Five on Friday

Since I missed 10 on Tuesday and I'm still busy and kind of all over the place we're doing this bullet style today:

1. I watched two documentaries last weekend - Miss Representation and It's a Girl.  Both were excellent and opened my eyes to how alive and well sexism still is.  I could do a whole post on my thoughts about these...you should for sure watch them! If you do, message me because I'd love to discuss!

2. This week I sent an email to my coworkers letting them know about my Kenya trip and inviting them to donate to my Freedom Campaign.  I really did not want to send this email.  I thought it might be inappropriate for work, I hate asking for money, and I didn't want anyone to be annoyed with me.  But I felt God pushing me to.  Well guess what?  People donated!  Like $100 each!  I was so surprised, overwhelmed and encouraged!  You can learn more about my trip and donate here: www.stayclassy.com/ncsuz

3. I got a new job!  I am still with Lenovo, but I am moving to the marketing department for the channel team.  It was a tough decision, but I think this is a good opportunity.  I have so many mixed emotions about it though- sad, excited, nervous, anxious, relieved, stressed!  Any tips for getting through those first few weeks at a new job?

4. I'm not sure if we are just a test market for this or not...but have you tried the frosted lemonade at Chic-fil-a?!  OMG it is amazing!  I saw the sign for it throughout the summer but didn't give it a try until last night and wow! I've been missing out!  I wish we were also a test market for the new breakfast items...chicken and waffles?  yes please!

5. I'm going to Harry Potter world in a few weeks!  It was very last minute.  I had an airline credit I had to use before the end of October and luckily one of my friends was able to go and found us an awesome deal on a hotel.  I can't wait!

Hope you guys have a fabulous long weekend!!

Ten on Tuesday

My brain is fried.  I meant to post this earlier, but you know how it goes.  Just wanted to share some random thoughts so I can get back into the habit of blogging regularly.  Here we go...

1. I don't understand this ALS ice bucket challenge thing.  In the videos people say "You have 24 hours to accept this challenge or donate $100 to ALS."  I mean I guess it is a good way for people who can't donate to spread the word, but I feel like it has turned into this "look at me dump water on my head" thing.  It is bothering me, but it's good that it's raised so much awareness and money.

2. I have to get more shots for my Kenya trip tomorrow.  Let me tell you this whole vaccination thing has made me thankful for electronic medical records.  I have no record of my shots except for the past 3 years and trying to get past medical information is an act of congress.  Also I hate needles.  I got the Typhoid and Yellow Fever shots last week so at least I know I can just suck it up and get through it but I'm so ready for all these shots to be over.  Also these shots ain't cheap!  It was over $300 for the 2 I got last week!

3. I watched a TED talk yesterday and this conception to birth video blew my mind.  I mean the complexity of creating a human is amazing.  God is an amazing engineer!



4. Reality TV has gotten me through the summer.  Big Brother. Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.  Dance Moms.  Raising Asia.  It's my guilty pleasure.

5.   I got a Jawbone UP a few weeks ago and I am obsessed with it.  Best purchase I have made in a while.  I got the old version which was only $79!  Anybody else have an UP?

6.  One of the girls in my bible study went on this Kenya trip back in June and showed me pictures from the trip.  One of the things I was most worried about was the bathroom situation.  It is literally a shack with a hole in the ground.  Literally a hole. in the ground. This is probably TMI but...I was even contemplating taking Imodium so I wouldn't have to go #2 while we are in the village during the day and almost threw a party when according to my period tracker I wasn't supposed to start until the day we come home when I will at least have access to airport bathrooms.  Then I saw this video.  And I felt really guilty about being worried about myself for 10 days when these girls have to worry about it all the time.



7. I read a great blog post yesterday.  The title was "God I am worn out" and all I could think was Amen!  In it she talks about how a tree has to shed it's leaves to prepare for winter and if it doesn't the branches become overwhelmed and break.  She talks about how you have to say no to some things so that you can say yes to others.  This is a lesson I need to learn ASAP!

"...That's what happens when a snow comes early. The trees weren't designed to face snow before releasing their leaves. They weren't made to carry more than they should. And neither are we.
I know the weight of carrying more than I should. And usually it's because I've refused to release something before taking on something else. If I want to choose a Best Yes, it's crucial I make room for it first.

Otherwise, a Best Yes can quickly become a stressed yes. And a stressed yes is like snow on a tree that refuses to release its leaves. It causes cracks and breaks at our core.

If we refuse to release before we add, we will get overloaded."

- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/god-im-worn-out/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+p31encouragement+%28P31+Encouragement+for+Today%29#sthash.kNFxsU6T.dpuf

8.  Speaking of stressed, I also read this article about how the age women are happiest at is 25 and the age they are most stressed at is 34.  I just had my 34th birthday. Great.

9. Following God is sometimes like going to the gym for me.  I dread it.  I whine about what He asks me to do (currently fundraising for Kenya is at the top of my list).  But I am always blown away by what He does when I follow Him and feel so good afterwards saying "That was totally worth it."  But getting there is definitely a struggle and most of the time not very pretty.  By the way if you'd like to donate, please! help me!  because I SUCK at fundraising.  You can donate at www.stayclassy.com/ncsuz

10. I'm going to bed.  It's almost midnight.  This night owl stuff has to stop.  If you have any tips for getting to bed early and falling asleep (that's my main issue) please let me know!

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and since it's pretty much Wednesday now, Happy Hump Day!

this still cracks me up every time...

I'm still alive- Updates and a Fall Bucket List!

Wow!  It has been over 2 months since I have posted on here!  I just wanted to let you all know I am still alive.  I have been so super busy at work.  Over the summer they changed my role not once but twice!  It has been super stressful.  And when your work life gets out of control, your whole life seems to fall apart (since work is such a huge chunk of that!)

I don't have time to give a detailed update.  I wish I had time to write full posts about each of these items, but since I don't here is a summary of what's been going on lately:

- It's ironic my last post was about how this was the best season of Big Brother, because it has actually turned out to be the worst.  I ended up hating most of the people in the house and really don't think any of the final three deserve to win.  My summer without cable TV is over, but I think after this season of Homeland is over I may cancel my Dish account and strictly do online streaming and Netflix.

- I got a promotion at work.  But I'm not really over the moon about it right now.  It is challenging.  And there has been lots of other drama at work.  I really hope things get better.  I miss the days when I used to be excited to go to work and could say I love my job, because that is definitely not the case right now.  But I am thankful to still be there and hopeful that things will turn around soon.

- In August my cat had a medical emergency.  His urinary tract became completely blocked and I had to take him to the emergency vet.  He was in the hospital for 3-4 days and when he came home he was a hot mess.  I had to confine him to my spare bathroom because he was peeing everywhere.  So far it has cost me about $2500!  They wanted to do surgery because he had some crystals adhered to his bladder, but the vet has him on some special food to try to dissolve them.  I'm really hoping it works because the surgery would be another $1400!

- One of the girls from my small group moved to Iowa earlier this year and she is getting married at the end of this month and I am going to the wedding on her fiance's farm in Iowa!  I've never been there and am excited to go.  We are flying up early and spending a few days in Chicago and then driving down to Iowa.  I haven't been to Chicago since I was a kid, so I am excited about that too!  If you have any Chicago or Iowa must sees let me know!

- Speaking of small groups, I am starting one this week!  Ahhhh I am so nervous!  My small group had been together over 4 years and I love those girls.  They will always be in my life even though we aren't in small group together. So excited to see what God will do through this new group and what girls he will bring into my life through it!

- This weekend was pretty awesome.  I ran in the Electric Run on Friday.  It was the most fun run I have ever done.  Way better than the color runs with an awesome party at the end!  I will definitely do it again if it comes back to Raleigh!  We also had Church at the Ballpark on Sunday.  There were over 11,500 people in attendance and 530 of them got baptized!  God is so good!

- I'm so excited for fall!  This summer has not been the best so I'm kind of glad to see it go.  I only got to do a few things on my summer bucket list:

I love fall!  So let's try this again with a Fall Bucket list:

Oh Austin, TX! I hope to be back soon!

My trip to Austin turned out to not be bad at all.  In fact it was really really good.  Everything went smoothly and I had a great time.  I learned a lot on this trip.  I leaned a lot about myself.  I learned that I should not let fear cripple me.  (I think the fact that I finally read Divergent on this trip.  I think I need to be more Dauntless.)  I learned that I have become very independent and don't need someone else to help me figure everything out.  I learned that being alone isn't so bad.  And I learned a lot at the conference I attended, but I won't bore you with all that!  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

1. My adorable room at the W- Wednesday I got there around 4 pm.  I took a cab from the airport to The W Hotel.  If you've never stayed at a W you are missing out.  They really go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and cared for.

2. The bathtub in my room was so deep!  I could barely climb over the wall to get in.  But I loved it!  I took a nice relaxing bath every night.

3. The president was in Austin on Thursday.  I saw all kinds of security along my 3 block walk to Austin City Music Hall where our convention was held.

4. Thursday night I was scrolling through my Instagram and saw that Jessica Alba had posted a pic of the goodies the W Austin had left in her room to welcome her!  I was really hoping to run in to her at the gym or the spa or in the elevator or something but I didn't.  And no I didn't get any welcome goodies in my room.

5. I ordered room service Thursday night because it was raining.  Beef brisket sliders that were quite yummy.  I just love room service even though it is way overpriced!

6. That was my view from the treadmill at the gym.  I worked out every day at their gym!  It was so nice!

7.  They had an Acura car service you could use to take you places.  It came in handy!

1. Saturday morning I switched to The Hampton Inn because The W rate went up to almost $400/night!  The Hampton Inn was nice too, but it didn't feel like home like The W did.

2. Saturday evening I walked down to the Congress St. bridge to watch the bats.  Apparently the largest bat colony in North America lives under that bridge and they all fly out around dusk.  It was not what I expected, but pretty cool and there were tons of them!

3. A bat statue near the Congress St. Bridge.

4.  Lady Bird Lake trail- this trail was so pretty!  I walked it Sunday to and from church.  Cam would have loved this trail.

5-8. I looked on Yelp to see what food places I should try.  I wanted to go somewhere I could easily get something to go.  I saw great reviews for this Torchy's Taco truck and it was only about a mile away so I walked.  I will admit I got a little scared on this walk.  Even though it was all on main roads, it was dark and I was by myself.  It was such a cute place though!  Great date spot.  And the food was amazing!  Highly recommend the Baja Shrimp Taco and Green Chile Queso!  And on the walk back over the bridge I did get the best view of the city at night!

9. Sunday morning I walked to go to church at Austin Stone's downtown campus.  I have listened to this church's podcast for over 2 years so it was really exciting to finally hear the sermon live!

So here's all the details of how I spent my time in Austin:

Wednesday night the company I work with took me out for dinner and drinks after I toured their offices.  We went to Lambert's for BBQ.  The ribs were good, but the fried strawberry pie we all split was ah-ma-zing!  Then we walked down to The Elephant Room and we got to hear a full jazz band live which was really cool!

Thursday I went to the conference all day and came back to the hotel and hit the gym and then ordered room service because it was all gloomy and rainy outside.

Friday I went to the conference all day.  After we got out around 4 pm, I walked to Whole Foods because it is apparently their flagship store.  It was huge and overwhelming but I was able to get something for dinner and snacks.  I walked the mile or so back to the hotel, hit the gym, and then the spa.  I had booked an appointment for Friday night because I figured it would give me something to do.  It was the most amazing spa treatment ever.  Here is the description from their website:

Over The Hills and Far Away     105 min/$225
Rock out to this zeppelin-inspired VIP treatment with all the features of an exclusive detox.  Begins with a full body dry-brushing, followed by a coconut sugar scrub & detailed parafango treatment.  The experience continues with a full body massage, including our signature foot treatment.  Finish off with a cool coconut mini facial, incorporating cold stones & hot towels.  Your skin is cleansed, hydrated, and protected from the brilliant Texas sun.  Who says only celebrities have it so good?    Voted best body treatment by Austin Monthly readers, October 2012. 

And even better I had a $50 off any spa treatment coupon.  Soooo worth it!  Best.  Treatment.  Ever.

Saturday I woke up and went to the gym and then showered and packed.  Then I had their Acura car service take me to The Hampton Inn.  Luckily they let me check in early there!  After getting settled in my room I took a walk down Congress Street to Homeslice (thanks to a suggestion from Tracy on my last post!)  Along the way I popped in a lot of the cute shops that line this road.  I got the pizza to go and walked back to my hotel.  After I ate I went out to the pool and soaked up the sun and read my book.  Then I went to see the bats and get Torchys.

Sunday I walked to church and back, showered, and then just went on to the airport.  My flight wasn't until 5:15, but I people watched, read, and tried Salt Lick BBQ and Amy's Ice Cream (amazing!!!)

Time flew by and I really didn't feel alone.  I actually had fun!  It was very relaxing and definitely taught me a lot!  Just what I needed.  And I have to say thank you for all the encouragement through comments here and on Instagram and all the tweets!  I think that is part of the reason why I didn't feel so alone!

Hopefully next week I will be able to compile all my tips for traveling alone!

Traveling Solo

Back in March, my boss offered me the opportunity to go to a conference in Austin, TX.  The only downside is they only got approval for one person to go so I would have to go by myself.  I didn't have to say yes, but I had been dying to go to Austin.  The conference was on a Thursday and a Friday so I could easily make a long weekend out of it.  But I am the girl who won't even eat somewhere by herself.  Definitely did not want to go to a city I have never been to by myself.

So I asked some girls in my bible study if they wanted to go.  We all had just talked about doing a trip to Austin because the study we were doing was written by pastors at The Austin Stone, a church we all like and listen to on podcast.  Three of the girls said they were definitely interested so I agreed to go and booked my flights and hotel.  I sent them the hotel and flight info and we all talked about flight options and stuff over email for the next few days.

Well fast forward to three weeks before the trip...one girl backs out because she is doing another trip with her friends in May and just can't afford it.  Two weeks before we go I ask one of the other girls about it and she says she decided she isn't going to go.  She has to work and wouldn't be able to fly out until Saturday morning and it just wouldn't be worth it.  The last girl seems like she is still in at this point, but then today, 3 days before I leave, she tells me she isn't going.

So now here I am.  Taking my first trip completely solo.  5 days days in a big city all by myself.  And I am terrified.  I have flown by myself and navigated to a hotel by myself, but I have never spent time alone in a city I've never been to, where I know no one, completely by myself.

I've cried.  I've prayed.  I asked another friend to go, but unfortunately by this point flights are triple what I paid for mine back in March.  So it looks like I am going to have to be brave and be independent and get through this on my own.

I mean this is like a metaphor for my whole freaking life.  I am tempted on just giving up on people in general and going at this whole life thing completely on my own.  That way no one can hurt me.  No one can let me down.

Friday night I was watching The Client List (don't judge) and a little girl on the show said "My mom said "If you tell someone you are going to do something, you do it."  People need to do this more.  I even took this advice this weekend.  I had told my mom I would go see her the Sunday before Mother's Day (today) since I would be in Austin on Mother's day.  But I had been sick all week, had a million errands to run, and was dealing with the emotional trauma of all this mess.  The last thing I wanted to do was go to High Point.  But I did.  Because I had told her I would.

But apparently most people don't play by this rule.  And I seem to always get the brunt of this.  So the only solution I see is to stop counting on people for anything.  Hopefully this trip will give me more confidence to live a life completely free from dependency on others.  I'm already pretty independent, but I'm not trusting anyone for anything anymore.  Ever.

You know what the really sad thing is.  I think I could do it if I had Cam with me.  (the more people I get to know, the more I love my dog)  He really has helped me get through so much and I don't feel alone when I have him with me.  But I can't take him on a plane unfortunately.  So it will just be me.

So dear readers, have you ever traveled alone?  What advice do you have or me?

10 Things I have been up to lately

I'm a bad blogger.  I have been so busy lately.  But I still don't want to give up on this little blog of mine.  So in lazy blogger form here is a bullet list of the top 10 things that I've been doing but haven't had time to blog about:

1. We had our yearly site kick-off event for work a few weeks ago.  This is like a pep rally for the year.  Usually we have a dinner at The Angus Barn and other fun team activities.  This year's was not as great as previous years.  But they did surprise us with a performance from Scotty McCreery!

2. Speaking of work, I got a mentor at work.  We are going to meet once a month and so far she has been great.  It's like she knew me from our first meeting.  She wants to help me build my confidence so she gave me an assignment to make a list of 10 things I am proud of accomplishing in my life.  This topic deserves a whole post later because I have done much pondering and researching on confidence in the last month.

3. One of my goals for 2013 was to pay off my car early...and I did last month!  A whole year earlier than schedule!

4. I am also in the process of switching my home and car insurance and refinancing my house.  All this was prompted by a notice that due to an increase in my homeowner's insurance  I had an escrow deficit and they are increasing my house payments by $50 a month.  I know $50 doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a very tight budget and need my bills to stay pretty stable.  Hopefully after all this my payments will be about the same as they are now or even less!

5. I am giving up TV at the end of this month.  This is in an effort to a) save money and b) not be so lazy.  I may supplement with Netflix, but I haven't decided yet.

6. With the money that I am saving from giving up TV, I got a maid.  They only come once a month, but y'all I am terrible at housekeeping and really needed some help!

7. On April 15, 2012 I ran my first half marathon.  On April 15, 2013 I started over with Week One, Day One of the Couch 2 5K program again.  Yes, that is how far you can fall in a year.  I am so out of shape, but at least I am taking steps to get back on the wagon.  (And yes the irony continues that the Boston Marathon Bombings were on that day as well!)

8. I'm going to the beach this weekend with my Bible Study girls and to Austin, TX at the beginning of May for work!  YAY for travel plans!!

9. I've spent a lot of time in downtown Raleigh over the last month and sometimes I think I wish I lived downtown.  It really has come a long way since I first moved here.  But traffic, parking, and one way streets stress me out way too much to make it my home.  I like the outskirts and being right between Raleigh and Durham just fine.

10. I got to get in a cash cube at work last week.  It was a disappointing experience and I only got $24.  I think this was mainly due to the fact that I went 7th and all the $100, $50, and $20 bills had been taken AND they dumped all the fake money the previous people had collected back in the cube right before my turn.  So unfair!  But I guess it's better than nothing.

Hopefully next time it won't be this long between posts! 

Random Wednesday Catch-up

My goal of being a better blogger in 2013 is not going so well.  Life is just so busy.  Being an adult is hard y'all.  And I don't even have a husband or kids.  Although if I had a husband he could help out a little (just saying)

I don't have much time so here are some things that have been occupying my thoughts lately in good 'ole bullet fashion:

- I have become obsessed with Dusk Dynasty.  I seriously have watched about 20 episodes over the last 2 weeks.  Si and his tea cup are my favorite.  I mean HEY he just says the craziest things.  I also love Phil.  Watching the Roberson family makes me hap-py, hap-py, hap-py!

- Y'all if you are tormented by having a crush on someone, wait it out and spend as much time as you can around the person.  Slowly you will start to see their faults and the crush will go away and you won't be tormented by the longings of your heart anymore.  At least it worked for me and I am so glad!

- I'm going to give blood tomorrow for the first time and I am really nervous about it.  I hate needles.  I'm afraid of passing out.  It supposed to only take 15 minutes.  Hopefully I will survive.

- I need a vacation.  If I had a travel buddy I would be planning a trip to Europe right now.  I want to go to Paris and Italy.  In April I have a beach weekend planned and there has been talk of a trip to Austin, TX.  All I know is I need to get away ASAP.

- I need a maid.  I seriously suck at housekeeping.  I can keep things tidy and organized, but I hate cleaning. In particular vacuuming.  Pretty much anything having to do with the floors I hate.  And that is a problem when you have a dog that sheds two tons of fur a day.  It has taken over my house and follows me on my clothes everyday. Oh if only I had a money tree!

- I still want to find movie love.  I want some prince charming sweep me off my feet and cuddle on the couch and make out.  Oh how I miss making out.    

-I've been trying to cook more and not eat out.  I read an article about how off calorie counts can be and so I have just been trying to eat healthy.  Remember how I said I wasn't giving up anything for Lent?  Well, I decided to give up diet soda.  Or soda in general   I am more tired and have had a few headaches, but I feel much less bloated and it's forced me to drink a lot of water which is always good.

That's it for now.  I will try to post some of the Pinterest recipes I've tried recently tomorrow.

Pinterest List Ideas- Travel edition

Inspired by Tara guest posting over at The Vintage Apple, I thought I would share with you guys some ideas for my next 40 before 40 list I have been storing up on Pinterest.  Of course I have to finish my 30 Before 30 list first!

Source: perfectbucketlist.tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Source: perfectbucketlist.tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Source: perfectbucketlist.tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Source: perfectbucketlist.tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

As you can see most of these are travel related.  I need to find a travel buddy.  Most of my friends are having babies now so they will be too broke and tied down for trips.  I pray God will send me a travel buddy soon because I am kind of getting tired of being the only single gal on couples trips too.

Linking up

Good Bye 2012

I had such big plans for my Christmas break.  I had 12 consecutive days off!  That is probably the most time off I have ever had!  Unfortunately my plans we derailed.  On the 22nd my tooth started to hurt a little.  By Christmas day I was in soo much pain!  I took about 30 Advil just to make it through the day.  I couldn't sleep because the pain was unbearable.  I called my dentist's emergency hotline since their voice-mail said they were closed until Jan. 2nd.  They called me in a prescription for Vicodin and made an appointment for the next day when my dentist would be back in town.  I took a Vicodin every 3-4 hours and slept pretty much the whole day.  He saw me the next day and said my tooth had died and there was an infection.  He said they have to clear the infection and then do a root canal.  So my vacation has consisted mostly of this:

Painkillers, antibiotics, reading, watching TV and sleeping.  It has been pretty miserable.

There have been some bright spots.  I got to see Christmas at the DPAC twice and it was amazing!  (If you want to watch the whole thing, it is now online HERE).  I got to eat at Angus Barn with my family and at a great restaurant in Durham 604 at West Village with one of my favorite work friends.  I cooked for my family on Christmas Day.  And we threw a baby shower for my BFF.  (whole post to come on this later)

I'm ready for 2012 to go though.  It has not been my year and the last month has really been the icing on the cake.  I have done some amazing things and gone to some amazing places with some amazing people...

Snowshoe

Half Marathon

Kayaking

San Diego

Beach Month

San Diego (round 2)

Vegas

State Fair

And many other memories like watching two of my good friends finally say "i do" at the beach, seeing Wicked for the second time, have not one but two fun wine and design nights, getting scared at the Haunted Farm again this year, other fun races like The Franklin 5K, Chic-fil-a 10K, and Color Run, and many fun days and nights with great friends.

But this year has been frustrating and I am ready for a fresh start.

San Diego and Beach Month

Back in July I got to go to San Diego for a conference for work.  This was my first time ever to California and I LOVED it!  The weather was so perfect in San Diego and California was so beautiful!  I want to move there!

The resort we stayed at was amazing.  La Costa Resort and Spa was huge and so gorgeous! I was exhausted from not ever adjusting to west coast time and having super long days.  But it was so much fun!

My flight was delayed on the way there and then my connecting flight in Chicago had technical issues so I ended up getting there 5 hours later than I should have.  The guy at the front desk at check in took pity on me and upgraded me to a villa with an amazing balcony, fireplace, soaking tub, and waterfall shower.  It was sooo great!

The last day there I had a late flight so we booked spa appointments.  Their spa was voted #1 wellness spa in the nation by Spa Magazine.  The spa facility itself was amazing!  It had a private pool, a reflexology path, this waterfall thing that felt like getting a massage, a cafe, relaxation rooms, and so much more!  We laid out by the pool, tried the reflexology path and the waterfall and then had our treatments.  I got a bamboo massage (amazing!) and my co-worker got a body scrub (she said it was amazing too!).

The past 3 weekends I have spent at the beach.  It has been amazing.  We have a timeshare in Atlantic Beach, NC that I look forward to going to each year because it is so relaxing!  All we do is lay out on the beach all day and have a yummy dinner at night.  This year we also made a trip to the aquarium because they had penguins!  I LOVE penguins!  I wanted to steal one!

Last weekend I went to Myrtle Beach for an annual girls trip.  Last year was the first year I went.  It is an annual trip that 2 girls from my Bible study have been doing for years.  It has turned in to a mixture of different girls they have met from various stages in their life from college to work to neighbors to Bible study!  I had so much fun last year and even more fun this year!  Already looking forward to next!

And even though beach month is over, I get to go back to San Diego (and stop in Vegas on the way back) in just 3 weeks!  Yay! Life is so good!

Friday Letters

Dear Target-

You are a genius.  You knew I would never sign up for a stinking credit card, so you came up with The Red Card.  Now I can save 5% on all my purchases AND get free shipping on my target.com orders??  Thank you and I hate you for making it so easy to spend all my money on you.  I just can't quit you!

Dear Mother Nature-

I am really not looking forward to this heat wave.  A whole week of 100 degree+ days?  In June?  Gross.  I can't wait to see what you have in store for July and August.  NOT.

Dear Cam-

I love your stinking cute face.  But I hate that you can not keep your face out of my face all freaking night.  Can you please just lay down for an hour so I can have some TV time?  Is this punishment for the bad haircut I gave you this week?  Or maybe you are pissed because the heat wave is going to prevent us from taking our daily runs.  Either way, you need to take a chill pill and let me have some relaxation time.

Dear Pool-

I am so glad we have gotten to spend some quality time together this summer thanks to my summer hour Fridays.  I love you and will see you in a few.

Dear California-
I'm so freaking excited I finally get to meet you!  San Diego I will see you soon!

Dear Readers-
I'm so sorry I have sucked at blogging.  I'm going to be back to normal posting with some awesome stuff next week.  Thanks for sticking with me through this quiet period!  Hope you have a freaking fabulous weekend!!

I want to travel

Would you not LOVE to do something like this?? I wish I had unlimited time and money and could just travel. Anywhere and everywhere. Of course having a great travel buddy would be a must too!

Weekend of shopping

I have been so busy!  At work, at home.  I'm so busy I can't focus.  I need to focus.

Luckily I only have one more work day this week.  Thursday I am leaving for a mini-beach vacation for a wedding of two of my good friends at the beach.  They have been dating for like over 10 years so this is a long time in the making.  I am excited to finally get to see them tie the knot!

This weekend I had to find shoes, a dress, and accessories.  It was a full shopping weekend and I was exhausted.  I discovered I love a lot of Jessica Simpson dresses.  Who knew!? I couldn't find a picture of the one I ended up getting, but here are two of the runner-ups:

And guess what?  I found the Khol's shoes I love!  I will be wearing one of these.  I haven't decided which yet:

Source: kohls.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I still don't know what I am going to do for a purse yet.  I have some options but haven't decided yet.

I also bought some new nail polish and a new comforter for my bed (random I know! but it was an awesome deal- only $60 for the whole set!)

I need your help though web sleuths!  So many of you were able to find some of the items I couldn't find on Pinterest, so I figured I'd ask for your help with this one.

A few years ago I got this Furla wallet in Dubai.  I LOVE it because it has these cool accordion style credit card slots that make finding and getting my cards in and out so easy.

But I can not find one like this anywhere!  I really want a new one because I got nail polish on this one this weekend, freaked out, and wiped it with a nail polish remover pad.  Yeah, not good on leather.  Plus as you can see the one I have is white and is getting very dirty anyway.  I was wondering if any of you super sleuths would have better luck than me.  If you find it, please send me the link!  I'll owe you BIG time!

#10poundchallenge update

Back in January I signed up for The 10 lb. Challenge.  The challenge is to lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks.  We are nearing the end of week 5 and we were supposed to do an update on our first four weeks sometime this week.

I almost didn't do this post.

You see I weighed myself on Monday after coming home from the ski trip and having my friendly monthly visitor show up the night before and I was SO disappointed with the number on the scale.  I had gained back almost everything I had lost since starting the challenge.  I was only down 3.5 lbs. before I left for the ski trip but to gain almost all that back (minus a measly 1/2 lb) was devastating.

I thought maybe the scale had made a mistake so I weighed myself again the next morning.  Same. exact. number.  BOO!

I was so mad I didn't weigh myself for the rest of the week and stuck to my counting calories and half marathon training plan.

This morning, after going back and forth about it for a few minutes, I reluctantly stepped on the scale.  As the digital display churned I was so nervous to see what would pop up.  But I am happy to say that as of this morning I am 4.5 lbs. down in this challenge!

It just goes to show you how finicky the scale can be.  I know I have lost weight because my clothes are looser and other people have even commented on it.  So why do I let that stupid little number devastate me like that?!


So far this year I have done a pretty good job of with sticking to my diet/training plan.  I have kept up with all of the runs in my half marathon training plan for almost 6 weeks now.  I have ran over 80 miles since Jan. 1 and will reach 100+ miles by the end of the month.  I have tracked my calories every day since January 1st except for the 5 days I was on the ski trip.  (I tried to do it then, but it was impossible to keep up with.)

I'm not going to lie and say it is easy.  It's not.  But it feels good.  I still hate running sometimes.  Especially when I first start my run, and even more thinking about the run I have to do.  But sometimes it feels really good to run!  In fact last night I was actually dancing while I was running.  I mean how can you not dance to this song?  It's freaking fabulous!



Hope you guys have a great weekend!  Mine just got kicked off with a fantastic start :)

10 Things I Learned on Ski Trip 2012

1. How to do The Wobble and The Wop and the Copperhead Road dances

2. That goggles and face protection is necessary not optional when skiing while it is freezing cold and snowing.

3. Leaving the laptop at home while on vacation is a good thing.

4. There is a sports company called "Head" and they make a snowboard that says "I *heart* HEAD" which totally sounds very dirty when you see a guy carrying it and are not aware of said company.

5. A snowboard or a guitar can instantly make a guy way hotter than he would be without said items.

6. Hot chocolate with a shot of Bailey's and a shot of Kahlua and lots of whip cream is the yummiest drink ever when you are freezing cold.

7. It might be smarter to buy my own skis if we keep doing this trip every year instead of renting (or at least my own boots because those things kill my feet!).

8. People are buried facing east because when Jesus comes back He will come from the east supposedly.  (And the sun rises in the east. and The Son rose on EASTer. and we make Easter eggs and eggs are eaten in the morning which leads back to the sun rising in the east.  This blew our minds for some odd reason.)

9. Bunk beds can actually be really cozy and comfy.

10. You need wool socks and toe warmers to keep your feet warm.  Layers of cotton socks will not do the job when it is freezing out.

And that is all for this totally random Wednesday post :)

Ski Trip 2012- Snowshoe, WV

I had so much fun on this year's ski trip!  This group has been doing this annual ski trip since 2006 and over the years we have just about perfected this thing.  We go somewhere different almost every year, not everyone gets to go every year, and there are always new friends that join us but one thing remains the same- we always have a good time.

This year we went to Snowshoe, WV and we apparently picked the perfect weekend because they got their first big snow!  Fourteen inches over the four days we were there.  This place was so big!  It had two different ski areas and shuttles that ran between the two and also to all the lodging and houses.  Our house wasn't skin in/ski out like last year, but we only had to walk to the top of our driveway to catch the shuttle!  Here is the house we stayed in:

I stuck to skis this year.  I didn't want to waste the whole time trying to learn how to snowboard again.  I stuck to the green slopes after last year's terrifying blue slope.  It was fun though because there were so many green slopes and they were so long!

We got in late Wednesday night.  Thursday morning we slept in and took our time eating breakfast and getting ready.  We got to enjoy an amazing view:

We headed over to the Silver Creek ski area since the Snowshoe slopes closed at 4:30.  We hung out at the bar downstairs until 4:00 so we could get the cheaper night ski lift tickets.  There were only two green slopes at Silver Creek but they were both long though. There was an "easy" option and a more challenging option one of the guys showed me towards the end of the day once I got my bearings on the skis again.  We got to see a beautiful sunset from the top of the mountain:

Around 7:30 we decided to head back to the house since it got pretty cold once the sun went down.  The other half of our group had arrived and we had a fun night playing Apples to Apples, hot tubbing, and just being silly.

I ended up sharing a cozy, tiny bunk bed room with my friend's cousin.  I was a little bit nervous about sharing a room with a guy, but it was not bad at all.  Here are Ellie and Heather enjoying our cute bunk beds:

Friday we got up a little earlier, made breakfast, and got our ski gear on so we could make it over to the Snowshoe area for skiing.  Half of our group had stayed up until 5 am and didn't make it out with us.  They really missed out because this was the best day of skiing I've ever had.  We got out there around 1:00 and once we got to the bottom of our first slope it started snowing.  It was so pretty!  The wind wasn't bad and it wasn't too cold.  All the fresh snow made the skiing perfect!  We stopped for a drink at the top of the mountain about half way through.  There were so many runs and lifts so we all had to stay together or we would never find each other. It was such fun though!  We didn't even make it to every green slope!

At 4:30 when Snowshoe closed we headed over to Silver Creek.  We skied there until 6:30 and then stopped and had a drink at the bottom of the mountain to warm up before heading back to the house.  We had hot chocolate with a shot of Bailey's and a shot of Kahlua and it was the. best. drink. ever.  Two of the girls had tried it over at Snowshoe earlier when I had stuck to beer but I had to get once here because it was so freaking good! It cost $15 but was worth every penny!  Such a perfect end to the perfect day of skiing!

Friday night the last of our friends arrived.  We had a fun night playing more Apples to Apples, Phase 10, and cooking dinner.  I was exhausted from the day but was able to hang until about 1 am before calling it a night.

Saturday was freezing!  I think it was in the teens or single digits all day!  We went up to The Village first to visit the shops.  I don't have ski boots.  I've always been able to get by wearing my rain boots and a couple layers of socks.  But this day my feet were freezing!  I bought two pairs of wool socks and two sets of toe warmers.  I added those to my two layers of socks I already had on, but my feet were still freezing all day!

After we visited a few shops we headed down to Silver Creek so we could have a drink to warm up before snow tubing.  They ended up not having hot chocolate at the bar we went to so we settled for a shot and then went snow tubing for 2 hours:

They had five lanes and all the fresh snow made each run so fast and smooth.  Most of us had to call it quits before our two hours was up because it was just so dang cold.  I got to try four of the runs though and it was the best tubing I've ever done despite the cold.

We stopped by the house and then took the shuttle back to The Village so we could catch the bus to The Top of the World so we could hit the bar where we first discovered our awesome hot chocolate drink.  The Village was so cute all lit up at night!

At the bar they had live music!  The guy was a great singer and we enjoyed his songs along with our special hot chocolates and a hot apple cider drink they had on special.

We were a little bit tipsy when we got back on the shuttle.  I'm pretty sure people thought we were crazy.  That night we cooked oysters, had a little dance party in the living room, and played cards.  It was a very fun end to a very fun weekend!

Sunday it had snowed so much we ended up having to get our cars towed out of the driveway:

We made it out and down the mountain safely thanks to the boys four wheel drive trucks and good driving skills.  I would have been a mess if I had to drive in that stuff!  It was a LONG drive home but well worth it because the weekend was just so perfect! 

I already can't wait for next year!

Sunday Snippets- Jesus is Jonah

Hope you all had an amazing weekend!  This week at church we were in Jonah chapter 2.  At the very end of chapter 1 Jonah get swallowed by the big fish.  He spends 3 days in there before he asks God for help!  That seemed like a long time to me.  But thinking about it, I know I do the same thing in situations.  I'll give up hope or think I can fix it on my own sometimes or even be mad at God for the crappy situation I'm in and focus on other things instead of turning to Him.

Anyway, we mainly focused on Jonah's prayer to God during the sermon.  Here are some of the highlights from my notes:

- True repentance is like waking up from a dream. Your pride has been stripped away.  You see everything more clearly.

- If God strips away one of your idols and gives you a glimpse of how futile life is without Him before you die, that is His mercy!

- An idol is something you love, crave, or trust more than God.  (romance, money, career, kids, anything!)

- Jonah felt abandoned by God.  Was he? NO!

- God is after obedience that grows from desire.

- Jesus + Nothing= Everything...on the flip side...Everything - Jesus= Nothing

- Irreligious people don't think they need salvation from anything.

- Religious people know they need salvation but that it comes from themselves (something they are/do)

- True Christians know we need salvation and that it comes from God not from ourselves

- The Gospel is the only thing that gives you both humility and confidence at the same time.

- Jesus is Jonah because he went through what Jonah went through (in a way but way worse) for us.  He endured God's wake up call for us.

I will admit I shed a tear or two during this sermon at one point.

Back story- On Friday I had a little mental breakdown about yet again being the 3rd (or 13th or 21st) wheel on all the trips with my friends this year.  There are NO other single girls going on the two trips we've planned so I'm freaking out about who will I share a room with?  who will I ride with?  who will I split food with?  who will I ski with?  I honestly don't mind being single that much, but when it comes to trips and New Year's Eve (because of all the kissing.  I swear it's worse than Valentine's day.) it drives me to tears.  Well Friday I shed a lot of tears over it.

So at one point in the sermon, the pastor is trying to describe the relationship between God and His people.  There was some word that when translated meant something like "from the womb" and he apologized and said people without kids might not get it, but the thing it is most close to is the way a mother or father loves their child.  He said when he hears his kids crying...then he paused and said "well 9 times out of 10 they are crying over something that has nothing to do with reality...but those times they are really hurting or in pain, I would do ANYTHING...ANYTHING to make it go away.  And that is how God feels about you."

So automatically I am thinking about my breakdown on Friday and why won't God just let me find my husband so I won't have to cry about this crap anymore.  Why can't He just take away this pain??

But the more that I've thought about it over the weekend I'm starting to think that maybe this cry on Friday falls into one of those 9 times out of 10 cries that has nothing to do with reality.  I am hurting emotionally but over things that may not even matter and will probably work themselves out.  It had nothing to do with reality.  Only what I was worried about in my head. Yes, if I had a husband I would have a built-in partner for everything and would never have to worry about those things again.  But maybe I really shouldn't be worried about them in the first place.

Wishful Wednesday

Went to a Hurricanes game last night.  If you didn't know, my dog is named after my favorite Hurricanes player- Cam Ward (such a cutie!).  I love the Canes and I want a black jersey...badly.

These are Seven for All Mankind Dojo jeans.  My uber stylish friend Kristin has a pair and I have been coveting them for years.  I just can't bring myself to pay that much for a pair of jeans...but someday...

Remember this beauty of a daybed from Ballard Designs that I wanted for my spare bedroom/office/home gym?  Well I found an almost identical one at Ikea:

Do you think I could paint it to look like the Ballard Design one?  It's like 75% less than the Ballard Designs one!

I want this book.  Has anyone read it?  What did you think?  Do you do anything suggested in the book?

We played this game at Bible study last week and I LOVED it!  So fun!  My favorite morning radio show- Bob and the Showgram also plays this game every week.  I want it!

 A co-worker at my old job told me about this bar in downtown Raleigh and said they had the best Mojito she had ever had (probably my most favorite drink ever!).  Today I got this email from them...how yummy do these drinks sound?

Come join us for some special anniversary drinks today. We have a keg of Sexual Chocolate from Foothills, First Frost from Fullsteam, and sparkling cider on tap from McRitchie. We will also have a strawberry infused gimlet on special to remind us that spring is on the way. And there is some Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon we just got in.

I've been wanting to try this bar for a while.  Would it be too Charlie Sheen of me to go by myself and try out their menu?

Finally...if I ever get super rich I want one of these houses!  My family has been going to Atlantic Beach every year for over 25 years.  This community called Sea Dreams is right down the road from our timeshare and I have been adoring them since I was a kid.  I'm ready for summer!  Anyone else?

On a side note:  I never loved Charlie Sheen, but for the past 2 days I have been on a drug and it's name is Charlie Sheen.  He is freaking hilarious.  I know he's crazy and a past(?) addict, but he just might be a genius because I bet he has doubled his fan base over the last few days.  Someone please give him a reality show.  Duh....winning!  Yes, yes you are my friend...at least in the "get my name out there" way, but I'm willing to bet it is at the sacrifice of your health and family life.  But keep it up because you're entertaining the heck out of me!