The Jogging Chronicles

To keep up with my athletic goal of running a 5K this year, I've been regularly visiting a local park in which to train. It was suggested by a fitness guru and friend that in order to keep up my endurance I needed to strengthen my leg muscles. Here's some background information about myself: I walk crooked, therefore I jog crooked, I've had exercise induced asthma since I was in middle school, I have a rather large handicap (hint: it's attached to my chest), and ultimately I'm trying to build more muscle tone.


That being said, I'm going to chronicle my progress, experiences, and results (mental and physical). I'm going to get painfully honest about how I'm feeling, whether it's embarrassing or not. For instance, at the start of this training I could only run a quarter mile before getting winded. That's kinda embarrassing. Maybe you can run infinitely longer than this (maybe you can't) but either way, a goal's a goal. For those who aren't aware, a 5K is over 3 miles....so, obviously I have a long way to go.


There are a few things I must have when jalking (my intervals of jogging/walking): my iphone/ipod and headphones, my new Garmin GPS watch, my inhaler, and gum. On really humid days, I have to swing by the car between laps and take a swig off my rescue inhaler (yes, embarrassing!). I've also come to realize I perform better if I chew gum while jalking, because it clears my nose, mentholates my gums, and keeps me from getting dry mouth. It really works! Try this tip if jogging is difficult for you. My GPS watch allows me to record my route and my time. Very helpful right now as I'm trying to perform quicker each time I complete the route. Lastly, my awesome 'fitness mix' that keeps my heart rate up and pushes me to complete that last bit of distance when I just want to quit. This personal concoction of items are what's keeping me from dropping dead on the trail.


Currently, I'm training 2-3 times a week with an average of at least ten miles. It's really all dependent on the weather, as I prefer to jog outside versus jogging on a treadmill at the hospital gym. The reason? It's extremely difficult to jog on a moving object when my legs are crooked and don't jog straight. It's really my worst enemy, so ex-nay the treadmill. As long as it's not raining and at least 50 degrees, you'll find me at the park after work. So, stayed tuned as I whip my butt in shape!!

Accurate representation :)

Extreme Makeover: Living Room Edition

About three weeks ago, Rob and I decided to redesign the living room to a more feng shui environment; a room where we could congregate with friends, relax, and actually live. At least that's what I wanted, so fast forward to tonight and the room is pretty much complete, except for a few odds and ends (ie. art to hang and more collectibles to showcase on our new twin bookcases). 

BEFORE

Firstly, here are some "before" photos of the living room. Notice how the living room and dining room are one conjoined room, but it was originally designed with the sofa dividing these two spaces. The gigantic entertainment center drew your eye immediately. It was much too large for the small space provided for a living room, but a great, solid wood piece that we eventually moved upstairs into the man cave. Originally, the soaring walls were an unpainted, bland white, but I didn't have photos before we started painting the fireplace. Everything else was pretty unremarkable: a couch that ate you when you sat down, a tan and red rug you couldn't vacuum (or the threads would pull), a brown leather recliner, some decorative red pillows, and a walnut colored coffee table and end table.

I'm standing in the dining room looking into the living room. The front door is to the left of the entertainment center.

View of the fireplace, the sofa, and the decorative red accents

The gi-normous entertainment center, a view of the front door, and the entryway table

The gas fireplace and hanging art

AFTER

Firstly, we painted the walls "Toasted Cashew" from Home Depot. This created more of a difference than I ever could have imagined. Second, no one even knew we had a huge window behind the gargantuan entertainment set!! This lets in a huge amount of light, which is much-needed in a middle condo unit. We also mounted the 50" Samsung flat screen TV above the fireplace to better utilize the space. Then, we bought a new taupe colored sofa and love seat (courtesy of American Signature) along with two matching espresso colored bookcases. I purchased a snazzy area rug (courtesy of Overstock.com), and decorative pillows and curtains (courtesy of Walmart). Rob purchased an espresso colored coffee table with two end tables, and a beautiful mantle to mount above the fireplace. And the end result....VIOLA!!!!

The gorgeous new living room!

Sofa/love seat, and a view of the front door.

Mounted TV and twin bookcases flanking the fireplace. We still need to register for some canvases to hang.

Aerial view of the room up to the edge of the dining room

Brown/Blue curtain panels

The brown leather recliner, bookshelf, and collectibles

My beautiful area rug :)

The view!

I decided to go with a neutral earth tone palate utilizing the browns and blues and every shade in between. I really love everything about the room now, and spend so much more time in it. The carpet is also being replaced throughout the entire condo in a couple weeks. More changes, more to love :) So, what do you think? Feel free to share!

Valentine's Day and What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope everyone felt some kind of love yesterday, cause I sure did. Here's what I'm loving on Valentine's Day and this Wednesday.

I'm loving these awesome flip flops Rob got me from the Island Slipper. When Rob and I were in Grand Cayman we found these Hawaiian flip flops, but decided to order them directly from the website. And it's a good thing we did, as it was much cheaper. They're made of a washable Ultrasuede material with a memory foam-like insole, so it's also super comfortable and contoured to your foot.

I loved having my diamond studs upgraded to big, beautiful, and FABULOUS. I wear my studs almost everyday, so definitely a nice Valentine's Day present that will get plenty of use.

I'm also loving the new furniture Rob and I just purchased at American Signature (aka Value City Furniture. Does anyone even like their new store title? I sure don't). We are completely redoing the living room (before and after pictures to come soon!) by adding new paint, new furniture, new accessories, new window treatments, and a new layout design. We are also redesigning the spare bedroom and the man cave/office/work-out room upstairs. Stay tuned for updates and photos! In the meantime, check out our first purchase together as a couple!

Gorgeous couch and love seat in taupe

And we ordered two of these modern bookshelves to flank the fireplace. Super chic, sophisticated, and snazzy!

I'm loving this new Garmin GPS watch my boss found in the woods and decided to give to me. It can calculate the distance traveled and route taken by GPS, and also monitor your heart rate. Pretty spiffy and FREE!



Kinda big, but I asked for one for Christmas and didn't get it. So, this is just PERFECT!

Lastly, I'm very much loving and looking forward to tonight's V-Day dinner celebration at the Melting Pot. It's one of Rob and my's favorite restaurants and I've been eating light all day so I can go crazy on the garlic cheddar cheese fondue :D YUM!

I love Valentine's Day!!

What are you loving this Wednesday? 

Cruisin' the Caribbean

Rob and I just got back from our Caribbean cruise and it was a BLAST! Here's a quick rundown of the ups and downs of our travels.

Itinerary: seven day cruise to the western Caribbean, including ports to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Roatan, and Costa Maya.

Cruise Specifics: Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Cruises

Weather: high 80s during the day, 70s at night

Planned Excursions: Stingray encounter, Caving, and Catamaran Sail & Snorkling

Most Anticipated Activity: besides relaxing? Probably exploring the cave in Cozumel

Cruise Highlight: the Hot Glass Show onboard where they made awesome blown glass pieces into vases, bowls, and decorative goblets.

Cruise Downer: a screaming baby in the stateroom next door every morning, noon, and night for the first two days (the thing never slept or ate...only cried like someone was torturing it...the parents looked kinda sketchy, so it's possible).

Best Souvenir Bought: Cool scraps of trash metal made into butterfly designs (in Roatan).

Scariest Moment: snorkeling in Roatan when something bumped up against me. On a scared scale, I went from 0 to 10 thinking it was a shark. I even peed on the oblivious snorkeler I was so terrified...Ooops.

Best Moment: Spending a care-free week with my fiance :) and robbing the casino blind!! Cash money baby!!

Worst Moment(s): Missing our kitties at home

Funniest Moment: seeing Rob's face as he interacted with the stingrays for the first time. Priceless!

Best show onboard: Aside from the Hot Glass Show, there was a really funny comedian/magician who did everything wrong and just had me laughing the whole time.

Best Money Spent: the caving tour was AWESOME! The deep tissue spa massage was fabulous ;-) and $5 in Cozumel to play with monkeys

Worst Money Spent: $40 for "professional" photos of our stingray encounter. I got way better photos than the photographer.

Love me some monkeys :)

Fabulous cruise line

Snorkeling off the coast of Roatan

Catamaran sail in rough waters

Spelunking in Cozumel

Too much fun!

Absolutely amazing experience!

His face is PRICELESS!

Overall, the cruise was an absolute success and I highly recommend all of these excursions if you visit these ports. And, definitely see a Hot Glass Show if you sail with Celebrity cruises!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's hump day, and I can't convey how excited I am the week is almost over. Let's discuss what I'm loving this Wednesday:

This past weekend, I attended the Pink Bridal Show in Knoxville to get some ideas for my upcoming wedding (275 days peeps!). While perusing the various tables, I came across Things Remembered booth and they were engraving these personalized silver keychains. By far, the coolest thing being given away at the show and something I'm very proud to be carrying around.

Our wedding date!

I'm also loving this book I finished yesterday called Hunger Games. It's phenomenal, and a definite hard-to-put-down kind of book. It's the first in a series of three stories surrounding post-apocalyptic North America and Olympic-type "games" to the death broadcast for all the inhabitants to watch. I won't give anything away for others who might want to read this story, but never have I been so intrigued with a book before. Read it!



And now I'm onto the second book :)



I'm really loving the new 3D Vizio TV Rob picked up last night for the soon-to-be man cave. Last night, I got to sample Saw 2 in 3D (GROSS!), and Call of Duty on the PS3 (AWESOME!) with those snazzy glasses. Definitely interesting. The first movie I could think of I wanted to see in 3D was Finding Nemo. Weird? I think not.



I wonder what porn would look like ;)



Lastly, I'm loving the fact that in less than 10 days I'll be cruising the Caribbean with Rob taking a mental break from reality. I'll be lounging so much I hope the most my brain has to worry about is what room service or tropical drink to order. YAY for vacations with Rob!

The gorgeous Celebrity Solstice

So, what are you loving this Wednesday?

New Rules for the New Year

Happy New Year everyone!! With the new year comes new resolutions, and for someone who doesn't like to make or keep resolutions, I've decided instead to commit to some new 2012 goals.

Goal #1: Count Your Blessings

Starting now, I hope to wake up feeling refreshed and fall soundly asleep knowing how blessed I am. What's not to be thankful for? I have an amazing fiance, I have two wonderful families who love me (Rob's and mine), I have my health, the health of my families, I have friends, I have a wonderful home, a fantastic job, and all the materialistic items in between (a great car, plenty of clothes, and the list is never ending). I guess my point is I'm not left wanting of anything. I'm completely content with my life, and I need to be thanking my lucky stars (and God!) on a daily basis for how blessed my life has been. All the following goals go hand in hand with realization of being a blessed individual.

Goal #2: Leave the Stress Behind

Last year had it's ups and downs, but from here on out the drama stays in 2011. I have enough going on in my life (HELLO! Planning a wedding in less than 9 1/2 months. AHH!) that I don't need any additional bumps in the road. December was pretty chaotic in all aspects for me, and I've decided I'm done with the worrying, I'm done with the stress, and I'm done with anyone that wants to cause it. See ya, Bah-bye! This goal goes hand in hand with Goal #1. Leave the stress behind because in the end does it even really matter?

Goal #3: Push Yourself to New Heights

So far, I've been able to complete any goal I've set and this makes me very proud of all I've accomplished thus far:

*Educational goals? A bachelors degree, CHECK!

*Financial goals? To be debt free (minus the car), CHECK!

*Career goals? Certified at an awesome job, CHECK!

*Relationship goals? I got Rob ;), DOUBLE CHECK!

I guess my point again refers to Goal #1. Look at all I have to be thankful for! Life is Good! For 2012 I'm striving to push myself to new heights, and I want to make an athletic goal to run a 5K. Nothing huge or impossible, but a goal still the same. Enough of this redundant 'jalking' (that's code for intervals of jogging/walking), time to get serious and run some distance. I may even blog about my experiences, and how big boobs, asthma, and just being plain out of shape are holding me back.

This is what I look like in my dreams :)

Goal #4: Continually Challenge your Brain

This goal is an easy one for someone who likes to read, but I like to read fiction. Like, as Rob calls them, Vampire Smut books. HAHA! I can't help it they're so entertaining, and I don't ever plan to give up reading my Kresley Cole books. It's bubble gum for the brain!But, I plan to do a lot more non-fiction reading, you know, books that matter (like New York Times bestsellers) that will keep my brain awake and focused on important subjects or literature. I usually only read two "serious" books a year, because they take so much out of me. Last year, I read Jodi Piccolt's House Rules and My Sister's Keeper, and Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. Anyone who has read this books would agree the topics are so serious, so depressing, and so agonizing you would want to spread them apart as much as possible. Late last year, I joined the Zeta Book Worm club and have already started reading Kathryn Stockett's The Help and Marilyn Monroe's Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters. Next, I'll read Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games, which I'm really excited about. So, goal #4 is to wake your brain up, try something new...something that matters, even if it's small like reading material.

The gorgeous and intelligent, Marilyn



Goal #5: Be a Better Person

This is a no-brainer. What goes around comes around. Treat others how you wish to be treated. I continually strive to be a better person, always dynamic and everchanging. This is a goal that can never be fully reached or completed, but that's ok. To always be in a process of being a better person means you will always be the best you can be at the time.

So what are your 2012 resolutions or goals? Feel free to share!

And....One More!

I know I said I wouldn't be writing again until next year, but as you can tell I've changed the look of my blog. The last blog background was really busy and it made it extremely hard to read. This new look is simple, chic, and modern. I love the colors, the various patterns, and the headlining banner. Everything about it screams BETTER! Sure this blog is still a work in progress, and you may see even more changes in the coming year. But for now, this new background celebrates the fact I've been blogging for one year. YAY! My blog has been a great way for friends and family to stay in the know about my life's trials and tribulations. Are my blog topics always interesting? OF COURSE! Not really...but, it's been a great way for me to express myself. I shared some of the most awesome moments of my life, like HERE and especially HERE. I showed how I made some DIY crafts HERE, blog about the best of traveling in PARIS, ROME, and LA, and many other experiences, including toning down my SPENDING habits and keeping NIGHTMARES at bay.


I've been very fortunate to travel to so many places this year, beginning with a cruise to the eastern Caribbean in January. This was followed by Paris and Rome, California and Vegas, and finally a summer beach trip to Destin, FL. This year, I moved into Rob's place, got a new car, became the Knoxville ZTA Alumnae president, revealed my older sister is pregnant, and most notably got engaged (WOO-HOO!). It's been quite the busy year for traveling, trying new things like Tea (no more coffee!), and gaining new experiences and wisdom. I'm very excited to see what next year brings (a nephew and my WEDDING!), and hope everyone has a happy, healthy 2012. God Bless!! I'm leaving you readers a photo to reflect upon :)

Now say it with me..."AWWWWW!"