Zoya - Share the Love

Zoya nail polish - any one who knows me or who has been paying attention as of late, knows that I'm sort of obsessed with Zoya.  It's amazing.  I have a killer manicure right now, but I broke like 3 of my nails in one day this week, so it's looking a bit rough right now.  Anyhow - Let's just say I have over 20 bottles of Zoya - and - at $8.00 a bottle you might say "DAMN gurl, you made of money 'er something?"  My answer would be "No, absolutely not".

I'm just awesome as I've never had to pay full price for a bottle of Zoya nail polish!  I follow Zoya on Twitter, on Facebook, and I follow their blog - which is a bit stalkerish, I'll admit.  Stalking or not, it's gotten me some great deals!
During the Holiday shopping season, they would have flash promos on Twitter where the first 1,000 people got a free bottle plus free shipping, or 5 bottles for $25 plus free shipping, sometimes polish with a free bottle of their Remove + (which is AMAZING!)... hell, just recently they had a code for B3G3 - another amazing offer!  I took advantage of more than one and that is where my obsession began - partially because it's fun getting in on code that are given in limited number but mostly because it is really great nail polish.  Its used with a vegan formula and free of all the bad stuff (I won't bore you with the scientific names).
I've never had a nail polish last as long as my Zoya does.  It last even longer if I don't ram my fingers into things and break nails!

Anyhow - I've shared this brand with many people and I will always tweet and post to facebook any codes that they are offering for free product - so if you don't know how to find me on Twitter and Facebook, just ask (I don't link my blog to those sites).
Had Zoya introduced their Share the Love program before I had, I would own more product as well as those people would have been given a damn near free bottle.

Want a free $5.00 to spend on Zoya product?
For those of you who have yet to give Zoya a try yet and want to, follow this link - you'll be credited $5 when you create a new free account: https://www.artofbeauty.com/rd/0102F5BC - You can use that $5.00 right away on your first order.  You must follow that link to be credited with your $5.00.
Best of all, once you create your account - you can create your own Share the Love link and share it with your friends and you'll both get free money to spend with them!  If nothing else, it's a great way to get your first bottle and give Zoya a try!  The price is comparable to what you'd find OPI going for, but it lasts longer :) BONUS!

Stay tuned for a upcoming post... I plan to post a picture of all the colors I own - eeek... how do I make sure Steve doesn't see that!

Irate

Ever notice how irate is spelled?  Break it up and you have I Rate - which I obviously don't - which makes me irate.

I figure it's better to post a stupid cryptic message here then put it on blast on facebook or twitter.  I'm fucking pissed.

I really need to get a phone call soon.  I probably should apply for some jobs today...

Checking In

I completely forgot that I said I was going to be accountable on my blog!

I've been doing the weekly weigh-in with the girls, but let me give you a brief recap of where I'm at.

Week one: first weigh in done.
Week two: down 3 lbs.
Week three: down 1 lbs from the week before
Week four: up 3 from the last week (that was just this past Friday)

I've been to the gym 8 times this month and I still have all of this week.  The other factor is starting back on birth control - I know they say it can make you gain weight... not sure if it's true, but it might explain the 3 up :(

Oh well, I know weight can fluctuate daily, so I'm not taking too much into it yet.  Overall, I'm still down 2 lbs from the beginning...

I'm trying to watch what I eat as well... easier said than done.  I've started using myfitnesspal.com (thanks for the tip Nichole!!)  - and it's a great site!

One day at a time... I'll get there!

Random v12.3

******So I've been watching this show, Smash, on NBC - I'm sure you've heard of it and if you haven't you need to crawl out from under your rock and live a little.  Anywhos ~ at first I was all: meh, I'm not sure if I like this show... it's pretty meh.  For some reason, I kept watching... having the same feelings...I know sometimes it takes a few episodes for a show to get rolling.
Enter the threat of an affair... I'm instantly hooked.  Why?  I have no idea.  The story line as it pertains to the affair is the number one reason I'm still watching - that and the two leading ladies - now that drugs are involved and potential for the lead being up for grabs.
I think it's kind of messed up that I'm enjoying the show more now that there is an affair... don't you?******

{via}

*****I don't know how to do my own make-up.  I'm going to be in 2 weddings within the next 4 months and I have no idea how to do my own make-up.  Sure I can put on eyeliner and blush and all the right stuff... I just don't know how to make it look any different than one way.  I see pins on Pinterest and want to be able to do some of them... I end up looking like a clown.  It's like the Pin fail sites that are coming out, but rather than messed up recipes and crafts, it's my face!  The smokey eye look... don't even get me started (cause I'll look like a emo clown when it's all said and done).*****

****I'm in the process of planning shit again - 2 bachelorette parties and 2 vacations (NYC and Chicago) with the boy.  I'll bet you can imagine I'll be voicing some frustration with those.  The bach parties so far are mixed - one is going perfect, the other.. not so much.  I began to think it was just me, maybe I'm a hard person to plan with?  Until one of the girls from the difficult planning party told me that the other girls are the 'issue' and really it's not life or death - it's not going to make me hold a grudge against the girls, it's just lack of communication.  To me, if you're planning something with many people you need to, kind of, over-communicate.  Make sure you're all on the same page with tasks, money, etc. - apparently not everyone thinks this way.  Oh well, I bet I'll get over it once it's all said and done.****

{via}

***Steve and I are just over the 3rd cold we've had this 'winter' - I tell you what... I've gone many years without being sick... I guess this year is making up for it.  During such a mild winter too.  We've had practically no snow this winter - it's march and we've hit 80° already.  Been in the 70's many times... it's absolutely nuts.***

**I've signed up for a Kettlebells class starting in April.  I'm anxious, excited, and nervous.**

*Steve and I have several dates on the calendar for Twins games already!  Even though there are many names on our roster that I do not know anymore... I'm still hoping for some good outdoor baseball!  You have to remember this is the 3rd season we've been back to outdoor baseball - before that the Twins played at the Metrodome - for almost 30 years!!*

I'm in Lust!

Actually I'm doomed.

Source: zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com via Angela on Pinterest

I love all of these colors and I'm pretty sure it'd cost me over $90 to have them all.

BREAK THE ADDICTION ANG!

Can you see me now?

As some of you commented recently, a few of my posts should have popped up in your readers over the last day or two.  I took the blog off private for a bit.  Partially seeing how it'd work.
When I had it on private and I posted, it didn't show up for any of you, but as soon as I took the 'private' off, my posts showed up.  This sucks.  I wish there was a way to notify you all of posts while I'm private.  Dana made a comment about another blog she used to read still showing up... I've searched high and low and I've yet to find anything.  I'm still searching though.  In the mean time, I'm leaving things 'public' - anyone looking for my blog has to know the name to find it.  I'm sure of that.

So, let's talk weight loss a bit, shall we?  First of all, since I posted last Friday I've been to the gym several times!  I went on Friday, Monday, Wednesday and I have plans to go tonight as well as tomorrow.  I HAD plans to go on Saturday, but I had a bridal shower that ended up taking longer than I expected and I just didn't have time to get there with my evenings plans looming.  Sunday I was hungover from my Saturday night plans... whoops.  I'll be weighing in tomorrow.
In the mean time... as if I needed more motivation... I pulled down my pants this morning to go to the bathroom (tmi?) and noticed that I have a rip in the thigh of my jeans.  Not super surprising as I have big thighs and a big ass - my thighs rub together when I walk thus wearing down the material in pants - but it's still heart-breaking.  I kind of love these jeans... and now I look like a whore.  A whore who feels fat and completely insecure about herself.  New feelings for me.  I guess a trip to Target is in order after work the gym.

My gym doesn't offer classes (it's one of those cheap 24 hour access gyms, so it's not staffed all the time) - but I am looking into taking a community ed class, probably Kettlebells.  If you've been reading for a bit, you'll remember last Spring I took a zumba class and pretty much hated it.  I felt so out of place in there.

So other than that... my job still sucks and I still hate it here.  I no longer feel valued or needed - I feel like I'm just here to do whatever it is I know how to do (and not even all that I used to do anymore)... so that's always a neat feeling.
I'm digging deep for motivation to wake up and come to this place on a daily basis.  I also feel like it's having a bit of an impact on my relationship - not a huge one, but a bit.  I feel like I've always been decent at leaving work at work, but I'm struggling lately.  I told Steve that there will be days that I come home crabby, and while I'll try not to take it out on him... I can't hold back the way I feel.  It's not him that I'm upset with, but if I've had a bad day, sometimes it's hard to perk up when I get home.  Hopefully he continues to love me no matter what.

What a great life right?  I hate my body, I hate my job, I hate blogger for not making it easy to go private, I hate Hulu for no longer streaming my favorite MTV shows... where is the positive?  It's there... and like the sunshine on a cloudy day, it peeks through sometimes.  I guess 2011 was so great, I have to expect some bad in 2012, right?  I feel like I might be on the verge of a small breakdown.

I've spent almost this entire week at work looking up stuff on New York City - so I'm getting ready for that trip... only 2 months to go!  I'm also planning a bachelorette party for my cousin, which is about a month and a half away.  Something I've never done, but I'm excited for.

Okay, that's my super upbeat update.  I'll check in tomorrow with my weigh-in, hopefully that'll have a bit lower number to report.  I promise one day I'll have a positive outlook again.  Please bare with me until then... I'm grasping at straws for things to smile about.

Accountability

I'm not happy in my own skin.  I love my life and, overall, I'm happy.  I'm just not comfortable.  I don't like the way I look anymore - I don't like having to buy new clothes because my old ones don't fit anymore.  I haven't been to the gym on a regular basis in a few years now, and I need to do something to change that.
I hated being in my bikini in Hawaii because I felt like a beached whale.

I am going to be in a wedding at the end of April (Shannon's), I'm going to NYC in May, I'm going to be in another wedding at the end of June (Pam's), and I'm going to Chicago in July.  At some point, hopefully within the next year, Steve and I are going to be using our free plane tickets to hit up a tropical beach... I don't want the same feeling for all of these things as I had in Hawaii.

I can't explain why it's so easy for me to hate the way I look and then drive right past the gym on my way home from work every day.  In the past 3 weeks, I've been to the gym 4 times.  I know that is not a lot, but it is something.  Something is better than nothing and hopefully it's the beginning of lots more visits to come.

I'm not sure how else to motivate myself to do something.

Yesterday my friend Abbie emailed our little dinner group of girls and asked if we can do weekly weigh-in's with each other.  I JUMPED at the chance.  While I'm a firm believer in the number on a scale not meaning shit unless you feel different and your clothes fit different... I will do it to make myself accountable.  This group of girls are all a part of the June wedding (bride included), so it's a perfect excuse.  I'm a huge fan of competition, so I'm hoping that looking at it as I'm going to lose more weight than these bitches this week I'll be more successful.  On top of that, if I can get in the habit of the gym by then, hopefully I can stick with it even after we've met our deadline.

Our first weigh-in was this morning (apparently we weight less when we wake up?  who knows).  Frankly I'm embarrassed to share my weight with you, so I'm not going to.  I'm keeping a spreadsheet in my gDocs so I can report weight lost each week.  The girls and I have decided to not share our weights, but to report that we've weighed-in and then next Friday we'll report what we've lost.

If you're still checking in and reading here, help me be accountable!  My plan is to report here each week as well... I'll never share my weight with you, but I will tell you how many times I've been to the gym and I will tell you how much I've lost.

While I do plan to adjust my diet as well, for now, the gym is my main focus - once I can get back to that I'll start focusing on eating habits.  I'm trying to get in the frame of mind that I need to eat less... so I'll just start there.

One step at a time and I know I can do this.

Blah - I need help though, so hopefully this will be the help I need!  Wish me luck!