I’m channeling Jen Lancaster here. Because I’m such a fan…and I think she gets me.
Fo’ real.
Weighing in at 174ish and trying to be healthier is tough. The things I like to eat are actually pretty healthy, like broccoli and pasta and chicken…but then I add butter and make a white wine sauce and the entire meal is delicious now like 1000 calories per serving. Which, I’m told, is not entirely good for me either. Life can’t be perfect, right?
Well, what if getting into shape didn’t have to be so damn hard? Or, at least, could be fun?
As a law student, you should just assume I’m competitive. You’d sure as hell be right, too! So you can only imagine how giddy I got when my Aunt bet money that she could lose more weight than I could in the next month. Challenge. Accepted.Â
I decided to kick off Spring with a DIET BET! It’s a weight loss challenge where the winner gets some monies. Losers are hopefully not as fluffy as before.
This is going to be a great painful way to engage my muscles because, let me be clear, if studying made me ripped – I’d have rock hard abs by now. Alas, briefing cases only makes me smarter. Annnnd, since I haven’t gone to the gym more than 5 times this year, I’m basically a lumpy meat package.
My hope is that the $20,000+ pot (seriously, it’s a huge sum of money) will be part mine by the end of 28 days. I just have to lose 4% (or roughly 7 lbs) of my body weight in 28 days. Don’t you dare doubt me just yet. I can totally do this. It will be interesting to see how following an actual diet (consuming roughly 1300 calories per day), limiting my sugar and coffee intake, and working out will affect my performance in law school. This may be the worst funniest idea I have all year…
Here we are, 7 weeks into the semester…wondering, where the heck did the time go? Week 8 starts tomorrow, and I feel like this weekend didn’t even happen. I spent all day Saturday hacking up a lung, crumpled up into a ball, wishing for sweet, sweet death.
Thankfully, it didn’t come. Whew. Sunday has proven a better health day. A breathe-easier, even though your lungs are on fire, kind of day. Honestly, I don’t have much to complain about. I’m sick. Boo. Despite all the crazy crap going on this semester, life is damn good. Aside from tomorrow being Monday, all is awesome!
My students are fantastic, my volleyball team nailed their first WIN, and the robotics team is programming like there’s no tomorrow! If there was no paperwork, I’d honestly teach for the rest of my life.
Since there is, I’ve started business school and am applying to law school. Can you give me a WHUT, WHUT?
As I’ve finally gotten things squared-up and kicked my stress to the curb – I can get back to all things bloggy! The beau and I have been to three new restaurants, and have planned to visit three more! Bahahah! Foodles are always amazing! [Ok, not always…]
I’ve got to work on lesson plans now. Grrr…
Have a kick-ass week, my lovelies!
Get ready for a tasty recipe this week.
Get comfy. Here’s the secret – Put yourself out there!
It’s frustrating to hear that a woman is “waiting for the right guy.”
Let me tell you what…THE PERFECT MAN DOES NOT EXIST! [neither does the perfect woman]
I’m not sure which fairytale, Disney movie, or romance novel you read, but this perfect guy or girl is a figment of your imagination, trapped within the pages of your newest page-turner. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of wonderful people out there, but not one of them is perfect. Each of our ideas about perfection is different, and it is imperative that you figure out what you find “perfect.”
As for me?
This is my short list:
– He makes me laugh, even when I don’t want to crack a smile.
– He has a good job, and motivated to do better for himself.
That’s it.Â
Everything else takes time to build upon.
The beau didn’t know everything about me when we started dating. He became one of my best friends, which made me fall deeper in love.
Finding the right person for you is more-so finding a good person, then allowing your relationship to grow.
Don’t ever forget this.
Now, my beau occasionally brings home flowers – but a slice of chocolate cake and 2 forks is better. He knows which playlist I’d like to hear, depending on my mood. He knows that at the end of a stressful day, I prefer a five-mile run and a ten minute shower. No bath bombs, no fruity bath smells, no pedicures. Gritty pavement and a long time with my own thoughts. He runs with me, even though it’s not his favorite pastime.
I know that he loves spicy salsa, so I learned to make it – just the way his mom does. I learned that he will try anything I make, but he’ll always give me his honest opinion. I know he prefers to relax by playing computer games, so I give him his own space [and try to learn one, now and then].
You become what the other needs. You work together. It takes time. You’d be hard-pressed to find a relationship that burst into a story-book romance and remained that way.
Maybe…but chocolate-laced kisses taste better.
I tell him everything, because there’s no point in holding anything back. We’ve had some colossal arguments, but always come back together after a while.
No relationship is going to start with a bang and keep on going. Our lives are not a romance novel. Life is messy.
My advice to you is – stop making things so complex. Stop forcing a relationship to fit into your idea of perfection.
Love has to bloom; it’s born in the laughter you share with someone who makes your heart dance.
Love is not lust, don’t confuse the two. Lust is the deep-belly ache you get when you see someone for the first time and feel like your entire world just set on fire. It’s flames only that one person can bring to a bitter cold.
Lust ends in heartbreak, because it feels like you’re writing a brilliant novel, only you end up with a sketchy supermarket tabloid.
Stop looking for the jerks, the one-night stands, or the fixer upper.
Open your eyes to everyone and start seeing people for all the characteristics which make them amazing. Trust me, you’ll see one of these qualities and it will light a conversation.
Let yourself go where the conversation takes you. Be awesome, be you.
I searched the inter-webs for other inspirational lists, but didn’t connect with a lot out there. I guess no other nerdy teachers with a passion for science, chocolate and over sharing juicy life tidbits while getting body waxes felt the need to give me any sherpa-like guidance through my first quarter century.
No limp sushi-roll issue there. Instead, I’ll share my own limitless wisdom with you.
Here are the things I think all 20-somethings should do before turning 30, because you shouldn’t get to 25 and feel like you’re done with your twenties! Oh contraire, you’ve got so much left to experience, lovely ducky.
From my loudly opinionated mind for your eyes to feast on:
1. Save money.
Don’t rack up those bills! Be smart about your splurging and even smarter with your savings!
As much as you can, for as long as you can. No one really explains just how quickly your awesome day can steamroll over your sexy black dress, break a heel, blow a couple of tires and then get assaulted by a rogue rock on the freeway. All these things cost money to repair or replace, so keep in mind – being an adult with your money will help keep you afloat.
2. Fall in lust, love and even off the bed. [If you’re doing it right, there will be a minor injury here or there.]
Let’s face it, the younger YOLO-loving portion of our generation is known for making less-than-desirable choices, but when it comes to significant others – I tend to side with those who live a bit more freely than most. If you’re lucky enough to find your one, then stop looking for someone better. Be happy with the adventures you share.
3. Taste every foodie thing you find.
Seriously. Take a cue from Andrew Zimmern and eat some calf fries! Try everything. As an allergy-sufferer, I’m constantly worried about eating something that will make me bust out in hives, but who knows what you’d miss if you’re always scared?
4. Learn how to bake and cook for yourself.
Not enough youngins know how to fend for themselves. The beau tends to cook with everything but the kitchen sink. He has a method to his madness though. Everything he makes is yummy. Unfortunately, not all college cooks are so lucky. Many of my friends rely on ramen, frozen pizza or the prepared counter at Central Market. Learn how to make dishes you enjoy, it’ll be healthier for you and better for your wallet.
5.Care for something other than yourself.
We adopted Eevee just about a month ago. I’d been wanting a running buddy for the past few years and finally decided to make the commitment. She needed me as much as I needed her. The beau didn’t even realize what our household was missing until I brought her home. She’s perfect, in all her goofiness and we lurve her oodles!
6. Travel Do it! Just go to the airport and pick a flight leaving soon. Or, for the Type-A adventurer, plan a trip and then go. Whichever way you choose to travel – make it memorable. Take pictures, find the cute guys giving (credible) Vespa tours, go shark diving, experience Taste of Chicago, taste violet ice cream, eat snails, squidge your toes in white sand. Just GO! [If you can go with your bestie, then DO!]
7. Host a family gathering at your rinky-dink apartment.
[and take bundles of dorky pictures] It will be stressful, borderline-psychotic and leave you in tears, but there is nothing like prepping, paying for and hosting an adult event to really feel like you’ve gotten a firm grip on your young adult life. Even if it is for one harried Thanksgiving feast.
8. Volunteer Find a passion in helping others. There are organizations for everyone and so many wonderful causes who need your help. Get out there and share your heart with the world. You’ll spread love and be loved. Nothing is better.
9. Express yourself & live in every moment So get out there and live!
Spent my 25th with awesome people, loved every moment!
Sometimes life kicks you in the butt, stomps on your heart, punches your face and leaves you in a crumpled pile – alone and broken, expecting you to pick yourself up and get ready to have it all happen to you again tomorrow.
For those days, I recommend cake. Not too much of it, but a slice here and there never did anyone a darn bit of wrong. In fact, there’s just about nothing that a good ol’ slice of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting can’t fix. That’s a promise.
Check out Velvet Taco, on Greenville Ave. in Dallas, Texas
A scrumptious place to park your fabulous derriere when life is just too much. Their tacos deliver – every. single. time. [No, they don’t deliver to you…maybe if you paid them the right moolah — ask ’em]
Their cake though….dayum! It’s delicious, moist and sends your taste buds on a damn-near transcendent experience.
Let’s pause for a moment and think – cake. Mmmmm!
I hope your week is wonderful, sweet and everything yummy!
![[and take bundles of dorky pictures]](http://cerebellumchef.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/22671_240292277440_5634460_n.jpg)
