Updates: 2014 Reflections and The Holiday Season

Well hello little blog of mine.

It has been over a month since I provided an update on life's current happenings. I am still here and life is still proceeding as it has been since last month.

Before I get into life, I want to share someone with you guys...

This is my amazing boyfriend, Johnathan. A little over a month ago, we made it "official". I can honestly say that I have never been happier. If you read my blog (or haven't yet, you can go through the archives) you know that 2014 has been an extremely difficult, productive, hard, exhausting year. However, I have grown tremendously as a woman and as an adult. Though it was a difficult year, I pushed on and tried to do the best that I could. Patience is not my virtue, but this year, I did not have a choice but to live patiently -- optimistically hoping that everything would eventually fall into place.

It has.

Life has been wonderful, but busier than ever. I have been with my best friend every single day. It is so refreshing to be in a relationship to where you feel like a team. It feels like I have gotten to know someone that I haven't seen in 100 years. It feels like I have always known him. He makes all of the pain that I went through worth it. I would live through everything again if it would lead me to this point. Since day one, we have been inseparable. He is so kind. He is hilarious. He is so smart; he knows so many random facts about random things and it's so fun. He makes me feel like the most beautiful woman that ever walked on this planet. He thinks I am most beautiful when I do not have a drop of makeup on. 

I never thought I would be saying that.

We have traveled a lot and made so many memories in the time that he and I have been together. It makes every day that much better. Monotonous tasks aren't so boring anymore. The sun shines just a little brighter. 

Work is still busier than ever. Honestly, I wish it would slow down just a tad so at the end of the day I would not feel so tired. However being overly busy is better than the alternative in my opinion, so I will take it. 

I still make my healthy foods and exercise, I have just been a lot more lax about it than normal. To my surprise, I have not gained a pound. I haven't lost either, but I have maintained. I am happy about that. November and December were lax months for me in the health and fitness department. I have been off of my schedule and just "going with the flow". I am unapologetic about it as well. I needed it. It felt good. I am only human and to be able to "let loose", enjoy my new relationship, make sure I do a great job at work, and enjoy my free time a little more has been absolutely wonderful.

On the contrary, I miss blogging. I miss writing and I am so excited to be back! I have lots of ideas, recipes, and topics I can't wait to write about it. As always, if there is anything specific you want to know or have me write about, please leave me a comment or email me and I will be happy too. 

I will have new fitness challenges coming up when I get my to structured schedule of work, blogging, and losing my last 30 pounds! It isn't just me anymore; I now have a partner and he is not the biggest fan of healthy eating (damn him, he is so fit and eats whatever the hell he wants, ha!) so it is challenging balancing all of that now and being a good partner. And truth be told, I welcome it. It will be another phase for me to write about it -- another way for me to grow, become stronger, and continue to fight and permanently overcome my past eating and body disorders. 

I am so, so excited for 2015, and for all of my friends and readers, thank you for staying by my side throughout my absence. There are thousands of blogs one can put their energy into and you guys continue to come back and check on me on a regular basis. It means the world to me. 

I have lots of new content and adventures coming your way and I thrilled to write about and share this new chapter of my life with you all.

I have not been checking emails regularly over the past 2 months, but I will be now. Please bare with me over this next week as I catch up and email everyone back. Please also feel free to email me now if you would like! Liz@TheFitnessBlondie.com -and- Business@TheFitnessBlondie.com.

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Let's Chat: All About The Week

Happy almost Friday! I am so happy it's Thursday evening, my body is aching. This week was absolutely exhausting.  It was all about 12 and 14 hour work days: meetings upon meetings, lunches, visitors, client dinners, and assisting my President (which is part of my normal duties, it was just escalated this week). It was a ton of work because I organized the agendas, meetings, and meals, then attended it all as well. I rocked high heels all week, too! My feet are killing me. I have to say though, now that it's over, I feel accomplished and proud. I truly love our weeks that are a bit chaotic like that.

Monday morning, I went to purchase drinks and refreshments for the week. Of course with my luck, the flood gates of heaven opened, and I was out in it all day. Wednesday evening I had a strategic planning dinner meeting. I was able to pick the place. We went to a restaurant called "131 Main". I had never tried it, but really wanted too. Simply put, it was great. I am still salivating over my meal! I had a delicious pear martini and the best, juiciest, and most tender steak. The mashed baby reds were phenomenal too. If you are ever in Charlotte, you must try it.

Last week I lost 2 pounds! That brought my total to a 62 pound loss since November 25th. However, I am sure after this week, I gained the 2 pounds back, ha. I was a little off schedule with working long hours, missing the gym some, and eating off of my plan. That's life though and it will happen. I just have to be flexible, find a balance, and always get back on track -- which I do. Tuesday night was one of the evenings I did not have to go to a dinner meeting so I went to the gym per usual. For some reason, I had the BEST work out I have had in a LONG time. I did 30 minutes on the StairMill alternating between 65 SPM and 90 SPM-- I even threw in a couple of sprint intervals at 160 SPM. I did my usual upper body weight circuit, backsquats, then I did a mile and a half of sprint intervals in our indoor track. 

The sprint intervals were the icing on the cake. I ran track in high school. My short, muscular legs were of good use for speed running. I was a fast runner. I never sprint anymore though. When I was heavier, it hurt too much, so I just left it alone. I forgot how high sprinting makes me feel. I literally pushed through my sprints like I was running for my life... and it was incredible. I knew I would not be able to workout Wednesday, so I made sure I pushed myself with a vengeance. Wednesday I was sore. Today I am deathly sore! Talk about hurt so good. The craziest part is that my lower abs were the sorest of all. Running really uses your core so I was happy to be that sore. My core is weak. My legs were also screaming. I couldn't train I was so sore. Delayed onset muscle soreness was in full effect. I will absolutely be incorporating sprints in my weekly training routine now. Lesson learned!

My birthday is Wednesday! I will officially be the big 2-5, which in my opinion, is a pretty big milestone! I will be a quarter of a century old. I will not longer be in my early 20's. I will be 5 years away from 30. Holy crap, where does the time go? I swear yesterday I was boarding a plane for California for my 21st birthday. Since my birthday is Wednesday, my mom came down today and is staying until Sunday. We got the celebrations started early! We went to Kohls and I got a super cute pair outfit: a pair of faded jeans with holes and a fun black tank. After, we went to one of mama's favorite restaurants in Charlotte, "City Tavern". I sipped on a delicious Cosmo, she had her usual Sangria, and as we were leaving, my waiter gave us a piece of chocolate cake for my birthday! We were stuffed so it is in the fridge now. 

Every once in a while, I like to promote my good blog friends, sponsors, and/or anyone else that sticks out to me. I happen to have a few amazing sponsors this month who definitely deserve to be recognized. Please head over to their blog, say hello, and make a new friend. Also, on Wednesday I updated my advertising page, so if you have a blog and/or business and you would like to work together, let's talk!

Maegen. My good friend and former co-worker at Urban Active Fitness. She is a beauty queen (in my eyes and in a lot of pageants eyes as well, ha!) but she is so, so, much more than that. I was really happy a few months ago when she told me she started a blog for one of her classes. Luckily, she still writes even though the class has ended. Maegen writes about a lot of social issues that we as women have to endure in today's world. The standard definition of beauty, unrealistic expectations, and pressures of today's media. We are so much more than our outer appearance, and Maegen's mission to make sure every woman knows that. I am all about empowering women -- I am a total girl's girl, so I want to support and help her every way I can. 

Another inspiring blogger is Jessica. Her blog is named Healthy is Happy. How true is that, by the way? Healthy is happy. Healthy is beautiful. She is really fun to follow because with her, you get a little of everything. She is hardworking, dedicated, and passionate. She is also fun and easygoing. You get inspiring fitness ideas and her journey, along with glimpses into other parts of her life. Not to mention all kinds of business and blog information -- which is personally my favorite. You have to check her out; there is a TON to see and learn from her and her blog.

My girl, Trace. This girl is either going to inspire the hell out of you or make you really jealous. She is plugging away at her fitness and weight loss journey, and every time I see a new picture on Instagram or a new blog post, I am amazed. She really is giving this her all, made it a lifestyle, and has stayed immensely dedicated. Heck, I feel like I am going through her journey with her now. She has stayed that consistent and it has been awesome seeing her transform. She is a great friend of mine with positive energy that is contagious, and watching her succeed and lose weight keeps me motivated as well. She is definitely someone you want to get to know. 

Join the fun Friday linkup's here!

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Let's Chat: All About The Week

Happy Friday! I am pleased to say that this week has been wonderful. There is no particular reason why or anything grand that happened, I just feel good. My spirit, my mood, my mind... I feel like my normal self again. Ah, I'm relishing in it! In true Friday fashion, today's post will be random things about my week that I want to share. 
Tuesday, I had my very first washer and dryer installed at my apartment. I finally purchased a set from Lowes Home Improvement. I got a great deal plus a great warranty. Previously I was paying $30 a month to rent a washer and dryer from a company and I was sick of wasting the money every month. I will always need to wash clothes, so I finally invested. I may have gotten a little too excited about owning a set. I am definitely getting old.

Since I have been working summer hours at my job (4 work days, 10 hours long), I have been lazy in the morning when it comes to styling my hair. Something that will only take 3-5 minutes is my go-to. And I think my system works! I am using Big Sexy Hair's powder for good volume, dry shampoo to keep my roots from looking so oily, and a beach wave spray from Ipsy, which adds just enough curl and wave. I really like it.

I have never been a big Starbucks fan. I do not drink coffee nor do I care for overpriced tea filled with sugar. However, a couple of weeks ago when my sister was in town, we went because she loves it. I was thirsty so I picked out their new Blackberry Mojito tea. Now I'm freaking addicted, ha! This has been my favorite go-to drink this summer. It has an authentic fruit taste (I am obsessed with anything blackberry flavored) and it is not loaded with sugar. If you are like me and crave all things ice-cream and smoothie during the hot months, this tea is a great option. You can purchase it unsweetened which is even better and as a lemonade. 

When I was a teenager and could blow money because I had no cares or bills, purses were my favorite thing to splurge on. My how that has changed since I have to be an adult now (ugh). I only purchase maybe 1-2 purses a year and carry it until it falls apart. In March I found the cutest bag at Target, but now the straps are hanging on to the purse for dear life, so I threw in the towel. I went to Burlington Coat Factory and found the cutest Nine West bag for only $27! Burlington is my absolute go-to for bags. They have a gorgeous selection and unbeatable prices. I am super excited!

When I was driving home from work yesterday and checked my mail, I noticed my Ipsy bag finally came! I was a little nervous this month because my mom told me she was a little disappointed in hers, and a lot of girls on Instagram seemed to concur. Not me! I loved this months bag. I can luckily use everything that came in it. It also looks as if Ipsy accidentally included an extra skin soother, which I always have use for. I give this month two thumbs up.  
If you don't know what Ipsy is - it is a monthly makeup bag you receive via mail. It is only $10 a month and with that you get a makeup bag and 3-4 beauty products. You are billed on the first of every month and products arrive between the 10-15th! When you sign up, you get to customize your settings so you get products closely matched to your beauty preferences. If you want to join, please click here and use my link. I will appreciate it so much!

 Yesterday we also had the best weather in Charlotte. It was nice and warm; not humid and sticky. There was a light breeze and it felt like spring or fall. I decided I had to take full advantage of it, so I ditched the gym and hit the greenway. My hips are paying for it a bit, but it was well worth it.

Now on to get the work day over. I have a busy week ahead so I am ready to relax this weekend so I can take it head on...

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Let's Chat About Life Lately

OK, I know. Is the large pink martini listed above a bit cheesy? Probably. But if you know me, I am all about big, pink and black graphics, sparkles, and everything in between,. Would you expect anything different? Hehe.

It has been a while since I have just written a post on little random life updates. It's Friday so I am linking up with these girls and just writing.Today I present to you, a big dose of completely random. It has been such a flipping busy week. Even one of my co-workers yesterday made the remark, "Liz you look so frazzled today, is everything okay?". I had the frizzy, crazy, curly, witchy hair going on. I have a busy weekend coming up and I can't wait to write all about it next week. It's top secret for now. Also, I am off of work Monday. My boss is letting us work "summer hours" throughout the end of August, if we want. So, I will have a 3-day weekend, but work 4 10-hour days. I am not sure how I will like working such long hours, but it's worth a shot because I wanted Monday off and I do not have to use vacation time. 

I officially have a real domain! Unfortunately I could not use FitnessBlondie.com. Someone has registered that domain and plans to "eventually" to use it. To my dismay, I contacted her a few times trying to purchase it from her since I have worked so hard over the past year to build my "brand", and had no luck. That happens I guess, so please remember "TheFitnessBlondie". Please also remember that my email address as well -- thefitnessblondie@gmail.com. She has also registered the Gmail account, and I know that a few times you guys have accidentally emailed her thinking it was me. If you have and did not receive a response, or DID receive a response, please know that is not me. Ugh, it overall sucks, but nothing more I can do.

I am still trucking along on my weight loss journey. I have 30 more pounds to go until at I am at my goal of 160. I actually may be OK with 165 since I am adding so much muscle. You may think 165 sounds a bit high for a woman who is 5'4, but I am a very muscular person - I am a not a beautiful, dainty, frail woman. Though in the past I always wanted to be. As we all well know, muscle weighs more than fat, so on the scale I will appear bigger. However, in person, it is not like that. I will admit, it is a little disheartening to see the scale moving very slowly. I was accustom to the 3-5 pounds week, but the more weight you lose and the more fat you burn, the slower the scale moves. Also, we know that measurements are what really tell us what is going on in our body, and those are still changing, so that is what matters. I feel stronger than ever and my workouts are becoming more and more intense. It feels incredible to be in such a conditioned state. Nutrition wise, I am going to make the confession that I need to adhere to my diet a little more. I have been having more slip ups than normal. It is has been nothing big, but when the weather gets as hot as it is, I crave ice-cream and smoothies a lot. I think once I am more strict with my diet and on my regimen at 100% I will see a good difference with the scale. Other than that, I am moving right along. 

You guys have heard me preach about Quest Bars since day one. I love Quest Bars and I love Quest Nutrition as a company. For months and months I have been talking about how I eat one everyday, how delicious they are, and that they are a staple with my weight loss and diet. Because I am so passionate about them, I thought I would go ahead and become an affiliate. If you eat Quest Bars-- or any of their products for that matter, or are curious to try them out, please use my link if you don't mind. I include a link on every blog post and to the right on my gadgets. However, I will not become annoying and talk about it a lot, but I did just want to throw that out there. 

The winners for my Dave Ramsey giveaway will be announced on the Hump Day Blog Hop next week! I am also hosting a linkup next Thursday which I wrote in depth about yesterday. I would love for you guys to share your story with me about how you live fearlessly. Maybe it's a story about being with the love of your life, even though no one supported it, or a career, the way you look, anything. Even if you do not have a blog, you can still participate. Check out the details here. 

I received a few emails this week about my blog. I know I get sappy here sometimes, but because I am so open, I feel deeply connected with a lot of you - we have made such awesome friendships. Therefore I always want you to know how appreciative I am. You guys are SO supportive. I am constantly floored by everyone, in the best way. The world can be so hurtful and dark at times, and to know there are such good people out there - especially women, truly means so much. It is such a "dog-eat-dog" world sometimes, so to know there are real genuine people still existing, is beyond comforting. It has been hard starting over as I wrote about earlier this week. So to receive an email like the one below fills my heart with that bit of hope and motivation I need to keep going.

I have had two very cool features lately! One was sharing my weight loss story with The Huffington Post and I am also a blogger for them now as well. That is exciting as very cool. Then there was an interview with EverydayHealth.com. I really enjoyed that interview because they asked a lot of in depth questions and it was not simply me writing my story.  You can check both of them out below! 

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Why I have been MIA from Blogging and what has been going on

Hello Blogging world! Did you notice that my blog has been "deleted" for almost 2 weeks? Well, shame on you if you didn't. Kidding.

Have you ever heard of the saying by Marilyn Monroe; sometimes GOOD things fall apart so better things come together? Or if you are of Christian faith like I am, "God has perfect timing". "It's all apart of God's plan"?

Perhaps you have heard the most famous saying:

Everything happens for a reason.

Can I please tell you that I am cold, hard, living proof that ALL of the above quotes are TRUE.

Let me explain what has been happening...

As a lot of my friends know, my current job was downsizing. This was the third "downsize" in nearly 2 1/2 years. I have been there since day one and I just felt that the time had come for me to move on and venture into a new career. However, the best way to do that is to have a new job lined up before I leave my current one. So, that's what I did. I obtained an Executive Assistant position for a blooming Real Estate company. My last day at my job was Friday, October 18th and my new job as the Executive Assistant was starting on Tuesday, October 22nd. I talked about that on a lot of my blog entries. The job was Uptown Charlotte and I found a brand new apartment ONE block from my new job. I could walk to work, walk to restaurants, bars, etc. Everything sounds great, right?

That Saturday, the 19th, to celebrate my new job, I went to Greensboro to stay with my grandma and grandpa, and my mom even came up to stay as well. We grilled steaks, looked through old pictures, drank wine, and it was just the best night. Sunday, my grandmother was going to take me shopping for gorgeous new office clothes. We wake up bright and early Sunday morning, get dressed and dolled up, then take off for a day of shopping. 

Once my grandmother and I set out for our fun day off shopping, my cell phone rings. It was the CEO of the real estate company. She told me my job offer was rescinded. And to be honest, I have no idea what happened. "Upon further review, we are not going to be a good fit". NC is an "at will" employment state, which means you can be hired, fired, and anything in between without reason at any time. When she told me that via telephone, my entire world fell apart. The apartment I was so damn excited about? Gone. My new career? Gone. I was going to have to file for unemployment which I probably would not even be approved for since I resigned from my last job, barely be able to pay my bills, and maybe lose everything. When you have no source of income and are not sure when you can obtain a new job - what can you do? 

I am the type of person who measures a lot of my confidence, self actualization, and self worth by my career. My grandmother is the same way, so is my dad. It runs in my family. Sure, it may not be politically correct, but it is what it is.

I felt humiliated. I was so excited and I had told everyone. I was making huge plans. And with a 3 minute phone call, everything was taken. I can't tell you the pain, anxiety attacks, and tears that followed that call. I could not drive home that Sunday because I was so distraught. So, last Monday the drive of shame back to Charlotte commenced. I called my prior boss, sister, Kelly, and the closest people of my life to let them know what happened.

Marquis took me out for pizza when I got back and I hit the ground. It was time to start over. The worst thing I could do was keep harping on what happened and beating myself up. Last week I worked out, did some deep cleaning, and researched company after company applying for jobs and sending my resume for them to keep on file for future openings. I probably contacted over 300 companies.

Sunday night when I was Googling different companies in the Ballantyne Corporate Park (aka the land of opportunity) I saw an investment firm that seemed VERY interesting. Since I previously worked for an investment firm, I thought I would email them. They did not have any job postings on their website, but I did not let that stop me.

The very next morning the President of the company emailed me and told me that he had been interviewing for an Executive Assistant/Office Manager, and he was close to making a decision, but if I could come in that day at 3 PM, he would interview me. So, I got my crap together and I was in his office at 3 PM sharp. The office was in the heart of the corporate park on the fourth floor, overlooking the lake, and was very modern and chic. It felt like "home" being there. I had a great interview. He told he liked my drive and my spunk. (LOL... spunk, huh?) Today, I got the call that he wants me to join his company. I graciously accepted, and I start FRIDAY! This has been some process; interview on Monday, offered the job on Wednesday, and I start Friday.

The President of this company is amazing. He has a stellar sense of humor and we got along great. I am also getting a significant pay raise. Plus, full benefits. Everything makes sense now. I am SO happy. The absolute happiest I have ever been. Now that I have come through the dark, I want to be back at my blog documenting this crazy, ever changing life.

Grandma and I finally had our shopping day today, and man was it successful.

Well guys that is it for now. I have missed you all so much. I can't wait to catch up and see what everyone has been up too!

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Uh-oh My Boy CURLipop!

I just had to title my post that. Do y'all remember that song? I don't... well kind of. I remember hearing it on "Spice World" back in the day when the Spice Girls (OMG, love, right?) were on that lake in a boat... or something. OK anyways.

I have been debating on buying a curling wand for months. I live for my hot rollers, but I wanted to try something different. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, so I just decided to finally go for it. The next question was; how much am I willing to spend? Well, I said $30. A girl has a budget right now. I am constantly going to the beach and I am hosting an Ulta giftcard giveaway for my fabulous beautiful blog reader's, so a girl has to keep her finances in check. I finally decided on "Bed Head's" CURLIPOP. I love Bed Head and Curlipop was just too cute so I had to get it. So far, so good.

I love big hair. Honey, I should have been a young adult in the 80's because I would have owned that decade. My first "hoorah" with the Curlipop was a success. I washed and conditioned my hair, put on BLOW's heat protector, and "Big Sexy Hair" root lifter on my roots, then dried my hair. For my first experience, I just did 50% of my hair in curls, that way I would just have all over BIG spiral curls, instead of a LOT of tighter curls. I really like it! This weekend for my movie date, I will try all over tighter curls. It's absolutely worth the $30 bucks. And hey if you win my Ulta Giveaway, you can go buy one and still have $10 bucks left over. Heh.

Playing with my new curl wand and taking pictures reminded me of this past weekend. I took some pictures of my Grandmother Mary, my dad's mother, while I was at his house. My grandmother died when my dad was 14 years old. I never got to meet her.

How beautiful is she? Her name was Mary Harrison Taylor. She was stunning, but was conflicted inside. She was carefree woman but slowly digressed into an alcoholic. When she was younger, she sounded like she was so much like me. I truly believe her part of her soul was born into me when I was born. She did make-up at Belk in the 1950's! I also did make up and love it. She was always into fashion, looking her best, and my Grandfather totally spoiled her. She was his little doll. For some reason, unbeknownst to me or my father, she slipped into bad depression as my dad and aunt grew older. When my dad would come home from grade school, she would be passed out on the floor. Finally, when she was 39 years old, her liver gave out and she passed away. It breaks my heart to think about this. What I wouldn't give to meet her, but at least I feel like a part of her is inside of me. 

Fun fact: Her middle name is "Harrison" she was named after my great, great, great Uncle - the 9th President of the US; William Henry Harrison. I am blood related to two prior US Presidents. How cool!

Rocking big fun curls made it easier to get through the work day. Is this week crazy busy and out of control for anyone else? August is the busiest month for me at my job and OMG I am feeling it. Luckily, Marquis has been a little ball of positivity for me. 

Sunday evening we were watching "America's Got Talent", one of our favorites shows, via DVR so we could catch up and we heard that the top 10 acts are going on tour. I immediately jumped for joy and told Marquis we HAD to book tickets. Luckily, he was just as excited, so he immediately went into our home office, hopped on the computer, and booked us front row seats. I love him... SOMETIMES. That was so nice of him! So, Monday October 7th, we are road tripping to Raleigh for the show!

I am finally learning more and more in the Blogging world. One thing I noticed is; I didn't have a Blog button. I want you guys to be able to take me with you ;) so I made one all by myself. My BFF Karly helped a little though! If you want to swap buttons, Tweet or comment me and let me know. Also, if you add my button to your page for at least until my Giveaway is over, you get TEN entries. The code is to your right ----->

 

Lots of fun link up's going on today, so be sure to check out my "Join the Party" page and go make some fabulous new friends!

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