A successful 4 day weekend

First of all, thank you to all the soldiers (past and present) that have put their life on the line for us. I could never have the courage to do that and really admire those that can.

Because of Memorial Day, I have today off and also took Friday off just because I wanted a nice long weekend. The weather was mostly rainy and gloomy, but I still found plenty to do indoors.

On Friday, we headed up to Portland with my little sister and my husband's two younger brothers to have a little adventure. First up: Powell's Books. You may recall this was an item on my 30 before 30 list and I'm embarrassed to admit I've lived here 12 years and this is my first time there. It lived up to my expectations and was just massive; it takes up a whole block! They claim to be the biggest independent bookstore in the world and I believe that. It was amazing! I wanted to buy so many books, but only left with 2. I plan on coming back soon :)

We headed to lunch afterwards at probably the coolest place I've ever eaten at: McMenamins - Kennedy School. The restaurant was in an old elementary school building and also had a move theater, a brewery and a hotel. So cool!! The hotel rooms are in the old classrooms and the whole place just had such a fun vibe. The food was amazing too. I know where I'll be taking out of town guests in the future :)

Saturday was a big day for me as I booked a haircut at a new salon and crossed my fingers that it would turn out ok. A brief hair history: The majority of my life, I've had long, straight hair parted down the middle. I'm very low maintenance and value my sleep too much to wake up any earlier to do my hair each morning. lol. Despite my simple hair, I would estimate that 75% of my haircuts have ended badly. For some reason, everyone has trouble cutting my hair straight and I usually go home with lopsided hair without realizing it until a few days later. Because of that, I avoid getting a haircut at all costs and usually only get one a year, if that.

I have gotten a little bolder the last few years, going shorter than ever and trying to incorporate a little style, but usually go back to the straight, parted down the middle that I'm used to. So getting back to Saturday... I bit the bullet and decided to go to one of the best salons in town and see what they could do for me. I was tired of having a bad hair day every. single. day. I didn't have a plan of what I wanted, but told the stylist I need more body for my fine hair. She worked her magic and even make a remark about my previous stylist not cutting my hair even in the back (what a surprise!). I walked out of the salon feeling better about my hair than I have in years and feeling so relieved that I found someone that knows what they're doing. I know where I'm going next time I need a cut :) And it won't be a year from now either.

My husband loved it and was so thrilled that I didn't end up with the same boring, flat hair. I think he cares about my hair more than I do. lol. I can't find a suitable before photo to compare to, but just picture flat, limp, boring hair. (Now the trick will be to figure out how to style it on my own since I am so used to just washing/drying & being's done with it). Here is the after:

Sunday and today were spent cleaning the house, doing some yard work, laundry, baking cookies, watching lots of Netflix (currently hooked on Roswell) and cleaning out my inbox, among other things. It was great to have 4 days off in a row and get some things accomplished that I've been wanting to do. Hopefully I'll continue on this getting-stuff-done kick that I'm on and can cross some more things off my to-do list. Wish me luck!

My body: Before

This is the post I've been dreading since I decided to start this blog. But it's also the entry that I'm hoping will give me the kick in the ass I need to make a change. Let me start by saying I'm aware that I'm not fat. But am I happy with how I've let myself go? Not at all!

I'll save the backstory of my struggle with weight for another time, but I am putting myself out there in hopes that I will be motivated to actually do something instead of just feeling sorry for myself. I am lazy, I will admit that :) I work out once or twice, don't see a difference, and give up on it. That's unrealistic and stupid, yes, but isn't that how a lot of people are?

I'm really determined to see this through though. Being in shape and feeling good about myself will directly effect many other areas in my life.

So onto my stats as of yesterday morning:

• A little over 5'3"
• 113.5 pounds
• 33.5" chest
• 26.5" waist
• 33.5" (between waist & hips -- my main problem area)
• 35.5" hips

I'm generally happy with my body, but the area between my waist and hips is just getting worse. I gain most weight right around that area, so while I'm not overweight, I still have that round, pudgy mid-section.

Since I need a goal to work towards, I've decided that I'm not going to focus on the weight. I'm going to work towards reducing inches. My first goal: lose 1" in the area between my waist & hips in 2 weeks. Is that do-able? I have no idea :) I am withholding the cute new clothes I bought until I reach this little goal. I figure 1 new piece of clothing every few weeks should motivate me to work hard and push myself.

Right now, my main source of exercise is the Xbox Kinect. I play Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and really enjoy it! It makes exercising fun and I don't have to leave the house to do it. I plan on doing that 4-5 times a week and running (aka jogging/speed walking) 2 times a week. I'm not going to worry about my diet at this point because I think I'm doing just fine with that and don't want to do too much at once. I love my food, so I'm willing to work a little harder to maintain my eating habits.

Ok, so I promised I would post a before photo and I'm burying it at the bottom in hopes that no one will have read this far ;) Like I said, I'm not proud, but I am determined to get healthy and toned and be happy with my body. I will post another photo in 2 weeks and hopefully there will be a little bit of a difference. So here goes nothing :)

With that, I'm off to work out! Have a good week everyone.

A clothing re-do

I mentioned in an earlier entry about my need to get rid of a good portion of my clothing and start over from scratch. I really dislike most of the clothes I own and need to build up a solid wardrobe that I will love and will last for a long time. I'll admit it, I love a good bargain and more often than not, I buy items strictly because they are cheap without really thinking what that article will pair with or how I will wear it.

But that's in the past :) I've made a list of the main things I need and will steadily chip away at it over the coming months and years. I'm sure I will also add to the list as well, but I think these cover the basics.

Tops

• 3 tank tops for layering (in neutral colors)
• 3 dressy tops for work/going out
• 3 plain lightweight t-shirts
• 1 white button down
• 2 blazers (1 black, the other a fun color)
• 2 cardigans (1 white, the other a fun color)
• 1 zip-up hoodie (no logo) for casual days at work
• 1 lightweight jacket

Bottoms

• Dark jean trousers
• Khakis
• Dark grey work slacks
• Black leggings (my husband has been begging me for months to get leggings, but I refused. I figure now is the time to try something new and see if I like them)
• Dressy capris for work
• Black skirt (work appropriate)

Misc.

• 2 summer dresses
• 1 dressy dress (for work/going out)
• New work shoes (probably comfortable black heels)
• Casual shoes (not running shoes) that I can wear with jeans at work and still look semi-professional
• A fun pair of wedge sandals
• Lingerie
• Accessories (necklaces, new glasses, fun headbands)

Am I missing anything? :) Now comes the fun part: browsing internet sites for the highest quality items at the best price and finally starting to make a dent in my shopping list. I'm not in a huge hurry, so I can take my time planning this out and getting stuff I really love and will be excited to wear. I hope to buy a few things this weekend, so stay tuned!

Closets

I have a love/hate relationship with closets. I love them because you can fit so much in them and they keep clutter out of sight. Yet I hate them because we cram them with stuff we really don't need/want, but either don't want to part with or don't know what to do with.

My husband is the worst offender with this. Example: It took me over 6 years of nagging until he finally got rid of his FLOPPY DISCS!! hahah! We don't have a computer with a floppy drive, nor have we ever had one, but he was saving them for a rainy day I guess. He was so sure that he would need them someday that he was reluctant to part with them. What were on these all-important discs? I think they were filled with car photos and old programs. Do you see what I'm up against here? :)

So while husband was off fishing all weekend, I decided to tackle our office closet. We store a random assortment of junk in there: mailing supplies, wrapping paper, CDs, wires & cords, books, etc. Basically a lot of stuff that we could get rid of, but we're not at that point yet. So at least I can organize our junk and make it look a little nicer, right? :)

Behold the before photo:

Classy, right? A big problem is the ridiculous shelving in the closet. It was there when we moved in over 3 years ago and we never replaced it. It is awkward, doesn't hold much and is crooked! Yes, the genius that put it up couldn't (or didn't) measure and the shelves slant to one side. One of the shelves is off by a whole inch. (That seems to be a reoccurring theme in our house. We've noticed several things are crooked or were half-assed.)

I took everything out of the closet, got rid of a few things and put all the junk back in. The after photo is as dramatic as I hoped (I did spend most of the day on this project after all), but at least it looks a bit better:

We will be getting rid of the stuff on the middle shelf, so that will further clean it up a bit. Don't you love how I put most things back in the exact same spot? lol. I have the worst habit of doing that. I don't deal well with change. At least I can find things now and have a better idea of what to get rid of next when I build up the courage to purge.

So what are my plans for this little closet? First and foremost, that awful shelving has to come down pronto! It's a total waste of space and doesn't utilize the closet the way it should. I want to paint the closet walls a light grey to give it some interest and character. Then I want to put a new shelving system (from Closet Maid) that will better hold our stuff and will have potential to hold clothes in the future if our office ever becomes a bedroom. (Or for when we sell the house) I want it clean, gorgeous and fun.

Amazing, no? Closets are meant for storage, but I also think they should be beautiful and well organized and filled with great stuff. Are my closets any of those things? Not yet, but they will be. I'm working on it :)

Picking out the perfect gift

I have a long history of being a not-so-great gift giver. At first, it was due to a lack of funds. When you're flat broke, it's hard to give good gifts, especially when you aren't crafty OR creative. Another issue? Procrastination! This is mostly true come Christmas time when we're at Target on December 24th hoping that the perfect gift(s) falls right into our laps.

I'd like to think that we've gotten a little better at this in the last few years. We have a little more money now and also start our shopping in November (yay Black Friday!), but that doesn't mean we don't go to countless stores over and over to find the right gift for a friend or family member.

I'm lucky that I have a tiny family and I know all of them really well. My husband's family, on the other hand, is HUGE and he never knows what they want/need, so it makes it impossible for me to help. We usually go the gift card route since everyone loves a gift card, right? :)
Tomorrow is Mother's Day and while giving a gift card was tempting, I wanted to put more thought into my gift for my mom and grandma. We're having brunch at grandma's house tomorrow and I really want them to enjoy what I picked out for them :) (No worries, this won't ruin the surprise as I think only 2 people read this blog and it's not either of them. haha)

We went to Target (I could live there I love it so much!) this morning and after walking the store a few times, I think I finally put together some great gifts for them. For grandma, I got her a black shadowbox frame and added a few photos to it, a big packet of flower seeds for her garden and a cute wood plaque to hang in her house. For mom, I got her favorite tea, a dark chocolate truffle bar, an adorable notecard set and a lemon-scented soy candle in a pretty tin. I apologize for the terrible photos -- I'm taking my lens in to get serviced next week as it isn't focusing right.

I hope everyone tells their mom just how much they love them tomorrow :)

The clothing dilemma

Confession: I hate to shop! I love the idea of shopping and picking out cute clothes and having an amazing wardrobe. I'm always excited as I head to the mall, with a list of things I want to purchase seared into my brain. It's a breeze pulling clothes off the rack and bringing them home and living happily ever after, right? Wrong!

I usually leave the store frustrated and empty-handed, swearing I'll never shop again. Yet, I do and the same situation happens 90% of the time. Either I find something I like and it's too expensive/wrong size/etc. or I just can't find a single thing I could see myself wearing. It doesn't help that I feel very guilty about spending money on myself, so I frequently leave behind items I really love even with my husband insisting that I "need" them.

But I'm ready to turn over a new leaf. I literally hate 75% of my clothes and dread getting dressed in the morning. I also wear the same outfits pretty much week after week; I hope my co-workers haven't caught on yet. lol. So I'm ready to bite the bullet and spend some money on me. Life's no fun when you feel bad about yourself due to your boring clothes, right?

I've made a plan to donate a good portion of my clothing and slowly build my closet back up with pieces that I absolutely love (no matter how much it costs) and can't wait to wear. Also, items that are versatile and will last several seasons. This may take a year or two to accomplish, but once it's complete, it will be easy to add a few new pieces in to create all new outfits without having to start all over again.

I've made a list of all the items I need (I'll post that another time) and am probably going to do a lot of online shopping, since my real-life shopping always ends in ruin. I'm lucky that I work in a casual environment where I can wear jeans if I want to, so my work wardrobe and my home wardrobe are basically the same. I still want to be budget-conscious in regards to my purchases, but if I truly love something and will wear it until it falls apart, I'm ok with spending extra on it.

I leave you with a mood board of Spring essentials from my style hero Lauren Conrad :) If I can end up even half as stylish as her, I will declare this little experiment a major success.

Welcome!

I'm never any good at describing myself or who I am, and since it's very likely only people I know will read this blog, it seems kind of pointless to introduce myself. But nonetheless, this is me in a nutshell:

28, married to the perfect guy in 2004, college graduate, home owner, banker, photography-obsessed, no kids (unless our adorable yellow lab Maggie counts!), small group of close friends, great family. I am such a lucky person to have the life I do and I absolutely am so grateful for everything I have!

So why this blog? I feel like I'm stuck in a rut and life is passing me by. I don't think I live life to the fullest and am wasting the many opportunities I've been given. I know I need to make changes, but I seem to be stuck from even taking that first step. My hope is that by putting my goals/dreams/etc out there in a public forum that it will be that initial push I need to get started.
My plan is to refresh/revamp every area of my life, little at a time. I'm not looking for massive and/or instant changes, but slower/long-term improvements that I can stick with. Some examples:

• Overhauling my "diet" by eating healthier, higher-quality foods and cooking more meals at home (goodbye junk food and eating out multiple times a week!) Not only is it better for the waistline, but it's better for our checking account too.
• Finding an exercise routine I enjoy and can do most days of the week, as I currently workout maybe once a month. I'm not overweight, but I'm not toned and I have zero energy most days.
• Taking more pride in my appearance by finding beauty products that flatter me, not just ones on sale that week that don't do me any favors (I'm a bit cheap, I'll admit that! lol). This would mean paring down my makeup/beauty items & replacing with new stuff. Also, learning how to properly put on makeup would be a big plus. haha
• Building up my wardrobe from scratch, focusing on quality and wearability. I have a closet full of clothes that I really hate (again, most were purchased because they were on sale, not because I loved them) & need to slowly fill it with pieces that I'm excited to wear and will stay in style a while.
• Our house. We've owned it almost 3.5 years and have yet to decorate most of it. It doesn't really feel like a cozy home to me, just a place we live. I am determined to change that, room by room.

There are more things that need improvement, but these are the main areas and a good starting-off point. Even if this blog is terrible and boring, at the very least, I'll have a record of this time in my life and what I was up to, right? :) But I'll try to liven it up with lots of photos and hopefully lots of successes along the way. I'm sure there will be some hilarious failures too, so stay tuned for those.

Since no post is complete without a photo, I'll leave you with a self-portrait of my husband and I on Easter :)