Wrinkles

I am SO tempted to get Juvaderm for my smile lines!  In fact, I am so tempted, that I’m thinking about making an appointment as soon as this afternoon.  Here are my dilemnas:

1.  It is really expensive. 

2.  I don’t know if the results will justify the cost.

3.  The doctor’s office is far away–about 20 miles.  PITA.

4.  I don’t know which filler will give me the best results, for the longest amount of time (Juvaderm, Restlyane, or Perlane). 

On the other hand, here are some pros:

1. I’ve been talking about getting this for a long time; I really want it!

2.  See number 1!

I don’t know anyone who has had any of these, so I haven’t gotten any advice from friends.  What to do, what to do?

See the smile lines?  I’d like to make them a little less noticeable…

Deal of the Day

I finally got these today.  I have been wanting them forever! 

It’s a skirt.  No, wait, it’s shorts.  I think they are actually called “skorts”.  Anyway, I think they are super cute, and they were $19.99 at the Nike Outlet Store.

Today was a not-very-good food day.  After my workout, I ate lots of healthy stuff, but I ate SO much.  So much, that I’m not even hungry for dinner.  I had a couple of crackers, a very large red apple, a half a whole-wheat tortilla with almond butter AND a carrot with Better ‘N’ Butter peanut butter.  Oh yeah, I also ate a whole bunch of nuts.  And when I say “a whole bunch”, I mean a half a can.  I don’t know what had gotten into me, today, but I feel really…heavy now.  I do NOT like this feeling.  Oh well; tomorrow is a new day.  Anyway, here’s some of the stuff I devoured today. 

It’s Been A While!

I am back after a few days of taking a blog break.  I hadn’t written in a while because of a few reasons:

1. Uploading pictures takes a long time.

2. Out of town guests were here for the weekend.

3. I don’t know if anyone looks at my posts, so I figured nobody would miss me!

But anyway, I’m back, and I am ready to get on track with writing again.  Maybe someone out there give me tips on uploading pics more quickly/efficiently.

Anyway, some highlights from my life, over the past few days…

I got a pedicure (check out Buddles’ toes).  Actually, I take that back.  I did not get pedicure; I just got my toes painted with a french manicure.  I always just get them painted because I don’t like it when people pick on my toes, and because it’s also a lot less expensive.  It was only $9 (instead of $23). 

A party at the family-owned outdoor farmer’s market at my house.  I bought FOUR red peppers for a dollar here, which cut up and froze.  What a deal!  Now I can just throw peppers into my omelettes (or whatever) whenever I want!  Anyway, there was a band at the party, and they had homemade cake with fresh fruit and cream on top, so I splurged.  I could not resist.  And you know what?  I didn’t feel guilty!

Edgefield, with friends.  I wasn’t hungry, so I just had a Diet Coke.

Running around downtown Portland with my boyfriend, his best friend, and his best friend’s dad.  It was so hot this weekend that I felt like I was going to pass out.  We started the day with breakfast at a local place called Cup and Saucer.  I wasn’t impressed.  My veggie/egg white omelette was FULL of oil.  The plate was smothered in it, so I hardly ate any of it.  Instead, I filled up on coffee .  We went to the waterfront and checked out the view from the Nines (which is a very fancy hotel), and wrapped up the day by eating dinner at Blue Moon.  Blue Moon is where my boyfriend and I went on our first date, which is why we love this place.  Not to mention, they have a really delicious hummus platter (my usual).

Chris and I wrapped up the weekend’s activities with a little hike in Forest Park.  By the way, I do not like hiking, but when it’s only for about 30 minutes, it’s not so bad.

Oh, I’ve also been eating a lot of almond butter.  I’ve never had almond butter, but I saw it at Costco and thought it looked interesting.  I like that it doesn’t have any ingredients beside “almonds”.  No sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, no crap!  I tablespoon has about 100 calories.  Not too bad, since the stuff is pretty rich–I’ve found that I don’t really need more than a tablespoon.

Off to tackle my Monday “to-do” list and enjoy the day!!!

Work, Shmurk.

Guess what.  I love not working.  I know this goes against everything my mother taught me, but I cannot help the way I feel.  I love being able to sleep in if I want.  I like to enjoy my morning coffee while watching the View and checking my email.  It’s nice to be able to take the dog for a walk when I feel like it.  I’m able to keep up with my to-do list, keep my house clean, and catch up with friends who I have lost touch with.  I have no stress, EXCEPT when my mother calls me to find out if I have a job…yet.

I’ve worked my whole life, until now.  I always felt like I was spinning my wheels.  There just were not enough hours in the day.  Everything was rushed.  I felt like I was going through the motions during the work week, and not really enjoying anything about corporate America.  What’s the point of it all, anyway?  Obviously, we all need to work to pay the bills, but what’s the have a job that ruins the quality of your life?  We spend so much time at work that it’s difficult to not let it affect your personal life, especially if you’ve had a bad day at the office.

I’ve never been fully satisfied with any job I’ve had.  I don’t enjoy pushing paperwork, measly cost-of-living pay increases, dealing with difficult personalities, and being forced to sit at a desk until 5:00, even if I’m finished with all of my work.

I suppose I’m still trying to pick my passion.  I wonder if I’ll ever find it.  Until then, I’m enjoying unemployment.  That probably sounds pretty pathetic to a lot of people, but it makes me happy.  And that is what is most important .

This is what I eat. It’s so boring.

OK, so here’s what I ate (in addition to what I had for breakfast, which was in my last post).  My food is so boring.  Seriously…

Lunch was a plate of veggies with buffalo wing sauce and parmesan cheese.

Then I had an apple.

Snack was some of this power mix that I diluted with some Trader Joe’s bran cereal.

Dinner was a Boca Burger on a whole wheat tortilla with mozzarella cheese and ketchup, followed by another apple.  Yes, another apple!

Post workout snack: 2 carrots, some raisins, and some sugar free hot chocolate.

I love cooking; I really do!  It’s just that I have a hard time resisting yummy food in my fridge, which is why I just eat the same old boring things .  I actually like my boring way of eating (in case it sounds like I am complaining).

Does anyone else eat the same stuff ALL the time, like me?

Knocking Out the “To-Do” List

Happy Monday!  I forced myself to sleep in today until almost 10:00.  Holy mackerel!  It was hard; my body wanted to get up at 7:30 this morning, but I allowed myself to continue to snooze.  Hey; life’s short, so why not indulge?

I’m starting off my day with some coffee.  No cappuccino for me; I’m out of milk.  So, I’m drinking my drip coffee with Coffee-Mate creamer in it.  Yes, I know the stuff is crap.  Total junk.  But, I need my coffee in the morning, and I’m not ready to run out to the store yet.  I’m still in my PJ’S AND I have pillow creases on my left cheek.  I am definitely not ready to face the public yet! 

I’m looking forward to knocking out my “to-do” list, which I also refer to as my “todo” list (“todo” in Spanish means “everything”).  Take a look at the pile of paperwork I need to tackle.

Later on today, I’m going to the gym.  It’s my favorite night to work out because both instructors are great and force me to challenge my body.  First is a one hour step class, followed by a power sculpting class.  I’m always disappointed when there’s a substitute teacher, and guess what.  There’s a sub tonight.  Hopefully she’s good!

I Love Weekends.

Even though I’m not working, I still get excited for the weekends.  They feel like vacation! 

Saturday and Sunday consisted of working out for a two hours each morning (step class, followed by weight lifting class). 

It also consisted of Cappuccinos.  Many, many cappuccinos. 

 Bargain shopping.  This fabulous pink and purple silk cheetah prink sheet set was $15.99.  I thought they’d be fun.  I’ve had my sheets since college, so it was time for a change. I also got two sports bras ($6.99 each), and a fancy black tank top with ruffles and a big bow on the back ($7.99).  Yes, I admit, I am a frugal fannie. 

Walking the dog.

An outdoor jazz festival in my neighborhood.

Chris got a pizza at Signal.  And yes, I snuck some bites.  My favorite food is whatever happens to be on his plate.  His food always looks so good, and I ALWAYS want some of his.

 A ska concert.  I was not familiar with Ska music, but decided to go to support my friend–it’s her husbands band, and also, to try something different.

 Oh, although I typically eat the same things every day, I decided to buy something new when I went to Costco.  Since they don’t carry tubs of soy nuts anymore, I decided to buy their Power Mix, which consists of soy nuts, almonds, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.  Although it’s DELICIOUS, I have to confess that once I start on these things, I have a hard time stopping.  It starts as an innocent handful, which then turns into many, many, many handfuls.  Which then makes me feel guilty.  I tell you, this snack is like crack.  So, although these things are great, I don’t think I’ll buy them again…unless it’s a special occasion.

Tomorrow’s Monday, so the weekend’s pretty much over.  Now that my internet is up and running again, I am going to make it a priority to blog every day.  I didn’t realize how much time it would take me to get my site set up!  Not to mention, my camera was malfunctioning, so that didn’t help any.  I’d love to get feedback, as long as it’s nice (my feelings are easily hurt, so be constructive!).