Peppered Popcorn

So it's been a while since I last blogged, and I just realized I actually missed doing it! I'm at work right now, so I don't have access to any of the cute pictures that go along with the upcoming stories - but they're all on Facebook anyways, so you can check them out there if you wish :)

Here is a slightly long list of very random things about my life right now:

1. I am obsessed with country music, and listen to almost nothing else. Well, except Celine Dion's "All the Way: A Decade of Song..."

2. I ordered a new "receiver" for my car, and all the parts are in! Tonight I'm going over to my my friend Robert's house for him to install it for me. Then I will be able play my iPod in my car! And it's even supposed to make my factory speakers sound better too. So I'm real excited for that to happen.

3. We (me, Robert, and his bro Jacob) got Gold season passes to Wild Adventures so that we can go to all the free concerts there this summer!

4. There's a possibility I'm becoming obsessed with getting my clothes tailored. I've already gotten a dress and a skirt done, and I just dropped off 2 more dresses. And on Monday I'll be taking a bathing suit. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm always looking at new or old clothes thinking, "Well this would look awesome if this was taken in, or if this part was shorter..."

5. The entire Department of Corrections is moving office buildings right now, so I've been getting to do different tasks, like packing boxes and labeling furniture, and I actually like it. I don't just have to sit at my computer all day, and I like being able to get up and move around a lot more.

6. I unfortunately did not lose 6 additional pounds by Easter. The three weeks surrounding DNow (which was awesome by the way!), I got crazy busy and almost completely stopped zumba/exercising. I have only lost 2 more since my last post. BUT - that does put me only 1 pound away from losing 30 total. Which is pretty dang awesome, despite my little plateau.

7. I was successful at upholding my Lent goals for the entire 40 days. I had fried chicken for the first time last night at church, and it was delish. Now I've decided to only eat it once a week, to remain healthy, but still allow myself some yummy-ness every once in a while!

8. I love my youth group a ton, and enjoying getting to do all the planning and stuff that has come with my new responsibility! Right now, I'm working on putting together our summer schedule of YESS activities (Youth Extreme Summer Spectacular), and I'm way pumped about it.

9. Popcorn is my absolute favorite right now. It's always been in my top 3 snacks (with pretzels and goldfish), but right now it's the only snack I eat. And lately I've discovered that it's even better with a ton of pepper on it. I usually don't salt my food at all, but I put pepper on almost everything. So I thought why not popcorn too? I'm sad I didn't think of this before now actually. Peppered popcorn....mmmm :)

10. I miss all my St. Augustine friends a ton, and I am very much in need of a weekend there at the beach with yall.

11. Moving out may actually be a possibility soon, because I might have found a roommate! It's a girl my sister works with, Emily, and she seems real cool. We met and hung out a little at the Garnet & Gold game a few weeks ago. And we're meeting again next week to discuss, and start looking for a new place. So maybe in a month or so this will become a reality!!

I'll try to not stay away for so long next time. Much love to all my friends and family and any other readers...

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…

Participation Required, Please

Last night at church my friend Trey McQuaig told me about a little game that I though sounded like a fun way to pass some time at work.

So this morning, I started off with his first challenge: by clicking the links on a Wikipedia article, try to get from “Shakespeare” to “Mac” (Macintosh/Apple). I thought it sounded a little tricky, but I underestimated my powers. I was able to get there in only 5 quick clicks. And I was pretty proud of myself actually! (For those of you who aren’t aware of this, I’m kind of a Google Master – so that helps in this game.)

I texted him immediately for a harder challenge, and he responded with “Spaghetti” to “Holocaust.” And wanna guess how that went? Awesomely. On click number 3, I was at “concentration camps,” and by click number 4, I was at “Holocaust.” Boom. Roasted.  The next one was trickier, and required much more time, reading, and thought – “Gatorade” to “Star Wars.” But I still got it in only 4 clicks.

I like this game, and want to take it to the next level, if you will. So friends – I want to accept challenges from all of you. Please think long and hard, and then TEXT ME two words to connect through this Wikipedia game. I’ll even buy a treat for the person whose challenge requires the most clicks. (And yes, I will actually mail it to you if you live in say – NJ, Tennessee, St. Augustine or Pensacola!)

Ready, set, text-me-some-random-words-to-connect-for-my-game-GO!

Oh, and love yall.

Political Visit

Today, Governor Rick Scott came for a visit to the good ‘ole Department of Corrections. ALL of the Central Office employees were required to attend his address, which was held on the ground floor of our parking garage.

It was supposed to begin at 3 p.m., and about ten minutes before, four almost-identical black SUV’s made a spectacle of pulling in and backing around, making sure to face the entrance. Secret service personnel started pouring out, and “secured the perimeter” of the parking garage, standing about 20 yards apart from each other all the way around. Complete with fancy suits and ear pieces. Very official.

I don’t think I should broadcast to everyone out there if I voted for him or not, but I will say I was a bit underwhelmed by his ‘speech’ this afternoon. He didn’t seem to be the greatest speaker, and it felt a bit unprepared. During the Q & A portion, I don’t think he really even answered any of the questions? I can’t be too sure though, because honestly, I didn’t know what all they were talking about – taxes, retirement, benefits, blah, blah, blah, things that don’t affect me, yet. So it was hard to follow.

One lady did specifically ask him what he’s making the wealthiest Floridian’s do to contribute to our failing economy – and she got applauded for her question. But again, I’m not too sure what the answer was. It was kind of a canned response, and he seemed to evade the specific question, and simply dance around the answer.

All-in-all, it wasn’t too thrilling. But, I’m sure not complaining – I got to go sit outside in the nice weather for an hour instead of staring at my computer screen and answering stupid questions on the phone…