going to become a staple in my smoothie repertoire. :)

Now off to the lake for a run!

Weekend Mania

2010-07-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today is technically my Saturday since I work on the actual weekend so I decided to celebrate by grocery and hanging out with friends - simultaneously! I'm am such a great multitask-er (just kidding)!

After posting my blog this morning I slept until about 2:30. After being pleasantly awoken by my brother (he was hungry) I got dressed and picked up some Chinese food for him. GUESS WHAT??? I didn't even eat any! I'm really proud of myself because normally

I would have totally scarfed down an egg roll. After that I grocery shopped with my bestie!

All my loot! I've never had Puffins before but I see then in the blog world all the time. I also got a lot other things that I hadn't tried before like frozen mango and pineapple (for smoothies), soy cream chocolate ice cream, Almond Breeze almond milk (I usually get organic), Fage greek yogurt, and Cliff Z bars.

I discovered that I really, really like Cliff Z Bars and had one on the way home

So yummy! I also had a delicious Robek's smoothie :)

I visited with a friend of mine for awhile and then had my bestie and her mom over dinner. I broke into my Trader Joe's stir fry vegetable mix. I stir fried some pork and added soy sauce. I some cinnamon puffins for dessert.

It was super delicious - a great buy! Off to watch some hot tub machine with the brosef :)

It's a great day

2010-07-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

and last night was a great night! It was not stressful and the morning was splendid. Normally work gets insane around 5:00 or 5:30 but today it was smooth sailing, busy, but smooth nevertheless.

During work last night I had a bowl of oatmeal with half a lil'Yami strawberry yogurt on top.

(excuse the gross pic.)

After that great morning I went by Starbucks for some Passion tea for the mom and I :)

unfortunately she had already left the house when I cam in

I also picked up a super delicious Turkey Bacon, egg white, english muffin sandwhich.

(not my pic. obviously)

Now I'm going to take a nap before going grocery shopping and doing laundry :)

Grouchy Pants

2010-07-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

That pretty much sums up my mood for the last hour. When I got off work at 7:30 this morning I was in a really great mood, which slowly dissapated until I had to revive it with three hours of GLEE!

Yup, I 'm a glee nerd - my mom got me hooked on it and we own every episode on itunes. After that I was not able to sleep for the life of me. I ran some errands with my bestie and then was completely exhausted. Unfortunately we were 30 min. from my house dropping off resumes for her (she just lost her job). I complained and acted like a looney due to my lack of sleep. By 3:15 she had me home, all tucked into bed :)

I woke up at 8:30 from the chaos that took over my home in the form of my two adolescent brothers and the grouchy pants reared their ugly head once again. After only five hours of sleep (I like to sleep at least 7 on work days) I padded down the stairs, eye closed, and inhaled a piece of chicken - weird, I know. All the while I ignored everyone around me, threatening them to even say one word to me. I knew that this would not due at all because going to work with a bad attitude can ruin my night, mostly because dementia/alzheimer's patients can really detect it and become a pill themselves. So I NEEDED a pick me up!

A frappuccino was my answer, but that alone could not tame to grouch monster.

(Note cheesy comic is a side effect of lack of sleep)

I needed to catch up on reading blogs and that instantly put me in a good mood! Nothing like taking a gander through my blog roll to cheer me up.

A little bit of Billy never hurt either :) He is Fiiiiine, with a capital F.

With this new and improved attitude I even read a not-so-good email and didn't let it get me down! Now on to a shower and then work :)

Looking back...

2010-07-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

After looking over some of my past blog entries I noticed a trend. I am constantly falling off of the wagon! So I'm going to stop. Caitlin had mentioned somewhere in a post on The Healthy Tipping Point that it takes about three months to make healthy living a habit! I'm about a month or so in and I'm still struggling. I figure, though, that if people can quit smoking and other drugs I can quit being unhealthly. If only there were a refined sugar patch that existed to wean yourself off of bread and processed foods... I'm going to persevere and remember how healthy and good it feels to eat right!

That being said I'm going to continue you with my this post as usual. Currently I am about half of the way through a NOC shift at work and I have the opportunity to blog :)

I wanted somthing healthy for my middle-of-the-night meal, so oats it was!

I had to battle with the microwave to keep the oats from exploding. After winning that war I grabbed some tasty yogurt (it was high calorie but all that I had).

Then I added some banana and perfecto!

It was delicious! Now back to work :)

Blogcation

2010-07-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

So I took a bit of a blog-cation. Unfortunately this does not mean that I went on vacation and took my blog with me but instead I took a hiatus from blogging. In addition I took a hiatus from healthy living. So here's to getting back on the wagon!

I've been following Carla at thirty-two down fifteen to go since I first started blogging. She's currently writing on forty things she's learned on losing forty pounds. In one of her blog entries she wrote about making attainable. I was re-evaluating some of the goals I had made for myself and I came to the realization that I was setting myself up for failure. I wanted to lose 32lbs. in three months. Sure Heidi Klum did it but I never claimed to be Heidi (ah if only...). My new goal is, yes, to still make it down to 128 lbs. but by the time I turn twenty so that is a little over a year. By the end of the summer I am going to lose ten pounds. I have about a six weeks to accomplish this and I know that I can do.

I am still planning on running a half marathon in November. I'm slowly cutting out refined sugars. I think reading Skinny Bitch and the South Beach diet book again will help me stay motivated. On the workout front I would like to do something active everyday. I'm totally going to do this!

Rundizzle in the Sunsizzle

2010-07-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

This afternoon (or morning in night shift land) i decided to set out for a run. I could feel the hot sun pouring into my room, making it unbearable to lie in bed any longer. I was under the impression that it was about 80 degrees out, considering that is never gets that hot here. Boy was I wrong! I ran very slowly and all I kept thinking was 'it is so frickin' hot out.' I didn't have any breakfast or water I ran about two miles and then I walked the rest of the way home and by walk I mean crawled. I got home drenched and parched, sucking down water for dear life. My mom waltzed into the house proclaiming that it was 98 degrees out!!! I felt like such a weeny for not running the whole way. I kept thinking that if I can't run in '8o degree' weather what am I going to do when I run my half marathon in San Antonio!?!? Little did I know that it was actually almost a hundred degrees, so now I feel much more accomplished.

Post run I had tons of water and a delicious smamich with lettuce, tomato, turkey, and Italian herb bread.

Followed by a super delicious diet Hansen's :) I love soda this is a calorie free, natural alternative to Coke.
Deeeeeeelicious! Now to get on with the rest of my day.

There's nothing better

2010-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

On a hot day than sitting in your underwear, blogging. After getting oh, I don't know... 14 hrs of sleep last night!!!!! I still could not manage to get my energy up - even after a failed attempt at a run. I did manage to run a lot of errands today though but I also managed to eat ice cream... no no. Did you know that water melon has a lot of calories? It really does, which stinks because I love it!!!

Today I ate some watermelon for bekky (breakfast), it was delicious. I attempted a run after that but it didn't go over so well.

NOT TO SELF: I NEED to stop sleeping in after a night off!!!!

After running errands (like picking up my paycheck!) I made myself a really great smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, banana, and plain Greek yogurt. I drank that with a half a whole grain ciabatta topped with a vegan burger, tomato and a little mayo. It was really good. Tonight I went to dinner with a friend and had a dragon and NY roll at this cute little sushi place. To top off a good night I did some grocery shopping with her and ended up with some Naked juice (green machine) as well as MAGAZINES!!

Women's Health and Fitness (this isn't the right cover though...)

I'm hoping that reading these tonight will give me a little inspiration for the rest of the week. Now to embrace 45 more minutes of the undies and big shirt combo paired with a chilled eye mask and a fan. :)

Monday Monday

2010-07-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ooh so good to me. I went snack crazy and work last night and ate, wait for it, refined sugar!!! I've been doing so well and then white bread happened and chips! Today I stayed on track although I did eat some cereal. :( Lots of smoothies, egg whites, and whole grains! andddd watermelon! nom nom.

I went on a 3.5 mile run in about 45 min. which included two five min. stretch breaks. I had kind of a hard time but I only walked about 10 steps the whole time! My goal today was to run with good posture and form and not walk! I wanted to do pilates and weights but my friend had a crisis and there was book clubs. Always so many excuses.

Tomorrow I'm hoping for a better workout including Zumba! I'm also getting my first brazilian tomorrow and my yoohoo is nervous... hopefully it goes okay :)

Sunday Funday

2010-07-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday Funday was not all that it could have been considering that I had worked the night before and spent more of the day sleeping :) Then again I love sleep! I just woke up from a nap but I had a really hard time falling asleep because of all the fireworks going off. Last night was a great night at work and hopefully tonight's the same!

I went running again today! I didn't have enough water before I left and my right calve was cramping something terrible. After my run I made my first Green Monster!

I accidentally bought regular almond milk instead of vanilla so it had a really strong almond milk taste, which I'm not too fond of. I'm going to use more spinach next time and no yogurt. It was so yummy!

Now to head to work :)

Rock that body!

2010-07-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I always forget how great I feel after a work out! All day long I had been putting off going for a run - I made a cake, cleaned the kitchen, DID laundry. By the time 6:00 rolled around I knew that I would have to get on with it if I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather! I went on my 3.5 mile loop but I cut it short on one part so it was about 3.25 miles, which isn't bad. The best part was I wasn't even gone forty five minutes! I did walk at one point but only about 25 yards.

My friend got an Avon digital stretch bangle watch for her graduation but she didn't want so she gave it to me :) It looks like this

I really like it but I cannot figure out how to set it! I wore it on my run even though the time was wrong but I was able to keep track of how much time had passed. Until I get a more high tech running watch this will do.

I brought my brother's i-pod with me and it had some really great workout tunes on it so that made it easier. The sun was shining and I had no problem finding my stride. I think that the next time I drag my feet about going running I just need to look at this blog and remember how great I feel!

mmm... whatcha say?

2010-07-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

So... despite my long blog post yesterday vowing to kick my healthy lifestyle into motion I went totally bananers yesterday! Basically I ate crap and today I feel like crap.

Conclusion: Eat crap = feel/look like crap

Lesson: no more crap

My day started out healthy yesterday I had an egg with lunch meat for breakfast, a big salad for lunch with 'chicken' nuggets

Then I had some Thai drunken noodle for dinner, still pretty healthy AND then I stuffed my face with lots of bad food - ice cream, bread, etc.

Today I ate an egg white puff with turkey lunch meat, a chili lime chicken burger, and some left over drunken noodle. I tried out a new recipe for my recipe book club group and it was super fattening but I didn't feel bad eating it because I kept it low cal today and I went on a nice 3.25 mile run. :)

Baby Steps

2010-07-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just realized that... IT'S JULY! That's crazy because it feels like summer just started yesterday! I live in Washington so it never really feels like summer (even though technically it is). Obviously I'm a little bit bitter about living in the WA because I go to university in Texas and that is where I would rather be. :)

Anyways, last night it was really hard to fall asleep because my body is used to stay up all night time. Basically it was close to 5:00 by the time I finally fell asleep which resulted in my sleeping late, again :( After realizing that it was July I started to panic slightly because I had wanted to be so much further along on my weight loss journey by now. I realized that I need to take baby steps. I need to approach my new found lifestyle day by day, meal by meal, and choice by choice. July I am going to get 'er done!

This morning I had an egg scrambled with some smoked turkey breast lunch meat - it was really good surprisingly. I'm going to get on with my day, step by step.

Fabbbbbuloussss

2010-06-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

That's what today was, fabulous! Productive? No. Did I actually accomplish anything? No. Were clothes washed and dried? Absolutely NO. :) I DID have a great day though and it's been a while since I really did have a good day!

I did call 'Chrissy' and ask her for a ran and then she kind of flaked on me... Oh well, tomorrow for sure! I didn't sleep all day (or workout...) I did get to hang out with one of my best friends and I also went out to dinner with my mamma and it was nummy. I took my brother out for lunch (McDonalds) but I stayed low cal with 4 pc. chicken nuggets at 170 cal. so that's not too bad. I called work and was put off on finding out my schedule :( no bueno. I also made an appointment for getting my hoo-ha waxed. I've never done it but I'm eager (and nervous)!

On the food front I ate McDonald's (the 4pc. nuggets), an english muffin with jam AND butter :/. For dinner I had my absolute favorite food ever! Spaghetti carbonera! So delicious! Afterwards I had a really, really yummy oatmeal cookie with m&m's and chocolate chips - best combination ever!

Today was a great day and now I just need to try to get some sleep and get my body off of this night/day flip flop schedule. :)

Behind Schedule

2010-06-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

After numerous attempts at writing my morning/pre-work/goal blog I lost my battle to the internet. My internet connection, lately, has been spotty at best even stealing it from my neighbors hasn't remedied my situation. Needless to say frustration has ensued.

In other news yesterday was almost South Beach-a-licious although I did eat a hamburger bun and strawberries (and chocolate!). Last night at work I went bananers I at TWO mini bags of Lays, a Nutrigrain bar, and a Hershey bar with almonds. No bueno :(. I DID resist temptation though. All morning at work all I could think about was the delicious McDonald's breakfast sandwich I was gonna get and then I my way home I didn't make any stops!!!! I am sooooo extremely proud of myself it's ridiculous because I LOVE fast food breakfast sandwiches actually breakfast sandwiches of all kinds!

Before my crazy splurge at work I did in fact have a delicious and nutritious meal (except for the bread...)

DELICIOUS chili lime chicken burger from Trader Joe's - SO GOOD
yummy green beans with almonds :)
Ice tea to drink (you can take the girl out of the south but you can't take the south out of the girl)

On the workout front I went to a Zumba class last night which was fun and fabulous and I loved it! Also I saw this one girl, lets call her Chrissy, that I went to high school with and I had a really awkward interaction with her. About a month ago she saw me leaving the gym and randomly asked if I would want to go running with her. Now, this wouldn't be weird except for the fact that we played basketball together for five years, are pretty much neighbors and have never talked. She has always kind of ignored me. She graduated high school early with a full ride volleyball scholarship to a top notch school and then transfered on a same type of scholarship to an even better school and this girl asked ME to workout with HER. She really intimidates me and I am not easily intimidated. So anyways she started texting me to workout and I kept blowing her off and ignoring her but I am going to ask her to go running with me tomorrow and finally get over myself.

So that all being said today I would like to:

Call 'Chrissy' and ask her to go running
ACTUALLY do my strength training routine
LAUNDRY!!!!
Figure out work stuff
Not sleep all day
Keep it clean :)

Dum Dum De Dum Dum Dum De Dum Dum

2010-06-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

A little bit of Rihanna to jump start my morning or should I say night... I had a great night at work no problems, troubles and no one attacked me! After a wonderful drive home belting out some "Ri-Ri" I'm already for bed. (I think I'm getting the hang of when to blog and 'spark') So last night I did eat a little bit of granola before going to work which really did hold me over and I had some strawberries with stevia. Sorry South Beach (and thighs) but I refuse to give up eating strawberries when there is only one week of the season left AND I live in the berry capital of the country.

Unfortunately yesterday I totally half-assed my 5k run meaning it turned into a 1.5 mile run. :( boo for me and strength training was me totally quitting after only one set of my routine. Hopefully today's workout will prove to be better! I managed to sort my laundry and pick it up off the floor so I'm one step closer to washing it! Book club was okay. We're reading "The 5000 Year Leap" and despite my high expectations for it, I don't like it. I'm leading discussion next week so we'll see how that goes...

For dinner yesterday I some super delicious chicken sautéed with barbecue sauce on top of stir fry. nom nom nom nom

Now to sleep and to stay South Beach-a-licious!

I was kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream

2010-06-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

I started my morning with a little "Manic Monday." I ended up not going to work last night because I was really nauseated :( I slept like a rock until 11:00 and then made myself some eggs with a little bit of bacon.

I've been battling my wireless internet all morning trying to publish this blog so hopefully I win! I do have to work tonight so a long nap is in my future but I do have some goals to make

Laundry :(
5k run
strength training
book club
read for book club (better get on this)

On to the gym!

Two steps forward...

2010-06-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last night was my first night working nights in a while and I need still need to get the hang of when I'm going to post my "morning/goals" blog and my evening blog. So until I figure that out I'll just do a recap of everything that's happened since yesterday's blog. I went to work and had a salad there then came home and slept until three in the afternoon. Once I woke up I made my self 'lunch'

Trader Joe's Eggplant cutlets
Steamed broccoli and snap peas
Ketchup

I chased that down with a big glass of water and for dessert a delicious strawberry smoothie

It was delicious even though it wasn't South Beach friendly because of the fruit :( Oh well it was low calorie and fabulous!

Rewind!

2010-06-26T14:26:00.001-07:00

After writing that some what negative and self-deprecating post I thought about deleting it but the I figured that I should just write a much happier one with my goals for the day/night :)

Eat 'South Beach' for the rest of the day
Make a food schedule for the rest of the week
Write my Trader Joe's grocery list
Write my workout schedule for the rest of the week
Go to the library
Be positive :)

On a different note I attempted to self spray tan! It was interesting.... The color was great very bronze and natural looking, that is where it actually stuck. My arms and legs ended up pretty streaky so I attempted some damage control by filling in the pale spots with more tanner. This salvaged the situation somewhat so my plan now is to stick to long sleeve shirts and pant (good thing Washington summers aren't very hot), let the tan fade and make an appointment for a professional spray tan. On a much happier subject I got my bangs cut yesterday! Little known fact about me as soon as I mention going to the hair dressers everyone groans because I am NEVER happy with my results when I get my hair done. I met this really beautiful and kind Vietnamese woman while volunteering at my church and she told me that she was a hair dresser. I made the appointment yesterday went in apprehensive and was very pleasantly surprised! I came home with a big, shocking smile on my face and told my mom that I loved the way she cut them (my bangs). She was so shocked. They were gorgeous and inexpensive. :) So happy! On that note I am going to end this blog feeling much more positive than when I started it!

One step forward, two steps back

2010-06-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Subconsciously, this must be my mantra because this is how I tend to live my life. After a tubby Thursday I had a fatty Friday as well. Only my Friday was waaaaay worse that my Friday. Quitting sugar is like quitting smoking only sucrose patches and gum aren't available. Yesterday I actually had fast food AND ice cream. I undid all of my progress. I am so fricking sick of my attitude. So I'm going to change it (of course I write this after just eating a white chocolate raspberry scone...). For real though, I am going to stay strong for the rest of the day.

Today will be a true testimony to my perseverance because I am working tonight - all night. I am not going to eat ANY sugars or carbs. No chips, dips, or treats. I plan on making a menu for the rest of my week, one that I can stick to. I have some work ahead of my and I'm going to start now!