Recurring Series – Page 102

Five For Friday

1 – I am officially a car owner! It all happened so super freaking fast that it makes my head spin thinking about it. I wasn’t expecting to even start looking until the end of February when I would have my tax return and money saved up, but when I called up the sales guy to put the wheels in motion, he had found two used cars for me to test drive. I didn’t really expect to like either one but thought it would be the first step forward and getting my car. Well, I ended up loving one of the cars – a 2005 Toyota Scion xB – and we started the loan approval process that night. On Monday morning, he called me to tell me my loan was approved and I picked her up that night! The independence I have now is unmatched. I feel more like an adult: I have a car, a car payment, my own insurance plan, etc. I think this is going to help me so much in feeling more established and independent.

2 – I went 31 days soda-free until I had a soda. Tuesday night, I decided to pick one up with dinner because I was interested to see if my taste buds had changed at all. And all I could taste was the carbonation. I didn’t taste the sweetness and every sip made my eyes water because it was rough going down my throat. I actually did not expect this! I was so addicted to the stuff before that I thought I would have a soda and be right back to square one. I’ve heard people say how they stopped drinking soda and when they drank one again, they didn’t like it and I desperately wanted that to happen to me but I didn’t think it would. I haven’t had a soda since Tuesday (and only drank about half the bottle) and I honestly think my addiction to it is gone! I don’t care to have another one anytime in the near future. This is HUGE for me!

3 – I think I might attempt to trim my own bangs this weekend. They’re at this awkward length where they’re too long to have in my face but too short to tuck behind my ears. I’ve never trimmed my own bangs before but it’s only hair, right? Hopefully, I don’t royally screw this up.

4 – I’ve been debating for a while now whether or not I want to watch the Celebrity Apprentice this go-round. I’m not a huge fan of Donald Trump and was pretty much against watching it when I found out Omarosa was going to be a contestant but some of my favorites are coming back like Trace Adkins, Lil John, Bret Michaels, and the most wonderfully eccentric of them all, Gary Busey. (I could care less about the females, though. Snore.) I guess I’ll be watching it once again!

5 – Happy weekend! I am so ready to end this week. It went by rather fast, but I am a lover of weekends. Tonight, I’m keeping it low-key as I have a few writing projects I need to knock out. Tomorrow, I need to get my car inspected for my insurance and then I’m going to the Florida State Fair on Saturday night with a certain someone. (Date #7! Not that I’m keeping track or anything…) And Sunday, more writing to get done AND it’s the night of #twookclub! This chat has snuck up on me quickly. We’re discussing A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS which is easily my new favorite book. Everyone needs to read it! I hope anyone who has read the book can join us on Twitter at 9pm EST for the chat!

Any tips for trimming one’s own bangs? I keep them on the longer side and I’ve been scouring Pinterest for tutorials but haven’t run across anything good yet. Tell me about your weekend plans! Anything fun going on?

Categories: Recurring Series

10 Things I Loved in January

1. A fun afternoon with my nephew. A few Sundays ago, my brother and nephew came over to watch the playoff games. It was just the three of us and for once, I was his BFF. Usually, my mom is and I’m thrown to the back burner but he came in a fabulous mood and it was a lot of fun having him over. (Exhausting! But fun.) It’s so thrilling to see him grow into this little person we can hang out with. Anytime I would try to steal a few moments alone on the couch, there was his adorable face and little voice asking me, “Why aren’t you playing with me anymore?” Who can deny him anything? Not me!

2. Best Body Bootcamp. I love strength training so, so much. It is my #1 workout love. I love how strong and capable it makes me feel, especially when I find myself able to lift heavier weights. Best Body Bootcamp is perfect for me, allows me to work at my own pace, and just makes me feel good about myself. I’m so glad I made the decision to participate in this round, and I know I’ll continue participating as long as Tina hosts them!

3. Coffee date with a good friend. I’ve been trying to get together with my old work BFF for months now and we finally both had time on a Sunday morning to meet for breakfast. It was fabulous spending time catching up with her and we made plans for pedicures next month. I’m really bad at keeping in touch with people, but this girl was basically my better half when we worked together and not having her in my life is not okay!

4. Giving up soda. This is something I never expected to actually accomplish! Sunday will mark three weeks since I’ve had a sip of soda – or anything carbonated! (I’ve tried sparkling water but they all end up tasting diet-y to me.) I’m not really sure how long I want to go before I have soda again. I really want to make it to 30 days and evaluate from there. Hopefully, I won’t even feel the need to have one. But I also know my ultimate goal isn’t to never have a soda ever again, but to not have it as often and not be as addicted to it as I was.

5. Taking my first steps towards a freelance career. Making the decision to write 50 different guest blogs this year is a crazy, exciting, frightening goal and I’m so glad I have so many of you guys supporting me as I begin this endeavor. I’ve written two guest blogs so far and I’m trying to write two a week which means it’s going to take me a while to get this goal marked off. Ultimately, I know I want to become a full-time freelance writer in the near future but it’s going to take a lot of work on my part to get me there. I’m ready!

6. Beginning the planning process for Bloggers in D.C.! AHHH! I can’t believe this whole thing is happening! It’s amazing how one little tweet can spark something incredible. We have a date (June 21-23), a location (D.C.), and I’ve got flight alerts locked up to snag the best deal at the right time. I am so excited to spend a weekend in D.C. with some of my favorite bloggers. Hopefully, we can find a great apartment for a fair price soon and things will really start feeling real!

7. The Niners made it to the Superbowl! Holy crap! I’m still freaking out about this. The Superbowl is going to be mighty stressful this year! But in the best possible way. (And can you believe it? HarBowl! Can you imagine having two boys, watching them grow up, and then years down the road they are head coaching in a Superbowl against each other?!)

8. Paying off my last credit card. I am completely credit card debt free and I am so happy about that! It feels really good to not have those balances hanging over my head. Now comes the hard part – not using it unnecessarily!

9. Quiet weekends at home. When my mom is home, she is very go, go, go, let’s do this and this and this. Me? I am a homebody. I like being at home. I like lounging around, reading and writing and watching TV. The work week can be so crazy that I like those two days of downtime. I like going out and doing stuff, don’t get me wrong, but more often than not, I like to be at home. So with my mom going to Orlando to spend time with her boyfriend often, I’ve had the apartment to myself and plenty of time to rest and recharge and spend time with me. It’s been amazing.

10. An amazing first and second date. If I were sitting across from you right now as I read through this blog post, you would see the biggest smile spread across my face and a blush stealing across my cheeks. Last Thursday, I went on a first date with a guy I had been messaging and texting with for a few weeks. We had dinner, strolled through downtown, snuggled on a bench, and shared a first kiss. It was an amazing, amazing evening. We met for lunch and more downtown fun on Saturday afternoon and it was just as fantastic as the first date. It’s in the early stages but he makes me ridiculously happy and I’m excited to see where this will go. Tonight, we’re going on our third date and no guy has ever interested me enough to get a third date out of me. That’s something!

What did you love about January?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1. Yesterday, I paid off my last credit card. I wish I could say I am feeling such happiness and relief by having finally gotten this part of my life under control, but I can’t stem this simmering feeling of disappointment in myself. I can’t stop thinking that I knew better. I knew better than to get myself into such crazy credit card debt and ruin my credit and put myself into such a financial mess. I saw my parents deal with it and I told myself I was never going to go down that path. Well, I did. I went straight tumbling down that path. I’m proud of myself for finding my way out and getting everything paid off, but that niggling fear keeps me from fully embracing the fact that I have no more credit card debt.

2. I still haven’t finished sending out all the emails to those who have expressed interest in letting me guest post for their blog. I quickly found out how hard it can be to come up with a topic all on my own! I would begin the email and then when it came time to decide on a topic, I would find myself sitting at the exact same spot 10 minutes later with no ideas coming to me at all. I only have a few more emails left to write, but I’m only at 20 guest blogs promised so far. Lots of spots left if you want to join in and help me out. I will love you forever and ever, amen.

3. I’ve felt very sluggish this week. My workouts have been subpar and I haven’t felt well rested, even though I’m getting around 8 hours of sleep every night. I’ve just felt slightly off. My energy levels are down and I don’t have a lot of focus. I haven’t been as strict with my diet as I should be, mainly because I’m giving myself a lot of leeway while I come off my caffeine/soda addiction. But I think it’s time to get back to food journaling and start finding other ways to cut down on my sugar intake, most especially at night.

4. A few months ago, I received an email from Diana, who has participated in a few of the #twookclub chats. She is the editor of a online travel magazine, To & From, and wanted to know if I’d be interested in writing a book review column for it. Combining my two favorite things – writing and books? Heck, yeah! The January/February issue went live last week and I’m so proud of my little page. I’m so glad Diana approached me about this and it’s fun to be a part of this magazine!

5. This weekend is a quiet one. (My favorite kind of weekend!) I have book club tonight. We’re discussing The Age of Miracles, and I have a lot of Thoughts & Feelings on this book. I can’t wait to discuss! I have a run planned and another bootcamp workout to get done. And I have a loooooot of writing to do. I am really looking forward to kicking off my guest blogging posts, but it’s going to require lots of commitment! And Sunday is #twookclub! We’re discussing Little Women. I can’t wait to discuss the book with everyone! (Join us on Twitter at 9pm EST if you want to chat about the book!)

Happy Friday! Any fun weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1. I mentioned this on my post yesterday but I’m currently planning a trip with a bunch of other bloggers to visit Washington D.C. in June. After seeing everyone tweet about registering for Bloggers in Sin City, some of us were a little bummed since we either couldn’t afford the trip or the scheduling didn’t work out. Allison first tweeted about it, then I jumped in, then a whole bunch of others joined the conversation! Currently, it looks like the weekend of June 21-23 will work out the best and we’re thinking about renting an apartment off AirBnB.com to accommodate all of us. We’re totally up to having more people join us and make this a fun blogger weekend so if you’re interested in joining us and think you’ll be free around that time to meet us in D.C., please let any one of us know! We’ll have some D.C. locals to show us around and I just think it will be a really fun weekend!

2. I wrote about my mission to write 50 guest posts on a variety of different blogs on Tuesday and have gotten a great response so far! I’m quickly closing in on the halfway mark and that’s just crazy. I’ll be sending out emails this weekend to all those who have expressed interest or filled out my form to get the ball rolling and I’m really excited I’m taking this first step in discovering how to live my dream job. It’ll be a rocky road, and quite frankly, I’m terrified of failing but that’s the beauty of figuring out your path. Triumphs and failures and lessons to learn. It’s all part of the process and I’m proud of myself for taking that first step.

3. Today marks Day 6 of quitting soda cold turkey. I feel so different this time around. Usually, all I can think about is the next time I’m going to have that golden sip of soda but I’m not doing that. I’m not craving it, although I do feel more tired and I get slight headaches in the afternoon. I finally feel done. I feel ready. I feel as if I’m going to break my soda addiction for good. I’ve never felt that way in the past. Tuesday night, my mom brought home Chick-Fil-A for dinner and accidentally got me a Coke. And I freaking poured that soda down the drain. I felt so empowered! I didn’t even take one tiny sip from the cup. I think that was a big step in this journey. And honestly? For the first time in a very, very long time, I don’t feel like I will die if I never have soda again. I will be okay.

4. Tomorrow I will finish up my second week of Best Body Bootcamp. So far? I love it. I love that I can go at my own pace and the workouts are challenging. I also love how it changes up every two weeks. I’m the type of person who needs to be constantly changing up her workouts, otherwise, I get bored and find reasons to skip. I’m only doing the strength workouts currently, and combining that with running but it’s going really well. I don’t really have to modify anything, aside from the core workouts. I’m excited to see how my body transforms over these next few months, especially coupled with better eating habits!

5. This weekend, my family will be rooting for a Harbaugh Superbowl! Obviously, we want to see the San Fransisco 49ers in the Superbowl and we’re keener on the Ravens over the Patriots because, let’s face it, the Patriots have had their time. And for those who don’t know, Jim Harbaugh (head coach of the 49ers) and John Harbaugh (head coach of the Ravens) are brothers and it would just be neat to see a Brother v. Brother Superbowl. GOOOOO, NINERS!

Happy weekend! Any fun weekend plans?

If you’re up to hosting me in my quest to write 50 guest posts this year, please fill out my form or send me a tweet!

Categories: Recurring Series

Five For Friday

1. I had a successful massage on Saturday! The massage therapist recommended a deep tissue over the sports massage, and so I had that instead. I was really, really, really, really, really nervous about the massage. Really, really. I wasn’t so much nervous about the massage itself, but the whole getting nekkid part and some strange man rubbing his hands all over my body. Yeah. The therapist was young, around my age, and I felt at ease and comfortable around him from the minute I met him. He was easygoing and settled my nerves quickly. Thirty seconds into the massage, I realized I really should have been worried at the massage itself because GOOD GOD IT HURT. It was so painful. I didn’t go into the massage with any sort of expectations, but it was a billion times more painful than I imagined it would have been. That said, it was absolutely, 100% necessary. The therapist told me my calves were “jacked up” which was actually thrilling to hear! It means there is a reason why running is more painful on my ankles than it should be. While I spent most of Saturday and Sunday with intense muscle soreness and pain, I can feel how much looser my calves are and I know it was absolutely worth all the pain. My ankles still ache when I run, though, so I know the problem hasn’t completely fixed itself. I’m not an expert of this, but I’m guessing I’ll need another massage or two before I really start seeing the benefits. And the fact that the therapist told me he could work on my legs for another two hours after my hour was up is probably a good indication I need more of them. Yay.

2. On Sunday, my brother and my nephew came over to watch the playoff games. (Happy about Baltimore winning, not so happy about Seattle. Womp, womp.) My sister-in-law came to pick my nephew up around 5:00 so my brother and I could watch the late game alone, which was awesome. It was just the three of us as my mom was away in Orlando for the weekend. It was a really, really fun afternoon! My nephew was in the greatest mood and I found out that yes, it is entirely possible to play with a Hot Wheels racing track for three hours straight. It was just a blast to spend some quality one-on-one time with him.

3. Yesterday brought terrible news to my family. I always hesitate to write about family matters on my blog (and keep the vast majority of it off) but since you all have been through this journey with me, I feel like I should write about it. In January of last year, my grandma found out her cancer was back. She opted for a treatment that would laser the tumor out of her body and finished that in February. Yesterday, she found out the treatment didn’t work and her tumor is still there. So she is starting her THIRD round of chemotherapy treatments. It’s aggressive and it’s going to be tough but she miraculously made it through her first two and I know she has the strength and grit to make it through this one. Her doctor is hopeful, this is by no means a death sentence, and I know God is in this every step of the way. It’s still scary and it was news I wasn’t expecting. So any good thoughts and prayers you can send my grandma’s way as she battles through this once again would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

4. As some of you may have noticed, I closed comments on my Letters to My Future Husband post from Wednesday. I mainly did it because I wasn’t looking for feedback on that post. I am not feeling the same hopelessness as I felt in that letter, but also wanted to put it out there to remind myself that this is where I have been and to let myself be okay with these intensely sad emotions – even when it’s hard to be so vulnerable. And I want anyone who does feel the way I felt then to know they are not alone and it’s alright to not be 100% okay with being single. Sometimes, it does suck.

5. This weekend is going to be a busy one! My mom’s boyfriend (!!) is coming down to spend the weekend with all of us. This will be my first time meeting him and I hope I like him! My mom is deliriously happy, which makes me happy because goodness that woman deserves this more than anyone I know! He’s taking my mom and me out to dinner tonight and then he’ll be around to watch the playoff games on Saturday and Sunday, where he’ll meet my brother. Interestingly enough, his favorite football team is the San Fransisco 49ers – the team of which my brother is a diehard fan! I also have a breakfast date planned with one of my good, good friends whom I used to work with. She was basically my better half at the preschool and I miss her something fierce so it’ll be good to catch up! And, of course, lots of playoff football to watch! I am rooting for San Fransisco, Atlanta, Denver, and Houston to make it to the championship games.

Happy Friday!