7.19.2011

LSNT! July 19th.

I figured it's been a while since I've done one of these.

1. When is the last time you read the printed paper?
I haven't read read a printed paper in quite some time. I scan through our local paper every once in a while, but that's about it.

2. Who would you rather go on a date with, George Clooney, Brad Pitt or David Beckham?
Justin Timberlake for sure. what?? he's not on the list? disappointing...

3. Do you like to cook? Do you have a specialty dish?
I don't mind it that much, really, I'm just too lazy to do it. the one dish that I can cook pretty well would have to be our family recipe for tuna casserole. it's super easy but delicious.

4. If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I've always wanted to visit Italy. no particular reason...

5. If you’re married, do you see yourself married to the same person for the rest of your life? If you’re not married, do you see yourself getting married?
I would hope to get married someday. it would be kind of sad if I don't...

6. What is your favorite time of the day?
I don't think I have a favorite time of day...it all seems the same to me. there's not certain time that happens every day that I'm just totally psyched for. 


don't forget to click the link below to join in on the fun!

7.18.2011

i heart fashion: nail color of month: July

I'm a big fan of nail colors. I may not paint my nails very often, but I don't like wearing the same color all the time. since my career strips me of showing personality through clothing, nails are the next second things to be creative with. so I often paint my nails to match my mood, the season, and my likes. (on a side note: my toenails will always have color on them. for some reason, I think toenails with no color look completely freakish and unattractive. so if I don't paint my fingernails all the time, I will at least take the time to paint my toenails.)

which leads me to another new series: nail color of the month! (which will be a sub series of "i heart fashion" which will be a series I can share all my favorite fashion items and post things I just adore.) I get an email updates from Glamour magazine quite often and every month they pick their "nail color of the month." very seldom do I agree though because their colors never seem to be in the right season for me or match the mood of our area. but I also think they're on the east coast. so consider this is a west coast version.

I know July is almost over, but it's never too late to change the look of your nails. and I'm not sure how the weather is where you've been, but here in Miami/Mesa, Arizona it's been quite odd. One day it's nearing 115 degrees and sunny and the next it's cloudy and threatening to rain. typical monsoon weather I suppose, but usually our monsoon seasons hit around August/September. so to me, it's been an unusual month. so the color I picked for this month is a nice soft blue, it's Essie's "Lapis of Luxury". 

it kind of reminds me of gloomy-ish days while still being optimistic of pool time. I usually like bright colors for the summer, but I think this is a nice summer color without being too in your face, since that's how I've been feeling here in AZ lately. like today, bright sunny, hot as hell, and then BAM! rain and thunder. 

What do you guys think of my first nail color pick of the month?

7.14.2011

Living Well: Introduction and Portions

I'm not sure if it's the season or the realization of the importance of health, but people all around me are taking more time to take care of themselves these days. and although I may not be working out every day like I feel like I should, I am trying to work out at least 3 times a week. sure I want to lose the pudgy gut I have, but I mainly just want to get a head start on my health. I see people all around with health problems due to their weight. I don't like the doctor and I don't like being sick, so if I can avoid having issues in the future, I'm a happy camper.

let's face it: our society is an unhealthy, overweight society. (I'm not saying everyone of course.) our society thrives on its ability to make things easier, more convenient, tastier, which in turn, becomes less healthy for us. we feel like we have no choice but to go through the drive thru for that Breakfast Jack when we're late and on the go. and we feel like we don't have time to exercise regularly. that's simply not true. there's things we can incorporate into our lives to keep us healthy and not disturb our busy world. we need to realize that it's ok to take a few extra moments for our health. because a few extra moments now could give you a few extra years later. (deep I know.)

so I'm starting a "Living Well" series. I am by NO means a health expert. I'm very guilty of fast/junk food addictions. but I am a real person trying to be healthy and I want to share my tips and observations along the way. these are merely ideas/suggestions. you may or may not see the same results.

my department held a 3-month long Weight Loss Challenge to try to encourage our coworkers to get in shape. Chris ended up winning the challenge (and a whopping $384!!) along with the satisfaction of losing a total of 30.7 pounds! he lost 12 pounds in the first week!! Even though Chris blew everyone else out of the park, the rest of my coworkers are excited to try the challenge again (not during the summer and without Chris). Rex (my new boss) even suggested they work out together at the gym. it's nice to see people motivating each other to get into a healthy shape. the timing was bad for this go around with the monsoons requiring more work and stress, so I'm looking forward to the next go around.

my dad has also joined a weight loss challenge at his work. this one is only for a month, but my dad already lost 15 pounds in the first week! his challenge is still ongoing but I'm ecstatic to see my dad taking a step to be healthier.

so what are their big secrets? how in the world did they lose so many pounds in the first week alone? I'm assuming you're curious. well, the main change I saw that they both incorporated into their lives was smaller portions. that's it. instead of piling food so high on your plate and getting seconds (and even thirds) they just controlled their portions. they stopped eating when they were full. I'm not saying to skip meals. eat every meal like you normally would, just eat less. don't get to the point where you feel stuffed and uncomfortable. if you can lose over 10 pounds in a week just by eating smaller portions*, imagine what you can lose when you combine that with exercise!



*of course I cannot guarantee that you will see the same results.

7.12.2011

yes, I'm still alive...

just to quickly summarize the basics of what has gone on in my life since my last post:

  1. my boss left the company and ended up screwing me over by not teaching me anything.
  2. I celebrated the victory of the Dallas Mavericks waay too much and hopefully never again.
  3. my baby, Pepper, turned one year old.
  4. we bought an elliptical.
  5. my best friend from tucson, Roy, and his pregnant wife moved in with us for the summer.
  6. Chris and I started couples counselling again with a different counsellor.
  7. I know how to tend a vegetable/fruit garden.
  8. I learned how to bake zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, and zucchini muffins.
  9. I can put my hair up in a high ponytail (I joined my cousin, aunt, and mom in the challenge of growing our hair out for Locks of Love).
  10. I've become convinced that someone stole my camera from my office (or I just really misplaced it).
  11. I bought a new camera.
  12. saw the new Transformers movie. (AWESOME!)
  13. got a new cell phone.
  14. Chris and I have been fighting less and getting along more.
  15. Chris won a weight-loss challenge we were doing at work and contributed a big chunk of money to my birthday trip (see below).
so basically not a whole lot has changed. and although I probably could scrounge up enough thoughts and opinions to write a post, I just have not had the time to do so. since my boss left and I have assumed his responsibilities, my work days are more stressful and exhausting. and I try to be as productive and efficient as I can during my 4-5 hours of time at home after work by either baking (due to the operpopulation of zucchinis from my parents' garden), working out (I've got to get to my "San Diego body"!), or trying to get some rest.

due to the fact that Chris chose to ignore my birthday last year, he's insisting we take a week-long trip during the week of my birthday. we have plenty of PTO to burn so I'm not gonna say no. initially I wanted to go to Seattle but I'm starting to think about other possibilities. we bought a time share a few years back (before we even graduated college! talk about irresponsibility and impulsive buying!) so we might use that to go somewhere more exotic. who knows. 

I'm going to try to blog more often and not just about random things going on in my life, because I feel like that gets pretty boring. so I have to restructure my thought process to have a more interesting and helpful blog. something that people can relate to. relationship issues. growing up. working full-time. music. family. opinions. something people will want to read. that's my goal.