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It is proven that the stimulus your brain gets from happiness increases many positive aspects in your day to day life. The release of hormones into your body when laughter occurs is overwhelming from your insides. After a laughing attack, often you feel “high” or on top of the world. Your cheeks hurt from smiling, your abs hurt from 10 minutes of constant flexing, and you feel completely satisfied.

Today, I spent part of the day taking crazy pictures with my best friend, Lauren. Sometimes we’ll have our “photoshoots” and call a “pose” (like SCARED! PISSED OFF! CHEERLEADER!) and snap the picture right away. Today we made our faces completely chub by pulling our chins/necks forward and snapped pictures. When reviewing the photos we literally almost peed our pants laughing! I’ll never share those photos with anyone else, but I’ll always have that moment that was complete bliss.

Life happens so fast, we grow up, get married, get jobs, and things that were important to us 10, even 5, years ago suddenly are on the back burner. Lauren and I have been friends for … *counts* … 20 years now. She recently got married last September to her three-year lover Geoff. We only see each other a few times a month, but when we do it’s completely wonderful. It’s mainly people that make me happy. my boyfriend, my friends, my family, and myself. My job makes me happy, my pets make me happy, as well as many other things. At the end of the day, I really try to reflect on what made me smile that day and be thankful for whatever/whomever it was.

What do you to do stay chipper? Any one thing/person that puts a smile on your face no matter what?

So, I’ve decided this week to give up pop. I was standing in line at the E-Bar at Nordstrom where I work this Sunday with a Coke in hand ready to go to my hour long heavenly lunch break. I stood there, patiently waiting, and looked at the pop and thought… “What am I doing?!” and put it back and got a water instead. Despite the fact that I recently got a horrendous Charlie Horse, which are most commonly caused by low potassium levels and dehydration, I’ve been super oily lately which is also caused by dehydration. So I’ve been downing the water and just realized I drink way too much pop.

I’m hoping to give up bad habits/foods/things each week (or somewhere close) to live a healthier life. So far this week, I’ve caught myself ordering a Pepsi with food but correct myself with “Actually… just a water will do”. I’ve felt better so far, and actually don’t really crave the pop. Thank God! We’ll see if it starts to help with weight loss too. Speaking of which, I’m going to the gym tomorrow for the first time since before Christmas. I’ve gotten out of habit and NEED to get back into it!

What sacrifices have you made to live a healthier life?

Hopefully everyone remembered to set their clocks one hour ahead this morning at 2am!

I’m sad we lose an hour in our day today, as I typically wish for five additional ones each day, however this does call for longer days and means spring is around the corner! I can’t wait for the spring sunsets this year!

What are you most excited for this spring? Your new wardrobe? Busting out your “summer makeup”? Are you taking any trips?

It has been a stressful few days. Today, however, was very productive. In the last two days I’ve had off I got tires, paid [most of] my bills, filed Greg’s taxes, went to the MAC Store to replenish/buy new lip pencils, went to the chiropractor (HELLO STRAIGHT SPINE!!! Thank you insurance for realizing the necessity), and more. Next week I’ll tackle getting a new Drivers License (#3 in two years, SHAME!) and getting an oil change.

What experience do you guys have with addiction? Whether it be drugs, alcohol, smoking, food, internet, or something else. I’ve been surrounded by addiction my entire life in more ways than one. I’m overweight, always have been, and can admit an addiction to food along with many other things. My mother has battled many of fights with numerous drug and alcohol addictions (and turns up to lose each battle). I just figured I’d see what you guys have been exposed to in your lives.

I want to be an addictions therapist after I’m done rocking the MAC world. But I struggle to empathize/sympathize with basically anyone lately for reasons that I’ve faced in the family. When your own mother asks you to piss for her random UA drug test, shit really hits the fan. Yeah, don’t ask.

I’m struggling also right now not being able to live with Greg. We lived together our last year of college and were basically blissful. Engagement is obviously around the corner and right now I live with my father and he lives with his mother. We’re planning on buying his mom’s town home when they buy a house, but four months ago that date was March 1. Well… it’s the 5th and they haven’t even looked yet! I’m buggin’ and stressing not living together and being next to him each night. So many options, yet none of them seem perfect.

What are you guys stressing about this week? For once, there are a few stresses in my life besides work. I guess that’s a good thing, it gives you the ability to check yourself before you wreck yourself, eh?! But hey, this time last year I was basically pissing myself with stress trying to graduate college. Oh how life was so much simpler then; and I didn’t even know it!

PS: Anyone else obsessed with Twitter?! I sure am!

I promise I’ll have some posts with substance soon.

A few things: this is a half-assed picture job. I didn’t pull anything out of my traincase besides the MSFs and I’m not labelling anything. I’ve inventoried everything I have and my collection estimates nearly $6,000! Can you believe that my MAC Collection is worth 3x what my car is worth? LOL! I wish I could say I used it all. Within a 6 month span, I probably do… but because I can only wear what’s current at the counter, I don’t get to wear everything as frequent as I’d like. I’m missing a makeup bag worth of product that I didn’t want to grab in my purse as well as random shit strewn all over the house/Gregs house. Lastly, do as I say not as I do… There are some things that I certainly don’t take care of the way I recommend to friends, customers, and the like. Like my brushes - haven’t been washed in a week (except my face & liner brush) and my lashes are anywhere between doubled to quadrupled per case to save room. DON”T DO THIS!
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Does anyone have iGoogle? I absolutely love it. When I (used to) update my Moleskine planner, I typically do a quote every day to keep my spirits up - usually about love.

The first quote I see when I logged onto my iGoogle was “Love dies only when growth stops.”
I can’t help but think this is totally true. Greg and I have been together now for almost seven years. The first year of our relationship was bliss - you know, hearts, romance, mushy letters, disgustingly romantic texts/calls/words, & non-stop “I Love You’s”… Then he left for college. The next two years was absolute torture because all we did was fight. We knew we were meant for each other so we couldn’t let go and break up… even if we wanted to… but the fighting and the constant nagging eachother and the screaming - oh god I’m glad that’s over.

Love dies only when growth stops. During that time, our relationship pretty much stopped growing. We grew in a sense of learning A LOT of boundaries and communication issues, yes. But, we didn’t grow in the best way. I thank God every single day that we got through that phase of our relationship because now, we’re happy as can be. Sure we still fight - like every couple does - but we’re just all around much happier.

Now, lets hope we can get a damn engagement ring soon! His best friend is getting married in June. Greg decided to tell me this the morning of Thanksgiving - which basically ruined my day. Joe and I have never really gotten along. There’s just a mutual dislike for one another. Which sucks, because Greg has been the center of many fights. Though I do wish the best for him and his fiance it pissed me off ROYALLY that their two years together trumped our seven and they’re getting married before we’re even engaged. Call it pitiful, but it totally ruined my Thanksgiving.

Joe didn’t even ask Greg to be in the wedding - up until yesterday. Greg was really hurt by it, so he called me at work like, “Guess what! Joe called! Guess what he asked!! He wants me to be in the wedding!!!!” It was the cutest thing in the world. Despite my brain starting to churn at the thought of them being married before us (I know! I’m totally selfish, damn it!) I was so happy for Greg because he was just so relieved. So, I joked with him and said, “Babe, this is your deadline. If we show up at that wedding and I dont have a ring on my finger I’m going to flip my shit!” … only half way joking

I know it’s coming very soon. We were going to get engaged in Vegas, but we couldn’t afford it. I know he’s got something up his sleeve…. I hope it’s sooner rather than later!

I plan on making a lot of “mini series” posts in this blog. I have a few fun ideas conjured up, and one of them being my Netflix Queue. I wanted to do a series on this because quite frankly… I’ve had the same three movies going on two months now. I keep forgetting to watch them and send them back. Now… that isn’t very productive is it? So, in hopes to motivate me to keep it going, here I am.

Like previously stated, I am a TV junkie. Most times I’d much rather wait until DVD so I can watch it all at once… this is why my Queue is 90% full of TV seasons. This frustrates my boyfriend to no end, because I’ll get my TV season done with and the next one will start. All of our regular movies are at the bottom of my queue.

What I usually do, is get the movies in the mail… copy them so that when I actually find time to watch them I can on my own time… and then return them in the mail a few days later.

Right now, I have House Season 3 sitting on my entertainment center. I love House. I love his sarcastic humor and his bad attitude. Many people would find him annoying, but I think it’s a great representation of how many people in this world actually ARE crude and obnoxious. Because they are.

Other TV shows on the list include… October Road, Sex and The City, Everwood (remember this show?! Wow, memories!), The OC (never got into it when it was on, wanted to see if it sparked my interest), One Tree Hill and more.

I am excited, however… that I’ve gone through about 3/4 of what TV shows were in my queue, so I can actually start watching more movies. For some reason, my priorities when it comes to movies are totally off!

What’s in your netflix queue right now? I sincerely recommend this over ANY other movie rental system - though the blockbuster one seems convenient too. It’s super affordable, with different plans, and there are no late fees. I’m a busy chick… I can’t remember when to take movies back. So the $10-20 I rack up in late fees being a week late could equal unlimited amount of DVDs for a month through Netflix. What seems like the better deal?

On my Live Journal, I posted this list at the beginning of the year. I figured it would be fun to post it here too. Maybe it’ll keep me a little more inspired to keep checking things off as I accomplish them.

Do you have a 101 in 1001 list?

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So, as promised… here are some pictures of myself and my life. Feel free to ask any questions you have, I’m open to share!

Click below to see more!

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Well, well, well. It sure was nice waking up this morning to a hefty (for me) tax return sitting nicely in my bank account. Wow. What a relief. I had an early meeting at work, and immediately went out and did my shopping for work clothes. Hey, at least it’s a tax write off, right?

So, where did I go, you ask? After my much needed hair cut, I ventured to Forever 21 (for some reason in our mall, Gadzooks is the name of the store, but they carry all Forever21 stuff. Weird? Yes.) not expecting to find anything. I’m a pretty big girl. I’ve got a really big chest, broad shoulders, and let’s face it… I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised when I found a few really cute pieces. I usually like my tops to fit snug (not skin tight, though) so the loose-looking tops fit just the way I like them to on my curvaceous body. YAY! We’ll call this Score #1!

I headed to Payless Shoes Source to find some shoes. Yes, I work at Nordstrom…where they’re known for their shoes. BUT I wear between a 10 Wide and 11 Wide… and while Nordstrom is great about carrying extended sizes, they’re typically never cute enough or fashion forward - which is a requirement for work. Plus, I was on a budget so $80 on shoes just wasn’t feasible. I did find two great pairs at Payless for only $27 total. This will be deemed Score #2.

Old Navy was next. I try not to buy a lot of my work tops there because they fade like CRAZY (did I mention how HARD it is to find BLACK clothing?? I’ll get to this later!). My goal was to find a pair of pants, maybe two. They had zilch I did end up with a cute cover-all/shrug type thing that will be worn with my tanks. Since we can’t show any skin. I’ve actually been looking for a black one of these so, Score #3! I also got some black sleep pants - but they’re actually cute enough I could probably wear them to work under a long tunic/dress!

All in all, I spent under $150 and left with five shirts, a pair of pants, two pairs of shoes, some hair care/styling balm, and a few accessories. Not to bad, right?

Now, to get to my next point… WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND BLACK PROFESSIONAL CLOTHING?! I need something that doesn’t fade, that won’t shrink, and that will stay looking nice. I’ve had to dye my work clothes THREE times since I’ve started (some pieces are old, some are new) about 8 months ago. Working at MAC has it’s bells and whistles, but I tell you… the struggle to find clothes that not only FIT me, but don’t look old-lady and grandma-ish on me gets so frustrating at times!! Ahh well, it was a successful day nonetheless.

I came home and instantly paid the bills. I paid half of my balance on my Chase card. Which is a little disappointing because I was hoping to pay it completely off. But, between both of our paychecks and my tax refund (and spending WAY too much money in Las Vegas), I didnt want to neglect other bills and be strapped for cash for two weeks. You’ll be proud, though, for someone who used to be SO bad at managing her credit cards, I paid the balance on my Discover card.

I got what I like to call a “second chance” credit card. You know… one of those with a really low limit, an annual membership fee, and a REALLY high interest? Yeah. I decided that I would sign up for one, and when I used it I’d only use it if I could turn around and pay what I used it for the second the transaction was done. So, I bought my MAC Fafi stuff with the card on Tuesday, and paid it today. I have a 20 day grace period, so I dont have to pay the crazy 22% interest on it.

I’ll more than likely post some pictures in my next post. Anyone have any ideas for blogging?