Random Adventures

So the other day, Stephen and I had to go to the dealership to have our ( new) car checked out. (Did I mention we have a new car! Cause we do... YAY!) 

This dealership is like half an hour away from our house. Which is annoying, but livable. I mean, its not like I have to drive to the moon or anything. (I hate driving to the moon. It takes forever to get there, and there isn't much too look at.) But it was still a ways away. 

Well, on the way home Stephen said, "Hey look!" And suddenly veered off the road onto this little road that was surrounded by sand drifts. In some places you could hardly see the road for the sand. I was glad we had all wheel drive. After driving for a mile or so there was finally a little place to pull off to the side and park the car.

Now, it was a windy day. But you don't realize how windy until you are on the beach. It was WINDY.

But we still decided to have fun. In this little bay there were all sorts of boats docked, and a huge group (herd? flock? gaggle? family?) of sea otters just lounging around and playing.

We walked down the road and up a huge sand dune to see the ocean. I would have taken a picture, but it was so windy I coud hardly breathe, and the sand was flying everywhere and so it was more or less going to completely ruin electronics out there by the open sea. It was INSANE! But a ton of fun! I have never seen such angry and crazy water before....

Any whoo, here are some pictures of our adventure.

Aren't we cute?!

I feel like I am trying to pull of a "skater" look here or something. But it was just THAT windy!

View from inside the car

Another awesome hair moment

It was a nice little day together. It was a good way to kick off the weekend too because we went from our little beach adventure to seeing Men In Black 3 (highly recommend seeing it. I laughed so hard).

A lesson well learned

In my extensive years as a gourmet cook.


Let's try that again.

Ahem.

In my many years of trying to be domestic.


Bother.

So, we all know that I've been trying this whole cooking thing. (Y'all know that. Right?) Well here is something I have learned that will not change your life. It probably won't rock your world. But it is good to know nevertheless.

So, here it is.

So Stephen and I went out and did errands today. We got home late, so I decided to do something quick for dinner. The answer, ravioli!

However, the water wasn't boiling fast enough (the whole watched pot thing...) So I resorted to what every home should have: an well otter pop stocked freezer.

So I was eating my popsicle when it came time to taste the spaghetti sauce. Only problem was, my popsicle was pink.

Why was this a problem? Well, for one it was a popsicle. My mouth was all cold. My poor tastebuds were frozen! I couldn't really taste much. And when I did, it tasted like pink otter pop.

Pink otter pop and spagetti sauce do not mix. At all.

Yuck.

So the lesson learned: maybe go with a different popsicle flavor when trying to stave off hunger. Or just don't mix popsicles with Italian food.

Dinner did taste pretty great though. Gotta love me som ravioli!

Adjusting

Hey guys.

I know it's been a while.

Again.

Sorry about that.

You see, I've been having trouble adjusting. You'd think that I would have this whole adjusting thing down. In fact, with the many moves and changes in my life you would think that I was quite the pro at adjusting.

I'm not. And it's hard to admit it through my clenched grin-and-bear-it toothy grimace-for-a-grin.

So many things hit me so quickly! Finals, Stephen's graduation, moving (I had one day to pack my house, and I spent the entire day with the stomach flu. It was a day of disasters and miracles. A day that seemed to be half me throwing up, half filled with incredible people and 3/4 filled with exhaustion.), unpacking and getting the worst chest cold I've ever had.

But you know what, I am with my husband once again.

You heard me.

STEPHEN IS HOME!

And, in the end, I guess it's all totally worth it. Sure I am in a new city that seems to always be cold. But the views are great! The beach is five minutes away! (only a crazier-person-than-me would attempt to get in that water though. It's so cold it'd freeze a corn dog right out of the fryer.)

Yeah I don't know anyone yet. But that's ok. I like new people. I'll make friends!

And sure, I'm a wee bit bored. I don't have a job and Stephen works all day. My house has never been cleaner. And I get to work on my creative endeavors (whatever they are...)

And! I get to be with my husband once again.

I can't tell you how incredible it is to actually know that at the end of the day, my husband is going to be walking through our door. Or that I don't have to worry about saying goodbye soon. He is here to stay! And I no longer have to sleep with one eye open in case anything happens in the night. I can fall asleep in the arms of the man who has promised to love and protect me for the rest of eternity. I will never again take for granted the security that comes from knowing that he is only 15 minutes away.

So, if you have the chance, go make sure you aren't taking the one person who makes the world go round for granted. You have them now. And you may have them forever. But you never know how long they will be in your present. So make enough memories now to last for the future, and build a past that can help you through whatever tomorrow might hold. You have today to say I love you, and forever to remember how it felt when you were embraced in their arms as they said, "I love you too."

A Wonderful Breakthrough (After a Streak of Bad Karma)

Wonderful things have happened lately! (And I mean wonderful!) And it's about time too.... I was having a streak of rather rotten luck (car in the shop for a few days, several injuries, an incredibly traumatic dentist appointment... I could go on. But I will not depress you).

To be perfectly honest with you, I was beginning to think I had permanently broken my karma. I did not want to be the girl with the perma-bad-karma. It doesn't sound good, it doesn't look good and it certainly doesn't feel good.

Thankfully, I think its on the up and up!

You see, after several weeks of working and writing and thinking and re-thinking I have created a website that is taking off! I love it. It is awesome. Check it out: http://www.thethriftstorefashionista.com/

But that isn't the only good news, I think I have broken though a barrier of thinking that has been holding me back. Lately I have spent a lot of time reading inspirational literature, meditating, writing in my journal and practicing a mind frame of positiveness (apparently "positivity" is not a recognized word, I've been using it for years!). So what has changed?

Quite a lot. I have become a lot more accepting of myself (no where near perfect but a lot better than I was). And Saturday morning something happened. I woke up and wanted to go for a run. This is strange. Usually I have to force myself to go running. But this time I actually wanted to run.

How unusual!

I think the fact that it was sunny and things were blooming outside so invitingly really helped. I am a fair-weather runner. Running in snow is not a good thing. Running in a cold wind is also not a good thing. Running in sunshine? That is an excellent thing (I think getting a good tan is high on my list of motivators when it comes to running...)

But the real, big, awesome, HUGE change? I wanted to run for the fun of it!!!! AH! I wasn't running to feel skinnier or to feel better about myself. I wasn't running so I could eat dessert (I would eat it anyways...). I was running because it gives me this wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Because it made me feel good. Because I really like those happy endorphins.

How wonderful!

Monday rolled around and it happened again! This running for the fun of it thing was catching. And I loved it. And I pushed myself harder than if I was running for weight loss. I pushed myself because I loved the feeling of overcoming my own perceived threshold.

It doesn't get better than that.

So I invite you all to rethink why you exercise. Maybe it'll be easier with the right motivation behind it. It is certainly easier for me!

(This could also be called the post with a lot of parenthetical comments. But, then again, I make a lot of parenthetical comments in every post...)

Icky Pretzels

It's funny how a simple idea can be all consuming.... You see, I have this awesome idea in the works. It is almost finished and it has been taking up quite a bit of my time. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

But in the meantime I have let my little posts here fall by the wayside. And I have had all sorts of things to talk about! Thinks like the Humane Society and how important animal rescue and adoption is to me.

Things like the miracle that is Caramel and Chocolate.

Things like learning more about myself and pushing my own boundaries to discover what I believe about life, love and "getting by".

Things like my cat's ability to open the kitty treats (coolest thing ever... until she opened them without me noticing and ate pretty much the whole bottle and then threw up later. TMI?)

And things like partially dislocating my shoulder, jamming my foot and spraining my ankle and how frustrating the timing of that was... you know, since it is finally warm enough for me to want to exercise (something about cold weather makes me quite sluggish. I hate the cold).

But did I write about any of them? No. No I did not. So... there is a glimpse of what you would have known had I been more dedicated.

Oh well. Life goes on.

You'll live, right?

So what important topic shall I talk about it? Well I will talk about Pretzels (of course).

You see, I hate them.

Pretzels are awful. They are disgusting. Unless they are covered in caramel and chocolate (wonderful thing caramel and chocolate) I don't want to eat them. They are icky.

I can't explain it. You see, I have a bag of chex mix here at work and I am offering everyone the pretzels (and a few of the other things). And I keep getting some strange looks.... Do you ever wish you could just buy things without a certain ingredient? Like chex mix without pretzels. Or trail mix with extra M&Ms. (Extra marshmallows in your Lucky Charms anyone?!)

Maybe, someday, I will outgrow my aversion to pretzels... until then I will just make my husband eat any that come my way. He is sweet and accommodating that way.

The Many, Many, Many Verisons of... My Hair.

I really like hair. But only the hair on my head. Hair everywhere else should just stop existing. (Wouldn't that be convenient?!)

Here is my problem: I have hair ADHD.

In the last eighteen months alone I have gone through many, many hairstyles and colors. My in-laws are always surprised that my hair is different for every big family gathering. My family has stopped commenting. I think they are a little too used to it (if you know what I mean).

The funny thing is that for years I didn't touch my hair. I let it grow out and highlighted it once to twice a  year. It was a thing of beauty. I miss it terribly.

My first steps into the world of constantly changing hair was dying it red. I loved it! And then, from there, I have chopped off inches, grown it a bit and chopped it again. I have had extensions, taken them out, put them back in and taken them out.

I have come to a conclusion though... I want my beautiful long hair back. Unlike some women, my hair doesn't get all stringy and unattractive when it is long. My hair is something I have always loved and been proud of.

But, since developing hair ADHD this decision to grow my hair out has been a bit harder to keep then I would like to admit. I keep on wanting to do something to it. Anything.

It's stupid.

And it is probably fueled by the fact that I am at an awkward hair length. I have some awesome bangs, and my hair looks great in a pony tail! But if I leave it down I have the very strong feeling that it looks like I am sporting a feminine mullet.

I am not ok with this.

I have an appointment a week from Thursday. We'll see what happens between now and then. I hate wearing my hair the same way over and over and over again, so the pony tail is getting pretty old. And I am thinking it is time to go darker again...

On another note, my husband has cast his vote on his favorite hairstyle and he is definitely a fan of my long, dark hair. And, thankfully, so am I. I just hope my hair will just hurry up and grow. Like... yesterday.

Any ways, Here is a gallery of my many hairstyles over the past few years. Enjoy!

And, of course, you can always let me know what you like best! (Or just give me lots of encouragement to JUST LET IT GROW OUT ALREADY!)

Summer 2008

Fall 2008

Spring 2009

Summer 2009

Winter 2009

Spring 2010

Early Fall 2010

Summer 2010

Late Fall 2010

Spring 2011

Summer 2011

Fall 2011

Current Hairstyle

But nothing tops THIS hairstyle. Nothing.

When a New Pair of Jeans is Not a Good Thing

Ready for some honesty people? We're talking straight from the heart, raw as raw can be honesty. And I apologize if this seems to be an ongoing theme with me... But if you bear with me maybe it'll be a wee bit different than usual.

Yesterday I had to do the unthinkable: I bought a new pair of jeans. While this is usually cause for happiness (what girl doesn't love new clothes?!) it was a moment of sincere, utter heart-break. Why you ask?

I'll tell you.

I had to buy a pair of bigger jeans. In October I really hit the working out thing hard. I was consistent. I pushed myself, and by the end of November I was looking damn good. I had never been in such good shape. I had to buy new smaller jeans at the time because none of mine fit. I gleefully gave all the too-big jeans away, celebrating the fact that I was going to work my hardest to never need them again.

Then came Christmas. I had two weeks with my husband and then he left, and when he left depression set up camp. My schedule changed and it was harder to work out at night. It was nearly impossible to get up in the morning and work out as well. I did try, but not my hardest. I let excuse after excuse crowd its way into my head, pushing all of my good intentions out the door.

I feebly tried to work out every day, but soon it turned into twice a week, then once a week. Then once every two weeks. And suddenly, March comes and there are days when I can forsake forgiving sweatshirts, sweaters and vests for short sleeve shirts. I had been putting on my jeans more and more reluctantly, in denial that a muffin top was well on its way and then finally here. But when I pulled on my favorite pair of skinny jeans and looked in the mirror, I found myself in tears.

I yelled at my closet, furious that my clothes didn't fit. I tore off the jeans and cursed them for shrinking in the washer. I sobbed in frustration at the unfairness of the world. Just a few months ago I was at the top of my game. And now... Now I was an irrational mess worse off than when I started trying six months ago.

I hope not many people have gotten to this point. It isn't a pretty place. I was supposed to go to a family St Patrick's Day party, but I was almost ready to lock myself in my room and not come out because I didn't look good in  anything!

I can't remember when I have ever been so crushed in all my life.

And so, I took myself to the thrift store to buy some new jeans. I refused to invest any real money in them because they were only temporary. I would not be trapped in them long. I would be back in my adorable clothes in no time.

But if I was going to do that, it was finally time to take a good, hard, long look at myself and see where the issues really lie. What was it that put me into this never ending cycle of trying, giving up, crying, trying, giving up, crying.... I want it to stop. NOW.

Here is what I realized: I don't want to get skinny, fit and toned to fit anyone elses' idea of what is beautiful. I do want to be my best for my husband, but that sweet man has made it perfectly clear he likes me just the way I am. So why am I so desperate to be in shape?

I want to be in shape for these reasons: Because I know I can! I am disappointing myself because I know I can. It is well within my reach, but I seem to fall short every single time I try. It is how I am supposed to be. Not because the media demands it, but because I demand it. I wasn't born to be dissatisfied with how I look. And I know I should accept myself the way I am, and I am trying. But the truth is, I know I can do more. And, frankly, I am not delivering.

Another reason? I just want to wear my clothes!!!! I want to go shopping and not absolutely dread going into the dressing room. I want to be able to pull off just about every style.

And, of course, I just want to be healthy.

So I am not doing this for anyone else but myself.  And dagnabit I am going to do it! I have a plan brewing. A plan that involves one of the wonderful people in my life helping me out. I have come to the point where I am ready to ask for help. And I have been blessed with a wonderful support system. I will probably fall on my face a few more times, but that isn't going to stop me from trying.

I know I can do better, and I will.