Policia, Policia!

Ok, Trish, This is for you... I've frequently made references to me running from the police in Costa Rica. My friend Trish has been asking me to tell the whole story so here goes: The summer before my senior year of high school I went on an exchange program to Costa Rica. For those of you who didn't know me back then, I'm embarrassed to say I was seriously a goody two-shoes. Yep, I even carried a Bible to school. I never went to the woods to party or have sex. I followed my mom's curfew and I was always trying to save somebody from their sins. (I have since made up for all of these things more than once or twice, just in case you are wondering, lol!)

And talk about ANXIOUS!!! Where the hell was the Effexor back then? I worried about the craziest crap. Because of all the worrying, looking back in all honesty, my high school years weren't all that enjoyable.

So, anyway, back to Costa Rica. I was paired with this really fun, adventuresome girl who was like polar opposite of me. Apparently, it was a tradition at their high school for the seniors to go out at midnight and bang on the doors of the juniors. (I think that's what we were doing. It was almost 16 years ago and alot of Bud Lights later, so I can't really remember.) Anyway, it's midnight in Costa Rica and I'm trapsing across people's yards with my Costa Riccan sister and her friends when all of a sudden I hear someone yell, "Policia, Policia!" The next thing I know everybody starts running. My spanish isn't all that great but I sure knew the word "policia"! So, I ran. Now, I wasn't extremely overweight back then, but I wasn't fit either. I am also 5'3" tall. Picture it if you will, me 5'3" running across a field when I come to a 4 foot cement wall. I swear to you, I jumped the wall! I guess that's what they mean by the power of adrenaline??? I had NEVER done anything like that ever before. I can honestly say, I have never done anything quite like ever again, either.

Yep, that's my 'Policia' story. Come to think of it, I sure would like to go back to Costa Rica. I have some reliving to do!

Running...

I finished the 'Couch to 5k' running program on Thursday. I ended up only being able to do 2.4 miles in 30 minutes. Today, I ran without using the program, at my own pace for 3 complete miles. It took me about 45 minutes. I really hope I decrease my time by April 12th. I think I will because I'll be running with Jessica. You also get free beer at the end of the race. If that won't motivate me, I'm not sure what will. Although, if the race starts at 8am, I'm not so sure I'm going to want to start drinking beer at 8:45am!??? Hrrmm, I need to ponder this one some more.

I broke down and joined a gym this past Friday. After Thursday's run, I thought I was going to freakin' die of a heat stroke and it was only like 75 degrees outside. It's just going to get hotter! I got a really good deal at the gym and think I'm going to get a personal trainer. I'm at the point now where I need to do some serious toning and you know me. I don't like to push myself. I hate to sweat and I especially hate weightlifting! So, I need a trainer to push me. I seriously want to be a size 8 by July. I've never been an 8 so I'm not sure if it'll happen but I am going to continue to work hard to get there.

Bra Shopping

After class yesterday, I broke down and went bra shopping. I have everything from a size 44 to a 40 in my drawer and they are all very loose. So, I decided my girls needed a little face lift and went in search of a good bra. As I've mentioned before, if there's one thing that my Grandma T. instilled in me, it was the value of a good bra. I don't believe in buying cheap bras. I went to Victoria Secret first, but they weren't having a sale so I went over to Lane Bryant. They go as low as a 38 and I figured I wasn't any lower than that. I went in the store and asked to be measured for a bra. The sales lady looked me up and down and asked if I'd ever bought a bra there before. I said yes. She asked what size was the last one I had bought. I told her a size 44C. She looked at me in disbelief and measured me. I measured in at a 36/38C!!! After she measured me I informed her that I had recently lost 36 pounds. She said, "ok, that makes sense." I guess she thought I was lying or really really confused about where I was.

Here's To Finding a Good Man!

There's a country music singer who sings a song about finding a good man. I don't remember her name. Anyway, its a funny song and it prompted me to write this entry and create this want ad:

And my mother says I'm too picky! The custodian at my school was teasing me about still being single at my age. He says its slim pickins the older you get. His words, not mine. I do agree. Anyway, he agreed with my mom and said that I was too picky. I told him that wasn't true. He said, "oh, I see, you'll settle for a man with a bachelor's degree instead of a master's degree?" To which I laughed and said, "no just having a job will get him in the door." I am picky about alot of things, but degrees are of no importance. I have every right to be picky, I've waited this long. I'm not settling.

Seriously, where does anybody go to find a decent date? I'm not asking for a proposal, just dinner and a movie. There is NOBODY left on this planet my age to go out with. I'm finally feeling confident about myself and I don't know where to go to find men. Ok, I've got to stop. I sound way too desperate!

Easter Fun!

Thomas' First Easter...

Thomas' Second Easter...

Thomas had a practice run finding Easter eggs on Saturday. We took him to a community egg hunt. He was so enthusiastic. When I gave him the bucket, he tried to drink out of it. Sort of reminded me of those college days... you know beer in a bucket! Then we had a fantastic Easter Sunday watching Thomas find eggs. Its funny the things that excite these days. We hid about seven eggs but he was content finding three. He couldn't get the fact that he was supposed to put the eggs in his bucket. So, he kept trying to hold all three. I tried to show him by counting as I put an egg in the bucket but instead he just kept walking around saying, "one, two, three..." This year, we got away with just putting cheerios in the plastic eggs. He just liked shaking them. I'm convinced next year we'll have to switch to the hard stuff... jelly beans!

My Sauconies

Not sure how you write "Saucony" to make it plural so forgive me if its wrong! My friend Trish wanted to see a picture of my new running shoes. That's why I'm adding these pictures. Don't tell my mom I put the shoes on the bed. LOL! Unfortunately they aren't "magic" running shoes, but they come pretty darn close. I can jog for 30 minutes without losing a lung or snotting all over the place, now. I still can't do 3 miles in 30 minutes but I figure if I'm ever being chased by the Costa Riccan policia again, this time I'll be able to outrun them! LOL! True story, I'll tell ya later.

Look At Us!

The picture of me and Molly wearing red shirts was taken this past Christmas. My mom has it proudly displayed on her mantle. I think she needs to replace it with this new one taken at Easter. I am so proud and thankful for the new me!

Call Me Shallow if Want To...

Ok, you can call me shallow if you want to but here are pictures of my jeans and t-shirt from Aeropostle. I've also included a picture of me in my jeans and t-shirt from Aeropostle for proof that they actually belong to me! I didn't weigh in this week but according to my scale I'm down 35 pounds. My stomach continues to be the area I need to work on the most but it'll come in due time!

I am the girl who...

gets all dressed up and feels "smokin' hot" when all of sudden she looks in the mirror and sees a crusty under her nose.

has a chance to flirt with a hot guy and her mind goes blank!

is scared to wear high heels because her left knee is prone to give out on her.

rushes out of the house for a Miss Wakulla meeting only to discover that she forgot to wax her upper lip.

cries at funerals, when she thinks her mom is mad with her, when other people cry and Publix commercials.

who will write more later when she comes up with more ideas.

I've been wanting to write this for a while now. The reason being is to find a somewhat humorous way to sort of explain something a "friend" (I use that term loosely!) said to me one time...
I once had a "friend" tell me that I had low self-esteem. She also told me that I didn't give myself enough credit for the great things in my life. After getting really pissed off at her, I thought about her words and confronted her. I told her that I have been at the very top of my game and I have been at the very bottom. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy the bottom. So, I try very hard to stay somewhere in the middle. I also know that I am who I am because of God and all the wonderful people He has put in my life. I am blessed with determination and strength. I also know my talents. I don't have to go around flaunting them to other people.

Life in a Small Town

I love this small town life I lead. Its just funny sometimes. Why, do people think that just because its spring its time to create burn piles in their front yards??? I HATE burn piles. I especially hate burn piles when I'm trying to practice for my 5k and come across one while already trying not to lose a lung from running. Which, by the way, I suck. I've been practicing since last Friday and I am still only able to do a mile in a little over 12 minutes! What is wrong with me? I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Its only been a week and I only recently lost weight.

Speaking of weight, and small town gossip... today was the 'Teacher of the Year' breakfast. All the teachers who won for their school were honored with a plaque and $250. I haven't seen alot of people since my weightloss transformation so it was exciting to see friends I haven't seen in a while. The video was funny too because it was taken 30 pounds ago. You can really tell a difference. Anyway, my sister called me today after school and said that her friend Rachel called her. Rachel was at the breakfast too. Molly said Rachel couldn't get over how "hot" I looked. She said I really looked beautiful. To which my sister replied, "she was beautiful even 30 pounds ago." Gotta love my little sister. Which is true. I have always been beautiful, but now I have so much more energy and I'm happy with both the inside and outside appearance, so I guess I really do glow. Hope that didn't come out conceited.

Last, about small town business... I was at the beauty shop the other day getting my hair cut and colored. As my stylist is washing my hair she says, "Adam says he saw you running down the road the other day. He said to tell you that's not safe and to join a gym." Her husband is my realtor and he went to school with Molly. How funny is that?

Wanted!

As an ESE teacher, I really hate defensive parents. Especially parents who are also teachers. I'm not a parent but today, I became a defensive aunt.

My nephew Thomas went to FSU today to have his 12 month evaluation. Molly took him at 7 months to have him evaluated for delays and he turned out to be above average in all areas so they asked if they could continue watching him. He's a lab rat. Just kidding! He scored above average in pretty much everything except dramatic play and self-help skills. He scored on the low end of average in those two areas. I personally feel that is a load of crap. Just the other night we were at a restaurant and the waitress loaned Thomas two army men. (I know, Heather, ITERS folks would so die!) Anyway, he had one in each hand and had them talking to each other while walking back and forth on the table. As for self-help skills, he can use a fork and spoon when we give him one. He just prefers his fingers. Am I defensive or what??? At one point, he told the examiner, "Let me down!" She had him in a high chair while testing him. He's a hoot! The examiner told Molly that she was going to have to keep Thomas very busy when he's older or teachers are going to label him ADD. They better not! Boy are his teachers in trouble. His mom is going to be so far up their asses they won't know what to do. His nana is going to have a hit man ready and his Aunt J will waiting at a moments notice to get whomever says something bad.

He called Gene, "Poppa," the other day. It was bittersweet. I'm glad Gene is good to him and that Thomas can say Poppa, but its also sad because I keep thinking he should be calling my daddy, "Poppa." Oh well! We'll just have to tell him all about his real Poppa and how similar they are.

I love this picture. It was taken this Saturday. The sad thing is, he looks so grown up.

Running!

I ran again this morning by myself in my neighborhood. Its kind of hilly and pretty much all dirt roads minus the main one that goes through the neighborhood. I am happy to say that I ran 1.9 miles in 25 minutes. Which still averages out to about 13 minutes a mile. Its really funny because back when I started this program I thought I was going to die just jogging for 60 seconds!

Yesterday, I went to a specialty shop and bought my very first pair of running shoes. I got fitted for them and everything. I almost died when he told me how much they cost but it was worth every penny. The guy that fitted me also informed me that a person should get one to two sizes bigger than what they normally wear. I had to get a size 9! I normally wear between a 7-8 depending on the shoe. He tried to sell me some inserts but since I don't have enough equity in my house just yet, I told him I'd come back later. I looked the shoes up online last night and felt a little better about the price. They didn't jip me.

Well, gotta go wash Missy and dig up my flower beds. It looks like I'm growing tobacco plants in my front yard!

Rethinking

Ok,so remember my big plans to do a triathlon? Well, that may take a while. My friend Julie reminded me that "tri" means 3 and you do ALL three back to back. I knew that before she told me but I didn't really process how I'd feel doing all three back to back until this morning.

Yesterday I decided to see just how far I could go doing a 20 minute run. I was bummed to discover that it took me like 17 minutes to do one mile. So, this morning I met Jessica in her neighborhood and ran with her for 30 minutes. This time I made a mile in about 13 minutes. Much better but I still need some work.

I have flashbacks from middle school p.e. The ones where I'm the last kid coming in from doing the timed mile. The p.e. coach is so disgusted that he's already put the clipboard away! I remember being mortified in 6th grade to even attempt running for fear of fat jiggling and kids laughing. By 8th grade, I was feeling a whole lot more confident but I walked because I didn't like to sweat. It was also fun to piss the p.e. coach off!

My cousin has a t-shirt business. She's making me a t-shirt that says, "5k Virgin." That way, if I am the last one, people will understand why. I don't care to win. Its just the rush of knowing I've accomplished something that I've sucked at for so many years.

Oh yeah, back to this morning. I guess I ran faster because I was with Jessica. I'm not really sore tonight but I was really beat shortly after the run. So, I'm thinking I've got to do a whole lot more work before I can go attempting some triathlons!

29 days to go!!!

Remember my friend Jessica gave me the website for the 'Couch to 5K?' Well, I'm almost to week 7. Which means by week 9 I should be able to jog a 3 mile run in 30 minutes. Right now I am just focusing on jogging the allotted time and haven't been really measuring the distance. I'm doing pretty good with keeping with the time so my new goal is to focus on the distance in 30 minutes. I dug out my old Jenny Craig pedometer and dusted it off last night. You know, the $30 pedometer that was "top of the line?" The funny thing is, the time on it was the same as it was last night when I opened it, which means it hasn't been used since Spring Forward last year! Oh well! Gotta start somewhere right?

Anyway, Jes and I are going to participate in a 5k on Saturday, April 12th. This will be my first one ever. Our next goal is a triathalon. Gotta find a pool first! I am really excited about the whole thing. I figure if I write it down in a blog, I've at least got to attempt it so that I don't look like a cheeseball.

So, I made a plan last night to begin intense training. My plan: get up early to jog in the AM. Alternate swimming and biking in the PM. I got up this morning to jog and discovered it was raining! Fortunately I have an elliptical so I just used that. Not the same, but hey, its exercise! May need to contemplate a gym membership. This afternoon I'm going to Wal-mart and buy a bike rack for my Honda. Poor bike, its not gonna know what hit it! LOL!

Well, I must go get ready for work. Take CAre, J

Healthy vs. Hippy

Ok, so I hope I don't offend anyone by the title of my entry. My sister is on this health food kick which has inspired us all to look more carefully at labels. We want Thomas to make good choices and hopefully not have the obesity issues we've had. Besides that, we are learning so much about the evils of processed foods and how they can contribute to other health-related problems (i.e. allergies, diabetes, heart disease.)

Molly has really been doing some research. So much so, that she and my mom are contemplating buying a goat so Thomas can have unpasturized goat milk! Yesterday she called me and asked me if I'd go to Lake Ella today because they were having local vendors come and sell their homegrown produce and baked goods. I'm not a tree hugger or anything but the more I learn about pesticides and perservatives, the less I like to buy produce from places that aren't within a 200 mile radius of where I live. So, I was all excited about getting some fresh fruits and veggies while helping small businesses.

I should know by now that my sister exagerates. I love her dearly but I keep forgetting that her major in college was Political Science as well as how many years she was in sales as a banker. So, we arrive at the lake. We put Thomas in his stroller and head off to find this grandeous produce. After warding off tons of nasty ducks and geese, we find the vendors. There were maybe 6 tables set up. Nobody had fruit and the plants/veggies they were selling looked pitiful. Not to mention EXPENSIVE! Molly bought lettuce, green onions and asparagus for $8.00!!!!!
Next, Molly takes me to this vendor who sells food that is not "cooked" and void of any meat. The lady is kind enough to let us sample her wares. Molly goes first and tries this red crispy looking thing and says, "MMMM, Janie, you have to try this." I actually believed her and took a bite. OMG!!!! I could have licked someone's armpit and gotten the same effect. This lady is also known for her "healthy tea." So, Molly paid $10.00 for a mason jar of this stuff I swear I put in the coolant system of my car. The man selling the tea explains to Molly that he will "loan" her the mason jar and she can return it the next time she comes or give it to someone else. It doesn't matter, he says, as long as she reuses it.

The whole situation is quite comical. After we left, I swear I needed an IV full of Diet Coke. I will continue to respect my sister when it comes to Thomas and his eating habits. I myself am also trying to get healthy, BUT I am NOT ready for special teas and armpit cakes.

On Being Healthy

This is me at my thinnest in 1997, with my Grandma Tucker. She is my inspiration to get back to this size.

I remember when I first started this diet I sort of went through a grieving process. Silly maybe but I did. All I could think about was all of the food I was giving up. Like most folks from the south, food is a social thing. I have the best memories which involve sitting around the table eating and talking with family and friends. Then there's the fact that eating was a freakin' hobby for me. If I wasn't eating, I was planning my next meal! If I was bored, I'd eat. If I was sick, I'd eat. If I was celebrating... you get the picture.

Like a recovering alcoholic with alcohol, food will always be an area of weakness for me. I am happy to say that I am getting better. The other day, I tasted a cookie and spit it out because it tasted like I was eating sand. I'm enjoying the smell of food more.

Exercise is also an area of weakness that I have to make a conscious effort to include in my day. My thyroid plays havoc on my endocrine system and there are days when I feel like I'm walking in a fog. I have to force myself to move. (Yes, I stay current with my TSH levels but I really don't have faith in the medical profession.)

While I love buying smaller clothes and looking "oh so hot" its not about all of that this time. Instead its about preventing heart disease, diabetes and other terrible things that run in my family. Both my mom and daddy started taking blood pressure medicine in their 30's! I don't want that. My Grandma Tucker died way too young as a result of heart-related problems. On days when I feel like crap and don't want to exercise or eat right, I think about her. I see her face and it makes me want to make her proud.

More Thinkin'

WARNING!!! This entry is deep and it includes alot of rambling. So, you've been warned! I guess I've had a lot of time on my hands lately because I've been doing a lot of thinking. One of the things I've been thinking about is my birthday this year. I'll be 32 in May. I should be sad but actually I'm happy about it. I'm the healthiest I've ever been, both physically and emotionally. I'm lovin' life. I was thinking about turning 32 and for some reason it made me think about my mom. It made me think about my day to day routines at 32 and what her day to day routines were at 32. At 32, my mom had an eleven and seven year old to raise. Which I have to say she did a fantastic job raising us on her salary. She didn't have a college degree or tons of credit card debt to help us get by. My mom had just recently bought her first house all by herself. She had already been married for 10 years and divorced for almost 2 years. I wonder if she ever thought about life the way I do or did she even have the chance? She was so busy just making ends meet. I wonder if she had any idea that a little over a year later, my daddy would move back in with us, they'd get remarried and he die within two weeks of that? Talk about growing up fast! I feel like I'm pretty mature but I have NEVER been through the things that my parents went through growing up as kids and then growing up as husband and wife.

I often wonder if I'll ever get married or become a mom. Deep down inside I think I want both of those things but I'm also scared at the thought of being a wife and mom. I have a pretty good idea of just how much work it all takes and I'm not sure if I have what it takes. I think it scares me to think that I could possibly have to bury my husband and be alone like my mom. Not sure I want to experience that pain. Then there's shallow thinkin' like today when I was driving to my parents for dinner and all I could think about was how I've lived alone for about 7 years and I'm not sure I'd be able to share my space with someone else.

I guess for now there's nothing to worry about. There's no sign of Mr. Right anywhere around anyway. If he does come along, I guess I'll deal with my fears then. A long time ago, a good friend of mine told me something thats stuck with me over the years. She said, "Janie, you have a love/passion for children. Aren't you scared you'll lose them like you lost dad? Why don't you put a barrier up for them when you teach?" It really made me think. She's right. Which made me think about a famous quote that goes something like this... "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Teaching is my passion. I can't imagine my life any other way, but had I been scared of losing my students and not taught what would I be doing? I'm rambling, but its good for me to sort my feelings. My point, if God has plans for me to be married He will help me with those fears of mine.

Just Thinkin'...

My mom's oldest brother died this past week. They had his funeral this past Sunday in Milton. So, my mom and I drove over to Milton early Sunday morning for the service. Now, funerals aren't my specialty. In fact, I think the last time I went to one it was in 2002 or 2003. As a Christian I guess a funeral shouldn't really be a sad thing but I guess its the saying "bye" that sucks. I've never been really good at that part, so I try to avoid funerals at all costs. However, in this situation, I felt like I should go for my mom's sake.

Can you believe I forgot my damn kleenex? Me, the snot queen, left her kleenex in the car! I haven't been snotty lately thanks to my new diet and regulated hormones (that Yaz is good stuff!)so I guess I figured I'd be fine. Not to sound too insensitive but I didn't really know my Uncle Charles all that well so I figured I'd be ok without the kleenex. WRONG! Each one of his children got up and said something nice about him. My Uncle Ron made a very endearing speech too. The next thing I know, I'm crying my eyeballs out and snot is pouring down my nose. There was no hiding it. I had to discretely leave the graveside service to get kleenex from my car. There's no being discrete when one parks her in FRONT of the where the service is being held! Fortunately it was a few hundred feet away so no one could hear me blowing my nose! I was so afraid my mom was going to have a stroke right then and there thinking that I was leaving her there alone. Fortunately, she knows her overly emotional daugher and knew what I was doing!

I guess what got to me was the speech my Uncle Ron gave about how time here on earth is so short and we need to make the most of it by honoring our parents and spending time with them. His words are so true. I used to get so aggravated traveling with my mom. I'm usually the one who drives. She'll be snoring like a freight train and then all of a sudden, jump and yell, "watch it, Janie!" Talk about making a driver piss their pants! There would have been no reason whatsoever for her to yell this but her reflexes cause her to react. I'm getting better at laughing it off but there are times when I want to stop the car and get out. Sorry, I digressed. Anyway, my point, my mom has her ways, but she's my mom. She devoted her whole life to us. I owe her. I also respect and love her very much.

Lessons Learned

As I mentioned before, I worked security at the Carrie Underwood/Keith Urban concert last weekend. I have one of Carrie Underwood's CD's but I haven't listened to it in quite a while. So after the concert, I pulled out the CD and listened to it. It's funny how this song really stood out this time. It's called, "Lesson's Learned."

"There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,
That had some bitter endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo.
Some things,
I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don't really matter,
When life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should have taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And everyday I wondered how I'd get threw the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are the things that make you strong!
You can't change the past,
Cause it's gone.
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
From everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
From every change, life has thrown me.
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Lessons learned.
Lessons learned."

This song is so true. Which leads me to another point. My friend Chellsea, who is wise beyond her young age of 17 says, "Don't regret the past, its what makes you who you are today." I hope I didn't change that up too much. I'm going to have this made into a wall hanging.

I did it!!!!

Remember the 'Couch to 5K' program Jes told me about? I am actually on week 5. Today I jogged for 8 minutes straight and nobody was chasing me! I haven't done that since Costa Rica back in 1993 when I was running from the policia. (Seriously, I did, long story, wasn't my fault!)

I think I overdid things though, because yesterday, I did short intervals of walking/jogging for about an hour in Tally, where it is eversohilly. I swear I thought I was going to lose a lung! I woke up this morning feeling like Barbie must feel after my sister used to pull her legs off!

Ok, so call me a

BRAND WHORE! My friend Amber tried to convince last week that I could shop at American Eagle and Aeropostle. I didn't believe they had stuff in my size. Apparently they do because I am down from a size 18 to a 14! Now, I fill up every bit of the 14 but nevertheless I am a 14! Who knows, maybe I can actually be a size 10 one day??

I didn't buy anything because I'm cheap. I want to wait until I'm at my goal weight before I buy anything expensive. I may however go back this weekend and buy one outfit. I'm tired of using zipties to hold my pants up with!

It was intimidating at first because when I walked in the stores I figured people were thinking, "why is this big girl trying to buy clothes in here?" Then I figured who cares?

By the way, Amber has been a terrific cheerleader for me. She's always bragging on me and encouraging me. Thanks! Amber

Big, Sexy Hair

I've been looking for a new line of hairspray and mousse for my hair. My stylist sells Redkin products and while I love the shampoo and conditioner, on days when I actually do style my hair the styling products just don't cut it. So, I went in search of a something new and found this line: Big Sexy Hair. Surely this stuff has got to work. If anything, it makes me laugh when I see the big red cans sitting on my bathroom vanity.

The funny thing is, when I first saw the products, I had a flashback to 8th grade summer camp. I had these two friends who were sisters that I met their each year. (Trish, Deb...) Anyway, I was always envious of their hair. They both had the biggest, best curls money could buy. I'm thinkin' they were permed??? I always wanted hair like that. I tried for years and years, even after big hair wasn't in to have big hair. I finally gave up a couple of years ago. At least now I have my Big Sexy Hair products! I'll let you know how they work when I actually style my hair.

Drunk People Aren't So Funny When...

you're sober! This Friday night, my friend Amber and I got the chance to work security at the Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood concert. It was a great opportunity being as how we got to see the concert for free and got paid. The downside was that we had to wear these stupid uniforms, which made us look like Mr. Roger's clones. We had to wear black pants, a white shirt and a red sweater. Not cute. Especially since they assigned us to the suites where all the rich people are seated.

At the beginning of the night, these rich snobby people would come in and not so much as look at me. By the end of the night, they were my best friend! I even got kissed on the cheek by two guys at the same time. How crazy is that?

The scary thing is the civic center actually ran out of beer! I guess I'm getting old because all I could think about is how many people were packed into that civic center and just how many people were going to drive home drunk. I will end this entry with Carrie Underwood's song, "Wasted." Hrmmm... some folks should really listen to that song.



Thanks Trish for telling me how to do this!