An Allergy and Light Headed Filled Weekend Recap

Well, this weekend wasn't great, but that happens. I could feel myself feeling some type of way on Friday. I was beginning to feel a little burned out. Then work was a freaking whirlwind; clients were visiting and I had my obligated duties of being hostest with the mostest. Normally I immensely enjoy this, but Friday it just exhausted me. Hell called and wanted it's weather back as well. 

When I left the office, I had a heavy leg workout on my training agenda. Honestly, I push myself to the brink of throwing up when I train legs. I don't know why, but I love training my legs until I cannot walk. I only do legs once every 7-10 days; sometimes even less because of how much I hike. Thus when I have my leg workouts, I make sure they count. I need to be in a good frame of mind for these workouts. Friday, I was not. However, I made myself go, and the second I walked through the gym doors, I was in total masochist mode. I tortured myself and Kelly, and we ended up having a great workout. I was exhausted after so the rest of the evening was spent binging on True Blood and ice-cream. 

I slept 10 hours Friday night and woke up late on Saturday; barely able to walk. Friday's training goal was definitely attained. I planned on getting in good writing time but I could not concentrate to save my life; my ADHD was in full affect. Kelly came over and we went to a local tavern for a bottle of Champagne and hummus. We were having fun until I got sick. That little allergy I have to alcohol surfaced bad; I suppose it is because I do not drink a lot anymore so when I do, it shocks my body or something. I spent the rest of the evening laying down. I was miserable.

Sunday, I woke up early and still felt sore and fatigued; but since I was up early, I got ready and went to church. I usually go Sunday night's so this was a fun change of pace. It was the start of our new series "Meant to Be: The Bible's Best Kept Secret of Sex, Marriage, and Being Single", My soul needed this more than words can describe. That was another reason why I decided to go to church in the morning. I was so excited!

I am not a very religious person; I ask a LOT of questions and I am not going to "believe something" because a book tells me too. I have to fully understand something before I can make the stance that I believe in it. I believe in logic and reasoning; just like teachers, parents, and other mentors have always taught me too. However, there is something about faith and God that heals me in a way that I can't really explain.

Writing is my passion. Writing is what heals me. At times I feel God come through my writing and take over my keyboard. I felt this significantly when I was writing this letter to myself. Finding God... or him finding me these past 7 weeks has been pretty incredible. Sometimes I feel like a pile mush throwing myself at his mercy and he always heals me. 

I am veering off of the subject, but Sunday was a strong, passionate, and honestly raw service, which is why I love going there. Steven Furtick is absolutely amazing: he preaches in a way that is so easy to understand and make sense of. You can take his message and apply it to your daily life. I cling to every word. When I was forced to go to church as a child and teen, I scribbled on the program counting down the minutes until it was over. It is not like that anymore. 

The most incredible part was all of the healing you could physically see and emotionally feel. Steven preached of how hard marriage is, how much it work it takes, the grace of being single, loving yourself -- he preached from 1st Corinthians in a beautifully and brutally honest way; a way that I feel so many people desperately need to hear. Slowly you could see couples all throughout the church holding hands, humbling before their partners, acknowledging their wrongdoings, making promises, and taking a leap of faith that had been void for a long time. Though my happy ass was there alone, it was incredible to see. I am so glad that I was so weak at the beginning of July that it forced me to start going to church. I was at a breaking point and in so much despair. I was desperate for my soul to be healed and a change. I feel right where I belong.

This series is powerful. It is for mature audiences, and Steven is not afraid to make you uncomfortable. This message gravely need to be said. He is preaching from 1st Corinthians; a chapter sometimes churches glide over because of the content. If you are single, married, or in relationship, you will benefit tremendously from this sermon. Watch it online here. 

After church, I went home and took a nap and did some writing for "Pretty, Lies". I then decided I needed to get out and get some fresh air. I did not feel like training so I went to the movies to see "If I Stay". I had a free ticket so I thought it would be a good movie to use it on. I have not read the book "If I Stay" but I have been seeing the preview for the movie so long that it looked intrigued me to go see it. My verdict? Disappointed is an understatement. I like the idea of the movie and the story is good; but the execution of the movie was awful. It was so boring. I could not wait for it to be over. To me, it lacked so many things. The only part I was "touched" at was when the grandfather was beside of Mia's hospital bed when she was unconscious. I am glad I did not pay to see it, and if you want to watch it, wait for Redbox.

After the movies I ran some errands then once I was home, I vegged out watching the VMA's and the series finale of "True Blood". I can't talk about "True Blood" right now because I am so heartbroken. I am just trying to pretend this isn't real. My heart cannot deal with this showing ending. It is my favorite show of all time and there was so much more that needed to happen before the network pulled the show.

Today, I enjoyed my last Monday off for summer hours. It is back to a normal 5 day work week next week. Oh wait, no it isn't because of Labor Day! Whoo hoo! I slept in, and felt back to normal. I went to the gym for cardio and an upper body weight circuit. After I went the bank and grocery store, then came back and prepped all of my food for the week and scrubbed my apartment from top to bottom.

Now I am fresh out of the shower, have the windows open because it such a beautiful evening, and candles burning. Throwing myself into catching up on blogs, get a chapter done in my book, and a turkey meatloaf going in the oven. 

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Weekend Recap: Ghosts, Tipsy Painting, and a Blog Makeover!

Happy Monday! What a great weekend.

Friday after work, I went to the gym per usual. As I wrote on Friday, after being off of my normal schedule, traveling, and my birthday, I was off of my game. I gained 2 pounds (sigh) and I was not feeling my workouts. When this happens, what I usually have to do, is push myself harder than before, and get that one amazing workout to bring me back to myself. I did just that Friday evening. I pushed through 30 minutes on the StairMill, an upper body weight circuit, then 20 minutes of high intensity interval training on the elliptical. 

After the gym, I went home to eat dinner, and shower, and get ready. I then went uptown to do a ghost tour. I was so excited for this because I love studying and learning about the paranormal. We met the tour guide in a graveyard by a historical church to start the tour. From there we walked through different parts of uptown and learned about the history of some of Charlotte's oldest buildings and the haunted stories that come along with them.

Overall, I was quite disappointed in the tour. Uptown was a little chaotic due to the Panther pre-season game which made hearing the tour guide difficult because she did not have a microphone or anything to enhance her voice. Additionally, we did not go into any of the "haunted" buildings. It felt more like a history tour than actual ghost tour as well. I enjoyed walking through uptown though. The tour lasted two hours so it was great exercise. I snapped a few pictures as well. Suffice to say that I had a decent time.  

Saturday, I woke up so, so sore. I was fatigued the entire day and could not "wake up". Plus it was rainy and gloomy thus Marty and I enjoyed quiet time at home. I got some good writing time in. I kind of just hung around my apartment and did whatever I wanted. That was so nice because usually I am rushed and have a ton of errands to do.

Later in the afternoon, I managed to shower and get myself presentable for an evening out. I was able to use my beloved hot rollers for the first time in quite some time. Ever since my big hair cut back in June, I have not been able to use my hot rollers without looking like Shirley Temple's hot mess older sister.

Once I was ready, I went by Trader Joe's to pick up my favorite bottle of wine for Cajun Canvas; a BYOB painting studio. 

I then scooped up my girlfriend Alexis and we took off for an early dinner at a local hole-in-the-wall bar and grill called "The Comet Grill". I bought an Amazon Local deal to try them out, and not to my surprise, it was really, really good! Most places like that are. I will definitely be going back.

After dinner Lex and I went to a painting studio to create a masterpiece. I have not done this in a long time, but I enjoy it immensely. I ended up not drinking much because I was getting so into my painting. I get really self-competitive doing things like this since I never paint. I am not good at it, but damn it, I want to be. So I threw "having fun and taking it easy" out the window and was so into concentrating and doing a good job. Meanwhile, Lex was getting bombed on Sangria and creating an artistic masterpiece per usual. She has amazing taste and style and dubbed her painting "Tim Burton" style; I loved it!

Sunday was another gloomy day, but I made the best of it I slept in, cleaned up, had a successful plyometric "Hot Mess Express" workout at home, and did some writing. Then it was time to get ready and go to church for another week of #DeathToSelfie. This week was all about Breaking Free. My soul desperately needed to hear it, too. There is a lot I am working on breaking free from. Though I am at work in progress, I feel very strong.

After church, I went to the movies to see "Into the Storm". I love a good crazy weather movie. Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012 are among my favorites. The cashier let me get the little kids pack and I was ready to go. When I go to the movies and want popcorn as my treat, I usually get the kids combination. It is just enough popcorn to satisfy a craving, plus you get fruit gummies, and who doesn't love those? The movie was OK. It could have been better with more action and a stronger story line, but I enjoyed the effects of the tornado and weather scenes - that part was very, very cool.

Today is another gloomy day in Charlotte, but at least I am off of work! I am spending the day writing, cleaning, food prep, gym at 2, then Kels is coming over for dinner and much needed girl time.

Let's make it a great week!

PS: My blog has been made over! What do you think? I want to give a huge thank you Leslie at Sweetie Baby's Designs. She has a great portfolio, is extremely prompt (I am so impatient especially when I am excited as hell about something, so she is a Godsend), and delivers top knotch quality and pricing. 

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Pre-Birthday Weekend Fun with Mom

Mom and I had a lot of fun planned for the weekend. Unfortunately, her Multiple Sclerosis had other plans. I really, really want to complain and tell you how this disease ruins everything, all of the time, for fun things I want to do with my mom. It has been this way 9 years now. Not to mention seeing someone you love so deeply in constant pain. I am not going to do that though, it will not solve anything, and at the end of the day, I am thankful my mom is alive and was able to drive down and stay. At least she is staying an extra couple of days since she can't drive home right now. Silver lining, right?

We went out Thursday evening and had a good time. I was off Friday so we slept late; until 10 AM. Mom woke up and not feeling well so she took her medicine and spent the day vegging on the couch. I went hiking. It was a beautiful, warm day, but the hike was hard. I felt more tired than usual after the long week. Though it was difficult, I pushed to the top. As always, it was worth it!

When I got back from hiking, I was pretty tired and looking forward to just relaxing. However, mama was itching to get out of the apartment. I had been wanting to buy a new bag/backpack to use for hiking since the one I had was crappy and bounced off my butt a lot when I hiked (which is so annoying) so we went to the mall. I found one I loved and a Marvel one at that. My inner comic nerd was elated so I had to have it.

We then picked up a pizza for dinner and a couple of Redbox movies. "Single Mom's Club"; boring, I stopped watching after 45 minutes, but mom liked it. We did not watch "Jack Ryan", which was the one I really wanted to see.

Saturday, we slept really late. Mom had a tough time throughout the night. We finally were up and moving around noon and I decided to take her across the street to this really delicious breakfast restaurant. One can eat brunch at noon, right? Ha. I was craving pancakes something fierce. We needed to go out to get mom medicine anyway. When we get to the restaurant, I find out it is closed down. My luck, right? That's the thing about Charlotte, or any big city sometimes, it is hard to have a favorite restaurant because so many businesses come and go. Since breakfast is served all day at IHOP, we ended up there. The pancakes were really good, but nothing like the restaurant that was across the street from my apartment. 

From consuming that amount of carbohydrates for breakfast/lunch, I was really tired after; super full and super tired. We picked up mom's medicine then went back to the apartment. I worked on my book for a couple of hours then went to the gym for 40 minutes of cardio and an upper body weight circuit. Again, it was not the best workout. The gym was too cold - I hate working out and "cold sweating", I hated all of my music, and it was all I could do to push through, but I did. I was over it.

I came back to the apartment, showered, and got decent. I put on my new outfit that we bought Thursday. I am no fashionita and I openly admit it. My style is faded torn jeans and a tank top. 

Once I was ready, I went to go run a few errands and pick mom up her favorite Chinese dinner. A "Big Bang Theory" marathon was on and she had her favorite dinner brought to her; she may be sick, but that can help anyone, right? I made myself my favorite green smoothie to detox a little: fresh orange juice, kale, spinach, chia and flax seeds, pineapple, mango, and a green apple.

Then I went and met my girlfriend Alexis and her husband Daniel at the movies to see "Lucy". I have been waiting a while for this movie to come out and it was freaking awesome. I don't know how else to explain it. It was brilliant. It makes you think a lot about how we got here and the power of the human mind.... and how little we know about everything. If you have the chance, go see it! Oh and I scored a free drink. I love my Regal card. 

Yesterday I decided to go hiking again. It was a non-lifting day at the gym and I love to workout outside when I have the chance. Back to the mountains I went. It started off as a hard hike. I have been out of it these past couple of days, I admit it. I was bloated, tired, and the weather was so humid and sticky, I couldn't breathe -- we had a big storm earlier in the morning. I debated on turning around many times. The thought of climbing to the top made me cringe. I did not turn around though. I made it to the top and it felt amazing. When I was coming down, I felt energized so I jogged most of the way. Not down the big part of the mountain because I would have killed my knees and fell on my face, but the parts that it was a little more even. I was soaked when I finished and felt really accomplished. 

I went home to clean up after and get ready for church. It was the start of "Love Week" and there was a lot of volunteer things going on it. It was also week two of the #DeathToSelfie series. And I have to say, it was one of Steven's most moving services yet. He never ceases to amaze me.

Once church was over, I picked up my mom and she and I went to this really cool restaurant called "Char Bar No. 7". I have driven past it a lot over the years but had never actually dined there. The atmosphere was awesome with live music, an outdoor lounge, and though it was typical "bar food", the menu had a good variety and it was delicious! I had a really good strawberry and mint cocktail. They are just more fun out of a mason jar.

After dinner, we went back to my apartment so I could rest and get ready for the work week. I am thankful it is only 3 days for me. I am ready for a 5 day break! 

Linking up today!

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A Gloomy but Lovely Weekend Recap

When I first started my blog last summer, my biggest reason was because I wanted a "scrapbook" of my life -- written memories and pictures. I really enjoy looking back; seeing how I and my life has changed. I know a lot of people do not like recapping their weekends because they may not be eventful - I understand that. However, I want to record it all; even the most mundane of days... and I have to say, this weekend was definitely one of those, but I really, really enjoyed it. Ha!
Friday consisted of work as normal, then the gym. I weigh on Friday mornings and I lost 2 pounds for the week! My total loss since November 25th is now at 62 pounds. Yay! I was pumped about my loss this week, but I was feeling really sore from my long run on Thursday, so cardio at the gym was tough. I pushed through 45 minutes on the Elliptical, backsquats, and an upper body weight circuit. 
After the gym, I went to local restaurant and met one of my old friends for a drink. He is moving to Charlotte in a few weeks and had some questions about the area. I feel like a Charlotte veteran now that I have been here 4 1/2 years. I only had one drink because I was sweaty and tired. I went grocery shopping after then I arrived home, I was down for the count.

Saturday morning, I had hiking on my agenda. It is becoming frustrating to plan hikes right now because the weather is so crazy; rain in the forecast constantly. It rained on and off most of the day and it was super gloomy. However, I was not mad about it because I was still really sore. I felt fatigued all day. 
I decide to go see "Sex Tape". I love Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel so I was excited to see this. In my opinion, it did not disappoint at all! Cameron and Jason had amazing chemistry. I literally laughed the entire time. I am not huge on comedy's, but this movie was just as good as "We're The Millers". 

Once I finished at the movies, I came home to shower and get ready. Then I was off to church. I was elated to go because it was the start of our 5 part series #DeathToSelfie. Yes, I know -- I am in big trouble! Ha! It is not what you think though; it's the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis. The service was incredible. My favorite words from the sermon: God cannot bless your mask. God cannot bless who you pretend to be. 
I usually attend church on Sunday evenings, but because I had a hike planned for today, I decided to go last night. When I got there, I could not believe how crowded it was. I was worried that I would not be able to get a seat in the auditorium and would have to go to an overflow room. I did not want to do that because I truly wanted to feel this message. I said a quick prayer when I was in line, and then when I walked into the auditorium and a staff member came up to seat me, he placed me in the THIRD row. How awesome is that! On top of that, the girl he sat me beside knew me from Facebook and my blog! That is the fourth time this year that has happened and it makes my heart smile. Her name is Brooke. She is also a Beachbody coach. I had an amazing time sitting with her and I think we are going to have a great friendship. (Hi Brooke!)

Once church was over, my girlfriend Alexis and her husband Daniel, and I went to "The Melting Pot" for Queen Feast-- which is Charlotte's Restaurant Week. We enjoyed a lovely 4-course meal. I thought someone was going to have to wheel me out of there when we finished, I was stuffed. I ordered a "Zen Master" cocktail, made with cucumber vodka of course, and it was superb. For our dessert, we ordered creme brulee as our fondue and there are just no words... food porn at it's finest.

I checked the weather forecast before I went to sleep last night, and the weather was going to be worse than it was Saturday, so I decided to once again ax my hiking plan, and sleep in. This morning I slept in until almost 10, which was heavenly. When I woke up, I ate a quick breakfast, then cleaned the apartment and did laundry. Once I finished, I decided to take a break and watch "My Best Friend's Wedding". Can you believe I have never seen that movie? I know, I know. What is wrong with me?! I am not really a fan of romantic comedy's and I was only 8 when the movie came out, so that is probably why I never saw it before today. I really liked it, but I wanted it to end differently. My take? Thank goodness for gay best friends, ha.

After the movie, I ran by Old Navy for a new pair of workout pants since I had to give a few pairs of mine away -- they were getting too big. Yay! I scored a cute new pair, then I went to the gym. I felt rejuvenated and strong so I had a great workout. I finished soaked in sweat, just how I like it.

Now I am off to conjure something for dinner, watch True Blood, then get to bed. I have a long 4 days coming up at work. I will be attending a lot of meetings, dinners, and working long hours.
Write about your weekend and link up with great blogs here!  

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Fun in the Sun Weekend Recap (I'm back!)

I think I am finally back to normal. I feel like myself again, so more weird blog posts or writings. Well, who knows about that as I am a weird person at times. Ha. This weekend I basically had a "snap out of moment", which almost instantly brought me back into being my usual self. I was so sick and tired of feeling sad all of the time. That's not me, that is not how I live my life, and the last thing I want to do is derail off of my hard work- be it my blog, the gym, anything. I have really worked hard over the past 9 months and I want to keep going. I just want to be more mindful and not burn myself out like I did a few weeks ago.
Friday after a busy day at work, I went to the gym as normal. I busted through my plateau and now I am at 60 pounds lost since November 25th. It was my favorite workout - legs! Since Saturday was to be a rest day, I really wanted to push hard and I definitely did.

After the gym, I came home to feed Marty and take a shower, then I took off to Greensboro for an impromptu trip to stay with my grandmother. She is taking a trip to Florida this week so I will not be able to see her until the end of the month, plus she had an idea for Saturday, so she asked me to come. Of course I obliged. Once I arrived to her house, we spent the evening chatting in the outdoor room and I was able to get in some good reading time. I am currently reading "The Happiness Project". I absolutely love going to grandparents, that is my home. I sleep the best and relax the best there, which felt like paradise for me after the last few weeks I have had.

Saturday morning we woke up and she took me to a vinegar and oil store. This place was great! I am trying to veer away from using oils when I cook or marinate meats and vegetables. I consume my essential fats through nuts so I don't need oils. This store was so awesome because one could make their own natural vinaigrette or oils! The ingredients are real, raw, fresh, and organic. You know exactly what you are making and purchasing. I opted for a light vinaigrette with pineapple. It is unbelievably delicious, I swear I could drink it. My grandmother made a dark cherry vinaigrette.

After our fabulous trip at the vinegar store, I drove back to Charlotte. My legs were sore from my workout, and all of that driving did not help my energy or soreness. Driving makes me so tired too. I spent most of the afternoon writing. I am happy to say that I am making great progress with my book. I had plans for the evening, but they fell apart. Which was probably the best thing that has happened to me because it woke me up. It was a light bulb moment that really needed to happen. After that, I decided to call it a night early and get a good amount of sleep.
I woke up Sunday still feeling sore but I wanted to spend the day out. I decided I wanted to be happy. It's that simple. I decided to let go of the negative feelings I have been pouring myself into and be "me" again. I made myself a protein packed breakfast, packed my back pack, then drove to the mountains to go hiking. It has been a month since I have hiked! I can't believe it. Since I started hiking 6 months ago, I rarely ever miss a weekend-- but due to my state of mind lately, the weather, and a lot of travel it has been hard. 

The weather was very hot, but beautiful. Once I started on my 10-mile strenuous trail, I immediately felt rejuvenated and energetic. It was a strong hike. Though I have not hiked in a few weeks, I have still been training hard at the gym. Pushing myself on the StairMill 5 days a week has really helped with hiking. I climbed the mountain in record time, both up and down. It was awesome! 

After my hike, I drove back home to take a shower and get cleaned up for church. 

I attend a church called Elevation occasionally. When I was younger, I detested going to church, but when I moved to Charlotte a few years ago, I really felt it on my heart to try this place, so I did. I am definitely not a "holier than thou" person, but this church lifts my spirits and heals my soul so much. I love the loud music, the lights, the band, and the pastor, Steven Furtick (who is a New York Times best selling author) makes me understand the Bible and use God's word in my everyday life. 

I knew I needed to go. I probably need it more than ever right now. As expected, the service was wonderful. Next week the church is starting a 6 week series called #DeathToSelfie, which I am equally curious and nervous about because I am definitely in trouble. Ha!
After church was finished, I ran by the grocery store then went to the movies. I had a free ticket so I decided to use it and see "Jersey Boys". I have to admit I was disappointed. I liked the story and it was a "good" movie, but it was a bit boring. Maybe I felt this way because I do not appreciate "The Four Seasons" like someone who was a die hard fan.

I was off of work today since I am working summer hours-- three day weekend and four 10-hour work days throughout the week. When I woke up this morning, I was the sorest I have been in months. I never want to go a month without hiking again; my legs are paying for it.
I pushed myself to clean my apartment then I laid out by the pool all afternoon. Today was actually the first pool day I have had all summer. Now I can't wait to have more. It was so much fun. I made a delicious cocktail, which I call "The Fitness Blondie Cu-Come On Over Summer Cocktail". It is 1 1/2 shots of Skinnygirl cucumber vodka, fresh sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup of lemon seltzer water, a dash of lime juice, ice and then blended together! It's refreshing, light, and keeps you hydrated. I sipped on my drink, read on my Kindle, played in the pool, got some good sun, and made a new girlfriend. (Hi Alyssa, can't wait to hang out more girl!)

The Hump Day blog hop will be back Wednesday along with the magazine giveaway winners, plus my Weekly Training and Nutrition Plan. Thanks for sticking with me through this time guys!

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