Zoe-Spired and feeling BoHo

Yeah y'all. I am not feeling inspired. I am feeling Zoe-Spired from today's yesterday's the other day's Zoe Report (sorry this post was intended for Wednesday but I could not finish it due to worrying over weather headed our way and the weather we had already experience that am). I may or may not have shared my undying love and obsession for my favorite fashionista Rachel Zoe on here before but yeah, here goes. 

Today's  "The Big Bangle Theory" = gloriousness. I, of course, love a good statement piece just as much as my sista-in-fashion RZ. Big and chunky bangles are in, accord to the fashion goddess, only wish I could afford the Hermes ones she was referring to. Good thing I love big baubley bracelets. Then she called the bangles as "bangle-icious." I just love her and her rachcabulary.

However this is the part of the report that was the most inspiring to me  "P.S. Want to update your wardrobe with some bohemian flare? Check out these 20 seventies-inspired picks!"

Love the Boho look to the ENTH degree... and all 20 of her 70's style picks!

Gorg like whoa.

Speaking of 70's inspired, Hippie, Boho look... I want feather hair extensions. No, really.

I have been putting them off due to these job interviews... I mean I already work for the company and they are not permanent and IMO no different than hair color, I would never want to step on someone's toes and cost myself a job. Buuuut, this weekend I am going to be at my mom's and the place my sister works at does them and I could get a discount. I won't be back down there until  mid June at the earliest. My sister Hannah has two. They are cute and I think I could hide them for the interview? Ya think?

Hannah has a pink and a blue one.... No not getting bright colors over here. She thinks I should get these peacock ones but I think I just want the plain black and white {striped, I think?} ones. I think having several looks good but I would not take it over the top... 3... 4 max! 

via google images

These are the ones I am considering getting!

I have seen them on several Hollywood starlets as well including Miley Cyrus, Lucy Hale (in PLL), Jennifer Love Hewitt... but my favorite include the one who made them "famous" the hot glittery mess turned my soul-sista, Ke$ha. 

 via google images

 Ke-Dollar Sign- Ha

She and her songs are ridick.  Did you know that she was on Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton's "The Simple Life"? Her family hosted them once. True. When I heard this, I had to verify. Confession: I was obsessed with The Simple Life and have the seasons on DVD {dear goodness, did I just say that aloud?!} . I have "Blow on EVERYone of my running play lists  "Go insane, go insane, throw some glitter make it rain!"

via google images

and of course the precious Selena Gomez, aka my fav disney star. Not just because she dates the Biebs but because she is beyond adorbs. I love her feathers cause its like 3-5 all together and very tasteful.

Speaking of 70's flair... wide leg jeans are so in. I have been waiting for this moment since middle school. to clarify, I have never been a fan of this skinny jean era. I remember I multiple pairs of "bell bottom" jeans circa 4-6th grade and then they kind of just went out of style. I had one with patches, and one with applique ribbons all around the bell and they were the shizzle. I remember, I got them at Sears {shuddddder}. Then I realized the only people in Sears were geriatric and I told my mom we had to start shopping at Limited Too... and stat! So we did and I never looked back at the children's dept of Sears again. That is until a couple years later when Mom finagled her way back into Sears to clothe my younger and much dumber sister Hannah. That's another story... my sister did not care one bit about appearances growing up. Tomboy isn't even the word... more like filth mongrel. She was utterly disgusting as a child. She would have worn a potato sack in public or even worse, worn her school jumper on a weekend. 

This all brings me to saying... how awesome are these?

via google images

The Rachel Zoe 7 for all mankind bell bottoms are fabulous. 

That's saying a lot coming from me cause I don't even care for 7 jeans.

So if you are thinking about channeling your inner Olsen twin... Boho is in! Just keep the bag lady look to the minimal.

roll tide and god bless alabama.

I would love to blog about Kate Middleton's fabulous Sarah Burton for McQueen dress and all the Royal Wedding non-sense. Or even about the NFL Draft and how 4 of my Bama boys got picked first draft and almost set a record. I could ramble on and on about how happy I am Ingram went to the Saints (Who Dat!) and how it put a smile on the face of Tuscaloosa, for just a brief moment amidst all the destruction. But I am not going to blog about those things... but I will... just at a later date. All I want to do is give everyone some information on how to help storm victims. 

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the girls in my sorority was missing. She was found and unfortunately she did not make it through the storm. Her body was found amidst a destroyed apartment. She was in her apartment alone when the storm took her life. I kept thinking to myself... How scared did she feel? What were her last moments like? I could never imagine the terror. The saddest part to me was she was alone. Then I realized, she was not alone. HE was with her the entire time. Comforting her and holding her in his arms! She is one of the 8 confirmed students dead at the U of A.  Another girl confirmed dead was a Phi Mu. Please keep the sisters of Phi Mu in your prayers, too. The injured is still in the hospital and underwent surgery yesterday.

An alumnae of the sorority, who is also a sorority adviser and UA professor. Her family is okay but they lost everything. She has an 8 year old little girl. If you have any little girls clothing size 8, shoes size 12.5 or age appropriate toys/books you would like to send to her let me know. I will get you an address to send the stuff. They are thankful to be here but still in need of assistance. We still have a missing staff member, Ms.Essie. I am praying to hear good news about her today.

The university is encouraging all students to please leave campus and go home. Those in dorms have the option of checking out now and leaving, or returning May 7th to check out and gather belongings. Most of my friends have abandoned their Tuscaloosa homes and sought out comfort at home with family or friends if their family is too far away to drive home.

Due to the tragedies,  my sorority has set up a disaster relief fun to aide members, alums and staff who have suffered losses. You can send monetary donations safely and securely to :

 Gamma Phi Relief Fund

C/o GreekResources Services

PO Box 1880 

Tuscaloosa, AL 35403

Keep praying... Death toll here in Alabama is over 200. 

A lot of scary things are happening. People are starting to loot heavily and break in unoccupied places. How can someone bring more evil into this world when we are surrounded by devastation? The Women's Resource Center in Tuscaloosa is warning all women... if a child comes to you crying and gives you an address to take them home to, DO NOT DO IT. Take the child to the police immediately! A gang is using innocent children to lure women to rape and assault them. 

I am ashamed.

"When you are part of a team, you are not just part of that team on  Saturday afternoons."

- Nick Saban

the aftermath.

Sorry my friends, so many things I could write about. But today I can't bring myself to blog about anything but my aching heart. Y'all know I love Alabama. My home. Alabama The Beautiful. Sweet Home Alabama. They say the stars fell on Alabama. Where the skies are so blue. The namesake of my blog. There is nothing more heart breaking that to see the state you love so much torn to pieces at the mercy of mother nature.

If you watch the national news or television in general, I am sure by now you have seen or at least heard of the the devastating tornadoes that crossed the state of Alabama yesterday, April 26, 2011.

We have had some severe weather the past 2-3 weeks here in central Alabama but nothing can triumph yesterday's storms... a day that will surely go down in history. I have a feeling everyone will remember the April 26, 2011 storms and refer to them for many years just as well all of us remember and refer to the tragic storms of April 8, 1998. 

I live about 30 minutes North of Tuscaloosa. Right between T-town and B'ham. I grew up here, going to Tuscaloosa all the time. I am not talking about going to Tuscaloosa for a football game every now and then {we went and still go to every home game pretty much my whole life} I am talking about ... we regularly go there. 

I went to school there for a while.
Lived there.
Walked the streets.

Breathed the air.
Shopped local businesses.

The storms originated South of Tuscaloosa and gradually made it's way through downtown and to the U of A campus. After it's rampant journey through Tuscaloosa it tore through Birmingham as well. We thought they were headed right to my community, but they went northeast and we suffered minimal damage.

Photo Courtesy of Fox 6

To those of you who may not understand Alabama football or Alabama fans. Tuscaloosa is sacred. A beautiful, historical town dripping with southern charm and full of pride. My dad says there is something in the air down that he can't get enough of.

Before I go further,  please be prepared to pray for Tuscaloosa and the rest of the severely damaged state of Alabama.


From what I have heard and seen, 15th street which is parallel to campus and many student apartment complexes, is completely destroyed. 15th is the location of lots of restaurants students and citizens frequent, I ate at a restaurant on 15th just a couple weeks ago. The corner of 15th and McFarland Boulevard is unrecognizable. The University Mall which is on McFarland suffered damage and supposedly you can stand in the mall parking lot and see Coleman Coliseum. This is a big deal. There were hundreds of houses and businesses obstructing this view before hand. 

 Photo Courtesy of Fox 6

This tornado was strong. Definitely F4 and potentially F5. Winds over 200mph. Diameter 1/2 mile wide.  They are saying Tuscaloosa has not seen a tornado like this one since the 1970's. 

images found via google images

The 2nd picture was taken from a twitvid that went VIRAL last night. You can see the bowl of Bryant Denny Stadium with the tornado lurching in the background. There are so many videos I have seen and posted on my facebook but cannot access them from work.



Dozens of people and students are still missing and unaccounted for including a sorority sister of mine. Another sorority sister was injured during the storm and is in critical condition. Our sorority house staff, Ms.Peggy has damage to her home. Peggy's son, Kel who also worked in our kitchen is missing as well as our house keeper Ms.Essie. My heart is breaking with every word I type. My mom's boyfriend has an elderly mother living in a devastated area and he cannot get in touch with her. 

My dad called to check on his house last night and told me Crystal found a "work order" from a business on 15th street in Tuscaloosa dated yesterday in her yard in Trussville which is an hour and a half from Tuscaloosa.


Since the storm I have gotten constant calls. texts, messages on facebook and twitter from my pledge sisters who are now scattered all across the country and can't fathom the wreck of what use to be Tuscaloosa. So many communities have suffered, not just mine. Pray for Tuscaloosa, Hueytown, Pleasant Grove, Concord, Fultondale, Huntsville and Cullman just to name a few of the Alabama cities currently in a state of disaster. 


Death tolls are rising every minute. 


Amidst all the disaster. There is Bryant Denny, Denny Chimes, Sorority Row, Campus in general... all unscathed. While less than 1/2 mile away, nothing still stands. 


Roll Tide. Those two words are going to be the glue keeping the U of A/Ttown family together. Those two words don't just represent a slogan or chant but a bond the students share, a way of life for the residents and a common ground for the fans.

Yesterday was a long day. I was so tired but last night I couldn't sleep, Tuscaloosa was too heavy on my heart. Pray for my sweet state, the road to recovery is a long one. 


ps. I feel like this post was so scatter brained, sorry.

Old Navy Haul + Target Tuesday

Today has been an interesting day. For the first two HOURS I was at work we had no internet, email, phone, NADDA ZIP NOTHING! Painstakingly grueling and boring. I cleaned my desk, the empty desk next to me, cleaned out some file cabinets with a co-worker, okay you get the point. 

So once the internet got up and running I scurried to my gmail and opened a lovely email from Old Navy claiming to "redeem my last chance offer" here I was thinking I was going to strike jackpot and get like a $100 off coupon. Well, 20% will do. 


So of course I start perusing the site. I have seen a few things I wanted, most of which are now out of stock {the words I truly despise seeing, the bane of my existence}. I then check my bank account {cause I need to see if I can actually afford this stuff} and see I have a new "cashback offer" from oldnavy.com, SCORE! 10% cash back on purchase made through Regions... now before I took this offer I checked how much cash back I would get through eBates (only 2%) so I took full advantage of the Regions one. 

Now this is stuff I needed. My closet is stuffed to the brim yet sooo barren. What in the world did I wear last summer???? So my cart comes to about $50 pre-discount which qualified me for free shipping. Then post discount it was a little over $40 and then I will also get about $4 back in my bank account. 

Here is my small haul which should arrive in 7-9 days {the free shipping takes longer}

Dark Wash Chambray shorts with braided belt purchased for about $13

Dark Wash Chambray skirt with braided belt purchased for about $19

Smocked poplin chemise rang in at a whopping $8

So you can see I have this utter fascination with chambray. I know it's "in" right now... but I am taking this to the extremes. The material is just sooo airy, light and breathable. I for sure have to have a chambray dress for the summer. It would be like a staple and you can dress it so many ways; up, down, casual, etc. My aunt has graciously agreed to let me have a pair of chambray pants of hers and can't wait to wear them to work! Almost wore them today but wanted to take more time to actually plan out the outfit because they are super cute.

 

Then the chemise... NEED x 10. I only wear night gowns/sleep shirts/t-shirts to bed. No bottoms.... can't stand them. They get all wrapped around me and I get hot. So last weekend I realized all I have are long sleeve night shirts and gowns {now I am not talking granny gowns like moo moo's, the cotton ones from VS}. So I decided for the summer, I needed to start collecting some sleeveless light weight ones. I will probably regret only buying one of these at $8. You can't even buy one that cheap at Target theirs are like $15-$20! 

In addition to my Old Navy spend... I am going to link up for Target Tuesday at Fabulous but evil . This is my first time linking up for this but it will be fun. I love me some Target or I mean Tarjhay {makes it sound more upper class}. I got some things in there LAST WEEK and left without all the purchases that I wanted. Well I think in honor of Target Tuesday I am going to go back and get these this afternoon {maybe if I don't get buyer's remorse beforehand}

 

[Please note: I am trying to save money but by not buying frivolous unneeded things which is why I refrained from the HOBO boutique on Rue La La today when they have the mustard yellow Lauren wallet for $49.90. I had this exact wallet and no less than a month after one of my besties mom's gave it to me for Christmas, I had it stolen in NOLA. Breaks. My. Heart. Anywho, these clothes are perfectly acceptable to this spending ban cause I need clothes to wear. Can't be walking down the LV strip next month in my birthday suit]

 

Mossimo Supply Co. Moonshine Shirt

I want this shirt in a bad kind of way. I have actually been having an affair with it for the past month or so. Every time I go by it's rack at Target, I touch it.  It's adorable and although it's not chambray, it's actually denim... it has the chambray look, in my opinion. I think it would look fantastic with a pair of khaki or maybe brown shorts. I tried it on the other day and it was just too cute. They only had 1 in my size left the other day at my local Target. Hopefully it will still be there and maybe be on a sale rack? 

Merona Shirt Waist Dress 

This one is not for funsies. It is for work. My work wardrobe dwindles more and more every week. My clothes are either too big, worn out, winter or I have worn it 1 million times and people are tired of seeing it. I tried this on the other day and it was really cute. 

There you go, my first TT. I could keep mentioning stuff I want cause there is a plenty in the shoe department at Target right now {btw, can't get enough of the Miss Trish for Target. I wear a pair of mine from last summer to work and people go cray cray for them}. I am going to refrain to help me spend less.

 

Weekend Re-Cap.

When I say that I don't do a lot on the weekends. I am being dead serious. I use to always want to go go go and do do do just cause it was the weekend. Now, I cherish the down time. 

Friday, after work and then much dilemma, I went to dinner with my dad. He had been stressing all day over my sisters car being in the shop and them needing some $500 part that they did not have in stock. Thankfully my dad is a man of many connections and his old friend Richard went above and beyond. Their last resort was the Volvo dealership and if they did not have the part it would be Wednesday before the part got it. Thankfully they had it.

When I got home from dinner it was a little after 7 and I went for a run. Let's see... I had not run in two days. So I ran my 1.6 and felt fine, not out of breath or tired just fine. Go home, knock around, watch tv, then go to bed. This is where the problem steps up. Restless Leg. I get in bed and my legs are super sore, wiggly, feel like I am still walking... So I get up and take 3 aspirin. Get back in bed. It continues. I fall asleep then my legs wake me up. Frustrating! Finally my aunt hears me moaning and rustling around and heats up this long bean bag type thing and puts it on my legs. Ahhhh..... Zzzzzz's.

Saturday consisted of cleaning house and Lexie barking at the vacuum cleaner and mop all day. When she was not barking at the cleaning tools she was at the front door barking at the people walking by. During Easter weekend a local church has people walk miles "in Christ' shoes" carrying a wooden cross on wheels upon their shoulders. So of course her ferociousness barked at them. My aunt said "Lexie, hush! Those are church people" and she stopped, returned to the living room and resumed doing this:
 

She really lays like that. Rolls over on her back all on her own and stares at your with those puppy dog eyes. "Peez Scwatch and Wub Mah Belly, Mommee"

I ended up going to Target and the grocery store later on saturday and barely made it out of there cause my lower back was hurting so bad. So I canceled the run.

Easter was great. I went with my family to church and the service was great. Church was super crowded. We came back and had lunch at our house. Of course I got some Easter goodies.... money and clothes and Reese's eggs and York Peppermint Patties. But one little girl had a very good Easter :)

"Did tha Bunny bring dis?"

Two Reese's eggs and a cupcake later I was feeling gluttonous. I gave up sweets for lent and really did not miss them that much but still could not resist a few treats. My aunt was like "Be careful, you haven't had anything like this in 40 days... your body could have a reaction to it." I did... my stomach swelled and I felt like poo. So 2 hours later I got my @$$ off the couch and went for a run. It was painful, not gonna lie. I felt so lethargic but just kept pushing on. I felt this unbearable heaviness at times and even prayed "Dear God, Please let me finish this run without passing out or puking... just let me finish it. I am not a quitter." So then I did and of course felt fabulous. Turns out it was my best time yet! 

The Reese's eggs are going to be out of sight and out of mind for awhile. 2 was enough! Hope everyone had a great Easter

 

Tame my mane

Aside from having decided that I can not afford {literally} to get sick 1 more time in 2011 {I am up to my ears in co-pays and prescriptions. I mean I have health insurance but all those $10 copays and $15 scrips add up! plus all the otc stuff I've been taking} I have spent some decent amounts of time in CVS lately {prefer Walgreen's but there is not one near my house... which is why I go there often on my lunch hour}. Whilst pondering the aisles last week  waiting on my scripts to be finished I found something. 

You see I was needing some shampoo & conditioner badly.  I was planning on trying Fekkai cause I have heard so many wonderful things about it. I have immensely unmanageable {at times} curly and frizzy hair that of course I can't stand {but everyone else looooves. why can't we ever be thankful for what the good Lord gave us?}

Anywho, I was going to get the Fekkai starter kit that has miniatures of the shampoo, condish and hair mask that I saw the other day at Walgreen's. CVS did not have this even amongst the designer shampoos they do carry. So I browsed the ones they did have but was still planning on going to Target to see what they had. Then something caught my eye... it was an interesting shaped bottle... kind of ovalish... bronze colored... I had seen these bottles before... oh what the heck.... just read the label... then I stumbled upon a shampoo made by Organix . 

So I started reading the bottle; "Sulfate and Sodium Free". Score! This was something I had been reading about {sodium and sulfate are harmful to colored hair and strip the color and leave behind residue, also good to keep hair straight}. So then I read further... formaldehyde free. WHAT! They put that stuff that preserves dead animals in shampoo? Kept reading... Keratin proteins {this I knew was great for your hair's health. basically a hair vitamin}. So I grabbed a bottle of  each, the shampoo and condish; Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy.

So I have seen/heard of the Brazilian Keratin therapy before. There are other {more expensive} versions of the product. Also heard of the Brazilian Blowouts and Keratin treatments for relaxation. So I gave it a try. Here is a 4 day observation.

Day 1. Noticeable difference in my post-blow drying hair. I blow it out like with the brush and brush it the whole time but normally it's everywhere. This day it was a lot more smooth and took less time to straighten. Immediate results.  Smells good, too!
Day 2. Again, nice results from blow drying. Straightened suuuper well and then due to the days forecast covered {more that the usual} head with frizz ease hair spray. It was POURING rain in Birmin'ham this day so it was obvi I would have a bad hair day, right? WRONG! Maybe it's because I did not venture out into this stormy weather but my hair stayed smooth all day. On the norm, the humidity at least gets to it on my walks to/from car.
Day 3. Rained a bit throughout the day. Humidity attacked my hair... but it looked ok. I was still satisfied with the prehumidy results
Day 4. Yeah, I think I will keep it :)


Basically... It's AMAZEBALLS. 

A few little notes... It's not a big lathering shampoo. So if you try it don't expect tons of suds. They conditioner is a little different too. It's not like super slimy [only word I could think of]. Much more creamy. Does that even make sense?

Super amped for this new product! 

Look for less: Cara Accessories

How fabulouso are these Cara Accessories bangles?

 I am not gonna lie. I want all the colors. They are all beautiful.
and they are all also $40 a piece {for the large} medium ones are $36 and equally gorg.
Still highly unaffordable for what they are -- painted wooden bangles.  So I moved on...

Until I was in a bored stupor browsing the Forever 21 website and saw the Painted Flowers Bracelet and a buzzer went off.... *ding* ding* ding*! I hit the jackpot and knew I had to blog about this IMMEDIATELY. I did the "Look for less" before about Chaan Lu bracelets here

Ringing in at only $5.80 that is $34.20 cheaper. Go to Hobby Lobby or whatever your local craft or fabric store is called and get some stones and E600 to glue them on with. You can get cheap stones for a couple bucks a bag or at fabric places you can get real ones {which I am almost pos the ones on the Cara bracelets are real}  for a little bit more but it would be worth it to add that extra sparkle. Add a little bit of Do It Yourself to this look for less.

Fashion Friday: Nautical-ish

It's Friday. That means it's time for Fash Friday with Kori at Blonde Episodes. I truly love this link-up because I can always talk some fashion for you. 



Today is going to be a wee bit different cause I only have one thing on my mind... Lilly Pulitzer's Stuffed Shells print. I am not sure how old this print is... I just recently came across it when I bought a frame online in the print. I can't get enough of it. I want anything and everything in this print. I have been in a super nautical mood as of late. 

The Worth Shift in Stuffed Shells {need}

 Roslyn Skirt in Stuffed Shells {need}

Original Tote in Stuffed Shells {want}

Bon Voyage Travel Case in Stuffed Shells {want}

While we're at it... the cruiser in Stuffed Shells as well. {jokes}

Kidding. Sorry,  had to... and NO I would never actually purchase this. Quite ridiculous for a bike. But I could see myself on a cute little bike with a basket. Wait, do I even know how to ride a bike still? Oy vey.

So here I am searching frantically all over the internet to find some pieces in this print. No luck thus far. Nothing on eBay in the print is in my size. I posted on Re-Lilly but have not heard from anyone. Truthfully, I really don't need this right now but I am trying to locate some for when I actually have that cash money to buy it.

Guilty.

I am one of those facebook stalker people. My friend had a bachelorette party this past weekend in NOLA and unfortunately for me I could not go... I could not afford to go {money sucks!}.

So I happen to notice that she had been tagged in some pics. 

So I took a gander... duh

It looked like they had a lot of fun. I was jeal. 


But not nearly jealous of something that one of the girls in the pics was wearing...

There was a girl wearing this dress that was absolutely gorg.

These particular pics were with her high school friends. I don't know them {or I would just message the girl and ask her where she got it or the brand... }

ANYONE recognize this dress??


I have googled every possible combination to find this dress and looked on polyvore. Does anyone know who made it? Can ya help me out?

If I don't find out soon I am going to send this to the Possessionista as a personal request {yeah, I know this doesn't count as celeb wear but maaaaybe she will feel extra nice and help me out}

Anxiously waiting YOUR response.

UPDATE: The split second  I posted this, I found it.

Trina Turk Nomadic Peacock Dress

Gotta have it... too bad it's sold out EVERYWHERE!!! 

Trina Turk Nomadic Peacock Chiara Dress

This one is sold out too. Boo. 

 Sold out as well... grrrrr

And looky what else Trina Turk pulled out of the bag. 

This was actually in stock. Preshhhh.

Gettin' Jiggy With It

yeah, in honor of the jiggles the post title is referring to the Will Smith song "Gettin' Jiggy With It" 


It's Thursday & time to link up with my friends Running Backwards in High Heels
and Mr. & Mrs. Smith  for the Weightloss Challenge aka operation get rid of the jiggles.





I told my weight loss buddies & followers last week how I normally weigh on Fridays, so yeah no #'s today. I have actually decided I want to not post the #'s until the end of the challenge from here on out. I think it will be much more gratifying. I just feel that I do not need to focus so much on what I see on the scale, but what I can see changing in my body. Cause I can't lie and tell you I was dissapointed that I only lost 1lb last week {that is my last number until this is ova!}. At first I was devastated, then pissed off... I walked AND ran a lot {a lot to me is prob a little to some of y'all}  that week {about 8 miles, 4 days at 2 miles a day} and did some other exercising. Oh wells, gotta plateau sometime.

So I am going to start sharing different aspects of the weight loss journey every week. This week it's all about the exercising. GETTING ACTIVE aka neglecting my television rituals. Next week maybe it will be a running/workout play list. 

So far this week I have ran and exercised but not as much as I wanted to {thanks to the cupcakes I made for work}. So I weigh on Fridays so that is also when my "week" begins. Here is a glimpse of my workout regime.

Friday: Epic fail. I wanted to go for a small night run in my mom's neighborhood when I got there but due to tornadic weather, did not make it that night. Went home, vegged out cause I did not feel well, and fell asleep early. Unintentional "Rest" day.

Saturday: Woke up early and drove to my mom's and surprised her. So when I got there I was like ok, let's do it to it. I put on my shoes and ran around her neighborhood which two full laps = a little over a mile. So I only did about 1.3 miles. I made my sister run with me. She did pretty good!

Sunday: I was going to wake up and run but slept late and then went to eat lunch. Then drove home. Another unintentional rest day. Boo. 


Monday: Ran 1.5 miles & did my shake weight

Tuesday: Ran almost 2 {I can't remember exact #} came home and did the shake weight. This night was pretty awesome because after running, I was literally like not out of breath at all for the first time everrrrr.

Wednesday: wanted to run but had to make cupcakes 200 crunches & shake weight


Thursday: I plan on running tonight. This WILL happen. No excuses. 

So the lady I call my "running mentor" aka the woman I babysit for... who told me I could run in the first place after thinking it was impossible, told me and then told my aunt this week that I was really inspiring to her. Jigga what? More like the other way around, shug.That was a pleasant surprise. 


Anywho, I am adding something else to the workout regime... KETTLE BELL. This is the workout that keeps my mom thin {before she started eating Jelly Belly Jelly Beans on a daily basis}. It works your entire core. 

Luckily, my aunt found a box the other day that had not been opened. This is not uncommon in our house. Beyond me I tell ya. I immediately open every package I get. She will keep boxes in the car for like weeks at a time and then finally bring em' inside, open em' and say "oooh forgot I ordered this."


Moving forward... in that box was Kettlenetics with Michelle Khai {profesh choreographer}. It is dance inspired which should be fun. 

Easter Fun and blessings!

{long post... consider yourself warned! please read-on though, meaningful post as well}

We have a thing at work called CSN which stands for "Community Service Non-Stop" {which is similar to our motto "Service Non-Stop"}. You know being the philanthropist and humanitarian I am, I had to get in on this.  We raise money for our charities throughout the year by holding many company wide fund raising events.  We are gearing up for our Cancer Society fundraiser and Relay For Life. We kicked the year off by selling raffle tickets to win a Royal Caribbean cruise back in January at our company meeting. It raised over $900!


We are having a "Cake Walk" today and of course le cupcake connoisseur volunteered to make a couple of batches. So I decided they definitely had to be Easter themed {plus best easter themed wins a prize}. I made 2 batches of chocolate cupcakes with creme cheese icing and decided to decorate each batch differently {double chances to win}. I am not a competitor or anything {pssht. nothing gets me fired up like a good competition}.

Cupcake 1

Topped with toasted coconut and speckled M&M eggs. 

 Sorry, you have to see through the blue cake cover. I did not want to take it off as it is difficult to get back on! I used the yellow & turquoise m&m eggs to look like a little birdy nest.

Cupcake 2

Green Icing, Peep Bunnies and M&M eggs. 

 This one did not turn out as planned :\ Too much icing and I don't think I left it in the freezer long enough to harden. They were so heavy that most of them tipped over night in the container and I had to rearrange once I got to work.

oh wells. still Preshhhhhhhh. 

I love Easter. It makes me think of bunnies and pastels {and Easter baskets loaded with reese's eggs}.

Those things are cute and all but dare not forget the reason for this holiday. Jesus died for all of our sins and on Easter we can celebrate his Resurrection. You {and I} know I am not a perfect person. I have faults. I am a christian. I am a sinner. Constantly working on my relationship with God. I haven't been to confession in 10 years {shudder, forgive me father}.  I am not going to be uber religious or pushy on this blog.  But I like to share faith & feelings.  I am going to attempt to keep the remainder of this post pretty serious {buuut, can't lie that I may or may not throw in a funny or two}.


I use to could talk to you for hours upon end about the scripture {thanks to my education; daily religion class for 10 years, chapel on Wednesday mornings, mass on Friday mornings & Sundays}. Now, I struggle with verses and their meaning.

I have a confession. I told myself I was going to go to Stations of The Cross at least once this Lenten season and I did not. I tried, I really did! But since I don't get off til 5:30 and most stations start at 5 or 5:30... the timing just really did not work out. 

Stations of The Cross also called Way of the Cross or Via Dolorosa {latin and I think this sounds so beautiful espesh the song}  is mainly celebrated by Roman Catholics.  Growing up in a Catholic school, we went to "stations" every Friday during lent. It is a devotional prayer time dedicated to the last hours of Jesus Christ. In Catholic churches if you look around the walls; there are 14 murals or paintings. These each symbolize a station of the cross. The 14 stations include:

1. Jesus is condemned to death

2. Jesus is given his cross

3. Jesus falls for the first time

4. Jesus meets his mother

5. Simon carries the cross

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

7. Jesus falls the second time

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

9. Jesus falls the third time

10. Jesus is stripped of his garments

11. The Crucifixion

12. Jesus dies on the cross

13. Jesus' body is removed from the cross

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb to rest

Just like any other Catholic service there is a lot of kneeling involved. There are little booklets with responses that you read aloud as a congregation at every station. In school, we use to do "live" stations occasionally, where we acted it out. It got a bit *racy* cause the guy who played Jesus got to go shirtless at one point {cue giggles from sheltered adolescent catholic school kids}. I was always Veronica, the one who wiped the face of Jesus and then sees his face imprinted upon the cloth. So of course I am partial to this station. I am going to use this one as an example of a station...

Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.

All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Jesus, suddenly a woman comes out of the crowd. Her name is Veronica. You can see how she cares for you as she takes a cloth and begins to wipe the blood and sweat from your face. She can't do much, but she offers what little help she can.

As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don't step in to help, but I don't help either.

As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don't even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don't reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I'd like to give.

My tender Jesus, Who didst deign to print Thy sacred face upon the cloth with which Veronica wiped the sweat from off Thy brow, print in my soul deep, I pray Thee, the lasting memory of Thy bitter pains.

{insert an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be}

Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.

All: Have mercy on Us.

Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.

All: Amen.

Everyone be BLESSED this Easter. Maybe I will show off my Easter outfit on Monday :)

Haircut + Earrings

Shame on me, I did not even blog about my NEW HAIR CUT {no jagerbombs included} that I got last Thursday. I knew I wanted to go shoulder length, layered and I really had in mind the Chelsea Kane haircut. I decided it was a little too shapely and just told my girl.. kay, I want it to *here* {points to above the shoulders}  and I want to keep layers like *these*  {picked up my pre-existent but longer layers} and I want a bit shorter bang and voila she did it! Oh and she helped me out with my root sitch that comes around every 6 weeks. Girlfriend is good at blonde. Thanks, Reena!

 Okay now it's the end of the day in this iPhone quality picture ... make up is wearing off and getting smudgy... hair getting scruffy... and I am STILL  at work so give a sister a break. I even tried to cover my face up with a heart thing on my comp but no this piece of crap is always delving me some fits. *F* it.  ps. that is my boss' desk right behind me {she is in a meeting} but now some of you might understand why I can't WATCH NETFLIX or catch up on TV shows at work. Ahemmm. *coughshannonshibbymasoncough*

 

I went to a Premiere Jewelry party a couple weeks back and my earrings I ordered came in yesterday. So duh, wore them today! They were called "Pearlicious" and they are. 

I am ready to get out of this office... got the hump day blues & a head ache. I still don't know about the J-O-B either :( ugh!ugh!ugh! Let's hope Thursday brings excellent news! *fingers crossed*