Merry Christmas!

I hope that everyone had an amazing Christmas and got everything they asked for as well as spent it with loved ones. Christmas for myself was amazing not because of the gifts I was going to get to open but for the fact that I didn't have to set an alarm and since nothing was open I was forced to do NOTHING! Shockingly I didn't even hit the gym. I turned my phone on silent and literally slept until I couldn't sleep anymore or until my husband finally woke me up so we could exchange gifts. I felt like a parent going to a child, 'Please just 5 more minutes and I'll be up'. He wasn't buying that any longer so he made my favorite french toast because he knew the smell would permanent the house and help me wake up and it defiantly did. I finally woke up at around noon and made my way downstairs to a heap of gifts that I couldn't wait to open. My husband did a amazing job at picking gifts for me this year (pics to come!) and I must say I did a great job too. It was a day spent with spending time with my family and loved ones and quite honestly couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my day. It also marked the official end to the holiday season! 

Honored

Sorry I've been MIA I've come down with the worst stomach flu anyone can imagine. I have this fear of throwing up (although I'm not sure anyone who actually enjoys it) I mean truly a fear- I cry every time, it's very odd. So two days later and I'm still not able to keep anything in me. On the bright side any holiday pounds I may have put on I'm sure I've lost. However I can't wait to feel better and most of all get back to work! I'm a workaholic and staying at home in bed is killing- a slow death.

However before I got sick I was honored with some amazing news. A blogger friend of mine Sweet & Sassy told me about this website bloggers where you can connect and network with other bloggers. It is a great way to start following other bloggers and just network. I had signed up and played around on it but didn't devote a ton of time to it- I did however follow a few more blogs from it. Well one day I woke up and was checking my e-mail when I had gotten an e-mail from the Editors of Bloggers stating I was selected to be one of their blogs of the day! I was ecstatic! I mean I had started this blog as something fun and for me to share my thoughts and my life experiences never thinking it would be this huge hit. I took every new follower as a sign that people enjoyed what I had to say. But I started it to see how many followers I could get but rather a form of therapy and if you liked what you read then join me on my journey. 
 So this is what the homepage looked like . . .

Mine is the one in the middle! 

How cool huh??? Being recognized was such an honor and fuels me to only blog more! Thank you and I hope you continue to read and follow.

That time of year again...

Gosh that time has come again the annual Communist I mean my in-laws Christmas get together. Now I'd like to first start off by saying I thought hell froze over because I actually received an e-mail to the event most of the time they just e-mail my husband because well they just don't like dealing with me and quite honestly I don't really like dealing with them. Well none the less an effort was made so I thought I'd take the time and read the e-mail and to my astonishment a BIG change was taking place this year. Could all of my bitching finally struck a chord with these heartless people? Nah. The big change was they actually weren't charging the family to spend time with each other, gosh what a concept. I told my husband someone must have won the lotto and is feeling generous to not be charging to spend time with family. He got a good chuckle at my snarky ways. So as continued to read the e-mail and it gave all the stipulations and times the next thing I did was checked my schedule because maybe I could use work as an excuse for my attendance but as history repeats itself I would be available to go. Ugh I dreaded this already. The only thing we were responsible for bringing was a white elephant gift and something to eat weather it be a appetizer or a fun dessert or a festive drink. I thought I could manage that should be easy enough but I closed the e-mail and decided to discuss with the hubby later about weather or not we were even going. Of course within minutes of the e-mail going out to his entire family now my phone was going crazy with e-mails of what everyone was bringing and what not. So I let a day or two pass and I brought up the subject to my husband on weather or not he wanted to go. Because if he wanted to go I would stand by his side and go with him plus I wouldn't let him go to war alone please not with these people and plus if someone is going to talk bad about me say it to my face not my husbands. To my surprise my husband was very casual about the whole thing and said he didn't really care if we went or didn't. Inside I'm screaming YES! I don't have to go!! Haha!! But I maintained a good poker face. I told him marinate over it and let's touch base in a few days. 
  So a few days past and as it turned out his son wouldn't be able to attend the party because his mother was throwing him a birthday party that weekend. Again another card in my favor for us to gracefully decline the invite to the party but then my husband did the unthinkable he committed us! What?!? Where was our touch base? We are team in this fight. I really couldn't be mad at him though because let's be honest it is his family and well it is the holidays. So I didn't officially RSVP to the mass e-mail because I'm secretly hoping something will come up at the last minute to where we can back out but as of right now my husband has verbally committed us to his father (who by the way is on the committee). I cannot even begin to tell you how much I am dreading walking into these pack of wolves. I told my husband you better have a stiff drink waiting for me when I get home from work because I'll need it before we head over to this joyous party.  
  I do although have a fabulous outfit already that I'm very excited about. I will keep you posted on any latest developments. 

Blah, Blah, Blah

There are so many things that can be a hassle and a little annoying during the holidays just to name a few, the crowds, parking, finding the "it" gift, the list could go on & on. So on Sunday night as I was doing a little Christmas shopping of my own after work and had to deal with these few annoying pieces that comes with the holidays. So as I was in Sephora waiting in a rather long line but not complaining because trust me I know what it's like to be on the other end of that and ringing out with all those customers. So as I was patiently waiting in line I was looking at the little trinkets they try and get you to buy (I held my will power and didn't get anything) although as I was standing there I decided one thing that annoys me especially around the holidays and only happens when you're waiting in line. The conversation that is taking place either behind you or in front of you. While I wish it would be a juicy story like I'm buying this for the man I'm having an affair with it's usually annoying conversation and the type you really wish you could turn around and tell the person how much of an idiot they sound. So as I'm standing there trying to just focus on getting through the line these two people behind me clearly friends a man & girl and they were having such a annoying conversation. Just to give you an idea:


Girl: So my friend Matt and I stayed at Denny's until like 2 am the other night it was so crazy.
Guy (who by the way is clearly gay but I have nothing against gays): I know a Matt too what is his last name?
Girl: Well there are lots of Matt's I'm sure it's not the same
Guy: Well it is a small world you never know
Girl: Unlikely but whatever his last name is Stephfano
Guy: Yeah don't know him my Matt's last name is Albertson


Like really? Is this conversation really happening??? Needless to say hearing more of their annoying conversation made the line go real quick. 


Any annoying habits that shoppers do during the holidays?? 

Naked

So as many of you may know at this point who have been following (thank you to those who have!) know that I work in retail and for those who are new to my blog yes I work in retail. As you can imagine this is the craziest time and I truly mean craziest time of you. People loose their minds during the holidays. But the kicker is where I work we don't have sales so it's not like they are looking for this great bargain it what it is. Anyways I am coming off a 6 day work week which really translates into an obscene amount of hours for any human being but I still maintained my 5 day work out schedule so sorry for the not so consistent posting. 

  However yesterday I got off at a decent hour and the mall I work at has no soul therefore they should just be open 24 hours because it's getting pretty close to that. Anyways I decided to get some Christmas shopping done. While my list is short because well I only need to buy for my husband and my mother because we all know how I feel about my in-laws I decided to get a few little "extras" for the hubby and maybe pick up something for myself. I got his stuff first (can't say in case he reads this) and then I had a $15 off $50 purchase at Sephora. There had been a couple things I had been eyeing there and I was running out of one of my favorite NARS lipstick. So I stopped in. Now I really don't need any make up because I have so much but you know what a little refresh didn't hurt anybody. So I grabbed my favorite lipstick and then was looking around. I had spotted this really pretty palette by Charlotte Ronson (I don't think any relation to the Ronson family aka Lindsey Lohon's x-gf). 

I thought this was so pretty and the perfect size. Although to my disappointment so did many other customers because they were all sold out. I at least had a really nice sales associate who looked up and down for me to see if they had any left in store. So I asked her to show me something similar to these colors. She then brought me to Urban Decay's Naked set, this is a highly anticipated set that comes out every year and usually sells out ASAP. I had one bad experience with Urban Decay eye shadow and ever since then shied away from them but these colors were fabulous! There wasn't one color I wouldn't use- that is rare when you are buying such a big set. 

I decided I'm going to give Urban Decay another try plus with Sephora's amazing return policy I thought it was a win win scenario. I'll report back on how I like it. I plan on using it tomorrow for work. 

Do you have any favorite make up that you can't live with out? Or one that you tried and fell in love with?? 

The tooth fairy that leaves pain killers instead of money

The thought of writing this post already gives me anxiety, talking about it gives me anxiety, making the appointment almost made me vomit, you wonder what I could be talking about.... my wisdom teeth. Ugh. You may wonder why at 25 I don't have them out yet well easy because when I should have had them out around the age 16 they weren't fully grown in yet and my dentist wanted to see if they were all going to be bone impacted or partial. Plus they've never really bothered me so I thought if it isn't broken why fix it?? It didn't help that my mum still had all hers and that in her early 20's she went to get them removed and had a horrible experience that left her running out of the oral surgeons office. I would always say well if my mum still has them and they haven't shifted her teeth I would have the same luck. 

  Now I don't know very many people who like going to the dentist and I especially don't again it gives me anxiety and I'm not sure why because I never had a bad experience at a dentist. I guess it's all the noise and prodding they do that gives me anxiety. However my dentist every time is always harping on me to get my wisdom teeth removed. I have used every excuse in the book, some examples you ask? 

- I can't get off work (lie I get 5 weeks of vacation a year I just don't want to spend one of those weeks holed up in bed with gauze stuck in my mouth and me drooling like a baby and eating only soft foods. I mean I'm not 90...yet)

- It's our busiest time of year- you think I can take time off now?! (Even if it's not Christmas, Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day I seem to make up some event we may be holding and act like it is insanity at work)

- I just tell him I can't do it because I have really bad anxiety about it and I just can't go through with it

My dentist I think has been keeping track of my excuses because lately he has a comeback. So about a year ago when he brought up this hot topic he thought he would go in for the kill... he told me that if I didn't get this taken care of soon that my teeth would shift and my beautiful teeth would not be so beautiful anymore. However I had my own comeback up my sleeve because my fabulous orthodontist equipped me with bottom & top permanent retainers to prevent any shifting. Take that Mr. Dentist! Bought myself another 6 months. 

  Well those 6 months seemed to fly by because before I knew it I was back sitting in the dentist chair and this time he wasn't so nice about the topic of my wisdom teeth. He told me enough is enough I needed them out because if I don't I would have to get a root canal (now I think he used this as a scare tactic because he knows how much I hate even getting a filling let alone a root canal?!?! YIKES!!!) I told him I would at least call the oral surgeon and see what the steps would be. 

  As coincidence would have it my mum actually needed two of hers removed because they were finally starting to bother her. She was going to use the same oral surgeon as I was so I thought well I'll have her go first and see how bad this really is. She survived and she only did it on Novocaine however she has a much higher pain tolerance than I do. She was swollen and bruised for almost a week but did fairly well. Well enough for me to finally pick up the phone and make my consultation appointment. This was a huge step for me here. However as I was dialing and speaking to the receptionist I felt like I could vomit at any given moment. Because I felt like this was a do or die moment I even made my appointment for the surgery. She had two available times for the date I wanted a 8:00 am or 12:30 pm. Most people would have probably chosen the 8:00 am one but let's be honest if I'm going to be holed up in my bed for almost 5 days I needed to get another work out in! I mean priorities people. So the date is set and I'm freaking out but I guess it's not going to get any easier the longer I wait. 

I can only imagine what I'm going to be like after being put under (I've never been put under before) I just hope I don't say something stupid or worse yet get sick. However let's be honest who doesn't love a good youtube video about this topic. Here is one of my favorites. . . 

The dreaded service light in your car

For most of us a vehicle is vital to our daily lives and we truly couldn't live without one- unless maybe you live in a big city or you're Amish. I don't live in a major city -- just a suburb of one nor am I Amish. However whenever a light goes on in my car or I hear a noise I instantly get anxiety and think oh gosh now I have to bring it into the service dept. and then I think dollar signs. I have a VW Jetta and it's my second brand new one and I love it and have had nothing but good luck with it. However I noticed when driving it sometimes when it switched to different gears because I was going faster it would start to rev up. So my husband drove it and noticed it too and said I should take it in. I tried to pawn it off on him to take in for me but our schedules weren't working to where he could take it in for me. So I was stuck with the anxiety ridden task of sitting in the service dept. and think of how much money I would be spending in this sitting. I do have an extended warranty but never used it so I must have called them at least 5 times trying to get a full grasp on how it works and any loop holes they would try and pull because we all know the car business and there is always a loop hole somewhere. 
  So I brought in my car and of course they ask all these questions and I seriously started sweating because one wrong answer and you were doomed. So of course just to hook it up to some machine would cost $125 and that may not even show something if there are no lights on in the vehicle so it was a 50/50 shot if I paid the $125 if something would come up. So the guy was nice enough to say he was going to have one of the guys drive it around. So I went to go sit and wait.... of course I'm thinking of every worse case scenario that they could find wrong and as I am doing this I just start sweating more. The people around me probably thought I had some disorder or something. So I decided to calm my nerves I would just look at some of the new cars.. this is a bad idea because when I had my first Jetta in for service I looked around the showroom and instead of taking my old car home I bought a new one. I was highly contemplating doing this again depending on how much my repair would cost. After I looked at all the new vehicles I decided to sit back in the waiting room rather a death sentence. Thankfully I was prepared and I had my iPad with me. After about an hour they finally called my name and I thought this is it I should just sign over my savings account and checking account because who knows what they found. To my pleasant surprise they did find something but... it was covered under some warranty! What did that mean? It would cost me NOTHING. I can't even tell you how relived I was. So I left my car there so they could complete the repair that would only take 6 hours. Now my car drives like a dream.  

Joy for All

The other day the Nordstrom catalog arrived! Just in time to get me thinking about what I wanted to put on my Christmas list. I always have a hard time putting things on my Christmas list because I fall in love with something and then a couple weeks go by and I'm over it or I just fall so in love with something I just go out and buy it right away, plus it doesn't help that I work in the mall and it can fuel the addiction. However in the last few months I have been seen on Housewives of New Jersey & Housewives of Atlanta these great crystal necklaces & bracelets. 

As soon as I saw them I had to get my hands on them or something similar. I came across these...

I liked but didn't love. I had put the search of these on the back burner but then to my surprise when I got the Nordstrom catalog ...

These are them!!!!! They are a perfect replica of what I saw on Housewives

 Then flipping through the catalog I saw some other things that jumped out at me... 

Please we all know my slight obsession with everything working out so this page was my dream

OMG! Glitter, sparkle and Sperry's - do I need to say more?? 

Then they had a sample of this fragrance and it smelled fabulous

So I couldn't wait until Christmas Day to see if my hubby got me the necklace & bracelets so I went out and bought them but don't worry I had every intention of wrapping them and putting them under the tree to wait until Christmas morning and act surprised. So check them out... 

Don't mind the weird face

Gorg right? However when I opened the box that they arrived in I was highly disappointed because each bracelet was already missing several crystals and same with the necklace. And they weren't cheap mind you. So I called the closest store to me to see if they had anymore and I could just exchange and they came back with disappointing news that the two they had in stock were also missing crystals. So all that excitement I had for these pieces and already planning outfits around them I made the executive decision to return them because I don't want to deal with missing crystals. So now I have room for 3 more things on my Christmas list. What now?? 

Run Forest Run part 2

So as many of you may know I love working out and a few months ago I had gotten a pair of fabulous new running shoes. While they defiantly fit my need for running and doing lots of cardio I have recently joined another gym which practices Crossfit and my new running shoes just weren't doing the trick for me. Plus I noticed a lot of people were wearing those toe shoes (which I'm sorry I just can't buy into) but there was this other shoe that other people were wearing called the New Balance Minimus. Now there are three different types of the shoe and after I did some research and lets just be honest I saw all the color choices for all three types of shoes I decided on the Trail version. I was so excited to get them because I thought now instead of not wearing shoes I'll be able to wear these and I'm sure they will help my performance some. So I went to the New Balance store and I picked up my new shoes! Check them out! 

I have to say I swear by these shoes. They are extremely comfy and they are perfect if you're lifting weights or doing low cardio. You truly feel like you're barefoot but it adds just the perfect amount of support. This will def be a shoe that I will keep in my collection. 


Happy Working out! 

City Life

Chicago has been so fortunate with an Indian summer- I cannot believe how nice it has been, almost makes me think we may not get a winter (I'm keeping my fingers crossed we don't). I was off on a Saturday (rare very rare that this happens) and it was unbelievably fabulous out we decided to go down to the city. We had my step-son that weekend so we thought it was a perfect family outing. Now I don't get to the city that much and I know I'm going to sound like a typical suburbanite when I say this but I just hate driving down there and sometimes taking the train just is such a hassle so I hate to say it but I don't take advantage of the city as much as I should. 


So we got all packed up checked the train schedule and started our day in the city. We had no plan or agenda just saw where the day was going to take us...

After we arrived in the city we started to head towards the lake and walk along Michigan Ave. Yes I know very touristy but we thought why not check out the stores and maybe get some good ideas for Christmas. 
Along the way we stopped and looked a the famous window display of Macy's for Christmas. I have to say Marshall Field's was much better. While the window displays weren't that whimsical and magical as I remember the outside looked nice. 

We then just started walking down to Millennium Park. Here are a couple of photos along the way...

We then finally arrived at Millennium Park. Great photo ops there! 

After we looked around and spent some time in the park we headed down Michigan Ave. 

  I had told my husband there was no way I came all the way down to the city without getting some Sprinkle Cupcakes. They are TO DIE for!! So my lovely husband lead the way all the way up to the North Shore so I could fulfill my desire for some Sprinkle cupcakes. 

We walked out with 7 mouth watering cupcakes (red velvet is my personal fav) and carried them all the way home to enjoy as a treat. 

All and all I couldn't have asked for a better day off. Got to spend time with my family and enjoy the beautiful city I live in. 

Thanks for so many things

I'm really sorry I've been MIA- as many of you may know I work retail and as one can imagine or try to it is INSANE out there!!! I've already started putting in my 12 hour days. However I have kept a long list of things I want to blog about and I am going to try and get on a schedule promise. 


However today I wanted to take a moment out because while there is so much I want to blog about especially with Christmas quickly approaching instead of my first blog being about what I want I wanted it to reflect what I'm thankful for. 


There are so many things that I am truly thankful for and I am not going to bore you with them. However as I was reflecting today as to what I am most thankful for I was able to dwindle it down to my friendships. 


Over the past couple of years I've learned that the people in my life and the friendships I have held onto are priceless and when you're having a bad day or when your family has turned their back you've always got your friends to pick you up. It's the friends that if you don't talk to for days & weeks because life gets in the way they don't mind and you pick up right where you left off. Or send you a text or picture that makes you pause for moment and brings you back to the innocence of life. 


So thank you to all my friends in my life for bringing me the meaning of life and for being who you are. 


Happy Thanksgiving! 

Flea Market part deux

So if you remember my last post about flea markets I defiantly had my nose up in the air about them but then after I realized you could truly find some hidden gems I slowly took my nose out of the air. So over the weekend it was fabulous weather here in Chicago- here are some photos of truly how fabulous the day was ...

P

Driving down one of the side streets- I love my town in the fall because of all the trees and leaves changing colors

The Lake in our town- truly a picture perfect moment




 So I just couldn't let this day slip by so I packed up the hubby and I was off to go enjoy this day. What were we going to do you ask... well I wasn't exactly sure yet. First things first we were starving so we hit a local restaurant that we eat at pretty often. I normally get a chicken sandwich but today I was feeling like I wanted to change it up. So I got a pulled pork sandwich and let me tell ya it was YUMMY! I couldn't finish it all because it was so much. 

We had a few errands to run which we did and then we had heard there was a flea market near us so I thought why not go check it out. We got our ticket and started our search for whatever jumped out at us. Of course my husband found something right away- a beanie and then some hot wheels car- it was the same model as his first car. I guess he is trying to relive some of his youth...I hope this isn't an onset of a mid-life crisis. Haha. 

So as we were walking around a couple things caught my eye...

 We all know how I love sweets- although I resisted because I was still full from lunch. Plus I got my fix by the smell alone. We then went into one booth and you know those hats that are popular right now with animal heads?

Well this one vendor had one where the ears came down and you could put your hand in the ears and it was like mittens. I couldn't resist and had to try it on. This was the result...

How cute?! I didn't buy it because I mean really I would never wear it- but it was a good laugh. Then we came across this...super creepy I thought. 

Just looking at the picture gives me goosebumps! 

We then wandered where there was more food and I came across this booth who was selling worms in dirt- do you remember eating this as a kid? I sure do. 

I didn't want to leave empty handed but I just didn't find anything that jumped out at me. Then as I was looking at the booths in a basket I saw these cute headbands that were knitted and had a little flower on them. I immediately thought of Whitney Port from The City when she wore one similar in an episode and I had been obsessed since. 

Check out my version! 

Cute right?!?! They were asking $9 and I tried to get her down to at least $6 but she wouldn't budge so I ended up buying it for $6. But similar ones go for as much as $25. So all in all I consider I got a deal! 

I have to say it was a great way to spend my Saturday. 

Stay-cation Day #4

OMG! Okay so as you all probably know I'm really active so I normally don't hurt after a work out but holy Jesus & Mary my legs hurt so bad from those damn stairs I did on Monday. My friend who has done them said her legs did hurt the next day but mine are killing me two days after. I seriously feel like I'm 90 years old. I woke up this morning and went to go pee and as I stepped out of bed to go walk to the bathroom I fell, like literally fell to the floor because my legs cramped up. Thank god I didn't pee on myself like a 90 year old. So I slowly and yes I mean slowly goPreviewt up and made my way with my hands guiding me on the walls to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet was another joke. I had to balance myself- one hand was pressed against the wall and the other hand on the counter, then slowly and very slowly I had to lower myself onto the toilet. Now that this task was done I now had to get off the toilet- this was just as hard as getting onto the toilet. Phew! I did it. I decided that today would be a rest day from the gym- yes I said it a REST day- I normally don't take these from the gym I'm always doing something active. Plus it was gloomy out and I had a movie I rented that would be perfect to watch on a morning like this. Now my husband has his PS3 in the bedroom (it is neatly tucked away so you can't see it- thank god) but it has the BlueRay player and normally I have my hubby to set up my movies because it looks all to complicated with the controller and what buttons do what functions. I just like hitting play and that's it. However my hubby was at work so if I wanted to watch my movie in the comfort of my bed I was going to have to figure it out on my own. So I grabbed all the remotes and was ready to figure this out and after a couple of attempts I did it! One of my To-Do's while on Stay-cation was to get caught up on all the movies that I've been wanting to see but haven't. And to support me in this when my hubby & I were at Blockbuster on Saturday they had promotion going on for there unlimited movie rental for a month- normally it's $15 a month but the promo was for $7.50 a month so I jumped on it. So far I've watched Bad Teacher (pretty good but a little long) and now I was about to watch Scream 4. I know I know like really Scream 4- but I grew up with this movie and I had to finish off the saga I mean this was part of my youth. I had all my blankets around me a bowl of honey nut cheerios and I was set. Okay so the movie kind of sucked and was predictable but if you've seen all the rest you just like have to see the final one. 
  I had to take my car in because I've been hearing this noise and I thought it may be my breaks so before winter sets in I thought I should be proactive and get it taken care of. I think most people get anxiety when they have to take their car in because it's like you never know what news they are going to bring you. Really going to the car repair place you mind as well as hand them over all your cash then your debit card and then your credit card because you never say 'I got an amazing deal at the car repair place today'. Plus I was nervous because here is a girl walking into a car repair place and quite honestly they could say you need this that and the other and I would probably comply. So as the guy was test driving my car and I was waiting in the waiting room just thinking okay so how much is this going to cost me? He came back with the best news ever! Nothing was wrong with my car- he felt it was something to do with my tires. I could deal with that because I had to get my tires rotated anyways and I still had a warranty on them. Off to get my nails done! They were in desperate need of a fill but I feel like I'm stuck in a rut with colors. So I went back to my signature color Topless & Barefoot. Although when I got home I saw that Essie came out with a new collection- so you know where I will be stopping tomorrow- Utla to go check it out! However I have to vent a little because I go to this new nail salon that I've been giving my business to for the last 4 months and I go every week either for my nails or toes so I give them good business. So my regular nail girl was being a little testy today- I had asked her to make my one nail more square and she got short with me. I'm thinking excuse me but I'm the one paying for the service so shouldn't you be a little more willing to do what I ask. My response to her was ' I'll just fix it when I go home.' 
  I then went to Blockbuster and got my third movie to watch. No Strings Attached. I'll let you know how it is! 


P.S. In case you were wondering my legs are finally starting to feel better- thank goodness because I need to hit the gym hard tomorrow. 

Stay-cation Day #3

So another productive day on my stay-cation! I don't have any exciting pictures today but I started the day off by going to Crossfit. This time I was able to drag one of my friends with me- now I was a little nervous to work out with a friend because 1. I get very competitive and 2. I get self-conscious working out with others. However Crossfit is hard and I have been doing it enough so I felt pretty confident but my friend he is really fit and in his job is always using his strength so I thought I was up for some tough competition. So we did the work out and I was kicking but then we had to do 6 rounds of bear crawls and 10 reps of push ups with weighted rows. So the real competition was on and the time counted down....5..4..3..2..1..GO!!! I was off! Okay I kind of suck at bear crawls but I would much rather do them over burpees. So a few minutes go by and one girl already yells TIME! Shit I have to get going- plus I have to be my friend. So about another minute went by and I was one full round ahead of my friend - the only thing that was between me and yelling TIME was 10 push ups with weighted rows- I was down to 5,4,3,2,1 TIME!!!! I finished 2nd!!! And beat my friend. Take that! I was so proud of myself. Now I will use this as leverage until well as long as I can to be honest. Him & I are very competitive when it comes to working out and always challenge each other to a quick competition. On New Year's before we all went out we all went swimming and now mind you I had my make up done and eye lashes done I was looking FABULOUS! Well he had challenged me to a quick lap race and I couldn't turn down a challenge. Needless to say I lost that challenge and ruined my make up and eyelashes but all worth it. So I had to redeem myself and this was my chance and I WON!! 


After a amazing work out I ran some errands and had a lovely dinner with my husband. On the agenda for tomorrow: 
Getting my car looked at (ugh I always get anxiety about this)
Nails done
Rent a new movie
Go to the Bank

Stay-cation Day #2

Well another gorgeous day on my stay-cation. I couldn't have asked or wished for any better weather and with this great weather I took advantage! First things first I went to Crossfit and got my day started off with a truly hard ass work out. The WOD for today was:


80% max weight for back squat. Do 3 rounds at 5 reps per round. My one one rep max is 215 pounds so that meant my 80% weight was 185 pounds. Phew!


If that wasn't enough we then had to do 21/15/9


135 pound deadlifts & push ups.


I conquered and finished in second place with a time of 6:52!! I was so proud of myself but my day of working out just began.


A couple of girls I work out with had told me about these stairs that are a great work out and there are several trails also that you can walk or run on. I was suppose to go with one of the girls but because of schedule conflict she couldn't go. I decided I'd go on my own now let me say I am horrible at directions and getting from point A to point B. I would get lost going around a cherry tree but thankfully I have a built in navigation system. Of course though the navigation system couldn't find the forest preserve so I used my handy NEW iPhone to help me find my destination. Well the phone did it's job but I just didn't have the exact of address as to where the stairs where so I got a little lost. Plus I was way out of my comfort zone I was like 35-45 minutes away from home. So while I got lost I stumbled upon this really pretty lake.

It looked so pretty on this perfect Fall day- but then I realized that I didn't travel all this way to stare at a lake that frankly my town has as well. So I drove over to this one car where a man was standing to ask him if he knew where the Swallow Stairs were and of course I pick the one person who doesn't know but then just can't say sorry I don't know he has to give me this story about where he is from and blah blah blah. So I found a city worker who directed me where to go and a few minute drive later I arrived!


This was what my challenge ahead of me...

Yikes! I thought okay I can do this no problem- so I embarked on my first round up the stairs, now again I would consider myself a fit person (I am not skinny but I have a lot of muscle) however half way up I was defiantly winded. There were people on their cell phones having a conversation of a lifetime (I would not be one of those people because I would not be able to carry a conversation), there were people with weights, and weighted backpacks, people running (again I would not be running because the stairs are uneven and different heights and my luck I would totally trip). So I was very content just walking up the stairs. Once I reached the top I felt KING OF THE WORLD! Check out my view...

All 126 steps were worth this view. I ended up completing 5 rounds so that equals 630 stairs! Once I got done with my 5th round I decided to check out one of the trails. I did a trail for 2 miles with lovely views and on such a peaceful day. I couldn't help myself to stop and just soak in the peaceful beautiful fall day. 

After 2 hours of stairs & hiking I made my way back to my car. Next on my list was the Dentist- ugh I hate the dentist but then again I don't know who really likes the dentist. Interesting fact- that profession has the highest suicide rate. Yikes! 
  I have a good dentist and I really like him but again it's the dentist. Now I always have high anxiety when I go and I at times can have a bad gag reflex so taking X-Rays and all the tools just enhances that gag reflex. So they take the X-rays and what not and the dentist finally comes in after my cleaning and of course is after me about my wisdom teeth. I don't have them out yet because they were late coming in and they never really bother me so I never saw the need to take them out plus my mother still has hers in. I also have this fear of going under I've never had to go under and don't really want too plus you always hear the horror stories of the aftermath of getting your wisdom teeth out. So the dentist is telling me that I need them out mind you he has been after me for years about this and I have exhausted every excuse in the book at this point. So he is telling me again that at this point it's crucial I have them out so I try to make a joke and say, "Well gosh if they take out my wisdom teeth I won't have my wise wisdom anymore." He didn't like my joke. I thought it was pretty good... no? So then because he knew I recently got married so now he was using a different tactic. So the dentist goes to me, "Just think your wisdom teeth will be a prelude to you giving birth one day to a child." My response, "I don't want kids so I don't need a prelude to anything." He was stumped at this point and just said I needed them out no question asked. So I left there with one cavity and having to get my wisdom teeth out. Ugh.