P90Ouch

I woke up this morning, rolled over, and gave Brandon my usual "Babbbyyyyyyy....." (Which he knows means "I want coffee, and I wanted it 5 minutes ago.") He doesn't have any at his condo, so he went to Dunkin' Donuts and got me a coffee and us both yummy donuts. I'm spoiled, what can I say :)

Onto the subject: P90X. Even the name sounds frightening. Don't you just imagine this totally jacked, overly tanned man flexing his biceps and growling "P-ninety-eeexxxxxxxx. Rarrrr." Well, I do anyway. And I wasn't far off.

I managed to complete the 18 minute "Ab Ripper" workout. Ouch. Brandon said he was quite impressed with how well I did for my first time. I hardly stopped any. I haven't seen any of the other videos, but I would certainly recommend this for a living room work-out routine. I can't even sneeze without my abs burning again. I guess I burned off some of my donut :) (Maybe I will look like this photo)

Better than average "chain" restaurant fare

Brandon's mother sent him a giftcard for Valentine's Day to Bonefish Grill for us to use. Neither one of us are big "chain" restaurant fans, but Bonefish Grill is one exception.

We waited on our table at the dimly lit, inviting bar where Brandon ordered our usual of a Kettle One extra dirty martini on the rocks. I for once wanted something different, because we had sipped Bloody Marys poolside earlier in the day when the sunny, mild weather finally allowed a tank top. I decided on a "Winter White Cosmo." Very yummy. Made with white cranberry juice, Cointreau, lime juice, and Stoli cranberry vodka, I was quite impressed.

After milling over the menu for almost 30 minutes, I finally decided on Tokyo Style Seared Tuna and Brandon had spinach florentine and crab meat over Mahi. Both of our meals were DIVINE.

Before we even sat down, B had eyed a piece of Key Lime Pie and decided we needed to save room for a piece of our own. We didn't. We were both so full we practically had to wheel eachother out. We decided to rent a movie (Couples Retreat-ehhh, not too good) and call it a night.

To boldly go where no woman has gone before...

I found myself half naked, under a giant paper towel, and ready to have intense beams of scorching hot light blasted onto my who-ha. Great. But, I just kept thinking about how I would never have to shave again and I could throw on my bathing suit at any given time and not be worried about razor burn or stray hair. I was also given a stress ball to hold in each hand to "help with the pain." My opinion? It was totally woth the 10 minutes of slight discomfort. Dena, the RN and laser treatment specialist, was great. She made me feel super comfortable, even though she was up close and personal to parts of my body I haven't even ever seen. She may have even saved my life, I might add, because she noticed a mole that did not look healthy, had the dermatologist come look, and now I'm scheduled to have it removed. I probably would have never done anything about it. I have to go back in 6 weeks for a second treatment and it may take up to 4, but after that I will be FREE! So for anyone thinking about getting laser hair removal, I say GO FOR IT! If you're local, I certainly recommend Dena.... Click here to contact her!

Organic Schmorganic. Or not??

What I ate today: Peanut butter toast and coffee, Pop-tart scraps from Meagan at work, a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal, a giant cinnamon roll (split with Meagan... we were stressed over a 200 entry database we had to create) and for dinner- fried chicken from Publix, homemade (by me!) coleslaw, and a baked potato.

WTF!!?? This is not like me at all to eat this poorly. I'm no picture of health, but I usually only allow myself one "bad" food per day. Not five. My excuse today? No time. My solution? Plan ahead!

After grossly explaining what I ate to my mom and step-dad today, it spurred an interesting conversation about homeopathic medicine, organic foods, and general health. While I don't believe in totally forgoing Western medicine, and I never will, I believe in a healthy balance of holistic and western lifestyles. After a year long battle with sciatica, I finally broke down and went to see a chiropractor (Dr. Gregory Tenn at Tenn Chiropractic Clinic in Pelham). I have been going for three weeks now, and my lower back is pain-free. I also visit Terri Ray at Balance Massage Therapy in Pelham as often as my schedule will allow. She is reasonably priced and the total relief you get (physically and mentally) is worth any amount of money.

Back to my point. Everyone kept saying "go see a doctor!!" when I was complaining about my back. I hate to say it, but most MDs would have given me pain meds or sent me to physical therapy. I would obviously prefer PT to meds, but you see my point. Too many people are prescribed meds to mask their presenting symptoms rather than CURING the cause. Hence why I have only taken ibuprofen once since I started seeing Dr. Tenn and Terri. Coincidence? I think not.

On to my next point. Food. Whole, natural, the-way-God-made-it-FOOD. An exchange student friend of mine from Germany gained almost 30 lbs while living in America. She moved back to Germany and lost all of her weight by doing nothing but eating like she normally would in Germany. Why do Americans who live in the best country in the world not even make the top ten in life-expectancy? I'm no scientist, but jeez read an ingredient label on your favorite "healthy" cereal or your kid's favorite snack! Yikes!

Money. Yes, unhealthy garbage food is cheap. It is. But, a friend of mine who eats MUCH healthier than me says that you might spend more, but since the quality of food is greater you get full faster, therefore eat less, therefore equalling out the money you spend.

Wow. I could keep blogging about this topic forever. I have taken baby steps to living a more healthful lifestyle, but I haven't stayed on track. With tomorrow being the start of Lent, I thought I would try a mini version of Kathy Freston's "Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21-Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Mind, Body and Spirit." Oprah did it and blogged her way through, and I intend to get up the "want to" to actually say I AM DOING THIS! No excuses... any takers?

Dry Shampoo

I'm a little OCD about many things, but washing my hair every day is NOT one of them. It's long, it's thick, and I like to sleep. Plus, I think if someone were to read the meter during my usual 20 minute blow-dry session, it would be spinnin' like rims from a rap video. So, I love to use my Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo in between shampoos. It's only $11 on Sephora.com. If I just need a little, I sprinkle it on an old blush brush and tap it on my roots. If I'm way greasy, I hold the tip about 6 inches from my part and sprinkle. I then get my paddle brush and brush my part in zig-zag motions until all signs of powder are gone. This also gives you a ton of volume. If you get too much on your hair, just dampen a washcloth and pat it on top of your head. Voila! Clean-ish hair! Warning though- if you scratch your head, you'll have nasty white powder under your finger nails :)

Jinsei

Ok, so I experienced total love in my mouth Friday night at Jinsei (no, Casey, not like YOU'RE thinking...) Brandon and I had some of the best sushi we've ever had, and we have had a LOT of sushi. We ordered three rolls: Red Dragon, Lobster, and Bubblegum. The Red Dragon was a spicy tuna roll with cucumber topped with tuna sashimi. Very spicy but a swig of what was supposed to be an "extra dirty" martini (it was very very "vodka-y" instead) helped quell the fire. The lobster roll was perfect, with lobster tempura inside the roll and again tuna sashimi on top. The bubblegum roll was filled with shrimp tempura and topped with seared tuna and some amazing sauce (probably called "yum-yum" sauce or something Japanese people think American's will think is cute). I was very surprised that the place was very tiny, but I loved the atmosphere. Service was great, too. A must-eat if you're in Bham! I'm kicking myself for not snapping a picture of our artful dinner...

Ahh Aloft...

So freakin' excited.. my wonderful boyfriend Brandon booked a loft for us for Valentine's weekend at Aloft Hotel in Soho Square in Birmingham. It is PIMP!! More to come on if I think this might be "the best romantic weekend getaway." We also plan on eating sushi at Jinsei, which is supposedly the best sushi in town. We shall see!

Favorite travel website

I would LOVE some reader feedback here! I tend to use Orbitz. What is everyone's favorite travel website?

Favorite "cheap" wine

For less than $10, I really love Woodbridge Merlot and Smoking Loon Cabernet. Awesome bargain wines. I don't really like white, so I would love some reader feedback on what you enjoy!

Hair Products

I have long, thick, wavy hair and I live where it's very humid. I use Frizz-Ease® Straight Fixation™ Smoothing Crème when I'm wearing it curly or straight and I put it on my hair before I blow-dry it. Then, I finish with Giovanni Organic Cosmetics Frizz Be Gone (You can find this at Target for less than $8!!) I love this stuff and have used MANY different frizz serums- expensive and cheap. This is the best, and it is organic AND affordable! Also not tested on animals... gotta love that.

Chemical Peel

I love BeautiControl Spa Resurface Multi-Acid Resurfacing Peel. It has an advanced chemical exfoliator is packed with advanced multi-acids that loosen the glue that holds dead skin cells together, revealing skin that looks brighter and more radiant. 30 pre-soaked pads. It makes my skin look brighter and my pores look smaller. It also makes my face feel baby soft and is gentle enough to use several times a week. If you wish to purchase this, I have to plug my friend and BC Consultant Amanda Hamilton... the hyperlink above will take you to her page.

Self Tanner

For those of you who are local, I LOVE the rub-on tans you get from Laura and Becky at Native Beach Tan in Helena. No streaks, no orange.

For something you buy at the store, I LOVE Loreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Towelettes. I have used a ton of different brands, lotions, sprays, etc. and this is by far the easiest to use. Just be careful to apply it in overlapping circular motions, because if you wipe up and down you can get streaks.

Mascara

Totally in love with Mary Kay mascara... also, someone told me that waterproof mascara has TAR in it, and it is TERRIBLE for your eyelashes! Check out my Mary Kay friend Wendy's page from hyperlink above to purchase...

Best Pet Grooming Tool

I'm in LOVE with my Furminator. It was pricey (I think about $35 at Pet Smart) but totally worth it. It is pretty amazing to see how much fur it gets off my cat in one swipe. It also works great on dogs.

Skin care

I've struggled with acne-prone, oily skin since I was literally 10 years old. Over the years, I have tried tons of different products.

My least favorite was Proactiv... the cleanser doesn't wash off your make-up and it made my face feel almost itchy. Also, you run out of the cleanser WAY before the toner and repairing lotion.

I have finally found a line I really like. It's called Avalon Organics and it is fairly affordable, especially for a Certified Organic line. I am currently using the Vitamin C cleanser, Vitamin C revitalizing serum and the Vitamin C oil-free moisturizer. I also use the lavendar scrub. I think it has cleared the break-outs some but the thing I have most noticed is the texture and brightness of my complexion. I also love Panoxyl 10% for my chest and back.

Close runners-up: Murad, Ain't Misbehavin, and BeautiControl.

Welcome to my blog!

I've finally started my first blog! I will most likely get off topic, but I
thought I would start by rating products, foods, clothing, etc. I would love to
get new ideas and opinions on everything I rate.