I'm alive and kicking

my bachelorette weekend has come to a conclusion, and i'm not hungover or in jail or missing anything.  my bridesmaids got us a room at the park plaza (swoon!), and then we went to Gypsy Rose for a lesson in exotic dancing complete with pole dancing.  it was both disturbingly uncomfortable and awesome at the same time.  the most important thing we learned was: never dance for free!  i found that pretty agreeable, i'm not cheap.  it was really fun, and good exercise, we're all sore today.  later we had dinner with some other friends at Via Matta, which was totally amazing.  i started with the italian wedge salad and then i tasted the calamari.  both were very good, the calamari was not breaded at all and it was lightly cooked in tomato sauce.  it was so light and tasty.  i really loved the tagliatelle bolognase for my main course, it was really full and meaty and creamy and the kind of meal that warms you deep down.  but it also left me really full because i couldn't stop eating it.  i'd love to go back to via matta again, and you know, the people working there are pretty good looking too.  we went out for a couple more drinks after that, but i'm pretty low key so it wasn't all crazy.  i actually was in bed by like 12:30...i know, but it had been a long day.  it was a fun time, and now i really have to concentrate on tackling the long list of crap to get done before our big day...

Friday Funday

what a productive little day i had today!  i went to the doctor, worked out, got a pedicure, got my friend at the airport, got lost, went shopping for hours on end finding lots of good things, saw ellen pompeo and her husband chris ivery on newbury street eating ice cream, and got some pho for dinner.  it started off really rainy and gross outside, but it progressed into a nice day so i'm glad we had time to walk around outside for a while and get some exercise.  

some things learned today:

my dermatologist says that people should always wear a face lotion with spf 30 on a daily basis if they go outside even just for a few minutes a day.  i thought that was kind of insanity, but starting today i'm going to do it.  the last thing i need is lasting sun damage on top of my other derm. issues and it certainly can't hurt.  

kathie lee is the absolute worst person on television.  there is is fact nobody more gut wrenching.

iphone scrabble is a million times better than regular scrabble.  you know the old fashioned way is just way too much work these days.

saw the tale of despereaux and 7 pounds this week via netflix.  not sure which one was better.  it is like: bland vs. emotionally bizarre.  i'm ready for a comedy.

so anyways, saturday afternoon my bachelorette party begins.  i'm not in the least bit prepared for what might unfold.... 

Day off!

Gross weather though. Boo!

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leading up to...?

today is my last work day of the week! Holla! i'm totally pleased about that, and it's also my last night of bootcamp (hail mary). and tomorrow i have a dermatologist appointment in the morning, maybe i'll get in a little workout or a pedicure, and then i am picking up my fitness buddy at the airport....because, dun dun duuuuuun: this weekend is my bachelorette party. i'm really freaking nervous. the unexpected is something that i'm very much not comfortable with. so i know the when (starts on saturday, ends on sunday), but i don't know the what yet. oh i have the squirmies!! i'm so bad with surprises.

Hello Wednesday

that is me opening the only (Thankfully, the Only) lingerie that i got at my bridal shower.  who was it from?  one of abe's three sisters!  we will call her the wild one.  i could have died right there.  luckily the lingerie is hiding my face, which i'm sure is beet red.  it was actually quite nice, and i've already worn it once : )

Brad's Graduation

we went to my brother's college graduation over the weekend, on a holiday weekend mind you.  there's no other way to say it, so i'll just say it.  the day totally sucked.  it was a very long day and i could have punched everyone in the face by the end of it.  there's so many other nasty things that i'd love to say about that lovely saturday, but maybe i should try to focus on the positive.  right, there has to be some good things that happened.  my brother graduated, i survived, and abe got to rock his blazer and eat a hotdog at 10am!  

Have you met Abe?

that was supposed to be in barney stinson's voice.  like Haaaave you met ted?  but really, have i told you that abe did something really cool lately?  i thought it was pretty stupid at first, and i was really not all that impressed.  he programmed our remote control so that when you hit the "fav" button, it skips ahead 30 seconds on our recorded shows.  do you realize how much time this has saved me?  in just 1 second, i can skip 1 full commercial.  in two seconds, two commercials, generally in just 3 seconds, i can skip to the show again.  i didn't think that i'd really feel the need to do this, but you have no idea how many shows i record, i mean especially during the season of finales, it's especially awesome.  i have no idea how he did it, it could have been magic.  i really love saving time and being prompt.  it feels so good to push that button.

bad news, so you think you can dance is back...i better make some room on the dvr!

Woops!

i am an idiot.  i accidently got up over one full hour early and showered and got ready for work.  what is wrong with me.  and you know what?  it took me a long time to realize what i had done.  i was basically one step away from walking out the door when i looked really closely at my watch.  yesterday the date was wrong on it, so i changed it and scolded myself for not noticing earlier, i mean it was 20 days into a new month.  and now it's 7:07, i'm fully ready, and normally i'd still be asleep right now.  at least i can watch the news now and enjoy a grapefruit!

last night i got a microdermabrasion treatment thinking it could help some hyper pigmentation spots i have on my face.  the procedure itself was fine, totally not painful or even uncomfortable.  today when i looked in the mirror i think i was hoping to see a bigger difference.  i saw smoother skin and slight improvement of pigment.  darn it.  but i would suggest you go and try it.  it's affordable ($100-$150) and i did see greater results with this than a regular facial since it's basically just really really good exfoliation that you can't get at home, but i was sort of hoping for more.  it is just day one though, i might see more results tomorrow.

Final Dress Fitting it was Not.

Oh gosh, where to start.  my wedding dress is a little too snug and doesn't look very nice on me.  it's pretty crappy.  i don't really know what to do.  i like the dress, but right now it just doesn't look right.  i have a feeling that although there are parts of the dress that could fit better that they might not be life ending.  it could be a lot worse, but i seriously think it could be a lot better.  i never got to have a moment where i thought: omg, i'm getting married and this dress is perfection!  it's very frustrating.  i really thought this would not even be a worry for me.  i'm pretty small, things tend to fit me for the most part.  well i've just been schooled.  this dress has found all my body insecurities and decided to point them right out.  it's like what sorority would have been if i was in that crappy one back in college.  but i'm not used to that, i was in the good one.  and my poor MOH, she had to stand there while i was on the verge of tears dealing with the seamstress.  i just didn't know how to clearly express my unhappiness and my absolute anger that it looked so bad, i think she got the idea when i said: i hate this part.  but whether or not she can turn my frown upside down in a month is another thing.  What the F.

Dance Lesson #1

omg.  my parents basically forced me into taking a dance lesson with my dad...and you know what i told them?  i said: i don't want to do this, but i will take Just One.  what a silly idea.  nobody can learn how to dance in one lesson!  first, we got onto the dance floor. me with my pink wedding shoes on and larry with his larry shoes on, and the instructor just wanted us to dance to the music as we normally would.  what happened then?  my dad took my arms and started throwing me and chasing me in ways that made me feel like he might be trying to mug me or something.  i'm really not sure what he was doing.  he thought he was dancing though.  so then the instructor taught us how to stand, and then how to move to our particular music.  we are now learning the rumba, in a very basic and broken down format to the song we chose.  i got it almost immediately.  i mean when you teach a girl a simple dance step, she's going to get it after years of ballet as a little kid.  but i think because my dad hasn't needed to learn anything physical in say....45 years so things might be a little different there.  he feels the music right, he just can't follow taught steps.  this is going to be very interesting.  he only stepped on me like twice, so that's a good start.  we have 2 more lessons, and i told him that's it!  i need to fit in 3 lessons with abe as well before the wedding, and i feel completely over booked, this is really the last thing in the world that needs my attention right now.  did i mention the pink dye from my shoes is now all over my toes?  hm....i might need to spray them with water proofing spray or something like that.  oh lord that just took so much patience.  

Disabled Muffins

What the Fug are those you ask? only the ugliest muffins i have ever seen in my life. i got this brilliant idea to make some healthy muffins so i could start eating breakfast this week. only the recipe that i had did Not come out well at all. they were super healthy blueberry banana muffins that i got off Self.com. i don't know if maybe they are like "too healthy" or what, but i followed the directions exactly as they are. i let them bake for a few minutes extra because they seemed to be cooking really slowly, so finally many minutes past the listed done time i took them out because they appeared to be done and when i took them out of the tin they kind of did a strange deflation thing. they had a lot of mass to them due to the oat bran and banana, and if i threw it across the room i would most certainly hurt someone or break a window. they were very dense and heavy. i could have cried right there. i had a long family filled day, my feet hurt, the grocery store was crazy busy, and i couldn't even bake muffins. i felt like: what idiot can't make muffins!! i mean really. so i found another recipe, slightly less healthy, but without the oat bran or banana and this is how they came out:

i found a recipe for healthy blueberry muffins and then i changed it a bit to make them even healthier- all i did was change the flour to all wheat flour instead of having some white. they certainly aren't bakery quality muffins, but they do taste light and healthy and i wouldn't feel guilty eating one in the morning at all. i would make these again. and i'm very pleased at how they came out, especially after the first disaster!

1st communion

i went to my second cousin's 1st communion today.  it was super cute and kind of funny.  we are sitting in my childhood church, but i haven't been back there in a few years (my family included), and the first thing my dad says to me is: jeez, the music Sucks!  hahaha.  it was awful.  who was singing?  a kids choir!!  apparently he has very high music standards.  when we used to go to church back in the day, there was a very talented woman who did all the music, and i guess a kiddie choir just doesn't compare to her.  afterwards we had a little cookout back at her house, and i thought i'd only be there for an hour...but 4 hours later i was still there so i didn't get to do even half the things i planned on getting done today.  oh well, at least she's cute as a button.

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River Rock Farm!

[whoa, bad hair day, it was raining a bit]

most of you will probably shocked when i tell you that i went to visit our friend's farm that they work at (River Rock Farm), and i loved everything about it.  i just want to sing it from the roof tops: i love farms.  want to know why?  farms have Animals!!!  i love animals, i love chickens, cows, horses, dogs, roosters, and all that.  i'm actually a little embarrassed at how much i really wanted to interact with all the animals, we made seth go out of his way so that i could feed the horses and hold a chicken and watch a baby cow get bottle fed.  the chicken has a boo boo on his neck, so that's why it's bandaged up.  they hope that he will recover, but it's Not pretty, poor thing.  i really had a great time all afternoon just being on the farm, it's a super fun place.  and in case you didn't click on the link, it's a cow farm where they raise and then sell meat.  this doesn't make it any less cool of a place, because the chickens just lay eggs and the horses just graze.  i didn't form any kind of relationship with the cows because, well, i didn't want to feel bad for them.  everything has a purpose, and that's just how i see it, they're only kind of cute... i wouldn't want to take one home or anything...

Eat the chicken!

This is so Effing Hilarious!!

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Happy saturday

From the farm.

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Drink

At a bar called Drink. Abe got their specialty brandy julep over shaved ice. It looked kind of like a buried pineapple. I don't drink brandy so when I tried it I almost puked. I don't think I would go back. I mean maybe I would but it wasn't really my scene, it was a little too pretentious. I prefer to be a little more relaxed in my casual friday getup. My taste seems to be evolving. A year ago this would have been the place for me but now I don't drink hard alcohol and sneakers are my best friend!

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Friday Hottness

i have some really dark bruises on my arms from outdoor bootcamp last night. i guess they don't look so bad in the photo, but they're pretty bad since i don't really bruise easily at all. they're from doing up and down planks. you know planks where you are straight armed in a push up position, moving down on your forearms and then back up, repeat repeat repeat for 2 minutes. they are very effective in gaining more core strength. not so effective in looking good in a sleeveless shirt.

also, i wanted to share this with you: the most fun waffles you have ever seen in your life.

how adorable are they!! they would totally perk up my morning. i might actually get out of bed without a pout on my face if i knew these were waiting for me. oh i love them.

and guess what chickens, i'm going out for drinks after work. can you believe it? i'm usually such a hermit on friday nights when i'm just too tired from a long week and abe is the same way, but today is different. we're going to jam out with our clams out. or whatever, rock out, if you will... Happy Friday!


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The what?

How did Paul Pierce get his nickname: The Truth?

I was totally surprised when i found out.  and i then i was like: THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!  it's just way too serious and way too important sounding for someone who plays basketball.  i think he's the man and all, but The Truth, i think that might be taking it a little too far.  do you guys remember back when he was stabbed 11 times and almost died??  yeah, he almost died and now he's The Truth.  apparently there are a lot of really really ridiculous nicknames in basketball, that i just learned...in this household we should probably have some really huge egotastic nicknames too... i'm going to work on that.  

Nike Zoom Equalon+ 3

I've had my new sneakers for two weeks now. they're very similar to my old Nike sneakers which were the Nike Zoom Vomero +3, they actually look so similar i had a hard time telling them apart. i know, why would i get practically the same sneaker that i had last time, that's sooooo stupid!! i know. i realize this. this shoe model was made to cushion the feet and give the "bouncy" feel that some runners like and i really enjoyed that part of my last sneakers. i was looking for even more arch support this around around but i wanted to keep the light bouncy feel. i was a bit hesitant to buy another pair of Nikes, but i went for it anyways since they really felt the best out of the handful of models that i tried on. two weeks later, with some running, cross training, bosu classes, indoor and outdoor activity, bootcamps, etc. i feel that i chose the best shoe for my feet. it took about 3 days to break them in to mold to my feet, but that's relatively quick. so now the price: $135. i think i just made my bestie choke. yeah i know, i generally pay about $100 for my sneakers because i feel that if you pay a little bit more for the most recent technology that you will be able to wear them past their normal expiration date (based on miles and hours of activity logged, not as in days/weeks/years). i need to replace my sneakers 1-2 x per year, that's just how it is. if you don't do much activity, go ahead and wear them for 3 years, but i can't do that, i'm a workout queen bee and i wear them almost every day. so that was pretty long winded, back to it. $135...yeah i am not sure they are worth $135. i think they are certainly worth $100, certainly worth $120, but when you go past that i think it's just too much. i paid too much for these sneakers, but that can happen when you're back hurts and your legs and knees and feet are literally throbbing in pain from wearing dilapidated sneakers and you go shopping and you put on a pair of foot pillows that let off angel noises - yes, you will buy the best possible cure to the pain. i'm going to really pay attention to when these ones start to fade, and immediately replace them so i don't get to that point again.

Performance A
Comfort A
Price B-

a big bowl of awesome

me and my foodie friend Jen went to the very new Pho n Rice on the Somerville/Cambridge line tonight for a thai/vietnamese feast. i had very small expectations because i've been looking for the perfect tom yum soup ever since we got back from thailand two years ago unable to find anything really on the same level of awesome, it's the perfect light soup with just the right amount of fire. anyways, the second greatest thing in my world is pho piled high with veggies and bean sprouts sprinkled on top. well tonight for the first time ever, i was able to combine tom yum soup with pho...and what do you get? tom yum noodle soup! (Thai style hot and sour udon noodle soup combined with chicken and shrimp, mushroom, tomato, scallion, cilantro, lime juice and Thai chili paste in aromatic combination of Thai herbs) but was it good? i could have melted right there. it was better than any other pho i've encountered so far, even the well known Le's. the best part besides the fact it was only $8 is that the menu was Huge. there are so many delicious looking dishes that i just need to try the next time i go. we did try the steamed shumai as an appetizer, and they were pretty good: very tiny and sweet. i was just really eager to get to the big steaming bowl of noodles. seriously, you should all be eating here.

Food A

Atmosphere C+, but who cares, the food is an A

Tie-Dye coming to get you

Yes, you see it here. I have hopped onto the tie-dye train, i got both these tank tops at the gap yesterday $19.50 each and i got 15% off the second one. and whyyyy might you ask?? i like the punch of color and the easy style. i mean really, i just think they're really cool and everyone might disagree, but i don't care. i think you will all change your minds when you see how fun i look when i wear them. these were the first honeymoon items that i bought, don't worry, in the lingerie department i'm 150% all set thank you Agent Provocateur.


I also got this dress from Forever21, it's an ombre silk overlay dress which you will either like or hate i'm sure. i think that i like it a lot, because it's so different than anything in my closet, and it's inexpensive and versatile. because it's silk you can dress it up, and because of the print, you could easily dress it down. and if you think that i stopped there, you would be wrong....


I also got these super cute patent black flower sandals by steve madden at shoes.com for $10 off plus free shipping and they fit perfectly. totally true to size. i know that April was my month to be really frugal, and May should also be the same, but i was able to really enhance and diversify my wardrobe by a lot for a tiny bit over $100. i think i did a good job here.

Funny quote of the day...

from my fitness buddy:

"But i would stick with lower weights for arms. you don't want to look like you're going to punch abe in the face when you're walking down the aisle, right??"

HA!! so true.

whoa

this is a photo of abe many years ago. when i say many years, i mean like way before we started dating. look how full his face is...it doesn't make any sense, it's so funny! he looks like a chipmunk storing things in his cheeks for the winter.

Steak Salad

it's been awhile since i've posted a photo of something that i've made for dinner. when i have tough nights at bootcamp, abe has been really good with helping me with prepping dinner. tonight he made us steak (bought right from a cow farm!). it was seasoned with salt and pepper then seared on each side and cooked in the oven and trimmed of fat. it was then placed on top of a variety of interesting things like stuffed and marinated green olives, red peppers, red onion, celery, baby spinach, and regular arugula. it was a nice low carb meal, he ate his with rice pilaf though. i wanted to dive into his rice. i wanted to swim around in it and throw rice balls at people. obviously, i'm missing rice right about now...i'm also missing nachos, french fries, pasta, bagels, pizza, lasagna, and everything in between.

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Lemonade to wear

I bought this lemon colored dress today from H&M. it is perhaps the Most flattering dress on the planet earth for only $34. it fit like a really comfy glove and hits right above the knee which i've always thought to be the most desirable length for a dress. i'm going to wear this to my brother's college graduation and then a July wedding. it comes in 10 different colors, and i actually plan to switch out the belt to something that has a flower on it. what a great find! Even on a day where i'm feeling like a big fat cow, this dress made me feel pretty good about myself. Thank you H&M.

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HA!

i have been through 2 of 8 bootcamp sessions.
i'm on a reduced carb diet.
my final wedding gown fitting is one week from today and i don't feel ready.
i'm having a fat day.
and i'm so sorry, but this is the only thing that made me feel any better. do not click on it if you are a Nice person, only click on it if you are having an insecure day like myself. it's work appropriate.

Tory Row

last night, on a monday no less, we had dinner at Tory Row in Harvard Square which is so new it doesn't even have a website. they took over what used to be The Greenhouse. i thought that it was really cute, and the food was pretty good, but i wasn't exactly jumping up and down about it. you can expect upscale pub food like burgers, veggie burgers, flatbread pizza, chicken pot pie, and baked cod. the menu is small, and i actually had a hard time choosing because not much peaked my interest. i ended up getting the veggie burger with mixed greens and it was a lot better than i expected. this was no frozen garden burger patty, it was home made with lots of great veggie and grain stuff inside with a special spicy sauce. abe got a regular burger and wasn't impressed, it was just a regular old burger with exceptionally hard bread for a bun. also, when we left i was still a little bit hungry... maybe my appetite is bigger than the average bear, but i do not like to leave anywhere still hungry that's just crazy talk. it was really nice to be out on a monday night though, normally i'd be at the gym and then on the couch taking in the laziness that mondays bring. we actually got on the bus and met another couple out and socialized, on a monday! it was a pretty wild night as you can imagine.

Food B
Atmosphere B+
Would i go back? Mehh, maybe.

yeah i know- right?

it's been one of those days where i need caffeine at 3:45pm even though i know it will ruin my sleep tonight. otherwise, i might just fall over and someone will have to carry me home, and nobody wants to do that. lately i've been thinking: WTF - to myself so often that i keep scribbling it onto post its. i have a lot of things on my mind right now, some of them nice, some of them very Not nice, but i really don't feel like i can share any of that here. but luckily, there are some funny moments from mother's day yesterday at my parent's house that are harmless enough to share though. we began the afternoon watching Blades of Glory, and i'm pretty sure that my parents enjoyed it very much, they laughed a lot more than i did. at dinner, my dad said he wants to get a hearing aid. i just looked at him and said: you can hear perfectly fine, you just don't like to pay attention. and i think my brother said: shut up. or something along those lines. my mom laughed and said: i've whispered things in the other room and you've heard me before. of course we're all very one sided on this one, and then abe says: have you had your hearing checked? and my dad thinks about it and says: No. it was kind of strange, i don't know many people who would choose to have an impairment. this is also 2 weeks after i found a brochure on long term care on the coffee table. neither of my parents have ever had any health issues, not even a little bit. i think my dad might really be enjoying the idea of becoming old, he's embracing it full throddle. it's mind boggling, i've never seen someone accept something so easily.

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Berryline awesome!

Today was a regular old saturday. I had my bosu challenge class at the gym and almost died. I made us a healthy lunch and we watched lots of bad tv. We had to go get abe a haircut and we are in the car and he casually goes: they opened a berryline (pinkberry type place) next to my haircut place. I was like whaaaaaat! How could he not have told me. I'm in love with berryline and their fake frozen yogurt and mochi topping. It takes me to this really fun happy place that only really awesome special foods can do. I suggest you go if you live in the porter\harvard area. Its next to Floyds barber shop on mass ave. You won't regret it!!  You will only regret not trying it.  

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Wedding update

i'm extremely busy right now! i have bootcamp 2x a week, wedding appointments on just about every other free weekday, and millions of little things to get done including keeping in touch with friends. so what are the fun things going on right now? i'm making a clutch for my wedding. i think it's pretty awesome, of course it's slightly non-traditional...but more to come on that on the how-tos of it all, i swear it's not going to be awful. it might even be the coolest wedding clutch you've ever seen! i'm also searching for a rehearsal dinner dress to match the jewelry that abe's mom gave me at the bridal shower. it's vintage purple amethyst on silver earrings and necklace. so if anyone has any suggestions on dresses that would be great. i've found this task quite challenging. i can always go with a black dress, but i really hate wearing black dresses, i think they're so bland and predictable and very un-panda-like. i would rather try and contrast the purple to another color instead of match it, or maybe do a black and white combo. but help there is needed. my dad and i are taking a private dance lesson for the father-daughter dance. it should be Really interesting! he insisted that we do it, so of course i had to do it, even though i'd rather shoot myself in the knee cap. 43 days guys!! i'm getting married in 43 days. i feel so unprepared. did anyone watch the office last night where pam and jim were going to go get married at city hall?? and then last minute they backed out and decided they really wanted a wedding...they were fools.

mid-week crazies

does anyone know this guy, he plays for us, and i call him Scallopini although it's not his real name.  i feel kind of bad for him.  he apparently is not a very bad player, but during the playoffs he's been kind of hard to watch.  i just want to pull out my hair.  he tends to almost never get the ball, and when he does it's like his mission is to pass it off to anyone else immediately.  i watched him playing defense and all he did was run around.  he didn't put his arms up or really do anything, he just ran in a complete circle nowhere near the ball.  as i am writing this post, scallopini actually got possession of the ball and what did he do?  he got called for a travel when he was 2 feet away from the basket.  a Travel!!  i'm sure he's normally a decent player and perhaps run down or something, maybe mentally exhausted or still out of sorts from his concussions...i'm not sure.  what i am sure of is that he looks a lot like will ferrell with his big puffy hair, and that's all i can think about when i see him running around with absolutely no idea what is going on. it's ok scallopini, everyone finds themselves in a situation where they aren't quite sure what the F is going on.  of course he hit a 3 when i finished this post, there is hope afterall!  i was too quick to judge, i'll admit it.  i'll also admit that eddie house is my new favorite player.  hey pal!

Speaking of total stupidity.  Abe's trivia question of the day is...

"In Ice Ice Baby, what word comes after "Stop" in the opening line.... as in: Stop ____ and listen."

my first guess was: check it out.

wrong.

my second guess was: calibrate. and i felt so sure of it.

wrong.  what would vanilla ice be calibrating? sound machines?  yeah, i was wrong.

the answer is collaborate.  Stop collaborate and listen.

And speaking of totally awesome.  mindy kaling who is Kelly on the office is getting her own show in 2011.  i adore her, she's kind of my idol.  she writes for the office and sometimes produces, and she is hilarious.  my favorite thing about her is her old blog Things that i bought that i love.  she wrote about all the awesome stuff she bought with all her big money, but sadly she stopped updating it sometime last year.  but i still love her as Kelly, and i kind of wonder what her voice sounds like not on the show...

Bootcamp...

I'm fresh from my bootcamp class...it ended just 28 minutes ago, and i'm having some mixed feelings about it.  it's not really so much bridal as it is just bootcamp hell.  i could have passed out after the warm up alone, and then it kept on going.  i exerted myself so much that i got toe cramps in both of my feet but there was no stopping.  this happens to me a lot when i over do it with certain muscles, and it's usually the first indication that i've gone too far.  it didn't get much better from there.  i wasn't sure i was going to make it!!  if i could, i would have sent a distress message to anyone who could have saved me from self-inflicted calorie burning.  i've been through a lot of exercise related pain in my life, but this class has just proved to me that there's so much more to be had.  i'm worried that i'm actually going to build a lot of muscle with these classes and i may not actually slim down at all...but i'll see what happens, i'm no expert.  i would like to say that tomorrow i'm going to be really happy and have loving thoughts about this bootcamp idea, but in all honestly i'm already regretting this.  i truly believe that the trainer was trying to dehydrate me to death.  i'm way out of my comfort zone here, this is the kind of thing that i could have used a friend there for moral support.  but i don't think i know anyone stupid enough to join the class with me... 

Bridal Bootcamp

i'm the type of person that tends to go overboard more often than not. on more than one occasion the phrase "go big or go home!" had been mentioned at family dinners while i was in my teens, and i think it's been imprinted into my brain. i enrolled in a Bridal Bootcamp that my gym is offering for the month of may, every tuesday and thursday (outside!) i will be toning and tightening and sweating. when i told abe i was thinking about doing it, he said: "you don't have to do it, i think you look great." that was a very sweet response, and the only acceptable one, but i signed up anyways. it's not just for my wedding, i've been at a fitness plateau for months now so i could really use someone to help me get out of it...and for about $20 per session, how could i really say no to that. i'm very curious to see how far she can take me because on my own i've been on a road to nowhere.

a chicken never hurt anyone

i had a slightly annoying morning... lots of tasks went un-done due to roadblocks so you know i wasn't in the best mood. i was minding my own business trying to pick out the perfect whole chicken for my slow cooker at the grocery store when i was rudely interrupted by an idiot.  this idiot said to me: 

Don't eat chicken.  you need to eat greens and veggies.  you are slim and pretty don't do it.  don't eat that chicken.  don't eat chickens!

i was so shocked at his stupidity that i didn't really know how to respond so i just blankly stared at him and then went back to looking at my chickens.  wtf dude.  i don't need strangers telling me what not to eat.  i could have punched him right in the nose.  but instead i pretended like i couldn't understand what he was saying.

Puma City and Flour

The Volvo Ocean Race came to boston's fan pier this week so i went to check it out with a pal.  it was interesting.  i know pretty much nothing about sailing, that's what i learned today!  Puma had a pretty unique store/lounge/bar there made of shipping containers which is what everyone seems to be talking about around here but there was a lot of other things going on.  the actual sailboats were there all out of the water and being worked on and repaired, there were college races going on...but seriously it was really hard to tell if they were racing or if they were just getting ready but after a while we gave up and left, it was too confusing!  but it turned out to be a beautiful day, so we grabbed lunch at Flour which i've been meaning to check out for a long time now.  i thought it was amazing!  i loved it.  i love simple and fresh meals.  i had a grilled chicken sandwich with brie, roasted peppers, spinach, and caramelized onions, on the most awesome bread.  i also had a low fat oatmeal maple scone that was the best scone i've ever had in the history of me eating scones.  it was actually moist and not dry like all the other ones i've had.  to top things off i had their home made raspberry seltzer, and it was the most refreshing drink they could have served me.  i hope if you are in the fort port area or the south end that you stop in.  you'll love it.  so then our adventure continued on a long walk from fort point all the way to back bay to newbury street.  we stopped in lots of stores looking for a rehearsal dinner dress for me, but we couldn't find anything good.  my feet were killing me, but i kept on going and went to the copley mall and still there was no success.  but one thing i did learn is that my running sneakers which i knew were on their very last leg are getting kicked to the curb tonight.  after all that walking around the city i'd expect my feet to hurt a little bit, but my feet are in more pain than acceptable.  that's the thing about nikes for me.... they're great for a bit, and then when they die, they don't just die the cushion disappears and they make you regret ever buying them.  but it's my own fault, i should have replaced these 3 months ago.  so tomorrow i'm going to marathon sports to pick out a new pair of sneakers, another adventure i'm sure!

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It's coming!

What a good feeling it is to get a book for 40% off with a coupon. what an even better feeling to be buying a book for your honeymoon! i'm a little ashamed to say that i was in the travel section for way too long trying to find a book on Anguilla. i mean it's so small that they can't have their own book, so i had to figure out what chain of islands it was a part of. you would think that i'd know something like that seeing as how we have plane tickets and a hotel already booked. but no. it's located in the british west indies in the carribean, you know for future reference. the more i read about it, the more excited i get. i can't wait to get to our little villa and walk right onto the beach. it might sound crazy, but i can't wait to fill every minute of my day with abe. us on the beach, us on the patio, us eating dinner, at the spa, riding horses, etc. we always have a really great time together. some girl was like: oh the best thing ever is right after you get married, you wake up loving each other and there's just no fighting or anything, and then you know it goes back to normal. i was like: yeah you shouldn't have gotten married or you should have just not said that to me you dirty ho, thanks for being a buzzkill.

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Battle of the concealers

Neutrogena Skinclearing Oil-Free Concealer in Medium 0.05 oz. $8

This can be found at pretty much any drugstore, which is how i started using it. i probably used half the tube completely happy with the product, and one day i just stopped liking it. the color seemed to be too light, and the coverage too sheer. so i would say this worked for me in the winter, but in the spring not so much. i don't think i would buy this one again even though it's cheap and easily accessible. i felt like it was just too liquidy and light instead of thick and opaque. however, it never irritated my skin in the least bit.

Smashbox High Definition Liquid Concealer in Medium 0.27oz $15

I am testing out the Smashbox primer, so i figured i might as well pick up the concealer since i've been looking for a new one. the coverage is much better than average and the color matches my skin better than anything else so far although there are 5 colors to choose from anyways so you'd probably find something that works for you. the pricetag is higher than what most people would feel comfortable paying if you are just looking for a basic concealer. i have old acne marks on my skin that i'm always trying to cover until they disappear, so i need something that really hides dark flaws, and i think that this isn't perfect but it's definitely the closest i've found in a long time. i would buy this one again, i thought it was worth a few extra dollars.