walkie talkie

I apologize for my sporadic posting habits. I dislike that I go for a week or more without posting. Sometimes I have stuff to write but not enough hours in a day. Other times I am free as a bird with nada to say. C'est la vie.

www.nataliedee.com

This is what Anonymous commented on my last post:

why do you never blog anymore? i know you're busy.. so if you're too busy to blog why not just get rid of it?

Here’s my multipart answer:

1. I work on a computer all day, so my body doesn’t want to sit down for an hour (or longer) and write a post when I get home. I’d rather be kickboxing, running, hanging with friends — you get the point. But, sometimes I do feel like curling up with my computer, and that's when I post.


2. It’s my blog and I do what I want. I write this thingy more for myself than for all of you. It’s an outlet that allows me to project my excitement/frustration/jubilance/self-pity/etc. My journalism background is not being utilized in my current job, so this is one of my only opportunities to write. If y’all enjoy reading my quasi-diary, too, go ahead — snoop around :)


3. No matter if I post something new every day or every six months, why would I get rid of a venue where someone could find inspiration or motivation for his or her own healthy lifestyle? I know it was helpful to relate to others in the blogworld when I began to take control of my life. Heck, it still is!


4. Why comment as Anonymous? Your questions were legitimate and I’m not easily offended, so please share your name next time. Love ya!

Wow. Explanations over.

I’m gonna be a walking machine this weekend and I’m pumped about it! I’ll be grooving my bod AND helping some great causes.

Saturday morning I’ll be trekking the 5-mile Walk for Animals. I’m the co-captain of Applause for Paws — our team that, as of right now, has raised $1,110 for the Animal Humane Society! Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!! Many MANY thanks to any of you generous donors who also read this :)

Sunday morning I’ll be walking 6.5 miles with CBK Team Hope 2010 at Walk MS. My team has raised nearly $10,000! That’s a lot of money in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society! Warms your heart that there are so many giving people out there, doesn’t it?

Also ... I told Alexa a while ago that I wanted to be part of her Sunday walking group, and I reeeeeeaaalllyy want to attend the inaugural walk on Sunday evening, but I’m not sure my leggies will be up for it. Como Lake is my favorite place to walk/run, and we’re only doing one 1.5-mile lap, so I should go. I’ll leave the decision to my gams, though. If you’re in the area, you should hit up the group! There are so many lakes to stroll around in the Twin Cities, and the schedule’s already been made for you. I’m sure it’ll be a pretty sweet group of peeps, too :) Check out the deets HERE.

Tonight I’m going to be Dining Out for Life — an annual fundraising event that raises money for AIDS service organizations. This event takes place in more than 55 cities nationwide. According to the DOFL website:

More than 3,500 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special night of dining to the licensed agency in their city. Nearly $4 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of agencies throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $1,000, all money raised in these cities stays there.

I’ll be at Azia in Minneapolis tonight, and they will donate 35% of our bill to The Aliveness Project, a local nonprofit organization that provides on-site meals, food shelf and other supportive services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Check out if restaurants in your area are taking part HERE! Thursday, April 29, 2010 only!

WARNING FOR THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT MY POSTING FREQUENCY: I will definitely not be blabbing about anything new until after the weekend. I’ll will (eventually?) tell you all about my walks, though, and I still need to share my adventures in Mexico!

Be love.

craptastic.

first off, i love you all :) just wanted to share my love.

secondly, no mexxx recap today for the following reasons:

yesterday after work i'm transferring pics from my camera to my computer. we're talking nearly 450 pictures from early-february through mid-april. i took the time to eliminate the red eyes and such from all the pre-mexico pictures and then created a facebook album. i was halfway through tagging my friends and captioning the 75 photos when my internet crapped out. awesome. no i hadn't saved.

kinda frustrating, but i just went back in and started over. as i hit the halfway point again, i saved and then proceeded. JUST as i got to the end of tagging and captioning, ye olde virus from a couple of months ago reared its ugly head. come on! i thought that crap was history.


i putzed around the comp a little more to try and stop it, but i knew in my heart of hearts it was already too late :( my computer-savvy coworkerfriend matt talked me down from the ledge and we agreed that matt would take a look at my infected laptop at work today. (well, last night it would have been tomorrow, but you get it.)

i still needed to purchase veggies for the next day's carrot club at work, so i headed out. i drove all the way there, started walking into the store and realized something pretty important. i literally said to myself aloud in the parking lot, "crap. your wallet's in your other purse."


i gritted my teeth, hopped back in the car and tried to stay cool while i drove all the way home to pick up my wallet. all the while, i was thinking about why this happened. because i know why and it sucks.

i talked to my mom on the phone after the computer virus reappeared and we weren't even talking about the computer anymore — we were talking about eating dinner — and then i started getting snotty about gaining a few pounds over the past few weeks. my mom hadn't done anything wrong, but i misdirected my frustrations at her and then left the conversation feeling completely crappy.

and then the wallet thing happened. all because i was snotty at my mom for no reason. karma's a b.

anyway, i drove back to the grocery store, purchased my veggies and headed home. but where did i stop before arriving at my homestead? little caesar's. riiiiight. because THAT'S what i needed. well, it WAS approaching 10 pm and i had yet to eat dinner, but little caesar's? really? as great as pizza and crazy bread was going to taste at the time, i knew i'd be pissed about it afterward. and i was this morning when i stepped on the scale. just another crappy thing to add to the list.

matt worked on my computer today and got rid of the nastiness, buuuuut we also thought that two months ago. he talked to some other geeks (and i mean that as endearingly as possible), and they have seen this virus before and know it's likely gotten so deep in my system that it's prob necessary to reformat and start my computer from scratch. grr.


i know i wrote in february that i'd be backing up all the files on my computer ... but i never did. this living on borrowed time sure leads to a downward spiral. i'm gonna hit up best buy tonight and scoop an external harddrive with a 10%-off coupon i just got (hollaaaaa), so at least that's a positive. i'll still need to fork over the dough (which i'm not pumped about after having already spent bookoo bucks on my vacay), but the money-saving will be a reward. and i've gotta do it. oh, and i'll prob need to buy new antivirus software because obviously mine is acting less than awesome.

transferring files will be time-consuming, and i have a ton of other things i'd rather be doing, such as cleaning, enjoying the weather or doing pretty much anything else. but i suppose i have a bunch of recorded tv shows i can watch during the process.

one more thing i'm not happy about: i'm not running the 5K tomorrow that i had planned. i just can't do it. well, i know i CAN do it, but i've decided not to. i haven't been running lately, and when i have, i've been getting sideaches that i haven't figured out. i also don't want to pay the registration fee. and lastly, i just don't want to wake up that early since i haven't been sleeping well for the past couple of weeks. i feel like i'm letting myself down, and i hate that.

meanwhile, boys are stupid, my apartment is too small and my google reader shows 1000+ unread items.

i can say one thing for sure: i am SO pumped for kickboxing tonight. it'd better be a tough class because i need to punch out my frustrations.

note: all photos from this entry are from nataliedee.com, my absolute favorite site.
it's sure to bring a smile even on the crappiest days.

¡Hola!

i can almost still feel the ocean breeze.
i miss you, puerto vallarta.

lo siento, mis amigos. it's been three weeks since my last post, and that is ridics. BUT i have an excuse. i was superbusy before mexico, and then i was in mexico, and i've had a lot to do in the past 44 hours since i've been back. but here i am now!!!

thanks for the few emails and comments saying that you missed me. that was just so cute, and i felt really bad for not hopping on the computer sooner.

and i feel bad again because this post is kinda a sham. i just wanted to shoot y'all a line and let you know that i'm alive and i'll be writing a REAL post tonight. don't hate me! your patience will be rewarded with some sweet pics and stories :)

here are some teasers for the time being!

gorgeous view from our favorite place: bar los burros
yep, that's a pirate ship.

happy/dorky pic before my first time snorkling
(i can't help giggling when i look at it!)

i've missed you, my loves! come back soon for my legit mexxx post :) ¡adios!

yogging

Readers of this fine blog often ask me how tall I am, and sometimes I'll answer in the comments or with a personal email. That's pretty silly of me, I realized, because I'm not sure how many people actually go back and read the comments section of a post after they comment. (I know I don't on other blogs.) Also, an email only gives the answer to that particular reader.

So here it is, folks. My height ...

www.nataliedee.com

5 feet 5 1/2 inches!

Exciting, I know. And not freakishly tall ... but I had you goin' for a second, right?

I calculated my BMI today and then crunched the numbers for what it was before I lost weight. (Thanks for the idea, Mama Laughlin!) Using my height and today's weight of 145, I am happily rockin' a 23.76 BMI, putting me in the Normal Weight category. Hollaaaaa! I'm healthy :) ME! Feels darn good.

Just think, I had a 35.92 BMI when I decided to improve my lifestyle. I was in the Obese Class 2 category. My risk of weight-related health problems and even death was SEVERE. Yikes yikes yikes. Scary. Not a good place to be. So happy I'll never be there again!

I don't think BMI ranges should be your only basis for healthiness, but I do find them to be a helpful guide. What do you think?

I'm thinking about going for a run after work. I kind of want to, but I kind of want to just take it easy before going to Alia's for dinner and Vampire Diaries. (That's right. I admit it. I watch that show.) HOWEVER, now that I think about it, I really NEED to go for a run because I have a 5K coming up in only a little more than three weeks!

I randomly jogged 3.1ish miles a couple of weeks ago, but when I went for a jog a week ago I I started walking after only a mile. I think it was just due to boredom, though, because it's not like my legs or lungs hurt. I'm gonna push myself today after work. Decided. No getting bored and walking.

Here's my run/walk schedule for the next few months:

• April 17: Challenge Obesity 5K run (Charities Challenge)
• May 1: Five-mile Walk for Animals (Animal Humane Society)
  Check out my page within team Applause for Paws! (shameless plug) http://tinyurl.com/yc3ke9w
• June 26: Time to Fly 5K run (Children's Cancer Research Fund)
  

Geesh, I've got my work cut out for me! But it's all worth it because they are fab causes :) Yay for helping people and animals!

Goals

1. My goal for the April 5K is to finish without walking. Keepin' it simple.
2. The five-mile walk in May will be a piece of cake compared to the 5Ks, so my goal isn't fitness-related. My goal is to raise at least $500 for my favorite cause, the Animal Humane Society.
3. My goal for the June 5K is to increase my speed. I'm not going to set an exact how-much-faster speed, but faster than my 33:47 from my first 5K last year.
   

www.nataliedee.com

Here's another reason why I should run after work: I have three, count 'em, THREE birthday's to celebrate this weekend. Party in the MSP!

Tomorrow evening I'll be celebrating the lovely Jennifer's birthday, which was actually yesterday. We're going downtown ... so drinks will be consumed and much fun will be had by all. Saturday afternoon I'm going to Dave & Buster's for Michelle's golden bday. I've never been there before, but I'm thinking I'll just be extra intense while playing the games and I'll burn some extra cals. (Kidding ... kind of.) And I'm not sure what we're doing Saturday evening for Leah's birthday, but it'll prob involve food and/or drinkies. Thanks for being born, my friends! Love y'all.

I've already made plans to attend Rollerdome on Sunday because I love rollerskating ... and I'll need to work off Friday and Saturday's funtimes :) And then I have dinner Sunday evening with the gals before the Michael Bublé concert. THE FUN NEVER ENDS!!!

Also, Twin Cities peeps, don't forget about the Open House with free stuff and drawings this Saturday. I'll be there for a little bit! Read more about it HERE in case you missed the deets.

And now it's time for me to peace out.

Open House in the Twin Cities!

So you know how I'm pretty into kickboxing? I've boasted about it here and here and here and here, so I don't see how you couldn't :)

I'm whipping up this post before tonight's class, and I'm excited to go. I had kinda a drab Monday and could really use it. You see, if I'm tired or in a bad mood before class, I still go and then VOILA! I'm energized and happy.

Some might say the same thing about working out in general, but that's not always true for me. I can enter the gym for a treadmill-and-weights workout and exit with the same crappy mood. Kickboxing's different. It doesn't feel like a workout! Well, my muscles would beg to differ, but what I mean is that it's so fun you don't dread it.

Do you have a particular workout about which you feel the same way? Hollaback and maybe I'll give that a shot, too. Any exercise that puts me in a good mood and doesn't feel like work is A-OK in my book.

ATTN: TWIN CITIANS

There's going to be an open house from 12-4 PM this Saturday, March 27, at my kung-fu studio (151 Silver Lake Road, New Brighton)!

But wait! There's more! This open house isn't just for American Kung-fu Studio, but it's also for Style 151, Tan I Am, and Mind, Body, Sole. Man oh man, this open house combines some of my favorite things: kickboxing, massages, getting my hair done, tanning, and freebies! Sounds like a great time. You really should go! (I'm talking to you, Mpls/St Paulies and Liz who lives in New Brighton.)

Here's the schedule for the day:

12-1:00 PM
chair massage; chiropractic exam; paraffin hand wax/foot bath detox; qigong healing

1-1:30 PM
kung Fu & self-defense demos

1:30-2:30 PM
chair massage; chiropractic exam; paraffin hand wax/foot bath detox; qigong healing

2:30-3:00 PM
kung Fu & self-defense demos

3:00-4:00 PM
chair massage; chiropractic exam; paraffin hand wax/foot bath detox; qigong healing

Along with free product samples and snacks, you can enter to win:

• 1 month free kickboxing or youth kung fu
• free hair product/$25 gift certificate at Style 151
• free month unlimited tans/free ultra bronz
• free bottle of tan lotion

I'm going to try my best to make it there in the early afternoon before hitting up Dave and Buster's for Michelle's birthday. I can't resist free stuff! I know the idea is to get new people into these businesses, but I REALLY want to win the free month of kickboxing :)

So, who's going? Mark it on your calendar now and do it. Kthxbye.

don't stop 'til you get enough

Hey hey hey! I've had a great week since my last post; how about you?? I've worked out 4 of the past 7 days. Go me!!!! Considering I'm usually a three-times-a-week girl, I'm pretty pumped about this.

I'm still doing the kickboxing thang Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I'm lovin' every minute of it. Last night was big night in class. I GOT MY GLOVES!

In January I started off with bare hands, then after a week or two I stepped it up to some hand weights kinda like these.
And last night my instructor gave me my new weighted gloves! Woot woot!

I felt like a real part of the class once I switched from socks to my sweet black PUMAs, but now I'm REALLY real. I was punching harder than before, but let me tell you, they are A LOT hotter than the other weights. It was hotter than usual in the studio last night anyway (think sauna), and I was a sweatmonster. Sexy, I know, and soooo worth it. I'm seeing some arm muscles, my legs look better, I look thinner, and I FEEL stronger. It's amazing.

Onto my next whimsical adventure: Roller skating.

That's right, roller SKATING. No blades for this girl. I just don't like 'em. My parents bought me some inline skates in fourth grade, and I skated around the driveway that summer, but I just never really liked doing it.

Then last year Michelle invited me to Rollerdome at the Metrodome. We thought we'd have a choice to rent roller skates or blades, but that was false. It's sponsored by Rollerblade, after all, so blades are it.

Last March at Rollerdome (~173 lbs, btw)

I fell three times in about 1.5 hours. (Not bad for not doing it for 15 years, right? Haha just agree with me.) It was fun, but I was reminded that inline skates aren't for me.

So this year I bought a couple of Groupons for discounted Rollerdome. I knew I didn't really want to rent Rollerblades again, so I hit the interwebs and tried to find out who sells roller skates. Dick's Sporting Goods had a bunch online and, surprisingly, so did Target. I popped into the stores only to find that they don't stock them in store. And why would they?? Seriously, who roller skates?

Well, I do :) I went to Roller Garden, an indoor rink in St. Louis Park, and made my big purchase.

Take a look at these beauties!

I took them out for their inaugural run on Saturday at Rollerdome. Didn't fall once! I'm not fast or anything, but I REALLY enjoyed it. Michelle and I skated about 7 miles, and we're gonna do it again Sunday. Come on out if you live in the Cities!

Last Saturday at Rollerdome. (30 lbs less than last year!)

Now I just need my own helmet and wrist guards so I can venture outside on my own. Man, I'm gonna be the coolest kid in St. Paul this summer! Oh, roller skating, my new love :)

And now for something that totally surprised me.

It was GORGEOUS outside on Sunday, yet I had inside plans with friends. I got home around 7pm, threw on some workout clothes, and headed outside ... for a run! I figured out that I hadn't run outside in 4 or 5 months, let alone run at all. It had probably been 2 or 3 months since I'd hit the treadmill.

The conditions were perfect: The temp had cooled to the 50s, the sun was setting, there was a slight breeze, I was in a pretty great mood, my iPod was reading my mind. I didn't even walk first like I used to. I just started running. And then I couldn't stop!

I used mapmyrun.com when I got home and I had run 3.12 miles. HOLY CRAP, I'VE STILL GOT IT! That's a 5K, my friends. Thank you, kickboxing, for making me strong enough to handle an impromptu run! I'm thinking about hitting up my old Como Lake run this evening for funsies. (I hope stalkers don't read this.)

My regular workouts have finally kicked in, by the way. I started my kickboxing routine at the beginning of January and weighed 149-150. This morning I saw the lowest number I've seen in 10 years. 142.4 lbs. Wowza. (That means I'm down 76.8 lbs. Can't believe it.) I am hoping to be 139 by April 7 when I go to Mexico. Wasn't sure I would really do it, but now I know I will!!!!

What a great day :) Be love.

show me your teeth

hello hello, lovas! i seriously don't know how other bloggers post once a day (or more!). i find it difficult to post once a week, for cryin' out loud. i'm a busy gal ... and i simply don't have interesting stuff to ramble about all the time — believe it or not. to those of you who stick with me even though i post so sporadically, i salute you! (apparently i have 545 followers on google reader. whaaa? seriously?? neat :) speak up so we can be friends!)

www.nataliedee.com

so i had a dentist appt one month ago today. it was my first checkup/exam/cleaning thing in three years. yeah, i know. i don't like that i waited that long either, but i didn't have dental insurance until recently. excuses excuses.

anyway, i was worried. growing up, i had always been cavity-prone and the hygienist would always tell me about how my gums were no good. i brushed a lot, but i'd still get a cavity a year (or at least it seemed like that).

my senior year of high school was the low point. i was drinking maybe three 20-oz bottles of regular pepsi a day for about half the year. i was brushing my teeth a couple of times a day, but when dental exam time came around — seven cavities. that's what liquid satan will do to your teeth! not to mention the problems with caffeine i still have to this day and the stupid amount of empty calories i was ingesting.

i rarely drink the stuff anymore. i generally keep it to a possible mixed drink on the weekend, a special treat with lunch once or twice a month, or fountain cherry pepsi at the movies (which is also a rare occasion and fountain cherry pepsi is sooooo gooooooood). even then i opt for diet, although i know the drawbacks to fake sugar, too. long story short (too late): water is my homeboy!

but back to my most recent checkup. the dentist and hygienist could not believe i hadn't been to the dentist in three years — in a good way! my gums are fabulous. my teeth are sparkly white. i didn't have any cavities!!!! and apparently my teeth have very long roots, which the dentist and hygenist repeatedly complimented (thanks ... i grew them myself). the only probs i have are that some of my old fillings need to be repaired due to usual wear and tear and a newfound clenching problem i seem to have inherited. (thanks, mom.)

i still brush my teeth a couple of times a day. i've used a manual toothbrush all my life, but will be switching to an electric one soon. i admit that i don't floss every day, but i do it often. i only use a fluoride mouthwash when i happen to think of it (sooo it's pretty rare).

why are my teeth and gums suddenly superb??
what's changed???

my diet. that's right. my diet improved the quality of my teeth and gums.

the fact that i rarely drink sugary carbonated beverages anymore is a HUGE part of it! i've heard that your teeth are under attack for at least 30 minutes after sipping the stuff. not 30 minutes from your last sip, but from the time you begin drinking until 30 minutes after you finish the can/bottle/glass/whatever. if you like to draw out the time it takes you to drink each serving, that's a long time of tooth attack!!! moral: just don't drink the stuff, but if you choose to, get your fix and move on.

i also REALLY think that my gums improved because i eat more nutritiously now. since i decided to take control of my health 22 months ago, i eat more nutritiously and try to keep the junkier foods to a minimum. i began to focus even more on the nutritional aspects of food when i stopped eating meat 13.5 months ago. i eat so many more vegetables, fruit and whole foods now that my entire body has become more efficient and healthier — even my gums!

alright. enough about oral hygiene. just smile and share your love today, ok?!

ps did anyone notice i never used the words "pop" or "soda" until now? i personally use both words interchangeably, but i know some people (ahem, you know who you are) feel strongly about one or the other.

Always I Feel Like a Nut

My computer is back in action! (Thanks a billion trillion to Matt.) But more importantly, today is National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day!!! So, in essence, it’s National ME Day (as if every day wasn’t already).

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/

In case you didn’t already know, my favorite food is peanut butter toast. Love it love it love it. Wanna marry it. Fo’ realz. Had peanut butter and banana toast twice last week for dinner, as a matter of fact. (I’m single; I do what I want.)

Aside from PB on toast, I really don’t use it for anything else. Of course there’s always PBJ sandies, but I prefer the crunch of toast to untoasted bread. Sometimes I’ll throw some strawberry jelly on my pb toast if I’m feelin’ crazy. I know a lot of people put PB in their oatmeal, but I’ve yet to go there. Oh! I LOVED peanut butter on English muffins when I was little, but again that’s a lot like pb toast … considering I toasted the muffins. I don’t much care for celery, but I could stand it with some pb slathered in the crevasse. No ants on a log for me, though, because I’m not a huge raisin fan unless they’re in cookies … but that’s another show.

Any peanut butter foods you think I NEED to try? Throw ’em at me.

I’ve tried many peanut butters in my day, but my fav is good ol’ creamy (not a crunchy girl) Jif. My mom was a choosy one, so I always find my way back to this tried and true friend. I purchased Natural Jif once because it was on sale, and here’s my review: meh. I could take it or leave it. I mean, I finished the jar, and the lower sugar content was nice, I suppose, but it wasn’t the taste that I long for.

Sometimes I think you just need to go for the real deal if you really like a food, otherwise you’ll compensate for the missing flavor by doing something bad. For instance, I think I used to put on MORE of the natural pb because I wanted MORE flavor. I should have just used the regular serving size of the sweeter stuff for, as it turns out, less calories. Lesson learned.

I found out it was National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day right before I left for work. I was already running a tad late, so there was no time for making pb toast at home or scooping a serving size of pb into a little dish to bring to work. How handy was it that I got a single-serving, 90-cal packet of Barney Butter at the PriorFatGirl and Future PriorFatGirl Get-together this past Saturday!??! Barney Butter is almond butter, not peanut, but close enough, and I’ve always wanted to try it. I grabbed the packet and two pieces of 40-cal Village Hearth 12-grain bread and rushed out the door.

I utilized the toaster in my little work pantry for the first time then spread some Barney Butter goodness onto the slices. Verdict: Yum and simple!

I just saw that you can order 24 of these single-serving packets for less than $10 on Amazon. Not too shabby. Especially because it’s sooooo easy to go overboard on nut butters straight from the jar. (FYI Barney Butter also comes in jars, but I couldn't find it around Minnesota. At Woodman's in Wisconsin, though!) Almond butter is a nice alternative to peanut butter (attn: peanut-allergy friends), so if you haven’t tried it, go for it! Ah food is so fun :)

You might think you know how peanut butter is made, but I just found out the real way.

www.nataliedee.com

Baaahahahahaaa. A Natalie Dee comic strikes again. Surprise!

Enjoy the rest of the holiday. Celebrate all week like I probably will. Love!

my motherboard, my self

sorry i haven't posted in a week. i went back to wisco for morgan's birthday this weekend and have since discovered that my computer has a virus. a yucky one. one that's made my 'puter unusable. my mind instantly flashed to that episode of sex and the city where carrie's computer crashes and everyone keeps asking her when the last time she backed up her work was.

her answer was "um ... i don't do that." mine's the same.

however, unlike her fatal computer situ, mine will turn out fine. eventually. a friend is actually working on it right now. slowly but surely my pretty (PRODUCT) RED­™ laptop will be fixed. fingers crossed.

speaking of computers, apparently feb 12 was national clean out your computer day. i missed the memo. i could have gotten rid of the junk in my laptop trunk. i will definitely be doing that once i get my 'puter back.

and you know what i'll be doing with all my important files?? back back back it up. i encourage you to do the same.

prob won't do another post until i get my baby back :( until then, live well and be love.

ok ok, one more thing. tonight i'm going with a friend to her very first ww meeting! yaaaaay! you only get one body and you'd better take care of it. simple as that, right? right ;) i'm excited for my friend to be motivated enough to lose a few lbs and keep them off ... and maybe it'll kick me into high gear to lose my last 10 lbs before mexxx.

Phat Tuesday

I initially typed the title “Fat Tuesday” but abruptly halted and (in my head) waved my diva finger and said, “Nuh uh! I don’t think so!”

I’m not a fatty today. I feel great. I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza on Sunday. Yep, I ate it, but not even close to the whole thing. I’m in control! (Also, I’m totally out of my funk. It was only a one-day stint. Phew.) I rocked kickboxing last night, and I woke up feeling fit and healthy.

Do you ever have those days? I’m SO happy to finally be in a place where I wake up feeling fit and healthy most days. I encounter a couple of blah days a month, but, come on, I’m a woman. We have blah/fat/lovehandly/lessthanperfect days — be them in our head or not.

Anyway, today is not Fat Tuesday. It’s PHAT Tuesday!

Pretty Hot And Tempting indeed! Let’s work it, ladies and gents! Flaunt that sexay swagger. Smile just because you’re wonderful — and it’ll make people wonder what’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours. Actually believe that compliment someone gives you instead of brushing it off. You’re here another day; embrace it! You are amazing. You are PHAT :)

Seriously, I cannot believe I just wrote a post centered around that word. If I don’t amuse you, at least I amuse myself!

Things I thought were neat today:

This article, including recipes, about one of my favorite fruits — the avocado! It’s not just about guacamole anymore … although guac makes me superduper happy. Clicky HERE to read.

This article about Kevin Smith (probably most well-known as playing Silent Bob) getting kicked off an airplane Saturday because they deemed him “too fat to fly.” There’s lots o’ drama surrounding this topic, and I very much enjoy Kevin Smith, soooo clicky HERE to read.

This article about Minnesota potholes. There are haikus. Seriously. Clicky HERE to read.

Peace, love and phat Tuesday to y’all!

happy pizza day to me

I weighed myself this morning, and, to my surprise, I weigh 145.6!!! That's the lightest I've seen in a month or so.

So why do I have the urge to order a pizza and breadsticks all for myself?

It could be the fact that I drank a beer (or four) last night and I'm craving greasy wonderfulness. Or that I'm just lying around bored today (but should be cleaning). Or that it's Valentine's Day and I'm feeling sad for my single self.

I'm a strong, confident woman who doesn't need a man in order to be happy.

But it doesn't hurt.

I'm not usually one to have pity parties about my lack of a boyfriend. I know that I'm young and I have plenty of time. It'll just happen when it happens. No big deal.

But I've fallen victim to the stupid Valentine's Day crapola. I've told myself it doesn't matter. I know I'll be over it as soon as I click "Publish Post."

It would just be really nice to hug a boy today. There's one boy in particular who I'd like to hug, but that's not gonna happen. He's probably bad for me anyway (but that's another issue entirely).

But back to the pizza. Evidently I still have the urge to feed my emotions with food. I never said my eating habits are perfect! I don't think eating like this every once in a while will hurt, just as long as it doesn't turn into a habit.

And it won't. I've worked too hard. I've come so far.

I guess it just illustrates the importance of letting yourself indulge every once in awhile. That's what makes this a realistic lifestyle. And it's not like I'll eat the entire pizza.

Or will I ..... muahahahahaaaaaa

Winner Winner Clementine Dinner!

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/

I lived in Wisconsin for 18 years and Minnesota for more than 7, so WHY on EARTH am I surprised at how cold it is every winter? I mean, I KNOW it’s cold outside, and I SEE the frigid temps on the bank signs as I’m driving, but I’m only fully aware of the temperature during the couple-minute walk into work. I actually talk to myself for the last 30 seconds or so of the walk to keep my mind off it. That must be a sight.

You know what’ll help me get through the winter? THAT FACT THAT I’M GOING TO MEXICO IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS! Jealous.

According to my calendar, one of the 10 things to be happy about today is “your desktop background.” How astute of my little page-a-day friend! My desktop is a picture of my Mexican vacay spot!


It’s where I went in April 2008 and where I’ll be exactly two years later — and (hopefully) 75-80 pounds lighter. Puerto Vallarta won’t even know what hit it!


And now, without further ado, the winners of the California Cuties!!!

Lea
Mary @ The Future Welterweight Champion of the World
ptg @ Destination: Athlete
Quix @ adjustedreality.com
sunflowerramos

Winners, please email me your address by Saturday afternoon so your coupons can be sent to you in a jiff!

Thanks for playing! Have a superduper day, loves!

why don't you put it on the blog?

January was a lucky month for me. I won THREE blog giveaways! (Sorry for hogging. I stopped entering once I got on a roll.) I should do another one of my own soon to pay it forward. By the way, have you entered my Cuties giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 pm; get a move on!


My first prize was the book How It All Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. I used to read Becki’s old blog, but when she decided to transition into veganism, she started a fresh new blog — new VEGANnings. When Becki sent me the book, she also sent me some vegan bath soaps as a congrats for hitting my WW goal. What a sweetie! Although I haven’t tried any of the recipes from the book yet, I’m totally pumped to do so. I’ve just been too busy lately for new kitchen adventures. Soon soon.

My second prize was a HUGE box of Salba Smart products that I won from Christy at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Haven’t heard of Salba Smart products before? I hadn’t either! But I am SO glad that I did. The stats on Salba seeds are astounding.

(Kinda blurry, but I think you get it.)

So far I’ve tried both the organic yellow and blue corn tortilla chips and the medium salsa. EVERYTHING ROCKS! Just as I love chips with flax seeds, I love these products with Salba seeds. There’s just more depth of flavor. Nutty. That’s the word I was looking for. So good. If these products are sold in stores near you, BUY THEM. You won’t regret it.

The third prize I won last month was a SuperSampler Pack of Vitalicious wonderfulness — 20 VitaTops and 4 VitaBrownies. Jealous?!?!? I know I’m jealous of myself for winning them. Thank you, Heather from Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, for hosting such a fab contest! I LOVE VitaTops. Banana Nut is my favorite flavor, but I also really like CranBran. Oh, who am I kidding? I love all the breakfast flavors! The chocolate ones are good (especially warmed up), but I’m definitely partial to the breakfasty ones. I just found out tonight that Banana Nut is sold at my Super Target. HOODIE HOO!

I can’t forget something else huge. I adopted my Norman one year ago! Not only did he become Edwyn’s BFF, but he made me an official cat lady. Seriously, I had two cats at 24 years old. I’m not ashamed of it anymore because I make crazy cat ladyness look gooooood :)

Here’s my little loverpie:

Speaking of cats, I got the CUTEST email the other day from The Black Kitteh. If you don’t follow Tail of Two Kittehs, you should. These Kittehs’ posts make me smile every day. But anyway — the email. (I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m sharing this with y’all, but it made my day!!!)

Thanks so much! Love love love the kittehs.

Before I go, here are some clicktastic links you MUST check out:

• My Cuties giveaway ends soon! (5pm Tuesday) Click HERE to enter.
• The spots for the PriorFatGirl and Future PriorFatGirl Get-together are almost filled, but not quite! If you wanna join the fun, check the deets HERE.
• I was featured last week on ThatsFit.com!!! Click HERE and enjoy :)
  
  I’ll announce the five Cuties winners on Wednesday. Until then, be love.
  
  PS This post’s title comes from Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s my jam this week.