Winding Down and Gearing Up

Another weekend has come and gone. Every Sunday I spend some time winding down from my busy weekend and gearing up for the work week ahead. 

This Sunday I had a lot to wind down from. This weekend included attending a baby shower for one of my best friends from high school, eating dinner with my family, and hanging out in Richmond with one of my newest friends!

One of my first Sunday activities was one that I normally do every Sunday - paint my toe nails! I always wear closed toe shoes to work, but I can't stand not having my toes painted. So I opted to partake in this activity while finishing watching "21 Jump Street," featuring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

Today I also took the time to straighten my hair while watching some HIMYM (That's "How I Met Your Mother" for you all not familiar with the acronym) on Netflix. That took a couple of episodes. :)

More relaxing despues the hair straightening

After I made myself presentable, I headed out to do some shopping for some staples I am going to need for the week -- mostly food! I did need to pick up some school supplies for the fill-a-backpack-for-a-needy-kid thing we are doing for work. 

Shopping purchases

Going to the grocery store hungry is never good and I was craving all sorts of crazy things! For instance, I really wanted some salad! With little tomatoes!

Now I really should be asleep but I can't stop watching the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics. I plan to watch this for a little and then paint my nails quickly before bed!

What do you do to wind down from your weekend and gear up for the work week?

Weekend in the Outer Banks

The weekend before last I spent some time down in the Outer Banks with my family. They has been there all week; however, due to my big girl job I had to settle for a shorter stay.

I've been going to the Outer Banks since I was one year old and have vacationed down there on nine separate occasions, if my counting is correct.

Though I've been there so frequently, this past weekend I had some new Outer Banks experiences. My family rented a place in Corolla, which is on the north end of the OBX. I'm used to staying much further south around Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Heas, etc.

Our house was a mile from the Currituck Lighthouse which was one of the lighthouses in the OBX that I'd never had the opportunity to visit. So they saved their visit to the lighthouse until Saturday so I could go too! In my reading about the tourist attraction , I learned we could climb the lighthouse for $7 each.

Guess who convinced her whole family that this was a good idea. Hint: It was the same girl who is afraid of heights, gets dizzy easily, and has a slight fear of stairs. Note to self, if you go 214 stairs up, you have to go down 214 stairs. It was an amazing, heart-racing experience.

Corolla is also home to a long stretch of beaches only accessible by 4x4 vehicles. Also, I found out that just over 100 wild horses live on these beaches.

Anyway, on our way down to where you can actually sit on the beach, guess what we saw on the beach! A DEAD SHARK! Terrifying, right?

On another note we did see some of the wild horses. It was amazing! You have to stay at least 50 feet from them but I got some nice photos!

On Sunday we did some souvenir shopping. JMU was well represented at the Outer Banks and I bought it all up! I also got my annual Brew Thru T-shirt which is a must-have every time I go to the Outer Banks!

All in all, it was an awesome weekend and a good break from my big girl life.

What's your favorite beach to go to? What are your favorite things to do at the beach?

An Obsession of Olympic Proportions...

I am obsessed with the Olympics! There's nothing better than having something to watch on tv every night and cheering on your country to win the gold.  

Source

I still remember the first Olympics I watched as a child. I was eight years old and the Summer Olympics were being held in Atlanta, Georgia. 


I have vague memories of heading out to route 1 in Dinwiddie to watch the Olympic torch make its way to Atlanta. 


My first Olympic love was gymnastics. I remember watching the "Magnificent 7" win the team gold in womens' gymnastics. I decided at that moment I was going to be a gymnast. I even had a folder with USA's gymnastics team on it. For the next two years, my parents paid for me and my sisters to take gymnastics. As most of you know, I'm athletically challenged. It did not work out well. I was not fearless enough for gymnastics. 

Be glad I used this photo instead of my old gymnastics recital photos.
(Source)

Next came the Winter Olympics of 1998. I decided that figure skating was going to be my thing and I watched Tara Lipinski win the gold. That school year, I attended every skate night my elementary school sponsored at the roller skating rink in efforts to eventually become a figure skater. I never could master that whole not-falling-down thing.

Source

I've followed those two events in all the Olympics since then along with many others. I watched Michael Phelps win his numerous gold medals in Beijing. I watched the USA ice hockey team attempt to overtake Canada in the Winter Olympics. Last night I watched the USA women's gymnastics take the gold for the first time since 1996 when I first fell in love with the Olympics. 

Source

The Olympics make me want to accomplish something (mostly on the athletic front). I always get so emotional listening to the athletes' back stories and watching their hard work result in medals.


What are your favorite Olympic sports? What are your thoughts on the Olympics?

These Shoes Were Made For Walking?

I wish I had Barbie doll feet. 

Source

As you know, I recently got a new job! My coworkers are much different than those I was working with when I was substitute teaching. I am working with a group of people that are much closer to my age and very business professional. The girls that I work with dress way cute so I've been trying to keep up with them by doing a lot of shopping. 

It seems as of lately with all my professional shopping I've been doing, I'm starting to become a "shoe girl." I've never really been a "shoe girl," especially not with heels. I have always owned a ton of flip flops and other comfy shoes like my Sperry's and my Converse's. 

I've always been comfortable with my lack of height. In fact, I pretty much cannot wear heels. My mother says I walk like a chicken in them (I know, I know, my family loves me). She got mad at me when I chose to wear flats to my high school graduation.

However, again I am short. So usually my dress pants are very long; therefore, it is necessary that I wear heels. So I'm slowly getting accustomed to buying and wearing heels. I haven't fallen on my face yet...there have been about 3 close calls though.

I accidentally wore my heels for about 17 hours last Friday. Worse idea ever. My feet were hurting for two days straight. I don't know how Barbie does it. It probably helps that her feet are just made for heels. 

These are scary high heels for me. My sister laughs at me...
By the way, $14.99 on clearance at Target!

What are your thoughts on heels with professional wear? Are heels absolutely necessary in the workplace? What color heels are staples to every working girl's wardrobe? How tall is too tall?

Belated Independence Day Celebrations

Hope y'all all had nice Mondays! 

I don't know what the weather was like where you were this weekend but it was beyond hot here!

I did my best to stay inside all weekend, parked in front of Netflix, watching Jericho. If you've never seen that show you should definitely give it a chance. 

As I mentioned in my Fourth of July post, fireworks in Colonial Heights were postponed until Saturday night. I've been going to see fireworks there since I was little bitty. It was my niece's first time out seeing the fireworks and she wasn't scared at all!

It was still pretty hot Saturday night while watching the fireworks show, so you better believe I only had one thing in mind when I got home: Italian Ice.

Yum!

Netflix and Italian Ice.

What I am really excited about though is the weather this week! Take a look! 

You may recall that I have no AC in my car and my new job requires that I do a bit of commuting. Weather in the 80s and 90s means that I'm not completely soaking wet with sweat when I get home (attractive, I know).

What are you excited about this week?

Red, White, and Whew, It's Hot...

Happy Weekend everybody!


I survived my first week of my big girl job! Though it was a short week, due to the holiday. It still totally counts as surviving week one. 


Speaking of the Fourth of July, have I mentioned that it's one of my favorite holidays? I have a ton of spirit and I love showing it off. So I go all out in my red, white, and blue every year.

My outfit: Blue&white striped shirt from Rue21, red tank top from Forever21,
and white shorts, Mossimo at Target

In my outfit, looking rough after a long day!

For some reason that I haven't locked down yet, fireworks in Colonial Heights were postponed until Saturday. I ended driving to Richmond and watching fireworks from Lynn's apartment's rooftop, which was super cool. It was the ultimate spot to watch several different shows all at once.

"Baby, you're a fiiiiiiiiirework"

What's your favorite part of the Fourth of July? How'd you spend the holiday?

Current Events and such...

Happy Monday all! 

I hope no one is having a manic Monday and that y'all are all staying cool because it is HOT HOT HOT! 

Which brings me to my first current event!

This heatwave! Summer started 12 days ago and we have had crazy record-breaking temperatures. Stay in the AC...which would be easy except...

There are thousands of people without power due to the crazy storms that came through on Friday night and then Saturday. Fourteen people on the East Coast have lost their lives as a result of these storms. There is a threat for storms almost every day this week!

A friend of mine who lives in Lynchburg has not had power since Friday and the power company has told her not to expect power until July 7th. 

The great Verizon outage. If you were on Facebook on Sunday, I'm sure you saw everyone's complaints about not being able to make phone calls or send text messages. Personally, it didn't affect me much; the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and iMessaging were all working on my iPhone. So I couldn't complain, especially when there were people who don't even have AC or electricity.  

On a positive note, gas prices in my county and other place in VA have dipped below $3 a gallon! Makes planning weekend road trips a lot better. 

Source

On a more personal note related to a current event in my life. As you all read this, I will be  at work - at my new job. A full time, big girl, 40 hours a week job! I'm super excited and super nervous!