Please buy me this?

So, one day in a land not-so-far away, my best friend Jenni Double moved into my precious little Vista Cove apartment. Not only did she bring her incredible humor, excellent styling capabilities and love of books - but she also introduced me to other things as well. She brought with her tons of cute little treasures that I loved, and made my house even cuter than before.

My favorite item was her crane lamp. I fell in love with that thing, and was always sitting under it on our new, super comfy (incredibly heavy to get up the stairs) couch. Doing homework. Painting my nails. Looking at a magazine. Falling alseep. Reading a book. Whatever. I loved that lamp. Then sadly, she pulled the plug on our amazing roomie situation when she had to move to Orlando. And she took the lamp with her.

So for almost two years now, I've been looking for one to buy for myself. And I CANNOT find one! I've never seen one in a store, and the ones online are rediculously expensive. Like this one. That one is for sure my favorite one I've seen, but hello?! That price is out of control. (Anyone who can actually afford this - feel free to purchase it for me.)

But, I found a cheaper one on Ikea's website! Now, I've never even been to Ikea before (I know, I know. Everyone always freaks out when I say this), but I feel like a little trip is coming up in the very near future. Cuz I'm gonna need this lamp. Who wants to road trip to Orlando with me?! Or Tampa - whatever. I just need to get myself to Ikea...

Pounds are GONE!

So remember at the beginning of Lent, I had a final six pounds to lose before I reached my goal? Well, found out today that I'VE REACHED IT! Around the start of the New Year I made a list of goals, and published them for 'the world' to see, and one of the goals was to be under a certain weight. Then at Lent, I changed my diet even a little more with this post, in order to reach that goal quicker. And it happened today!!

So wanna know some total poundage lost? I though so. Since Lent began on March 9, I've lost 7 pounds. Since my New Year's post in January, I've lost 16 pounds. And since I first started doing Zumba and working out, I've lost a total of 27 pounds!!

Ladies and Gentlemen - this is a HUGE deal for me. And I'm really excited about it. And I'm actually very proud of myself for being so determined about it!

A tiny celebration will be had this weekend, because let's be honest, I am very seriously craving some delicious chocolate cake or something. I'm not going to break my Lent diet still, but I AM going to enjoy something a little 'off limits' on Saturday night. So those of you who I'm hanging with on Saturday, be prepared for something delicious!

Oh, and my new goal? Another 6 pounds by Easter, since the first 6 went away so quickly :)

Thanks to all you who've kept motivating me, and supporting me. I love all of yall so much!

Pushing Towards the Final 6

So today is Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent. And I don't always give stuff up, but this year I am going to. For those of you who read my New Year's Resolution post, there was a certain weight I want to be under. Right now, I'm only 6 pounds away! I feel great, and I'm so excited about it. I don't know if others around me can tell, but I certainly can, and I'm loving it.

Lately I've started pushing myself even harder than I was before, and it's going pretty well. So I'm kickin it up another notch. So for Lent, I started a new diet today, and here's happening:

1. Only snacks that are 100-calorie packs

2. No fried food (except for Chick-fil-A. Is that ok? It's just too delicious...)

3. And then just in general trying to make healthier food choices

So by Easter, I will absolutely be rid of these 6 more pounds! (And then I'll share how much total I've lost, cuz I'm pretty dang excited about it.) And then after that, a new goal will be set for summer time fun :) So friends - if I ever eat with you, call me out on it!

Love yall. Happy Lent.

Pure Language of the World

When I read this today, I really liked it, and I just wanted to share it. It’s a section from “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, when the boy, who is the main character, first sees a girl whom he instantly falls in love with. I like intensity of this explanation of that immediate feeling of love. I like the last two sentences the best, and love the idea of a “twin soul” for every person.

“It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”

So that’s all. I just really like this. And honestly, I look forward to the day when I also have this feeling, whether it happens in an instant or takes some time to grow – either way is fine with me. For now, I’ll just remember to keep my “twin soul” in my prayers…