Nor Cal: 2, Amy: 0

This was my second time making the drive up the Nor Cal by myself. Even though it's typically a 5+ hour drive (made the drive back in 4 and a half hours, hollaa) I really don't mind making the trip alone. I'm one of those blasting-music-while-driving-is-therapy kinds of people, so give me some decent tunes and I'm good to go. 

Before I get to discussing this most recent road trip, let's back track a bit, shall we? If you saw the title of this post, you may have realized that Nor Cal has 2 points, not 1. Soo rewind to this past July, when I'm making my longest drive yet. Alone. 

It's dark. Scary. There's no one else on the road. 

Just kidding. I left SB around 3, so it's still semi light out by the time I have to get gas. I've got about an hour or so left of the drive, so it's probably around 7 ish. I'm gonna be real and say that I actually have no clue what time it was or how light it was outside. Mah bad. 

I pull into the gas station. My phone rings. I answer it and tell my friend that I'm about an hour away getting gas. I hang up, finish loading up Ginny (yupp, my car has a name) and hit the road again. I'm driving, blasting music as usual, when I glance down at my purse and notice no hot pink phone cover. 

Oh. Crap. 

I go to turn around and head back to the gas station only to realize that somehow I changed freeways. At this point, I start freaking out a bit. Luckily heading back in the direction that I came from got me back onto the right freeway. I get back to the gas station and just hope that my phone is conveniently lying on the ground in plain sight. 

It's not. 

Replaying everything in my head, I put the pieces together that I put my phone on top of my car to finish up the gas process (something I never do), and must have driven off like that. Do I have the phone numbers of anyone that I'm visiting memorized? Of course not. 

Luckily I wrote down directions (I usually just use my phone. Never do that anymore) so I knew where I was going. Definitely was freaking out a bit that I had nobody's phone numbers memorized should anything happen. There may have been some hyper ventilating. Cute, I know. Needless to say I survived the traumatizing experience of my first road trip alone and sans cell phone. 

Nor Cal: 1, Amy: 0

Aaand this brings us to point # 2. Started the drive at noon this time, so had plenty additional hours of day light ahead of me. I was trying to document everything real good, pictures of the gorgeous coast view, getting a shot of any road sign with San Francisco written on it, all that good stuff. I had about fifteen failed pictures of the road signs, so I had it all planned out to have a bloopers section to show my wonderful photography. 

I make it to Nor Cal. Kayla and I head over to a concert where her friend's band is playing. We have ourselves one of the infamous bathroom photo shoots. Walk over to a bar to meet up with another friend from college, and take more photos before my camera runs out of batteries (the dang thing does that all.the.time). 

Where are these photos, you ask? Why am I talking about them instead of showing them?

Well that would be because I lost my camera the. first. night. 

Nor Cal: 2, Amy: 0

The one picture I have from Friday. Thank you cell phone.

Now don't worry, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't run along to Best Buy to replace my camera so that I could take pictures of the rest of the trip? A bad one, duh. Luckily, I had already wanted to replace my camera.

I'll save the rest of the pictures for tomorrow when there will be lots more pictures and lots less words (props if you made it all the way to the end of this post). 

Oh yeah, and linking up for Talk To Us Tuesday. 

Healthy Snacks - Fit Club Update

Just got back from San Francisco a few hours ago, and I can't wait to recap the weekend later this week! But it's Monday, and that means it's time for another Fit Club update. First, the gym schedule: 

I made it to the gym 4 times this week: 

Monday: Took the night off for some quality roommate time

Tuesday: Lower Body Blast class (1hr)

Wednesday: TurboKick class (1hr)

Thursday: 35 minutes on the treadmill (3.15 miles)

Friday: Spin class (30 min) and Core Strengthening class (30 min)

Saturday/Sunday: Does walking around San Francisco count?

I have honestly really enjoyed working out more, so keeping up with my 3 - 4 nights at the gym resolution hasn't been too difficult. The 80/20 rule, well that has been more difficult. I'm realizing how often I let myself go for the craving, versus using some self discipline to choose a healthier option. I definitely don't want to completely stop myself from letting loose every now and then, but I do want to continue trying to make healthier choices more regularly. So on that note, I'm going to share some healthy snacks that have been working for me, and a few new ones that I'll be trying this week. 

Yoplait Light yogurts have become a big part of my diet lately. They are really good, and only 100 calories! Just enough to fill you up, and taste great too. I've been eating them for breakfast a lot, and just last week started having them as dessert if I'm craving something sweet after dinner. 

Dried apricots and 100 cal packs of Natural Almonds have become the perfect snacks to get me through my work day. I sometimes get hungry for a morning or afternoon snack, and my coworkers usually have candy or trail mix (the kind with m&ms, my favorite) sitting on their desks. These used to always get me (because I have zero self control), so now I try reaching for the apricots and almonds that I have on my desk instead. 

I just bought some carrots and hummus at the store to have as another snack option. I'm going to pre-portion my hummus (because I seriously could eat the whole thing) and try bringing this to work this week for more healthy choices. 

I also bought apples and peanut butter to bring as well. I'll be pre-portioning my peanut butter (insert what I wrote about hummus here) and trying this as a new snack too. I love apples and peanut butter, so should be a match made in heaven. 

I'll let you know how the healthy snacks go next Monday!

Friday Facts!

Yess made it to Friday! Is it just me, or is time flying by? Nearly half way through January, what now? Well this week was a pretty awesome week, and it'll be an equally if not more awesome weekend because: 

1. I will be here:

With these people:

I could not be more excited!

2. You know when you wake up to your alarm, but you're still basically sleeping and kind of delirious? Pretty sure I'm not the only one that this happens too, but who knows. Well yesterday morning, this happened to me. I guess right before I woke up, I was randomly dreaming of these people: 

Don't even ask, because I have no idea why this happened. But I do know that I felt extremely compelled to pray for them. Because their lives are so hard, right? So sure enough, feeling like this was entirely normal, I said a little prayer for good old Sandra and Ryan. Don't worry guys, I got your back. 


It wasn't until I really woke and was like "wait who was it that I prayed for?" that I got a good laugh out of this whole thing. Am I the only one who wakes up partially delirious sometimes? Oh well, it sure is entertaining when I remember it later. 


3. Keeping up with my resolution to read the Bible in one year? You bet I am. Here's my favorite verse from this week:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do,

and He will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

This basically sums up how I'm living my life these days. And so far, it's been amazing.

4. Speaking of reading, Kelly had the great idea to start a book club. I love reading, but I only seem to do it on family vacations. I always end up going through multiple books in the span of a week, because I will literally not be able to put the book down. Then I get back to the real world and stop making it a priority to get my hands on some good books. Joining a book club should change this, don't ya think? Here's our first book:

I just got it in the mail, so when I finish it I'll let you guys know what I think. 

5. Thank you Victoria's Secret customer service. I splurged and got a whole new outfit for new year's this year, including this bra:

And yes, that is exactly how it looks on me. Duh. Anywho I wore it as a strapless, and ladies this was the best strapless bra I have ever worn. It's the BioFit bra, and it is so comfortable! And I really struggle with finding good strapless bras (or any bras for that matter) because of the two massive lady lumps that my momma gave me. 

So I fell in love with the bra on new year's, and when I go to add straps and wear it a second time, the bra completely rips down the center. I was so. bummed. Mainly because I went against my gut instinct and threw out the receipt having all faith in a Victoria's Secret bra (those are the best, right?).

Well turns out good customer service came to the rescue and I was able to get a brand new bra yesterday. So stoked! Maybe it's my karma from working at the customer service desk of Kmart for over a year (yeah I rocked that job). 

6. Have I mentioned on this here blog that I love my roommates?

Well I do.

7. I'm participating in my first blogging gift exchange! The 2012 New Year Blogging Party hosted by the lovely Alycia from Crowley Party. Did you know that I actually know Alycia in real life? I know, I know, I'm just that lucky. And yes, she's as gorgeous, funny and basically overall amazing in real life as she is on her blog. 

8. Random fact time, what game do we play all the time at our house? This one:

We played this game a ton at our apartment downtown, and it's been just as entertaining in our new house. We may or may not have incorporated drinking rules. 

9. The new tv show obsession at our house? Well that would be Dance Moms. 

I never watched the show before this week, but now I'm kind of hooked. These girls can seriously dance.

10. Hopefully everyone has a three day weekend like I do, and if you do, I hope you enjoy it! I most definitely will, so come back to see lots of pictures next week!

As always, Happy Friday!

An Honest Post

I'm starting to write this post on my lunch break. Probably not the best idea, because I will more than likely have to end in the middle and pick up where I leave off later, but I'm feeling inspired. I'm feeling the courage and passion to write my first real post. One about feelings and thoughts and all that good stuff. It's just time for this. 


I've been in the blogging world for probably 6 months now. In those 6 months, I have come across so many amazing women. So many amazing stories. Some that I can relate to, and some that I can't, but they are all truly inspiring. And those that I can relate to? The ones about heartache, and loneliness. About the feeling of not being good enough, pretty enough, thin enough. Those are the posts that stare me straight in the face and tell me that I am not alone. That we are all trying to find our way through this thing called life, and that sometimes, it's just plain hard. 


So why am I writing this? I don't even know if I can entirely answer that question right now. I feel like I should? If one day somebody comes across my blog and sees this post and it resonates with them the way that so many amazing posts have come to resonate with me, well that would just be amazing. If one person could feel like they are not the only one who has hard days because of this post, I would be floored. But that's not why I'm writing this. As of right now, this post is for me.  I'm not even entirely sure if I will push that big orange "Publish" button, I guess only time will tell. But in these last few weeks I have noticed so many changes in my life, in my mindset and in me. I want to remember this. I want to document this. So here it goes. 


Around the second week of December, my boyfriend and I broke up. I am not new to break ups, I've had my fair share. I knew it would be hard, but I knew I would get past it. I knew there would be tears, and heartache, but I also knew it would not be my hardest break up (been there, done that). I also knew myself well enough to know I would not skip through this gracefully. I knew there would be calls and texts that I would probably regret. That I wouldn't give up on the relationship over night. Because that's just not me. I don't like to give up. I knew it would take time, and I guess time is what it took. 


The break up was my weirdest yet. I did not see it coming. Although maybe I should have. One conversation turned into "well, okay, this is it." I wanted to fight for the relationship. He did not. And I am so thankful for that. Some things are worth fighting for. Others are not. I am not one who can tell the difference, because when I care about someone, they are immediately worth fighting for in my eyes. 


Time healed me, time made things easier. But we talked a few weeks after the break up, and seeing how easy all of this had been on him made it harder for me. I don't know why it works that way, I wish it didn't. I wish I was able to simply focus on my progress, and not worry about if the other person misses me. That really hurt. Feeling like I wasn't worth missing. 


But again, I made progress. I got back on my feet, and focused on bettering myself. When the break up first happened, I felt like I had a list of things that I wanted to "better" about myself. As time went by and I started really looking at this list, I realized that most of the things on it were not things that I needed to change. I learned that just because one person doesn't appreciate something about you, does not mean that it is not worth appreciating. It doesn't mean that nobody will ever appreciate that part of you. Maybe the first step is to learn to appreciate yourself for those things. For caring. For expressing yourself. For not being afraid to say "I love you." Oh you don't like those things? Well too bad. I'm not changing, and one day someone will be very thankful that I didn't.

I grew stronger. I realized that the break up was not my fault. I've found that can be the hardest thing to realize, and the first step to letting yourself get past the grieving phase and onto the actual process of "moving on." So I was getting through this, doing well actually. Until the giant pause button was hit, or more like the rewind button.

Cue New Year's Eve. Not even actual New Year's Eve, but the wee hours of the New Year. The year that was supposed to be a fresh start, but it didn't exactly start that way. For the record, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Most people are very familiar with the fact that alcohol loosens the lips, lets things that maybe shouldn't be said get out in the open. My ex boyfriend wasn't at the same New Year's Eve party as I was, but that didn't stop me from finding out that he had been dating someone since we broke up. 


Ouch.


This isn't the first time this has happened. It is, however, the first time that I can truly say I did not see this coming. No part of me thought this would happen. And in a matter of minutes, all of the progress that I had made seemed to disappear. The hurting came back. The feeling of not being good enough. Of being judged. Add the feeling of being replaced, and I could just feel my heart breaking. If you have never experienced heart break, I hope that you never have to. In my experience, it is a physical, consuming, aching pain. I woke up the next morning, New Year's day, mentally and physically exhausted. 


As God would have it, New Year's day this year fell on a Sunday. If there is one thing I have learned through all of this it's that God's timing is truly perfect. Church was something I needed. I have never felt more desperate for God than I did that morning. Not because this was the lowest I had ever felt. Not because this was my first or hardest break up, just because I realized how much I need God. And you know what, despite the heartache and the pain, it was the most refreshing feeling I have ever felt. 


I have been a Christian since I was a sophomore in high school. That was in 2004. It was January 1, 2012 that I finally realized what that means. It was January 1, 2012 that I finally turned my life over to Jesus. I think I resisted for so long because I was afraid of what changes that would bring. If people would look at me differently, if I would lose friends. You know the only thing that has changed? Me. And how did I change? I am happy. I am confident. I am stress-free knowing that whatever changes happen from here happen because they are God's will.  


On that Sunday, I was hurting. Grieving. Aching. I cried a lot. Slept a lot. I let myself feel. I woke up on Monday a different person. I haven't cried once since that Sunday. I asked God to heal me, and He did. I am so happy knowing that my priorities now lie in my faith, my God, my friends and my family. Things that will never fail me.


I end this post after a night out with friends. I think I can finally say that I have never been happier with where my life is at than I am now. I finally have my happiness invested in something that will never fail me, my faith. I can't even begin to express how good that feels. Do I get sad sometimes? Of course. Break ups are hard. Life is hard. But having faith that my God is in control of my life? That makes me happy. Ecstatic even. 


Just like the last Sunday, this past Sunday I cried at church again. Tears filled my eyes as we prayed, sang. But this time, the tears were out of happiness. Thankfulness. It is truly amazing what a difference just 7 days can make when you let faith into your life. 

If I have learned anything in my 22.5 years of life, it is that the hard times make you who you are. And because of that, I am so thankful. Because you know what, 

I am damn proud of who I am today. 

Ohh This Is Gonna Be A Good Life

Yeah, you know what song I'm talking about. It's on the radio only like 100x a day, but I'm okay with that because I just love it. One of those songs that I can blast and scream along the words while rocking my yeah-I'm-dancing-while-driving dance moves. You think I'm joking, but I'm notorious for singing along to every.single.song. Sorry friends.

Right now, I sure feel like I'm living the good life. I had a little funk a few weeks back (a break up will do that to ya), but I'm back, and it feels damn good. 

Last Saturday we went out for breakfast and mimosa brunch. It was so much fun hanging out with great roommates/friends and enjoying some good food and mimosas (this girl here was DD, so no mimosas for me). Major plus was when our one hour bottomless mimosa brunch turned into a three hour long bottomless mimosa brunch. Thank you friendly bartender. 

The whole Mimosa Brunch crew + the amazing bartender on the right

The roommates

This weekend, the fun didn't stop on Sunday. All of us roommates had bought a Living Social for chocolate and tequila tasting a few months ago. It's been so hard to find a night that works for all 5 of us, but we finally were all free this Monday. It was so nice to spend a night all together, not to mention the appetizers were delicious. And the chocolate. But I'll be real and say that I'm not the best at sipping tequila, so I may have struggled a bit there. There just might have been a few really cute facial expressions coming from my direction of the table. 

Basically it was another amazing time with good friends.

Pre-tequila tasting

Post-tequila tasting

We joke that Kim has a way of looking like a Mexican model in all of her pictures:

Clearly this is because she is tall, tan and beautiful. Kelly and I attempted to recreate this pose:

Well, we did the best we could.

Cheers to the good life.

Brace Yourself

Here it is, my first fashion post. Lessons learned:

1. My mirror is dirty. I need to clean it. 

2. When editing pictures, remember what changes I made to the first one and repeat. Or else they will all look different. 
3. Work with the lighting, not against it. It actually is possible for my brown boots and blue jeans to blend into the same color?

4. I probably should get a new camera. This one takes kind of blurry pictures. Which can't possibly be a reflection of how well I've taken care of it.

So even though it's not a part of my resolutions (it should be), I want to get more fashionable this year. Take more risks, try more things. Figure out which looks work for me, and which just don't. Fortunately my work doesn't have too strict of a dress code, so I can rock my jeans and boots daily. I got a new shirt for Christmas that I really love, but since I have some assets that I'm not so appreciative of, the shirt fits the lovely ladies and is loose pretty much everywhere else. Almost tent like. So I've been playing with it to try and find a way to work with this, and here's my outcome:

Shirt: Tilly's, Jeans: Love Culture, Boots: Tilly's

I'd tell you where the belt was from, but I honestly can't remember. I used to looove buying belts like this to wear around my waist, but I've always thought it looks kind of cute when you wear it lower down too. So I pulled the belt down to be a little more adventurous, and voila, not so tent like. 

Hopefully, there will be many more fashion posts where this one came from, but no guarantees yet. I can, however, guarantee that my mirror WILL be cleaned by the time this is posted.