Nail Files {Link-up}

I'm in love with two new colors that I bought last week. This week, I used these:



Mint Sorbet by Sally Hansen//Kaleidoscope by Wet N' Wild


This is my first time wearing the Xtreme Wear by Sally Hansen. I have to say that I absolutely love it. It dries quickly, it dries HARD, and it's among the less expensive polishes. I will definitely be trying out more colors from this product line. The glitter I used was incredibly holographic. It gave my nails that Easter egg feel. Pretty fitting given we're so close to the Resurrection day.

These beautes lasted through the whole week, but yesterday, I decided it was time for a new color. I used the same glitter, confirming that it's one of my new favorites. Glitter in definitely IN!

Thimbleberry by Sinful Colors

My poor right index finger got smudged in my sleep, but this color looks great!

Link up with Tara and Vicki at:

   Look for my fitness update tomorrow!

A little shoe assistance, please?

Lauren wants us to wear silver shoes for the wedding. I'm having trouble deciding what to go for that will be comfortable and chic.

These are some of my options:

Breckelles Nicole-2 Pewter Glitter

Paco Mena Ramdal Platform

Nine West Kobel Platform

Pleaser Bettie Open Toes

Jessica Sparkling Silver Pumps

Antonio Melani Gianna Pumps

Hugo 13E Silver Glitter Platforms

I already really love one of these, but I wanted to get your opinion first. Let me know your favorites!

What's Your Song {Link-up}

Briefly: Yesterday was Day 1 of Week 7...and we ROCKED it for 25 minutes straight. Just sayin.

Sometimes before bed, I ask him to sing to me. Most of the time, he sings me my favorite bed time song. Other times he breaks out into some ridiculousness. This song is super catchy.

Did I mention that Nicki Minaj is my favorite voice that he does?



Link up with Goodnight Moon to participate in next week's link-up.

Carolina Swag

Prise de conscience: realisation

I am very much in love with David Hindman. I revel in that every single day.

I never attributed my level of happiness to how close I drew to God.  

I can't remember ever being as happy as I am now. It speaks for itself.

I want to live in NC. In David's dream house. With the three "guest" bedrooms.

We've slimmed down so much since then! (10/2011)

Decisions that need to be made about my projected path in graduate school have been creeping up on me lately. Licensure laws and requirements to become a licensed mental health professional are different for every state. And it costs a hell of a lot of money to get licensed. I'm slightly worried about where to get licensed, knowing very well that I won't be in Florida forever. And hopefully not even too much longer. This anxious feeling I'm having is incredibly premature, but I can't shake it. I'm used to knowing and planning and doing. Even as I type this, I know I should be praying harder. But I'm impatient for answers. I'm good at being spontaneous. This situation demands just the opposite. Hello, reality.

Fitness Update:
Day 3 of Week 5 was a breeze! Warm up for 5 minutes, jog for 20 minutes, cool down for 5 minutes. Day 1 of Week 6, on the other hand, was brutal. David and I thought it would be easy; we were back to interval training. We'd already done it. Run for 5, walk for 3, run for 8, walk for 3, run for 5. By the time I was halfway through with the 8 minute interval, I was done. Winded. Exhausted. Mentally defeated. While this could be for a ton of different reasons (wearing a sports bra that has become too big, forgetting to use my inhaler before the run, speeding walking two miles with Monica the day before, the 90-ish-degree-pollen-filled weather), all I'm really left with are excuses. Though I made it through without stopping, I can't help but feel disappointed in my body.  It was so frustrating! Not to mention, it's been so hard to eat healthy. I've been so hungry. I can't afford all the fruit and filling, fat-free stuff that I'd been eating with all the wedding stuff and the whole "providing for two" situation (not that I'm complaining, darling). I'll just be glad when the wedding is over and I can get back on track with my finances. If David can land this job with Florida Commerce, I can start saving again. Then a move to NC wouldn't seem so unrealistic. If I could just save between $7,000 and $10,000 over the next few years, it'll be easy.

Week 6, Day 2 was much easier. I'm enjoying the long distances much better. Yesterday, we flaked out on our running, which means we'll be running Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday this week. I was disappointed that we didn't stick to the schedule, but sometimes quality time together is more important than our "to do" list.

Other news:
Everyone's talking about it, so I'm sorry for the repetition. (I'm not.) The Hunger Games movie was...decent. I enjoyed the slight character development that was only suggested in the book, rather than actually explored. And for the sake of "theatrics", the movie wasn't that far off (ahem...Harry Potter) that I was upset. Most noteably, the "pin" situation, and Haymitch's character (even though Woody is awesome). All in all, it was alright. Stanley Tucci (Ceasar), Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) were great. I would see the other two if they came out as movies. As a side note, I wasn't gunning for Peeta until I read the third book, Mockingjay. Also, read the books before you see the movie. It's a must.

Saturday, I went to a "spa night" with some ladies from my church. While I didn't really get spa'd up, I got to enjoy some great company. I painted a lot of nails, and got to work on my french manicure skills. Oh. And I made my own foot scrub! I was hesitant about adding food coloring to the scrub (it was an awful diarrhea yellow), but after testing it on myself, I knew it would be fine. For about a week, I had been considering opening an Etsy shop after experimenting with a few scrubs. I'm thinking this summer will slow me down so that I can concentrate on some products, and maybe get together with Brittany so she can sell her awesome homemade polish.

What's Your Song? {Link-up}

By the time I got back to Tallahassee from Orlando last weekend, my voice was incredibly hoarse. The best thing about driving alone is singing at the top of your lungs to an empty car. I was busy testing the limits of my voice and my healthier lungs (yay, fitness!). I found myself excited by the fabulousness of Wicked and Rent soundtracks, and the country music that David rarely lets me listen to (hater).

I like to do ALL of the voices in the showtune tracks, rather than just singing in my own. And country music is my crack. It's everything I feel, want, and love. These are three of my favorite from the drive:

I love Rent. But I love the movie soundtrack (and the cast) better.

The video quality in this one is kind of poor, but this is Idina's best! "Popular" is probably my favorite from this production, but this one lets me really rip it. I remember Lauren and I being in awe of Idina Menzel's voice. Maybe that's why I love Wicked and Rent so much. Go Idina! Also, the production with Kristin Chenoweth is the BEST. She has the perfect voice for Glinda.

This one reminds me of my DB. Everytime.

Link up with Goodnight Moon to participate in next week's link-up.

Watermark Tee Tutorial

I'm over here today!! Check out my guest post and Brittany's blog.

Enjoy my first tutorial!

It was my very first time doing anything like this. I've never used fabric dye nor have I ever doodled on a shirt (any shirt altering is thanks to my slobby eating habits). It came out alright, but I'm sure, with some practice and a few prototypes, I can make something awesome. Oh, and before I forget--buy your shirts at least two sizes bigger than normal. All of mine shrunk. Good thing I wasn't making them for anything important like a bachelorette party. Dammit.

Anywho.

Supplies you'll need:

• 100% cotton tee shirt(s): white or off-white
• Elmer's gel glue (the BLUE, not the WHITE)
• Tote lid (or something else to stretch your fabric over)
• Fabric dye in your desired color (1 box per 1 lb of clothing)
• Rubber gloves
• A bucket or small tote
• A stirring implement (wooden spoon or tongs will work)
• Towels (for your mess)
• Hangers (to hang dry your finished product)

I picked up some white, 100% cotton shirts: three that were women's tees and one that was a women's tank.  I proceeded to pull my tee shirts over tote lids that I had around the house (I have a lot of storage--it was convenient).


Photo courtesy of ucreate.

The next step requires some artistic ability, of which I have none. My typically great handwriting was also a fail on my practice tee, so I decided that block letters would probably be my best bet. Knowledge of where your chest will sit in the shirt is also a must. At least I know for next time. :-P

Once you've finished your diasterpiece masterpiece, let it dry completely. I was a little heavy on the glue, so it took nearly 24 hours to dry on all four shirts. After everything dries, remove the tee from the tote lid. You're ready to make your dye.

I used a smaller, 10 gallon tote so that my shirts could free-float in the dye. Put on your gloves. I filled the tote with 6 gallons of hot water since I used 2 boxes of Kelly green Rit (3 gallons per 1 box of dye). Pre-dissolve your dye powder in 2 cups (per box) of hot water. Add to tote and mix with water.

After I had my dye bin set up, I quickly rinsed my shirts in lukewarm water and set them, individually, in the tote. I stirred them constantly for about 15-20 minutes until the shirts had reached my desired color.

When the shirts are ready to come out of the dye, be sure you're next to the sink so that you don't make too much of a mess with the drip. Rinse each shirt individually in lukewarm water until the water runs clear. Ring out excess water. Hang dry.

The clean up may require bleach. Have it nearby before the dye can set on any of your counters, in your sink, or elsewhere.

Once the shirts are completely dry (will take a day or two), fill your sink (or a bucket) with cool, soapy water and let the shirts soak (I know, I know. You just spent two days waiting for the shirts to dry...) for 15 minutes. This process will help get the extra glue out.

After the soap bath, put your shirts in the washer and dryer as normal. Then enjoy your sweet watermark tee!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

David is knee deep in The Hunger Games. And I'm in full Hunger Games mode. I'd go to the midnight showing on Thursday if I weren't so old and tired. I only go to midnight showings to see RP (we're on an initial-only basis).

It seems to be an ongoing trend that I've ceased taking pictures when I'm having a good time. When I get my new iPhone, I'll taking and posting ridiculous amounts. Our weekend in Orlando was great. Turns out that I was desperately in need of girl time. I got a little migraine/nauseous on Saturday night and had to catch a cab back to the hotel from CityWalk, but that was the only hiccup. Thank God for mini-golf, outlet stores, and Tu Tu Tango.

Skylar, Lauren, Me, Amanda, and Jessie in the center!

Lauren and I on St. Patty's wearing not one speck of green!

And some mustache greatness.

***

Back to the Hunger Games, I really want these (these particular ones sold from Etsy, but I want ones like it):

Now that David is reading the books, he'll understand why I want them. :-D

And last, but certainly not least: David and I are starting week 6 of C25K this week. Yesterday, we finished our last day of week 5: running for 20 minutes with no walking. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it seems that it was just in my head. We both finished strong. Such progress is exciting!!

Look for my watermark tee tutorial tomorrow. See you soon, lovies.

Nail Files {Link-up}

Lots of nails, people! I'm finding that I want to do a new color or color combination like every 3 days. Officially addicted. Enjoy :)

This week, I decided to follow a trend I'd seen done by some of the girls in my church. That is, starting with a darker base coat, and finishing with a lighter shade of polish.

I started with this color: "Jackie, Oh!" by Color Club (not my nails, but the same color).
And finished with this color: "Trench Coat" by Sation (a little lighter than it appears in the picture).

 I ended up with these Spring inspired nails!

It looked great for the rest of the day, then proceeded to smudge and get ugly. Yay 24 hour manicure!

So I used these soon after:

And wound up with this:

Someone please, for the love of God, please buy me an iPhone.

In preparation for a glamorous St. Patty's Day, I avoided green like I originally intended and went for this beautiful combination. 

Essie: Devil's Advocate, Essie: Set in Stones, Milani: Pink Flare

 I had a lot of compliments about these!! In fact, some woman I work with was walking toward me and came over to check out my nails claiming she noticed them all the way down the hall.

Sincere apologies for my consistently horrible Android pictures.

Link up with Tara and Vicki at:

Now I'm off to Orlando for a crazy St. Patty's/Bachelorette/Birthday celebration weekend! :-D

What's Your Song {Link-up}

First and foremost, check out my new BUCKETS tab. I've finally made a decent bucket list. I feel pretty good about it. That and my March Madness bracket picks. I have UK, UNC, FSU, and MSU in the final four.

Tomorrow night, I'll be driving to Orlando for my very first bachelorette party. I never thought I'd see the day when my best friend got married before I did! (Isn't that how we all feel?) But with the wedding only 35 days away, I'm definitely feeling the wedding crunch!

Be sure to catch next week's tutorial for the shirts I made for the bachelorette party. :-D

So far, I've taken care of the two most important things: my dress and David's plane ticket. Invitations have been sent, bridal shower plans have been set. But there's still so much to do: buy shoes, pick up some new summer clothes (I expect it to be nasty and humid, like always), get my car serviced, create a spectacular bridal party (that Lauren's mom and I have been working fervently on!), decorate for the ceremony and the reception, and take care of any last minute alterations. I have to come up with a speech and all that nonsense. I have to keep it together so that Lauren doesn't have to.

Now that I'm fully into wedding mode, please enjoy the appropriateness of this song:

**Note: I love sappy love songs. And pregnant women in ugly dresses. And poorly made music videos from the 90s. And country music. If you do not love all these things, don't bother watching.

This is definitely one that I want David to add to his "Serenade Samantha" list. Ha!

Link up with Goodnight Moon to participate in next week's link-up.

Weight loss: Week 4

Some weight loss updates:

Forgive the awkward leaning in the second picture that makes me look pregnant. I was reaching over David's shoulder.

I took the first picture in September 2011. It's a pretty similar representation of the weight I was when February 2012 rolled around. So for all intents and purposes, let's just say that picture one is my starting point (though, I was probably heavier). Also, 185 is my last known weight-in around December/January. That also might be an under-representation. I don't have a scale, so my current weight is unknown. SOON!!! But the picture definitely shows the differences in just 4 weeks (second picture taken at the end of 3 weeks). Notice the thinner face and smaller chest (some people are not as pleased with the latter). I've even got some chin definition going on! I'd rather lose the weight from my midsection than from my chest, but I'll take what I can get. One step at a time!

Confessions:

I crave everything sweet on a daily basis.

I hate that I can't eat sweets.

I can't eat sweets because I have no self control or concept of moderation.

I hate that David is so much better at 5k-ing than I am.

I wish my legs were longer.

Currently, David and I are on week 5 of our 8 week C25K program. It's started to kick my butt (thank you, asthma), but I'm pushing through and trying to regulate my breathing. After we're finished with this, we'll be continuing our running and adding in some other training (Insanity is a good possibility). This woman's blog has been inspiring me to eat better and train harder lately. And thanks to an awesome local workout page (Super Awesome Workout Semester, or SAWS) started by my friend Nathan, I've discovered this 5k-10k training program AND heard about this awesome Zombie 5k in November.

Hooray for lifestyle changes.

Hooray for accountability.

Hooray for good workout music.

Nail Files {Link-up}

This was my first go at a french manicure. I have to say that it really isn't as easy as they make it look in the salon! They are adequate, at best. David seemed to like them though.

Just another crappy, out of focus picture thanks to my pathetic Android. One day, iPhone 4. One day.

OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Bubblebath, Essie Set-in-stone

It took me a lot more time than I thought it would. From now on, I'll probably leave the FM to the professionals.

Link up with Tara and Vicki at:

 

Enjoy your Friday, dolls!

What's Your Song? {Link-up}

On the drive home from Charlotte, I woke up a few times to David's singing. I opened my eyes toward the trees; passing in quick succession, illuminated by hazy moonlight. I didn't dare turn to him; afraid that I would spoil the moment. Usually, he pitches a ridiculous sounding voice in an attempt to mimic the artist (Nicki Minaj is my current favorite voice). I laugh. He laughs. And he continues his silly singing. It's rare that I hear him belt out the words to my favorite oldies in his actual voice. And when I do, I get goosebumps. It's magical, lyrical, beautiful (this feels familiar...).

I like love it when he sings to me. This is one of my recent favorites:

Link up with Goodnight Moon to participate in next week's link-up.

Catching Fire

On a slightly random, unrelated note: only 17 more days until The Hunger Games premiere!

I hate to admit that I've neglected you all week. The week started off ridiculously slow, but toward the end of last week, things were crazy as we got ready for our trip to Charlotte.

Last week:

David and I went to the Duke vs. FSU basketball game. It was my very first (yay, new things)! We seemed to be two of maybe four Duke fans in our section, but sports controversy is something I'm good at (Go Yankees). After all that, they go ahead and lose (despicably) to North Carolina (look at me talking like I know something about basketball). Speaking of sports, apparently I'm participating in March Madness. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my terrible team picking skills.

While I'm thinking about it, I've recently decided that I'm a fan of double dates...or even just group get-togethers...as in we need to start going on them. David and I rarely get pictures together because we go out/travel alone. And I'm not really a fan of this:

Anyway.
After church last week, Mal and David went with me to pick up a craigslist find that I'd been working on securing all day. I've always wanted a "tall" bed. One that people have to struggle to climb. One that Leo has to get a running start to jump. I thought what I needed was a new bed frame, but what I really needed was to put a box spring underneath the tempurpedic. After a totally sketch trip behind the Tallahassee mall, I was able to create the perfect tall bed.

AND! I've finally finished my pallet shelf after months of trying to get it done. Another big "Thank you!!" to the best man ever for cutting and sanding it. It took some doing, but it's beautiful. I also did a major clean up last week (even though my room is generally clean) and threw out a bunch of old stuff, filed important papers, shredded incriminating useless documents, and organized my closet and bookshelves. It's amazing how much stuff can fit into one tiny room.

****

Usually, people find themselves distracted by fantasies and day dreams. Daily, I find myself distracted by the second most incredible thing in my life. Sparing you the sappy, gushy romance, I'll try to make this quick...

Recently, I'd reread all of my old blog posts. It's hard to deny the transparency of pain and aggravation through my words; a tumultuous rush of frustration and slight regret. Did I say slight? I mean, I don't regret it at all. Without such ridiculousness, I never would be where I am today: carefree, drama-free, stress-free, and in love with a extraordinary man of faith, patience, and understanding. I wake up every day and go to bed every night thanking God for the riches I've been blessed with. I've heard that you'll never appreciate happiness if you've never experienced sadness. This has certainly proven itself to be irrefutable. These days, love, trust, honesty, and God-centeredness are few and far between. I am so utterly blessed. With that being said, it's not hard to believe we've made it 6 months (woo!) without angry tears, screaming, or frustrated expletives.

Moving right along.

Charlotte was great, but exhausting. I met so many splendid people over the weekend. It stirred that seldomly quenched desire for a "good" family; decent even. While there are a few people that stick out in my mind as spectacular, loving, trusting, supportive family members, I could count them on one hand. Spending time with David's family, while so inviting, made me feel the strong absense of family in my own life. Knowing the reasons that I have yet to introduce David to my family makes me apprehensive to have him spend five days in South Florida with me in April. At least he understands that their behavior is not a reflection of me. I might as well have been adopted.

We were doing so well! Let's redirect.

We found ourselves in bed every night before midnight over the weekend. We ate a lot of healthy food (not hard when you're visiting healthy people), but treated ourselves to some birthday cake. We even managed to get our butts up and train before heading home on Sunday. (Which actually ended up being an adventure.) Running without my glasses with a vaguely memorized map in my head--my inhaler left somewhere in the house--did not make for the easiest training day, but 30 minutes and a heart full of worry later (I got lost, David was worried and came searching for me), I couldn't help but feel accomplished. Our running schedule has been variable, but we've managed to stay on task and complete three days each week. Today is our first day of week 4. Halfway there!

Have a great week, guys.

Catch up with my link-ups Thursday and Friday!