Check it out- you can see my backyard! Now that the snow is gone, I'm hoping to post outfit photos more often. The only road block: I arrived home to find my little backyard completely discombobulated and full of scaffolding and ladders. After talking with my land lady, I discovered that they're fixing the window of the apartment above mine and removing my sinking brick floor.
I'm extremely excited about my floor, what can I say.
Outfit Details: Sweater- Loehmann's; Top and Belt- H&M; Pants- Loft; Shoes- TKMaxx.
Something else I'm excited about? These pants. Not only are they a super thin, more tailored alternative to jeans, they're also too big. Why is that excitiing, you ask? Well, they seemed to fit pretty well just two weeks ago, but after losing 2 lbs, I think it's time to shrink them a bit in the dryer.
Though 2 lbs may not be a lot, it's almost half of what I'm trying to lose. I'm on my way to feeling better, happier and more like myself. With around 3 lbs to go, I'm almost there. I know it's not about my weight, but rather about feeling my best. That's one of the reasons I've decided to start walking to and from work (2 miles total) and to try to take the stairs up to my office as much as possible (6 flights is a lot).
What are your secrets to feeling your best? Do you have an exercise routine you love, a favorite healthy food, a stress relieving pastime? Inquiring mind(s) want to know!
Triumph: Coming up with some really awesome partnership campaigns for G3B.
Struggle: Getting a little too focused on losing a few lbs before Mexico.
Triumph: My 6 month anniversary with Eric is today- it's my longest and most "real" relationship yet.
Struggle: The bone chilling cold is back in Boston and it's brutal.
Triumph: Coming home to a Trader Joe's stocked fridge complete with blueberries, yogurt and tamales (c/o Eric).
Struggle: Feeling faint after not eating enough today- I need to eat more tomorrow!
Triumph: The bouquet of fresh flowers on my shelf - lilies, Gerbera daisies, etc (c/o Eric). I was hoping there'd be a surprise bouquet waiting for me when I got back to Boston, but I wasn't sure.
Struggle: I'm pretty sure the right click on my Mac is now broken. Add it to the list of ailments. Time to get a new one?
Triumph: It's supposed to be 80+ degrees in Mexico, which means swimming, sundresses and sandals!
Struggle: Feeling unmotivated to work out.
Triumph: Seeing videos of my Mom telling bedtime stories to my new nephew in Israel. I still haven't met him yet, so the videos were particularly meaningful to me.
Sigh. I'm off to relax and watch some TV. Oh, and treat myself with a cookie...or 2.
Eric asked me to come up with a pre-blizzard grocery list, so I started looking on Real Simple for recipe ideas.
It was then that I stumbled upon 9 Fast, Healthy Breakfast Ideas. With easy and creative options like breakfast pizza and cereal sundaes, I was definitely intrigued. I also learned that sometimes, getting a doughnut is healthier than getting a muffin...that is if you stick to the old fashioned doughnuts (280 calories vs. 500+). Who knew?
Well, I'm slightly ashamed to admit that last week's goal didn't work out as well as I thought. Though I tried to walk/jog 2 miles a day, I didn't make it past Wednesday. You see, the thing is, I ended up hurting my back (most likely due to being pulled by two very strong dogs) and didn't feel up to exercising for a few days. After that, I just decided to give up. I know I'm not off to a good start, but the truth is, we can't all do everything.
Last week's goal was a little too much for me- I should have made it more vague and told myself to "do something active for 30 minutes a day" so that I could vary my workouts. Walking got old after just a few days, and I'm the kind of girl that needs to make exercising as exciting as possible. Hopefully last week's failure will help push me to take some of the free fitness classes at the Owings Mills JCC.
Week 2 overview:
For this week's goal, I thought I'd try something a little more manageable- drinking more water. Water is great for you- it helps flush out the bad things in your body and makes up for all the fluid you lose daily. I'm definitely guilty of choosing sugary drinks over water most of the time, and after my last trip to the dentist, it definitely wouldn't hurt to start making better drink choices.
So, here's what I propose:
This week, I'm going to make it my goal to consciously choose water over other less healthy options.
I'm not saying I'm going to eliminate everything else (please, with my late night juice cravings, I can't go cold turkey on this one) but I'm definitely going to try to drink more water.
In general, I think I work best when I'm busy. When I don't have anything specific planned, I tend to ruminate on things I have no control over and take way too many naps. I've been home for just over a week now, my things are all unpacked and my rooms are clean. I've even been making my beds at both my mom's and dad's houses, which says a lot for me.
The thing is, even though I desperately wanted to come home, I'm finding that I have a ton of down time. Sure, I could watch all the TV I want, but that gets old really fast. With graduation in two weeks and the uncertainty of whether or not I have a job for the summer, I find myself thinking about things rather than doing them.
As a result, I've decided I need to motivate myself. I've always believed in taking small steps, in challenging yourself to do your best and not pushing yourself too hard. That's why I wanted to try a new project. I want to give myself small, attainable weekly goals. Although I only have to perform these tasks for one week, I hope to incorporate many of them into my every day routine.
This week, I thought I needed to give myself a kick start to getting active. The weather is nice and I've been spending too much time inside eating junk food and watching TV online. I think that walking (or maybe even jogging!) two miles a day wouldn't be too hard, especially if I can walk one of the dogs or jog on the treadmill and catch a half hour TV show, which is precisely what I did this evening.
Guys, these may seem like a small goals, but I need all the encouragement I can get. I'm really looking forward to this project and can't wait to come up with more goals for the upcoming weeks. Of course, you're more than welcome to participate and I'd love to get your feedback and ideas.
So get off your butt and go outside- the weather is gorgeous (at least in Baltimore) and it's time to get active!
I've been back in Baltimore since Wednesday morning and it's definitely been a fun and food filled experience. It's also been full of allergies. Let's start at the beginning.
I arrived at the airport around 10am on Wednesday and then went home and met my new puppy, Bailey (yes this is another new puppy, but this one lives with my dad) and the allergy fest began.
Unfortunately, I was forbidden to take any anti-histamines because of my allergy test that took place just a few hours later.
I now know that I am allergic to:
All tree nuts
Peanuts
Salmon
Cod
About a million types of pollen
Most large trees (like the ones that surround my house...)
Dust mites
Cats
Dogs
I am not allergic to:
Shellfish (which I don't eat anyway)
Eggs
Soy
So, basically, I get sick whenever I come home because of the abundance of animals (3 cats, 3 dogs), the trees and the overall country air.
I guess this means I'm a city girl for life- there are very few trees near my Boston apartment. And um, the cold air probably kills all of the allergens.
Happy Friday- I thought the above photo was too funny to pass up. (Thanks for sharing, Kristyn!) So...do we think it was a publicity stunt or what? Being a PR major has made me slightly skeptical.
Also, feel free to laugh at my pain- I made cowboy mac n' cheese for my roommates, and apparently, the hot peppers I bought at the farmer's market today were very, VERY hot. The guy was not lying when he said on a scale of 1-10, these babies were an 8.
No, I did not burn my tongue (dinner was actually delicious), but my fingers, on the other hand, are killing me. Today I learned that just touching spicy peppers can burn your skin. I tried soaking my fingers in milk (the fat is supposed to absorb the evil pepper juice), I tried an ice pack, I even tried hydro cortisone cream (as prescribed by Krisyn, who I'm pretty sure knows everything). Nothing is working and this is NOT fun.
Note to self: When cooking with hot peppers, wear Izzy's rubber gloves.
It's currently 4:51 AM and I do NOT want to be awake. Unfortunately, my nasty cold has not gone away and has been playing games with me all weekend. Though I took niquil about 45 minutes ago, I have yet to fall back into a peaceful slumber...so I'm writing a blog post!
See this adorable girl? Her name is Zooey, and she's my new style icon. Maybe it's because people tell me I look like her, or maybe it's because I think she's absolutely adorable, but I currently have this cotton advertisement on the wall above my bed as part of an "inspiration" collage. (I'll have to take a photo of it and share it with you later!) Plus, I just discovered Zooey's stylebook (part of the cotton campaign) and I must say, I'm slightly tempted to make my own!
In other news, I'm happy to announce the winner of my blogoversary giveaway. I know, I know, I wasn't supposed to announce it until next week, but I have patience issues. Like I've said before, it means so much to me that you all come back and read my blog. Thanks so much for being super blog readers!
Anyway, with the help of my roommate's super-keen random number choosing skills, I've chosen a winner! I'm extremely excited that the winner is one of my new favorite bloggers- she's sweet, adorable and a great writer...
Before reading this post, there are two things you should know about me:
1) I've always hated going to the doctor. I was that little kid who ran around the examining room screaming, trying to avoid a booster shot.
2) I have anxiety dreams. A lot. These dreams usually revolve around me attending a high school class (typically science, history or math) without the my homework or being unable to stop my car and getting in an accident.
Now that you know the facts above, this story will make a bit more sense.
***
Whenever I come home, whether it be for a quick weekend visit or an week-long stay, I try to squeeze in as many doctors appointments as possible. Though KBoss insists I should find a new doctor up in Boston, I have yet to actually do so.
Since I was going to be home for a whole week, I crossed my fingers and hoped to squeeze in my annual err "lady parts" checkup. Lucky for me, they found a time that worked for both of us.
Everything seemed perfect... until I had the nightmare:
I was minding my own business going to see my FEMALE doctor, when I entered the doctor's office, only to find out that my doctor was now male. Oh, and we were in Boston, not Baltimore. I didn't know this doctor, yet I still followed him. Instead of entering a normal examining room, I found myself in a large field...outside. People were playing frisbee and having picnics...at my gynecologist appointment!
I was confused that I'd be sharing such a personal experience with the picnicers, but dream Alana still went ahead with it. It was then that the mysterious male doctor (who wasn't even cute!) collected some of my cells. They magically blew up into huge squiggly messes that indicated I was fine. Apparently, I have bright blue and purple cells. Who knew?
It was at that point that my real doctor showed up. She rolled her eyes at the boy doctor and said she would take care of me. We walked around the field a little bit more, trying to look for a more private place to conduct my checkup.
"Hey," I said to my doctor. "I'm studying PR...I could totally help you plan an event to raise money to buy curtains to allow for some more privacy."
She seemed to like the idea. I then crawled onto the examining table, put my feet in the stirrups...and the next thing I remember was walking into White House/Black Market and rewarding myself with some new headbands.
Yeah, so that dream, combined with any previously existing doctor's office anxiety definitely made today seem a lot scarier than it had to be. Fortunately for me, I saw my actual doctor today, was examined in a PRIVATE room and rewarded myself with a delicious frappuccino. Hopefully now I'll associate the lady parts doctor with caramel and not public nudity or creepy colored cells...
I had the most fantastically awkward conversation with my father today. I'll try to recount it as best as I can:
Alana: Yeah, the new guy I'm seeing is really nice. He texted me the other day and asked me if I wanted to get sushi. Before I even had time to respond, he texted me back saying he remembered my fish allergy. It was really sweet.
Dad: I think you should get tested.
Alana: Whaaaaat?
Dad: You know, for your fish allergy.
I stared at him in shock for a few seconds...
Alana: Ok, you can't just tell someone they need to get tested. It has bad connotation.
Dad: Huh?
Alana: You know, STDs! I was gonna say, Dad, I've only seen him twice, I don't think we need to worry about that quite yet.
Oh, and then we went back to my dad's office, where we had this conversation with one of his coworkers:
Dad: So Barb, you and Alana should hook up when you go to Boston.
Alana: Dad, you can't say that. It's just like the "get tested" thing.
Barb: I'm so glad you said that! My mom says stuff like that all the time. It's so awkward!
I then shared with her my previous conversation with my father. She couldn't stop laughing. What a GREAT morning!
