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It's Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday!

August 30, 2013

Can I get a a HELL YES for Friday, the beach, and a long weekend?!

I am hyper and all over the place today so in honor of H54F and 5 on a Friday, here are 5 things I want to share with you about my week.

1.) C O U P O N S.
 Buying groceries pisses me off. Can you fathom how much money we could save if we didn't eat? It would be a lot. Grocery expenses eating healthy and living with a bodybuilder can break the bank. So I am diving in the world of coupons. I'm buying a minivan next week as well. I hope I can keep with it. So far I have done pretty good. But it has only been a week, ha. I am checking Harris Teeter's website for their sales, matching the sales with coupons, and then of course buying whatever I can at Aldi.



Regular: $53. I bought: $37

2.) THE B A T M O B I L E
Marq's tricked out Transformer's edition camaro. Just when I think the car looks great, he goes and adds/changes something. I am proud though, it looks badass. But ladies let me tell y'all; this man will get on one knee to tell me he wants to spend the rest of life with me, but will not let me drive his car. Is that logic or what? But that's OK, I plan on drugging him soon so I can take it for a spin.



3.) HEAT IN DA K I T C H E N
Mine and Marq's relationship is kind of opposite sometimes than your traditional ones. First, our age difference, then he is the one in the kitchen and I am the one working. Ha ha ha. Since Marq is an entrepreneur he has people work for him. He of course helps, but not full time. And me, well I am your 8-5 girl. I like it though, I would go crazy not working. So he send me these texts with our healthy food prepared for the beach this weekend. Even with no air. (It's fixed now, $650 later. FML) Great job baby, what a trooper!

4.)  S U R P R I S E
Marquis sent me the below email Wednesday night as he was leaving the gym. It was notification that a laptop had shipped. He bought me a new computer after I told him about me starting my dream of writing. I absolutely cannot believe it. I have been using one of my office's old-as-dirt laptop's so he decided to get me one. And it's RED, my favorite color. Too. Effing. Awesome.




5.) D R A N K
We are off to the beach tomorrow and will be back Tuesday. Labor day is bittersweet. Our last hoorah before summer ends. When we get back, Marquis has to be on show prep full time so it will be clean eats, rigorous work outs, and early bed times for 7 weeks. I play along with him so he doesn't have to endure the pain alone. But I will ensure our last summer beach trip goes out with a bang...

Oh yes. I'm ready.

Image Map

Why My Mom Should Not Have Facebook; (part 2)

August 28, 2013

Well my friends, it is time for Why My Mom Should Not Have Facebook; part 2. I did part 1 in June so if you have not had a chance to her prior antics, you can do so here. She is such a weirdo.

I accidentally bought some sex vitamins at GNC. My mom wanted them.


She is not a fan of "Honey Boo Boo". I deliberately replied to her posting that picture on my wall (she feels the need to share 8382 pictures with me everyday on Facebook) with a boo boo comment because she hates them.


She thinks I could be a stripper.


and that my cat is a drunk.


and that you can die from eating mushrooms.


Hope y'all enjoyed. I love my mom more than life and we have the craziest relationship. She lets me be the foul mouthed wild child that I am, and I owe her my life for letting me be that way.

What Happened to Me When I saw Miley Twerk

August 27, 2013

Sunday. It was the VMA's. I was all like



when I saw my homegirl, Lady Gaga opening the show. She was amazing, beautiful, and weird as hell. It made me happy.

Oh and her body? WOW. Yes.

But then..

then, Miley Cyrus's performance was coming.

Initially I was like



when she first came out of freakin' teddy bears.

But then, she started to "twerk"

and I was like



and she was all sticking her tongue out



THEN she was TWERKING on ROBIN THICKE

and SINGING HIS song.



And I felt like Will Smith and his family.





So I decided I had enough.




It was like someone dumped Hawaii in NC!

August 25, 2013

What an awesome weekend!

Friday:

I completely jinxed myself talking about what a fabulous week I had! Work was in-FREAKING-sane and by the time the clock struck 5 PM, I was a zombie walking out of the door. I pushed through cardio at the gym then received a call that a company was coming over to wash and detail my car!


Now that is how it is done.


After, my car was beautiful again, Marq & relaxed with Champs and chocolate raisins, and we watched one of the best movies I have seen in a long time; "42".


Saturday:

Marq and I rose early to bake the red velvet brownies from Pintrest that I posted about on Friday. We were baking them for a luau birthday party. We had all of the shit ton ingredients that it required and got to work. We were pouring the batter in the pans for it to cook, and we decided to taste it to see how we did. 

Well something was so wrong. It did not taste good. We checked through everything and figured out that our canola oil expired in 2010. Like wow. 2010. Really?

Since we had used up some of the ingredients and I was ready to throw up in the flag, we just decided to go back to the grocery get boxed brownies, and call it a day.


However, we did make them our own. We added caramel and peanut butter throughout the batter and topped it with chocolate chips. They were a hit and everyone loved them.


I spent the rest of the afternoon at the gym, cleaning, and prepping food for the week. Then it was time to get ready. Since we were going to a luau, I decided for big blonde curls and a fun purple smokey eye. I felt like a tropical blonde!


Below is our friend Will's house. He has turned his back yard into a Hawiian oasis. The pictures do not do it justice. It is absolutely incredible! It is like someone dropped Hawaii in North Carolina.


We had the best time drinking Spirte and peach vodkas and dancing to beach music.I was so buzzed. I met an awesome girl named Selena and these older chicks there were eating Marquis up. Since he's getting really buffed up for his upcoming bodybuilding shows, he looks more cut and veiny than usual. These ladies were drooling over it. Personally I thought it was hot. I'm the one going home with him so those girls can touch and drool all they want. 




We left around 12:30, sang "Girl's Just Want To Have Fun" completely out of tune, and picked up Steak & Shake. Then I passed out before I could even enjoy it. We haven't let loose like that in a while so it was deserved. They are having another luau in two weeks. Ill be there with bells on!

Sunday:

Today has been wonderful. It has been a bright and sunny day and the most perfect temperature. Marquis and I slept in until about 9:30. We had breakfast outside, went for a walk, then took the dogs to the dog park. 

Now I'm gearing up for Catfish and the VMA's. I can't wait to see my girl, Ms. Gaga perform. I even made a new snack to have during the show. They are whole wheat dough balls rolled in fat free butter spray and extra light olive oil and topped with garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Yum!


I hope everyone had a great weekend - join up and share your weekend Shannies and join all of the link up's!

Friday is All About FIVE!

August 23, 2013

It has been a great week.

Damn it feels wonderful to be able to say that.

Today my blog entry is a summary of 5 random's of the week that has ensued.

1.) For the first time since starting my lifestyle blog, I poured my heart out. I started this personal blog because I felt like I could write about my fears, joys, pain, and everything in between. On my health and fitness blog that had been featured so many places and was well known, I didn't want too. It just didn't feel right. So, on this blog, I took a plunge and wrote.

It has been a rough YEAR at my job, and this past month has been an ongoing trial of just how strong you can be when you feel like you are falling apart. After some intense prayer, mental regrouping, pepping myself back up, and taking a risk to start something I have always wanted to do, it has been a wonderful week!

I started my dream. I started writing. I am well into chapter 1.


2.) I do not get near the amount of best friend time as I want. I love my girls. I love having girlfriends. I would die without them. I miss the single girl life because I always got to be with my friends. But we grow up right? We fall in love, work full time, train every day at the gym, have a house, pets, and well - life gets in the way. But my best friend and I had a date night on Tuesday and it was so needed and a lot of fun. We had a good work out at the gym of cardio and weights, had a delicious/healthy dinner at Zoe's, then did a little shopping. This girl scored a $10 bathing suit at Old Navy! Man, I love a good deal.
Post gym! Do you like my aviator's? I think they're so badass. Ha!
3.) Speaking of my $10 bathing suit steal at Old Navy, it is in perfect time for the beach. Only 8 more days! It sucks that Labor Day weekend is approaching so fast. This will probably be our last Myrtle trip of the season. But that just means we get to go to Florida soon. I miss St. Augustine and cannot wait to be back. We only travel there between October and March.

We are saying at the above resort, "The Anderson". Our first time. Can't wait.
4.) I switched up my meal plan significantly as you may have read here. I have enjoyed my new concoctions so much this week. They are all wins!



5.) I have never used Pintrest before but needed to find a recipe to make for a party Marquis and I are going to on Saturday. I "pinned" these and we are making "Red Velvet Cake Brownies". I am excited to create them - they look delicious. I hope they turn out okay! I will report the outcome on my weekend recap!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies - I made these and they were super moist!

I Don't Want to Die a Dreamer.

August 20, 2013

As I sit here, a million thoughts are racing through my mind. I just hope I am able to translate the words from my brain onto my keyboard and not sound like a complete idiot. I have been fighting an inner battle. I have been fighting it overall for about a year, but it is has been more taxing than it ever has over the past couple of weeks.

It is about having a career.

I am the type of person who thrives on accomplishment. I am a natural born extrovert and my zodiac sign is a Leo. I know a lot of people do not necessarily agree with "sign's" but those two words describe me to a fault. I have always been hyper, happy, peppy, and nonstop. I have had big, big dreams since I was a child, too. My first love was singing. Then I fell in love with writing stories and plays, and acting them out. When I was 14 I discovered "My Space". I made an account and saw all of these beautiful women and models who had public pages. I wanted to be just like them. That is when I fell in love with makeup and being in front of a camera. I knew without a doubt that there were four careers that I wanted to do in life: sing, act, write, and/or model. I would not be happy doing nothing else. I knew without a doubt what I wanted to do in life. But I was young! I had plenty of time.

Now here I am 24 years old and I do none of those things. I am just an "ordinary girl" from a tiny town in North Carolina. I was not a part of the rich elite, did not have any connections to the "business", nor support behind me to do something out of the ordinary like that. Why would something like that happen to a girl like me? What the hell would make me so special? People like me from places where I am from, do not "make it big". You graduate high school, hopefully get a college degree, work a 8-5 job, get married, have babies, raise them, and the end. There is nothing wrong with that, at all. But who is to say that is for everyone?

As I am looking back now, I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to work harder. I wish I could tell myself that if you want something in life, no matter how out of reach it may seem, work your ass off to get it. It doesn't matter what ANYONE thinks. If you fail, at least you tried.

When I was 17, life changed drastically. My mom divorced my extremely abusive step-dad, we moved out, and she had been diagnosed with MS. If you do not know what MS is, then you should really look it up. It is a God awful disease with no cure. My mom can't get out bed a lot of days. Walking to the bathroom is a task. Can't walk without a cane. Can't be in the sunlight because it hurts her skin. Can't work. Can't travel. It's a heartbreaking disease to watch someone you love go through.

So I put any crazy dreams I had aside so I could live with my mom, help her, work, and go to college. It was extremely draining. I was driving 45 minutes each way to work a minimum wage job, a full time college schedule, and helping take care of my mom and our home.

In 2010, when I was 20, she and her boyfriend that she has been dating since March of 2007 decided they were going to get married. She told me to go. Move to a big city, get a good job, and enjoy life. (I hated living in my hometown). So that I did. I was burned out with college, my minimum wage job, and I wanted a new start.

So March 15th, 2010, I got an apartment, and started a full time job as a Risk Manager. It was good pay considering I did not finish my degree and paid for my own place, but I was as miserable as they come. I worked in a basement of a huge internet company. It was a 5 story building and I literally worked in a basement with no windows. That alone is depressing. Not to mention, that the leadership was awful, everyone there hated what they were doing, and my supervisor just did not like me. One time she "wrote me up" for emailing her in a font that was hurt her eyes to read. She replied back for me to change the font and email her the same email again.

After a YEAR of applying for jobs until I bled, interviewing, and a lot of heartache. I obtained a new job. And this new job was my savior. When my VP called me to offer me the job, I cried and cried and cried. It is where I currently work now. It was significantly higher pay, half a mile from my apartment, and in a beautiful corporate park.

Taking the job was a little risky because it was a start up holding company, but the CEO/founder of my company is brilliant. He was CEO for one of the biggest businesses in the US, retired, and started the company I now work at... for fun. Things seem great, right?

Nope. Not in the least.

Working for a "start up" company is exhausting. It was rewarding, for the first year, but now it's just down right taxing. Explaining my job would take 10 years, so I will not get into that, but the summary is, I create business plans. It's just me, Excel, Word, and Powerpoint most days. We have no solid leadership. My CEO is retired, and just started this company for my VP to run so he is not involved in a lot of things. My VP has never been a leader before and is also our main "sale's guy". My Office Manager took on another full time job at her old company because her job here is so unsteady. Our Customer Service Rep quit, our Marketing Manager now handles half of customer service (she has never worked in a customer service setting before and my gosh does it show) AND works in our warehouse. Our IT guy now managers one our lawn care business. Really, an IT guy managing LAWN CARE? I have now taken over the other half Customer Service, a lot of the HR and Administration duties, and still creating business plans for potential businesses when my VP and/or CEO have a potential business venture.

We are all over the place. There is no structure. There is no leadership. It is pure chaos. Every day is constant battle trying to figure out problems and deal with angry clients. Not to mention, there is no automation here, all orders, Invoicing, everything is MANUAL. I never would have envisioned that this company would have turned out to be this way. We have had ample "come to Jesus" meeting's and nothing has changed. We had to leave our office in the corporate park this past December, and moved to an office space that is 75% smaller. It is so small, that I hear everyone when they go to the bathroom to pee. My desk is right beside of the bathroom. Lucky me, right? Most days though, it is just me in our office. Everyone else works from home on crazy schedules, but they needed one person "to hold the fort down" and that person is me. The youngest, the least experienced. I don't have to dress up, I literally come in my workout clothes because I workout everyday after work. You would think one would LOVE that, but I am telling you, after 8 months of it - it gets old. Some of the things I deal with on a daily basis are not getting paid. Yep, illegal right?! It happens. My Office Manager has "forgotten" to run payroll three times over the past 10 pay periods. It literally just happened to me Friday. Also, my internet and phone are constantly going in and out. I cannot tell you how many dropped calls, hang up's, unfinished projects, plans, and orders I have to encounter on a daily basis. And I complain, I beg for help, and resolutions until I am blue in the face, but nothing ever happens. What more can you do?

I could apply for a new job. I have been at my current employer for 2 1/2 years. I have given it a fair run. But would I really be happy? In the bottom pit of my heart and soul, I do not think I was created for the 8-5 desk job. There is truly nothing about the corporate world that interests me. BUT the corporate world, the 8-5 job is what pays the bills. I would rather work in a department store to be honest. I love being around people, running around all day, and working crazy hours. I would just make a fraction of what I do now. So what the hell am I meant to do? What is my purpose in this life? What is my calling?

I broke down last Thursday night. I am talking a private meltdown, crying on my knees, praying and begging to God, trying to figure out how I can make a change in my life. Last week was awful. I was in tears all day, everyday. A lot of my Blogger friends now that Marquis is an entrepreneur, I am fortunate enough to have a man that loves me, and wants to buy a business for me to run. That is great and something I am very open too, but it takes time. I also want something for ME. Something that I worked hard on, that my blood and sweat created.

I love working out. The gym is my savior. I blast my music, get lost in it, and forget about the world. It truly is my therapy. When I am in the gym and I get lost in my music, it's like I go into a fantasy land. I dream about the writing I have always wanted to do - becoming a best selling author, singing - winning a Grammy, acting, and modeling. I think all of the things that I have ever truly wanted in life. The music helps me picture myself living my dreams. And those dreams, being able to be lost in them at the gym for so many years now, have kept me going. My dreams of what I could one day be, helped me get through every single battle I have ever had in my life. Those dreams I have give me hope. But now it's starting to break my heart, because I feel like I am going to die a dreamer. I am going to look back at my life when I am 50 years old and realize that I never went for anything that I truly wanted. Time goes by so quickly, and here I am at 24 years old, and not having gone for any of it. I live for 5 o'clock. I live for Friday evening. And my God, I don't want that as my life.

So I have decided I am going to try to put my energy, my creativity, and my heart into writing a novel. It's a little embarrassing telling people you have a dream to do something out of the ordinary, but oh well.I love to write. It has been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed my entire life. My imagination is crazy, colorful, and all over the place, and I constantly have ideas. My grandmother and sister have told me over the past year that I need to write. Hearing them say that is pretty incredible. I started a weight loss blog in 2010 chronicling my journey and helping others, and because of that idea I had I have been on the radio, Fitness Magazine, Bodybuilding.com, and The Huffington post. But now I want more. I decided to just go for it. I have made it my mission to at least finish a book. I may not the best at writing, I may not ever succeed, but I want to be able to look back and say: at least I tried.

I have always had the biggest fascination with the Mafia/Mob. Documentaries, movies, anything, you name it and I wanted to watch it and act it out. "Scarface" and "The Departed" are movies I watch over and over and over again. So, I want to write my own series. With a twist. It isn't going to be your standard badass tale that you have read and watched over and over. But I have a lot I need to learn. Thus, I have ordered a couple of books and DVD's with documentaries. I already have 4 pages of ideas, scenarios, characters, plots, everything pouring through my head. I am going to work on researching and learning as much as I can about the history, culture, the past - everything, and then work on putting my story to life. All the while, I am still going to work at my job so I can have money for bills, savings, and life. I am just going to tell myself "this isn't forever. This is to get you by". And that is OK with me. If I know I am working towards a greater good in myself, it makes getting through the days easier and better.



Are you living out your dreams?

Rainy Weekends are Made for Shopping and Redbox

August 18, 2013

Friday:

The day actually went by fairly quickly. That rarely happens, especially on a Friday.

After work I had an awesome work out. Squats, weights, and cardio.

Since it was a rainy, cool day, it had me longing for Fall.

I decided to get some Pumpkin Spice ale. Perfect way to unwind after a long, busy week, right?



Unfortunately, it tasted like tree bark.

I did make homemade cheese kale chips and those were awesome.



Saturday:

It rained and rained and rained.

I started off with a run on the tredmill upstairs then Marquis and I spent the day out shopping. We went to SO many different places and spent two hours alone in the mall. We shopped for a total of 7 hours.

One of our many stops was Clinique. It's free gift time, my favorite. If there is a Belk near you, get to it soon so you can get a free gift as well.  I refilled on my face wash with my hot mess oily skin (seriously, I could fuel a car) and my Silvery Moon lipstick. Best $33 spent the whole day.



After Marq and I were both aching, we decided to pick up dinner and Redbox. Seriously, instead of working out at the gym, I should just spend days shopping - my legs were KILLING me after. I was exhausted. Talk about "shop until you drop".



We rented "The Host" and "Die Hard" and enjoyed popcorn with fun flavors to top it with. Those toppings are God's gift to dieters. I put them on chicken, veggies, eggs - anything. "The Host" was an awful movie. It was a bore and we only made it through 40 minutes of it. I was disappointed. "Die Hard" was good, as always. Lots of good action, humor, and twists. It is definitely worth a rent.

Sunday:

This morning I started off watching one of the best movies of all damn time, Scarface. I was feeling pretty bad ass after it so I hit the gym for spin class then weights. Then I was off to my Sunday Funday routine; grocery shopping, cleaning, and food prep. 

I have really switched up my eating this week and I could not be more excited! I am pretty simple when it comes to food. I try to always eat healthy (I splurge 2-3 meals a week) so it can get expensive if I want to make different things for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and my in between snacks (I eat 5 small meals a day). I pick one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner, and my two snacks, and that is what I have for the week. I have been pretty regular over the past 4-5 weeks, basically sticking with the same things over and over so I am glad I finally ventured out. 

My thinking bulb was extra bright on ideas!

Nutrition and Fitness Plan; Week of August 18th 2013

Nutrition:

Meal 1: Spinach egg white wrap. (Spinach wrap with three egg whites, turkey bacon bites, and fresh spinach.)



Meal 2: Peanut Butter Protein Shake (1 scoop banana creme protein, 2 tablespoon Natural PB, and 1 cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk


Meal 3: Mexican Mix with a side of steamed veggies. (Extra lean ground turkey, low sodium taco seasoning, fat free refried beans and black beans all mixed together)


Meal 4: Oats and strawberries. (1/2 cup of oats mixed with frozen strawberries and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)


Meal 5: Veggie Flatbread Pizza with a side of homemade Kale chips. (100 calorie whole wheat Flatbread topped with grated zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and low fat feta)

Fitness:
  • Sunday: 45 minute spin class + full upper body weight circuit (done)
  • Monday: 20 minutes of lateral cardio + 45 minute spin class
  • Tuesday: 15 minutes of later cardio, full upper body weight circuit, 10 minutes on the Elliptical
  • Wednesday: Same workout as Monday
  • Thursday: 10 minutes on the StairMaster, full upper body weight circuit, 15 minutes of lateral cardio
  • Friday: 20 minutes of lateral cardio, full leg work out, 10 minutes on the Elliptical
  • Saturday: OFF day or optional 45 minute run/walk at home tredmill

What rhymes with hug me?! (hey, hey, hey)

August 16, 2013

It's Friday. Insert happy dance herrre! I am so OVER this week. It has been a bad freakin'
 week. But writing about stupid work negativity?

Ain't nobody got time for that.

While you read this amazingingly brilliant blog entry, play a little "Blurred Lines" for extra added enjoyment.

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke on Grooveshark

Here are some random's for the week that has been previously ensued:

(1) First, let's start with the weather. For the past two days here, it has been a lot cooler. I'm talking low-mid 70's. That makes me one happy girl. That's comfortable and enjoyable weather. I can wear cute outfits and not be hot, I can curl my hair and it STAY PUT, I can wear make up and not look like a melting candle, and I can put the top back on my car and not sweat to death. It's supposed to be cool this weekend, but a chance of rain the entire time, and that is A-OK with me. I do not really have any solid plans or requirements. I like that.

(2) Monday, it was the Real Housewives of OC reunion. I wish we could just skip the shows and just have reunions all of the time. Like they should all go to dinner, then have a 3 part reunion special about it. Everyone was ganging up on my girl, G. I had to react and let her know I would move to OC so we could be BFF's. She hollaed back at ya girl.


Love you, girl. And Vicki, you are the biggest hypocrite known to man.
Are we Twitter friends?!

(3) Marquis surprised with me a beach trip in two weeks. We are staying at a 4-star resort, too. I am super duper excited. I did not see it coming at all. Check out that blog entry here.


(4) Make-up. Can we talk about lipsss! I have found the perfect lip duo, ever. EVER. It's Clinique's Silvery Moon lipstick topped with Victoria's Secret Baby Pink Lip Gloss/Plumper. It doesn't plump, at all really, but I think it looks great on top of the lipstick. My new favorite lip style to rock. I used a purple lip liner too, but I will not be doing that again with this lip combination. Hashtag ItLookedALittleWhiteTrashy



(5) I was a little leary of this, but I wrote about Marq and I's "love story", ugh I hate even calling it that. I have enjoyed reading your guys, so I did it myself. I have actually never written it out and thought about it, until I read it, so be sure to check it out!

Join the blog fun today. Link up and check out what different Blogger girls have been up to this week.
Whit: Back that azz up Friday
Liz & Friends: 5 on a Friday
Lauren Elizabeth: H54F
You can also view my Party page. Whoop!

PS: My $40 Ulta Beauty Giftcard Giveaway ends tomorrow. Go on over and get your last entries in: be a follower on GFC and Twitter, Tweet about the giveaway, blog about it, etc.