Silly (yet productive) Saturday

So the plan for today was to wake up, go to the Charlottesville City Market (aka farmer's market) and hit the gym for training at 10:30. And that was pretty much how the day played, except sneak a Target run between the City Market and gym, and push training back to 11, but add a 30 minute run in there. Anyway, I was extra bored excited today, so I decided to capture some key moments.

Replacing coffee with more water--1.5 liter bottle here!
Yay water!

Let me also say, the attempt at coffee is going really well! Er, that is, until I decided to buy a thing of decaf today at the store. Folgers, if I'm not mistaken. However, I don't think I'll be indulging in it too often, because honestly, it tastes like sour disgustingness crap. I don't think it's the fact that it's decaf, but rather the fact that it's Folgers. Who knows. Lesson learned though--this is a sign that I should just give up on the whole coffee-in-the-afternoon thing!

Archie was feeling a little left-out affectionate this morning, so I gave him free rein over my bed as I got ready. I think he likes being higher up. He's always wanting to get in my lap, get on the couch or the bed, look out the window... I think he secretly wishes he were a larger dog, but sadly, he's miniature. Regardless, he got some "tall time" today, and got to relax on my pillows bed looking out the window at the passing cars. I have to admit, I did try to exploit his adorable puppy-dog face so it could grace the pages of my blog, but he wasn't having it. Instead, he decided he would show his mommy some love--by licking her in the face! If only you knew where that snout has been! Oh, the simple life of a dog.

Archie didn't want to take pictures this morning,
 but he did show some love!

Out the door and on to my day! I managed to find a handful of things I wanted needed at the City Market, including: fresh kale, farm-raised eggs, butternut squash, and fresh chevre. The butternut squash I bought on a whim because they were $1 a piece, so I have yet to figure out what I will do with them. But the kale and eggs were on the top of my list of things to hunt down. Luckily, there aren't an overabundance of vendors, so it was pretty easy. All I had to do instead was price hunt. In my search, I was fortunate to come across a cheese stand, and due to my addiction love of goat cheese, I immediately thought of the smooth substance. They had it--yes!! Should have gotten 2 because I use that stuff every morning in my eggs. Oh well, the City Market is there every Saturday.

My goods--in route to the gym!

All unpacked. So excited for fresh, local produce!

Next stop--Target! Now, I was actually going there just to kill time and look around without buying anything, but when I see those little red markdown stickers, I-- I just can't help myself! Especially when they are on PROTEIN BARS! Lucky day? I think yes! This is what I walked out with:

9 individual Muscle Milk Light bars + 1 eaten en route to Gold's, as well as a box of 6. All this for less than $11. That's more than a bargain--that's a steal if I've ever seen one! Side note, I think they slashed prices to make room on their shelves for the new Iron Girl PowerBar Protein bars that they, exclusively, are selling. Excited/curious to try those new ones too!

Well, all done with spending money for the week weekend, and off to Gold's! As mentioned, I got a decent run in--3 miles in 25 minutes ( I exaggerated the time by a tiny bit earlier...though I did do a cool-down brisk inclined walk). Then it was back to shoulders for the first time in a few days, and I was having a few problems, i.e., my left shoulder locking up, and my right shoulder raising itself on two respectively different exercises. All-in-all though, I got through it and survived!

Since I didn't have work today (shocking!), I was at a loss of what to do with my time since the weather was a bit crappy overcast & drizzly. Thus, I did what any starving girl would do--made Batch #3 of protein brownies! I must say, I think I outdid myself this time. The entire house smelled like the delicious brownies (of which I have yet to taste). But judging on smell alone, these are perfection!

Brownies, post slicing--messed up the edges a bit.

Today's ingredient combination: brownie batter protein powder and flavored sugar-free applesauce. I'll report back once I try them (tomorrow)!

Need. Coffee?

Well, my back soreness is back. Don't quite know if I can call it pain since it may just be because I had a good back workout Tuesday night. I was spot on with dead lifts and we did a circuit with stiff-legged dead lifts, bent over rows, pull-ups, and good mornings. The good mornings were new to my routine but I enjoyed them--it's nice to switch things up every once in a while. Then last night was legs, and I'm proud to say that I'm improving so much with them too! I managed to squat 175-lbs and got in a few sets of box step-ups with 15-lb dumbbells. It was the first time in at least 2 months that I've even attempted those because I absolutely hate them. Gotta give credit to Kevin--he's always pushing me past what I say I can do. Although, to be fair, half the time I'm joking about not wanting or being able to do something or just whining for the fun of it. But he sees through that, which is an important quality to have in a trainer.

No sir/ma'am, not me!

But yeah, back to the back pain--I think it's nothing, just tense muscles. But since falling down my stair back in December, I get a little wary. I could definitely use a trip to CVS to get some icy hot or a one of their back patches. Those things are HEAVENLY! I slept in one after my fall--not only was I super comfortable, but I was also super warm! So a few hours in one of those things, and I should be good to go. Regardless, I'm determined to get my workouts in. I missed cardio Wednesday night because I just wasn't feeling it, and about 5-10 minutes after getting home, I was kicking myself for my lack of motivation. Getting ready for this competition is like a deadline--there's no leniency. If I'm not ready for the stage, I've just blown a ton of money and time. And I'm just not a quitter, so that's not even an option for me.

Therefore, yesterday I made up for my lack of motivation with an extra intense HIIT workout. Normally, I run warmup and recovery at a 7.0 speed and do all my intervals at a speed of 8.5. Well, I kept that up for the first 5 of my 10 intervals (45 seconds on, 1min 15 second recovery), and from there I increased speed until I was up to speed 10 for my last couple. Felt GOOD! I really want to get out to the track here and do some sprints--it's a different feeling on actual ground than on the treadmill. And for as fast as I want to run my intervals on the treadmill, it's just harder. And I get annoyed with the pitter-patter of my own feet on the darn thing. Well, it's more than a pitter-patter, it's actually like a personal stampede. Whoops!

Why hello there, giant guy!

Anyway, Kevin and I got to talking about nutrition, water intake, etc., and we've decided I have to change up a few things. Mostly the fact that I'm not getting near enough sleep! Yesterday I woke up at 6:30 to get ready for work before class. Well, granted, I misread what time I had to work and thus awoke an hour early, but still, I didn't manage to fall asleep til 1. Five and a half hours of sleep is nowhere near enough! It's not for lack of trying to get to bed at a normal hour, but I haven't been able to wind down and fall asleep until around 1 each night. I did target the culprit though--it's my addiction to coffee! Normally it doesn't phase me to get home after class or work and have a cup of coffee at 5pm. I've even indulged as late at 9 or 10 at night. I know, I know--"No wonder she can't sleep!" Yup, I'm apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed.

However, this "discovery" elicited an experiment of sorts. First thing first, I didn't have any coffee after 4pm yesterday (and have only had half a mug thus far today!), and I also tried to put down my laptop at a more reasonable time. There's really nothing to do on it at midnight anyway, except obsess over my competition prep and update this blog. As much as I wanted to, I held off until this morning to create this post--go me! So I was in bed by 11, asleep in a few minutes, and managed to sleep for 8 1/2 hours! So what does this mean? Well, I need to keep the caffeine levels low in the afternoons. I have to look at is the way that I would look at sugar-intake. If I drink up in the afternoon, sure it will keep me energized for the short-term, but ultimately it will negatively affect my workouts and my sleep habits. So, for as much as I love the liquid "crack," it's time for us to part ways. It's okay, I'll live (and probably have greater energy than I did with it).

This captures all the great qualities of the City Market.

So for the rest of the week and the upcoming weeks, I'm looking at replacing my coffee intake with more water and sleeping for a reasonable amount of time. And I'm super excited about tomorrow morning because the Charlottesville City Market just started up last weekend (completely slipped my mind then), and I will definitely be buying some fresh produce! Today was even pay day! Woohoo! Not to mention, as of tomorrow, I will have gone 28 days without the excess empty carbs that is fondly known as alcohol! I know, I can't believe it either. Not really frustrating, but hard because I'm craving an amazing spinach salad from a restaurant called Beer Run. Gee, guess what else they sell...

Lots of knots...er, thoughts

Also known as blogger's block. And if it's not known as that, well, it should be. For some reason I just could not get out what I had to say last night--which was a lot. But now that the sun is rising, I'm giving it another go. Let's see if I can unscramble my train of thought and make any coherent sense...

I'm happy to announce that, while I still do not have progress photos, I have measurements! Taken Monday night. Now, my January numbers are probably lost at the gym, so I have yet to be able to determine how far I've come. And the numbers are few and far between (I only needed like 5 measurements to send out for my posing suit). So without further ado, as of 5 April 2011:

• Bust: 35
• Waist: 27.5
• Hips: 36
• Torso: 58**

This whole torso thing was a little bit taxing because it asked whether or not I had a long- or short-torso, but it did not give numbers classifying each. So after a bit of hunting, I found that, for my size, 58 1/2 (inches) is a normal torso length. Alas, I'm barely short torso-ed! Does 1/2 an inch even count?? There was no "average torso" option, so I went with "short"and sucked it up. But in other news, since I have these measurements, that means I was able to order my suit/place my deposit!! Unfortunately, I still have no idea what colors to choose and have a flimsy idea of what I want it to look like. Luckily, my designer is amazing and is fully willing to work with me and my lack of knowledge. But what do you guys think?? As a (tan-ish) natural redhead, what color would you choose for me? It's one thing to pick out an outfit to wear for a day, but it's another to choose a color that, even though it only covers a minute part of my body, I will be judged on. Oh well, I'm just ecstatic that my suit is ordered! I'll receive a few swatches of fabric in the mail soon and we will go from there! However, this means I need to stop spending money at work (aka buying clothing)--I've already told 2 of my managers to not let me buy anything! I even suggested putting my mugshot up on our employee wall with a note about it. Clever, right??

Fitness according to biology.

Okay, so that was Reason #1 that my day turned out well, so on to Reason #2. I had just gotten into the library that I live in and made myself comfortable in one of the nice, big, relaxing armchairs, when former roommate from my 2nd year passed by. She stopped to say hi, and I asked how her double tennis tournament went this past saturday--it was a fun thing, but her and her boyfriend were eager to do their best. She said they won a few matches, and before we said our goodbyes, she gave me a very sweet compliment. "You're looking very fit, Liz!" Now, thanks to my 12th grade AP Biology teacher, I always chuckle a little inside when I hear the word "fit" used in a phrase such as this. Of course, I know how most people intend to use it, so I gladly humbly accepted the compliment. However, in biological terms, fitness refers to the ability to reproduce. So to deem someone fit means they are in good health to make babies. Yeah...no thanks! But shout-out to Kelsey (if you are reading this)--you're compliment made my day that much better, and I want to say thank you! You're a very kind person, and coming from you (so athletic!), it means a lot!

Little rascal! Why would you rest your head on the floor?

So the day could only get better, right? Right. I happened to be a bit of a ball of nerves yesterday morning. At noon, I was supposed to meet a girl for coffee regarding a room available in her apartment next year. Now, normally this wouldn't make me too nervous, but A. I've been getting down to the wire since my lease ends at the end of May, and B. my experience with choosing a random roommate via online (college) classified websites has been no good. However, since I'm one of the only graduating students amongst my friend circle that has any desire to stay in Charlottesville and I'm willing to spend more on my competition than I am on rent, I've been kind of limited. I'm proud ashamed to admit I did a bit of Facebook stalking perusing and asked a mutual friend about this girl. All results turned out positive! By the way, now is a good time to tell you, if you ever need any P.I. work done via Facebook, I'm your girl! But, back to the potential roommate... So I went to meet her, and...we really hit it off! Having only met her that day, we pretty much interacted like we'd known each other for a while and we have a lot in common--her second home is The Virginian (a bar) and mine is was The Biltmore (a bar). And she loves dogs--Archie is going to be one happy camper! So much good news in so little time! I'm going to check out the place in person this weekend--apparently it has really big closets. YES!!! Not to mention, I'll be done with the move a couple weeks before my competition, so it'll be a huge stress relief!

The only downside to my day was the little twinge of pain soreness I felt in my lower back, that only appeared around 2:30pm, just in time for work! Not too much to worry about, it will sort itself out in a day or two. However, my gym time was a bit earlier today, and it through me out of my element. I had training at 7 (aka directly from work), and while my lifting was great--we did bis and tris--I may have skipped cardio. Well, I got in about a half-mile warmup, but that's nothing. I was kicking myself later that night when I felt fat like a lazy bum for skipping. Did I have a good excuse? No, not really. I was just lacking the cardio motivation yesterday. Sigh. I'll kick my own ass tonight. And it's a leg day, so I'm sure Kevin will too.

So today should be interesting--I got a free pass on my internship Tuesday because my mentor was crazy busy. Therefore I didn't know what to do with myself all afternoon. So what did I do? Played with the pup and relaxed (a bit too much). I'm glad to be back in the swing of things. When I don't have anything to do is when I procrastinate the most, so thank goodness for the Newsplex--making Tuesday and Thursday afternoons productive! Well, I'm glad I was able to sort out my thoughts and actually write this blog (after 4 failed attempts--seriously!!). I leave you with an interesting blurb from a Cosmo article. I'll take my sexy sculpted arms over legs anytime! Oh, and New Kids on the Block + Backstreet Boys = <3 too many men in tight (p)leather pants??

I spoke too soon

Not about saying goodbye. That, I was spot-on with. But rather, I spoke too soon when I said I was not noticing any changes in my lower half. Or the numbers on the scale. Well, I really didn't mention the scale, but it was fresh in my mind. For the past few weeks, I've been skirting around the same number when I weigh in --131. Oh my gosh, did I just admit that on my public blog?! Now, my scale also claims to tell your body fat percentage as well, not to be confused with BMI. I'm skeptical as to the numbers it gives me and if it is, indeed, accurate. I won't go into details (because it would be perhaps sad embarrassing for me if it really is accurate), but the numbers it normally gives me are in the mid- to upper-20s. That just seems ridiculous and highly unlikely. But who knows. I do know, though, that the body fat percentages it tells me have been decreasing over the past few weeks. Guess that's good. Although, it fluctuates on a daily cycle--higher in the morning than after cardio at night. Once again, skeptical.

Ew, gross feet! Yet, interesting kale reference...

Yet this morning, I was not a skeptic, but I became a believer (of the weight, still not the body fat percentage). I hopped on (well, technically, I gingerly stepped on) the scale, body devoid of clothing--let's be real here, clothing has a weight of its own--and winced at the thought of seeing that dreaded 131.something. I should have known it would be a pleasant surprise--I felt good both yesterday and this morning. Scratch that--I felt amazing! It's like that feeling you get when you know you've had a good night's sleep. But anyway, as I looked down, I don't really know what I was truly expecting. I thought for a minute that the number could possibly creep up, though not due to the way I've been eating (which has been very clean). 129.8. What a relief! This is what I've needed to see all along! And I've finally gotten past that dreaded 131 mark! The obsessive part of me wanted to weigh in again, seconds later, just to be sure...but it was cold this morning, and I was fully willing to accept my victory.

Score--Liz: 1, Scale: 0.

My local retail addiction home-away-from-home.

Now, I do want to go into (brief) detail about why I saw this loss, and why today of all days. First, let me admit that I took off 2 days from the gym last week--Wednesday and Friday. I honestly meant to go both days, but as mentioned in a prior post, Kevin took off Wednesday, and when the time came for me to go, I was just TOO exhausted. Friday was a bit tricky, because Gold's Gym closes at 8 here on Fridays, and I had work from 5 to 9 (which ended up being 2:30 to 9 because I was called in early). I knew I wouldn't be able to get to the gym in the afternoon, so I purposely set my alarm a bit early (7am) so I could get in some cardio before class. Didn't happen. I would make excuses and say I was too tired, etc., but in all honesty, I just decided I wanted to make a pre-class trip to Target instead. Sometimes Target subconsciously calls to me, all 15ish miles away, and I just have to answer to it. Good news is, I got a LOT of stuff for cheap, including some new (to me) gum flavors!

Wow, stream of consciousness... I just realized I'm completely off track here. Back to my reasons why I'm now in the 120s weight-wise. Well, after taking those 2 days off, I decided I needed a kick-ass workout on Saturday and Sunday. I was a little bit constrained for time on Saturday and Kevin wasn't coming in, but I managed to get in a half hour of cardio plus about 100 reps per side on the Ab Coaster (one of my new favorite "toys"). Not to mention, I was on my feet for another 4 hours at LOFT. Then yesterday, as I mentioned here, I just felt ON! I brought my A-game and it paid off. I definitely think that running my HIIT on an incline rather than just focusing on speed helped big time! And the ab routine that Kevin put me through helped me feel my tightened core. This morning I could see definition that I've been aching to see!

Needless to say, today I did a modified run, doing intervals of increased incline at a steady pace for 25 minutes. Also worked on the abs more--can't let a good thing go to waste! In other news, I'm trying to be a bit more domestic (well, not really trying for that, but rather trying my hand at cooking/baking more). Last night, I made Protein Brownies, courtesy of a recipe by The Fit Green Goddess.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats- ground up. I used McCann's QUICK 2 minutes steel cut oats
• 4 egg whites
• 2 sccops ISALEAN PROTEIN**
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 8 oz banana organic baby food**
• 3 tbsp. carob powder**
• 4 oz water

Now, I first made these last weekend, substituting carob powder for unsweetened cocoa powder and the banana baby food for a couple almost overly-ripe bananas I had to get rid of. I also used a different brand of protein powder, Brownie Batter flavored (what a coincidence!). This combination proved to be okay, but a tad on the bitter side--needed a bit of extra sweetness. So last night when I was baking Attempt #2, I used Cookies n' Cream flavored protein powder, still used the cocoa powder as a substitute, and used canned pumpkin instead of banana for a different flavor. I also added a tad bit of honey, to give it more of that semi-sweet flavor I was looking for. Let me tell you something--perfection! I will say that I'm more of a baker than a cook, but I can never come up with good creations of my own. Until now...well, it's not my original creation, but the tweaks were my own. I'm curious to see what else I can do with these things, so my next batch (probably made next Sunday) will feature unsweetened (possibly flavored) applesauce, some spices, one of the two aforementioned protein flavors, and a bit of vanilla extract. Will keep you posted!

The whole gang--I'm a proud owner of 4!

That was my baking hurrah, and today I decided to have a cooking fun! I just bought 2 new flavors of Mrs. Dash salt-free seasonings and was all too curious to wait to try them. It just so happens that I was fortunate enough to have a thawed package of chicken breasts sitting in my fridge (since family dinner fell through last night). So I went to town! Cut those suckers up, split the batch in half, and used a different seasoning for each half (1/2 Caribbean Citrus & 1/2 Extra Spicy). Meanwhile, I had kale roasting in the oven for 5-7 minutes and was cutting up a seedless watermelon. I'm afraid I got to the watermelon before it hit its peak ripeness, but oh well--it is what it is. The chicken and the kale were spot-on though! I only tried one flavor of the chicken, but it was to die for! Of course there's a website for everything--now I'm curious to test out Mrs. Dash('s) recipes. Maybe I'll find something suitable for this Sunday's family dinner!

P.S. Note to self: take more actual pictures and don't be too lazy to upload them!

Au Revoir, My Good Friends!

Definitely not me, but that's my bikini.

No, I don't mean goodbye to you, blogging world. But rather, I'm saying farewell to my two dear friends--my boobs. That's right, I said it. Unfortunately, these two have been innocent victims of my training. Curiosity got the best of me a few minutes ago, and since I don't have my competition suit yet, I tried on a pretty tiny Victoria's Secret string bikini. First let me mention that I wore this bikini just a few weeks ago when I was down in Florida on vacation, and my girls fit just fine in it. Well...not today! I couldn't even fill out the darn thing--and it was a small! Sigh. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but I was hoping later.

This brings me to some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I'm obviously noticing results in my top half--i.e., my shoulders, chest, back. The bad news is that I'm not so much noticing the results on bottom. But once again I'm not too objective, and I still need to snap some darn progress photos. And take measurements! Luckily, I do have somewhat of initial measurements (from January, when I first buckled down into training mode). I know, I know--BAD LIZ! But it will eventually get done, especially since I need to send my measurements out for my suit. Well, I guess if I had to say something positive about my lower half, I'd say that I'm definitely leaning out a bit. For instance, the waist on my pants is getting looser, but at the same time, I think I'm still holding on to my "love handles" if you will. Also, I did notice today when I was on the stretching machine that my thighs seem to be a little bit more muscular--I guess that would explain why my jeans fit the same in the legs...

Mount Trashmore--the only (manmade) "hill" in Virginia
Beach. I had many a cross-country practice here. 

OH WELL. All I can do is train hard harder and work my ass off--literally. Speaking of which, I did have an awesome workout today! Except for having to stop my HIIT abruptly because I urgently had to use the restroom, I got in an awesome run! Well, 2 awesome runs since I stretched, etc., in between. Unfortunately, the treadmill I usually use was taken and the one of the same kind next to it was broken. The third of its kind has a TV attached to it, and that just gets too annoying for me because it shakes incessantly and I do not like things in front of my face when I run--headache! So ultimately, I had to use a different kind of treadmill, which only goes up to a speed of 7:30 minute miles. This was no good for HIIT, so I modified my workout and did several different intervals--first a 7:30 pace for 45 seconds at an incline of 5% followed by a 1 minute 15 second recovery, then a 8:00 pace for 30 seconds at an incline of 10% followed by a 1 minute 30 second recovery. Trust me, it was harder than it sounds, especially since I'm originally a beach girl (i.e., no hills).

Alas, no...

Even though Kevin was hesitant that this was a true HIIT workout, when I told him "Let's see you try sprinting up hills!" he didn't say a word. Touche! Shouldn't have been so sassy though, because then he kicked my ass a bit with my ab workout. The joke is on him though, because I will make the best of any workout :) Ah, but yes, do not let me forget the original point of this blog--saying goodbye... I would say that I hope to see my boobs again soon, but I know that is not possible without gaining weight. And that is the last thing I want to do! So even though we've been through some good times together and I will miss them dearly, I don't mind if they stay away for a while. As long as I reach my ultimate goal, I'm happy!

YES, I'M STILL FUN! Now stop asking!

I recently made the decision to withdraw from my sorority. It's really not too big of a deal, because we were in the process of transitioning from a local sorority (Sigma Delta) to a national sorority (Sigma Delta Tau) and most of my friends in conjunction with either, I made while part of SigDelt. So while I may not be a SDT gal, I will always be a SD gal. Confusing, I know. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the sorority life just a little bit (or at least the constant photo reminders on Facebook and the periodic emails that get sent my way on accident), but I know I made the right choice.

Some of my SigDelt gals--Fall '10

My "twin" from my sorority came up to me the other day asking this question: Do you really not have time or did you just not want to do it? The truth is, I really didn't (don't) have the time, and I would rather put my financial resources toward this competition. I was sort of shocked at the question, that someone would doubt the reasons behind my decision. Not many people appreciate the work that goes into preparing for a goal as grand as this one (grand in my mind). As of this past Monday, I am no longer affiliated with the sorority. But I can't say that it was a huge loss because I had been to all of maybe 2 out of 7-8 events by that point. I had already missed 3 new member meetings, our "retreat" (which was on campus?!), and a cookie swap. That brings me to another point--they had all these events scheduled that revolved around 2 things: food and drinking. And I'm sorry that I can't indulge in either, but it would be nice to have something without the temptations present. All-in-all, I'm okay with my decision. I may not be part of the legacy of bringing SDT back to the UVa campus, but I'm making my own legacy. And trust me, if I thought girls here were interested in competing in Figure Competitions, I would sure as hell make a CIO (a club) of it. But alas...

Melissa, on the boat in FL

This whole post was sparked by another event of sorts--a text message and a gchat conversations, if you will. Disclaimer: I know that a lot of my good friends read this blog, but I'm just trying to be honest here. Last night I got 2 texts from my good friend, Melissa, of whom I've mentioned before. She is one of my SD sisters and was an SDT sister until I dropped. She has nothing against my decision to drop, but also says that if she were involved in something else that took up her time, she would not continue either. But yes, while showering after my 2-hour workout last night, I received the following text from her: "I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it..." Of course, I knew immediately a few things: 1. she's referencing Rihanna's S&M due to our Spring Break trip, and 2. she must be out at bars. Turns out I was right. An hour later, I get another text of the same sort: "Sex in the air that's ok I like the smell of it." My immediate response was "What are you doinggggg?!?!" though I already knew the answer. Melissa: "Raging! Everywhere I go I hear it haha I always think of the boat in FL." At this point, I was in bed, about ready to sleep. So while I wish I were out with her and some of our friends, I was exhausted.

Drunk yoga--not for me!

It's a little frustrating though. Hearing about the times when my friends go out and I'm at home, already in bed. I get the late text messages, but I don't get the invite? It would be one thing if I got asked to join the group even though I can't drink. No one really knows about the exhaustion part until they read this. But no, I just get the texts, and yet people expect me to be okay with it AND still to be up. So if you think I'm awake, why not invite me out in the first place? I have friends constantly tell me they "miss seeing [me]." Well, you wouldn't if you picked up your phone and added me to the mass text you send that says "Hey, rage tonight!" Once again, I won't be raging, but I'll be there spiritless (get it, haha, alcohol-less) in spirit. But no, I guess they'll just keep missing me.

And with missing me and not being invited out places, it's like I'm all of a sudden boring. I had another conversation with a friend Johnathan, whom I haven't spoken to in a while due to a falling out of sorts. But 2 nights ago, we were talking via gchat and a few lines into it he asks, "So are you still fun?"Seriously buddy? Are you still fun?!?! What kind of question is that? I replied back the only way I knew how: "What do you mean by that?"His response: "Like do you go out and are you fun?" Well, now I have 2 questions to answer, and one of them is the same question, rephrased. "I've been out...twice. For lack of time and exhaustion rather than for not drinking. And I don't really know because both situations were with Celia and we were just chilling. I'd assume I'm still fun." The conversation went on and he asked what I was doing, and I responded that I was updating my blog (at 9pm on a Wednesday). Sigh.

Bottom line: If you are going to tell me you miss me or ask me if I'm still fun, why not first ask me to go out with you guys. It's true that I may say no most times sometimes, but at least just ask instead of asking me if I'm "still fun." At the least, it's way less rude and less offensive than implying that I'm a boring recluse. That being said, I LIKE THE GYM AND I LIKE MY WORKOUTS AND I HAVE FUN DOING IT ALL!!! Now stop asking and go have fun raging and texting me in the middle of the night. Oh wait, it's 8am Friday morning. So unless you're still out from the night before, you're probably not "raging."

P.S. Shout-out to Celia for being the only one to still invite me places and being a great friend! She doesn't ask questions that aren't warranted and doesn't judge me for sitting there watching basketball with her at the bar drinking water and/or unsweetened iced tea while she nurses a beer (something I wish I could be doing...once I'm done with the competition). You're amazing, girl!

Countdown!

No, not to show time, though I am counting down to that too... But I stumbled upon another fun post. So in lieu of being productive here goes nothing:

Ten movies you’d watch over and over:
1. Legally Blonde
2. Happy Gilmore
3. Water Boy
4. Big Daddy (sense a theme with these past 3??)
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic
6. House Bunny
7. Easy A
8. Hot Rod
9. Horton Hears a Who!
10. Pleasantville

Nine people you enjoy the company of:
1. My mom--if only I listened to you more :)
2. My sister, Eleanor--even though I have to love you, I would hang out with you anyway!
3. My Gold's Gym family--you all are AMAZING
4. Katie, my long-time best friend--miss you!!
5. My LOFT family--I love you, but you have to stop my clothing addiction!
6. Melissa, my could-be twin (from another mother...2 days prior)--enough said :)
7. Stacy, my favorite meteorologist friend--you've done SO much for me this year!
8. My redhead partner in crime & cousin, Kaileigh--we're long overdue for a visit!
9. My Newsplex crew--thanks for putting up with me incessantly talking about my training/nutrition!

Eight things you’re wearing:
1. A burgundy top from LOFT
2. Really cute shimmery pencil skirt from LOFT
3. LOFT earrings (sense a pattern yet?)
4. A braided metal bracelet
5. Blue stone ring
6. Bra
7. Panties
8. Neon yellow nail polish

Seven things on your mind:
1. Training tonight
2. I have to go to work soon to unpack some shipment (new clothes yay!)
3. I really need to go to Target
4. Should probably call my mom tonight...
5. What the heck am I doing after graduation??
6. I need a new place to live
7. Less than 11 weeks!

Six objects you touch every day:
1. Cell phone
2. Laptop
3. The pup
4. Coffee cup
5. Keys
6. Gym bag

Five things you do every day:
1. Go to the gym--cardio/training
2. Check blogs
3. Shower
4. Check email/Facebook
5. Procrastinate

Four bands or musical artists that you couldn’t live without:
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Taylor Swift
3. Chris Brown (good workout music)
4. Bare Naked Ladies

Three of your favorite songs of the moment:
1. Tonight Tonight--Hot Chelle Rae
2. Loser Like Me--Glee Cast
3. What the Hell--Avril Lavigne

Two people who have influenced your life the most:
1. My mom
2. My cousin, Kaileigh

One person who has been nice to you today:
1. I haven't left the house yet...oops!

Well this killed a bit of time. Now I'm off to run errands!