two items in one ...

boy ... this blog list is sure asking a lot from me.  two items in one posting?  sheesh ...

today is all about a song and a photo to match my mood.  the tricky question is ... what kind of mood am i in?  i was supposed to have a 60-minute massage and only received a 30-minute massage.  granted i still got a massage but 30 minutes is just a tease.  does that make me irritated yet relaxed?  but then i had a nice warm meal from panera bread that filled my tummy just right ... so does that make me snuggly and sleepy?

yeah ... i'm not sure either.  so i'm going to go with my new favorite song that makes me very happy.  it's like a laid back hard rock song.  that makes sense right?  click the below link to rock out with your ... well ... just click on the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWVP1xGuwbs

i just tested the link and listening to the song (again) made me very happy.  i hope y'all enjoy it as much as i do!

and now for a picture to match my mood.  i've decided that i'm in a good, cuddly, cozy place.  and for some reason ... when i think of cuddly and cozy i think of my couch.  prolly cuz i rely on that corner spot to relax me, unwind me, sedate me, take care of me.  i heart my couch.

i'm digging the ambiance.  and it fits my mood, at this moment, perfectly.

funniest topic EVER

i cannot stop laughing.  does this list not know who i am?!  i mean really ... talk about the wedding of my dreams?  my abs are sore from laughing so hard ... i've probably burned about 100 calories over this one!!  let's see ... the wedding of my dreams.  well considering i'm intent on staying single ... my dream wedding looks like this ...








nothing.  blank.  but thanks anyway!

a very exciting day 6

this picture just makes me happy.  which is a good thing since today's topic is a photo of an animal i'd like to keep as a pet.  i can totally envision this cute lil guy as the man in my life ... as long as he stays this size.  can you see it?  it's a cool spring day ... a blanket is laid out on the green grass ... large diet coke in one hand ... warm fresh-baked brownies in the other ... and this lil guy running towards me!  it makes my heart melt a little.

day 5 ... on day 8

my apologies for leaving y'all hanging ... i know you've been waiting on pins and needles awaiting my return!  my back had decided to go out (again) and i made an emergency chiro appointment in DC and didn't feel like schlepping my computer around when my back was hurting.  so i'm a few days behind ... but i'm still committed!  so let's do this ...

a picture of me from two years ago.  these pics were from crue fest (as in motley crue) and we got caught in a torrential downpour.  did you notice my super powers in the first pic?  the girls form a shelf to keep the lower half of me dry!  i don't know about you but i think that's pretty freaking amazing!  the concert was loud and awesome ... and having my head-banging friends with me made it even better!!  I WANNA ROCK!

you guessed it! it's day 4!

this is a lot of blogging.  how do people come up with topics every freaking day?  the only reason i'm able to blog this much is bcz i was given the list of topics.  if i was left to my own devices, it would be a completely different list!  so today's topic ... my favorite photo of my best friend.  i can do that ...

these are the folks i turn to the most.  the ones i can go to for anything.  without them ... i'd be lost!  i have a lot of great friends and i'm so grateful to have them in my life!  keep up the good work my peeps!

yay for day 3 ...

i don't even know where to start with this topic.  talk about my favorite store?  are you kidding?  i'm going to be up all night writing about 50 different stores!  okay ... let's give it a try.  when i'm bored ... i'll walk the aisles of target.  when i'm feeling blue ... oh alright i'll go to tiffanys (blue pun intended).  when i feel like buying my friends a unique gift ... quirks of art is a must.  when i'm feeling artistic ... going to sephora is like the mother-ship calling me home.  when i'm feeling a little sweet ... kilwins is my first choice.  when i'm feeling studious ... a' barnes & noble-ing i go!  and here y'all thought i only had one feeling ...

if you're feeling adventurous ... click on the store titles!

day 2

alright ladies and gentlemen ... the moment you've all been waiting for ... DAY 2!!  today's theme is ... take a photo of something i ate today.  well my oatmeal with protein powder doesn't seem very appetizing ... nor does my grilled chicken salad.  so i went with my new favorite snack ... power crunch protein bars!

bridgit introduced these to me ... they come in three different flavors (peanut butter, french vanilla, and chocolate) and my personal favorite is the peanut butter.  the calories are a little high (but i need that when i'm burning up to 600 calories in the gym) but the sugar is extremely low and doesn't sacrifice the taste.  another good perk is it has only 100mg of sodium ... when losing weight you want 150 or less per item ... 100 is definitely better!  see how much i've learned over the past year?!  these really are very good and can be found at walmart or trader joe's.  enjoy!!

stay tuned ...

day 1 of the 30-day challenge ...

hello.  my name is jennifer and i'm an addict ... of pinterest that is!  i find myself perusing pinterest page after page but i soon realized i never put anything i pin into action.  until today.  i have accepted a 30-day blog challenge to get me ready for all the blogging i'll be doing from turkey.  so day 1 is ... (drum roll please) ... a photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.  i think i can handle that.

now it didn't say the picture had to be from today.  but this is a favorite pic of mine ... it was such a nasty sand storm and that picture is true in color.  it stands as a reminder of such an amazing opportunity i had ... who knew baghdad could create a new family and home for me.

but back to the challenge ... describe my day.  well today is monday, 2 january, and the government has graciously given us the day off to observe new years day.  so you know i slept in.  but once i stumbled out of bed i decided to give my laundry a try.  i was on vacation for two weeks and had some luggage and laundry to sort thru.  however ... my back has been acting up (not sure if it was the different beds, hauling too heavy luggage, or it's just out of whack) so it's been a slow process since bending over has been a struggle.  so basically it's been a lackadaisical day of watching tv, laundry, and emails.  but nonetheless ... day one down!  tune in tomorrow for day 2's action ...

new years again ... already?

i honestly cannot believe that another year has gone by.  goodbye 2011 ... and hello 2012??  i'm actually at a loss for words ... but i'm sure the more i sit here the more i'll find.

i'm sure all of you the three of you are wondering what happened to my adventures in exercise (i apologize in advance for using such a naughty word and i warn you that it will be repeated throughout this post).  much to my own shock and amazement, i am still an active participant in the exercise world.  who knew?  definitely not me.  i even convinced a few friends in to join me ... so i'm not in hell alone ... and it has been a rough and rocky road.  but i can proudly say that the one constant thing in my year of 2011 has been my training at the gym.

some of my trainers have come and gone ... and the owner swears up and down that i had nothing to do with their leaving ... but life goes on and you bond with your new trainer.  remember jake?  he left me to go train a professional baseball team (and i really don't blame him ... but i also reminded him that he has single friends).  then there was chris who left to play soldier.  and now i'm on trainer three, four, and five ... all at the same time!  how do i have three you ask?

on mondays i have sweet bridgit ... the owner and the slaughter house.  she is all encompassing when it comes to pain ... she loves to work us on the stairs and is encouraged when we cry.  okay not really ... cuz she has definitely seen me cry and she gives fabulous hugs.  i give bridgit total credit for my ever changing life cuz she keeps pushing me to keep going.  i love love love this woman.

on wednesdays i have irv ... he's the weight-lifting guy.  he's such a kind older gent and he looks forward to hearing what new things will come out of my mouth.  sometimes i'm even shocked!  my goal every wednesday is to make this man laugh harder than he did the week before.

and then my fridays are with sammy ... good ol sammy!  on fridays i go alone and sammy likes to take advantage of having only me to pick on.  he's my conditioning man ... lots of aerobic circuits and planks ... but i can usually get him distracted by talking about movies, music, or food.  we've just started a running program which is my homework on tuesdays and thursdays and then running with him on fridays.  it's amazing to see how the rest of my life is effected with improved conditioning.

all in all ... i've lost 60 pounds!  i still have a ways to go ... since food has been my downfall.  even with consistent exercise sometimes my eating has not been very clean.  the gym gives me a place to work on stress, but sometimes it's the food that gives me the most comfort.  so i've been derailed a few times by taco bell and papa johns ... but i keep my face forward and continue to push ahead.  as a result, sammy has allowed me to hire him as a personal chef ... so once a week he will grocery shop and prepare lunch and dinner for the week.  yes ... i am capable of cooking chicken and steaming veggies.  but will i do it?  obviously not.  sammy is also teaching me how to season veggies and how to cook them in various ways.  this has truly transformed my eating and keeps me more motivated than he knows.  and don't worry ... i have my cheat day aka my sanity day.  i count down the hours until saturday arrives ... because while i'm motivated i'm also human.  plaza azteca anyone?  don't mind if i do!!

so that's it.  that's been my year in the exercise world.  i'm very proud of my accomplishments and i look forward to completing my transformation before leaving for turkey.  because once my foot steps in the country of turkey ... it's on!