2 Liebsters?? Holy Catfish Batman!

I am so honored to say that I have been nominated for 2 Liebster Awards!! Holy cow! O_O I wasn't expecting one nom nom nomination, much less TWO. Since I have been nominated for 2 awards, I will do the requirements for both :) All total that's 22 random facts about me, 22 questions answered, and  I will nominate for as many as I can.. I'm not sure I follow that many blogs..

So what exactly is a Liebster award? 

The Liebster Award is for bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. A Blogger nominates 11 fellow bloggers and asks them a set of 11 questions. The rules state that a nominee must link back to the blogger from whom they received a nomination. The nominee will write 11 random facts about themselves and then answer the 11 questions which have been set for them. They in turn will nominate another 11 bloggers and pose 11 questions to them. This is a really fun way to discover and connect with new bloggers and help us all gain some new followers along the way!

My first nomination came from my best heifer in the whoooole wide world, Natalie at Beauty and Brains with Brown Eyes. She is also the designer of my ultra fab layout! She's also tall. Super tall. Amazonian tall. 6'4" how's the weather up there tall.

11 facts about me for Natalie:

1. I once shared a group hug with Natalie, her sister and her dad... The top of my head came up to Nat's boobs. I was the shortest person in the hug. It was a bit awkward to look straight and see chests...
2. I am obsessed with shoes. I think I have around 40 pair... All of which I wear...
3. I only wear glasses when I'm too lazy to put my contacts in.
4. I am a nationally registered EMT-Basic.
5. I love working for charitable causes. Have a silent auction that you need items for? Selling raffle tickets? Need volunteers for a school carnival? I'm your girl!
6. Speaking of charitable causes, did I mention that I'm also a volunteer firefighter? Basically I risk my arse to save yours FO FREE :) You're welcome.
7. I'm a little cocky... I don't beleive I'm the best... I know. That's a fact Jack.
8. I love the TV Show Duck Dynasty! Most of my Wednesdays are rest days, simply so I can watch.
9. I've been engaged twice. Yes... Twice... Did I mention that I'm turning 24 next month?
10. I am a teacher. Yep.. Right now I only sub, but I am looking for work as an English teacher! Love my high school kids.
11. I am a HUGE believer in the concept of Karma. What goes around, comes around. ALL.THE.TIME.

Natalie's Questions

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Gathering my thoughts in written form... It's theraputic to be able to go back and read about what was on my mind on a specific day.

What is your dream vacation?
I reallllllly want to visit Europe. More specifically, Germany, France and the UK. I'm a mixed breed of cultures, but I do know that I'm over half German with a smattering of Irish and Cherokee. I think spending like... A month in Europe would be amazing. I'm also a fan of WWII history, so I would visit so many museums, etc.. Oh and maybe I should mention that I LOVE BRITISH LITERATURE! Seriously.. Shakespeare is my homeboy.

Phone call or text?
Depends on the convo taking place and who I'm talking to.. My friends Natalie and Richard I text, but I talk on the phone with Ellie and Britt...

What song(s) are you currently in love with?


I love this song!!! OMG LOVE IT!!

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Pay off my student loan debt! I know it sounds lame, but that is my one goal in life! Debt free!

What is your favorite book or movie?
I am a book nerd.. I have lots of books at  I love .. I guess the one I'm currently obsessed with is the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I love any and all things post-apocolyptic and dystopian.

What is one thing you can NEVER leave home without?
My phone. It;s how I track all of my calories and everything.. I can't go without it. I'm terrible at rememberings to log things if I don't do it immediately.

What 4 words would you use to describe yourself?
Quirky, dependable, cocky, confident

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Teachers that don't leave lesson plans!

What is your favorite post or most viewed post to date?
Probably one of my NSV Link Ups. It's so important to celebrate things in health and fitness not related to the number on the scale.Also maybe my giveaway post.. It was my first one!

Would you rather be famous for the rest of your life or be the best friend of someone famous?
I would much rather be the best friend of someone famous... You still get perks, but you don't get all the attention..

My next nom nom nomination came from Sue at Limefreckle. I started following her blog through one of my several link ups... The first thing that caught my eye was her jewelry! I like to make jewelry myself, so I was drawn to the sparkles :) Check out her Etsy shop here! Isn't it all TO FREAKIN DIE FOR?! Love love love.

Facts for Sue

1. I love to make jewelry, but I rarely wear my creations. My daily jewelry is my watch and my Aggie Ring. I used to wear an engagement ring, but we know how that ended :(

2. I was born with blonde hair and brown eyes... As I got older, my hair turned red and my eyes morphed into a crazy combo of green and brown.

3. I obsessively check my email. It's an addiction.

4. I love to crochet! It's very relaxing.. In fact, I may add something homemade to my giveaway in April!

5. I tend to name my vehicles. My current car's name is Damon.. My previous car was named Winston. Winston was an 85 Mercedes 300SD. Winston's girlfriend's name was Winifred or Winnie. She was Natalie's 92 Honda Accord.

6. One of my students once told me that he was in love with my hair... Apparently gingers are appealing..

7. I'm clumsy. I'm constantly covered in bruises, most of which I have no clues as to the origins.

8. I'm the captain of cheesy one liners and puns... PMS jokes aren't funny.... Period...

9. I am disgraphic...

10. I am partially deaf. I only hear out of my left ear. My right ear canal is about the size of a sewing needle. I also have no ear drum and the inner ear is deformed. I was born that way and the problems were discovered around 9 weeks of age. My deafness is why I typically do not speak with any sort of accent. I can, but it's a matter of choice. I haven't had any surgeries to correct the problem and I really don't want any.. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer! I have no shame.

11. I have ZERO fashion sense. I can put together something cute in my head or for someone else, but I can barely dress myself. When I'm not at work, I live in jeans and tshirts.

Questions from Sue

Cats or Dogs?

Dogs! I love dogs... Cats don't love me.

What is your favourite song right now?
Just Give Me A Reason by Pink... LOVE. Also a huge fan of Thrift Shop by Macklemore

What book are you reading, and is it in book format, or kindle/ipad?
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. It's the 5th book in the Percy Jackson series. It is in regular book format. I also have a stack of books waiting to be read...

What do you like most about blogging?
Thoughts into words and actually seeing that people are interested in what goes on inside my twisted mind.

What would be your dream job?
Librarian! I'm working on making that a reality... Ugh grad school.

Where did you last go on vacation?
New Orleans. I was there for a work conference last August and got to do lots of touristy junk.

What kind of car do you drive?
2011 Volkswagon Jetta.. His name is Damon.

Favourite jewelry - earrings, bracelet or necklace?
I have a pair of studs that I wear every day. They literally never come out of my ears.My grandmother gave them to me for my 18th birthday. They are birthstones (diamond) and go with everything.

What is your favourite workout?
Running! I know it sounds odd, but I love to go out and pound the pavement. I used to love to do Zumba, but I don't have a class to attend at the moment.

Last movie you saw in a theatre?
Django Unchained

Do you know anyone on the Autism Spectrum?
Yep! A couple of my cousins... Such sweet kids..

Ok loves... Here are my 11 blogs that I'm nominating for a Liebster! I read all of these blogs on  a regular basis and I love love love them all!

Jenn at A Healthy Makeover

Regine at R's Rue

Melinda at Does This Scale Make Me Look Fat?

Hollie at Hollie Runs This

Laurie at Lulu And Daisy

Carrie at The Carrie Gland

Meagan at Healthy Skinny Bitch

Ashlee at Iseminger Chronicles

Sara at A Year Of Transformation

Bekah at Re Solve

Theresa at She Waddles Like A Duck

Nominees! Here are your questions, if you so chose to accept my challenge..

1. How old were you when you had your first kiss?

2. How do you relax?

3. If I handed you $1000, what would you do?

4. Favorite flavor of Jello?

5. Favorite childhood cartoon?

6. Why did you start blogging?

7. Give us a dirty little secret! :)

8. Who is your celebrity crush? Bonus points if you post a pic!

9. What is on your mind RIGHT NOW?

10. What song gets stuck in your head constantly?

11. Favorite sport to watch?

Non Scale Victories!

It's that time again my dears :) Time for another NSV Link Up!! I may venture to say that this may be the best part of my week. I love reading about how everyone is doing and how many things we have to celebrate and be thankful for!

This week my victory is HUGE! Especially for me. I am definitely the type that self-sabotages. If things don't go my way, more often than not I will find some lame ass excuse and quit.

This week... I didn't... I didn't quit... I posted a 3 pound gain for the first time and I DIDN'T QUIT!! I didn't take a picture and I was really bummed out when I saw it on Monday morning. In the words of my mother, "Why let something so small throw off progress?" Thanks Mom.. I didn't..

I'm eating my good, healthy breakfast. Packing my lunch. And most importantly, I'm surrounding myself with some of the best friends a girl could ask for. I will admit that this week has been a bit difficult with the break up. I find myself missing the comfort of having someone to text/irritate/harass 24-7. I'm spiritually in a better place now. He's healing, very slowly.. I can't help but to feel terrible for him. I've been through that heartache before. I know how he feels.

This post isn't as long as they normally are... I just don't have a whole lot to say I guess...

Until next time blogosphere... Stay sane my loves..

-Sammie

Celeb Hotness!

This isn't only a weight-loss blog. This is a blog about me and my life. Weight-loss is a HUGE part of my life and my ways, but I'm still a relatively normal 24ish woman. I'm a tad zany and I have my vices...

Confession time!!

We all have celebrity crushes... I know most of us do anyway... Mine (for the most part) are your typical fan-girling crushes. Some of them may surprise you though... Especially the first one listed... Here are my top 5 celeb crushes (in no particular order).

I have a HUGE HUGE crush on Jase from Duck Dynasty. Not only is he hilarious, but he's definitely the sexiest of the brothers. He is absolutely hilarious. As of late, I have a think for the beards... I don't really understand it.. Hello Mr. Robertson!

Next up is the beautiful Charlie Hunnam... AKA Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy.. To date, this is the only blonde male that I've EVER found attractive. I just don't like blondes. Charlie is my exception. Plus the bike and tats? Swoon! I have only recently started watching SOA, and I'm loving it!

The next one of my top 5 is Adam Levine of Maroon 5. He sings, his abs, his tats... Drool... I'll be your stage wife Mr. Lavine! Nom nom nom.

Up next is the absolutely adorable Mr. David Tennant. I fell in LURVE with David while watching Doctor Who. For those of you who don't know, David played the 10th Doctor. Why is David's hair so awesome? It's full of secrets :) He also plays a young Casanova in the BBC series Casanova. I rate sexiness on a scale of 1-Tennant!

I'm notcing a pattern here... Either nerdy guys or complete bad boys. Sheesh. Only one blonde in the whole mix too.

Last, but certainly not least we have the ADORABLE Seth Rogan! He isn't the oozing sex appeal that some of them are.. He certainly isn't a bad ass... He's just freakin cute! I like the glasses and the curly hair :) I am not a fan, however, of his look in Knocked Up. His hair makes his head look misshapen. O_O

Ok my dear blogosphere! Any more hotness in here and I may have to call the fire department! Enjoy!

Do you have any celeb crushes?
Do you think some of mine are odd?
Let me know!

-Sammie

BlogLovin

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Spring Training 5K Link Up Hotness

Good morning my sweet loves! It's Tuesday and I'm in a good FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC mood!! Seriously... I'm pretty sure nothing can bring me down today, except maybe the fact that I'm a dunce and forgot to pack my lunch... Doh! Also forgot to eat breakfast... OH WELL!! RED HAIR DON'T CARE!!!

Not really sure where this high is coming from. It's colder than balls, I'm hungry as crap, I didn't get much sleep last night, my workout last night was shameful at best, and I figured out way too late that you can see my new bra through my shirt this morning. My attitude is completely positive today.  Most mornings the above list would send my day straight down the pooper. Not today my loves!

What have I done for spring training? It's called making due with what I have! My birthday is coming up next month, and the one thing I've asked for is a new pair of running shoes. My ankles have been KILLING me during my runs. Terribly killing me. Like make me stop working hurt. I know I have weak ankles.

Luckily I also have a mother that dabbles in sports medicine! She's a paramedic and knows her way around joints, bones, and soft tissue injuries. To prevent the ankle pain, Mom has started using Coban to wrap my ankles. Coban is that stretchy stuff that they use to pressure wrap when someone donates blood. It's also commonly used on horses. Now it's used on Sammies! With the ankle wraps, I've been able to run without new shoes. I look forward to getting new ones, but it's just not financially feasible at this point in time.

Also loving that the coban comes in prints! Hello pink zebra!

I did make an investment for my fitness goals this week! I run in either basketball shorts or yoga pants. Neither of which are iPhone friendly when it comes to workouts. I bought this nifty little arm band to wear... It makes me feel like a real runner! Nerdy? Yep. Don't care!

$18 at Academy! Woot!

The picture below sums up my feelings about life in general right now. Be someone that makes you happy. It's ok to be a little selfish every once in a while. You may just find that what you think is a selfish act now, turns out to be completely selfless in the long run. Think about it :)

Until next time blogosphere!! Stay sane ;)

-Sammie

Monday Weigh In... ARGH

For the first time since I've started my journey, I posted a gain for the week... 3 pounds... Argh.

I honestly can't say that I'm in the least bit shocked. Looking back on the week in MFP, I ate like shit crap. Yeah, it was that bad. Last week may have been one of the most stressful weeks of my life (more stressful than the week that I turned 21 and had two 20+ page papers due, one being the research project for my English minor). I will get into the reasons behind the stress later in the post. I promised an explaination on Friday, so I will deliver.

What do I do when I stress? I eat. While I feel like I had some really good restraint last week, it wasn't enough to post a loss. I had an ice cream sundae 2 days in a row last week. 2 sundaes in 2 days. O_O. Have I mentioned that I'm lactose intolerant and trying to cut way back on my sugar intake?? While I didn't binge on everything I wanted, I did eat EVERYTHING I wanted (in moderation). I'm not ashamed. I'm not discouraged. I'm human. Humans make mistakes. Humans set themselves up for failure. Humans have the ability to pick themselves up and try again. That's my goal for this week. It's time to refocus.

I will say that, mentally I am in a much better place today than I was a week ago. The stress has been lifted off of my shoulders completely. While I still feel some residual sadness, I am much better.

The reasons for my stress and sadness... Here we go... My fiance and I broke up on Saturday night. It was a mutual decision. We felt that we have been growning apart as of late and that we needed to step back and grow up a little. He and I are still friends. I'm giving him all the space he needs to heal. I have been stressed because in my mind, I knew that our relationship was ending. I didn't know how I was going breech the subject with him or how the conversation was going to go. I was so afraid.

I don't like to see people hurt. My top strength (according to StrengthsQuest) is Empathy. I can actually physically feel other's pain. It's even worse when I know that I am the sole cause of the pain. I can tell the moods of people when I walk into a room. The better I know you, the better I am at sensing a problem. My family calls it my sixth sense. I've also been known to bring a calm wave over a person by just being around them. Several of the people I've dated have been very nervous or volatile people. They said being around me is better than any medications or breathing exercises. This is a big responsibility for me, knowing that I can be such a source of good feelings. The mere thought of hurting someone nearly sends me into full on panic attacks.

All last week, Friday especially, the thoughts of having the conversation with my now ex would send me into panic mode. Heart racing, tears, dizziness, I was a mess. Thankfully the conversation went much smoother that I expected. He agreed with me and we made the decision to end things. I still feel bad about hurting him, but I know in my heart that we made the right decision. There is always a possibility of reconciliation, but I'm no where near ready to try that. I need some time to decide exactly who Sammie is and what she stands for.

Thanks to everyone who sent thoughts, prayers, and vibes my way. I appreciate every single one of them. I would not have made it through the weekend without the kind words and emails of my readers. Thank you so much.. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

It's all in your head!

It's all in me 'ead! IT'S ALL IN ME 'EAD!!!

Ok... So I don't have the awesome accent to say it like the cute little farmer guy on Chicken Run. Oh well. I promised a post about this topic last weekend, and let's just say that life happened.

I have a bit of a....quirky..... relationship with food. It's not as terrible as some stories I've read, but it's not super healthy. Like most girls women I know, I get the typical cravings when my Aunt Irma is coming to visit (along with water retention and at least one zit somewhere on my face).

When I was growing up, I was taught to clean my plate. Eat all the food on my plate, because there are starving children all over the world who would kill to eat like you do. I was also taught that it's quite rude to turn anything down that is offered to you. "Oh! You want me to eat this cake and that ice cream and then pizza as a snack?! OK!"

This is still a mindset that I struggle with.... To.This.Day. I no longer feel bad turning food down from people. Shockingly enough, people won't like you any less for saying no thanks to cupcakes. Who knew?! Leaving food on my plate or the table, however, is an entirely different story.

Pizza (along with Chick Fil A) is my complete undoing... Pizza more so than the other... I love pizza. I could eat pizza daily, 3 times a day. Pizza is the food of the gods... NOM NOM NOM.

I had something really scary happen to me a couple weekends ago. James and I went to Pizza Hut for dinner on a Sunday evening. We ordered a medium thin crust meat lovers and a small order of cheese bread. We both ate 2 peices of cheese bread and 2 slices of pizza... Leaving half the pizza to be put in a box and taken home. We were both satisfied at this point and decided that we wouldn't be eating anymore. We sat there sipping water and something very scary happened to me..

I wanted to finish the pizza... At one point in my life, I would have finished the pizza. I told myself, "No.. This is just a craving. You aren't really hungry. Do not eat the pizza." I broke out into a cold sweat, my heart starting racing and I started hyperventilating. I had a freakin panic attack over not finishing the pizza.

I've had panic attacks before.. I'm not stranger to them. But let me tell you.... That one was by far the scariest for me. I've never had a panic attack over denying myself food. I didn't need it! I wasn't hungry! Yeah... Tell that to my hyperactive brain...

Then another day this week, Mom and I brought home Papa Murphy's pizza.. I was good and ate 3 pieces and stopped... But I could NOT put it away. I'm the person that puts food away and sneaks bites off the spoon or whatever while I'm taking care of the leftovers. Thankfully Mom saw that I was struggling and put the food away without help.

The biggest part of my struggle with my weight is all in my head. It's a mental game. I have to outsmart myself and not give in to the random cravings I have.

It's all in me 'ead... It's all in me 'ead..

No Happy Post Today

I had a couple of happy posts in the works for today... But it ain't happening... I'll elaborate more on Monday. Right now I'm too busy wiping my tears away at my desk.

If you are a religious person, please pray for me to whatever God you so choose. If you are not religious, then good vibes and thoughts are welcome. I have to do something extremely difficult and I'm feeling very torn up about it. Please pray/vibe that the person I am interacting with is receptive, accepting and understanding. Please pray/vibe for healing for me, but this other person more than anything.

Until next time blogosphere... Don't cry...

-Sammie

Explanations and Non-Scale Victories

First of all.. If I offended anyone with my comments regarding boobies yesterday, please accept my most sincere apologies... It was not my intention at all and everything posted yesterday was done in the name of humor (or personal experience). In middle school, the tiny girls would make fun of me for having boobs bigger than everyone else. It even got to the point where there were rumors of implants or me doing something to make them grow. That is where the comments about the itty, bitty, titty committee came into play. Have a C or D cup at 13 is ZERO fun and I still shudder when I think of some of the awful things my "friends" would say to me. I shouldn't have said some of the things I did. My apologies.

Now it's time for another NSV Link Up! The purpose of this link up is to celebrate your victories over the week that have nothing to do with that number the scale shows you. As always, this link up is hosted by Lex over at  Life By Lex and Katie over at KTJ Weighing In. If you don't follow these beautiful ladies yet, I highly recommend it! Wonderful reads!

I can't really say that I have any big NSVs this week. Quite frankly, I've been a snotty, snarky heifer... I'm not sleeping like I should. My mind is going a mile a minute. I'm craving things that are terrible for me and rolling my eyes at anything healthy. I can't even really concentrate on getting a good run in...

I suppose my victory for the week is that I haven't given in to my cravings... My friend in OK was talking to me last night about McDonalds. So today I want me a 20 piece chicken nuggets, large friends and a sweet tea. I won't give in to the want, but that's what I want.

A big part of my victory this week I'm guessing has more to do with mental fitness than physical fitness. It is a real testament that I haven't thrown in my towel and said "screw it." Historically, this time comes with almost EVERYTHING I've set out to do.... Everything... I have an issue with commitment. Did I really just admit that? Am I really so afraid of success that I sabotage myself into failure?

Until next time blogosphere... Stay sane...

-Sammie

Quitcherbitchin

I'm feeling particularly snarky today. I'm not really sure why. There are some happenings in my personal life that have me all wonky/insane in the membrane, but I'm not going to bore you with those dramatic details.

One of the things that I noticed while running last night is the source of my bitchin' post today. (And that's a "complaining" bitchin' not an "awesome" bitchin').



See? I'm dead sexy in red :)



Please Note:

Normally I love my boobs... They are pretty awesome and I can RAWK damn near anything I choose. No, I don't want to give you some. No, I don't have plenty to spare. YOU CAN'T HAVE MY TITS! Today, however, I'm not loving my ta-tas. I want them to shrink. I want to not hurt my back when I run. I want to not hear all the stupid ass black eye jokes from members of the itty bitty titty committee. I just want regular bewbs today... Just for today. This rant does not express my ongoing opinion of my body image. Just for today I'm bitchy.

Busty girls... Raise your hands high in the air. Don't wave your hands too much, you might get whiplash from the jiggles. I'm talking to you my dear busty ladies.

Why in the hell don't they make DECENT/AFFORDABLE sports bras for the chest-tacular masses ::snort::. (Be prepared for plenty of puns!)

I'm sorry... I'm poor... Broke as a joke on crack... My current sports bras AKA the things I wear under my shirt when I run came from Academy. They were $10-$15 each. And they don't support shit. All these bras do are stuff my lady lumps into some spandex-y fabric and hold them together as I jog. They do offer a bit of bounce resistance when I run, so I'm not looking at black eyes or anything.

I went to the gym with one of my best girlfriends over spring break... So I got a good look in a full length mirror... Holy uni-boob Batman!

Another issue with these crap-tacular boobies? Boob sweat. I freakin hate boob sweat. Especially when I run. It's the nastiest feeling in the world... My current bras do nothing to wick away boob sweat. Argh.

I've had bodacious ta-tas since I was very young. I wore my first bra at the age of 7. That's 2nd grade my friends. By middle school I was a C cup. High school I was a DD. My largest size was in college at my heaviest weight. I was a 46 DDD.

One of the things I look forward to is the possibility of boob shrinkage. I don't want to lose all of them, but I would be ok with only being a D or DD. Ain't no body got time for DDD.

Spring Training and Me, Myself, and I!

Good morning my fantastic, beautiful friends! Welcome to another day inside my head. Today I'm linking up twice! Once with Katie and Kim for the Spring Training 5K Challenge and once with Breanna for the Me, Myself and I link up!

For Sprng Training... Should I first mention how excited I am that Spring is ALMOST here! I'm super excited. Spring is my absolute favorite time of year. There is nothing I love more than all the colors of a Central Texas Spring (the wildflowers, the crops, the baby animals) and you cannot beat the night sky over my house in the spring time.

I've hit a couple stumbles in my C25K journey. One big one being meniscus pain in my right knee. One day (soon I hope) I will post a picture of my gnarly looking knee. I've had 3 surgeries on it so far, and it's quite misshapen and funky looking. When I originally injured my knee in HS, one of the things that I tore was my meniscus. The other problems WAY overshadowed that injury, so we fixed the big stuff and I healed. I think my new activity level has inflamed my knee. I'm very tight and sore when walking. Usually Motrin helps, but I don't want to over do that. I'm probably going to get one of those support bands for the knee. Hopefully that will help.

The other stumble is the need for new running shoes. I've posted a picture of my current shoes, but I wasn't having any issues with them... Until Sunday... I started having pain in one of my feet while running. I think it's time for real shoes... Boo. Ain't no body got money fo dat.

On a positive note, I did manage to actually finish week one! WOOT!

 

Forewarning: Sometimes I sound a bit awkward when talking about myself. In fact, during things like these, I tend to write like I talk. Woo?

1. Do you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? How?

Not really... I just wear my green and sport the natural ginger. Nothing else needed :)

2. It's March which means spring break! We want to know how your spring break went or if it hasn't happened yet, what will your spring break consist of?

Spring break was eventful! I think I posted about it yesterday... Lots of visiting friends, shopping and some super tasty cake. Oh and Glee. Lots and lots of Glee.

3. A Zombie Apocalypse happens and you're stripped of all your luxury items. What beauty product would you miss the most?

My Suave Lotion... It smells quite nice and I HATE having "crispy" hands.

4. What is the one cause that you feel most passionate about?

Improvement of the public education system in Texas. We are doing the youth of America such a great injustice by teaching them how to take a test. So many educational days are wasted on testing arbitrary knowlege that politicians think children should know. How's about you step down off your high horse and trade places with me in the classroom for a week. That will change your damn attitude.

5. What's the #1 most played song on your ipod?

Until next time blogosphere! Stay sane (but not too sane!).

-Sammie

Monday Morning Weigh In! And Spring Break Recap!

Good Monday morning lovlies!! I have to say that I have missed you all sosososososo much. Since I wasn't at work last week, I felt like I never had time to actually sit down in front of the computer and read, much less type a blog post. My SB2013 was NUTS! And in a totally amazing way!

The absolute highlights of my SB were definitely the weekends. The first weekend I got to go out dancing with a friend of mine for a bachelorette party. I danced my bum off. I was so insanely sore the next day! The entire lower half of my body was around the consistency of Jello. I felt like I looked pretty cute, but I think pictures tell a different story. I had my hair back most of the night, because it was too damn hot! Ugh. Sweaty messes alert below...

Left to Right: April (MOH), Michelle (Bride), my BFF Manda, and Me!

The week was spent catching up on Glee, yardwork, and cleaning. As a side job, I clean my great-grandmother's house on the weekends and I spot clean on a week night. It's not great money, but it makes the car payment!

This weekend I got to visit with one of my best girlfriends. Her mom was in Austin with her for SB2013, so I went up and spent Friday night with them. Her birthday is today, so I brought her cake and we watched Life of Pi. Then we stayed up until around 3:00am talking about books, movies, love and our lives. It may sound lame, but I honestly had a better time with her than I did dancing. We didn't really take any pictures, but I can say that we shut down a Barnes and Noble AND a Chipotle. Nom nom burrito bowl.

During the rest of the weekend, I went to church and had lunch with James. We messed around shopping for a while and I started buying stuff for the Birthday Edition of the My Favorite Things Giveaway! I'm really excited about that one :)

I did manage, during the insanity of SB to finish Week 1 of C25K!! Pretty exciting stuff! Only bad thing is that my knee is realllllly sore today. I'm pretty sure it's meniscus pain. It's a bit swollen and sore. Oh well. I'll be icing it and staying low impact.

1 week down!! WOOHOO!

Which brings me to my weigh in! I'm down another 3 pounds during my official weigh in this morning! Which brings me to a total of 23.8 pounds lost and never to be found again!

Yay for pretty toes! And a pretty number!

I've gotten to where I like to take sweaty/nasty ass/gross pictures after I get done working out. I personally think they are hilarious to look at. And quite attractive! (Please denote a high level of sarcasm). It's motivating to me to see how hard I worked during the previous 30-45 minutes. Love the red face, sweat, and panting :)

This is the face of hard work... And Death... And too much cake in a lifetime.

Until next time blogosphere! Stay sane! :)

-Sammie

Non Scale Victoies!! And an apology

First off... It's that time of week!! Time for another NSV Link Par-tay with the beautiful ladies, Lex and Katie!

What is a NSV (Non Scale Victory)? So many of us have a bit of a screwed up relationship with the scale... We let it define who we are and how we feel about ourselves. The NSV link up is a way to take the focus off of the scale and highlight some victories that may have NOTHING to do with weight loss.

This week... I celebrate beginning the C25K program! Last night I finished week 1 day 2! I got SUPER winded and considered quitting early.. Then I heard the nice lady on the app say, "You're half way there! Keep it up!"

Yeah buddy!

For those of you that asked, I track the runs on the Free C25K App! It gives me the prompts to start running, start walking, and the half way and one minute warnings. Plus I can control my iTunes without having to close the app. It's so nice!

Maroon hoodie.. Imagine!

I sent the picture above to my best friend, who is currently in grad school in Oklahoma.. He sad he could see a difference in my face! AHHHH!!! That was amazing. (I take awful pictures.. Ugh!). And this morning when I made my breakfast, my mom mentioned that she could see a difference! PEOPLE ARE NOTICING!!!!!!!! That makes me feel really good :)

Also wanted to apologize for being MIA yesterday. It was a fun filled day of yard work for me. I wasn't able to sit at my computer for more than about 5 minutes. Then the electricity went out.... Awesome.

I will be writing a post (probably this weekend) about the topic below. I had something scary happen last weekend, which absolutely proves my point. It's more mental than physical (for me anyways).

Until next time blogosphere! Stay sane :)

-Sammie

P.S. Congrats to Sara B.!! She is the lucky winner of the My Favorite Things Giveaway! Here's hoping that we might hear from her once she gets her swag in the mail! Look for another giveaway next month! April's might be bigger, since it's my birthday month! WOOHOO! :)

Spring Training 5K Link Up Week 1

Good morning lovelies!! This brand new link up is being hosted by Katie and Kim! The object of the link up is to write a post about fitness. Then on June 1st, we are all running/walking/jogging/dancing a 5K together! Woot!

This will be the second time I've attempted a 5K. I walked one a couple years ago in celebration of loosing 40 pounds after college. That one was the Wiener Fest (as in wiener dogs, benefiting the Brazos Valley Animal Shelter)  5K in College Station with my friend heifer Natalie. We finished in just under an hour. It was a pretty huge victory for me.

There are a couple things I want to talk about today.. #1 being I started C25K yesterday morning! Bam! I don't want to say it was easy, but it wasn't as painfully scary as I thought it would be. I was going to use this as a NSV on Thursday, but I just couldn't wait to share!!

Completed! Yes!!

The second part of my post has to do with sometime I want... Well.. I supposed it could be qualified as something I need rather than want. This sweet face below is a destructive little monster. She misses me while I'm at work. I understand completely, I miss her too. However, to comfort herself, she chews on my things.. Her latest venture?? My damn work out shoes...

I sleep on Mommy's bed and eat her shoes. NOM NOM!

Oi.. My poor running shoes...

My poor shoes... Luckily it's just surface damage, but they look terrible. Methinks it may be time for some new shoes. Why you ask? Well it's simple...

In my world, absolutely.

Which ones should I choose? I love the colors!

Until next time blogosphere! Stay sane :)

-Sammie

Giveaway Swag, Weigh In and Worries

GOOOOOOOOOOOD MONDAY MORNING!!! Ok.. That was just a tad too peppy for me.. Oops.. Sorry about that. I'm just SO EFFIN EXCITED about today's post! WOOT!

So, if you've read my last few posts, you've seen that I promised some additional awesomeness in addition to that BEAUTIFUL journal I'm giving away here. Well.. In my P.S. I promised some additional swag in the package. When I originally wrote that comment, I had no idea what I was going to toss in the box. No.Effing.Clue. So I was browsing around my local dollar store and this caught my eye.

They are around 77 cals a ball. A bit high, but a tasty treat!

LOVE THIS TUMBLER!! OMG

The only sad part is that the tumbler doesn't have a lid. Oh well. It's so cute!! I knew I had to give it away. So along with the journal, I will throw in the tumbler and the truffles. Nom nom. 

So.... Time for a weigh in.. I think I may re-weigh tomorrow, because this was actually done after my work out this morning. Oops. Yes my loves, that says I AM UNDER 270 POUNDS!!!!! That brings me to a grand total of 20.8 pounds lost for this part of my journey. It's not a whole lot, but dammit it's progress! I'm so insanely proud of myself.

-20.8 pounds total!!

Which brings me to my worries... I am 7.6 pounds down in a week. ONE WEEK. That really scares me. I'm happy with the loss,don't get me wrong... I'm just so scared of effin up my body. I'm not trying to lose fast. I eat about 2000 cals a day or a tad under. (I never have less than about 1200). I'm drinking lots of water and I stepped up my workout game last week with tiny bit of running and my elliptical time. Could the workouts be making that much of a difference? I really don't want to screw my body up.  I track EVERYTHING I eat, drink more water, and I started taking a multivitamin this morning with breakfast. 

Most everyone I've talked to says the weight comes off fast in the beginning and the workouts kicked my metabolism in the arse. I've decided to wait another week and see what happens. Here's hoping...

Happy Monday my dears!! Don't forget to enter to win the journal!! :) 

Until next time blogosphere. Stay sane!

-Sammie

Music to Workout

One of the things that is an absolute must when I am working out is music. I have to have something coming through my headphones to keep me entertained and motivated. Without music, I'm very likely to get bored and quit very quickly.

I've mentioned a couple times here that I'm a fan of Hip-Hop. I listen in my car and while I work out when no one else is around. It's not that I'm embarrassed, I just tend to want to avoid the cross-eyed looks of people when I'm in public.

Since I'm short on things to blog about today, I leave you with my workout playlist.

Artist-Song Title

Sean Paul- Give It Up To Me
Maroon 5- Moves Like Jagger
Jeremih & 50 Cent- Down On Me
Destiny's Child- Bootylicious
Linkin Park- What I've Done
Big & Rich- Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
Warrant- Cherry Pie
Kanye West & Jamie Foxx- Gold Digger
Nicki Minaj- Super Bass
Lupe Fiasco- The Show Goes On
DJ Kahled- All I Do Is Win
Prince- Little Red Corvette (Usually a cool down song)
Nickelback- Animals
Macklemore- Thrift Shop
T-Pain & Yung Joc- Buy U A Drank
Aerosmith- Rag Doll
Fall Out Boy- Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
T-Pain- Bartender (Cool Down)
Down- Lean Like A Cholo
Shop Boyz- Party Like A Rock Star
Trey Songz- Bottoms Up
Juvenile & Soulja Slim- Slow Motion (Cool Down)
Ludacris- Get Back
Soulja Boy- Crank That
Justin Timberlake- Summer Love
Rhianna- We Found Love
Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa- Young, Wild & Free
LMFAO- Shots
Van Halen- Why Can't This Be Love
Kanye West & Jay-Z- Ni**as in Paris
Justin Timberlake- Rock You Body
The Outhere Brothers- Boom Boom Boom
Outkast- The Way You Move
Billy Idol- Rebel Yell
T.I.- Whatever You Like
Fall Out Boy- Sugar We're Goin Down
Lady Gaga- You and I
LMFAO- Sexy and I Know It
Chris Brown- Look At Me Now
Jamie Foxx- Blame It
Drake- Headlines
Ke$ha- Sleazy

If you've made it this far... Congratulations. See? There's a little something for everyone. I like to keep the variety changed up. This playlist is always on shuffle, so I have no idea what's next. I know the lyrics to nearly all of the songs. I have no life sometimes :)

Until next time blogosphere... Stay sane!

-Sammie

Friday Confessions

It's my first time linking up with Aubrey over at High-Heeled Love. Here are my confessions for this bleak and dreary Friday here in Central Texas...



I confess:
I'm sad that my time in the library is coming to an end. It's such a wonderful, relaxing job.

I confess:
This new diet lifestyle has my... Erm... Potty habits all wonky.. I'm not used to peeing every 20 minutes.. And lets not talk about the other result of whole grains and fiber O_O

I confess:
Today is my mom's 40-something birthday. I really honestly have no idea how old she is. I think she's 46... But she doesn't act her age and she certainly doesn't look mid-40s. I only hope that I have her snarky-ness and good looks when I'm 46 too.

I confess:
I'm limping today. Something I did last night is making my calves scream in pain. I don't know what it is or what I did, but dammit it hurts.

I confess:
I try not to let the scale define who I am, but sometimes it does. I've been overweight my entire life. At the age of 8 I had a doctor (and my grandmother) tell me I was too fat and that I needed to be put on a diet. My grandmother, dear blogsphere. At 16 the same woman told me that I was a pretty girl, but I would be beautiful if I just lost some weight. Please don't get me wrong, I love my grandmother... I really do.. But sometimes the ones closest to you can cause the most damage. I was also called tubby at home. Not by Mom, but by my dad and brother. It's a big, screwed up mess. Luckily my relationships with everyone are in a much better place.



I wish this was the message I was given as a child.



I confess:

This one isn't as heavy as the last, promise!! My knee feels stronger. This is a big big big victory for me. I had sugery during my senior year in high school. My knee has more screws in it than a hardware store. It has always been very weak and prone to buckling under my weight. This was a daily occurance. I don't think it's happened in a couple days. I feel stronger and smaller. It's a victory for me!

I'm noticing changes! Huzzah!

I'm noticing changes!!! I'm so excited :)

Did I also mention that today is the Friday before SB2013??

Woohoo! This just means I will have to dig my laptop out at home to keep my blogosphere updated :)

Until next time blogosphere! Stay sane :)

-Sammie

P.S. If you haven't signed up for my giveaway, go now!! I promise it won't just be the journal :) I'll throw some other (undetermined) awesomeness in the box when I mail it! You can find it here!

Non Scale Victories! V for Victory!

Good morning my dear, sweet blogosphere! It's Thursday!! Know what that means?? Time for another Non Scale Victories Link Up! As always I'm linking up this morning with Katie and Lex!

My non scale victories for the week?? Well... #1 I've worked out TWICE this week :) AND I RAN!!! I ACTUALLY FREAKING RAN!!! This is a huge huge deal for me. As you can tell from the picture below, I didn't couldn't run for very long and I wasn't very fast (14-ish minute mile), but dammit I did it! I haven't ran since middle school. Here I am, nearly 24 and I ran. This is absolutely HUGE for me :)

Another non scale victory? I've been logging on MFP (add me!!) for 25 days as of this morning. I also haven't gone over my calories once this week! I'm pretty excited about that. I've been working my rear off. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but I definitely have.

Taken this morning before breakfast. Methinks its almost time to readjust the cals again.

Until next time friends :)

-Sammie


P.S. If you haven't signed up for my giveaway, go now!! I promise it won't just be the journal :) I'll throw some other (undetermined) awesomeness in the box when I mail it! You can find it here!

Nothing Really Matters... Or Does It?

I'm sitting here at my computer at work... And I'm stuck..

What the hell am I going to talk about today?

Does anyone really even want to read about what I have to say?

Am I deluding myself into thinking that people care more about my opinions than they really do?

Why in the hell am I even keeping this blog?

What the hell is the point of me being here?

Does anyone actually read this damn thing?



Yep.. This exactly.

 Most of this, dear blogosphere, is the result of my daily battle with depression. Yes, the meds make it better, but there are still lots of inner struggles that I need to overcome in order to make it to Funky. Self doubt is one of the biggest hurdles I'm struggling with at the point. I have this nasty habit of thinking that I mean more to people than I really do. Call it ego, call it hope. Who knows. Then when People don't respond like I think they will, I get down and feel ready to give up. If no one responds, the majority must be right. I must really suck as much as they think I do.

I tend to base my self worth on whether people like me or not. And I gauge how much people like me on the most ridiculous and arbitrary things. I'm a terribly insecure person and I know that this is something that is fueled by my wonderful seratonin imbalance.




If only I can remember this


Don't worry... I'm not actually going anywhere. And I know that some people read the blog and others don't. I'm not so narcassitic to think that I'm everyone's favorite blogger. I'm just feeling a tad whiney today. Mom and I had a particularly difficult conversation this morning about my bio father which put a bit of a damper on my mood.

Until next time blogosphere, stay sane.

-Sammie

P.S. If you haven't signed up for my giveaway, go now!! I promise it won't just be the journal :) I'll throw some other (undetermined) awesomeness in the box when I mail it! You can find it here!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

I realized a couple days ago that I haven't really been open as to who I am exactly. My likes, dislikes, blah blah blah. Well.. Now it's time for a little get to know me session... And maybe a giveaway :)

Anywho... A random list of things that I am obsessed love.

• Oatmeal Cookies. Especially when my dad makes them. They are homemade bar cookies and to die for. Nom nom delicious.
• Owls. Anything with owls on it, in it, around it. Whatever. I.FREAKING.LOVE.OWLS. I would love an owl tattoo, but I doubt that will happen.
• Llamas. Freakin adorable little monsters.
• Hip Hop music. I'll never admit it in public (we're all family here) but I love me some Snoop Dog.
• The color maroon. Not only was it one of my colors in college, but it's so flattering!
• Books. Pretty books. Ugly books. Long books. Short books. Hard back. Paper back. Ebooks. Books. I love books. I'm a book whore bibliomaniac/bibliophile. Either way. Love books.
• Writing. It's a shocker, I know. I have a blog, so I must like writing. Not exactly. I'm sure not all bloggers write for the joy of writing. I actually have written a couple of fiction pieces. I'm not 100% sure I'm ready to share them with the world, yet. Maybe some day.
• Pretty journals. I'm a sucker for a pretty journal. The cover, the blank pages, so many possibilities. My set back is that I buy cute journals and I never use them, because I don't want to jack up the pages. Which brings me to the mention of free stuff!!

The beauty pictured above is currently up for grabs!! (Notice the maroon? My pillowcase.) It is a beautiful journal that caught my eye while browsing through my local Ross. There is where I came up with the my favorite things giveaway. Every once in a while, I'll host a giveaway featuring something I love. It may be small, or it could be big! You never know :) I can say, it won't be contained to the list above :)

Enter using the Rafflecopter below! Contest starts NOW! And will run until March 13th at 12:00am. Good luck! You must follow my blog for any of your entries to count! I WILL CHECK!! :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway