The Perks…

I guess I just have to embrace it, huh. Every year I try to down play my “special” day. I try not to call attention to myself. I try not to broadcast it to anyone. I’ve even thought about maybe even taking that little bit of info off my FB page. Oh who am I kidding, of course I want people to know… I kinda like the attention! 😛 I just don’t like people making a big deal about it… that’s all. Like surprise parties. Please do not EVER throw me one. I don’t like the idea of walking into a room full of people hiding in the dark and then having them jump out and yell “SURPRISE”! Not my cup of tea. Oh but presents? Yup, love ’em. Send ’em my way. Will gladly accept those. 😉

So… what is acceptable:

1. Like I’ve said… presents… gifts… LOVE those. Always. 
2. Monetary gifts (all you Asian peeps, you know what I’m talkin’ ’bout)
3. Taking me out to dinner to celebrate (I love food. Remember that, k?)
4. Going on trips. With peeps I love.
5. Just a simple call would make my day… or even a text.

And one of my favorite  things to get for my birthday are these…

Coupons sent from my favorite stores…

Hey… every dollar off counts!

🙂

Awesome. Time for some new sexy lingerie. 😉

Make-up? SURE, why not? 😉

American Eagle

Okay, okay. So maybe AE didn’t exactly send me a coupon for my birthday. But it is my birthday month. And I get to splurge a little. And I just got excited about it so I decided to share it with ya’ll.

I have more birthday coupons somewhere around here, just can’t find them at the moment. But you get the idea.

This is why I love my birthday. It gives me an excuse to shop for myself. I soooo deserve to be spoiled. 😛

LOVE Forever21

Today I did a little shopping for some new active wear. I’ve been putting it off because, in all honesty, I don’t want to keep spending money on clothes if I’m going to continue to shrink. I’m in desperate need of some new running shorts, new workout pants/capris, new yoga pants (the ones I have are SUPER huge on me), and most importantly new sports bras. I really thought I could get away with just wearing camisoles under my tank tops to workout, but I was informed by my personal trainer (AKA the hubster) that I need to wear a sports bra. Yes…a man lectured me on that. Why? Well, because for one (the most obvious) is to prevent sagging (TMI, I know. SORRY!!!) My argument to that was simply “I don’t have any boobs.” His response “Doesn’t matter.” And secondly, I guess while I was doing some workouts that required me to be on all fours (like push-ups or planks), he said I flashed him a couple of times. Wow. I mean, come on…really? That made me laugh…but then it also made me a little self-conscious. So today, while we were out and about running errands, we stopped in at one of my favorite “go-to” stores Forever21. 

*cheesy lame excuse of a banner, but whatever 😛 *

 

I gotta say… this store has come a long way from what it used to be 10+ years ago. They have some cute stuff!!! And, I’m not gonna lie, I needed to get somethin’ inexpensive. Yeah, kinda have to be frugal for a little while. We kinda spent a little too much in Hawaii if ya know what I mean.

The great thing about Forever21’s active wear line is that, it’s not expensive at all. They have a pretty decent collection of colors and styles to choose from. And I was pretty happy with most of what I tried on. I don’t have a lot going on in the boobage area so it’s not like I had to be picky with finding something with lots of support. I actually needed somethin’ with lots of padding so that I don’t look flat-chested. Anyway! Moving on.

 

Here’s what I walked out of the store with…

These, I believe were $9.80.

 

And these…

 

Cost: $12.80

These have extra padding in ’em. Yup… happy about that.

😉

Totally LOVE their active wear line.

Simple. Colorful. Stylish. Just plain awesome.

 

*******

 

On a side note. I didn’t get a chance to go to the gym today after running errands. I had intended to go… but I fell asleep. Power nap. And I almost convinced myself to take the day off. Almost. But when I realized that I’m going to a family BBQ tomorrow and wasn’t sure when I’d actually find the time to get a good workout in, so I decided to do a GOOD cardio workout tonight.

 

*did this 3x and YES it kicked my booty*

 

And this is me post-workout.

Glowing. Haha. More like sweaty and gross!

Dork status, right?

And yes, that’s me sportin’ the new bra!

Shorts are a lil too big – had to fold ’em over… which only means I have an excuse to buy me some new ones!

Will definitely be going on a shopping spree soon.

🙂

Enjoy the rest of your Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Size Zero….what?

About a month ago…

I went to try on my bridesmaid dress for my sissy’s wedding and asked to try on a size 4.

Unfortunately they didn’t have a sample dress in that size so I said I’d try on a size 6.

Tried it on. And the dress pretty much fell off my body.

I was swimming in it!!!

So the sales consultant suggested I try on a 2.

I kinda gave her this look…

you know, that look that says “you’re crazy.”

But  I figured, if it didn’t fit, then we could just order the 4.

No problem.

Hmmm.

Tried on the 2…and it fit!

Sorta.

It was almost perfect.

Actually it was a little loose.

But they don’t come in size 0’s.

Um, ok, yeah… My mind was totally reeling from all this…

Size ZERO? Really?

The last time I squeezed my butt into a size zero was, like, Freshman year of high school.

Or Junior High maybe.

But don’t be fooled… that doesn’t mean I fit into a size 0 in jeans. No…I’m a bit curvy from the waist down.

Unfortunately I lost all the junk in my chest.

TMI, I know. But hey, it’s the truth. I’m down to training bra size.

😉

You think I’m joking but I’m not.

Anyway, I picked up my dress a couple of weeks ago but haven’t had the time to post up pics of me in it.

I’m going to share them with you right now, but I have to warn you… I have absolutely no make-up on and my hair’s not done.

Oh and my dress needs to be steamed…but I can’t do that until I’m actually in Hawaii…so it’s pretty wrinkly.

And no I’m not wearing the shoes in the pics on the day of the wedding either… I just threw them on to compare.

Okay, enough disclaimers. Here you go…

pay no attention to the mess behind me either. 😛

So there ya have it. I fit into a size 2 dress that’s kinda loose in the bust.

Can’t win ’em all, I guess.

Will definitely be posting up pics of my sissy’s BIG day!

20 days and counting! Wooohooo!!! Can’t wait!!!

🙂

i heart weddings

If you know anything about me, you’d know how much I LOVE weddings.

I love everything about weddings.

From the venue, to the decor, to the dresses, to the entertainment…

and to the FOOD!!! Oh-em-gee I love food. 😛

I love ’em all.

If I could afford to throw myself a wedding every year, I sooo would.

I’m soooo not kidding at all.

*sigh*

I can dream, can’t I?

🙂

Okay, so this past Sunday we went to a wedding. The first wedding of the year. And trust me, there’s a handful of them coming up and I am looking forward to every single one of them.

Who got married: Hub’s cousin Christine Olivares to Stuart Bullard

When: Sunday, March 25, 2012

Where: Del Mar Room in Belmont Shore, CA

For some odd reason, I thought it was going to be on the Queen Mary, but I was wrong (and disappointed).

So yeah. For those that follow me on Twitter…sorry. I totally lied about the location.

😉

The day started off very nice and sunny.

I was able to get some gym time in: 30 min HIIT on the treadmill, which actually put me just over a 5k.

Not bad.

Ran to Target really quick to get a last minute gift.

Hey, don’t judge. I was sick all week remember?

By the time we were all ready to go, the sky had turned an ugly shade of gray.

On the drive out there, it poured.

No sweat though. I was able to keep myself amused….

CHEESEBALL STATUS

I even dragged the hubs into it…

Backseat Photo Booth Op lol

After all that nonsense, we finally made it to the venue. I got so caught up saying hello to everyone that I didn’t really get a chance to take many pictures. And the few pictures I did take…well the quality wasn’t the best.

Just know this. The wedding was simple, elegant, and very intimate.

And we had a FABULOUS time.

🙂

Christine looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding gown.

making her way to the alter

the vows

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Bullard!

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

Remember how I said I love food? Yeah, well I was really looking forward to seeing (and tasting) what was on the menu.

Cocktail hour: Full open bar. Helped myself to a margarita and some wine. Yum.

Appetizers served: bruschetta, bacon wrapped scallops, and chicken kabobs.
Wasn’t a big fan of the bacon wrapped scallops or chicken kabobs. Just my opinion.

And next up: Dinner!

All I have to say is…I should have ate more appetizers.

Dinner was steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. It looked delicious.

Not gonna gross you out with the details, but let’s just say I don’t eat raw meat.

Yeah. So hubs gave me his shrimp and I just stuck to that and the veggies.

The best thing I ate all night?

This.

red velvet cupcake

Yummy friggin’ cupcakes galore!!!

Mmm, mmm good.

🙂

Again, I apologize for the crappy photo quality.

And for the lack of photos taken.

I’ll do better next time.

I promise.

 Here’s one more for the road…

"Prom Picture"

🙂

H2O Just Isn’t Enough

My birthday came and went…

Had a GREAT time with family & friends.

I’m not big on birthday celebrations these days…

I kinda don’t need the constant reminder that I am getting old.

Yuck. That word just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, a very good friend of mine treated me to a massage on Wednesday.

At Massage Envy.

It was my first.

And let me tell you…it was GOOD.

🙂

The massage therapist focused on my back, shoulders, arms, and neck…

and boy, let me tell you… there was sooooo much tension in my shoulders and back, it was almost embarrassing.

It prompted her to ask what I did for a living and if my job stresses me out.

Yikes!

Didn’t realize that my profession + working out daily would cause that much tension in my muscles!

The next thing she said asked me kinda surprised me, too.

She asked if I kept my body hydrated.

In my mind, I was like “duh”, but I responded with a simple “yes” instead.

Then she said “The reason why I am asking is because your skin is absorbing up all this lotion faster than normal.”

Hmmm. Interesting.

Apparently, water isn’t enough to keep hydrated.

I did NOT know this!!!

She suggested I drink a Gatorade here and there. For the electrolytes.

Thought to myself I don’t need that all that sugar.

So…

next best thing:

I prefer C2O, but this one’s just as good.

She also says Pedialyte is good, too. And that her boyfriend drinks ’em all the time.

Hmmm. I think I’ll pass on that one.

I’ll stick to my coconut water, thank you very much.

Actually had to run out and buy some for the hubs and I tonight because we’re both not feelin’ well.

He’s comin’ down with somethin’ and I woke up with a HUGE migraine today…

one that just won’t go away.

No Bueno.

********

Anyway, totally enjoyed every minute of my massage.

My body soooo needed it.

And I am soooo tempted to get one at least once a month now…

Wonder if the hubs will let me 😉

I took the day off from working out today…my body begged me to rest.

But I will be back at it again tomorrow.

I promise.

********

What, besides water, do YOU drink to stay hydrated?

Bikini Season Is Just Around The Corner!!!

The Countdown is ON!!!

My beautiful sissy is getting married in May.

And guess where…

In HAWAII, baby! Woot Woot!

You know what that means…

Time to go bikini shopping!!!!

So here are some of my faves:

From Victoria's Secret: my 1st choice - same style, different print/color

Other ones I want from Victoria’s Secret…

And from Target…

This one:

…and  this one!

Both are SUPER cute and UBER inexpensive.

And last, but not least…
(at least for now)

THIS sexy monokini

…from Forever21.

So this is my bikini wish list.

It is very likely that more items will be added to the list.

This is just the beginning folks!!! 🙂

*********

Sharing is caring! Where else have you seen cute  swimwear?! 

in them jeans

It’s no secret that I’ve been “shrinking”.

The last time I bought a pair of new skinny jeans, was back in November.

Just before Thanksgiving. Was excited because I was back down to a size 6.

…at least in American Eagle Outfitter jeans.

i know you can't see the jeans...but it looks pretty fitted, right?

Then, I kid you not…

a couple of weeks later, I noticed how loosely they were fitting on me.

I thought to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding me. I cannot be shrinking THAT fast.”

Yeah… $50 not-so-skinny jeans gone to waste.

But I still use them. I’m just always pulling them up…and sometimes even wear a belt.

Which is why I’ve decided I’m not going to buy any new jeans until I’m done shrinking.

But I need new jeans.

And that’s when the lightbulb went off in my head.

I had saved all my old favorite jeans from like 6 years ago.

…and they were packed away in storage.

So a couple of days ago, I made my husband climb up into the attic and bring ’em down.

Hollister on the Left; American Eagle on the Right

Both jeans actually fit a little loose, too. Especially at the waist.

But it’s awesome that I can fit into them again!!!

And just so you don’t think I’m fibbing about the weight loss, I do have some pics of me in the jeans I wore when I was at my heaviest.

Exhibit A

This was taken in the Summer of 2010.

And no this was not photoshop’ed.

Now check this out…

Me wearing the same pair of jeans now.

side view

This is my version of the “boyfriend” jean…

front view

It still amazes me at how much I’ve lost/toned up in the past 6 months.

It is possible. You have no idea how many times I felt discouraged because I wasn’t seeing results right away.

But hard work pays off.

The proof is in them jeans.

🙂