Nudes

I did watch the Golden Globes, mostly for Ricky Gervais ... and he wasn't on nearly enough. But I watched for the fashion too, so here are some of my faves (apparently I have a thing for nudes ... and the women of Modern Family):

Loved her headband too!!!!!

And, of course :)

Friday Five

I wanted to do a new type of post to kick off the weekend. I’ve seen confessionals or five favorites; I want to combine the two, and give a little more of me into this blog. So here is my first Friday Five.

1. I love trashy reality shows. I am super jealous of the Toddler & Tiara girls, and I totally wish I could have been one. Have you seen this:

Toddlers & Tiaras with Ashley Tisdale from Ashley Tisdale

And I am totally anticipating the Extreme Couponing All Stars next week. (Also, did I see a commercial for the return of the Real Housewives of Orange County!!!!)

2. Speaking of, T & T, for all who watched it on Wednesday, how jealous are you of Hailey from Paris, Texas and her drag queen godfather? I mean seriously! I always say, If I wasn't already a woman, I would have been a drag queen.

3. I still have not put away the Christmas decoration. I don’t want to part with my Christmas tree-scented candles.

4. I have not taken the laundry out of the dryer … that has been in there since Monday night. Nor put away the laundry my husband folded and left for me … on Sunday.

5. When my husband is gone for weeks on end, I use his sink as a hair station. It takes me, like 15 minutes, to scrub the hairspray off the sink when it is time for him to come home.

Have a great Friday the 13th!!!!

Listing

Are you a list person?

I am. I have them everywhere. Grocery. Cleaning. To-do. To Remember.

Tuesdays are my day off, so often I get a lot on my list completed. Today’s list content:

Yes … neither of the top two are completed. Hopefully they get done. I hate anything involving packing or unpacking.

Why must I unpack?

I was back to Ohio this past weekend to celebrate this special lady’s round-number birthday:

me mum.

I was supposed to get in to Ohio on Friday night. However, about 20 minutes after taking off from Fort Lauderdale, our plane began losing the cabin pressure and air conditioning. No airbags dropped from the ceiling, but I thought my eardrums were going to burst!

We were quickly diverted to West Palm Beach, so I asked the Hubs (who luckily was still home!) to come pick me up. I convinced the Delta customer service rep to put me on the flight out from Fort Lauderdale in the morning (which was not allowed, but I didn't want to spend the night in a hotel room in Atlanta by myself, when I could cuddle with my dogs and spend one more night with the Hubs).

My dad had organized a surprise party for my mom. So much so, that even my brothers and I had no idea until hours before the party started!

a blurry surprise

my mom and grams

Mom is Lillified

Since I was in St. Maarten for my birthday and Christmas, and because all my family, minus one, was in town, we celebrated my birthday and Christmas again.

two birthday celebration ... okay!

My family spoiled me:

Can you tell I'm in contest prep: neoprene shorts, waist trimmer, cooler ...

By God’s grace, I was able to go to my cousin’s baby shower on Sunday before I left. I was a bit out of it, with the travel drama, the surprise party and a lot waiting on my plate for when I returned home. But it was really nice to see my family and Grams. I miss Ohio, though I don’t quite miss the frigid temperatures.

I didn’t get until Monday morning at 12:30a. Yikes! I had a quiz in my class, so I had to go to class with only hours of sleep. Thank God my husband cleaned the house (and the dogs!) before he left for the month. Clean sheets and clean pups are the best!

So I slept in today, got my double workout in, and have not started on my to-do list.

When I got home from the gym today, this was waiting for me:

Which contained this:

A thumbs up?

Since I graduate in a year (yeah!!!!!), I feel like I have to start thinking about work clothes again. I am not going to be a scrubby acupuncturist. And my business idea involves being a bit stylish (of course). So I have a feeling this dress will be worn a lot.

Okay, now to the list … which might be soundtracked (or sidetracked?!) by the double Teen Mom 2 and Dance Mom premier tonight. :)

Deny Thy Self

I hope everyone had a great new year celebration and I’m sure most everybody is back in the swing of it all.

The hubs and I had a low-key New Year’s Eve, but we made it out.

Hey, it’s progress.

Our first NYE together we spend running around London Gatwick Airport looking for our hotel (Did you know there are three! Holiday Inns at the Gatwick Airport? … We’ve been to all three).

The second year, we (as in Mark) had just finished an 18-hour drive from Ohio. We couldn't move into our apartment until Jan. 1, so we stayed the night on the sailboat in Fort Lauderdale, figuring there’d be a lot going on in the yachtie-world … except, the yachties are in the Caribbean during the winter. After a few attempts at empty different bars, we went home.Last year was a similar story.

And this year … we made it out AND past midnight!

Hubs with the countdown ball in the background

We went down to the Riverwalk in FLL. They closed off the streets, had two bands and big ball drop. It was more family-friendly than Halloween is there, and although I had my cheat meal earlier in the evening, drinking is a no-no during prep, and hubs felt out of place drinking alone, so it was a rather tame evening.

Goodbye 2011!

Next year, we'll hopefully get our butts in gear and ring in 2013 in style. (It will be a big year of change for us, so it deserves to be rung in right!)

With that said, I have been thinking of resolutions. I believe resolutions never last through March; so I rather have goals.

It started four years ago, after I found myself as one of a few single gals in my group of friends. I realized I didn’t want to even consider a relationship until I got some things outta the way (for example, I’d always enjoyed acting and theater, so I thought I’d put all those classes to use and start auditioning. I got a part in a community theater production and got paid for a few industrials: the training videos you watch when you start a new job … if you worked for Macy’s or Vicki’s Secret you might have seem me :))

Last year’s a goal was to compete in a bikini competition.

I also don’t believe in resolving ambiguously. I find that if I make specific, realistic goals, I tend to achieve them. And, while I have a list of things I’d like to accomplish, I usually focus on one goal at a time. When that’s done, I choose another.

This year, my goals converge into one major theme.

I’ve been reading the book, Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. It talks about how being a Christian isn't about being a fan, but rather realizing what it means to become a commited follower. As Idleman says, “Jesus doesn’t need fans.”

One of the major themes in the book is Luke 9:23:

“… And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

I know I fail on this daily (thank you God for grace!).

But …

… this year I joined a new training team. It’s a yearlong commitment, which means a yearlong commitment to dieting (different for contest prep and off season, but it means I need to consciously think about what I put in my mouth). It’s a mentally daunting concept, especially since I have a HUGE sweet tooth and a never-ending pit doctors call a “stomach.”

On vacation (probably while craving a mimosa or piece of cheesecake) I read the verse and realized I needed to give this year of sacrifice of what I want (as well as fear, uncertainty, stress … insert adjective here) as a lesson in becoming closer with God.

Which is my number one goal.

Beside that, I obviously want to become a better person (i.e., work on my anger = deny my first response), a better sister, daughter and friend (communicate better since I tend to not be a phone person) and more disciplined in my school work (since I need to graduate and need to work after graduation … studying for boards is probably a good idea … again, denying my want to lay on the couch and veg).

nom! nom! nom!

I know Jesus is probably talking about a deeper type of “cross,” but when I can’t have chocolate (and coffee may be cut soon!) then I need to take it one day at a time …

Have a good week!

I love PINK!!!!

Just not when it involved my eye ...

Yesterday, I brought out the my old eyeglasses. And not just because I had an early morning flight back to Miami.

It was because of this:

(Parton the no make up)

EW!

Seriously?! I've NEVER had pink eye in my entire life. But with my luck, one week into turning 28 and I get an infection 8 year-olds get!

I actually woke about 1 am yesterday morning to find my eye "glued" shut. Luckily we were still on the boat, which has an emergency medical kit that could revival some ambulances.

The hubs was able to find some eye ointment, and I've been treating it with that (meaning, he holds my eye open and applies the gels, and I whimper and kick even though it doesn't hurt at all).

However, as I mentioned in my last post, I am currently training for a competition in a few weeks.

I'm suppose to go workout, and I feel that my glasses hinder me. I'm blind without some type of corrective help, but my right eye is still a bit red. I mentioned that maybe I should just wear the left contact lens and "pirate" my way through the workout. (To which my husband said, "Knowing our household we most likely have a pirate patch somewhere ..." ).

And he's not wrong:

I threw him a pirate party ... about 4 years ago ... think people will notice if I wear it at the gym?

I'd like to discuss my resolution, but I need to ponder them a bit more ... perhaps as I'm blindly stepping on the Stair Master.

I hope you all have a great night! Happy and healthy 2012!!!!

'Twas the Week After Christmas

Happy Holidays* from the Caribbean!

(* I am not being PC; I am referring to Chanukah, Christmas and New Years … oh yeah, and since we are on a European island, Boxing Day … and maybe my birthday since it was just a week ago.)

The hubs and I, along with his parents and the boat crew, celebrated Christmas (and my birthday … and Boxing Day for that matter) in Sint Maarten.

I’ve been here once before, two years ago, when I was part of said boat crew. It’s been great spending an entire afternoon at the beach without having to sneak back on the boat before the owner knew we were gone.

And despite my love/hate relationship with the yachting industry, it feels good to be back on the boat and to be surrounded by others (… boats and people).

Oh, you know, just the neighborhood.

I was spoiled by my husband and by his family this year. And I'm traveling to Cincinnati in a few weeks to celebrate my mom’s birthday as well as a second Christmas and my birthday with my family! (Yeah!)

I’ve spent four birthdays with my husband. And he surprises me and spoils me every time.

During my first birthday, he flew me to London, um, proposed!!!

the ring!

and on his deathbed (he was seriously ill, he almost passed out at while waiting to see the crown jewels) took me on a tour of Grand Ol’ London-town. … That was before he flew me to Seychelles to spend Christmas with his folks.

Oh, just a little picnic spot.

The year after, everything was a bit chaotic. We both had spend the last three months working on the boat in the Caribbean, so when my birthday came, we had 48 hours to fly into Miami (a city with neither of us were familiar) and find an apartment (while I was also attending school orientation), fly back out to Cincinnati, celebrate Christmas, fit in some wedding planning, pack up everything I own and move back down to Florida.

Half the chaos

Amidst all of it, my hubs managed to surprise me with a HUGE bouquet of flowers (which I always tell him that’s ALL I really want, but he rarely listens).

The lilies were MASSIVE!

Last year, while driving to my parent's place for the holidays, we spent my birthday in Nashville (one of my favorite cities). We actually stayed at the Opryland Hotel, which if you ever go, go at Christmas-time; it’s magical!!! The hubs gave me with a HUGE make up case with tons of make up inside (he is actually a card-carrying member at Sephora now).

And this year was no different.

The day after we arrived in Sint Maarten, he took me to a jewelry store he regularly shops (seriously, every piece of real jewelry I own, minus the engagement ring, is from this store).

After a big welcome and happy birthday from the employees, they brought out a tiny box, which I promptly ripped open to find this sparkler:

Mark bought the ring a week before he came home before Christmas. When he came back, we did our usual Cheesecake Factory dinner date, followed by a mall walk. We walked into a jewelry store and I told Mark that in about five years or so, I think I’d like a new wedding band (To my defense, Mark had talked about “upgrading” my engagement ring, but it’s too special to me. So I wanted to let him know that I wouldn’t be opposed to a new (and less expensive) band.)

The funny thing is, the band I described was almost identical to the one I received; and until that day, I’d never mentioned the band before. Not only does the hubs know me, he is the WORST secret keeper in the world, so the fact he managed to not give any hint to the gift was ah-mazing.

The jewelry shop employees organized a cake for me as well. I am currently dieting for a competition that’s in a couple months, so technically I’m not allowed the cake. However, they went through so much trouble I didn’t want to be rude.

And again, with Christmas, I was spoiled. On my birthday we walked through Phillipsburg (the main shopping area on the island) and I walked into Longchamps, telling the hubs I’d like to have a bag next birthday/Christmas (a few day earlier, he told me he wasn't able to find the gift item I had previously asked for. He seemed so upset about it, I was convinced he actually had found it and was trying to keep it a secret). So much to my surprised went I found a green Longchamps box on Christmas.

One of my goals for 2012 is to be super organized and on top of everything. Having a matching purse and cosmetic bags makes me feel that more Type A :)

We have another day or two before Mark and I head back home. This will be our first New Year’s Eve in travel, therefore we hope to actually make it out.

'Twas the week before Christmas

My in-laws arrived on Friday afternoon! Neither Mark nor I have seen them since the wedding last September. It's been great having them here; and later this week we all leave for St. Maarten for a Caribbean Christmas!

But around here, it's beginning to look a bit like Christmas (even if it is 75 degrees and sunny outside):

p.s. the white "snow" is actually epsom salt. Super easy way to "Christmas-tize" and hurricane candle holder or jar!

I made the "Noel" sign. Frame from Ikea (I took out the glass, so I can reuse it). Sparkly wooden letter from Michaels ($.99 each), and sparkly cardstock from Michaels ($1.99). It would look really cool as a set of three, and maybe with a white frame.

And with my birthday just a few days out, I've given myself some early gifts. Happy Birthday to Me: