Salads and Flats

Lunch today was exactly what I needed.... veggies, good fats, protein, and some carbs!

I made the salad this morning with a layer of grilled cubed chicken, crumbled feta cheese, craisins, 1 Tb of lite Lighthouse Creamy Ranch, 1/2 avocado - cubed, and a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves.

I mixed it all up at my desk and downed a couple glasses of cold water with it. Definitely left me feeling full and satisfied! YUM! The flavors were SO amazing! Craisins pair nicely with fresh avocado, btw!

I had a STUPID moment yesterday and left running shoes out of my gym bag, so I got to the gym, no shoes were to be found?! Luckily, Jimmy altered the rule and said "they're close toe, good enough for me." And I was able to still get in my workout!

Seriously though? Who forgets their NEON pink running shoes? Man, I'm off my game. This was the same outing where I lost one of my pearl earrings. I was just having an off day, apparently! Well, I made a point to GRAB my shoes, and triple checked. Now, let's just hope that I grabbed everything else I need and that I don't lose my earrings... or my mind today.

Flats = classy. Working out = classy.... Flats + Working out = NOT classy

The Pearl That Broke the Camels Back

If you've met me, or interacted with me over a long period of time, you will come to notice 1 constant. Some people wear a wedding ring, some people where a bracelet or necklace. I always wear my pearl stud earrings. Always.

I love pearls. They are a precious gem that come from the ocean and I think they are the most stunning and beautiful thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, if ever I get married, I want a diamond engagement ring. But I plan to wear pearl earrings and string of pearls around my neck for the rest of my life (well, when the day comes that I can AFFORD a strand of pearls, ha!).

I was given my first pair of pearl earrings for my 21st birthday by my generous parents and I NEVER took them off. One day, I got home from classes and realized one was missing. I SCOURED campus and my classes for it, but alas, it was gone. That next year I received a new pair because everyone knows how much they meant to me and how devastated I was to lose the one. Then that pair was stolen about a year or so later. I was crushed, lost sleep and felt like the biggest idiot. I felt like I shouldn't own nice things and it was so out of my control.... I received my current pair of pearls for this last Christmas and I love them more than anything I have ever owned. I'm not a very materialistic person, but I am in love with my pearl earrings. Take away everything but my journals, quilt and pearl earrings. The rest is junk, but those few items are precious to me.

You get to look at the nasty bruise, but here's proof that I had both earrings a day ago. ALWAYS wearing them, even at the gym. They aren't getting stolen AGAIN! NO WAY!

Well last night... after I got home from the gym, I was in the shower, and I was rinsing out the shampoo and I realized... my left earring was gone. I jumped out of the shower, put on a towel and started ripping the apartment to shreds looking for it. I ran down to my car (nearly still in a towel, but I had the sense to put on sweats and a jacket) and tour it apart to no avail. It was gone. I called my gym and told them that if someone turns it in to PLEASE hold on it.

... then I got back to my apartment, and as my sister Rachel will confirm based on our conversations over the phone, I lost it. There are a lot of things going on in my life, and I try to control everything and I'm a bit of a perfectionist. And losing that pearl earring was so out of my control and it just made me realize the other things I was trying to hold too tightly to weren't in my control either. The pearl broke the camels back. And I cracked.

I was sobbing on the phone to my sister, who is a champ for listening to my insanity, and i kept listing all the crap going on or things coming up and then continuously repeating "AND I LOST THE PEARL!" I was a raving lunatic. 100% girl moment. Not classy.

When I woke up this morning after a restless night, I got ready in a flash and booked it out the door to my gym. I was going to find that earring if it killed me. I showed up, and my trainer Jimmy was there. He handed me a makeshift envelope that his co-worker constructed last night with my name on top... inside was my pearl earring. I could have cried. I didn't though. Jimmy just looked at me and seeing the relief he said "oh, so those are REAL pearls." I laughed and smiled.

Pearl earring found, and even though all the other issues still exist, the fact that I have such a precious item back is quite a relief. Now off to tackle the challenges and conquer the world.

TTFN

Houdini Dogs and ChoTime

My roommates dog, Pooter, is freaking Houdini. I don't know how he does it, but he can open the cabinet where we store the garbage can and he gets aaaallll up in it. I have zip-tied that freaking cabinet closed and still, this happens!?

I mean, really?

This popped up on my Twitter yesterday and it could NOT be more true. I snapped a photo and just had to share it. There is seriously nothing more annoying to me than someone who won't take charge of their life and get after what they want. No excuses, you want it? WORK FOR IT!

On a YummyNote.... breakfast this morning was delightful and delicious! I'm obsessed with Chobani yogurt, no surprises there, and I love adding Nature Path's LoveCrunch on top. Try the Strawberry Chobani with a 1/4 cup LoveCrunch, you will die for the flavors! And of course, my trusty whole wheat english muffin on the side!

My ChoTime + LoveCrunch = HEAVEN! yyuuummmmmm

Owie!

Remember how I was going to do Jamie Eason's LiveFit program? Well, I walked into the gym on Day 1 of the program with the intention of doing weights... that failed. I stood there having NO idea what I was doing, what I should be doing, what weights to use, and a whole host of other questions and emotions. I walked away feeling defeated and did my trusty cardio.

After I left the gym, I decided that I wasn't okay with the level of uncertainty I felt when it came to weight rooms and weight training. I decided to hire a personal trainer. Enter Jimmy.

I've been training with Jimmy for nearly 2 weeks now and I am LOVING it! Never have I felt SO incredibly sore and beaten to a pulp. It's fabulous! After I get a better feel for what we're doing and understand the super sets better, I'll actually start posting them, but for now, I'm working on technique and getting over the initial shock of what I'm doing to my body.

Here's a beautiful bruise that I walked away with at the end of this last week. I didn't support the bar on my shoulders like I was supposed to when I was doing squats. The bar wound up resting somewhat on my right bicep and well... that's a no-no, and here's the bruise to prove it.

Isn't it pretty?

Now it's a lovely shade of yellowish greenish purplish grossness. Like beaten unriped banana. Sexy n I know it.

Palm Springs Again

I wanted to show y'all some pictures of our cute little exhibit we had for the convention. The convention we showcased at was for The California Association for the Gifted (CAG). We had the opportunity to promote our Disney Youth Programs and meet lots of principles, teachers, administrators, and parents.

We had some awesome giveaways : giant basket full of Disney stuff, a couple plushes, and a stack of amazing books!

So those are some pictures of our fun "booth." I had a great time answering questions and promoting our programs. It was a great experience and amazing learning opportunity. It was great to be able to take all the things I have learned about our various programs and be able to implement that knowledge!

Next to our booth were two French men, Xavier and Joseph. They were there for "Blue Orange," which is a game company. They gave us a sample of the game "Spot It" on day 1 of the convention. Norma and I kept playing it and loved it, so on day 2 we both bought it. It's REALLY fun! Definitely works the mind!

Palm Springs

I was able to attend a convention this last weekend for work with one of my lovely managers, Norma. The expenses were covered by our department and we were put up in a super awesome hotel... check out my room!

.... I mean, I GUESS it will do.

They had a sweet workout facility that I took advantage of Friday and Saturday night so that I could still get my workout in!

Love my blurry dangerous picture while running on a treadmill of myself in the mirror?

Another thing I loved about this hotel? They had mirrors EVERYWHERE so I could always check myself out and take sexy pictures of my sweatiness!

What, your gym doesn't have a chandelier right outside of it?

Lots of lounging areas surrounded by MORE mirrors!

Old, New, and Those Bastards

Okay.... to start off.... I love the office I work in but my gosh when Tuesday 1pm rolls around....

those bastards.

Are they trying to KILL me!? Donuts, Bagels AND Krispy Kreme!?! What you don't see pictured are also brownies that someone brought in. Why not just incapacitate me now?! Clearly this takes some serious will power to avoid. Some of you may not have a problem when it comes to bready yummies, and may be more the sugar or gummy treats types. For me... it's bread.

I was feeling munchie after seeing the baked goods, and ran downstairs to the cafe and grabbed a bag of Edamame!

Who doesn't love a pile of Edamame shrapnel?

I purchased a BodyBugg from the lovely Lauren because of the annoying plateau I hit and I wanted to track my caloric output more closely so that I could make sure I was creating the correct calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

I'm sexy, right?

The BodyBugg is worn on the back of the upper left arm (on the tricep... or what would be a tricep if I had one!) and I pair mine with the digital display so that I can see how many calories I have burned in the day, and how many steps I have taken so far in the day. My caloric output target per day is 2,400 calories, and my number of steps taken per day target is 10,000 steps .

Thus far, I am LOVING it! I will keep you all updated on it and do a review on it after about a month of use.

Someone in my office asked why I was wearing a BodyBugg, and they were shocked to learn that before they had met me and before I came to work in the office I had lost 40lbs. They didn't really believe me, so I decided to go searching through my old photo albums on my facebook... this is what I found as a good representation.

It's amazing to compare that with....

Still a work in progress but personally... I think there is a difference. Especially in my face and middle. It's shocking to see what I used to look like 40lbs ago, and that I felt "comfortable" at that weight. I can't imagine going back.

On a side note... I'm still training for my 1/2 marathon that is happening in September and I am VERY excited to knock that sucker out! What what!? The other day I realized a very important aspect of the 1/2 marathon that I hadn't thought about yet?!

WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!

I am sure most runners stick to their normal gear, as I will with my shoes... but come on... this is a very auspicious moment in my life and I need to SPARKLE. Literally. I have started to create a list on my phone with ideas on what I will wear. There needs to be BRIGHT colors, lots of glitter, sparkles, and craziness. Any and all ideas are welcome and appreciated.